Chapter 181: Shady Grove, Flourishing Leaves

Ye Xianggao felt the conversation had ended too soon, while Lin Qian only felt his backside sore from sitting.

Since it was getting late and the opera was over, Lin Qian took the initiative to take his leave.

By the conventions of Ming dynasty scholars, staying for a meal without a prior appointment was a grave breach of etiquette, so a good guest should end his visit before mealtime.

Ye Xianggao rose to see him off.

After Lin Qian left, Ye Xianggao put on a stern face and walked to the flower hall, where the women of the Ye household had long been waiting.

Ye Xianggao looked at his eldest granddaughter and snorted coldly: "You girl, more and more lacking in propriety. Sending a maidservant to spy was bad enough, but you dared to peek yourself. If I hadn't kept him talking, you would nearly have been seen."

The eldest granddaughter bowed and admitted her fault.

Ye Xianggao's wife, née Yu, said: "It was I who sent her to look. For a matter of lifelong importance, she must at least see him once."

"Besides, the eldest daughter-in-law and Heng'er have both met him; for Zhen'er alone not to see him would be too heartless."

The second granddaughter, Ye Heng, chimed in: "Exactly, exactly!"

Ye Xianggao felt quite helpless and sighed: "Zhen'er has long been used to breaking the rules. At home it's fine, but once she marries into the Lin family, no one will indulge her anymore."

Ye Zhen's face flushed red, and she said nothing.

Ye Xianggao had always known this granddaughter of his to be extremely opinionated; seeing her offer no rebuttal, clearly her mind was made up, he stroked his beard and smiled: "Invite the matchmaker to the house for another talk."

After returning to Nan'ao Island, within a few days the matchmaker sent word that wedding preparations could begin.

The marriage customs of Ming dynasty scholar-officials still strictly followed the Six Rites, and the rules and procedures were extremely complex—Lin Qian could not make heads or tails of them at all.

Fortunately, Scholar Zhou, Ma Chenglie, and the enthusiastic matchmaker Zhou Qiyuan handled the arrangements.

The first step was Nacai, wherein the matchmaker Zhou Qiyuan brought gifts and a formal marriage proposal letter to the Ye residence, equivalent to an official betrothal request.

While Zhou Qiyuan carried out this step, he also completed the second step, Wenming, at the same time.

Only then did Lin Qian learn the given name of the Ye family's eldest legitimate granddaughter—Ye Zhen.

The third step, Naji. In Lin Qian's view, it was simply hiring someone to do a divination.

Neither Lin Qian, the matchmaker Zhou Qiyuan, nor Ye Xianggao believed in divination, but for marriage customs, what mattered was a good omen, so they could not forego the convention.

The eminent diviner was found with Ma Chenglie's help, said to be extremely accurate, and cost two hundred taels of silver.

After taking the names and birth dates of Lin Qian and Ye Zhen, the man put on a spectacular show on the spot, exclaiming repeatedly: "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! A match made in heaven! This old man has practiced divination for decades and has never seen such harmonious birth charts!"

Then followed a string of Zhouyi deductions, Five Elements generation, zodiac complementarity, fate analysis, and so on—a torrent of extravagant talk.

Finally, seeing that Lin Qian and the others were half-convinced, he explained in plain language: "Look, everyone—the groom is surnamed Lin, given name Qian; the bride is surnamed Ye, given name Zhen. Their names together evoke the feeling of 'shade beneath the grove, leaves lush and thriving,' and carry the meaning of 'clear breeze through the grove, dew-moistened leaves.'"

"Lin gathers from wood, Ye depends on wood for life—the two surnames rely on each other and complement each other."

"As the poem says: 'The peach tree is young and fair, its leaves are lush and green'—'zhen' means luxuriant vegetation. 'Qian' means clear and transparent. The two names, one light and one rich, one sparse and one dense, balance and complement each other—husband and wife are certain to have harmonious temperaments."

"The mere combination of these four characters carries the image of endless vitality, mutual nourishment, and mutual flourishing. Truly extraordinary!"

Hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration.

Lin Qian was also amused, thinking this man's silver tongue indeed had some skill, and laughed: "Reward him."

