Chapter 259: Old Stories Old Stories

This was the last will and testament of Emperor Xuanwu, who had lived a ridiculous life, did whatever he wanted when he was alive, and did not forget to cause trouble for others even when he died. In front of the two empress dowagers and Prince Cheng, he granted a marriage between the Yun and Su families.

This decree caught everyone present off guard. The retired emperor was fine. He breathed his last and passed away, leaving behind a mess.

Lord Han cried a few times, and when he reached the outside of the palace, he couldn't help but say, "What on earth was the emperor thinking? I thought he would arrange a marriage for Su Fengzhang before he died, but the result was..."

The Minister of Revenue whispered, "Everyone knows about the affair between Prince Cheng and Su Fengzhang. The Emperor is certainly wary of Prince Cheng, but he is their father after all, so he naturally won't break up a couple."

Lord Han frowned and said, "But now that the Supreme Emperor has done this, the issue of granting marriage is hanging over his head. Wouldn't this make Su Fengzhang never marry? Lord Su will definitely feel resentful in the future."

"Isn't it? But if Lord Su really wants, it's not impossible to ask the new emperor to grant the marriage."

Lord Han's eyes flickered, and he added, "But speaking of it, Su Huihui is just a bastard daughter of the Su family. Although Lord Su is now the Minister of Personnel, given their family's circumstances, Su Huihui is still marrying up."

The Su family only has Su Fengzhang to support the family, and it has no foundation at all. Even though Su Fengzhang is now in the limelight, the Su family cannot be compared with the Yun family.

Not to mention that Su Huihui is a illegitimate daughter and her biological father died early. Although she is registered under the name of Old Madam Su, wealthy families pay attention to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and Yun Hui is Yun Qian's only legitimate eldest son.

"That's not necessarily true. Everyone knows that Yun Hui has been a sickly child since childhood. The imperial physicians said he wouldn't live past thirty. Now he's twenty-four, right? He has a very strange temper. No wonder the marriage has been delayed for all these years."

Upon hearing this, Lord Han chuckled and said, "The Emperor did a good thing before his death. The Yun and Su families have become a match made in heaven. They must become even closer in the future."

Having said that, there was a hint of amusement in both of their eyes.

Everyone knows that Su Fengzhang dotes on his younger siblings very much, and Yun Hui, as Yun Qian's eldest son, has a bad reputation throughout the capital in recent years. It would be strange if these two people could live a good life.

It would be best if the disagreement between the two younger generations would lead to conflicts between the Yun family and the Su family. Now Prince Cheng, Su Fengzhang and the Yun family have had enough of the court that is acting in unison!

Although the retired emperor first asked Su Fengzhang whether he wanted to grant the marriage, he turned around and married the other person's sister into the Yun family, and even had a clever move to let them get married in the midst of mourning, which seemed very unbelievable.

But the adults looked at each other with some joy in their eyes. It would be best if the three families were in a mess. Then their lives would be easier. They wouldn't have to act like quails all day long and be stepped on by a young boy like they are now.

The gloating of several people was unspoken. The thoughts that had been suppressed before came to the surface. They secretly thought that after the funeral of the retired emperor was over, if the Yun and Su families dragged their feet on the wedding, they would have to bring it up.

On the other hand, Empress Dowager Yun was also a little annoyed. Others might not know, but could the retired emperor not know Yun Hui's situation? Although Yun Hui had been in poor health over the years, he could not be married to a daughter born out of wedlock.

Their Yun family has lost its talented members, and Empress Dowager Yun feels both guilty and distressed towards Yun Hui. She has been extremely partial to him over the years, otherwise Yun Hui would not have achieved the same fame as He Jun and Jing.

Empress Dowager Yun remained silent on the spot, but when she returned to the palace she smashed her beloved teapot.

She has cultivated herself over the years and can remain calm even when facing the emperor. This is the first time she has been so angry, and everyone around her is so scared that they dare not say anything.

Empress Dowager Yun was not satisfied with Su Huihui's birth, but she didn't know that Su Fengzhang was also very dissatisfied.

Yes, the Yun family is well-known and has a deep foundation, but he loves his sister so much that he would never want her to marry a man who is destined to die early. Besides, Yun Hui’s bad temper is well-known in the capital.

Prince Cheng stroked his back, trying to calm him down, and whispered, "Don't worry. If you don't want to, this marriage won't happen."

Su Fengzhang's eyes flashed, and he asked back, "The emperor proposed this in front of so many people, it will be extremely difficult to back down."

"You take this imperial edict too seriously. Although it is difficult to make those gentlemen shut up, it is not impossible." Prince Cheng promised.

Su Fengzhang looked up at him, with some warmth in his eyes. Although he didn't know whether Prince Cheng made such a promise out of fear that the Yun family and the Su family would really marry and form a united front in the future, or because he was truly thinking about him, it was not easy for him to say it out loud.

Those adults are among the most important figures in the Zhou Dynasty. The price to pay for silencing them is not small.

Su Fengzhang sighed and said, "Your Highness..."

"But before you refuse, I suggest you go meet Yun Hui." Prince Cheng interrupted him, sneering, "Rumors in the capital are often unreliable. Yun Hui's health is indeed poor, but the claim that he won't live past thirty is a lie."

Su Fengzhang was a little surprised to hear this. The implication of Prince Cheng's words was that he was very optimistic about Yun Hui.

You should know that this person has the title of the Devil in the World. It is said that he is also domineering in the Yun family. Not only does he often punish servants, but he also gets angry and moody at the slightest provocation. At such an old age, he is neither good at literature nor martial arts.

