Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 6 The Essence of Marriage

Upon arriving at the Sheng family's residence, Zhou Li and Matchmaker Liu went up to knock on the door.

After the doorman opened the door, Zhou Li explained his purpose, and the doorman told them to wait a moment while he went in to report.

After waiting for a moment, Sheng Wei, with a big smile on his face, came out to greet them with a boy who was about the same age as Zhou An.

Upon seeing Lu Wang, Sheng Wei was slightly taken aback and quickly bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Instructor Lu!"

"You're too kind, Master Sheng. I'm just here to act as a matchmaker today," Lu Wang said with a smile.

The so-called "grand matchmaker" is someone from a family of lower social standing than the woman, who is invited to accompany the marriage proposal to maintain appearances.

Strictly speaking, they could be considered half matchmakers, but they weren't professional matchmakers, so they were called "big matchmakers."

Lu Wang said this to remind Sheng Wei to distinguish between primary and secondary matters, and that the Zhou family was the main focus today.

Sheng Wei understood his meaning and immediately welcomed the Zhou family inside.

After entering the house, Zhou An glanced at the Sheng family's ancestral home out of the corner of his eye.

Because it was built a long time ago, the Sheng family ancestral home is somewhat old, but it is well maintained and occupies a considerable area.

Upon arriving at the main hall, after the guests and hosts were seated, the maidservants served tea and then withdrew.

Zhou An sat at the end of the table. In this kind of occasion, he had no right to speak and could only act as a tool, listening to his father and the others exchange pleasantries.

After exchanging pleasantries and chatting for a while, Zhou Li explained his purpose: "Master Sheng, I have come here today to ask for my eldest son to marry your esteemed eldest daughter."

"Your daughter is a noble lady"—these are just polite phrases, and they were taught to him by the matchmaker.

After Zhou Li finished speaking, it was time for the matchmaker to make her appearance.

With a broad smile, Liu the matchmaker waved her handkerchief and first praised Zhou An, then praised the eldest daughter of the Sheng family.

Sheng Wei was already interested, and after the matchmaker finished speaking, he didn't pretend and agreed immediately.

Next, they would discuss the wedding arrangements, at which point it would be inappropriate for Zhou An, one of the parties involved, to be present.

"Changsong, take your nephew Zhou out for a walk," Shengwei said.

"yes!"

Sheng Changsong stood beside Sheng Wei, and upon hearing this, stepped forward, bowed to Zhou Li and Lu Wang, and then looked at Zhou An, saying, "Brother Zhou, let me take you out for a walk."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Sheng!"

After Zhou An stood up and bowed to Sheng Wei and the others, he followed Sheng Changsong out of the main hall.

“Master Sheng, the Zhou and Sheng families are already related by marriage. As an outsider, I shouldn’t say anything, but Huaide has just passed the imperial examination and will be taking the provincial examination next year. I am also his teacher, so I have to say a few words,” Lu Wang said.

"Instructor Lu, please speak!" Sheng Wei said hurriedly.

"I am a classmate of the Prefect of Jiangning School, and we have kept in touch occasionally over the years. I would like to send Huai De to Jinling Academy for a year to prepare for the provincial examination next year."

Lu Wang asked, "Would it be alright to set the wedding date for Huai De and your daughter at the end of the year?"

"Of course we cannot hinder our nephew's pursuit of officialdom; Instructor Lu's words are excellent!"

Sheng Wei had no reason to refuse, although his mother's persuasion had lessened his obsession.

But his choice of Zhou An was also based on his confidence in Zhou An's future, and he didn't mind that the wedding would be delayed.

There's no disagreement on this point, so it's easier to discuss other aspects.

.........

Sheng Changsong led Zhou An out of the main hall, unsure of what to say for a moment.

He started doing business with his father a couple of years ago, and he's not an introverted or dull person.

He really didn't know how to deal with this person he was meeting for the first time, who was about to become his brother-in-law.

"Um...you must study very hard, my dear brother?"

"It's not hard work; studying should be considered a relatively easy thing," Zhou An smiled.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to study either.

