Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Marriage Proposal

The capital city was noisy before the evening. By the next morning, which was the full moon day of August, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets were filled with patrolling soldiers and Jinyiwei.

Someone went to Shuntian Prefecture to report that Hu Tinglan and his siblings had been missing for more than a month, and they were afraid that something had happened, so they had to search for them as soon as possible. However, Hu Tinglan was a Jinshi, an official in the court, and no one had reported his disappearance in Zhending for more than a month. The Jinyiwei Northern Pacification Envoy directly sent people to Zhending to investigate.

Besides the people searching on the street, there was also the news spreading like wildfire. It seemed that every household had sent out spies to gather information. The area in front of Shao Boju's door was empty, but the alleys nearby were crowded with people peeking their heads out.

Shao Wuxing took a look through the crack in the door, his hooked nose twitched, and none of his servants dared to speak.

He quickly walked to the door of the study and saw a man who looked like an aide just walking out of it. He said something as he walked to the door.

"The master asked you to be careful with your words and actions, and be careful not to drag down the Shao family and His Royal Highness Prince Yong."

The aide walked away quickly after saying this. When he passed Shao Wuxing, he glanced at him from the corner of his eye and left without saying hello.

Shao Wuxing closed his lips tightly and quickly walked into the study.

"Brother, what did my uncle say?"

The aide just now was none other than the head of the Shao family, Shao Zun, the great uncle of Shao Boju and Shao Wuxing.

Previously, Shao Boju was selected as the third place in the imperial examination and was highly honored. Naturally, Shao Zun, the eldest master of the Shao family, did not say much. But as soon as he heard the news, he sent his staff over.

Shao Wuxing asked, and Shao Boju snorted.

"Of course, he scolded me and told me not to bring trouble to the Shao family and His Highness. If anything goes wrong, the Shao family will not cover for me."

Shao Wuxing's face turned pale.

The Shao family had been divided since their fathers were still young. The first and second wives were both legitimate children of their grandfather and took all the family property, while the third and fourth wives were illegitimate children and were given just enough money to live on and were abandoned in the family.

Only Shao Boju himself knew what kind of life he had when he was young. However, he was very ambitious. None of the children of the first and second wives were successful, but he had a very high talent for reading. He was noticed by the staff of Dou Ge Lao and recommended to study in the academy in the capital.

Perhaps fate always favors geniuses who have experienced many hardships in their childhood. The aunt, who was originally just a concubine of King Yin, passed away not long after giving birth to a child. The Shao family could no longer count on this relationship, but King Yin unexpectedly inherited the throne, and the young child left by Shao Boju's aunt became the second son of the new emperor, His Royal Highness King Yong.

After that, the crown prince died, and Prince Yong became the new crown prince that the court officials had been looking forward to.

In the eighth year of Yin You, Shao Bo passed the imperial examination and was selected as the third place by the emperor.

With the destiny of becoming the third place in the imperial examination, the originally unpopular young man was slightly looked up to by the eldest son of the legitimate family.

But today, he was just involved in some rumors, and the eldest son of the family immediately sent someone to distance themselves from him.

Shao Boju's eyes were slightly blue, and his face was tired. He asked, "What's going on outside?"

Shao Wuxing could only tell the situation outside. "The people of Shuntian Prefecture are easy to deal with, but I didn't expect that the Jinyiwei would send so many people. The Jinyiwei's action has aroused speculation in the whole capital. Now everyone says that the Shao family is ungrateful and that you, big brother, killed Hu Tinglan and his sister with your own hands."

The man seemed stunned for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head.

"I killed..."

He didn't say anything more, but Shao Wuxing asked, "The Jinyiwei took action. Was it the emperor's intention?"

Shao Boju shook his head. "The emperor won't be so quick. On the contrary, who is the commander of the Jinyiwei on good terms with? Have you forgotten?"

Shao Wuxing was startled, "It's Lord Lu!"

His face showed even more fatigue, and Shao Boju took a deep breath.

"How could Lu Shenru miss such a good opportunity?"

"Then what should we do? Did the eldest house ask us not to mention the marriage with the Du family for the time being?"

This remark caused Shao Boju to snort and laugh.

"If I had listened to him, I wouldn't be here today."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man concealed his fatigue and called his cousin.

"Go to the Gu family and meet Old Madam Wan for me."

*

Huanghuafang Gu family.

