Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 482: Whoever wants to marry can marry!
After the Mid-Autumn Festival and his birthday, Zhang Shou was busy recruiting new members for Jiuzhang Hall, busy covering for the students who checked the accounts of Guanglu Temple, busy giving advice to Lu Sanlang who was busy organizing the imperial chef selection competition, and busy selecting suitable students from the already stretched first batch of Jiuzhang Hall to go to Xuanda to replace those who had been there for two months...
In short, although he and Zhu Ying met quite often, their time together inevitably decreased.
Zhu Ying told Liu Qing that Zhang Shou would never ignore her, but she couldn't help feeling a little lonely. It wasn't just because Zhang Shou was too busy, but because she was too idle. In the past, she often called friends and invited Zhang Chen and his group of crazy playboys to play with her, but now most of her former playmates have settled down and she doesn't have many close friends.
Therefore, although Miss Zhu went to judge the preliminary round of the Imperial Chef Selection Competition several times, she couldn't help feeling a little bored when Princess Yongping seemed to be still angry about Mr. Song's incident and refused to show up again, and Zhang Shou was too busy to come.
That evening, when another invitation was delivered to her as usual, Zhu Ying couldn't help but say angrily, "What's so great about the semi-finals? No one else is going, and I'm the only one going. What's the point! Ah Shou isn't going, Grandpa Ge and the others aren't going, and that girl Yongping isn't going either. Am I going to sit on the third floor like a piece of wood by myself?"
Even if Lu Sanlang really invited one or two of those officials of the older generation, they would not be able to get along with her at all. It was impossible for her to invite General Lu Sanlang to accompany her. Once the initial novelty wore off, even the best food would become tasteless.
Seeing Zhu Ying getting angry, Zhan Jin couldn't help but feel in a dilemma as she was holding the invitation. However, Liu Yin, who was standing next to her, was always lively. She simply snatched the invitation from Zhan Jin's hand. Seeing that the cover indeed said "Imperial Chef Selection Semi-finals", she simply opened it boldly. But after just one look, she smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed.
She rushed behind Zhu Ying and smiled sweetly: "Miss, are you really not going? This time it's not Lu Sanlang who posted the message?"
"Oh? Who ordered that?" Zhu Ying asked unhappily, "It couldn't be that the emperor ordered me to show my support, right?"
"He's not the emperor, but to you, his status is almost the same." Liu Yin smiled and pressed Zhu Ying's shoulders twice, then put the invitation in front of Zhu Ying, "It's my son-in-law, and he also said that he wants to take advantage of the rematch of the Imperial Chef Selection Competition to make a lot of money, so he needs your help."
When she heard that it was Zhang Shou who invited her, Zhu Ying, who had been feeling uninterested just now, immediately became interested. She snatched the invitation from Liu Yin, then stood up suddenly, glared at him angrily, and then pointed at Zhan Jin and said, "You are not as smart as Liu Yin. You took away all the good opportunities to show your courtesy to that little girl!"
Zhan Jin then smiled and said, "I'm not like her. She just looks at the things she specifically sent to the young lady without any rules at all!"
Liu Yin didn't care about that. She scratched her face lightly with her fingers and said proudly, "There are many things sent to the young lady every day. Aren't most of them handled by us? In the past, Lu Sanlang didn't have the privilege of having things sent directly to the young lady. Now, thanks to the son-in-law, he can get special treatment. So, let's see what new tricks he has. How can this be called unruly?"
"Okay, okay, you have your rules. Zhan Jin, take this well-behaved girl away and deal with her as you please!"
Zhu Ying casually sent the two girls away who were laughing and playing all the way. Then she read the invitation over and over again three or four times in one breath. She thought she had fully understood Zhang Shou's meaning, and then she showed a satisfied smile.
Although she was not opposed to the kind of tasks that gossipy women did, after all, it was to help Zhang Shou, and she was free anyway, but it certainly was not as important as the serious work that Zhang Shou entrusted to her this time. After being idle for too long, people would inevitably want to be busy. Well, this is a common problem for everyone, and she is no exception!
Of course, the invitation sent by Zhang Shou was definitely not seen by only the audacious Liu Yin. In fact, any gift given to Zhu Ying had to be reported to the Lady Dowager, Jiu Niang and Duke Zhu Jing of Zhao in every detail - of course, if Zhu Tingfang was present, the eldest son would also have to be included.
