The Great Wei Music Bureau

No. 377 The Qu Family's Dowry

Last time, we talked about Li Yi accompanying Qu Xia back to her parents' home, but he was forced to drink a lot of wine and didn't even attend the tea ceremony the next day. Qu Zhi and his wife quarreled over their daughter's dowry. So how will the story develop next? Let's read on.

Just as the old couple were arguing, Li Yi walked in. Qu Zhi immediately shut up, while Mrs. Qu stood up and greeted him, "Hey, son-in-law is awake, didn't you get drunk by those guys last night?

Really, I said they were not good people, look how they got my brother-in-law drunk! I heard from the maid that four people couldn't lift you. Oh, it's really outrageous, too outrageous! I'll go and settle the score with them for you later!"

Li Yi bowed and said, "Mother, you are too kind. I am the one who cannot handle the alcohol. I don't blame them. I just heard Mother and Father talking about dowry..."

Mrs. Qu interrupted, "Oh, yes! They were talking about the dowry. Her father was too stingy. He said that he gave all his daughter to you and didn't want to give you too much dowry. I was not happy at the time! Look at you, my son-in-law, you are so promising, how can the dowry be less! Isn't this arranged for you by your mother?"

Qu Zhi and Qu Xia, father and daughter, looked at each other, shook their heads and sighed.

Li Yi waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, I don't think the dowry is necessary. My wife and I are living a good and comfortable life now."

Mrs. Qu said sternly, "What's good about that? How can you live in that small courtyard? Okay, I'll make the decision. Xia'er's dowry will be a big house for you. When you have a large family in the future, you will have enough space to live in! In addition, I will take care of the servants, food, clothing and other expenses for you.

Xia'er has been spoiled by me, and this is her father's fault! He only wants his daughter to run around for the trivial matters of the clan all day long, and she has never learned how to manage the household. While I am still energetic, I will help you manage this family. You just need to live a good life and give me a grandson as soon as possible, and then I will thank you very much! "

Qu Xia quickly interrupted, "Mom! What are you talking about! How can I be the mistress of this family? I am the one who takes care of all the affairs in this family. If this gets out, people will laugh at me! I don't agree!"

Mrs. Qu said unhappily, "You are so extravagant. You don't know that this money is hard-earned. I saved up all the money bit by bit, but you squandered it all. Do you know how much the Qu family's hundreds of people spend on food and clothing every day? You know nothing, but you still want to be the head of the family. You really don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is!"

Qu Xia said unhappily, "Mother, my daughter can learn. She is so smart that she will definitely learn it right away. Don't worry, mother. If you are really worried, mother can send a few capable maids to help her."

Mrs. Qu nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Rong Niang, please think about it..." As she spoke, Mrs. Qu began to consider the candidates.

Qu Zhi said to Li Yi, "I heard that you asked Jingxuan to join your sect? Your second uncle's son Qu Yuan is a good candidate, you should accept him as well." Then he said to the servants, "Go and call Qu Yuan!"

When Qu Xia heard this, she asked, "Dad, why did you ask my cousin to come?"

Qu Zhi said: "Since the Jing family has already made a move, we naturally cannot fall behind! In your generation, the only one who is of the right age and has potential is Yuan'er. Give him a chance and see if he can seize it."

Qu Xia said unhappily: "Why choose Qu Yuan? There is no one in our family!"

Li Yi was confused and asked, "What's the situation with Qu Yuan?"

Qu Xia explained: "He is a playboy with no moral integrity, a dandy who hangs out in Rouge Lane all day long!"

There is no need to explain Yanzhi Lane, it is the red-light district, commonly known as the brothel street.

It must be emphasized here that brothels and prostitutes are absolutely not the same thing. Brothels are much more upscale, and are places where people with status, position, talent or wealth can go. Ordinary people simply cannot go there. This is the difference between high-end clubs and small street lights!

Li Yi couldn't help but frown when he heard this and said, "Father, how come our Qu family has such a descendant?"