Rong Yutang was silent.

The daughter-in-law Liang stopped the girls' lessons for the day. The girls came to pay their respects to the old lady and stood in the hall, at a loss as to what to do.

Madam Wan was not in the mood to teach the girls today, so she waved her hand and let them all go.

As soon as they left, someone came quickly.

The man was of medium build and not outstanding in appearance, but he was followed by three or four servants. He entered Rong Yu Hall, and everyone saluted him. However, he did not have time to respond, and walked straight to Madam Wan's hall and spoke.

"Someone from the Shao family is here? What did they say?" He asked Madam Wan, who was sitting at the top of the table, "Mom, are they going to stop the marriage plan first?"

The person who spoke was Madam Wan's only son, Du Runqing's uncle, Master Gu Yangsi.

Madam Wan did not respond for a while, but her daughter-in-law Liang answered.

"Master, the Shao family didn't mean that. On the contrary, they wanted mother to make sure this happened."

Master Gu took a deep breath and said, "Outside, the Royal Guards have been dispatched. How is this different from the fact that the Shao family has already been confirmed to have committed murder? If we still intervene in the affairs of the Shao family at this time, will we get into trouble?"

Madam Wan had been silent with one eye half closed, but after hearing these words, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Even if the Jinyiwei were dispatched, there is no evidence, right? The Shao family is not so easy to fall, and Prince Yong and Dou Ge Lao are standing behind them. But if we play it safe in this matter, and the Shao family comes to its senses in the future, what do you think will happen to us?"

Master Gu frowned deeply.

Madam Wan spoke again and glanced at her son.

"After your father died, you were not favored by the Emperor. It was only because of my matchmaking between the various families in the past few years that the Gu family remained among the noble families in Beijing. Everyone knows that the marriage between the Shao family and the Du family was my doing. If I cannot make this happen, let alone other families who want to send their daughters to our family for me to train, even those who ask me to act as a matchmaker will have to think twice. What status will the Gu family have among the noble families then?"

"But... ..."

Master Gu wanted to say something else, but the old lady raised her hand to stop him, and then she gently waved for him to come forward.

Master Gu stepped forward, and the old lady personally took him to sit beside her, lovingly brushing the dust off his shoulders.

"You don't have to worry about these things. Once I've arranged for Shao to marry the Du family's daughter, they will find you another job. You just have to wait for the good job that Shao finds for you. I'll take care of everything."

Having said this, Gu Yangsi said no more.

"Then the son will listen to his mother."

Madam Wan patted his shoulder lovingly, nodded to signal him to relax, then turned around and called her daughter-in-law Liang.

"Send someone to the Du family in Chengqingfang to invite the son-in-law over."

... ...

When the second master of the Du family, Du Zhiqi, arrived, the wind in the capital was almost blowing the tiles off the eaves.

He met Madam Wan and asked the same questions as Master Gu.

"Mother-in-law, the Shao family is in trouble. Can this marriage still be successful?"

Madam Wan snorted coldly.

She no longer had the patience for Du Zhiqi that she had for her son, and now she glanced at Du Zhiqi.

"You're asking me. You should ask your own good niece."

"Jingniang?" Du Zhiqi was stunned, then reacted, "How could this be caused by Jingniang? She is just a girl with no one to rely on, how could she have the courage to stir up trouble in the capital or even the court?"

Madam Wan snorted even more, "But at this critical moment, who else could it be if not her?"

She thought of the rumors outside, which had frightened people with ulterior motives and added fuel to the fire. The rumors suddenly flared up, making her uneasy and a little dazed.

She couldn't help but glance at her indecisive son-in-law again.

"She is much more swift and decisive than your uncle. It only took one day... But things have come to this point," she glared at Du Zhiqi, "The Du family has no room to retreat, and you are not allowed to waver. This matter must be done, whether it succeeds or not. Go back home and keep an eye on your niece!"

As she spoke, she looked far away in the direction of the palace.

Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet.

"I will go to the palace and personally speak in favor of the marriage between the Du family and the Shao family in front of the emperor."

Speak in person.

Du Zhiqi was surprised and returned to Chengqingfang with the words "Madam Wan" in his mind.

No one knew where such a strong wind came from in the capital. The yellow leaves that were originally clinging to the branches could not hold on to the last bit of strength in the whirling gale. They were blown away into the air, thrown against the wall, and fell into the cracks in the ground.