Although only Zhu Er returned to Beijing, he had made some achievements in his training in Cangzhou and would return soon, so he was honored to be kept in Qing'an Hall by his grandmother and parents to discuss matters. This was the first time in his life, but when he was about to express his opinion on Zhang Shou's invitation to Zhu Ying, he was dumbfounded.
Because the grandmother who spoke first had nothing to do with the invitation in her first words: "This morning I took Yingying to Qingning Palace to see the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother 'accidentally' mentioned the marriage of the eldest and second princes. Because someone took the lead in writing a petition, the deposed Queen became the Respected Consort, and she can't take care of this matter. The Emperor, as a father, can't pretend to be deaf and dumb. So this matter will probably be soon."
What does this have to do with my family? Zhu Er managed to hold back the urge to complain. However, the next moment, he only heard his stepmother say two extremely fierce words: "Whoever worries about the two brothers should just marry his own daughter to them! Whoever wants to jump into that fire pit can jump, why do you want to harm others?"
"Nine Lady!"
Zhu Jing couldn't help but stop Jiu Niang, and then he saw Zhu Er's subtle expression, so he glanced at him majestically, and immediately lowered his head when he saw him. He thought that he would never dare to say anything. He said lightly: "The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh. Even if the emperor is really disappointed with the eldest and second princes, he doesn't want them to be lonely for the rest of their lives, or marry a wife who is too unworthy."
The lady nodded in agreement. Seeing that Jiu Niang still didn't agree, she said calmly, "Jiu Niang, just think about Er Lang and you will understand. Even if Er Lang was a jerk at the beginning, if no one liked him and even planned to find a random woman to be his wife and just fooled him, could you tolerate it?"
How can this be related to me? Zhu Er felt extremely wronged. But then he saw his stepmother speak for him.
Jiu Niang's face was full of contempt at this time: "How can those two bastards compare with Erlang? Erlang has never bullied men or women, and he has never done anything wrong. At most, he is just ignorant, and he has never broken the law. We didn't force any daughter to marry him. If a family used the excuse of refusing marriage to flatter themselves, Erlang's father would immediately angrily say that he never liked his daughter. Wouldn't he lose face?"
"What's more, Erlang has now turned over a new leaf and is working hard to become stronger. At least now I can go out and proudly say that I am very satisfied and contented to have such a son. Does the emperor dare to say that he is satisfied and contented with the two brothers?"
If it were any other mother-in-law, she would have been furious if her daughter-in-law contradicted her like this, but the old lady knew Jiu Niang's stubborn temper. What's more, she was protecting her own grandson, so of course she just laughed it off.
Especially when she saw Zhu Er's extremely touched expression, she smiled and said, "Erlang, did you hear me? Don't let your mother down. You must be a filial son that she can praise you for when you go out. The emperor has personally asked for a matchmaker for you, and your father and I have already sent people to Xuanda and Wang Zongxian to mention it."
Although Zhu Er had heard Zhu Ying say that he was getting married, Zhu Ying had never revealed the specific person. At this moment, he finally heard a piece of news that was so accurate that it couldn't be more accurate, and he was immediately dumbfounded.
The emperor acted as matchmaker? And it was related to Wang Datou? He wouldn't let him marry Wang Datou's daughter, would he? Oh my God, if anyone was half as stubborn and tough as Wang Datou, he would be doomed!
Before the terrified Zhu Er could jump up, the lady said with a smile: "She is the daughter of Wang Datou's widowed sister-in-law. It is said that she is virtuous and capable. She will definitely be a good wife and mother ."
After hearing the words "virtuous wife and good mother", Zhu Er calmed down a little and thought that his niece would not be as horrible as his father. Besides, should he trust the emperor's judgment?
So, he finally forced out an unnatural smile, but didn't dare to mention his marriage at all: "In fact, the emperor must be suffering a lot, after all, no matter how bad he is, he is still his son. The emperor also wants a son as promising as my elder brother, but it's a pity that his wish can't come true. Although the third and fourth princes have good qualifications, they may not be as good as my elder brother in the future."
"That's right. No matter how bad he is, he is still my son." Zhu Jing nodded, and then said with a sigh, "As for a son like your eldest brother, it is hard to find one. But because he is so outstanding, sometimes people's gossip is scary, so I have to put him in the most dangerous and most controversial position. So, a genius is not necessarily happier than a mediocre person, because he has to bear too much."
