The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Everyone is smart, there are no fools.

After taking a look at each other, they came forward to congratulate and asked for a glass of wedding wine.

Zhang Ping'an also bowed and returned the gifts one by one, promising to send invitations to everyone after he finished the betrothal work in two days.

There is a business in Lin'an City that specializes in helping people propose marriage and carry betrothal gifts. Zhang Ping'an has already chosen the person in advance.

Soon the day of engagement arrived.

The Zhang family's first and third branches, as well as Jinbao and others, all came to the new house given by the Qian family early in the morning.

Everyone put on their best clothes and tried to look as clean and tidy as possible.

Even so, after entering the house, Jinbao and Erhe were fine, but the others really didn't know what to do with their hands and feet. They were stunned by the three-story house and the luxurious decoration inside.

This is a world they have never been exposed to before.

The betrothal gifts filling the yard blinded their eyes.

There were one hundred and eight pairs of pure gold fat pigs, eighty-eight pieces of gold-woven red Shu brocade, eighty-eight pieces of Xiangyun gauze, one hundred and eight pieces of green satin, eighteen pairs of red gold bracelets with auspicious patterns, eighteen pairs of carved red gold hairpins, as well as a variety of high-quality seafood, tea, fruits and other things that were too numerous to count.

Especially the fat pig made of pure gold, it was so golden that everyone's eyes were glued to the golden pig and they couldn't move away.

Zhang Ping'an clenched his fist and coughed lightly, and everyone came to their senses a little. They forced themselves to look away and followed him into the dining room.

The housekeeper watched all this with a smile on his face. He arranged for the servants to bring breakfast over so that everyone could have some to fill their stomachs.

Before coming here today, Zhang Laosan was still thinking that he had to perform well when proposing marriage and not embarrass his nephew, but now he found that his tricks were of no use at all.

I should just cooperate with my nephew honestly.

Although the house given by the Qian family does not occupy a particularly large area, every blade of grass, every plant, and every stitch and thread used are carefully considered.

The ones used to hold breakfast are all Ru kiln porcelain with fine body and sky blue color. The glaze is warm and simple, and the glaze surface is as smooth and delicate as jade. There are sparse bubbles under the glaze that appear and disappear from time to time, like the twinkling morning stars. It is simply a work of art!

Zhang Laoer's rough big hands held the bowl, and the black and white contrast made him feel unworthy.

Everyone finished the breakfast with mixed feelings.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhang Ping'an asked the matchmaker and the housekeeper to count the betrothal gifts again against the gift list. After confirming that everything was correct, they could set off.

The matchmaker was very familiar with this process. After carefully checking with the housekeeper, she confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the betrothal gifts, which amounted to a total of 120 loads.

Then he called the suona band and the people carrying the betrothal gifts over and prepared to set off.

There were 120 loads of betrothal gifts, and naturally there were even more people carrying them. Together with the suona band, there were nearly 300 people in the team.

As far as the betrothal is concerned, the number of people is already large and the betrothal gifts are luxurious enough.

In Lin'an City, only the aristocratic families and royal relatives living in the east of the city could hold an engagement ceremony of such a scale.

Zhang Ping'an rode in the lead on horseback, leading a group of people to Qian's house. He looked calm and composed. He couldn't show any fear at this time.

Although the east side of the city is relatively quiet, there are still many shops and pedestrians.

The group of people carrying such a generous betrothal gift, with music and fanfare, looked no ordinary people.

The sight attracted the attention of passers-by and merchants on the road, and people could hear endless exclamations.

Some clever children came forward to ask for wedding candy.

The housekeeper was well prepared and cheerfully ordered his servants to spread candy on both sides of the street. The children immediately rushed over screaming.

The maid was holding a basket with cut wedding cakes in it, and she would share two pieces with anyone who asked for one.

On such a festive occasion, it is always better to be generous.

The Qian family is also in the east of the city. The two families are actually not far apart, and the carriage can arrive in less than a quarter of an hour.

But this isn't lively enough.

Zhang Ping'an walked around the area three times according to the rules before arriving at the gate of Qian's house.

The two families had discussed it beforehand, so at this time the gate of the Qian Mansion was already filled with welcoming people, led by Qian Ying, the eldest son of Minister Qian and Zhang Ping'an's brother-in-law.

He looks like a gentle and elegant scholar with a strong bookish air. He is probably almost 30 years old, which is not considered young in ancient times, but he is well maintained.

It seems that there is a big age gap between the brother and sister, and there must be many children in the family, Zhang Pingan thought.

When Qian Ying saw the huge procession of betrothal gifts, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face.

Zhang Ping'an quickly dismounted, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. "My surname is Zhang Ping'an, and my ancestor, Mr. Zhang, lived in Huguang Province. I've long heard that your daughter is dignified and virtuous, with both talent and virtue. I admire her deeply and wish to marry her. Today, I have specially prepared a betrothal gift and sincerely ask for her hand in marriage. I hope your family will approve and make this auspicious marriage a reality. I will cherish her and live up to your trust."

Qian Ying greeted Zhang Ping'an with a smile, "Master Zhang, my father is waiting in the mansion. Come in with me!"

This kind of greeting is mainly a formality to show your importance.

Then, according to custom, the matchmaker read out the gift list aloud. Every time she read out an item, there was a burst of exclamations from the people around her.

After reading it, Zhang Ping'an signaled everyone to carry the betrothal gifts into the mansion.

The Qian family's servants also became busy, carefully carrying the betrothal gifts.

Only then did Zhang Ping'an follow Qian Ying into the mansion with his family.

The Minister's Mansion is much larger than Zhang Ping'an's house. It has six courtyards and is of a higher status.

After entering the gate, the pavilions and towers are winding and tortuous. Without servants leading the way, everyone would probably get lost.

Zhang Ping'an is the protagonist today, and among the crowd, only he and Jin Bao have learned the full set of etiquette, so naturally he is the one who will answer mainly.

Qian Ying knew the Zhang family's situation very well and did not make things difficult for them.

This made Boss Zhang and the others breathe a sigh of relief.