People on the street were like leaves of grass, hiding from the wind. When Du Zhiqi's carriage passed the corner, it was almost overturned by the wind. He didn't dare to sit in the carriage anymore, so he had to get out.

But when I reached the gate of the mansion, I saw the person standing at the door from dozens of feet away.

She was wearing a dress of sky-blue color. The wind from the alley and the wind from the doorway merged and blew at her feet. Her dress fluttered as she stood quietly in the wind.

The wind was whistling, but she just looked up at the plaque on the door without moving.

Du Zhiqi thought about the panic in the capital today, which was caused by her. He couldn't help but take two steps forward and spoke in a stern voice.

"You are just as ignorant as your father! He thought that he could turn the court upside down by himself, and he wanted to get rid of the old abuses and create a new world. But the power in the court was so deep-rooted that he couldn't stir it up. In the end, he left the mess behind, and I had no hope of promotion for many years, and could only wander around outside the capital!"

"You are the same! Just as self-righteous as your father, you caused a stir in the city just because you were dissatisfied with the marriage I arranged for you! What are you dissatisfied with? The daughter pays the father's debt, you should have listened to my arrangements, but you made such a big fuss to harm me?!"

Du Zhiqi couldn't help but want to yell, but he caught a glimpse of someone passing by the alley, and he was startled and quickly stopped talking.

But I couldn't control the anger in my heart.

He saw that his niece was still standing there, with no reaction to his anger, and he couldn't help but speak again.

"Don't think that you can avoid marrying Shao Boju just because he gets into trouble! Don't even think about it. Old Madam Wan will personally speak to the emperor at the banquet tonight. With her words, this matter will be accomplished. Just wait to marry into the Shao family!"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the plaque on the door of the mansion. There were two words inscribed on the plaque: "Du Mansion". It was the plaque that was replaced when Du Lingjing's father was alive.

Du Zhiqi only took a glance and then looked away. He glanced coldly at his niece.

"After you marry into the Shao family, you can only look at Shao Boju's face, and in your mother's family, you can only listen to me. Women have been like this since ancient times. If you have a hard time in the future, don't regret it and cry to me. I won't pity you. This is all your own fault!"

"If you want to cry, go and cry for your dead parents!"

Du Zhiqi waved his sleeves and walked towards the door. He stepped inside and called his followers.

"Close the door!"

The door of the Du Mansion was slammed shut.

The draft stopped for a moment, but the next moment, the strong wind in the alley swept past Du Lingjing and blew straight towards the plaque on the door.

She still remembered the day when the new door plaque was first put up, many people gathered in front of the door.

The ground was covered with red firecracker fragments, but Wen Bo didn't allow them to be swept, as he thought it would be festive to have the ground all red.

Everyone was walking on the red ground, looking up at the two words on the plaque under the red silk.

Some say that these two characters have unique styles, while others say that the character "Du" is flexible and steady, while the character "Fu" is majestic.

"Good words, all good words!" everyone praised.

Dad stroked his beard and smiled, "You have good eyesight, these two words were indeed written by two people."

As soon as her father said this, An Jing, who was following beside him, secretly glanced at her father.

By chance, someone asked, "May I ask which two masters wrote this?"

As soon as she said this, she clenched her hands.

But I saw that my father was still stroking his beard, looking mysterious.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but become more curious, "Master Du invited such a great man to write an inscription, why is he hiding it?"

"It's not that they are hiding it, it's just that these two don't show up in public easily."

Everyone urged him to tell Bu Fen.

Dad then slowly spoke, he looked at

The two words on the plaque.

"The first character comes from the master of Dongxiang Pavilion, and the latter is from Shangfang Sanren."

"The Master of the East Wing? Master Shangfang?" Everyone was stunned. "He is truly a hermit master that we have never heard of!" Du Lingjing was also stunned for a moment, but then she saw her father's smiling eyes looking at her, and her face turned red.

Where did the Dongxiang Pavilion Master and Shangfang Sanren come from? It was clearly her who lived in the east wing, and her father who lived in the upper room!

She looked at her father, and he looked at her across the crowd. The moment the father and daughter looked at each other, they couldn't help but laugh... ...

That day, red silk was hung high, firecrackers were blasting, the garden was full of guests, and the smile in my father's eyes seemed to still be before my eyes.

