Gently laying Fan Jian on the bed and covering her with the quilt, Chen Xi let out a sigh of relief. Holding her for a while was one thing, but the longer he held her, the more numb his legs beca and his arms began to ache. Even though Fan Jian was light, how much lighter could a well-nurtured sixteen-year-old girl be?
"My husband looks so gentle~" Chen Lan said with a smile, leaning on the window.
"Forget it, you’re still easier to take care of," Chen Xi replied helplessly.
"A young lady should be like this," Chen Lan said cheerfully, naturally accepting Chen Xi’s comnt.
"It’s not too bad, it’s just that she thinks too much. By the way, have you finished embroidering the wedding dress?" Chen Xi said helplessly, then feeling that it was sowhat inappropriate to talk about, he quickly changed the subject.
"No," Chen Lan shook her head.
In ancient tis, weddings inherently implied a promotion in status. Chen Xi was originally a commoner, and after he freed Chen Lan from her slave status, Chen Lan guessed that Chen Xi planned to marry her as a concubine. She began making her wedding dress then and finished the embroidery in less than half a year. However, before she could wear it, Chen Xi was appointed as Marquis within the Pass.
The wedding was delayed and many things had to be changed. First of all, Chen Lan’s bridal gown was no longer suitable. The wedding was originally prepared at the level of a "scholar-official," and now it had to be at the level of a "Feudal Lord," which ant that Chen Lan’s gown had to be completely re-embroidered. Moreover, there was much more embroidery required this ti, which was a hassle, but Chen Lan was very excited about it.
"Still out here having fun when you haven’t finished embroidering your dress? Hurry back to your room and get on with it," Chen Xi said, tapping Chen Lan’s head lightly. "I have made myself clear, if it’s not finished in ti, don’t bla
if I marry Jian’er but not you. With my accomplishnts by that ti, apart from getting the status of a legal concubine, you might receive a wife’s docunt. If you miss that opportunity, there won’t be another chance."
"I’ll go back and embroider the wedding dress," said Chen Lan, her eyes shining with excitent. She was completely unaware that Chen Xi intended to procure a wife’s docunt for her.
"Off you go," Chen Xi said, waving his hand dismissively.
The identity of a Lady of the Han Dynasty was not easy to obtain. If Chen Xi hadn’t actually killed over a million Yellow Turbans, and if the Han Court hadn’t just given him an empty title because they felt he was too young, you wouldn’t even dream of obtaining a docunt for two wives. A concubine was just that, a concubine. However, due to the decline of the imperial authority, many things were overlooked by higher-ups. The Minister of Ceremonies had already prepared the docunts for two wives.
Chen Lan, after all, was the maid who had stood by his side through thick and thin. Giving her rely the status of a legal concubine seed inadequate, so he procured a wife’s docunt for her. With this docunt, Chen Lan could enjoy the treatnt of a legal wife when going out and also receive a small stipend at ho.
In the Han Dynasty, the status of a wife was equivalent to that of her husband, aning both enjoyed the sa treatnt socially. A concubine, at best, was a plaything, a legal concubine who could be casually sent away or even executed should the legal wife beco dissatisfied. Moreover, she had the chance to beco the legal wife upon the death of the current one.
In short, the title of a Lady of the Han Dynasty was essentially unique and completely different from the titles granted during the Tang Dynasty. It could only be issued to the legal wife, and that too if her husband held an office ranking of 2,000 bushels or higher, so it was a very precious designation indeed.
Now, with Chen Xi’s current status, arranging a wife’s identity for Fan Jian would hardly require any effort. After the three letters and six rites, the wife’s docunt would arrive naturally, considering Chen Xi’s rank and position. However, getting one for Chen Lan was much more challenging.
Nevertheless, it was a ti of chaos and the decline of imperial power. The Han Court, having been ravaged by Dong Zhuo and fallen into the hands of Li Que and Guo Si, was faring even worse, struggling with basic provisions like food and clothing!
The new Minister of Ceremonies was evidently a sensible man. Chen Xi, through Mi Zhu, sent over money and grain, and the matter was settled. Of course, the Minister of Ceremonies also ntioned that if by any chance the Emperor did inquire, Chen Xi should not bla him. Chen Xi didn’t take it seriously at all; by that ti, Liu Xie wouldn’t be able to intervene in such matters!
