Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

崔府

When Jiang Wangri came to the house, Cui Bianxu was sitting in a chair with an expressionless face and listening attentively to Cui Shuhua explaining the betrothal gift list to him.

There are explicit requirements for the betrothal gifts of Tang Dynasty officials in certain aspects. The purpose of the betrothal gifts is mainly to reflect the "legitimate marriage", and the quantity reflects the principle of "differentiation between the noble and the humble". The amount of betrothal gifts varies depending on the status and official position, and it must not be exceeded, otherwise it will be a violation.

For example, for officials of the third rank and above, the betrothal gift shall not exceed 300 pieces of silk, for officials of the fourth and fifth ranks, it shall not exceed 200 pieces of silk, for officials of the seventh rank, it shall not exceed 100 pieces of silk, and for officials of the eighth rank and below, it shall not exceed 50 pieces of silk.

Of course, these are the upper limits. There is no lower limit requirement, and ordinary property, wine and food can also be used as betrothal gifts.

Even though the Tang Dynasty laws had clear regulations, there was still flexibility in practice. Cui Bianxu wanted to give more betrothal gifts, but Cui Shuhua disagreed: "You are an official in Chang'an and a Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. How can you knowingly break the law? This betrothal gift list can only be like this. No more can be added."

If you add any more, she'll kick the ass!

Zhao Yue, who had sobered up and met the guests, still had a headache. After being bombarded with criticism from Cui Shuhua, her headache was even worse. "Yier, just listen to your aunt. After you get married, everything in this mansion will be hers. Why rush it now?"

Cui Bianxu certainly knew that according to the "Tang Law Commentary", the betrothal gift list she drafted was completely compliant and had reached the upper limit. The problem was that he hadn't said a word since he was called over. When did he ever say that he thought the betrothal gift list was too little?

He was just a little distracted, and when he came to his senses, he listened carefully. Unexpectedly, his mother and aunt started to scold him.

"Yes, let's do as my aunt said." He had something urgent to do. He had just forgotten to give the keys to the rooms where the dowry was kept to Jiang Shangxian. He was just about to ask someone to deliver them to her when Jian Ming came in.

"Jiulang, the Second Young Master of the Jiang Family is here."

"The Jiang family?"

"Erlang Jun?"

Zhao Yue and Cui Shuhua looked at Cui Bianxu at the same time: Your brother-in-law is here?

Cui Bianxu's face was stern, expressionless. He stood up, bowed to them, and strode out. Jian Ming faced their piercing gazes, so how could he dare to answer? He could only lower his head, pretending not to see anything, and hurriedly followed.

Cui Shuhua didn't care. She was not familiar with her nephew. Since the betrothal gift list was fine, she could continue with the process.

Seeing Zhao Yue pretending to follow, she kindly reminded him, "Since the marriage has already been decided, don't waste time and make a fool of yourself."

I have never seen anyone so stupid. He went there to break up a couple, but ended up drinking too much and coming back with nothing accomplished. What else can he do with his brain?

Zhao Yue paused, turned around and smiled gently: "I just want to go back to my room and lie down."

"Heh." Cui Shuhua snorted and walked past her with her maid. Her aversion to stupidity was the thing that she had most in common with Cui Bianxu.

Who could she really hide those little thoughts from? If her husband was unreliable, she should have won over her son. How many years had she been married? She didn't even know how powerful pillow talk was. Now she was making things difficult for her daughter-in-law, and she wasn't afraid that her son would be instigated by others to alienate her as his mother in the future.

Then she would be truly pitiful. Her husband would be unreliable, and her son would be unreliable. If it really came to that, she might as well hang herself with a rope.

Zhao Yue was so angry that her vision went dark. Some people didn't even need to say much, just the expressions, movements and eyes on their faces seemed to be scolding people. Look, this is still considered good. This person never likes to go out, and those married aunts and sisters-in-law in the family are even more annoying!

But when she thought of Jiang Shangxian, her mood improved a little. Since she had to marry this daughter-in-law even if it meant pinching her nose, she should think positively. Her family background was so much worse than hers. After she got married, they couldn't just look down on her, right?!

The servants of the Cui family were very polite to him and immediately invited him to sit in the reception room. Seeing that he was young, they served him snacks and cheese. It was Jiang Wangri's first time to enter the Cui Mansion. Not to mention the grandeur inside, even the gate outside made him marvel - his brother-in-law was so amazing!

"Erlang, why are you here? Is there something wrong with your sister?" Cui Bianxu was still very concerned about the Jiang family. When he saw him coming, he thought that Jiang Shangxian had something for him to do and wanted him to run errands.

Jiang Wangri was eating a snack when he heard the noise. He quickly stuffed the remaining half into his mouth and swallowed it hard. He wiped the crumbs from his face with a bit of embarrassment and smiled as honestly as Jiang Shangxian: "Brother-in-law, my sister said that she wants to borrow someone from you to look after the dowry."

"Oh? Did they go and see it?"

Cui Bianxu immediately guessed that they must have already visited the house. "Does your sister like it?"

In his heart, he was not very satisfied with the house. It was still too small. However, given the status of the Jiang family, living in a house that was too nice would easily attract attention. This house was just right. They would not be as crowded as before. "Have you been to see it?"

Jiang Wangri was completely confused, but vaguely guessed something, and his jaw dropped in shock: "Brother-in-law, did you buy a house for my sister?"

How much silver would that cost? How much braised mutton would he have to sell? He wouldn't be able to learn this when he got married.

"Well..."

Cui Bianxu could tell that this guy knew nothing and was just being ordered around to run errands. "By the time the dowry and betrothal gifts are added up, you won't be able to move out of your current place."

Jiang Wangri laughed foolishly. Although it was not given to him, it was a good thing that his brother-in-law was kind to his sister!

He was not good at talking and couldn't win an argument with his family at home. He didn't know what to say at this moment. He scratched his head and thought for a while before saying, "Brother-in-law, if it's all right, I'll leave first. My mother told me to finish my business and go back as soon as possible."

Cui Bianxu had some understanding of his brother-in-law. A young man of his age would honestly go out to set up a stall all year round. He would never miss a day unless he was too sick to get up. He didn't talk much on weekdays, but his eyes would always light up when he saw him.

He loved the Jiang family, and they were honest and down-to-earth. He felt that as long as they didn't go astray, they wouldn't cause any trouble in the future. "Well, I heard from your sister that you want to learn martial arts?"

"Yeah!" Jiang Wangri nodded heavily. He was actually learning horse stance from Jiang Shangxian at home. Unfortunately, Jiang Shangxian didn't teach him anything other than horse stance. She herself was only a mediocre martial artist, and practicing martial arts was not an easy thing. What if she taught him wrong?