Chapter 56: Proposal for marriage, Songjiang City is in turmoil
Gu Youan suddenly broke the news, shocking Madam Du to the core. She was so anxious she kept muttering, "You didn't even discuss this important matter of marriage with me and your father, and you actually made the decision on your own. Your father and I are really too indulgent towards you. You've never been spanked before, and you really don't know the severity of it."
A Xuan raised her hands: "I was beaten."
Mrs. Du slapped her hand and said, "Shut up, no one is asking you."
Axuan was very good at reading mother's expressions. Seeing that her mother was really angry, she didn't dare to go over and silently shrank towards her sister.
Gu Youan was also a sinner at this moment, and did not dare to speak. He hugged his sister, and the two sisters huddled in a corner together.
The conversation between the mother and daughter was heard by the servant driving the carriage outside, but Mrs. Wei did not dare to spread the news. When the carriage arrived at the house, the Du mother and daughter entered the house.
Sister Wei didn't catch up with the mistress and the young lady. She turned around and whispered to the coachman, "You're an old man in the mansion now. You know what's important and what's not. You need to know what to say and what not to say.
The groom hurriedly said that he dared not, as he would never talk about his master's affairs.
In just two words, Gu Wen and his son Gu Wenqing returned. Gu Wenqing jumped out of the carriage and asked, "What's the severity? What happened?"
"It's a big deal, a very big deal, Master and Young Master, please go into the house and ask the Madam and Young Miss." Mrs. Wei was so anxious that she stamped her feet.
Gu Wen and Gu Wenqing looked at each other and immediately turned and went into the house.
Wang Quan asked in a low voice, "What's the matter with all the panic?"
Mrs. Wei hesitated and said, "It's not a bad thing, but..."
"You're really driving me crazy. Stop saying buts and just tell me."
Mrs. Wei stamped her feet and groaned, then moved closer to the man and whispered something. Wang Quan's eyes suddenly lit up, and his voice trembled, "How could our young lady be so lucky?"
"It is said that our young lady is the most like our master. She has done such a great thing without making any noise."
"You saw it today too. The ladies and daughters of the Meng and Yuan families lost all their dignity in front of all the officials and their wives in Songjiang City, and they didn't even get a single good look from Prince Qi. The prince didn't even take a sip of wine before turning around and walking away. Everyone kept quiet, but in their hearts, they were watching the Meng and Yuan families' excitement."
"Oh! I never thought that our young lady would accomplish such a great feat!"
"When will Prince Qi come to propose marriage? Did the young lady tell you?"
Wang Quan was so excited that he was spinning in circles: "It's not enough to just say it. We have to get it done before we can tell anyone about it. Otherwise, our young lady's reputation will be ruined."
Wang Quan couldn't stop talking, and he was even more concerned about the official positions of the master and the young master, and the young lady's medicinal materials business. If the young lady became the Princess of Qi, their Gu family would be powerful and wealthy, and would definitely be a first-class family except for the Prince Qi's Mansion.
Seeing the man so excited, Wei's wife couldn't help but pour cold water on him: "Don't be in a hurry. Madam won't be happy if she knows about this."
Wang Quan was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "Yes, the master and the mistress both hope that the young lady will marry into a family that is easy to manage, so that she can live a quiet life in the future."
If other families had such a great thing happen, they would definitely tie the young lady up and put her in the wedding sedan. However, the master and mistress of this family both doted on their daughter very much and would definitely not do that.
When Wang Quan thought of this, he was no longer excited.
In the room, Gu Youan told the whole content of her conversation with Prince Qi without reservation. Gu Wen and Mrs. Du had dark faces, and Gu Wenqing seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Arranging a marriage for herself was indeed too extraordinary. Gu Youan was afraid that her parents would really teach her a lesson, so she said cautiously, "Since it's just the right time, and since I have this opportunity, I would rather be the first than the last. Dad, Mom, don't you agree?"
Mrs. Du was so angry that she stood up and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is your lifelong event, not a business transaction. How can you calculate it?"
"It's not all calculation. I actually like him..."
It's just that her love seems superficial at the moment, but their relationship may not get better in the future.
Mrs. Du wanted to scold the girl, but Gu Wen shook his head at her.
"Dad..." Gu Youan's tone was pitiful.
Gu Wen sighed, "Prince Qi... I'm being frank with you. With your intelligence, you should know that if you become Prince Qi's consort, there will be no turning back."