Geng Wu took out another hundred taels and gave it to him.

The eminent diviner clutched the silver, thanked them profusely, and took his leave.

After Naji came Nazheng—the formal delivery of betrothal gifts—and with this, the marriage between Lin Qian and the Ye family was completely settled.

And because the betrothal ceremony was extremely grand and lively, equivalent to a public announcement, the matter instantly became major fodder for idle conversation among Fuqing's common folk.

After the betrothal came Qingqi—selecting the wedding date. This task of choosing an auspicious day naturally fell once again to that same character-interpreting eminent diviner.

This man was extremely savvy; he picked out countless auspicious dates—near ones, far ones, and everything in between—for their selection.

The sooner the wedding was set, the better, so Lin Qian ultimately chose the tenth day of the ninth month in the third year of Tianqi.

Time flew by, and soon it was the ninth month. As the wedding approached, matters multiplied.

Moreover, many things could not be handled by the matchmaker on his behalf—Lin Qian, as the groom, had to make the decisions himself.

Only now did Lin Qian realize how complex and rigorous the Six Rites were—far more complicated than weddings of later generations.

There were also countless trivial problems.

For instance, the groom's family was in Nan'ao and the bride's family in Fuqing—where exactly should the wedding be held?

According to the standards of texts like Master Zhu's Family Rituals, in such a case the wedding should be "held at the bride's home," and three days after the marriage, the couple would return to the groom's home for the "temple visit."

The wedding banquet also had to be held twice—once in Fuqing and once in Nan'ao.

Naturally, during the "wedding at the bride's home" period, a residence was needed in Fuqing. Though renting or temporarily staying at the bride's family home was permissible, given Lin Qian's wealth, why would he rent? Naturally, he would buy.

But what he bought could not be too vulgar, nor too shabby and cheap, nor could its scale exceed that of the Ye residence—this was all about social nuance, and truly required careful selection.

Lin Qian instructed Geng Wu to find a property broker for an initial look, but the final decision would still be his.

Another example: Lin Qian's parents had both passed away, and within his entire clan there was not a single living elder—so during the "bow to the high hall" ceremony, whom should he bow to?

In such a case, either he bowed to the memorial tablets of Lin Qian's parents, or he bowed to empty seats of honor—that is, bowing to two empty chairs.

How exactly to arrange it—no one dared to decide for Lin Qian.

And yet another example: the seating order at the wedding banquet, the layout of the ancestral hall during the temple visit, and so on—others could only offer advice and suggestions, but ultimately everything had to be decided by Lin Qian himself.

During this period, there were also battle reports sent back by the Bai siblings, and the arrangements for the upcoming settlement of the Tanka boat people at Fort Zeelandia.

With all these matters tangled together, Lin Qian was run completely ragged.

He finally endured his way to the day of the bridal procession—the final step of the Six Rites.

Lin Qian and the bridal procession party had already taken up residence in the newly purchased residence in Fuqing, and had to rise before dawn to make the ancestral announcement.

In the ancestral hall were only the memorial tablets of Lin Qian's parents and grandparents, carved not long ago; as for his other ancestors, Lin Qian had no idea who they were.

At noon, a family banquet was to be held at the Fuqing residence to entertain guests, and Lin Qian had to appear and receive toasts.

Before the hour of Shen, he set out for the bridal procession. Arriving before the Ye residence, Lin Qian dismounted and presented the "door-opening lucky money" to have the Ye household servants open the main gate.

Entering the main hall, he presented a pair of live wild geese as a gift, symbolizing unwavering fidelity.

At this time, the bride was in the flower hall receiving her mother's admonitions and instructions.

Her mother, Lady Qin, said: "Be cautious and respectful, never disobey at dawn or dusk. Strive to be diligent and respectful, never neglect your duties at dawn or dusk."

These two lines were supposed to be spoken separately by both parents, but since Ye Zhen's father had died early, her mother spoke them alone.

Having said this, Lady Qin tied the sash around her daughter's waist and adjusted her clothing, moving extremely slowly, smoothing with great care, tugging and straightening again and again on her daughter's person, as if trying to press flat every crease in her bright red wedding gown.

