Chapter 19: Betrothal

  The old camp of the bandits has been reduced to ashes. The entire old camp was in chaos, with one person escaping, two people dying in battle, and everyone else being taken captive.

  Di Zhe divided the fifty captives, and the others all belonged to E Ruo Zhuo. After this battle, E Ruo Zhuo had become one of the strongest horse thieves on the Duo Yan grassland.

  Just as Xiao Zhiyan once said, on the grasslands, the more people you can feed, the greater your power will be. Di Zhe does not yet have the ability to continuously expand his own power, and even if he could, Di Zhe would not choose these marauding horse thieves.

  Fan Shanzi was somewhat famous among the horse thieves in Duo Yan grassland, and Di Zhe insisted on killing him, just so that E Ruo Zhuo wouldn't get another powerful helper. There were still many horse thieves here, and ambushing the old camp was something that could only be done when they were off guard, occasionally. After the news spread, it's believed that others would become even more cautious.

  However, after this battle, there were two groups of horse thieves escorting them, plus the merchant team's guards, and they had just passed by intimidating the mountain and shocking the tiger. As long as they could avoid the Chahar people's garrison tribes, the road from Zhangjiakou to Shengjing should be safe.

  The battle in the mountains had just ended three days ago, and Di Zhe received a message from his brother summoning him to return. He had to disguise himself first and return to Xuan Town within the Great Wall, then follow the Di family's merchant caravan back to Zhangjiakou.

  The road from Xuan Town to Zhangjiakou has been well-maintained and the heavy snow hasn't caused too much trouble for the pack horse caravan.

  Di Tang made an exception and welcomed Di Zhe back at the entrance of the business hall.

  "Big brother!"

  "Father replied, agreeing to your marriage with Miss Fan. In seven days, on December 12th, I had someone calculate the auspicious day and it's a good day! Mr. Fan and my intention is to settle the marriage first! We'll get married next year."

  Two men walked towards another courtyard, Zhai Tang spoke of his own arrangements, he wasn't discussing with Zhai Zhe, matters of the Zhai family were actually all decided by him alone.

  Is the one to be married that girl? It has been more than three years since coming to Jizhong, except for the arranged encounter last time, Di Zhe really didn't notice Fan Yi at all. Maybe seen, maybe not seen, at least Di Zhe had no impression of her.

  No matter what Zhai Zhe thinks, the engagement is unavoidable. All the betrothal gifts and dowry have been prepared by Zhai Tang, only waiting for Zhai Zhe to show up.

  When Di Zhe appeared in front of Di Tang, he looked at his younger brother with discontent.

  "Don't learn those bandit habits on the grasslands, look at you now! Tie up your hair, don't dress like a vagrant, you're also the second young master of Wangshun Pavilion. When we get engaged, don't embarrass me in front of the Di family!"

  Di Zhe felt helpless. In this era, it was emphasized that the body and skin were given by one's parents and should not be damaged. He really wasn't used to having his hair styled in a bun on top of his head. If he had his way, he would have cut off all his long hair.

  Whether he liked it or not, he still had to follow the basic etiquette. Looking at himself in the copper mirror, seeing his dignified appearance, Di Zhe also felt that he was indeed much more spirited.

  Di Tang specially invited a master tailor from Beijing to make eight sets of red auspicious clothes for Di Zhe and Fan Yi.

  Time passed leisurely in the village, and soon it was clear that they wouldn't be able to return to the grasslands for a while. Di Zhe ordered someone to send a message to Xiao Zhongyan in the mountain stronghold.

  December 12th, the weather is very good, and the sunshine slowly melts the accumulated snow.

  At dawn, at the hour of Chen, a string of firecrackers was set off in front of the gate of Wangshun Pavilion. Twenty-four attendants dressed in new clothes carried twelve large boxes adorned with red flowers towards Dasheng Pavilion. Di Zhe was dressed neatly and followed behind Di Tang. Although the marriage had been arranged by the two families themselves, according to custom, they still invited Liang Wendao, the master of Funning Pavilion, as the matchmaker.

  Many people along the way watched the excitement, and the Zhai and Fan families were well-known in the village.

  Daxing Kuiwei Wangshun Ge is separated by three streets, and it takes more than a minute to walk over. As soon as the firecrackers sound on this side, the other side has already prepared the firecrackers early, waiting for the porter carrying the box at the corner to light them up immediately, the sound is deafening, and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder.

  "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

  Di Zhe was like a puppet on strings, following behind his brother. For the first time in this situation, everyone's eyes were focused on him, with some scrutinizing and others admiring, making him feel that no matter where he put his hands, it wasn't suitable, so he could only try to maintain a gentle smile.

