Chapter 23

Within a day, the imperial decree of marriage was delivered to the Xie family and the post station. As a result, the whole court knew that the youngest daughter of the Grand Secretary was about to be married off to the desolate and backward southern land. They openly offered their congratulations, but secretly sneered and mocked.

After court, Xie Wen accepted the congratulations from his colleagues without changing his expression. A few close colleagues couldn't help but feel sorry for him: "Is your youngest daughter really going to marry him like that? His Majesty's move... is inappropriate, inappropriate!"

Xie Wen sighed deeply and said, "My youngest daughter has read all the history books since she was a child. She admires the soldiers who defended the country. She heard that the southern lands were originally plagued by the invasion of the southern barbarians. Fortunately, the Southern King and his son were there to protect the country. She also heard that the marriage of the Southern King's heir has troubled His Majesty for a long time. She understands the greater good better than I, her father."

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Censor exclaimed in amazement: "I never imagined that your daughter would be so righteous and understanding; we are far inferior to her. I have a nephew who has been settled in the south for many years. After your youngest daughter marries, if there is any trouble, you can send someone to find him. If he can help, you must ask him for assistance."

"Thank you very much then," Xie Wen said, bowing with his hands clasped in thanks.

The Imperial Censor also came to offer his congratulations, but his words were not pleasant to hear: "The young lady is always thinking about these things, but she still has a long way to go. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, Lord Xie, you can also tell me."

Xie Wen chuckled: "Thank you in advance, Lord Song. But you should also take care of your own family. Your second daughter is quite the star lately, so it's probably time for some good news."

The Imperial Censor paused awkwardly, then mumbled, "That's not true." His second daughter's poem had once brought him honor, but now her actions had left him utterly humiliated.

The reason for this was that Song Lingxi planned to buy a shop on Jiqing Street to sell cosmetics. At present, the law stipulates that officials of the fifth rank or above in the imperial court are not allowed to engage in business, but there are not many restrictions on the female members of their families.

It's good that her daughter has ideas, but land on Jiqing Street is incredibly expensive, and the Song family is unwilling to spend the money to buy her a shop, only allowing her to rent one. Song Lingxi, however, is very resourceful, so she turned to several well-known young men from prominent families and persuaded them to invest in her business.

Then, Zhong Yu, the young master of the Zhong family, and the Prince of Qinghe, in a fit of rage for the sake of a woman, accidentally fell down the steps during their argument. One injured his hand, and the other twisted his ankle, making quite an unsightly scene.

This happened just yesterday. The Zhong family has a prime minister, and the Prince of Qinghe is a member of the royal family. Climbing onto either one would be considered a great honor for the Song family. But two of them came at once. The Censor-in-Chief had no way to express his suffering and secretly suspected that his daughter was strange. He had never seen her so clever before.

This resulted in both young men getting injured and also caused gossip. As a result, Song Lingxi's shop was not purchased, and he is now under house arrest by the Censor-in-Chief. This can be considered as giving an explanation to the Zhong family and the Prince's Mansion.

So, although he secretly thought the Grand Secretary's family was just seeking fame and fortune, the Censor-in-Chief was genuinely envious. If he had known this would happen, he would have preferred to have his own family involved. With his daughter's abilities, that Prince of the South's heir would surely...

Realizing he had gone off on a tangent, the Imperial Censor hurriedly took his leave, saying he had business to attend to at the government office.

Xie Qinghong's reputation for being righteous and principled spread like wildfire. Xie Zhen, furious at home, smashed a vase: "If I hadn't personally recommended him to His Majesty, and if Qingsi hadn't been so young, how could Qinghong have gotten the chance! Xie Wen has really grown too big for his britches. What's the use of building a reputation for Qinghong? Doesn't he think about the future of the Xie family at all!"

Xie Qingke lowered his head, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, which quickly disappeared. His voice was slightly deep: "Father, I'm afraid my second uncle's family has harbored resentment towards me. Even Qinghong is not as friendly to me as before."

Xie Zhen calmed himself down and thought of the promise Emperor Xingde had made. However, since the title of Duke had not yet been decided, he could not let his younger brother become estranged from him now. He still needed to think of a way.

Because Xie Qinghong injured her hand again, Liang Yu kept her at home to receive several close friends who came to see her after hearing about the arranged marriage. After that, she could not go anywhere. Fortunately, she had let A Xing pick out a few books on Shumo Street, including agricultural books that she had never read before. She suddenly remembered the desolation of the South and immediately opened them to study them carefully.

After staying at home for a few days, Xie Qinghong heard that Prince Pei and his entourage were about to head south to return home. At the same time, the Hu envoy Wushilantuo was also about to head north back to Tusha. Because of Zhao Xing'er's accident, Wushilantuo said it was bad luck and did not mention the marriage again. However, he made an exorbitant demand for a lot of grain, silk, and treasures, which Emperor Xingde reluctantly gave in to.

After being treated, the madman Sun's condition stabilized somewhat. He came to apologize, but his elder brother punched him and sent him back to the clinic. It is said that he also recommended himself to the Prince of the North, preparing to go north to join the army. Of course, he did not want to rely on his martial prowess, but rather to become a military advisor.

Xie Qinghong envisioned the best outcome for him: to strategize and win decisively, defeat the barbarians utterly, then snatch Princess Yuxiu back, and the two of them would embark on a tumultuous journey of escape together...

However, she didn't have much time to think about other people's affairs. Because of the Emperor's arranged marriage and the two families were far apart, several steps of the six rites of marriage had been omitted. Even the wedding date had been decided by Emperor Xingde, who ordered the high monks of Xiangguo Temple to draft a date for the second month of next spring.

It has been less than a year since then, so she has to prepare for her marriage before heading south, not only with her dowry, but also with how to live in the south.

She read through travelogues but felt no sense of reality. Then she heard about Song Lingxi's past visits to brothels while disguised as a man. Suddenly, Xie Qinghong had a flash of inspiration and discussed with her mother: "Mother, I want to go to my maternal grandmother's house for a few months. Huaizhou is not far from the south, so I can get used to it in advance."

Liang Yu was already worried, but when she heard the suggestion, she thought it was feasible. She hadn't been back to her parents' home for a long time, so why not take her daughter back for a few months? The climate in the south was completely different from that in Wangjing City, and getting used to it in advance would prevent her from suffering from water and soil incompatibility after a hasty marriage.

And so the matter was settled. The three men of the Xie family sighed deeply. Due to the many affairs of the court, they could only watch as the women packed their bags. Xie Qingzhou wanted to plead for her: "Mother, why don't I go too? I haven't seen my maternal grandmother in a long time. I should go and fulfill my filial duty."

Liang Yu said to him, "What trouble are you causing? If you want to go, your aunt will be the first to object. She's about to be promoted, shouldn't she be more careful? Do you think I don't know you've been reprimanded in court again?"

Xie Qingzhou retreated, but Xie Qingya said, "Even with guards, we are not entirely at ease when Mother and Ayao go out. Since Prince Pei is setting off south tomorrow, why don't we ask him to wait a couple more days? He will escort us along the way, which will put our minds at ease."

Xie Wen said, "That's right. Qingya, go to the post station and ask if we can ask Prince Pei to stay for two days."

Xie Qingzhou sneered, "If he can't delay, I'll make sure he can't leave tomorrow!" After saying that, Liang Yu lightly tapped him, saying that he didn't learn his lesson. Two days ago, he punched the young master of the Sun family into the clinic, and what was originally a reasonable matter became unreasonable.

Pei Du, of course, could afford to delay, so they decided to set off south together on March 28th.