Finally, Lady Qin lowered her head, gripped her daughter's hands tightly, and said with a choked voice: "After you marry, take good care of yourself, take good care————"

At this moment, outside the Ye family gates, the wedding procession beat drums and clanged gongs, grand and imposing in full array—a true ten-li red dowry procession.

Before long, the bride emerged from the mansion gates and stepped into the bridal sedan chair. The groom mounted his tall horse, and the procession made its way toward the mansion, the sound of drums and gongs swelling even louder.

After the procession entered the mansion, the groom and bride first paid respects to the ancestors, then performed the bowing ceremony, and then entered the bridal chamber—every single action governed by strict ritual protocol, not the slightest error permitted.

Even after entering the bridal chamber, the ceremony continued.

Inside the bridal chamber were not only Lin Qian and his wife, but also a number of female relatives—mostly aunts and sisters-in-law from the Ye clan—along with personal maidservants, their trays laden with ceremonial implements.

The moment the couple entered, these women showered them with one auspicious blessing after another.

The bedchamber was not large to begin with, and much of the space was taken up by the dowry; with these female relatives standing about, the room felt even more cramped, nearly to the point of being packed shoulder to shoulder.

The mistress of ceremonies in the bridal chamber was called the All-Blessed Lady—"all-blessed" meaning a female relative whose spouse, children, parents, and parents-in-law were all still living, and who was also from a wealthy family and held in high esteem.

Lin Qian and his wife sat on the edge of the bed, every move they made directed by the All-Blessed Lady.

She first had a maidservant bring over a tray bearing a jade ruyi scepter the length of a forearm.

The All-Blessed Lady said with a smile: "Jade ruyi, contented brow, lift the veil to reveal a face of blooming hibiscus."

Lin Qian had received training in advance and knew what to say at this moment. Raising the jade ruyi with both hands, he said: "I humbly request my lady's jade countenance."

The person beside him gave a barely perceptible nod.

Lin Qian gently lifted the bridal veil with the jade ruyi, and as his gaze fell upon Ye Zhen's face, he could not help but pause in slight astonishment.

Before him was a woman with an oval face, petal-like lips, a complexion like peach blossoms, eyes holding autumn waters, gentle in temperament yet radiant and striking—truly a classic Chinese beauty by any standard.

At this moment, Ye Zhen's eyes also gazed dazedly toward Lin Qian. Their gazes met in midair, and for a long moment, neither looked away.

The All-Blessed Lady beside them maintained her smile while continuously signaling Lin Qian with her eyes to speak his lines.

Behind Lin Qian, Ye Zhen's maidservant Bai Kou anxiously bobbed her head up and down, signaling her young mistress to lower her eyes and bow her head to show shyness.

The maidservant holding the tray beside them gently nudged Lin Qian with it, signaling him to put the jade ruyi down quickly.

The other female relatives in the room kept praising the bride's beauty—a perfect match of talent and looks, two made for each other, may they soon bear a noble son.

Lin Qian smiled slightly, placed the jade ruyi back on the tray, and said: "May I ask my lady's surname?"

This question seemed to be asking what he already knew, but it was a ritual necessity. The All-Blessed Lady breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Zhen, as if waking from a dream, blushed, hurriedly lowered her gaze, and answered in a small voice: "My surname is Ye. And what is my lord's surname?"

"Lin." Lin Qian answered with a smile.

The All-Blessed Lady hurriedly said: "Jade gourds joined stem to stem, red threads bind a destined union. Today we share bitter and sweet, forever flying wing to wing."

At the same time, she presented the nuptial cups.

Lin Qian and Ye Zhen each took a cup, each drank half, then exchanged cups and drained the remainder.

The All-Blessed Lady said joyfully: "A cup of nectar passes through jade hands, two hearts bound together until white-haired old age!"

Next came the scattering ceremony, where maidservants scattered red dates, lotus seeds, and other items onto the bed while singing the "Song of Scattering the Bed."

When the song ended, the All-Blessed Lady directed the hair-binding ceremony.

A maidservant brought over a brocade box. When opened, it revealed a pair of golden scissors. The All-Blessed Lady used the golden scissors to take one lock of hair from each of their heads, tightly twisted the two locks together, and bound them with red silk thread.

