This year was the tenth year of Emperor Yang's great cause, and there were still three years before the Tang Duke Li Yuan raised his army!
Li Yuan and his family had already begun to prepare for the upcoming war!
On this day, in Chang 'an City, the Tang Duke's Li Residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers. It seemed that there was a happy occasion.
Li Shi Min and his mother Dou Xian Niang discussed in a low voice,"Mother, although our family has three generations of dukes, our great-grandfather and grandfather were honest and did not manage any businesses. Father has been watched by Yang Guang all these years. He did not dare to be corrupt and bought people's hearts. He spent a lot of money and wanted to raise an army, but he realized that the military expenditure was insufficient!
"Originally, we could count on Lu Mingyu. However, I recently discovered that Lu Mingyu has been sparing money for justice, helping the poor, and cultivating kindness. He seems to have evil intentions. I'm afraid it will be very difficult for him to submit to our Li family!
If we raise an army in the future and want to find Lu Mingyu to raise military funds, I'm afraid this person won't give us a single cent!”
There were always people who thought that how could Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, be poor?
But in history, after Li Yuan raised his army, he had no money. He had to pay in installments to buy horses from the Turks. After entering Chang 'an, he had no money to pay the salaries of the officials, credit, or even sell them.
Dou Xianniang's eyes were sharp." There is something wrong with this person. He has a wide range of friends in Chang 'an and even the whole world. He is respectful to the wise and does not look like someone who has been under others for a long time. I'm afraid we can't count on him in the future!"
However, Xiu Ning had already set a marriage agreement with this person, and they were going to get married tomorrow.
If we break off the engagement now, I'm afraid our Li family will be laughed at by the world!”
Li Shiming and Dou Xianniang were really blind. Originally, Lu Mingyu had been generous with his wealth and accepted heroes from all over the world to recruit talents for the Li family in the future. In the end, they actually misunderstood him like this!
Li Shiming had an idea." Mother, how about this? I'm going to marry Sister Wugou in a few days. I'll pretend to use the Zhangsun family to increase the betrothal gift by 100,000."
Let my sister tell Lu Mingyu to increase the price by 100,000 strings too. The total betrothal gift will be 200,000 strings!
"According to what I know, although Lu Mingyu has earned a lot these years, he has also spent a lot. The family property he has accumulated should only be 200,000!
Tomorrow, let him take out all 200,000 strings, and we'll save it for military expenses!”
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, 1000 copper coins strung together were called Yiguan money. This counting method continued until the Song Dynasty.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Yiguan money could buy about 2500 catties of rice, which was equivalent to about 7000 yuan in the future!
200,000 strings were equivalent to 1.4 billion!
Such a huge amount of wealth was enough to create 20,000 elite cavalry and 100,000 elite infantry!
The Li family's intention for asking for so many betrothal gifts was obvious!”
"Let's do it this way. I'll go talk to your sister!"”
Originally, this kind of thing needed to be told to the bridegroom through the matchmaker, Lu Mingyu.
However, Li Shiming and Dou Xianniang understood Lu Mingyu's character. It was likely that only Li Xiuning would be able to obtain Lu Mingyu's 200,000 yuan worth of assets!
Some people would say that there was a dowry in ancient times, but the Duke of Tang and his family were bent on rebelling. Now they were gathering wealth, so they didn't have the heart to prepare a dowry for Li Xiuning's marriage!
Fairy Dou came to Li Xiuning's room.""Xiuning, your second brother Shimin is also going to marry Miss Zhangsun in no time, and the Zhangsun Clan is asking for 200,000 strings of betrothal gifts!
Although we are a powerful family, the Emperor (Yang Guang) keeps a close eye on us. Your father doesn't dare to touch any money other than his salary.
Therefore, we can't take out 200,000 strings of betrothal gifts at all, but your second brother is deeply in love with Miss Zhangsun…"
Li Xiuning was smart and shook her head.
"Mother, Miss Zhangsun has always been on good terms with me. I know that Miss Zhangsun is not a greedy person. Mother, please speak frankly!”
"The world is in chaos now. I don't know what will happen in the future. Our Li family still needs to prepare more money for emergencies!"
Moreover, although Miss Zhangsun is not greedy, her father, Zhangsun Sheng, has already passed away. Miss Zhangsun's half-brother, Zhangsun Anshi, is a drunkard and greedy. He also asked for a lot of betrothal gifts. It's not that Mother deliberately deceived you!”
"Mingyu has improved tea leaves and alcohol over the years. He has indeed made some money." Li Xiu Ning smiled bitterly.
But Mingyu also has his ambition. If he gives all this money to us and affects his ambition, I'm afraid he won't be willing..."
"Since he wants to be the son-in-law of our Li Family, he must follow us. How dare he have his own ambitions? How preposterous!"
