Of course, in the end, the Rong Province Militia rose up in rebellion and defeated the Mount Liang army.
Some of the Rong Province Militia Private who listened to the story were indignant, while others shed tears.
The day after hearing the story, many Militia Private unconsciously became more serious during training.
? 197 Xu Family Yuebai, a whole state sent off
Shu Province.
Shu Province City.
The alley where the Xu residence was located was completely blocked by a convoy of cars starting at noon.
The ten carts were all hung with red cloth, and each cart contained seven or eight red wooden boxes, with the word "happiness" painted in gold paint on the boxes.
These are the betrothal gifts sent by Wu Shuangren to the Xu Family!
The marriage between the two families has reached the fourth step, "betrothal," where the groom's family presents betrothal gifts to the bride's family.
This is the most important step.
Once the woman accepts the betrothal gifts, it signifies that the marriage is settled and there is no possibility of reversal.
A crowd gathered nearby, watching as boxes of gifts were carried into the Xu residence, whispering amongst themselves.
The news of the Xu Family's marriage alliance with a powerful family in Yi Province has recently spread throughout Shu Province City.
The Xu Family's ancestral home was in Lulin County, but after they became wealthy, they moved to Shu Province City. Over the years, they have become a powerful and influential family in the city.
Therefore, the marriage alliance between the Xu Family and the powerful families and nobles in Shu Province City attracted much attention.
Today, the groom's family is presenting the betrothal gifts, and people from all sides have come to offer their congratulations. Even the governor of Jiannan Circuit sent a congratulatory invitation!
In the past, the Xu Family's wedding would never have been so lively. But things are different now; news has already come back from the capital that the Yuan Clan has taken the initiative to befriend the Xu Clan.
In an instant, the attitudes of all the major powers in Shu Province City towards the Xu Family changed!
The backyard of the Xu residence.
The commotion from the front yard drifted here, leaving only a faint buzzing sound.
Inside her boudoir, Xu Yuebai sat at her desk by the window, an account book laid out before her. Her right hand moved swiftly across the abacus, while her left hand flipped through the account book.
On the table was a plate of osmanthus cake, one piece of which had been mostly eaten, and a few bits of cake remained on the woman's lips.
She had a round, oval face with fair skin that had a rosy glow, like a freshly picked peach. Her almond-shaped eyes were large and round, her nose was not high with a slightly upturned tip, and her lips were small, full, and naturally cherry-colored, making her look charming and adorable.
"Miss, the betrothal gifts from the Wu Clan have arrived!"
The maid Qinghe ran excitedly into the room.
Xu Yuebai didn't even look up, and said softly, "Let me see the gift list."
Qinghe stepped forward and handed the gift list to Xu Yuebai.
Xu Yuebai took the gift list and quickly scanned it.
"A dowry of three thousand taels of silver, one hundred bolts of Shu brocade, one hundred bolts of Yun brocade..."
Xu Yuebai held the gift list with her left hand, while her right hand clicked the abacus, muttering incantations:
"Shu brocade costs one tael of silver per bolt, and Yun brocade costs two taels of silver per bolt, totaling three hundred taels. Mengding Ganlu (a type of brocade) costs at least two taels of silver per jin (500 grams), so twenty jin would be forty taels... Gold, silver, jewelry, and jade are difficult to value at the moment... Twenty fine horses, but we don't know their specific breed..."
Xu Yuebai quickly estimated the value of the betrothal gifts listed on the gift list, and finally nodded. "They're quite generous."
Seeing her mistress's expression, Qinghe couldn't help but laugh and said, "Miss, the eldest Qinghe master wrote a letter saying that the Wu Clan is now one of the most powerful families in Yi Province. How could they be stingy with their money?"
Xu Yuebai looked up at Qinghe and said very seriously, "This is my betrothal gift, so of course I need to know how much I'm worth in their eyes."
Qinghe exclaimed, "Miss, how can you make such a comparison! You are the eldest daughter of the Xu Family, the apple of Master's eye, priceless!"
Xu Yuebai smiled slightly, "Qinghe, everything in this world has a price. If you think something is priceless, it's just that you haven't paid enough. For example, this time my father felt the price was right, so he married me off without hesitation."
"Miss..."
Qinghe was stunned, unsure of what to say for a moment.
In her heart, her young mistress was priceless, but she couldn't question the master's decision.
"Alright."
Xu Yuebai picked up some pastries from her plate and said while eating, "My older brother wrote in a letter that the man I'm going to marry is only eighteen years old this year, a peerless genius! A young hero, and a very good person. For my older brother to speak of him like that, I think he must be a good person, so I won't be at a disadvantage."
"Yes, yes, I've never heard the young master praise anyone like that before!"
Qinghe nodded in agreement.
"Yuebai."
Xu Cheng's voice suddenly came from outside, "Father is coming in."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuebai quickly finished the pastries in her hand and mumbled, "Father, come in."
Soon, Xu Cheng pushed open the door and entered.
"Master."
Qinghe.
"Father."
Xu Yuebai also stood up and greeted them.
Xu Cheng nodded, signaling Qinghe to leave, leaving only the father and daughter in the room.
Xu Cheng frowned slightly as he looked at the abacus and ledgers on Xu Yuebai's table.
"Yuebai, after you marry into the Wu Clan, don't touch these things anymore."
Xu Cheng said in a slightly stern tone.
He told Wu Shuangren that his daughter was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was also very beautiful.
She is indeed very beautiful, but her skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are not worth mentioning.