Under the door plaque, she thought of those things that seemed like yesterday, and a smile inadvertently filled her eyes. However, the wind was too strong, blurring her vision and blowing away everything in front of her.

Looking at the door plaque again, the old paint was mottled and the old words were shaking, but the door was empty, and there was no longer the man stroking his beard and smiling at her.

"Young lady." Qiu Lin took the cloak and walked forward. Seeing that the young lady was only looking at the plaque in front of her, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat and choked up, but she changed the subject.

"Miss, the Second Master just said that Madam Wan will personally ask for permission to marry you at the banquet tonight. What should we do?"

She asked and saw that the girl finally turned her eyes away from the plaque.

The girl smiled faintly.

"I don't have the final say in the capital, and naturally, Madam Wan doesn't have the final say either."

*

The night wind, wrapped in the cool air coming from the autumn grass, swept across the entire capital, making it impossible for doors to be closed. Palace maids were constantly sent forward, standing in the wind outside the window, pressing down the stained glass windows of the banquet hall.

The window was opened, and palace maids came in one after another, moving around in the spacious hall filled with banquet tables, sometimes serving exquisite fruits and sometimes offering fine wine and tea.

There were young nobles laughing and chatting at the table, while the adults were chatting with each other. The wind could not blow into the lively hall, and only the fragrance floated among the tables.

At this time, a eunuch sang.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

The originally noisy banquet suddenly became quiet, and everyone stood up to greet them.

A man in his forties, wearing a bright yellow brocade robe embroidered with dragons, walked out from behind a long screen.

With a kind smile on his face, he walked all the way to the table in the middle of the upper seat and raised his hand, "No need to be polite, everyone."

Everyone thanked him in unison, and the emperor smiled even more. He kept saying, "Please take a seat." Then all the dignitaries standing in the hall sat down.

Everyone couldn't help but look up, and saw that the emperor was accompanied by a woman in her thirties, with soft eyebrows and rosy lips, and a noble aura. When she saw everyone looking at her, she nodded to everyone at the table.

"It's the Imperial Concubine. It seems that the Empress is still not well this year."

The Emperor was questioning his attendants at the table, and people in the hall below were also talking.

The Queen has not attended the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet for three consecutive years, and the only one accompanying the Emperor is Imperial Concubine Lu.

Everyone looked at the imperial concubine, and couldn't help but look at the man below her.

The man was wearing a rouge-red brocade robe today, with a gold and jade belt, and a ruby and jade crown. At this moment, he was drinking with someone.

"The Imperial Concubine and the Marquis are truly siblings from the same mother. Not only do they look alike, but they are both so outstanding. No wonder the young prince Hui was born so precious."

As he said this, he suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "Of course, His Royal Highness Prince Yong is also extraordinary."

It would be appropriate to stop here. Although the virtuous concubine was no longer around, the Shao family was present at the banquet.

In addition to the emperor's concubines and relatives, many close court officials also came. Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, there were more female relatives. Important officials such as Dou Ge Lao were present, but his wife was not at home.

In addition to court officials, there are also clan relatives.

After the late emperor passed away, Empress Xiaorong also passed away soon after. Now among the late emperor's concubines, only Concubine Dowager Jiang has the highest rank. The emperor honors the Concubine Dowager as if he were filial to the late emperor. Concubine Dowager Jiang is also at the banquet tonight.

The emperor was not in good health. After about half a quarter of an hour, the emperor said a few words and asked Concubine Lu to perform the moon worship ceremony while he performed it. Then the banquet began.

Needless to say, there was singing, dancing, music, delicacies and fine wine during the banquet.

Madam Wan's seat was not very close to the front, but she was always paying attention to every move of the person above her.

She had no time to care about these delicacies. At this moment, Shao Boju, who was sitting on the seat on the other side, cast his eyes at her. Madam Wan nodded slightly and waited for Dou Ge Lao's mother, Grandma Dou, to come forward and toast the emperor. After the emperor drank the wine and rewarded Grandma Dou, Madam Wan also picked up the wine cup, took a deep breath and came before the emperor.

When Old Lady Dou saw her, she laughed and said, "The Emperor has wine to drink again."

The emperor also laughed, "Of course I will drink Madam Wan's wine. When I was in the palace, I was taken care of by Madam Wan. I have always remembered it."

