[R18] The stars are brilliant, so lucky even (The stars are brilliant, the moon rises over the sea) – Chapter 55 of “The Stars Are Brilliant, Even Lucky (The Stars Are Brilliant·The Moon Rising Over the Sea)” [English]

Chapter 55

No matter how worried the women at home are, as far as the men outside are concerned, since the two families are engaged, it should be done well.Lou Taipu was a quick-witted person. A few days later, he explained the matter to the emperor while he was alone in business. He was full of good things about Cheng’s daughter and wanted to ask for a favor to add some glory to the marriage.The emperor was kind-hearted by nature, and Cheng Shi had been favored by him in his recent affairs, so he readily agreed. The next day, he sent Huangmen Congguan, who was serving pen and ink beside him, to the Cheng Mansion to announce the decree.

At this time, there were not as many tricks as in later generations when receiving orders. There was no need to place incense tables, flowers and candles. All that was needed was for the person receiving the order to kneel neatly and respectfully.The imperial edict praised the entire Cheng family, from Cheng Aiqing, who was “kindhearted to care for the weak, good at fighting but not wary”, to Mrs. Xiao, who was “the most powerful husband among women”, to Cheng Shaoshang himself, who was “diligent, cautious and virtuous” – Shaoshang was a little blushing. In other words, her middle school principal at that time only praised her for her good grades and perseverance, and never praised her for her gentle conduct and so on.

After announcing the decree, Mrs. Xiao stuffed a lot of gold beads to the Huangmen official named Teng with a smile on her face, and took Cheng Shi, who was still muttering to himself, “Your Majesty didn’t praise me so much when I presented my duties to the Holy Spirit” to send him out in person.

The expressions on the faces of the remaining people in Jiuzhai Hall were all different.Cheng Shu’s face was filled with awe and envy from head to toe.Mother Cheng curled her lips and said nothing, rolled her sleeves and took Hu Hu back to the house.

Cheng Shaogong sighed: “I didn’t expect that among our siblings, the first one to receive His Majesty’s commendation would be Niao Niao?!”

Cheng Song punched the hex and said with a smile: “You read the prophecy book every day, can you figure out this hexagram?”

Cheng Shaogong said: “No. I just said that it is not suitable for our family to marry girls these days. We should only marry wives.”

“Nonsense! Throw those messes away quickly.” Cheng Yong glanced at Cheng Shu who was standing aside, and then said to Shao Shang, “Guan Lou’s behavior shows the Lou family’s sincerity towards this marriage. You should treat Ah Yao better in the future, and don’t always use him!”

Shao Shang said with a smile: “Ayao said that he loves to be at my command. If I don’t ask him to do something for a day, he won’t even be able to eat!”

“You’re talking nonsense too!” Cheng Yong said with a straight face, feeling that something wrong must have happened to his mother when she was pregnant with the twins.

After things were over, the happy Lou Yao began to report to the Cheng family every day, and he still had something to look forward to – yesterday there were fresh fruits from the Lou family’s manor, today there was brocade muslin newly woven by the Lou family’s craftsmen, and the next day there was a jar of aged wine stored in the Lou family’s treasury.

The entire Cheng family was full of praise for this future son-in-law. Even Cheng’s mother, who was usually irritated with Shao Shang, softened her tone as she touched her exquisite new clothes. She privately said to Hu Hu, “Getting married should be like curling up. For someone like Ah Xi, who doesn’t live up to expectations, I will put up a dowry every time you get married. You are really here to collect debts from me!”

Shao Shang was also talking to Mrs. Xiao: “Such beautiful brocade and such soft fine cloth, let’s give some to my aunt! Ah Yao said, this is the unique craftsmanship of our family for many generations, and you can’t buy it outside.”

Mrs. Xiao glanced at her silently: “…you miss your aunt. After dividing it between you and Sisi, there won’t be much left.”

“Then I’ll give my share to my aunt!” Shao Shang was quick to speak. Seeing Mrs. Xiao’s unhappy look, he said quickly, “No, no. I mean, only those with average looks need to be well-dressed. With looks like my mother and I, she is also beautiful in a sack! If you don’t believe me, ask my father!”

Mrs. Xiao laughed and said: “How dare you arrange your aunt like this, be careful I tell her to go.” It was rare that she didn’t want to reprimand her daughter for being unruly.

Shaoshang sighed helplessly: “I’ve made fun of you a long time ago, but my aunt didn’t take it seriously at all. She even criticized me. What’s the use of saying that I look better than her? She looks much better to people who eat every day than I do to people who have been eating for decades!”

Mrs. Xiao snorted: “This is indeed what she would say!” But in her heart, she thought that Ling Buyi is much more beautiful than Cheng Zhi. If you can get that person, not to mention the Cheng family, even the capital will let you go.