As for the official who would announce it, Liu Bei, Chen Xi believed he would definitely turn a blind eye and pretend nothing was happening.
Having dealt with potential issues at ho, Chen Xi headed straight for the Political Office. This ti, he had to appear furiously determined to straighten out a few things with Lub Su and his colleagues so that he could hand off a pile of tasks; the machinery he had designed needed to run at high speed now!
"Who was that again, oh yes, Ruan Yuliang, give
your sword!" Chen Xi, after perfecting his angry expression in front of the bronze mirror, stord into the Political Office. As he dismounted from the carriage and saw Ruan Yuliang standing at the entrance, he suddenly realized he was missing sothing, snatched Ruan Yuliang’s sword, and barged straight in.
"Bang!" Chen Xi slamd the sword heavily onto the table, glaring at the few people in front of him. Today’s situation was good; everyone was actually there, including Sun Qian!
"Zijing, tell
what’s going on with Fenggao!" Chen Xi transford into a roaring emperor and bellowed at Lub Su!
"Wen Ru! What’s going on with our lord!" Before Lub Su could say a word, Chen Xi turned his head and continued to roar at Li Youu.
"Boning, where’s your new law?"
"Fengxiao, you’re still drinking! Liu Jingsheng almost drank Jingzhou dry!"
"Wen He, what’s with Yuan Shao? Why has the news beco so vague lately? What does it an that both sides are battling at Jieqiao, yet the situation remains unclear!"
"And you, Ziyang, what are you laughing at! Is your administration template finished?"
Chen Xi’s series of roars imdiately stunned everyone present. They had been happily drinking tea, enjoying pastries, and incidentally managing political affairs, but now they all felt sowhat embarrassed; they were far behind on these matters.
"Cool down, cool down." True to his reputation as a good-natured man, Lub Su thought Chen Xi was distressed by external situations and had co to vent, so he quickly tried to soothe him and poured him so tea, "Have so tea, have so tea."
"Separate Lord Xuande’s property from the entirety of Mount Tai’s property, issue stipends, and at most give a little extra!" Chen Xi said grimly, his spiritual power spilling from his eyes as he sternly scanned those present.
No one dared to provoke Chen Xi when he was clearly furious, especially since they had also discussed the issue before. The separation of properties was indeed a good choice, so the matter was thus passed, and they would shoulder the responsibility together.
"The second matter, the census. Zijing, how much more do we have left!" Chen Xi turned his head and asked Lub Su, noticing Lub Su’s distressed look. Chen Xi’s face twitched, sensing sothing was wrong, and tentatively asked, "You haven’t started, have you?"
Lub Su gave a wry smile. He had been busy with sumr planting, distributing and registering the spoils of war, dealing with housing for the migrated population, distribution of land, and classifying artisans. With so many things to handle, he simply had no ti to work on the census.
"Alright, I’ll help you with that later." Chen Xi sighed, seeing Lub Su’s expression and guessing he probably hadn’t done it. He turned to Mann Chong, "What about you, Boning, your new law? Weren’t you continuously working on it? Is the taxation law ready?"
"I’m proficient in penal law, but I feel that taxing requires the help of a sage skilled in Jiran Studies. Actually, Mi Zizhong would be suitable too, but it’s a pity he’s a rchant, and I fear he may not be impartial." Mann Chong said with a wry smile.
"You handle the sentencing well, and leave the rest to ." Chen Xi tempered his tone a bit as he spoke.
"No news from Jieqiao is the best news. It ans that the battle hasn’t been decided yet. However, I’ve surveyed the terrain near Jieqiao, and it’s very disadvantageous for the White Horse Righteous Followers. Gongsun Bogui is overly confident." Jia Xu volunteered all the information without waiting for Chen Xi to ask, as Yuan Shao had been diligently defending Jieqiao recently.
Turning to Liu Ye, he saw Liu Ye smiling bitterly and saying, "I’ll go and do it, I’ll rember to get it done, rest assured."
Looking back at Li Youu, only to see him sigh, "This ti, it truly was my fault. I was sowhat careless before." (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to Qidian ) to cast your recomndation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to read.)
Reviews
All reviews (0)