Warring States Survival Guide

Chapter 162 From now on, I will take care of you

The Inu Princess and her entourage crossed most of Shinwanjin Town and arrived at the Nohara family's residence at dusk on time as calculated in advance. Weddings in medieval Japan were different from those in China. They did not emphasize loud gongs and drums or firecrackers. They just wanted to be lively and festive. There were still only two families, the Oda family and the Nohara family, and the overall atmosphere was quite solemn.

Because of the huge difference in status between men and women in that era, Yuanye didn't even have to go to the door to welcome the bride in person. He just had to sit in the quiet room and wait, even if the bride was a princess.

Naturally, there would be someone to take on the task of welcoming the bride, usually a senior family elder or a highly respected person among the Imonshu. However, the Nohara family had no Imonshu and no family elders, so Aman, the self-appointed family elder, took the responsibility and took the position automatically, leading Aqing, Yayoi and other retainers to guard the gate. When they saw the "Phoenix Chariot" arrive and the bride got off the chariot, he immediately lit a large bonfire on both sides of the door with his own hands.

This is "burning the door fire", which is a kind of "purification" ritual to prevent the bride from bringing "unclean" air into her husband's home, or to prevent any evil spirits from sneaking in during the chaos.

After the "door-burning fire" was lit, Aman ordered people to put buckets of clams in front of the door, and watched the dog princess put her hands together and make a wish to the clams - clams can only bite perfectly with the same pair of shells, so it has meanings such as "one person for life", "faithful to one person", and "harmony between husband and wife". Here it is to get a good start, and it can also be regarded as a statement of the bride.

After paying homage to the clams, Aman stepped forward to greet them in a serious manner, and then personally led the Inu Princess into the house, and sent her to the entrance of the house, where he handed her over to Asano Nagakatsu's wife, Mrs. Ayuan. The Oda family's wedding party stayed here, and Aman was responsible for leading the people to entertain them with food and drinks.

According to the requirements of the Ise-ryu Marriage Rules, the wedding ceremony usually lasts for three days.

On the first day (the wedding night), a celebration banquet will be held. The only participants are the wedding host, the groom and the bride (including the maids). The wedding host is usually a noble lady from the husband's family. However, the Nohara family did not have a noble lady old enough, so they invited help from outside and transported Asano Nagakatsu's wife from far away to fill the role.
The next day is for the bride and groom to be alone. They celebrate a banquet alone, with the bride serving the groom to eat, in order to cultivate the relationship between the couple and distinguish between superiors and subordinates.
It is only on the third day that the bride officially appears in her husband's house, meets the groom's parents, brothers and sisters, and receives the servants and relatives, which means she is officially integrated into the family.

Now is the first celebration banquet. Madam Ayuan leads the dog princess to the inner room with a smile. A Zhong, A Xia, Yayoi and the little maids follow silently behind.

The inner room was specially decorated for the wedding. A platform was built with Penglai Mountain in the middle, and on both sides were tied carp and wild geese. There were also objects such as vases, kettles, and grapes, all to bring a good omen.

For example, Mount Penglai is a huge bonsai, modeled after the fairy island of Penglai, with undulating mountains and misty clouds. There are auspicious elements such as pine trees and cranes on the mountain. Pavilions, towers, immortals and other lifelike images are also carved, which means "the life of the newlyweds is as beautiful as in fairyland, full of blessings and good luck" - the price is not cheap, this bonsai cost Yuanye more than 30 strings of money, but fortunately it is not a disposable item, but a family heirloom, and Yuanye can continue to use it when he gets married next time, or when other people in the Nohara family get married.

In addition to these auspicious items, there were three tables on the table, each with dishes on it. Mrs. Ayuan smiled and invited the dog princess to sit on the right, and then invited Yuanye out of the quiet room and asked him to sit on the left - according to the custom of the medieval era in Japan, the left east is the most honorable.

Yuanye had been locked in the quiet room for several hours and was not much more relaxed than the Dog Princess. He was relieved when he was released. After sitting down, he saw for the first time what the Dog Princess looked like. He had seen her portrait before, but it was only a portrait of this era, so there was no difference between seeing it and not seeing it.

Different from what Yuanye had imagined before, the dog princess did not look like a "princess". She was kneeling there, small and delicate, thin and light. She did not look strong, and even gave people a feeling of cowardice. Her two small hands were clasped in her sleeves as if they were tightly twisted, and from time to time her sleeves trembled for a moment, and she looked very nervous.

As for her appearance, she had long black hair as smooth and shiny as silk, which could not even cover her chin. She also had a small oval face and a straight nose. She looked quite delicate and pretty, but nothing else could be seen clearly - she lowered her head now, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly like the fluttering wings of a butterfly, as if telling of her inner shyness and uneasiness.

Madam Ayuan looked around at the two of them, and with a smile, she read out the wedding speech, thanked the gods, informed the ancestors of the Nohara family, and asked the gods and ancestors to bless the couple. Then she clapped her hands and asked the maid to bring "three sets of cups". She smiled and said, "Your Highnesses, that's enough. Please change the cups!"

This is the ancient version of the wedding wine ceremony, where two people drink from the same cup and pass the cup back and forth, symbolizing that their destinies are linked, their lives are intertwined, and they become an inseparable whole, facing the future storms together. It is also the most important step in the wedding ceremony.

Yuanye gently picked up the wine cup and tried to bend forward with a bit of guilt, and the dog princess also carefully picked up the wine cup and moved closer. She quickly looked up at Yuanye and tried to straighten her body so that she could pass her arm through his arm. Then she put the wine cup to her mouth, calmed her breath and took a sip. But surprise immediately appeared in her eyes - it was sweet and delicious, not bitter and sour as Ah Zhong and Ah Xia said.

