Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 66: Newlyweds, Swearing to the Southwest! [Please Read]

Because there were no elders in the house, the couple slept until noon on the first day after their marriage.

Speaking of which, considering that Zhu Huilan was a virgin, Liu Kuan didn't do much last night.

It was only after they had a deep and simple exchange with each other that they both started talking more, and since they were so excited, they ended up chatting for half the night.

Zhu Huilan was a light sleeper, and she woke up as soon as Liu Kuan sat up.

The bright light made her realize that it must be late. She couldn't help but think of the Zhougong ceremony last night, which was very different from what she read in the book. Her pretty face flushed again. She didn't dare to look at Liu Kuan, but she couldn't help it.

When she first peeked at Liu Kuan from behind Rouyi Palace, she just thought Liu Kuan was more handsome.

But now she feels that no man in the world is as handsome as her husband in her eyes.

She covered herself with the wedding quilt and asked, "Are you going to get up, my husband?"

Liu Kuan actually didn't want to remember it.

Having a beautiful woman by my side, with her gentle fragrance and soft body, is truly addictive.

But I'm hungry.

You can't have food delivered to you and eat it in bed, right? What would that look like?
His parents are no longer in the Ming Dynasty, but Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma are his elders now.

If the news reaches the ears of these two people, even if he is not scolded, he will be laughed at in the future.

Liu Kuan nodded and got out of bed.

Seeing this, Zhu Huilan also wanted to get up and said, "I am here to help my husband change his clothes."

Liu Kuan turned around and smiled, pressing her down, saying, "My lady, there's no need to do this. I can do it myself. You didn't sleep well last night, and it's your first time, so if you want to sleep, sleep a little longer."

Zhu Huilan didn't expect Liu Kuan to be so gentle and considerate. When he brought up what happened last night, she felt really shy.

But she still insisted on getting up, "I have slept well and I am fine... If I don't get up, I'm afraid people will laugh at me."

Liu Kuan laughed and said, "I'm also afraid of being laughed at. So, should we all get up?"

"Ah."

After the two men put on their inner clothes, they called someone to serve them.

In fact, Liu Kuan could handle it himself, but it was mainly Zhu Huilan. Whether it was hair-do, makeup, or dressing of clothes and jewelry, although she could do it herself, it was relatively slow and not as good as the maid.

After Zhu Huilan called out, four girls came in.

Two of them were Xia He and Qiu Yue, and the other two were the palace maids who were guarding the door last night. One was called Zhuo Hua and the other was called Tao Yao. They were both sixteen years old - this was what Zhu Huilan told Liu Kuan last night.

Moreover, these two were orphans adopted by Empress Ma. They were a very reliable group of palace maids for the Zhu family.

Taoyao and Zhuohua helped Zhu Huilan change her clothes. Xiahe and Qiuyue couldn't stand by and watch, so they helped Liu Kuan change his clothes.

While helping Liu Kuan change his clothes, Xia He asked, "Master, breakfast is ready in the kitchen, but it's already past midnight. Master and Princess, would you like to have breakfast first, or go straight to lunch?"

Liu Kuan looked at Zhu Huilan and asked, "What do you want, my lady?"

Zhu Huilan was actually hungry, but she still said, "I'll listen to my husband."

Liu Kuansui said, "Then let's have breakfast first - skipping breakfast is bad for the stomach, so let's eat a little."

Liu Kuan was also worried that Zhu Huilan had no appetite.

He also had two girlfriends in his later life. They often slept until eleven or twelve in the afternoon on holidays and didn't want to get up. He cared about his girlfriends' health and bought breakfast to persuade them to eat, but he either said he was annoying or refused by saying he had no appetite.

Zhu Huilan smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

After they got dressed, they went to the side hall, and the food was served one after another.

This breakfast was obviously much richer than the one Liu Kuancheng had before his marriage. It included millet porridge with shredded chicken, meat buns, assorted buns, scallion pancakes, four stir-fried side dishes, two stir-fried meat dishes, and a bowl of crucian carp soup made from two fresh crucian carps.

Although the portions were not large and Liu Kuan and Zhu Huilan were indeed hungry, they still did not finish their meals and left a small half.

There was a cook among Zhu Huilan's dowry servants, but Liu Kuan could tell from the taste of the food that Qiu Sanniang was still the chef for this morning's meal.

From this, we can infer that the cook who came as a dowry should not be the kind of slave who bullies others by taking advantage of her power.

After rinsing and wiping her mouth, Zhu Huilan looked at Liu Kuan and said, "My dear, when I was in the palace, my father and mother always taught us to be frugal."

"Since we can't eat so much for breakfast, how about asking the kitchen to reduce the number of dishes by two from now on?"

