Tibet

Two days later, Li Ye set off. He only took a hundred personal guards with him, each riding three horses. He changed horses all the way and rushed to Chang'an day and night.

Then a thousand cavalrymen, led by Yu Chiguang, escorted 10,000 camels, loaded with various goods, and marched to Chang'an, including three million gold coins.

There were no old, weak, sick or disabled people, and they also traveled day and night, striving to reach Chang'an before the end of July.

After the Beginning of Summer, Pei Sanniang craned her neck to wait for news about her son. His son originally said he would come back in the spring, but then it was changed to summer, and then there was no news.

There is no news but one is looking forward to the news, and there is news but one is afraid that the son will not come back. It is like this worrying about gains and losses, which pity the hearts of parents all over the world.

A few days ago, the Dugu family came over to ask about Li Ye's situation. They seemed to be concerned about their future son-in-law. In fact, Pei Sanniang understood what the other party meant. The Dugu family was urging the marriage.

Pei Sanniang was also unambiguous. She prepared the betrothal gift the next day and asked her husband Li Dai to send it to Dugu Mansion.

This is the part of accepting the betrothal. The man needs to give a financial gift. This is much more grand than the previous betrothal gift. The previous betrothal gift was wild geese and a few pieces of silk. It was a symbolic betrothal gift, but when it comes to the financial gift, it is about to get real. .

Wealth gifts correspond to dowry, and here we can see the importance of being well-matched. If the man can provide the wealth gift, but the woman cannot accompany the corresponding dowry, there will be hidden dangers.

Generally, when a small family gets married, they will sit down and discuss how much money the man will give as a dowry and how much dowry the woman will take. Both parties must reach a balance, which is fair to both families. There will be no situation where one party gives more and the other party spends less.

In fact, it is still the same today. This is human nature.

But for wealthy families, it's a little different. For example, the Dugu family chooses a son-in-law not only based on money, but also on the son-in-law's family background, future and talent.

Of course, financial resources also need to be considered. For example, if a poor scholar with three huts wants to marry the daughter of the Dugu family, it is unrealistic, unless it is a special situation and he is a new scholar.

The nobles of the Tang and Song Dynasties valued new scholars very highly. First of all, scarcity made them extremely valuable. Even if the other person's family was very poor, it didn't matter. They were willing to pay to make the other person rich quickly.

This is also the reason why Dugu Lie initially chose Wei Qingxuan. If An Qingxu hadn't stabbed Wei Qingxuan in the face, the Dugu family's son-in-law battle would never have concluded so quickly.

Pei Sanniang prepared 10,000 yuan and ten precious gems as gifts. Don't underestimate these ten precious gems. These are not ordinary gems sold in jewelry shops. Each one is the top gem in the world. Each one is unique. It is qualified to be donated to the imperial concubine, and each one can become a treasure of the jewelry store.

Pei Sanniang specially took one to Baoji Jewelry Shop for appraisal. Baoji Jewelry Shop was willing to pay 5,000 yuan to purchase this gemstone. However, Pei Sanniang took out ten gemstones of the same appearance at once, so one plus one is not equal to two. So simple, far more than fifty thousand dollars can buy.

In the back hall, Dugu Lie was discussing the dowry with several brothers.

Among the five Dugu brothers, the eldest, Dugu Lie, was appointed Minister of War, General Qianniuwei, and was given the title of Duke of Yu.

The second eldest brother, Dugu Ming, was the prince's consort, with the rank of Jin Ziguanglu, doctor, and Duke of Wuyang County. He currently has no actual post and is recuperating at home. He has been given the title of Prince Shaobao.

The third eldest son, Du Gujun, is currently the governor of Beiting Jiedu Prefecture, and has been granted the title of County Duke. He is currently not in Chang'an.

The fourth son, Dugujue, was appointed governor of Tongzhou and granted the title of Marquis of Xinping County. He happened to be working in Chang'an.

The fifth elder, Dugu Ping, is currently the Young Superintendent of the Arms Supervisor and was granted the title of Viscount of Huayin County.

Except for the third child, Dugujun, who was not in Chang'an, the other three were invited by the eldest brother Dugulie to the back hall to discuss together.

Dugu Lie invited several brothers to discuss the reason. He wanted to take a treasure from Qianying Pavilion of the Dugu family as his daughter's dowry. Although Qianying Pavilion was under his control, he needed the consent of several brothers before he could take it from Qianying Pavilion. It is a family rule to take things from the pavilion.