Yuanye tried his best to cooperate with her, fearing that any big movement would cause her to hang on his arm, and he stretched out his mouth to take a sip, while Mrs. Ayuan smiled and said auspicious words one after another. It seemed that Maejima Jiro and Endo Chiyo made the right choice of the person, as this person must have presided over many weddings for others before and was definitely a veteran.

After three drinks, the two finished the "three sets of cups". Madam Ayuan took the cup and put their hands together, then smiled contentedly and said, "Your Highnesses, let's drink three times together. The wine is mellow and the love is deep. From now on, we should stand together through thick and thin and protect each other. Don't forget this moment."

Yuanye nodded gently, smiled at Mrs. Ayuan and said, "Yes, I will."

Even if it was a political marriage, he would try his best to take responsibility, at least to ensure that she would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life. The dog princess also moved her lips slightly, but her voice was too soft, and I couldn't hear what she said clearly. But after Madam Ayuan let go of her hand, she suddenly remembered the teachings of her wet nurse, took a half step back, bowed and bowed: "Master, I will leave you in my hands from now on."

The first celebration basically ended here, but the three of them didn't actually sit together to eat and drink.

Princess Inu quickly went to the bedroom accompanied by A Zhong and A Xia, but Yuan Ye was not in a hurry to follow her in. He first sent Lady A Yuan away and had someone treat her well, and by the way, he went to say hello to the Oda family's wedding party.

…………

The dog princess walked along the corridor all the way to the "new house". Even though she was very tired, she did not dare to be rude. She knelt obediently like a doll and did not move. However, A Zhong and A Xia pulled the little maid who led the way and talked in a low voice outside the door, trying to get some information about the Nohara family from her.

The dog princess didn't care much, but she still felt like she was dreaming, and then she was sure that the ceremony had been completed and she was the nominal mistress of the Nohara family. But she was absent-minded for a long time and still couldn't remember what Nohara looked like. She only remembered that he was very tall and looked like a mountain when he sat there.

But he didn't seem to be a bad person as Ah Zhong and Ah Xia said. Before, Yuan Ye's posture seemed to be very accommodating to her when he was drinking, and his waist was almost twisted. She could vaguely feel it.

"Your Highness... Your Highness?"

The dog princess was in a daze, and suddenly heard someone calling her. She was startled and looked quickly, and found that it was Yayoi. Of course, she didn't know what Yayoi was called at the moment. She was a little transparent and her intelligence ability was really poor. She had no idea about the specific situation of the Nohara family. But she could see that Yayoi seemed to be the leader of all the maids in the Nohara family. She thought she had some status in the Nohara family, so she didn't dare to ignore it. She quickly showed a well-trained smile, maintained her manners, and asked softly: "This... lady-in-waiting, what's wrong?"

Yayoi was also very nervous. Her previous life plan was to go to Araki Castle to be a servant responsible for washing clothes and cooking. As a result, her life turned out to be strange. She met Yuanye inexplicably and went to Nohara's house to become the "bureau head (inner housekeeper)". As the Nohara family's strength expanded rapidly, she now managed dozens of people. She didn't think she was capable of being this "bureau head", but Aman insisted that she do it, and Yuanye agreed, so she didn't dare to object.

She was now facing a proper princess, and she was afraid of being impolite and disgracing the Nohara family. She was very nervous. Even though she had learned a lot of etiquette knowledge in the past two years, she still lacked confidence in front of a princess. She didn't even dare to raise her head and said softly, "Excuse me, Your Highness. I just wonder if Your Highness would like to take a bath and change clothes first or eat first?"

The Inu Princess was confused for a moment. According to custom, she should sit here obediently and wait until Yuanye came back, but she used to live in the inner house of the Oda family, under the watchful eye of the great devil Lady Tsuchida, and had to live cautiously. It was a little difficult for her to refuse directly.

Yayoi waited for a moment, stole a glance, seemed to see her hesitation, and quickly added, "Your Highness, it was His Highness Saburo who ordered it."

This was indeed Yuanye's order. The dog princess was wrapped tightly from head to toe. Yuanye couldn't tell how many layers of clothes she had on. She could hardly move when she walked. She must be very tired. Moreover, she had put so much makeup on her face that she almost turned white. He also suspected that these ancient cosmetics were poisonous, such as containing lead, and hoped that she would wash them off quickly.

As for the dishes at the banquet, they were just for show, prepared long ago and placed there. They were not meant to be eaten at all. Yuanye also felt that she must be hungry.

That's why he told Yayoi to come over and help, and let the dog princess take off her "armor", wash her face, and have dinner first.

When the dog princess heard Yuanye's clear instructions, she was relieved, but she didn't dare to object. After hesitating for a while, she felt that wearing so many clothes made her feel safe. She didn't want to take them off for the time being, so she kept her demeanor and smiled and said, "Then... let's eat first!"

Yayoi also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that this princess was not difficult to get along with, and quickly stood up and walked out of the door, whispering to the maids to start work. Then a set of desks was immediately placed in front of the dog princess, and a standing candlestick was erected next to it for lighting. Afterwards, various dishes and food came in an endless stream, and in a blink of an eye, the table was full.

Yayoi has always been cautious in doing things. She is a princess, so she used all her skills and really gave it her all. And this is nothing in the Nohara family.

The Nohara family has nothing but a lot of money. They are truly the top nouveau riche in Owari Province.

(End of this chapter)