That day, Lu Yuyan stayed at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and the father and son chatted until very late.
The next day, the Duke of Zhenguo took Lu Yuyan to the Lu Clan Ancestral Hall, offered three sticks of incense to the Lu Clan ancestors, and officially added his name to the Lu Clan Genealogy.
That day, Lu Xiaoyun was processing official documents in the study, and Zhu Yu, as always, was sorting through the account books beside her. After the account books were finished, he would also work with Lu Xiaoyun to process the official documents.
Feng Yan rushed in from outside, his face grim: "Master, I just received news that the Southern Liang has sent a letter of request, seeking to marry Princess Ruoling as the Crown Princess of the Southern Liang. The Southern Liang has dispatched an envoy to the southern border city to welcome Princess Ruoling."
"What!" Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu both stood up in shock.
Not to mention that the Crown Prince of Nanliang is already over forty years old and old enough to be Ruoling's father, even considering Ruoling's relationship with Ayan, she would never agree to marry Ruoling off to Nanliang.
Throughout history, how many princesses who were married off to distant lands for political reasons managed to meet a good end?
"I'm going to the palace. Wait for me at the residence," Lu Xiaoyun said, turning to Zhu Yu.
Zhu Yu nodded. His current status was awkward, and he couldn't enter the palace at any time like Lu Xiaoyun. He didn't need to give her any instructions; Lu Xiaoyun would definitely do a good job.
Lu Xiaoyun rushed to the gate of the mansion. Jiang Chuan had already prepared the horse. She mounted the horse and galloped towards the palace.
Ah Yan is still at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and hasn't returned, but this news can't be kept from him.
Zhu Dan had just finished dealing with state affairs and was taking a rare moment of rest. He was playing chess with the old emperor in the imperial study when a eunuch hurriedly delivered a letter from the Southern Liang state.
The letter from the Southern Liang state stated that at the beginning of this year, they were deeply grateful to the Emperor of the Great Zhou for his kindness in sending His Highness the Fifth Prince of the Great Zhou, now the Crown Prince, and the Grand Preceptor of their country to visit them.
His Highness the Crown Prince possesses an imposing presence and exceptional charisma. The Southern Liang royal family greatly admires his talent and intends to forge a marriage alliance with the Great Zhou, planning to marry the Fifth Princess of Southern Liang to the Crown Prince of Great Zhou. However, His Highness already has someone he loves, and his desire remains unfulfilled.
I have long heard that Princess Ruoling of the Great Zhou is beautiful and intelligent, with a virtuous and gentle nature, and is a worthy wife of the Crown Prince of Southern Liang.
Therefore, the purpose of this letter of state is twofold: first, to congratulate the fifth prince of the Great Zhou on being named crown prince; and second, to request Princess Ruoling to be the crown princess of Southern Liang.
The Southern Liang dynasty will send a delegation to Liangzhou City in the southern border region, where the two countries meet, to welcome Princess Ruoling.
The old emperor was overjoyed to receive this letter of state.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had only been established for a little over forty years, and after many years of war in the later period of the previous dynasty, the people were poor and the country was impoverished.
In recent years, the Great Zhou has fought several major battles with the Northern Qi and the Chen Kingdom. Coupled with continuous natural disasters and man-made calamities, the national treasury is severely depleted. The Great Zhou is merely an empty shell with a strong exterior, but in reality, it is riddled with holes and cannot withstand another major battle.
In contrast, the Southern Liang Dynasty, since its current emperor ascended the throne, has focused on recuperation and development, maintaining good relations with neighboring states such as the Great Zhou and Chen, while vigorously developing its strength. Its national power has grown steadily, and its cavalry has increased from 50,000 at the beginning to 200,000 in just over ten years.
The Duke of Zhenguo once had the privilege of observing their drill from afar, and was greatly impressed. He immediately wrote a letter to the old emperor, who was also extremely shocked at the time.
Therefore, this proposal to marry Ruoling as the Crown Princess of Southern Liang and the future Empress of Southern Liang would be entirely beneficial to the Great Zhou.