Dugu Ming was a consort who married Princess Xincheng. Since his eldest daughter Dugujing was named Princess Jingle and was sent to the Khitan for marriage, Tianbao was killed by the Khitan in the fourth year. Duguming fell seriously ill and was unable to recover from his illness. I resigned and stayed in the house all day to recuperate.

Dugu Ming looked at the gems in the box carefully, nodded and said: "This should be the gem Li Ye got from the Western Regions. I heard from the princess that he dedicated a gem to the imperial concubine, which is the best in the world. The empress wears it close to her body." , I love it so much that even Mrs. Guo is envious of it. Li Ye should have some peerless treasures in his hands. These ten gems are quite good and can be called treasures. The princess also has a gem like this, which is worth eight thousand guan. Brother, keep it. From now on, when the daughters of the Dugu family get married, each of them will be given one as a dowry."

Dugu Lie had a big head, and said with a wry smile: "Li Dai said that these gems are not available, and there will be other valuable gifts on the wedding day, so I don't know how to give the dowry."

"What is the valuable gift?" Dugu Ming asked.

Dugu Lie shook his head, "I also asked Li Dai, and he said he didn't know either. It was what Li Ye said in the letter. It must be more precious than these ten gems."

Dugujue smiled slightly and said, "Then let's follow the Dugu family's practice! Give the highest-grade dowry and a treasure. We can't let the other party underestimate our Dugu family."

The custom of the Dugu family is that when daughters are married, they are divided into three classes. When a concubine is married, she is given 10,000 guan of money and 1,000 acres of land. When a legitimate daughter is married, she is given 20,000 guan of money and 2,000 acres of land. The highest class is for the eldest daughter who is married, and is given three Wan Guan money and three thousand acres of land.

"So I invite everyone to discuss. I want to take a treasure from Qianying Pavilion as a dowry for the new moon, and then put the Li family's valuable gifts into Qianying Pavilion. See if everyone agrees?"

All three people agreed, and Dugu Lie said happily: "Then I will take one of the three white jade screens for Crescent Moon, with a golden red sandalwood base. No matter what the Li family's gift is, I will take the most valuable thing." Put it in Qianying Pavilion."

At this time, the fifth child, Dugu Ping, asked, "Has the date been set for the wedding?"

"Not yet. Li Ye will come back in the summer. I think it will be in the summer."

Dugu Jue and Dugu Ping left, but the second oldest Dugu Ming stayed. He lowered his voice and said: "There is news in the palace that the Holy Emperor wants to choose a daughter of a relative to pretend to be a princess and marry the Khitan. There are not many suitable candidates, and Xinyue is also on the list. , so my brother quickly arranges for Xinyue to get married, so he doesn’t get selected."

Dugu Lie was startled, "The Holy One won't choose the daughter of our Dugu family again!"

"Do you think it was the Holy One who chose it? It was Mrs. Guo Guo and Mrs. Han's decision. They don't care about the rules. Moreover, Xinyue had offended Mrs. Guo Guo and An Qingxu in the palace before, so I am very worried."

Dugu Lie nodded and whispered: "I heard that Mrs. Guo Guo and Mrs. Han are both the emperor's concubines. Is it true?"

Dugu Ming sneered, "Mrs. Korea is unlikely. She is Cui Xun's wife. The Boling Cui family cannot afford to lose face. The emperor will still have concerns, but Mrs. Guo Guo is different. She is a widow and has a dissolute nature. Who knows about her affair with Monk Hu and Shi Jingzhong? So the rumors are definitely not groundless. Now the emperor will listen to whatever that woman says, and the entire Tang Dynasty is in the hands of a woman. "

"It's rumored that An Lushan and her were also hooking up?

Dugu Ming shook his head, "It's not about hooking up. Mrs. Guo Guo likes tall and handsome young men, and she despises An Lushan, a fat man like a pig. The reason for this rumor is that An Lushan went to Mrs. Guo's house. Twice, he sent 100,000 yuan. He wanted to ease the relationship between the Yang family, especially to please Mrs. Guo Guo. Not long ago, he sent someone to send a batch of treasures to Mrs. Guo Guo. "

Although Dugu Ming recuperates at home every day, he is extremely well-informed.

Dugu Lie sighed: "The signs of An Lushan's rebellion are becoming more and more obvious. He tried his best to stuff money into Mrs. Guo Guo. He probably wanted to use Mrs. Guo Guo to deceive Shang. The Tang Dynasty is in danger!"

Dugu Ming was silent for a moment and said: "Now that the Yang family is in power, the emperor indulges in wine and sex and does not care about government affairs. He has become a puppet of the Yang family. I guess An Lushan will rebel. Brother, our Dugu family should also arrange a way out."