If Prince Qi breaks off relations with the imperial court in the future, and his daughter marries into an ordinary family, their family will still have a way to survive even if Prince Qi dies and Songjiang City is destroyed.
But if his daughter is the Princess of Qi, the couple will be one. If the Prince of Qi is defeated in the future, his daughter will either lose her life or become a prisoner. Gu Wen is very worried about his daughter.
Gu Youan knew this very well. She looked at her parents, her brother, and Axuan and smiled, "I'm not afraid. I'm just afraid of getting you into trouble. I've thought about it. If you don't want to, I'll go back and reject him."
"You're messing around again. Prince Qi isn't a pushover. You agreed and then went back on your word. What good can our family expect?"
"That……"
Gu Wen glanced at his youngest daughter and solemnly asked his eldest son, "Wenqing, what do you mean? Do you agree?"
Gu Wenqing hummed, "Since my sister is willing, then agree. If that day comes, we can think of a solution. There is no place for us to stay in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but we can go to the frontier and overseas, and we are not completely without a way out."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "I didn't expect that big brother would have such a plan."
Gu Wenqing glanced at his sister and said helplessly, "Don't think you're the only one who's smart. Do you think others can't think of it?"
A near-death retreat is difficult to prepare, the path is difficult to navigate, and there's no guarantee of escape. It's not that people in the past couldn't think of it; they simply didn't have the ability to do it.
Ah Xuan didn't understand what her brother and sister said. She sat there obediently. Gu Youan pinched her hand and said, "Ah Xuan..."
Mrs. Du hurriedly stopped him, "Don't ask her. What would she know? If she knew, she'd tell everyone and it would cause trouble."
A Xuan was dissatisfied: "Mom, you are talking nonsense. A Xuan will never go out and say such nonsense."
"Yes, yes, little ancestor, be a good boy. Stay at home for the next few days and don't go out."
The Meng family and the Yuan family are still in Songjiang City. These two families are very powerful. If they knew that the fat piece of meat they have been eyeing for many years finally fell into the hands of the Gu family, they would be angry and do something bad. Their family really can't afford it.
"Mother, don't worry, Prince Qi is a smart man, he will handle it."
"Do you trust him so much?" Gu Wenqing couldn't help asking.
"I don't necessarily believe his intentions towards me, but I trust his brain. If he really wants to marry me, he will take care of the affairs of the Meng and Yuan families."
"What if he doesn't handle it well?"
"That means I misjudged him."
Gu Youan didn't believe that someone as smart as King Qi would not know her situation. If the Gu family was bullied by the Meng and Yuan families, she could only acquiesce in his indulgence.
They are all smart people. Prince Qi will not underestimate Gu Youan, nor will he allow any accidents to happen in his marriage.
That night, an urgent letter came from the Northeast Army, saying that there might be changes in the food and salary arrangements for the Northeast Army this year. Meng Chuan and his wife decided to return early the next morning. That night, Meng Chuan met with King Qi again.
Prince Qi: "Zhou Xuan now controls most of the garrisons in the southwest and northwest. He's just not sure about the most important garrisons in the north. He's using me as an excuse to use food and money to control the Northeast Army, the first to act. Uncle, you should understand."
Meng Chuan naturally understood, but said: "After all, my Northeast Army is the army of the imperial court. We receive the imperial court's food and wages, and we should obey the emperor's orders. If the emperor does not believe in the loyalty of my Northeast Army, it is not a bad idea for me to go to Luoyang to pay a visit to the emperor in person."
Meng Chuan showed an expression as if he wanted to lean towards the emperor, but his slightly weathered eyes were fixed on Prince Qi's face.
Prince Qi's lips curled up slightly: "My cousin is right. You are a military officer appointed by the court, so you should obey the court's orders."
Prince Qi refused to give in and even used his words to block his mouth. Meng Chuan sneered: "Zhou Qi, don't think that my Meng family can't succeed without you."
Prince Qi sat down with his back leaning against the armchair, looking relaxed, but his words were heartbreaking. He said, "Most of the northern border garrisons, led by the Northern Governor, have sent women to the palace, and many have given birth to princes and princesses. If you, my cousin, want to show your loyalty, you must quickly catch up with the other families, otherwise it will be too late."
"Zhou Qi, you..." Meng Chuan almost fell over in anger.
