Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 85 Tossing Pots

Gu Tingye looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with a rhinoceros horn belt around his waist. He had clear and bright eyes and a handsome face.

He was at the age of youthful exuberance and high spirits, yet his slightly furrowed brows suggested a hint of hesitation.

As if sensing something, Gu Tingye also looked at Zhou An.

Zhou An smiled and nodded, then looked away.

He neither liked nor disliked Gu Tingye.

More than anything, it was curiosity.

Even though he knew what the future held, he still couldn't understand why Gu Tingye would gamble with Sheng Changfeng on the day of the Sheng family's joyous celebration.

She couldn't understand why Gu Tingye, who was clearly very smart, was so easily fooled by two women.

After Sheng Changbai introduced himself, Yuan Wenchun and his wife looked rather grim.

They felt that the Sheng family's decision not to send an elder was a retaliation against the Yuan family.

In their view, the marriage between the Yuan and Sheng families was an honor for the Sheng family to marry into the Yuan family.

The Yuan family can send a junior member, but the Sheng family cannot send only a junior member to welcome them.

However, since the Yuan family was in the wrong, they couldn't make a scene and could only force a smile and exchange pleasantries with Sheng Changbai.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yuan Wenchun said, "It's getting late, we can't miss the auspicious time, let's set off first."

"Brother Yuan is right!"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changbai immediately nodded and said, "I have prepared the horses and carriages. This way, please!"

When they arrived, they brought several horses and two carriages, which were prepared for Yuan Wenchun and his party.

Madam Feng and the matchmaker boarded the carriage, while Yuan Wenchun and Gu Tingye chose to ride horses.

After they set off, the servants brought by Sheng Changbai and the attendants of Yuan Wenchun followed behind carrying the betrothal gifts.

In some later works, we often see men promising women that they will come to marry them in a grand procession of red bridal attire.

This statement has caused a great deal of misunderstanding, with many people mistakenly believing that the "Ten Miles of Red Dowry" refers to betrothal gifts.

In fact, "ten miles of red bridal procession" refers to the dowry.

As mentioned earlier, the Zhou dynasty practiced lavish marriages with modest dowries, a principle derived from comparison.

In other words, the bride's dowry will definitely be higher than the groom's betrothal gifts, and by a significant margin.

The Yuan family was an earl's mansion, and the betrothal gifts they brought attracted the amazement of the onlookers, but in reality, the procession only stretched for two or three miles.

Upon entering the city, Yuan Wenchun looked around Yangzhou and spoke with considerable praise.

However, after praising it, he mentioned Bianjing, his superior attitude evident in his words.

Zhou An remained calm upon hearing this, but Sheng Changsong's expression turned rather unpleasant.

"Brother-in-law!"

Sheng Changsong said in a low voice, "I heard my father praise this marriage before, but it doesn't seem that good."

"Not only was there no elder to present as a betrothal gift, but the tone of Yuan's eldest son was also very unpleasant."

"Don't be impatient!"

Zhou An whispered, "These are things we can't worry about!"

The Yuan family sent their juniors, and Sheng Hong and the others must have discussed it beforehand, but none of that prevented them from going.

It's obvious they don't want them involved, and they don't have much of a say anyway.

"I know, I'm just a little angry," Sheng Changsong said somewhat irritably.

Although this is a matter concerning the second wife, they all share the same surname, Sheng, and share both honor and disgrace.

"You're still too young."

Zhou An shook his head slightly, without saying anything.

Although Sheng Wei had taken Sheng Changsong under his wing for several years, Sheng Changsong is only fifteen years old now, so it's normal for him to be a bit impetuous.

Upon arriving at the Sheng family's gate, the procession stopped, and a large crowd of onlookers gathered around the entrance.

At the matchmaker's instruction, Yuan Wenchun and his wife bowed respectfully to the gate.

"Yuan Wenshao, the eldest son of the Yuan family, on behalf of the elders of the Yuan family, respectfully invites the proud and arrogant Sheng family to accept his invitation!"