The human heart is really the strangest thing in the world. If she had known nothing before, Mrs. Xiao would not have thought about it, but now she couldn’t help but think about it.However, she is a decisive person after all. After thinking about useless things, she put her hands away. Looking at her daughter’s satisfied look, she sighed and then doubled down on planning the wedding.

According to the custom at this time, after the engagement, the two families would hold separate banquets, invite relatives and friends from each family to gather, and present the future husband/bride to the public. According to Shaoshang’s understanding, in this era, there was no convenient means of communication to inform the world, and there was a long period of time between the engagement and the marriage. If someone didn’t know (or pretended not to know), it would be half-assed.

The Cheng family didn’t have many relatives and friends in the capital. Together with their colleagues, their superiors, and the helpers dragged in by Wan Songbai, as well as a few confidants and their families, they could only gather for a moderate banquet for forty or fifty people, and even the servant in the building couldn’t get drunk.On the day of the Lou family’s banquet, when he saw the prosperous scene in front of the Lou’s house with cars and carriages shoulder to shoulder and a cloud-like roof, Cheng Shi couldn’t help but sigh: “Look at this person’s style and momentum!”

Unexpectedly, Wan Songbai on the side sighed loudly: “It’s all because of my brother!”

Huh?!His family is prosperous and he has always had a close relationship with you?——The two families of Wan Cheng came together to see he. The potbellied General Wan looked sad and said: “If I had known today, I wouldn’t have married off the dozen daughters here and there. If they were all married around the capital, if we gather the husbands and sons-in-law together now, they would be able to build up the reputation of my brother’s family the day before yesterday! I can’t help but kill the man named Lou.”

Everyone waited and laughed after a while!

Mrs. Xiao wiped the tears from laughter at the corner of her eyes, turned around and whispered to Shao Shang: “It is so rare to have a true friend who can help each other. One of you, Uncle Wan, is enough.”

Shaoshang nodded.

There are two extremely wide rows of row houses in the front yard of the building, built opposite each other, separated by lush flowers and trees, and a slender straight corridor connecting the two sides, which looks like a sloping H shape when viewed from above.Female guests are arranged in rows of rooms on the left row, and male guests are on the right.

As if she had forgotten the dispute that day, Mrs. Lou enthusiastically led the young Shang and his daughter around the house, introducing several relatives from the family and visiting several well-respected old women.Shaoshang was young in age and seniority. He almost bowed to everyone he saw, bending down until he felt dizzy. Finally, a white-haired old man in his eighties came in front of him.Mrs. Lou hurriedly took the young businessman to the corridor and kowtowed, saying, “I’m well, my uncle.”

This trembling Ban Laohou was brother and sister to Lou Yao’s deceased grandmother, and he was probably the oldest person in the entire capital. The emperor would never forget this old man’s share of the palace’s daily rewards of food and medicine.

Mr. Ban Lao Hou looked a little confused at his age. He waited for the young merchant to salute and stood up. He looked at him for a long time, then laughed with no teeth left. He patted Lou Yao on the shoulder and said, “Agou, your bride is very beautiful! I have told you before that marrying a beautiful bride is more important than anything else. Look at the woman Amao married. That’s why he left so early…”

Lou Yao’s face was red, and he held up his hands without daring to argue. The white-faced young man who supported Ban Laohou said helplessly: “Father, this is Ah Yao’s cousin from the Lou family, not his deceased father!”

The first lady on the floor smiled bitterly and couldn’t help but sigh, but the second lady on the floor smiled happily and kept praising the old man for his great vision!In order to prevent the old man from continuing to say inappropriate things, Lou Yao and Mr. Ban Xiaohou quickly carried the old man away.

After the various salutes were completed, Shaoshang, Cheng Shu and Wan Qiqi were led by the maid to the little girl in the side hall as usual.

Cheng Shu was worried and pulled Shao Shang’s sleeves and said, “If someone assigns us again today, we will go directly to the eldest aunt. Don’t be anxious!”

Wan Qiqi said dissatisfied: “What are you afraid of! Who dares to bully us with dog eyes in a good day? You don’t have to move, just look at me!”

Shao Shang sighed and said, “Don’t worry, cousin, I won’t quarrel today, let alone fight. Sister Qi Qi, you are not allowed to move either. With your ability, there are not enough girls in the house for you to fight.”

Walking into the side hall, all the little girls in red and blue were looking at him with good eyes. Shao Shang walked over with a smile, holding Cheng Shu and Wan Qiqi by both hands, and bowed to everyone in an upright manner, and the girls returned the gift one after another.Lou Yang, who was sitting in the corner, slowed down and returned the gift unwillingly – obviously he was dealt with badly in the future.

The most surprising thing was that Wang Yao next to her actually stepped forward to hold Shao Shang’s hand with a smile on her face, and said, “It was a misunderstanding that day, and it’s all my fault, sister.” Shao Shang actually admired this little girl’s psychological quality.