She said with a smile: "Hair tips entwined, threads of affection tangled, hearts joined as one like twin lotus blooms on a single stem."

After the hair-binding, the All-Blessed Lady placed it into a brocade pouch and said with a smile: "This pouch gathers all the threads of one heart, a lifetime of companionship to white-haired old age. The ceremony is complete!"

Having said this, the All-Blessed Lady handed the brocade pouch to Ye Zhen, then led the other female relatives out.

Soon the room fell quiet, leaving only Lin Qian and Ye Zhen.

Having lived two lives, this was still his first marriage. Lin Qian broke the awkward silence: "Ye—ah, my lady, you look familiar. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Ye Zhen smiled: "Perhaps I look like my mother."

Lin Qian was taken aback—clearly she meant that he had seen Ye Zhen's mother before. He then studied her features more carefully.

Her almond eyes sparkled with radiance, her skin was fair as frost and white as snow, her vermilion lips bright with rouge.

The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed, but who her mother was, he simply could not recall.

After all, the two had only just met, and Ye Zhen was bound by propriety. Under his gaze, her face flushed red, and her head sank lower and lower.

Just then, a maidservant called from outside the door: "Master, the guests have arrived in the main hall and are waiting for you to come toast them."

Ye Zhen said softly: "Go on, quickly."

Lin Qian withdrew his gaze and instructed: "Very well, rest a while. I'll attend to the guests and return shortly."

Ye Zhen gave a barely audible "mm."

Lin Qian walked to the door, stopped, turned back, and instructed: "That pheasant-feather crown is too heavy—take it off."

Having said this, he pushed open the door and went out.

After a moment, the door was pushed open again, and three maidservants walked in.

Seeing the three of them, Ye Zhen exclaimed in delight: "Bai Kou, Yue Yi, Ran Qiu—how did you all come?"

Bai Kou said with a smile: "We asked the All-Blessed Lady, and she said we could come in to attend to you. Are you hungry, miss? Thirsty? I brought you some rock sugar."

As she spoke, Bai Kou took out an oil-paper bundle from her bosom. When opened, it revealed several pieces of pale yellow rock sugar.

Ye Zhen had been up since morning going through the face-smoothing ritual and all the fuss, having only drunk half a bowl of tea, one cup of wine, and eaten two pieces of peach blossom pastry. She was ravenously hungry, so she quickly picked up a piece of rock sugar and put it in her mouth.

She ate very carefully—she could not smudge the rouge on her lips, and the pheasant-feather crown was too heavy to tilt her head back far.

Yue Yi said: "Miss, let me take off that crown for you."

Ye Zhen said hurriedly: "That won't do."

Bai Kou said: "It's fine, it's fine. We ran into the young master outside, and he gave the order himself."

Ranqiu hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "According to wedding custom, while the groom goes out to socialize, the bride must sit in the bridal chamber to 'sit for fortune.'"

"If I may say so, since the young master treats you well, miss, you should sit steady and keep that fortune secure. Treat each other with respect, and your days together will be long."

Baikou pouted and said: "Huh? So she can't even eat?"

Ye Zhen looked puzzled: "Eat?"

Baikou explained: "The young master just said he'd send over a table of food and wine, for us to serve you, miss."

Ranqiu said: "She can only eat things that are dry, bland, without residue, and won't stain her lips."

Baikou said sadly: "Miss has it so hard——"

Ye Zhen smiled and picked up a piece of rock sugar: "With you two keeping me company, and rock sugar to eat, I'm quite content."

Ranqiu hesitated a moment, then stepped forward and said: "Why don't you secretly take off the phoenix crown, miss, and leave your hair bun untouched? When the young master is about to return, I'll quickly put it back on for you."

Baikou said happily: "That's a good idea—I'll go keep watch outside!"

In the main hall, Lin Qian held a wine cup and made his rounds toasting each table.

In the hall, Ye Xianggao's family, local civil officials, and country gentry each occupied their own table, while Lin Qian's brothers and the military officers took another table each—the lines between them were clearly drawn.