But on second thought, Yun Qian has such a harsh and upright personality. As his son, Yun Hui should not be like the rumors say. Otherwise, how could his father endure it for so many years.

Prince Cheng sneered again: "After so many years, my father may not have any other skills, but he is good at stirring up people's hearts."

Su Fengzhang also sneered in his heart. The emperor's childish behavior really left him speechless.

If the retired emperor directly arranged for him to marry a woman from the Yun family, thereby creating an imbalance in the three forces, he would be able to admire him.

After all, the retired emperor probably always felt that he and Prince Cheng had an ambiguous relationship, and once they got married, this relationship would deteriorate, and eventually there would be a rift between his wife and Prince Cheng.

By that time, it would become increasingly difficult to reconcile the relationship between Prince Cheng, the regent, and the Yun and Su families.

Seeing this, Prince Cheng explained, "You don't understand him. This is exactly what he would do."

"I don't want to push this prince too far, lest I take the risk and rebel. I'm also afraid that you and I will join forces to undermine the young emperor. Who will rule the country in the future? That's why I did this on purpose."

Su Fengzhang pondered for a moment, grasping some of the meaning. He sneered, "Your Majesty, do you think that such a marriage can change the situation and break the most solid tripartite situation?"

Prince Cheng raised his eyebrows and smiled, "How is that impossible? Our Majesty knows best how jealous women can be and what crazy things they can do."

Su Fengzhang looked up at Prince Cheng, only to see her smiling and saying, "He's not going to deal with you, not Yun Qian, but me. Now you understand."

Su Fengzhang's face turned red and he started coughing uncontrollably.

Prince Cheng patted his shoulder nonchalantly and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Let's go see if Yun Hui is to your liking. If not, I can't say for sure. Can this marriage still be carried out?"

Su Fengzhang had not yet returned home, but he saw an unexpected person at the door, Yun Qian, the biological father of Yun Hui who had just been granted marriage.

Yun Qian still looked pale. It had to be said that everyone thought Yun Hui would not live past the age of thirty, mostly because Yun Qian's health was also not good and he always looked like he was ready to die at any time.

At this moment, he was wearing a long gown with cloud patterns, which made him look extremely thin. Just standing there made people worry that he would fall down at any time.

Seeing Su Fengzhang coming back, Yun Qian said bluntly: "Master Su, let's talk about T."

Su Fengzhang didn't beat around the bush and led the person in directly.

"Lord Yun, the Emperor has passed away, and we must immediately deal with his affairs. I'm afraid we won't be able to talk for long, so this matter must be resolved quickly."

Yun Qian looked at him and suddenly laughed: "Master Su, to be honest, I am very satisfied with your sister and have no objection to this marriage."

Su Fengzhang's brows jumped, and he was a little unconvinced by what he said. He had seen the prejudices among the famous families in the capital.

Yun Qian sighed and said, "I knew Lord Su might not believe it, but this is what I really mean."

"I have met your sister before and felt deeply that she was worthy of being Lord Su's sister. She is truly gifted and talented, a rare talent among women. I heard earlier that she once stopped the men who came to confiscate our property, and I like her even more."

This is quite unusual. Most people like their wives to be virtuous, but Lord Yun doesn't mind Su Huihui's hidden strength and shrewdness.

Yun Qian added, "But I think Lord Su probably doesn't like Hui'er."

Su Fengzhang did not hide his feelings and said directly, "Master Yun, it's not that I dislike you, but Huihui is my only sister, and I don't want her to be a widow at such a young age without anyone to rely on."

Yun Qian said, "Don't worry, Master Su. Hui'er's health is not good, but he will not die early. Rumors are just rumors."

Su Fengzhang narrowed his eyes and asked, "So his eccentric temper isn't just a rumor, is it?"

Yun Qian suddenly asked, "Master Su, since the prince handed the person over to you, haven't you investigated the Yun family?"

Su Fengzhang stared at him and said calmly, "Since we are allies, I shouldn't go too far."

Yun Qian said, "Why don't you ask Lord Su to check it out? That way you'll know Hui'er's strengths."

"He has a bad temper, but he's not someone who doesn't know right from wrong. He's just a bit lazy. Over the years, he'd rather hide behind others and help me with things than enter the court."

"Master Su, since our two families are going to become in-laws, I can't hide this from you. Hui'er is not my biological son."

Su Fengzhang's heart skipped a beat. There was too much information in these words. You know, although Yun Qian had an older brother, that brother was adopted. Empress Dowager Yun and Yun Qian's actual eldest brother died more than ten years ago.

Yun Qian sighed deeply and continued, "When my eldest brother died, my father expelled him from the Yun family to avoid implicating the family. Instead, he adopted a fake son and even gave his name to that man."

"Yun was incompetent. In the end, I could only save his posthumous child and bring him home to raise him."

"Hui'er has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. He guessed his own background at the age of seven. That's why his personality changed drastically, and he harbored resentment towards his elders, leading to his bad reputation."

"But he is a good boy. He has always been filial to me and not harsh on the servants around him. He has never had any affairs with women."

"Master Su, Hui'er is my legitimate son and my only child in this life. Yun also asks you to reconsider. If this marriage is successful, it will not be without benefits."

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Okay, okay, it’s October 1st, I can take a break~

The drafts for National Day are finished~ I am staying quietly in the draft box. Brother Sheng is going out to play~ I hope everyone has fun hahahaha~

The following is a new article that will be updated daily starting from November 1st~ Danmei, if you like Danmei, you can pre-collect the following~

Prepayment:

Danmei-Human Little Wrench-Strong Sweet Text Preference