Chapter 331: When did you two hook up?
It was already past noon when Liu Qing got up, but he still felt weak all over.

With the help of Shuyan and Huaiwei, she finally changed her clothes and washed up.

Walking out of the room, the warm sunlight has quietly filled the courtyard. I see Ou Zanghua sitting leisurely in the courtyard, reading a book intently.

Liu Qing had someone bring a chair over, sat down next to Ou Zanghua, rested her head on his shoulder, and asked softly, "What are you looking at, my husband?"

"I'm reading 'The Mirror of the Mind'!" Ou Zanghua smiled and hugged Liu Qing, saying gently.

"It sounds a lot like a martial arts secret manual!" Liu Qing snuggled in Ou Zanghua's arms like a cat.

"You guessed wrong," Ou Zanghua explained with a smile, "This is a book published in the 26th year of Hongwu. It is a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It collects famous sayings and aphorisms about moral cultivation by wise men and sages. It is a primer for encouraging learning and good deeds."

"The two characters 'Ming Xin' in the title are taken from the Buddhist meaning of 'enlighten the mind and see the nature', and 'Bao Jian' means 'precious mirror'. The book is intended to be used as a mirror to guide people to constantly reflect on and enrich their inner selves, so as to perform good deeds and achieve the highest good in life."

"Why is my husband reading this?" Liu Qing asked curiously. Her husband was a top scholar in the imperial examination, but he stopped reading elementary school textbooks many years ago.

Ou Zanghua said patiently: "Because this book has a great influence in the vassal states, I will study it."

"The Mirror of the Myeong-mind" went abroad through channels such as Ming envoys, overseas students, traveling monks, and merchants, and took root in countries such as the Korean Peninsula, Dongyue, and Vietnam.

In the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, Benavides brought the book back to Spain and presented it to Crown Prince Felipe III. It became the starting point of cultural exchanges between China and the West and an important specimen.

With its unique educational function and catchy writing style, this book quickly spread widely in Ming Dynasty society since its publication, became a fashion of the time, and was reprinted many times.

However, in the Qing Dynasty, for unknown reasons, the number of copies of this once popular book dropped sharply and gradually faded from people's sight.

So much so that people in later generations like Ou Zanghua did not even know about this book which had a profound impact on neighboring countries.

“So that’s how it is”

Liu Qing nodded, and then took the initiative to ask: "When will my husband take in Senior Sister Yue as his wife?"

Ou Zanghua looked a little strange, but since Liu Qing mentioned it, he said, "If Qingqing agrees, I will write a letter of engagement, bring gifts, and have Mr. Gao send it to Luoyang. After getting Uncle Yue's permission, I will pick an auspicious day and bring Sister Yue home."

There were two modes of taking a concubine in ancient times, and the formal version required three steps.

First, parents must agree.

Second, the wife’s permission must be obtained.

This brings us to the real Ming Dynasty God of War Qi Jiguang. Qi Lao Hu and his wife Wang had been married for many years without having children, so he secretly took a concubine. When his wife Wang found out, she rushed over with a knife.

Fortunately, Old Qi was very skilled and escaped ahead of time, leaving the concubine to be scolded by Wang.

The third is to perform the ceremony, which is to hold the wedding.

First, send a portion of money and property to the concubine's family, which is the "funds for taking a concubine."

Afterwards, the concubine would ride in a blue sedan chair and quietly enter her husband's house through the side door or corner door to show her difference in status.

At the wedding, concubines do not need to worship heaven and earth or their parents, but they need to kowtow to the wife and offer her fragrant tea to show their respect and obedience to the wife's status.

This is the formal way, and it is also the way most etiquette families do it. The informal way is to bring brothers to rob directly, so there is no need to walk three steps, it is simple, clear, and efficient, but it is easy to be taken away by the government.
"Okay, I'll go prepare it!" Liu Qing nodded and took the initiative to take over the job.

After hearing this, Ou Zanghua said gratefully, "Thank you, Qingqing. It's been a great help."

"Just don't torment me like you did last night." Liu Qing rolled her eyes, leaned in Ou Zanghua's arms, and planned to take a nap.

After Liu Qing fell asleep, Ou Zanghua carried her back to the bed in the bedroom, then sat at the desk and thought for a while before picking up a pen and writing over and over again:
I am here today to visit your house. I admire your reputation, your gentleness, your talent, and your beauty. I am offering you a small gift to marry Miss Lingshan. Although I do not have much money, I sincerely hope that you will take a liking to me and not turn away because of the small amount of money. I wish to marry you, have a deep and lasting love, and celebrate your reunion together.

I sincerely hope that my father-in-law will help me accomplish this wonderful thing. I will be very grateful!

After writing the main text, Ou Zanghua solemnly signed his name at the end, then carefully selected a piece of red paper and carefully sealed the letter.

He called Mu Gaoweng and told him the whole story.

The reason why Mu Gaoweng was chosen to go to Luoyang was out of respect for Liu Qing.

In Ou Zanghua's heart, no matter how deep his friendship with Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi is, they are always "family members" with close ties to Liu Qing and are members of the Hengshan School.

If they were sent to handle the matter of taking a concubine, it would seem disrespectful to Liu Qing.

By sending Mu Gaoweng, an "outsider", possible misunderstandings and unpleasantness could be avoided.

After listening to Ou Zanghua's explanation, Mu Gaoong's face flashed with confusion, and then he tried hard to piece together the unsolved fragments in his mind.

Isn’t this relationship a bit dramatic?
He thought to himself that he had not noticed any interaction between his son and Miss Yue on weekdays!

This sudden feeling caught him off guard, and he even tried hard to recall whether he had ever offended Miss Yue.
"Mr. Gao, did you understand everything?" Ou Zanghua noticed that Mr. Mu Gao was in a daze and asked.

Mu Gaoweng suddenly came to his senses and quickly replied, "Yes, I understand everything. Please rest assured, I will do my best."

Hearing this, Ou Zanghua raised a gentle smile and nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, then I'll have to trouble Mr. Gao. Madam will prepare some gifts in the near future, and then I will take these gifts to Luoyang."

"Yes!" Mu Gaoweng replied, then slowly left the room, secretly thinking about his upcoming trip to Luoyang.

Ou Zanghua turned and walked into the bedroom, his eyes gently falling on the sleeping Liu Qing. She was sleeping soundly, so he gently kissed her forehead before leaving the backyard.

He walked all the way to the outer courtyard where Yue Lingshan lived.

At this time, Yue Lingshan had not left yet. She was sitting quietly in a corner of the room, her hands gently supporting her chin, her pair of clear eyes like spring water looking outside blankly.

When Ou Zanghua's figure appeared in her sight, Yue Lingshan's eyes lit up instantly. The girl couldn't wait to run out of the room, and every step seemed to be stepping on a happy note.

When she ran in front of Ou Zanghua, Yue Lingshan stopped and looked up at her beloved who had been haunting her dreams. Her eyes were full of attachment. She pursed her lips shyly, as if she wanted to say something but stopped.

Seeing this, Ou Zanghua smiled gently and said softly, "Qingqing has already agreed. I have written a letter of engagement and asked Mr. Gao to bring gifts to Luoyang. As long as Uncle Yue agrees, I will welcome Sister Yue into my family."

Upon hearing this, Yue Lingshan's cheeks flushed quietly. She moved closer and asked in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "Brother Ou, can I hug you?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Ou Zanghua's face, and then he opened his arms.

Seeing this, Yue Lingshan happily threw herself into Ou Zanghua's arms. She took a deep breath in front of his solid chest. The faint scent of ink was like a spring breeze, gentle and intoxicating.
(End of this chapter)