The servant standing at the door returned the greeting, then turned and entered the house, running all the way to the main hall, repeatedly saying Yuan Wenchun's words.

Inside the main hall, Sheng Hong and Madam Wang sat at the head of the table, with chairs on both sides filled with guests who had come to witness the ceremony. Those of lower status could only stand at the back to watch the ceremony.

Xiao Si entered the hall, bowed, and repeated Yuan Wenchun's words once again.

"allow!"

Sheng Hong nodded with a smile, but did not hear Madam Wang speak. He turned his head to look at Madam Wang and saw that she had a dark face, so he gave her a wink.

"allow!"

Madam Wang could only reluctantly agree to speak.

After bowing, Xiao Si left the main hall, then, muttering "Yes," jogged towards the main gate.

Outside the mansion, the matchmaker from the Yuan family, upon hearing this, waved her handkerchief and said with a smile, "Congratulations to the Yuan family! Congratulations to the Yuan family! Your esteemed family has extended a marriage proposal to the proud Sheng family, and the in-laws have accepted!"

"On behalf of the elders of the Yuan family, Yuan Wenchun thanks the Sheng family for their acceptance!" Yuan Wenchun and his wife bowed again.

At this moment, Xiao Si, who had been waiting nearby, lit the firecrackers.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, Sheng Hong and Madam Wang came out to greet them and warmly welcomed Yuan Wenchun and his wife inside.

The betrothal gifts were also carried into the house one by one.

"The Yuan family's main gift is a pair of live geese, and the secondary gifts are countless!" the servant at the door chanted.

"Let's go, this is none of our business."

Zhou An glanced at Gu Tingye beside him and said to Sheng Changsong.

After the betrothal gifts were carried inside, many onlookers at the entrance followed them in.

These people are all here to attend the betrothal banquet; they're just watching the excitement from outside.

Gu Tingye followed the crowd into the Sheng family home.

The couple, Yuan Wenchun and his wife, were ushered to the main hall, where they presented their gift list and signed the marriage certificate in front of everyone, thus completing the betrothal ceremony.

It was still early before the banquet began, and the servants of the Sheng family laid out all the entertainment items for the guests.

Among them, pitch-pot is the most popular.

Pitch-pot evolved from archery rituals and was already popular during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

The so-called archery ceremony is actually an archery competition, which originated in the Zhou Dynasty.

The Zhou emperor frequently held similar events, and the feudal lords also used them as a form of entertainment during court sessions.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, nobles would also hold archery ceremonies when entertaining guests.

However, archery rituals have very high requirements. They are fine in the wild, but if the courtyard at home is too small, there is simply no suitable place.

Those minor nobles and commoners wanted to emulate the powerful and wealthy, but they did not have enough space to hold archery ceremonies.

This led to the development of the game of pitch-pot.

Even after more than a thousand years, pitch-pot remains a common form of entertainment.

Zhou An had played in Jinling and Xiaotong, and could only say that he knew the rules and how to play, but whether his throws were accurate or not was purely a matter of luck.

A group of young men from Yangzhou got together and started having fun.

Zhou An spotted Sheng Changfeng in the crowd. His eyes flickered slightly, and he stopped in his tracks, watching from the sidelines with the other onlookers.

Sheng Changfeng was twelve or thirteen years old, but he was quite good at pitching in the pot.

Zhou An noticed that Gu Tingye had also come over and was watching from the side.

He won against several young masters in a row, which drew a lot of applause, and he looked somewhat smug.

Gu Tingye, who was in the crowd, heard the people around him talking and realized that it was Sheng Tongpan's son. His eyes flickered slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he squeezed through the crowd and went in.

"How about we play a game?" Gu Tingye suggested.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changfeng glanced at Gu Tingye, but seeing that he was an unfamiliar face, he didn't mind and immediately nodded, saying, "Okay!"

There are many guests today, so it's normal not to recognize him. He just won several games in a row, and someone challenged him; how could he possibly refuse?