Today was probably the most peaceful and peaceful banquet trip Shao Shang had ever had since his “debut”. The girls were eating, drinking, talking and laughing, and would never say anything unpleasant or raise any inappropriate topics.Shaoshang was very satisfied. Originally, she didn’t want to make a fuss every time she went out.

When he was in a good mood, when Wan Qiqi boasted about how well he played the flute, Shao Shang followed the girls’ cheering, took out his beloved green bamboo flute from his sleeve, and played a tune – the sound of the flute was like the wind in the empty valley, the drizzle in spring, full of gentle affection, making the listener smile slightly, as if thinking of the most tender and beautiful childhood memories.

The sound of the flute reached the main hall of the compartment, and the women all slowed down their movements, listened with gentle expressions, and showed Mrs. Xiao a look of appreciation that was a hundred times more sincere than when they were greeting her just now.

After the song ended, the girls in the hall looked at Shao Shang with friendly eyes. They all thought in their hearts, how could a girl who could play such a moving tune be as hateful and ridiculous as the rumors say.

Shaoshang lowered his head to play the flute and smiled slightly.

She realized for the first time that perhaps it was not just Cheng Taigong’s genetic talent, but maybe she had a little bit of the musical gene.It’s just that in her previous life, she lived a rough and wild life, radical and indignant. Apart from studying and studying again and again with a strong purpose, she never enjoyed other wonderful learning, musical instruments, singing, painting, dancing… She never tried any of them.

Purely, sincerely, just learning for love and beauty, and these things that she once scorned, can actually make people so happy.

“…Hey, isn’t this Shishiro?!” Some girl shouted.Like fireflies chasing the light source, the girls suddenly gathered on the east windowsill railing.

Shao Shang also stood up, and through the gap between the girls’ heads, she saw Ling Buyi, with fluttering clothes, standing alone and far away on the terrace of the row house opposite.Through the straight corridor of dozens of feet, the expression of the young and handsome general could not be seen clearly.But his figure, as tall as a pine branch, looks fierce and beautiful under the scorching spring sun, as beautiful as a dream.

A girl pressed her chest and sighed: “My heart aches! Even if I get married, I will never forget Shishiro’s appearance!” Another girl, with tears in her eyes, said sadly: “Even if I marry someone three times, I will still feel heartache!”

“I will marry you ten times and I will never forget it…”——The girls began to complain one after another.

At this time, Wang Jian, who was silent, suddenly raised his head and said with a smile: “Shao Shang, what about you?”

“Let me think about it…” Shao Shang pressed his fingers on the sound of the flute on his sleeve one by one, pretending to caress his chest and exclaimed, “I said why am I not sad? It turns out that I have changed my mind!”

As soon as these words came out, the sad little girls burst into laughter, and their loneliness was swept away.

The girls sat down again, probably realizing that they all fancied the same idol, and they seemed to be laughing and chatting more freely now than just now.Cheng Shu finally put aside his worries and started chatting with a new girl he met who was also shy. Wan Qiqi boasted to three or five little sisters who were only in their early teens about her legendary past when she single-handedly beat up four teenagers.

Shaoshang was holding a bowl of hot corn soup, slightly lost in thought.

In fact, there are many beautiful things in this world – the transverse flute that makes beautiful music when the sound hole is pressed, the willow catkins that float like snowflakes when the spring breeze blows, the bluestone steps in the corridor that will rise slightly when stepped on, Lou Yao’s red face when he was teased by himself and could not fight back… and Ling Buyi.He is a very good person, and it is great to be able to watch him from afar.

After wandering in the sky for an unknown amount of time, Lian Fang suddenly stepped in from the outside, quietly leaned beside Shao Shang, and whispered a few words into his ears.Shaoshang was confused for a while before he realized: What?He wants to see me?!

Are all the handsome men these days so unconventional? Shouldn’t he be like Yuan Shanjian, quietly waiting for me by the rocks and the pond, and then he would just let the maid pass the message so carelessly?Could it be that he had an affair with him and was shamelessly having a tryst with others at his fiancé’s home?!

Lian Fang whispered: “Master Ling has three more words. First, he really has something to say to you. Second, he wants the young lady to rest assured…he…Master Ling said, he will not harm you, please, please believe him.”

Shaoshang was startled for a moment, then reached into his sleeve to touch the flute hole again, touching the first one to the last one, and then smiled softly.In fact, she believes in he, but…

“I won’t go. You go and tell him that this matter is not appropriate, so let’s forget it.” Unfortunately, her romantic skills were not enough to support her in taking risks. She smiled and asked, “By the way, isn’t it three sentences? Where’s the third sentence?”

The little maid looked confused, wondering: “Master Ling said, if you don’t go, he will come to you by himself. When big trouble happens, you can just wait until you break off the engagement and marry him… If you don’t go, he will treat it as his intention to marry!”

Shao Shang opened his mouth slightly and his eyes widened in disbelief.