Liu Kuan didn't like vegetarian food very much, so he said, "Then reduce the number of vegetarian dishes by two—you're still growing, so you can't eat too little."

Am I still growing?
Zhu Huilan couldn't help but blink when she heard this. She thought to herself, "I reached the age of marriage last year, and now I'm married. Why is my husband still saying I need to grow taller?"
She looked confused and seemed a little silly for a moment.

Taoyao and Zhuohua also had strange expressions on their faces.

Xia He and the others, on the other hand, looked normal - because Liu Kuan had said similar things to them and told them that it was normal for girls to grow until they were eighteen or nineteen years old.

When growing up, you should not only eat enough, but also have a balanced diet, and it is best to do some daily exercise.

Liu Kuan looked at Zhu Huilan's confused and cute appearance and almost couldn't help but scratch off her nose in public, but fortunately he held back.

He smiled and said, "I will explain this to my wife privately."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huilan realized that this might involve some private conversations between the couple. Her pretty face turned slightly red and she nodded in agreement.

On the first day of his marriage, Liu Kuan would not go to work.

So he accompanied Zhu Huilan to sort out all the affairs in the mansion.

Zhu Huilan's dowry included not only gold, silver, jewelry, various furniture and other items, but also cooks, maids, eunuchs, and even the female official Su Caiwei was sent to the mansion to serve as the housekeeper.

There are about twenty or thirty of these people in total, and they must be assigned appropriate positions and tasks so that they can become familiar with and integrate with the original servants in the mansion as quickly as possible.

As for friction and disputes between slaves, they are inevitable.

But you must not make a big deal out of it, and you must not delay the host's business.

After some sorting out, the couple finally decided on the following.

As the housekeeper, Su Caiwei is in charge of the internal affairs of the government office.

Xia He and the other four are still Liu Kuan's personal maids, while Tao Yao and Zhuo Hua are Zhu Huilan's personal maids.

The other palace maids who came with the dowry were also arranged according to their ranks.

Liu Laifu, the former steward of Liu Kuan's mansion, was in charge of external affairs, such as supervising the farms, shops, and workshops owned by Liu Kuan and Zhu Huilan, and the handover of materials.

It turned out that the second manager of the mansion, Liu Ping'an, was responsible for purchasing what the mansion needed, and was also in charge of miscellaneous affairs in the front and second courtyards.

Zhu Huilan's eunuch, Li Chengen, was responsible for welcoming and seeing off guests, as well as assisting the couple in handling interpersonal etiquette.

It was also at this time that Liu Kuan learned that this was still the first half of the Hongwu Dynasty. Because the first two princesses had married top nobles, it was equivalent to a marriage between the royal family and the nobles, rather than marrying the children of small bureaucrats or even commoners as later, so the rules were very different from later.

The most different thing is that Liu Kuan's mansion is still "Liu Mansion", with him as the owner; instead of changing its name to "Princess Mansion", making him a supporting role like a son-in-law.

Even if the name is changed, it will be changed to Prince Consort's Mansion.

Because at the wedding yesterday, not only was Zhu Huilan officially named Princess Chongning, but Liu Kuan also gained the title of Imperial Consort Duwei.

At this time, the rank of the son-in-law of the emperor was not low, it was above the earl and below the marquis, and he had a considerable salary.

As for the fact that the status of the son-in-law of the emperor plummeted, almost becoming a son-in-law, that was a change that only began in the late Hongwu Dynasty or even the Yongle Dynasty.

It is precisely because the Liu Mansion did not become a princess's mansion that naturally it would not set up various official positions like the later princess's mansion and county lady's mansion to manage all the affairs of the mansion, or even manage the prince consort and princess.

If that were the case, the prince consort Liu Kuan would definitely not do it.

Now he is just marrying a princess.

As newlyweds, time flies by even when the couple is sorting out household affairs together.

Most of the day passed in the blink of an eye.

On the first day of September, Liu Kuan no longer stayed in bed. He ordered a wake-up call from Taoyao, who was on duty, and got up before the hour of Mao.

Because there are two big things happening today.

One is the grand court meeting.

Second, Fu Youde, Mu Ying, and Lan Yu will swear to go to war and attack the remaining Yuan forces of King Liang in the southwest!

Liu Kuan got up, and Zhu Huilan didn't stay in bed either. They got up together and directed the servants to work.

After breakfast, Liu Kuan hurried to the Forbidden City and followed the procedure to attend his first grand court meeting after arriving in the Ming Dynasty. He was not in the capital on the 15th and therefore did not attend.

After the grand court meeting, Liu Kuan obtained permission and followed Old Zhu and Little Zhu to the large military camp in the northwest area of ​​the capital.

He will witness the oath-taking ceremony of the Ming army to pacify the southwest!
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(End of this chapter)