Zhu Er was finally speechless. However, Zhu Jing obviously had no intention of comparing his son with the prince, and said directly: "The selection of concubines will be restarted, and the will probably be re-listed..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a very restrained knock on the door, followed by Madam Li's voice: "Madam, Master and Madam, someone from the Ministry of Civil Affairs just sent an urgent message."
In a place like the Tongzhengsi where information is passed from top to bottom, most dignitaries would send people to inquire, so the public memorials would be passed on to other families soon after they were sent in. As for the confidential ones, although there were some powerful people who could find out the clues, most families would be relatively cautious and not inquire, especially the Zhu family of Zhaoguogong.
Therefore, the first reaction of the three people in charge at home was who had written something extraordinary on a public memorial. Zhu Er, who usually didn't even have the right to listen to the lecture, was so anxious that he jumped up to open the door, greeted Mother Li with a drooling face, and then invited the person in.
Although Madam Li was somewhat amused by the Second Young Master's excessive attentiveness, she hurried inside as the matter was of great importance. Once inside, she knelt before the head lady and Zhu Jing and Jiu Niang, who were sitting on her left and right.
"The news just arrived is that the headmaster of Yuzhang Academy, Hong Shan, who was summoned to the capital, was the one who wrote a letter two days ago suggesting that the first and second princes should start a family and establish a career as soon as possible... He requested to marry his eldest daughter to the first prince."
At this moment, Zhu Er, who was closing the door at the back, was completely dumbfounded.
Not to mention Zhu Er, the three experienced Zhu family masters sitting there were all stunned. Jiu Niang reacted the fastest, her eyebrows raised and she cursed: "Is he crazy? How can he be a father like this in the world!"
The lady shook her head after being shocked and said, "Since he dared to bring it up, he must be very confident in his daughter's temperament and appearance. He would never make such a joke about a daughter with defects. I don't know what kind of girl she is. Does she know that she was pushed out by her father like this?"
Zhu Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly felt very complicated. If it were him in the past, if someone was willing to marry their excellent daughter to a bastard like Zhu Er, he might have felt a little happy after being surprised. But that was because Zhu Er had not really done anything to harm the world or ruin the family's reputation.
The emperor was already extremely disappointed with the eldest prince. How would he feel when he heard the news at this moment?
How was the emperor feeling? He had learned the news earlier than the Zhu family of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion, and his mood was like a hot oil pan being suddenly poured with a bucket of cold water, almost bursting. The marriage of the eldest and second princes was more controlled by the former deposed empress, now the Concubine Jing, while he was intent on choosing two good daughters-in-law for his two younger sons, preferably to be able to raise them in front of him.
He was very confident that he could raise two child brides that suited his taste. As for the eldest and second daughters-in-law, it was fine as long as they were satisfied.
But now, although he decided to arrange the marriage of his eldest and second sons again, he was still troubled about how to choose a concubine for the eldest prince who was still imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple. What to do after the marriage? But now, someone actually pushed his daughter in front of him!
He was too lazy to even go to Qingning Palace. Not wanting to hear the empress dowager mention this to him, the emperor wandered around in Qianqing Palace for a long time like a trapped beast. Finally, he suddenly said in a deep voice: "Prepare the horse for me. I want to go out of the palace to relax!"
Before the frightened palace servants could kneel down to persuade him, or before they could call Liu Feng, the steward , the emperor had already left. When Liu Feng hurried out, all he saw was... the backs of the emperor and several of his attendants disappearing into the night sky.
That’s right, the emperor who was so skilled and courageous... didn’t take the right path, didn’t open the palace gate, but directly climbed over the wall!
When the news reached Chu Kuan, he learned that the emperor had already left the palace. Realizing the seriousness of the matter, he immediately went to Qingning Palace to ask for an audience with the empress dowager, only to find that the emperor's mother was actually in a leisurely mood, reclining on the couch and reading a book.
Seeing Chu Kuan sincerely apologize, the Queen Mother laughed and said, "Xiao Chu, do you dare to make a bet with me about the emperor's whereabouts?"
Before Chu Kuan could speak, the Queen Mother pointed a finger and said, "He must have gone to the abandoned temple that was burned to ashes during the Ye King Rebellion. Let him go. If he can stop him, he is not the emperor anymore!"