  The engagement ceremony was simple, and after a few tables of wine were set up, the betrothal gifts were received. Zhai Tang and Fan Yongdou then discussed and decided on a date for their marriage, and this matter was considered settled.

  But the things hidden behind the engagement are not so easy to settle.

  The marriage between the Di and Fan families further solidified the alliance of the eight business houses. At this stage, the Di family is superior to the Fan family in both reputation and strength. As a pragmatic person, Di Tang chose to cooperate with Fan Yongdou, and he must have gotten corresponding returns.

  After the engagement, the merchant team should be ready to set off. The eight business households are still negotiating over the scale of the merchant team and the allocation of goods.

  On the wine table, glasses clinked together. Zhai Zhe gave a toast to each of the eight bosses who had arrived and then sat down quietly.

  Under the grand arch of Daxing Building, six tables of wine and dishes were set up, with people coming and going, bustling with excitement.

  On the attic of the shop, Fan Yi peeked down with two maidservants, Lü Ying and Yǒng Ying. Lü Ying and Yǒng Ying were twins, Yǒng Ying being the elder sister, steady and serious in her ways, while Lü Ying was the younger sister, lively and vivacious by nature. These two had been bought by Fan Yongdou since they were young to be companions for Fan Yi.

  "Brother-in-law is really handsome!" Green Ying clicked her tongue and smiled slyly at Fan Yi.

  Di Zhe didn't look particularly handsome, but after many years of martial arts training and several years of studying, he sat there with a full spirit and had a unique temperament.

  Fan Yi lightly bit her lip, blushing as she carefully examined Di Zhe and said: "I think he looks like a wooden stake!"

  Lu Ying smiled and said, "Can a wooden stake also satisfy Miss's heart?" Wen Ying pinched her sister on the side, reminding her to be mindful of her identity.

  Fan Yifang put down the door curtain and laughed scoldingly: "Who said he had a crush on me!"

  "With Grandpa's doting on Miss, Miss is dissatisfied. Who can make it a success as a maternal grandfather!" Green Ying raised her thin lips.

  "Dead girl!" Fan Yi laughed and gently tapped Qingying's head, the upstairs was filled with laughter and chatter, but Di Zhe downstairs couldn't hear it. His heart had long been absent from this gathering, flying to the grasslands instead.

  The luncheon did not last long, although fine wine was served, the eight masters only took a sip of the liquor.

  After the wine party, Ke Zhanggui took over miscellaneous tasks, scattered candy, gave red envelopes to the porters, and sent away the beggars gathered at the door.

  The eight big bosses again plunged into Fan Yongdou's inner house, arguing endlessly for the preparation of the business team.

  As the organizer of the first business team to go to Shengjing, Liaodong, Fan Yongdou made concessions this time. The Fan and Di families each accounted for 20% of the goods in the business team, while the other six families each had 10%. Di Zhe's performance on the grasslands became the most important bargaining chip for the Di family, and also got Fan Yongdou's recognition.

  Safety is the only problem on this business road. Fan Yongdou can rely on the Jurchen people to provide protection for the merchant team, but the suggestion given by Yelü Tuo, the Beile of the Jurchens, to Fan Yongdou was that if possible, Zhangjiakou's business should have its own force on the grassland.

  Yue Tuo was very interested in the horse thieves organized by Di Zhe, so Fan Yongdou would take the initiative to propose marrying his own sister to Di Zhe. Di Tang, of course, did not know about the Jurchen's plan.

  On the day of Di Zhe's engagement, the eight business households finally reached an agreement and confirmed the details of forming a merchant fleet.

  As the Spring Festival is approaching, another snowfall has made Zhangjiakou thoroughly quiet. Even Mongolians know that every year at this time, there are fewer people in the gathering towns, and many partners and guards return to their hometowns inside the Great Wall to celebrate the Spring Festival. After a busy year outside, some masters also return to the Ming Dynasty.

  Some shops have begun to lay off employees who are not needed for the coming year, after all, business has been slow this year and keeping one more person means spending an extra sum of money. Of course, this does not include the eight shops led by Fan Yongdou.

  Xuan Town, near Zhangjiakou, is secretly mobilizing, and eight business firms are gathering their strength there to collect goods. Almost all the goods that have been accumulated in Shanxi over the past year due to poor transportation conditions were purchased at low prices.

  Lu Fuyou has been operating in Zhangjiakou for many years, and he can't avoid the winds of change on the business scene.

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