Qu Zhi waved his hand and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. That happened a long time ago. After your second uncle disciplined him, he stopped going there and turned over a new leaf! Apart from anything else, Qu Yuan is a talented kid!"

Li Yi looked at Qu Xia and asked, "What do you think of her talent, madam?"

Qu Xia sighed and said, "I don't think he can compare to Jing Xuan, but he is also one of the best among the younger generations of the Qu family. It's just that his moral character is not that good!"

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's meet him first. If he has really reformed, we might as well give it a try."

Not long after, a handsome young man wearing a light pink Confucian robe and holding a folding fan came in. He first bowed to the elders, then bowed to Li Yi and Qu Xia and said, "My younger brother Qu Yuan greets my sister and brother-in-law."

Li Yi asked, "Why did I see Brother Yuan last night?"

"Oh, I happened to be discussing poetry with a few friends until late last night, so I was unable to toast my brother-in-law. I apologize."

This was the first time Li Yi saw a paper folding fan. Because folding fans had just appeared, they were not popular, and the workmanship and shape were also rough.

But Li Yi knew that this folding fan would be very popular in the future, so he asked: "What is this thing in your hand? Can you show it to me?"

Qu Yuan presented the folding fan with both hands and said, "This is called Yaosa, I designed it myself, show..."

Without waiting for Qu Yuan to finish speaking, Li Yi swung the folding fan open. Maybe he used too much force, or maybe the folding fan made by Qu Yuan was not strong enough. In any case, the shaft of the fan broke when he swung it, and the fan bones fell to the ground.

It was really a bit unreasonable to be so awkward when meeting for the first time. To ease the atmosphere, Li Yi said, "Brother Yuan, I think your name is not good. Look, it's spilling all over the floor when you open it, right? Change the name and improve the craftsmanship. This thing will definitely be popular!"

Qu Yuan was so angry that his teeth itched. He had spent a lot of effort to research this fan, and it was very expensive! The fan bones were made of ox horns, and the fan surface was also made of the best tough paper! Such a good fan was ruined by the brother-in-law who met it for the first time!

Li Yi could naturally see Qu Yuan's displeasure, so he shook his head and said with a smile: "Let me help you come up with a new name, let's call it Folding Fan!"

As he spoke, Li Yi condensed his Qi and transformed it into a folding fan in his hand, then shook his wrist in a chic manner. With a crisp snap, the fan opened, and the four characters "玉树临风" were written on the front. Li Yi flipped it over and showed the four characters "正气" (righteousness) on the back!

This is not the end. Li Yi placed the folding fan in front of his chest and recited aloud:

"On the top of Feilai Peak, there is a Qianxun Tower, where one can watch the misty waves and wait for the sun to rise.

I am not afraid of the clouds blocking my view, because I am at the highest level. "

After reciting the poem, his talent gathered like clouds and mist, allowing him to show off again.

With a thud, Qu Yuan knelt down in front of Li Yi and said loudly: "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! I want to be your disciple. Please, please, brother-in-law, teach me. Please teach me all your skills! I am willing to work like a slave for you and do anything for you!"

This scene almost made everyone present drop their jaws. No one understood what was going on, except Li Yi. He knew that Qu Yuan must not have gone to discuss poetry last night, but to drink wine!

That's why he had to pretend like this, and the last sentence "It's only because I'm at the top" was meant to expose Qu Yuan. When it comes to the means and ability to pick up girls, if I say I'm second to none, no one dares to say they're number one!

Don't pretend to be a talented scholar and a beautiful woman in front of me, you are just my younger brother! What's the saying? Birds of a feather flock together. Li Yi and Qu Yuan only saw each other and instantly realized that they were like-minded!

It's like heroes cherishing each other. Why can Li Yi play with Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi? It's the same reason! They are all the same kind of people!

Li Yi reached out to help Qu Yuan up, but the boy refused and said, "Brother-in-law, I won't get up unless you agree to my request!"

Li Yi looked at Qu Xia for help. The latter stepped forward and grabbed Qu Yuan's ears and lifted him up, not forgetting to teach him a lesson: "You have grown up, kid. You dare to act like a rogue in front of me!"

Qu Yuan begged for mercy: "I was wrong, I was wrong, Sister Xia, please let me go!"

Qu Xia let go of her hand and said to Li Yi: "Do you think it's like what I said, his moral character is not very good!"

Li Yi smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Everyone has a time when they are young and frivolous. When I was his age..." Li Yi suddenly felt a strong murderous intent in his heart. He glanced at it and saw that there were two murderous intents! One came from Qu Xia, and the other came from Xia's mother, that is, Madam Qu!

His strong desire to survive made him change his tone instantly. He pointed at Qu Yuan and said, "When I was your age, I was already a fifth-rank Confucianist. How about you?"

Qu Yuan said reluctantly: "I am only one rank lower than my brother-in-law was back then. I am now a sixth rank official, and I am already a role model for our generation.

In Baidi City, no, in the entire Chu State, only Jingxuan is a little stronger than me! Brother-in-law, you can't compare me with yourself! You have to compare with Li Yi of the Northern Wei Dynasty! What's the point of comparing with us!"

At this time Qu Zhi and his wife walked into the room. This wealthy family was very polite, so when they saw their second uncle and aunt coming, Li Yi and Qu Xia immediately had to pay their respects.

Qu Zhi also had to greet him: "Why is Second Brother here?"

Qu Zhi smiled and said, "I heard from the servants that you called Yuan'er over. I was afraid that this kid would get into trouble, so I came to take a look. As a result, I saw the talented cloud floating into the house in the courtyard. I guess Wei Le has written a new work. What is it? Read it out so that uncle can also read it."

Li Yi scratched his head and laughed, "It's not a good poem, how dare I show off in front of my uncle."

Seeing that his father had support, Qu Yuan snatched the folding fan from Li Yi, turned around and shook his wrist like Li Yi, then recited Li Yi's revised version of "Climbing Feilai Peak".

After listening to it, Qu Zhi muttered: "I am not afraid of the clouds blocking my view, because I am at the highest level. What a good poem! You are really different now that you have become a doctor and entered the Tianshu Academy. Even your writing style is not inferior to that of Li Yi. I am afraid that in the future, there will be a dispute between Li in the north and Wei in the south in the literary world!"

Li Yi said modestly: "When it comes to poetry, Second Uncle is the master. I once read your poem "White Emperor Treading Snow" and it was really wonderful. The line 'Even if there are thousands of feet of white, spring comes and a hundred flowers bloom. Today I step on the snow, and tomorrow I will ride the wind.' I like it the most. Whenever I am in adversity, I think of this line and my heart is suddenly enlightened!"

This kind of flattery is extremely useful to scholars, but before Qu Zhi had time to enjoy the flattery from Li Yi, he heard Qu Yuan shaking his head and saying, "Compared with Li Yuefu's line, 'I was born with talent that will be useful, and even if I spend all my money, I will get it back.' It's not even a little bit worse. What's so good about it!"

Qu Zhi looked a little embarrassed, glared at his son, then turned to Qu Zhi and asked, "What do you want to do by calling Yuan'er here, Third Brother?"

Qu Zhi said seriously: "The Jing family wants Jing Xuan to join Wei Le's Confucianism and Taoism to learn his magic. I don't think we should try our best, so let Yuan Er learn from him. I don't know..."

Qu Yuan immediately walked to his father and said, "Dad, I am willing to join my brother-in-law's sect and take him as my master! I want to learn all of his skills!"

Qu Zhi looked at his son who was usually not in tune with the world, then looked at the sun and asked in confusion: "The sun didn't rise from the west today, why did you suddenly become so eager to learn and make progress? Don't you always boast that you are noble and that no one can teach you?"

Qu Yuan chuckled and said, "It's because my son has never seen the world. When I met my brother-in-law this time, I admired him from the bottom of my heart. I can say that I was in awe of him.

I was drunk before and missed my brother-in-law's moon worship ceremony, and never got to see the true face of the fairy Chang'e. After seeing my brother-in-law today, I finally understood why he could attract the fairy Guanghan!