No matter what, you have to make him take out 200,000 yuan as a betrothal gift!
Otherwise, it would be fine if they didn't get married!
Our Li family doesn't want a son-in-law who doesn't agree with us!”
As the niece of Emperor Wu of Zhou, Fairy Dou grew up in the palace. She was cold, tough, and domineering. Even Li Yuan obeyed her orders!
In order for the Li family to achieve great things and gather wealth in the future, Dou Xianniang would do whatever it took!
……
On the second day, the groom, Lu Mingyu, rode on a tall horse, beat gongs and drums, and decorated the Li family with lanterns and streamers to welcome the bride!
"Xiu Ning! I'm here to pick you up!"
According to the wedding ceremony of this era, all the previous etiquette had been passed. Now, all that was left was to bring Li Xiu Ning to Lu Mingyu's house to get married and have their wedding night.
Ever since Lu Mingyu transmigrated to the Sui and Tang Dynasties five years ago, he found out that he had become a branch descendant of the Lu family of Fanyang, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Wangs.
Because his parents died early, although he was considered a descendant of the Lu family, this family was considered to be in dire straits.
He had originally wanted to save his own life, but he did not expect that because his father had some relationship with Li Yuan, he would replace Chai Shao and marry Li Yuan's daughter, Li Xiu Ning!
In order to make himself worthy of Li Xiuning, Lu Mingyu moved to the business world when his career was hopeless.
He introduced the custom of frying tea and making tea, leading the trend of the times more than a hundred years in advance. He also invented distilled white wine hundreds of years in advance, opened hundreds of tea factories, wineries, tea houses, and restaurants all over the country, and even opened up trade channels with the Turkic and other steppe peoples.
In the past five years, tea and white wine had helped him earn more than 200,000 yuan!
Originally, they could have earned more, but because of the chaotic times, all the places rebelled against the king, and the smoke and dust rose, affecting the sales channels.
Because he really loved this dignified, beautiful, noble, elegant, intelligent, and valiant Li Xiu Ning, Lu Mingyu was willing to take out half of his family property as a betrothal gift to marry Li Xiu Ning!
Lu Mingyu walked to the front of Li Xiu Ning's embroidery building and looked at Li Xiu Ning with anticipation.
At this time, there was no custom of wearing a red veil. Li Xiu Ning stood on the embroidered building and looked at Lu Mingyu with a complicated expression. She wanted to say something but hesitated!
Lu Mingyu immediately frowned. They were about to get married, so why did Li Xiu Ning have such an expression?
At this moment, a dignified, noble, and cold middle-aged woman walked out of the building and blocked Lu Mingyu's way!
A head of beautiful black hair was tied up into a high cloud, and she was wearing a crimson red silk dress. Her red was dazzling, and the dress made her figure look extremely voluptuous!
She looked like Li Xiuning, who was more than ten years older!
Extremely bright phoenix eyes, a tall nose, snow-white skin, and a dazzling radiance.
At first glance, she really couldn't tell that this person was Li Xiuning and Li Shimin's mother, Dou Xianniang!
Dou Xianniang had been a beauty since she was young. Her hair grew to her knees when she was a child, and she had a peerless appearance.
Therefore, after she grew up, there were many people who wanted to marry her. Dou Yi had to set up a screen to choose a son-in-law. Li Yuan was selected by shooting an arrow into the eyes of two peacocks on the screen. This was the origin of the idiom 'The Selection of the Sparrow Screen.'
Even at this age, Li Xiu Ning probably didn't have such a beautiful charm, because Li Yuan looked a little ugly!
Unfortunately, this mother-in-law had an arrogant and cold face.
After all, she was the niece of Emperor Wu of Zhou, the daughter of the Duke of Shenwu, Dou Yi, and Princess Xiangyang of the North Zhou Dynasty, and the wife of the Duke of Tang!
His status was absolutely noble, which was why he had always looked down on the down-and-out branch family disciple of the Lu family of Fanyang, Lu Mingyu!
If it wasn't for Lu Mingyu's rich family background and the fact that Lu Mingyu's father had once saved Li Yuan's life, he wouldn't even have the right to propose marriage.
"Lu Mingyu! Xiu Ning couldn't say it, so I'll tell you!
You took out 100,000 strings of strings as a betrothal gift previously, it was really too little!
My daughter is of noble birth, both civil and martial, talented and beautiful. There is no lady from a noble family who is more outstanding than my daughter in Chang 'an. You want to marry my daughter with just 100,000 yuan? How ridiculous!
You have to take out 200,000 strings, or else I won't let Xiu Ning marry you!”
At this moment, Immortal Lady Dou had an arrogant look on her face!
In the eyes of this cold and elegant lady, Lu Mingyu loved his daughter Li Xiu Ning very much and wanted to cling to their Li family. He would definitely be willing to go bankrupt to complete this marriage!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]