"What Prince Nurhadu said does make a lot of sense," Li Longze said slowly, his voice unrecognizable as either joy or anger. "But regarding this marriage, Prince, do you already have someone suitable in mind? Or would you prefer me to arrange a marriage for you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole scene was in uproar. Civil and military officials could not help but start whispering and exchanging opinions with each other. The atmosphere became noisy and complicated for a while.
Many civil servants advocated peace talks, hoping to ensure peace on the border without fighting. Therefore, they showed a matter-of-fact look on their faces, as if they agreed with this proposal.
However, there were also some officials whose daughters or sisters had been listed as candidates for marriage by the empress dowager. At this moment, they could not help but feel frightened and their faces changed. They subconsciously shrank their necks and took a step back silently.
The military officers who insisted on sending troops to conquer the Western Rong were already dissatisfied with the practice of exchanging women for peace on the border.
Among them was the mighty General Ding Dayong, who could hardly suppress the anger in his heart. He clenched his hands tightly, and wished he could rush forward immediately to compete with Nurhadu.
Seeing that Li Longze did not refuse, Nurhadu's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, to be honest, I do have someone in my heart."
"Oh?" Li Longze's tone was filled with amusement and surprise. He wondered if Nurhadu had met a woman on the street and fell in love with her at first sight, so she asked him for marriage.
"Which girl does the prince like? As long as she is unmarried and conforms to the ethics of our Great Zhou, I am willing to act as a matchmaker for you and be the matchmaker for you." Li Longze said slowly.
Nurhadu raised his head, looked directly at Li Longze with a firm gaze, and said clearly and forcefully, "My heart is drawn to the youngest daughter of the Xingyuan Marquisate. I sincerely implore Your Majesty to grant this marriage!"
His words were like a raging storm. Xue Zhongfu, who was standing in the queue of officials, suddenly raised his head, frowning in shock and anxiety.
Another person who reacted strongly was Linjiang King Li Longjing, who had always coveted Xue Shanqiu and hoped to marry her so that he could take over the remaining power of Xingyuan Hou in the army.
Hearing that someone was trying to intercept and destroy his plan, Li Longjing's eyes immediately became gloomy and hostile. He glanced at Nurhadu coldly, with anger burning in his heart.
However, Xue Zhongfu's concerns were simpler and deeper.
When it comes to marriage alliances, which family would truly be willing to send their daughter or sister thousands of miles away, never to see each other again in their lifetime?
This time, it was people like Li Yunting who violated the court's taboos and were treated so ruthlessly.
Thinking of his younger sister Xue Shanqiu, who had been pampered by her mother since she was young, how could he bear to let her go to a foreign country with customs and etiquette completely different from those of the Great Zhou, to endure an unknown and unfamiliar life?
Thinking of this, Xue Zhongfu unconsciously clenched his fists under his official robe. If his mother knew about this, she would probably be heartbroken. This was something he could not accept, and it was something he was determined to stop at all costs.
Among the officials lined up, Xue Jiyan and Jiang Lun were also very surprised. They looked at each other, and tacitly walked out of the team, ready to face this sudden change.
However, Xue Zhongfu signaled them to stop and decided to deal with the storm alone.
He walked towards the imperial carriage and his eyes fell on Prince Linjiang, who was wearing a robe with a dragon pattern.
He noticed that there seemed to be burning anger in the eyes of Prince Linjiang as he looked at Nurhadu.
At this moment, Xue Zhongfu recalled that after his father passed away, the Queen Mother in the palace had mentioned to his mother Hong Yingrong that she wanted to betroth her younger sister to Prince Linjiang as his principal wife.
However, the palace was busy with affairs at the time, and Concubine Liu in the palace died of complications during childbirth, so the marriage was temporarily put on hold.
At this moment, Xue Zhongfu felt an urge to give it a try.
Children's marriages should be arranged according to their parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words. However, the current situation was exceptional. If Emperor Li Longze granted the marriage on the spot, it would be irreversible and irreversible.
Even if Prince Linjiang had no such intention, it would be difficult for him to refuse on the spot using the Queen Mother's order as an excuse.
Even if my status is not right, even if my younger sister enters the palace as a concubine or a maid, it is better than marrying into the Western Rong country thousands of miles away.
Xue Zhongfu took a deep breath. Although he felt very sorry for his younger sister, this was the best solution he could think of at the moment.
Nurhadu's voice rang out again in his ears: "If Your Majesty feels that I am not worthy of the daughter of the Marquis of Xingyuan, I am willing to lead my army to conquer Beidi and offer the Baishui Mountain of Beidi as a betrothal gift to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Xingyuan."
When the officials heard this, their expressions varied, and Emperor Li Longze's face also showed a change. Xue Zhongfu stared at him from afar and read the emotion in Li Longze's subtle expression.
What can attract the Emperor is naturally the possibility of expanding territory and gaining a vast and boundless territory with ease.
Xue Zhongfu was so frightened that he could not hesitate any longer!
He stepped forward calmly. Just as the imperial guards were about to draw their swords to stop him, he took the first step, kneeling on both knees and respectfully speaking, "Your Majesty values the Xingyuan Marquisate. If I could marry Prince Nurhadu, it would be a great honor for the Marquisate. However, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to marry twice, and I'm afraid the prince will be disappointed."
Upon hearing this, Prince Linjiang Li Longjing's eyes inadvertently swept over Xue Zhongfu, and he immediately understood the other party's intention.
It was obvious that she wanted to use him as a shield to prevent Xue Shanqiu from marrying far away in the Western Rong. The Queen Mother had originally intended to promote her marriage with the Marquis's Mansion. Since that was the case, and now that everything was a natural outcome, why didn't he just go with the flow?
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