Lin Qian went first to Ye Xianggao's table. Most of those seated there were members of the Ye clan, and Lin Qian didn't recognize any of them.

Ye Xianggao's only son had died young, leaving his direct male descendants as just two grandsons, Ye Yifan and Ye Yisun. By order of age, one was Lin Qian's elder brother-in-law and the other his younger brother-in-law.

Neither of the two was very old—the elder brother-in-law Ye Yifan was only twenty, and the younger brother-in-law just fifteen.

Neither held any official rank or degree, yet the Ye family's scholarly heritage ran deep, and both were steeped in the air of learning. At the same time, they weren't aloof,

nor arrogant—both carried themselves with the gentlemanly bearing of a spring breeze.

Lin Qian exchanged a few words with the two and felt quite satisfied with his in-laws.

After the toasts, Ye Xianggao poured himself another cup, raised it, and said: "Grandson-in-law, this cup—this old man drinks to you."

The elder and younger brothers-in-law also raised their cups together.

Startled, Lin Qian hurriedly said: "I wouldn't dare—I should be the one toasting you, Grandfather-in-law."

Ye Xianggao said gravely: "Last year, when the Ye family met with disaster, thanks to your timely rescue, worthy grandson-in-law, I never properly thanked you. So this cup is rightly mine to offer."

Lin Qian was baffled, but Ye Xianggao had already drained his cup, so he drank his down as well.

After finishing his wine, the younger brother-in-law said: "Brother-in-law, your great kindness—I shall never forget it as long as I live!"

The elder brother-in-law said: "Brother-in-law, for such great favor, words of thanks are not enough. In the future, should you need anything at all, just give the word—I will repay you even if it means binding grass and holding a ring in my mouth."

After all, the wedding banquet was held in Fuqing, and most people had come for Ye Xianggao's sake. So although they spoke in low voices, their words were still overheard by the other tables—especially the one with the local civil officials.

If he had married off his granddaughter to repay a personal debt of gratitude, that would indeed align with Ming dynasty values and, to a certain extent, could quell the criticism among the pure-stream faction about marrying a granddaughter to a military man.

But Ye Xianggao was no ordinary man—surely he wouldn't care about such empty reputation. And even if he did, he wouldn't fabricate a story just for that purpose.

Judging by the three men's attitudes, they didn't seem to be putting on an act either.

Especially the elder and younger brothers-in-law—uttering things like "great kindness and virtue" and "binding grass and holding a ring"—their attitude was as if Lin Qian had saved the lives of their own closest kin.

Wait!

Lin Qian suddenly remembered that Ye Zhen had also said he'd met the brothers' mother. Could it be that, through some stroke of coincidence, he had actually saved their mother?

Lin Qian racked his brain for a long while but truly couldn't recall. He had saved many people, but they were all Tanka boat people, pearl divers, and Liaodong refugees—all common folk.

When had he ever saved a woman from an official's household?

Lin Qian simply couldn't figure it out. Bound by etiquette, he couldn't dwell on it either, and moved on to the next table to toast. Seated there were all civil officials, with the highest currently serving post being the County Magistrate of Fuqing.

But looking at former posts, the highest reached even the rank of Minister—including Huang Ke, a Minister of three ministries; Huang Ruliang, Minister of the Ministry of Rites;

Dong Yingju, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works; Censor Lin Ruzhu; and Right Censor-in-Chief Zhou Qiyuan——

A whole host of them—all retired high officials from Fujian. One could see at a glance how deep Ye Xianggao's influence ran.

At the same time, Lin Qian also noticed that very few currently serving officials had come. The Governor of Fujian, for instance, hadn't shown up at all—no doubt because the eunuch faction's power was so great that local officials dared not associate with Ye Xianggao.

As Lin Qian toasted them, these officials, great and small, all responded with smiles and offered many words of good fortune.

These men were all retired. No matter how much power or authority Lin Qian wielded, they paid it no mind.

But first, they respected Ye Xianggao, and second, Lin Qian was a great meritorious hero of the Fuzhou Victory, so their words were quite courteous.

Huang Ke was especially direct in his praise: "General Lin, in one battle at Fuzhou, you saved sixty thousand people and fiercely crushed the Jianzhou barbarians. Truly a pillar of the realm—this old man didn't misjudge you!"

