Cheng Yaojin originally wanted to marry his daughter off in a grand ceremony, but because of the Northwest War, Li Xiang had already announced to the world that everything should be kept simple. If Cheng Yaojin was unwilling, wouldn't he be standing against the people of the world?
When Li Xiang mentioned this, Li Shimin did not think much about it. He just thought that Li Xiang was concerned about the war in the northwest, so he readily agreed. In Li Shimin's view, his grandson's marriage and territorial expansion were two completely different things. Territorial expansion was the most important thing. Not to mention delaying Li Xiang's marriage, even if Li Shimin got married, it could be delayed. This was the true thought of a pragmatic emperor.
But soon Li Shimin found something wrong, because the people all over the world were praising Li Xiang. They regarded Li Xiang as an idol in their hearts. For the sake of national affairs, he could even handle his own marriage simply. Is there such a person in the world?
Many common people thought of the affairs of some noble families. Even if there was a flood nearby, these noble families still lived a good life and did not care about the lives of common people at all. In contrast, Li Xiang immediately jumped out. This was truly unique in the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin felt that this matter was suspicious, so he asked his men to investigate. As a result, they turned the entire Chang'an City upside down, but they could not find any trace of conspiracy. Those who praised Li Xiang were all sincere and were not organized by Li Xiang himself.
It was from this time that Li Shimin realized that he might have taken the wrong path. Not all people were full of conspiracy. Some people really wanted to do something for the Tang Dynasty, such as his eldest grandson Li Xiang.
However, time was of the essence and Li Shimin had no time to think about these things. Although everything was kept simple, it was the marriage of the grandson of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty after all, so all the necessary procedures had to be followed. He just didn't care about the so-called days. What originally took three days was now completed in one day.
The Eastern Palace and Cheng Yaojin's home were two places for banquets. Royal relatives went to the Eastern Palace to drink, and court ministers went to Cheng Yaojin's home to drink. This was also a past practice. If it were not like this, it would bring difficulties to the people in the court in choosing.
If they went to the East Palace to drink, they would be offending Cheng Yaojin, but if they went to Cheng Yaojin's place to drink, they would be offending Li Chengqian. Fortunately, there were examples in the past and nothing went wrong.
To take a step back, if all the dignitaries in Chang'an City went to one place to drink, neither the Eastern Palace nor Cheng Yaojin's home would be able to accommodate so many people. Even so, many banquets were set up in the yard.
Of course, those drinking in the courtyard had no complaints. Being able to have a seat here was already quite a good thing. Do you think this is an ordinary wedding banquet? This is the wedding banquet of the Tang Dynasty's grandson. If you can have a drink here, you can brag about it for a long time after returning home.
Of course, Li Xiang did not forget the brothers in the army who fought with him. On the day of Li Xiang's marriage, everyone who had followed Li Xiang to the front line received a small red envelope. Although the money was not much, it meant that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not forgotten them.
In addition, the families of the soldiers who died in the battle received generous gifts on this day. This was considered to be what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince owed them. According to Li Xiang, they left Chang'an City with me full of hope that year, and now they have not returned from the front line. Although this matter cannot be blamed on Li Xiang, Li Xiang still feels guilty towards these brothers.
If it were in the 21st century, Li Xiang's actions would actually be very normal. If he didn't do this, some trolls on the Internet might have criticized him to death. But now is the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago, and no one has ever done this before. If you died on the battlefield, it can only be said that you were unlucky. The court did not fail to give you a pension. After receiving this pension, all the affairs of your family in the future will have nothing to do with the court and the generals who led you.
But Li Xiang did not do so. He had always been very responsible in writing down the names of all the soldiers who died in battle, including those who were disabled and unable to make a living. Li Xiang made a lot of money by using the treasure, and a large part of this money was used to subsidize them.
Many people think Li Xiang is a fool. What's the point of trying to win over these people? They are just orphans and widows at home. When something really happens, these people won't be able to help you.
But now those who laughed at Li Xiang shut their mouths. Although Li Xiang bribed these orphans and widows, he did it for the people in the army to see. After they knew about this, they fought even harder for Li Xiang in the war, because they knew in their hearts that if they died for their country one day, Li Xiang would never treat his family badly.
Sixteen sedan chairs set off from Cheng Yaojin's house and passed through the most prosperous streets in the capital. Li Xiang rode a tall horse in front, and the children of every household in the capital surrounded them. Although the various ceremonies were relatively simple, if these people appeared, they would definitely be the top ones in Chang'an City. Almost all the prominent young people from every household were there.
Li Shimin was also very happy. He brought his concubines to the East Palace early. Li Chengqian had already decorated the place and purchased all kinds of things. He was just waiting for that day. Who knew that the day was moved forward? At most, he would just borrow some servants from other palaces. They, the pillars, did not need to be busy. All the things were done by the people below.
Li Shimin asked Li Chengqian to greet other people. Now we are all family. According to the common people, Li Shimin cannot sit in the house. He has to greet other people at the door. After all, he is the groom's grandfather. However, Li Shimin is the emperor now, so he naturally does not need to do this. He just needs to wait for the guests to kowtow to him.
After Cheng Yaojin sent his daughter away, he did feel a little disappointed. Marrying a daughter and marrying a wife are two completely different things. However, soon all the sons of nobles in Chang'an City came to drink. Cheng Yaojin's disappointment did not last even a stick of incense before he was dragged away by his old brothers to join in a drinking contest.