In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

On the fourth day of the ninth month, Han Zhi had just gotten up when he was surrounded by Yue Ping and several maids, and dressed in a dark blue wedding gown.

After he was dressed, it wasn't over yet. He was then dragged outside and, for the first time, experienced being served by a group of maids while brushing his teeth.

After being cleaned up, a maid led Han Zhuo in. Han Zhi then politely bowed and greeted him.

"grown ups."

Han Zhuo looked Han Zhi up and down, then nodded and said, "He's starting to look promising."

"Thank you, sir."

Too polite.

Han Zhuo stepped forward, reached out and gently straightened Han Zhi's collar, and finally patted him on the shoulder.

"Today is your big day, so behave yourself and don't make others lose face, understand? Don't be dejected on such a joyous occasion."

Han Zhi nodded, and Han Zhuo let out a final breath before leading Han Zhi out. He showed him around the entire house, explaining the etiquette to be observed that day.

They strolled to the front hall, where Madam Han Zhou was inspecting the entire wedding procession. Seeing Han Zhi approach, she excitedly went up to him, pulled him outside, and pointed outside, saying:

"Zhi'er, take a look at this wedding procession today. Isn't it impressive?"

Han Zhi looked in the direction Han Zhou pointed, and saw a whole procession stretching from the entrance to the other end of the street, with everyone dressed in bright red. At the front of the procession was a sedan chair, surrounded by sixteen people, a very standard eight-bearer sedan chair.

Following behind were red-clad figures holding signs that read "Great Joy," "Wedding Procession," and "Make Way," as well as various musicians carrying instruments. It was a long and impressive procession.

At this moment, a kind man walked over and said to Han Zhi with a smile, "Groom, the auspicious time is approaching. You should get ready to pick up your bride!"

Han Zhuo followed, patted Han Zhi on the shoulder, and said, "Go on, don't miss the auspicious time. Your mother and I will be waiting for you at home."

"That horse, you can ride it to pick up the bride, how impressive!"

Han Zhuo smiled happily at this moment, and then watched his son walk out the door and mount his horse.

Just as Han Zhi was about to ride away, Han Zhuo suddenly called out again, "Wait!"

Han Zhiyi jolted and looked at his father. His father raised his hand, pointed to his head, and laughed, "Your hat's askew!"

"Oh oh..."

Han Zhi quickly straightened his hat, then breathed a sigh of relief, shouted "Giddy up!", and the chestnut horse raised its hooves and began to head in the direction the good man had led.

However, it wasn't that the chestnut horse was walking on its own; there were four other horses in front of it, "pulling" it along.

Along the way, there was the sound of gongs and drums, and people around were offering their congratulations, but there was little joy in it. However, when we were halfway there, the sound of suona horns rang out, completely drowning out the other instruments, and the festive atmosphere suddenly soared.

"That's Han Jieyuan! Han Jieyuan is getting married?"

"Han Jieyuan and Su Ba Niang were truly a perfect match!"

"Look at this procession, how impressive it is!"

"..."

Putting everything else aside, just consider the suona players in his own troupe—they're not people you can hire. If he hadn't become a top scholar in the imperial examinations and his family hadn't been high-ranking officials like earls, he certainly wouldn't have been able to invite them.

Wedding candies were scattered everywhere, and not only children were scrambling to grab them on the ground, but even the adults were taking one to share in the joy.

……

At the entrance of the Su family residence, Su Shi and Su Zhe stood looking out, hoping to catch a glimpse of their future brother-in-law. However, they could only hear faint music, but the procession was nowhere to be seen.

Behind the two brothers stood the family's servants, when suddenly someone shouted, "The groom is coming!"

Su Shi and Su Zhe both looked over and could already see Han Zhi approaching on horseback. They hurriedly shouted, "Close the gate! Close the gate quickly!"

When Han Zhi arrived at the door, the Su family's gate was already closed. Su Shi and Su Zhe were at the front, their hands outstretched as if hinting at something.

This was an old tradition, and Han Zhi couldn't possibly be unaware of it. He beckoned to Liang Zhe and took the basket from his hand.

These baskets were filled with red envelopes; you didn't even need to touch them to know they contained silver. He dismounted, picked up one in each hand, and distributed them to the servants at the door. The brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe, in particular, each took two portions.

Han Zhi thought that would be the end of it, but Su Shi still stopped him, saying, "My bride is not yet dressed, please ask the groom to wait outside the door..."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Su Shi heard the door behind him open, and the voice of the maid in the house:

"The bride is here!"

Su Shi was somewhat taken aback, while Han Zhi, on the other hand, stared at the person who came out, lost in thought, feeling a surge of inexplicable excitement.

Su Zhen had a veil covering her head and held a round fan in her hand to obscure her face. She wore a deep red silk skirt and jacket, as vibrant as fire, and a red shawl like rosy clouds draped over her shoulders. Her red embroidered shoes remained at the doorway, motionless.

The maid called out, "Groom, don't stand there! Come quickly and fetch your bride!"

Han Zhi then handed the basket back to Liang Zhe, straightened his clothes, and stepped forward. He bowed slightly and extended his hand. Su Zhen, with the help of a maid, placed his hand on Han Zhi's.

Han Zhi helped Su Zhen walk back gently, leading her across the red carpet to the sedan chair. The sedan chair bearers lowered the chair to allow the bride to enter.

However, after Su Zhen sat in the sedan chair, the sedan chair bearers did not move, but instead looked at Han Zhi with smiles.

"Groom, today is your joyous occasion. We've come to offer our congratulations. But surely a man of your stature wouldn't want to see us not celebrating?"

"With such a grand display and such a beautiful woman, we younger ones also hope to share in the joy."

The latter quickly realized what was happening, smiling and waving, so that each of the men could receive a red envelope. The sedan bearers smiled and tucked the red envelopes into their waistbands before lifting the bridal sedan chair.

Once Han Zhi remounted his horse, Liangzhe shouted, "Let's take the bride home! Move the sedan chair!"

This time, the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) started playing first, followed by the other instruments.

On the way back, many passersby craned their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bride inside the sedan chair. However, the heavy curtain completely blocked out what was happening inside.

They arrived scattering wedding candy, and left scattering wedding money. The coins were thrown around by the people, landing on the ground and causing another scramble.

Before long, they arrived at their doorstep, where a crowd had gathered. Han Zhi recognized them all from memory; they were none other than the elders and maids of the household.

As soon as the bridal sedan chair stopped at the gate, the maids, musicians, and others surrounded it. At the same time, they loudly recited a poem:

"The gifts given at the gate are of great value, unlike ordinary market transactions. A hundred thousand coins should be enough, and three thousand five hundred should not be wasted lightly."

Before Han Zhi could react, Liang Zhe beside him shouted, "A gentleman has never coveted gold, yet this pursuit of it is of profound significance. My relatives, please be brief and need not trouble yourselves with further explanations."