Xu Yuebai had been interested in numerology since she was a child, and by the time she was seven, her family's private tutor could no longer teach her.
When she was nine years old, she took an abacus, secretly found the Xu Family's account books, and spent an entire afternoon calculating them inside the house.
That very night, she told Xu Cheng that the accounts were incorrect.
Xu Cheng didn't take her child lightly. The next day, he called the family accountant over, and the two went over the accounts again in front of Xu Yuebai.
That same day, the Xu Family's former accountant was sent to jail!
Later, although the Xu Family hired a new accountant, Xu Yuebai would still check all the accounts.
Xu Yuebai recently turned seventeen. She manages the Xu Family's business in Shu Province City behind the scenes, and it has been thriving over the years.
Xu Cheng said she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; in reality, she was proficient in all the businesses related to these arts.
But in Xu Cheng's eyes, all of this was a waste of time and energy!
In those days, if a woman mastered martial arts, she could also serve the imperial court.
For example, the headquarters of the Six Doors in the capital has a female constable who is famous throughout the country!
It's not unreasonable for them to even go into battle and kill the enemy; in the more than two hundred years of history of the Wu Dynasty, there have been several female generals.
The Xu Clan was a military family, and Xu Cheng initially intended to raise his daughter to be a heroine.
Xu Yuebai did not have the talent to learn martial arts and could not cultivate Internal Skill, so she could only be a good wife and mother.
As for the arts of divination and the methods of merchants, Xu Cheng considered them ultimately minor arts.
Xu Yuebai's mother passed away early, Xu Cheng doted on his daughter, which is why he allowed her to manage the family business, but he absolutely forbade her to appear in public.
"Wu Shuangren has built a powerful empire at such a young age; he must have some strengths! After you marry him, you must be filial to your parents-in-law, considerate of your husband, and you can no longer be as willful as before. You must never ask to interfere in other people's businesses, understand?"
Xu Cheng spoke earnestly to his daughter.
After talking with Wu Shuangren that night, he saw the domineering and powerful nature hidden in the other party's heart.
Wu Shuangren would likely treat his daughter well, but Xu Cheng didn't believe she would easily allow others to interfere in his affairs.
If the daughter says she wants to get involved in the Yi Province Militia business after marrying into the family, and Wu Shuangren mistakenly believes it's the Xu Family's idea, then that would be troublesome.
Xu Yuebai paused for a moment, then lowered her head and gently moved the abacus on the table with her fingers.
Snap!
The abacus beads made a crisp sound.
"I understand, Father."
Xu Yuebai said softly.
Xu Cheng looked at his daughter's downcast eyes and unreadable expression on her round face, and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
"Yuebai, Father..."
"I'm fine, Dad."
Xu Yuebai raised her head and said with a smile.
That smile was the same as always, with crescent-shaped eyes and upturned corners of the mouth, just as innocent and lovely.
Xu Cheng opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded, turned and left.
After he left, Xu Yuebai sat down and continued flipping through the ledgers on the table, the crisp sound of the abacus beads echoing in the room once again.
After a while, Xu Yuebai called Qinghe over, "Go tell Steward Wang to send over next month's purchase order from the silk shop in the east of the city. I need to check it."
Qinghe asked in surprise, "Miss, didn't you promise Master you wouldn't concern yourself with these things anymore?"
Clearly, she had overheard the father and daughter's conversation from outside.
Xu Yuebai replied, "That's something for after you get married. You're not married yet, are you?"
Helpless, Qinghe could only turn around and inform Steward Wang.
After she left, Xu Yuebai slowed down her abacus movements and eventually stopped.
She stared blankly at the account books on the table, and finally let out a long sigh.
The 105th day since Xu Rong was killed.
Yi Province, Bo County.
Almost every household in the county was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, exuding a joyful atmosphere.
In the past few days, there have been more than a dozen weddings in Bo County!
Almost all the couples getting married were young people from the Wu and Liao families.
Liao Yu regarded Wu Shuangren as his own son, and Wu Shuangren also regarded Liao Yu as an elder equal to his parents. Therefore, the young people of the Liao Clan received similar treatment in the militia as the young people of the Wu Clan.
However, it is clearly not enough for the Wu and Liao families to maintain their relationship solely through this connection.
This matter was initially proposed by the elders of the Liao Clan family, who sought Liao Yu's opinion, and Liao Yu then consulted Wu Dongrong.
Ultimately, Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu made the final decision, taking the relationship between the two families to the next level.
Taking advantage of the peace during this period, the young people from the Wu and Liao families returned to their hometowns for the holidays and were soon arranged to get married by their families.
Young men from the Wu Clan married women from the Liao Clan, and young men from the Liao Clan married women from the Wu Clan, thus truly uniting the two families.
And today, another wedding is about to take place in Bo County.
The entire county town was bustling with excitement, because today was the day Wu Shuangren was setting off for Shu Province to fetch his bride!
Wu Shuangren's wedding was undoubtedly the most important event in Bo County, and Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi distributed gifts in Bo County three days in advance.
Millet, silk cloth, salt, cured meat, and other practical items were distributed to the Wu Clan for three consecutive days, and every household received them!
Given Wu Shuangren's prestige and status in Bo County, coupled with the Wu Clan's lavish spending, one can only imagine how lively this wedding day would be.
The streets of the county town were packed with people, who spontaneously banged drums and gongs, cheering and applauding!
A group of people walked through the main street of the county town and headed out of the town.