Chapter 19 You must think about the bigger picture.

"My lord, this won't do!"

If Qingjie were to marry him, could she endure his torment for even a few days?

"Qing'er is only seventeen! She can't marry him!" Ding clung tightly to Song Kaishan's sleeve.

At this moment, all she could hope for was that Song Kaishan would stand firm, not send the betrothal letter over, and not associate with this person.

Song Kaishan knew that things were not that simple.

General Wu dared to speak like that because he knew what he was really thinking.

Everyone wants a piece of the action regarding military affairs in the north; the more of their own people there are, the more at ease the prince feels.

Wu, the military advisor, had been in the North since he was a soldier. After more than 20 years of hard work, he was very familiar with the Weiyuan Army in the North.

Countless people in the Weiyuan Army had shared drinks and laughter with him.

This is also why the King of Zhao favored the niece of Wu, the military advisor.

This is also why King Zhao was pleased to see the Marquis of Zhongyong's family and General Wu's family form a marriage alliance.

"You have to marry! You can't refuse!" Song Kaishan slowly pried Ding's hand off his sleeve.

Ding felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Why? The betrothal papers haven't been changed! Why should she marry him! I'd rather marry Qing'er off to a commoner than have her suffer to death there!" Ding screamed immediately.

Song Kaishan glared at Ding Shi for a moment, then glanced at Song Zhiqing, who was on the verge of fainting from crying.

"Think of Qing-ge'er! He's still in the north!"

If you think about it, Qing Ge'er has always just been a grain transport officer, always only able to do some hard work.

Or, if you want General Wu to hold a grudge and target Qing-ge'er after returning to the north, Qing-jie'er can simply refuse to marry him.

"The north is dangerous. If General Wu transfers Qingge'er to some dangerous place, you won't even have time to cry!" Song Kaishan said coldly.

Ding's family...

Her son is still in the north...

"My lord, my lord! How about this? We'll just find any maid in the manor, and you can adopt her as your goddaughter."

"Or how about we buy someone else outside to replace Qingjie when she gets married?" Ding thought of a solution.

Song Kaishan shook his head coldly.

"Who told Qing'er to be so stupid! She was peeping through the window and ended up being seen by General Wu."

It would be fine if we didn't agree.

Since we've agreed, we have to marry Qing'er off to him.

Finding someone to marry in your place... that will only create enmity between the two sides.

This is the last thing the prince wants to see.

Ding's family...

Song Zhijing, who was already sobbing uncontrollably, suddenly hugged Song Kaishan's leg.

"Father, you love your daughter the most, don't you? You certainly wouldn't watch your daughter go to her death, right?"

"Bring Song Zhimin back and make her marry! I won't marry! Father loves his daughter the most, doesn't he!" Song Zhijing hugged Song Kaishan's legs and wailed.

Song Kaishan slowly squatted down and looked at Song Zhijing's eyes, which were swollen like walnuts from crying.

"If your eldest sister can get married, why can't you?"

I love you all and provide you with the finest food and clothing, all just to increase the strength of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, right?

Now that we need you, you'd better behave and obey.

Your eldest sister disobeyed and ran away, finding her own way to become a lady-in-waiting in the palace.

Now you're the only one left, you have no choice but to marry him!

"Qing'er, you must be obedient. You will never disobey your father like your elder sister, right?" Song Kaishan said softly.

Song Zhijing could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Father! I am your own daughter!"

“Your eldest sister is also my own daughter! Weren’t you all quite happy when you wanted her to marry him?”

They even said how glamorous the general's wife was!

Now that your eldest sister has bestowed this glory upon you, you must seize it!

After finishing speaking, Song Kaishan stood up and broke free from Song Zhiqing. Then he looked at Ding Shi.

"Madam, you know what's important! The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion has declined. When Madam Gu married into the family, it managed to survive for a while."

Now it's your turn to uphold the loyalty and bravery of the Marquis's mansion.

The prince values ​​the northern lands, so the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion must do something. Also, Qingge'er is in the northern lands.

How is Qingge doing in the north? It all depends on whether you, his mother, love him or not.

You'd better keep a close eye on Qingjie these days and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble.

You should also try to persuade her.

What's wrong with a lieutenant general's wife!

I don't want what happened to Sister Mian to happen again.

That evening, I sent someone to General Wu's place to deliver the betrothal letter and also to set the wedding date.

The prince said he would come to the wedding banquet!

After finishing his sentence, Song Kaishan turned around and left the flower hall.

He paid no attention to the cries of Ding Shi and Song Zhijing behind him.

He does feel sorry for his daughter, but when it comes to the bigger picture, he has to give her up.

He could disregard even his own brother's life, climbing over his brother's corpse to rise in rank. What are one or two daughters compared to him? He could abandon them too...

...

The news that the second young lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was going to marry Wu, the military officer who was returning to the capital to report on his duties, quickly spread.

People in the capital city could hardly believe it.

She was a young lady from a noble family, how could she have fallen so low as to marry a military man who had lost four wives!

"Is that general's birth chart too strong?"

"I don't know! Anyway, he married four wives, and they all died of illness. Later, someone saw it and said that the wives he married were not of noble enough status."

"If I had married someone of higher status, there definitely wouldn't have been any problems!"

"High status? What? You want to marry a princess or a noblewoman?"

Marrying a noblewoman's daughter is already considered a great honor for him!

"Ah, who knows! I wonder if the second young lady of the Song family will be able to escape unscathed!"

"Speaking of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, I seem to remember that a few days ago their eldest daughter donated her dowry and then entered the palace to be selected as a female official."

Do you think... it's possible that the original plan was to marry the young lady off to him?

The young lady was unwilling, so…

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense. Miss Song donated her dowry for the soldiers in the north, not for any other reason!"

...

When Song Zhimian learned of this news, she was in her room copying the regulations of the Imperial Household Department!

The news was told to her by the other female officials who were also being considered for the position.

Song Zhimian shielded them once, and they were happy to run towards Song Zhimian.

Since girls naturally love excitement, they quickly became a group of friends.

"I've heard people say that General Wu used to be a lowly soldier guarding the city gate, but later, because of some things... he went to the north," a round-faced girl whispered.

"What happened? Were you being harassed by your boss?"

"No! At that time, the daughter of one of his leaders often brought food to his leader, and over time she and Wu, the military officer, fell in love."

But the officer in charge was unwilling, saying, "Why should a common soldier like you marry his daughter?"

And so, Wu, the military advisor, went to the north, saying he wanted to earn military merit.

But... by the time he returned with military merits, the girl had already married.

"Then... he vowed to marry the daughter of an official..." the little round-faced girl continued in a low voice.

Everyone seemed to understand something...

Song Zhimian listened attentively to everyone's words.