Concubine Wan was one of the first few consorts canonized by the late emperor, and the reason why Old Lady Wan was quite respectable in the palace was that she was Concubine Wan's sister. It was a pity that Concubine Wan left without leaving any children, so Old Lady Wan could only rely on herself.

She bowed quickly and said, "Wan Shi dares not trouble Your Majesty to always remember our friendship. Your Majesty should be at ease."

As she spoke, she drank the wine in her cup. Seeing the emperor nodding with a smile and a tolerant look, she felt relieved. She said what she had been thinking about all night.

"This glass of wine was originally for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but I would like to invite Your Majesty to drink another glass of wedding wine."

After she said this, the table fell silent for a moment.

"Oh? Whose wedding is it?" The emperor looked interested.

Madam Wan straightened up and said, "It's my uncle's family, the Qingzhou Du family. The Du family wants to ask the emperor to arrange a good marriage for their daughter."

The emperor paused, "I haven't seen anyone from the Du family for a long time."

Madam Wan said yes, and the emperor looked at the old lady.

"The old lady is the matchmaker of the capital. Which family do you think is comparable to the Du family?"

Madam Wan was waiting for these words, and she took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty is too kind, but I dare to say one thing."

She turned and smiled at Shao Boju, "I wonder what your majesty thinks of Shao Tanhua, the third place winner?"

After this was said, almost no one in the hall spoke anymore.

No one mentioned Shao Boju's matter just now, but that doesn't mean that no one has heard any rumors about it.

Madam Wan pointed, and Shao Boju was about to stand up and approach the emperor.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone spoke with a smile.

"I think the Du family and the Shao family are not so well matched."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Concubine Jiang slowly standing up.

Concubine Jiang was also from Qingzhou, and her nephew was the third son of the Jiang family, a top scholar in the imperial examination who had been engaged to the Du family.

Concubine Jiang suddenly spoke, and Madam Wan was stunned.

Concubine Jiang did not mention her nephew who died young. She just said, "The Du family has a long tradition of poetry and literature, and they are of noble and elegant family. If you are going to find a match for him, you should find a match that is equally noble. Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to the Du family if you bring them into a messy affair for no reason."

Concubine Jiang was usually a quiet person, but she said this very bluntly.

But everyone in the hall didn't know that what she was talking about was the case of Shao Boju suspected of murdering the Hu brothers and sisters.

Shao Boju's face suddenly turned pale.

Madam Wan also froze.

The emperor was speechless for a moment.

No one spoke in the hall. Madam Wan tightened her grip and couldn't help but speak again.

"The wind has been strong recently, so it's inevitable that some gossip will be blown up, but you can't take it seriously."

She ignored Concubine Jiang and looked at the emperor, "Your Majesty, the Du family..."

However, before he could finish his words, the emperor spoke.

"The old lady is tired too, go back and rest."

Madam Wan's hands couldn't help but tremble.

Shao Boju hadn't even walked before the emperor, and the emperor didn't even look at him, but Madam Wan was pushed back by the emperor.

Madam Wan's fingertips felt cold. She felt that everyone in the hall was looking at her, or seemed to be looking at her and shaking their heads.

Her old face turned red.

The marriage between the Shao family and the Du family is over.

The Shaw family will not be included in the imperial decree for marriage tomorrow...

But she didn't dare say anything more, and barely managed to keep her composure before returning to her seat.

Palace maids came into the hall one after another and refilled the wine glasses for the nobles.

The atmosphere eased a bit, and the gossip gradually started to sound again.

Marquis of Yongding Lu Shenru felt so pleased that he poured himself a drink.

However, Concubine Lu above frowned slightly and glanced at her brother.

*

Ruan Gong had been waiting for the letter outside the palace gate until he was almost stiff from the wind.

But at this moment, he quickly ran into the west courtyard and ran straight to Du Lingjing.

Qiu Lin stood up suddenly, "What's going on in the palace?!"

Du Lingjing also looked up.

Ruan Gong's face was filled with joy.

"Miss, Madam Wan proposed marriage for our family, but the emperor ignored her! The emperor ignored Shao from beginning to end!"

In other words, the marriage between the Shaw family and the Du family is over!

The imperial decree granting marriage will come down tomorrow, and the palace will no longer show favor and honor to the Shao family.

Qiu Lin almost screamed in surprise.

"Then girl, can we go back to Qingzhou?!"

Du Lingjing was stunned for a moment, but then smiled gently.

"Yes, I think so."