Before Lin Qian could even be modest,

someone else praised his refined and scholarly bearing, and another praised his integrity and sense of responsibility——

Lin Qian spent a long time deflecting the praise before finally making it to the next table.

Seated at this table were all Fujian country gentry. Though they held no official posts, they were all connected to the Donglin Faction to one degree or another.

These men depended on Lin Qian politically and economically—and quite possibly militarily as well—so they had no choice but to flatter him desperately. And since they had no official rank or degree, they had no burden when speaking or acting, making their praise all the more cloying.

Lin Qian barely managed to extricate himself. By then he had already downed five or six cups in a row, and even with the low alcohol content of rice wine, he was beginning to feel dizzy.

He then came to the table of his brothers from Nan'ao Island.

Chen Jiao, Bai Qing, and Bailangzai were at Chikan City, busy settling the newly recruited pearl divers, so they were absent.

After all, this banquet was held in Fuqing—it didn't matter that not all the brothers could make it. In a few days, at the one held on Nan'ao, everyone would be present.

Today, with so many of Ye's relatives around, they couldn't drink too hard. Especially Lei Sanxiang—when arranging the seating, Lin Qian had specifically placed Zheng Zhilong beside him to keep an eye on him. So the brothers were still sober and didn't make things too difficult for him.

Still, as they toasted, they all wore sly, wicked grins.

Zheng Zhilong's lips curved up as he said: "Helmsman, we'll let you off today. But in a few days, I'll show you what I can really drink."

Lei Sanxiang laughed and said: "Once Big Brother and Seventh Brother return, we must drink this one out properly!"

Scholar Zhou said with a look of sympathy: "Helmsman, take care of yourself these next few days. Madam Bai asked me to pass along a message—in a few days, she wants to combine both banquets and drink you under the table."

Lin Qian couldn't help feeling a chill run down his spine.

After making a full round of toasts at every table, Lin Qian was thoroughly dizzy. He pretended to be overwhelmed by the wine and fled the scene.

Stumbling more than ten paces away, he saw no one was watching, then strode swiftly toward the bridal chamber.

Through his drunken haze, he seemed to glimpse a maidservant's figure flashing past.

When Lin Qian entered the room, he saw a table of food untouched. Ye Zhen sat upright on the bed wearing her pheasant-feather coronet, her back ramrod straight.

Lin Qian stepped forward and said softly, "Why haven't you eaten anything?"

Ye Zhen replied, "A new bride must sit for good fortune—she can't eat rich meats and fish. I did have a few pieces of pastry, though."

Lin Qian helped her remove the coronet, saying, "Are you still hungry, then?"

Ye Zhen shook her head: "Hus—husband, you've been busy toasting the guests—you must be hungry. Would you like something? I'll have the maids warm it up—ah!"

Ye Zhen had just started to rise when she let out a startled cry, because Lin Qian had blown out the candle.

In the darkness, Lin Qian scooped Ye Zhen up and laid her on the bed.

Ye Zhen's body went stiff, her chest heaving, and she tried to deflect with soft words: "You still haven't figured out who my mother is, have you? We only met her the once back then, so it's no wonder—mm~"

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered. Ye Zhen's hands gripped the bedsheet tightly.

After a long while, Lin Qian said, "We'll talk about that tomorrow—"

Then rustling sounds came from within the room.

Outside against the wall, Bai Kou said innocently, "Why hasn't miss called us to warm up the dishes? Why did she put out the lamp?

Aren't they eating anymore?"

Yue Yi's face was flushed red: "You silly girl, they're—"

Ran Qiu's willow brows shot up: "Hurry up and leave!"

The next day, Lin Qian woke up. Glancing at the window, he saw it was already broad daylight. He always used to wake at dawn—this was the first time his biological clock had failed him.

He stirred slightly and saw Ye Zhen sleeping soundly against his chest.

Lin Qian slowly withdrew his arm and got out of bed. Even with such a big movement, Ye Zhen didn't wake—clearly she was truly exhausted.

Last night the two of them had slept for a few hours—or was it only half?

He couldn't remember at all.

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen