Weddings among the powerful and noble were procedurally complex, requiring the six rites of proposal, name inquiry, divination, gift presentation, date selection, and the bridal procession.
For common folk, however, the required etiquette was not much different, though the process was simplified into three stages: the marriage proposal, the betrothal, and the wedding ceremony.
The marriage proposal was made by a matchmaker, while the betrothal required divination to match birth-dates and the exchange of marriage certificates.
Regarding the marriage between Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing, the late-night visit from the four Zhao elders had actually served as the proposal.
However, the primary motive at the time had been to simply gauge their feelings. Furthermore, to prevent outsiders from comparing the circumstances of Wanyue's proposal to Wanqing's, and to demonstrate how highly they valued Chen Wanqing, that visit was not considered the official proposal.