Having lived two lives, having spent over a decade studying in the previous life, and now experiencing the journey from learning to speak to studying diligently for over ten years in this life, the feeling is something few can truly understand.

Unfortunately, he was an ordinary person in his previous life, and he wasn't reborn into a wealthy family in this life either.

Studying was his only way out.

Of course, he could also choose to go into business, make money, curry favor with the powerful and influential, and expand his business.

It's not necessarily true that one can't live a carefree life.

However, merchants have a low social status, and the powerful figures they associate with through money may not be reliable.

Therefore, the only option left is to study.

"Brother, you have great perseverance. I've also been to school, but unfortunately, I just can't stick with it," Sheng Changsong said with a self-deprecating smile, shaking his head.

Although the Sheng family is not a particularly prominent or wealthy family, they are still much better off than most people.

If he can concentrate on his studies, he can get into some prestigious academies.

In terms of conditions, they are much better off than Zhou Anke.

Unfortunately, he was simply not cut out for it.

Sheng Changsong led Zhou An along the covered walkway aimlessly, chatting idly and occasionally mentioning the Sheng family's situation.

As they were talking, a maidservant hurried over carrying a wooden box, bowed, and said, "Madam has a few words for me to convey to the young master!"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changsong spoke to Zhou An and walked towards the maid.

The maidservant leaned closer and whispered a few words, handed the wooden box to Sheng Changsong, and then bowed and withdrew.

"Brother, it won't be long before our two families are practically one family, so I won't beat around the bush," Sheng Changsong said.

"Brother Sheng, please speak." Zhou An was somewhat puzzled.

"Your house is a bit small. My sister had a lot of dowry when she got married, so I'm afraid there's not enough room for it."

Sheng Changsong handed the wooden box to Zhou An and said, "There is a house deed in Qinghe County inside. It was originally one of the dowry items my parents prepared for my younger sister."

"I'm giving this to you now for no other reason than to think that since you're studying in Qinghe County, many of your classmates are from there, and it would be more convenient for you to get married there."

"Uncle and Aunt are so thoughtful. Brother Sheng, please thank them on my behalf!" Zhou An smiled as he accepted the wooden box.

Seeing that Zhou An showed no displeasure, Sheng Changsong breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it was common for women to marry into wealthy families during the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was also normal for them to bring a dowry that exceeded the entire fortune of the groom's family when they married into a lower-class household.

But those were all part of the dowry after the marriage. Giving away a house before the marriage would easily be mistaken by a scholar like Zhou An as an insult.

However, Zhou An's house only had five rooms, including the kitchen and woodshed. When Shulan married into the family, there was nowhere to put her dowry.

Zhou An was unaware of what Sheng Changsong was thinking; otherwise, he might have been tempted to say that more of these benefits could be given.

In reality, the so-called trend of lavish dowries in the Great Zhou Dynasty can be seen as a transaction.

Before the imperial examination system became popular, it was common for people to marry extravagantly.

Because scions of ordinary aristocratic families needed to marry daughters of high-ranking families to gain political resources.

Therefore, the betrothal gifts when marrying a wife are extremely generous, while the woman's dowry is not particularly lavish.

However, after the imperial examination system became popular, ordinary people could also become officials through it.

Those wealthy families, whose own children couldn't pass the imperial examinations, could only ensure the prosperity of their families through marriage alliances.

To put it bluntly, it means the supply and demand relationship has been reversed.

A generous dowry is also a way to win someone over.

Secondly, there are concerns that the son-in-law may come from a humble background, be short-sighted, and become corrupt and take bribes after becoming an official, thus affecting his future.

The truly wealthy families of the Great Zhou Dynasty would not want their children to give others leverage over money, thus jeopardizing their future.

As long as one's career path is smooth and the higher one's position, the more hidden benefits one can gain, bringing substantial wealth to the family.

Take the Sheng family for example. Without Sheng Hong, the business of the eldest branch wouldn't be so stable.

That's why Sheng Wei would send money to Sheng Hong every year, firstly for household expenses, and secondly for bribing officials.

It is extremely foolish for officials to directly seek personal gain.

Since the essence is to be a kept man, what's there to be ashamed of?

Zhou An ate with complete righteous indignation!