The old emperor was overjoyed and handed the letter of state to Zhu Dan, saying with a smile, "Come, come, Dan'er, take a look at this letter from the Southern Liang. Oh dear, I was worried that the Southern Liang might take advantage of the weakness of our Great Zhou to invade, but now I don't have to worry anymore. Dan'er, I entrust this matter to you, and you must handle it with great success."
If Ling marries into that family, the Great Zhou and the Southern Liang will not go to war for at least ten years.
The old emperor had great confidence in his son Zhu Dan. He believed that if he entrusted the Great Zhou to him, he would surely lead the Great Zhou to prosperity within ten years.
Zhu Dan didn't know what the letter from the Southern Liang state said, but seeing his father's eyes crinkling with laughter, he smiled and accepted it.
Zhu Dan was shocked to discover that the letter contained such a message. His smile vanished abruptly, and he angrily threw the letter on the ground.
“Father, the Crown Prince of Southern Liang is ruthless, treacherous and cunning. Moreover, he has countless concubines in his harem. In the short month I was in Southern Liang, two of his concubines died. How can Ruoling marry him! Besides, he is already over forty years old.”
"Father, you want Ruoling to leave Great Zhou and go to Southern Liang for a marriage alliance. It's a long and arduous journey. Your son does not agree!"
The old emperor, who had just been overjoyed, was furious when he was shocked to find that his most valued son, the future ruler of the Great Zhou, failed to see any benefit that the marriage alliance would bring to the Great Zhou. He exclaimed, "Zhu Dan, how dare you! In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with sending Ruoling to marry into the Southern Liang. You have no right to disagree with this!"
Zhu Dan lifted his robe and knelt down before the old emperor: "Father, you just issued an edict a while ago that members of the Zhu imperial family should not marry for three years. It's only been a few days."
"Times have changed. If Ling is going to marry a foreign ruler, it's not an ordinary marriage. How can they be compared? There's no room for discussion. If you're unwilling, I'll have the Ministry of Rites handle it. Don't be so sentimental. Don't forget, you are the Crown Prince. You must consider this matter from the perspective of the entire Great Zhou!"
Zhu Dan did not back down an inch: "Father, as long as you allow me to be the Crown Prince, I will never marry Ruoling off to Southern Liang, unless you depose me as Crown Prince!"
The old emperor slammed his hand heavily on the dragon throne, walked up to Zhu Dan, pointed at his nose, and cursed, "Zhu Dan, how dare you! You dare threaten me? Do you really think I won't depose you as crown prince? Don't forget, I have more than one son!"
"Then Father, please depose your son!" Zhu Dan stubbornly knelt down.
"Dare to say that again!" The old emperor coughed violently, his face turning bluish-purple from the intense coughing.
"Father, Father, please take care of your health!" Zhu Dan crawled forward on his knees.
"Take care of your health! Hmph, you'll drive me crazy sooner or later! Dan'er, you are my most valued son, why do you seem like a different person after returning from Nanliang!"
Zhu Dan knelt there without saying a word. He had never known that Yun'er was here before, so he had no sense of self in his life, only the desire to please others.
But things are different now.
Zhang Zhongwei was so frightened that cold sweat poured down his forehead. How could there be no peace and quiet every day? He had been an old eunuch for decades, but all of that had happened this year. If this continued, he would be scared to death one day.
"Your Highness, please don't be so stubborn with the Emperor."
Zhang Zhongwei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and handed a cup of tea to the old emperor: "Your Majesty, please calm down. His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't figured it out yet. He will understand your good intentions."
The old emperor was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he was panting heavily. He glanced at Zhang Zhongwei, who was helping him to sit down.
Zhang Zhongwei nodded to him, and the old emperor took a deep breath, picked up his tea and took a sip, gradually suppressing his anger and stopping his cough. He then waved for Zhang Zhongwei to leave.
Zhang Zhongwei bowed and left the imperial study, leaving only the father and son inside.
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