Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Zhao Yue pursed her lips and put away the shy smile that had appeared on her face after being praised. She originally thought she was a lucky young lady, but now it seems that she has some ability. At least she is thick-skinned enough to get along well in the Cui family - she can even hear unpleasant words as nice.

"You're really good at talking. Did you win over Yi'er with that? Sit down quickly. What are you standing for? If someone doesn't know, they might think we're bullying you."

"Thank you, ma'am." There was a place to sit, so there was no reason to stand. Jiang Shangxian thanked her without hesitation and sat down.

Talking is tedious, and her calves hurt when she stood, so she insisted that it would be best to lie down.

Cui Shuhua felt her eyes hurt after taking a look. "Since ancient times, marriages between two surnames have been based on equal status. Although our Qinghe Cui family has branched out, our Wushui Cui family is in no way comparable to a branch of a common family. The children of our family have all been well-read and well-educated since childhood, and they are all outstanding talents who are filial and friendly. Yi'er is especially gifted with divine appearance and demeanor, and is honest, virtuous, and graceful..."

(The Qinghe Cui clan is divided into three branches: the Zhongzu Cui clan, the Nanzu Wushuifang Cui clan, and the Cui Ba clan.)

When Cui Shuhua said this, she couldn't hide the pride in her body. The Cui family's ability to continue the family's glory to this day is certainly not just due to its prominent political status. As a family with glory for hundreds of generations, the long-standing family culture is the important reason for its maintenance.

Otherwise, why do people say that the Cui family prospered and flourished for hundreds of generations, and that the rites and music were all brought together under one family? (Epitaph of Cui Yi)

To become a daughter-in-law of the Cui family, even women from the Five Surnames had to consider a few things. The Qinghe Cui clan, among the Five Surnames, had traditionally intermarried most frequently with the Fanyang Lu clan. (According to records, during the Tang Dynasty, the Wushui Cui clan intermarried with the Fanyang Lu clan fifteen times, with the Longxi Li clan twelve times, with the Zhaojun Li clan twice, with the Xingyang Zheng clan ten times, and with other clans ten times.)

Putting aside the vast difference in family background, just talking about the word "rules", she was certain that Jiang Shangxian knew nothing and only knew how to cook. What was the point? Their Cui family didn't run a restaurant.

Zhao Yue listened and nodded, a trace of pain occasionally flashing across her face. She knew very well how difficult it was. Not to mention the countless beauties around her husband, even the people and things in the Cui family were extremely troublesome.

The Zhao family of Dunhuang has been engaged in military affairs for generations, so they are naturally not as disciplined as the Cui family. When she married into the Cui family, she was often criticized and taught a lesson for these problems.

Jiang Shangxian really didn't understand. She was quietly waiting for what was to come. The self-boasting at the beginning was enough, so the main point was about to come, right?

"It's not that I don't want you to marry into the Cui family, but it's not easy to be the daughter-in-law of the Cui family. Do you know what you will face in the future?" Zhao Yue saw that she was getting more and more off topic. Although she even praised her son, it was too exaggerated.

She wasn't the type to insist that her children were all good. The other children of the Cui family could be said to have inherited the legacy of their ancestors: they were kind and benevolent, well-read, dashing, and hospitable...

That kid Cui Yi is definitely not worthy of the name. Just based on the six Confucian principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, and filial piety that the Cui family has always followed, as well as the four areas of classics, literature, history, and Buddhism that the Cui family's children are particularly good at, he has failed at least half of them.

With that reckless temper, I don’t know how many elders in the clan have been pissed off by him!

Jiang Shangxian felt that her future mother-in-law looked quite good. The prejudice against family background has existed since ancient times, not to mention that the Cui family regarded marriage as an important means to maintain the prosperity of the family. She could not ask an ancient person to follow the ideas of modern people, not to mention that modern people also pay attention to the matching of family background when getting married.

She began to think seriously about the nine years of compulsory education. What did the teachers say?

It doesn't matter if you don't know how to solve or fill in the blanks. Just write it down. Don't worry about whether it's correct or not. Just fill it in! You can even just write the solution!

She just didn't believe it. Being the daughter-in-law of the Cui family was harder than being the daughter of the God of Wealth!

"Madams, although I come from a humble background, I do have some thoughts in my mind as I live in this imperial city. If you don't mind, may I briefly explain them?"

Cui Shuhua nodded slightly without comment. Zhao Yue smiled and said, "There are only three of us here. Just speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Jiang Shangxian began to spin his nonsense in all seriousness, "Intermarriage between the Five Surnames and Seven Families has a long history. While this method serves the purpose of consolidating family status, it also narrows the marriage circle among the aristocratic families. This is not conducive to social mobility and reduces the chances of intermarriage between the royal family and the upper classes. It's a form of monopoly."

She paused, seeing that the two of them were listening attentively. She realized that she had been fooling around... No, her approach to the problem was correct, so she continued, "But the world today is ruled by the Li Tang imperial family. The current emperor's literary and military talent are unmatched throughout the dynasties..."

How could Li Shimin watch these nobles circulating among themselves and forming small groups?

As she slowly told the story, Cui Shuhua put away the contempt on her face. This commoner woman was quite interesting.

"In January, Your Majesty promulgated the 'Clan Records,'" which mentioned that the four Shandong clans of Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng, despite their successive generations, still relied on their ancestral lands, prided themselves on their superiority, and called themselves the literati. Whenever they married off their daughters from other clans, they would demand a large dowry, valuing the higher the price. They set contracts based on the amount, much like merchants in the market. This severely undermined customs and disrupted etiquette. Since the emphasis was inappropriate, reform was necessary. I believe one of the ways for aristocratic families to continue to thrive is to understand the current situation and know when to advance and retreat."

Jiang Shangxian breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the two men sitting across from him straighten their stances. "We're in the thick of things right now. Why rush into opposing the ruler of the world? There's a saying among the common people: 'The first rafter to stick out gets rotten first.'"

She lowered her head and smiled shyly: "Although this may sound crude, the logic is sound. I think the elders of the Cui clan agreed to this marriage probably because of this."

Cui Shuhua and Zhao Yue exchanged glances. It was not surprising that they knew these things, but they were surprised that the young lady in front of them knew these things.

But some things cannot be accepted just by knowing. The Cui family has been prosperous for too long. Neither Cui Shuhua nor Zhao Yue can imagine what the scene would be like if the family married a commoner woman.

Especially Zhao Yue, she was not worried about the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. After all, her son was an official in Chang'an, and her daughter-in-law must also live in Chang'an. Most of her dissatisfaction was because Jiang Shangxian's family background was almost non-existent.

How can a daughter-in-law who has no family background and whose mother's family is as good as nothing bring help?

But what she said just now was not entirely without reason. Cui Shuhua nodded impartially: "It's not entirely without purpose. I didn't expect you to have studied? Did any of your ancestors serve in the government?"