Prince Qi's words were truly poisonous. He laughed and said, "If I were here, after my cousin, I could at least ensure the prosperity of the Meng family. If it were Zhou Xuan, I'm afraid that as soon as you step down as the General of the Northeast, not only will the children and grandchildren of the Meng family be able to enjoy their old age, my cousin, I'm not sure."
Prince Qi made his words clear, and they hit the nail on the head about what Meng Chuan was most worried about, and Meng Chuan had no way of refutating them.
Meng Chuan tried to ease the atmosphere. He said, "My Meng family needs the Qi Palace to mediate. Don't you also need to control the Northeast Army through my Meng family? The Meng family and you have long been tied together. It would be good for both you and me if you married a daughter of the Meng family. Why are you unwilling?"
Meng Chuan gave in, but Prince Qi's words were even more cutting: "I look down upon the daughter of your Meng family."
Meng Chuan tried hard to suppress his inner anger, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "If you are not worthy of being my wife, how about being my concubine?"
Prince Qi said in a playful tone: "Marry a virtuous wife, take a beautiful concubine, your Meng family, Yuan family..."
“That’s enough!”
Meng Chuan didn't want to hear Prince Qi disdain his daughter, so he rudely interrupted him, "That's enough! I'll leave early tomorrow morning. I just want to remind you that the issue of food and wages cannot be lost. Losing food and wages means losing the morale of the army. You should be aware of this."
"Don't worry, cousin. I know everything."
Meng Chuan left Prince Qi's Mansion angrily. Zhou Chen personally escorted him out of the mansion. When Zhou Chen returned to the main courtyard, he saw Xu Zhi standing at the door of the main courtyard, looking at him and smiling.
"Boy, what are you laughing at?"
Xu Zhi looked like a smug villain and said, "Don't ask me, Mr. Zhou. You'll know when the time comes."
Zhou Chen had a bad feeling in his heart, as if something was about to get out of control. Many people in the palace knew it, but he didn't.
Zhou Chen took a step forward, smiling, but Xu Zhi hurriedly stopped him: "No, Master Zhou, please let me go. We servants dare not talk nonsense about our master's affairs. You know the rules of the palace."
Xu Zhi ran away, and Zhou Chen was so angry that his teeth were itching. This sly guy would fall into his hands sooner or later.
There was no stupid servant who could serve Prince Qi closely. No matter who Xu Zhi asked, he could not get a single word out. The only ones who could do that were the chief eunuch Liu Ling, who was in charge of the affairs of Prince Qi's mansion's rear house, and his godson Liu Zhong. There was no need for them to ask personally. With the master's instructions, Xu Zhi had already told them everything about the future princess.
When Liu Ling heard that his godson had such a bright future, he didn't care about his frail body which was still taking medicine, and took out two taels of silver and asked Liu Zhong to buy a pot of wine and two side dishes.
"The prince has me in his heart. You have a bright future. You don't have to worry about being left alone after I die."
"Thank you, godfather, for your concern, son."
Liu Zhong respectfully poured wine for his godfather. The two of them drank a glass, and Liu Ling kept saying that the wine was good.
His heart felt relaxed and bright, and the wine in his throat seemed even more intoxicating. Liu Ling smiled and said, "Another glass."
"Godfather, you're still taking medicine, so just have a drink to cheer yourself up."
Liu Ling pretended to be angry: "You little brat, you haven't even become a servant to the princess yet, and you're already controlling me, your godfather?"
A helpless smile appeared on Liu Zhong's honest face. "The prince said that he hopes you can live a few more years, and you also agreed. You can't go back on your word and ruin your health."
Liu Ling put down his wine glass. It was fine. His old bones would have to live a few more years. Maybe he could even see the birth of the young master and see the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty take over.
Liu Ling was beaten with a stick for taking the blame for his master. Eunuchs are not in good health as they get older, and his health has become even worse after he injured his lungs. Now he has to take medicine every few days. If it weren't for the thoughts in his heart, his life would be really hard to endure.
"Liu Zhong, let me teach you something."
"Godfather, you say."
Liu Ling slowly leaned back in his chair, his old eyes gazing into space as he said quietly, "A master is a master. No matter if the princess was once the daughter of a criminal or whatever her status is, as long as she enters Prince Qi's mansion, she is the princess's master. You must serve her wholeheartedly and never neglect her."
"My son knows." Liu Zhong lowered his head and listened to the lecture.
Liu Ling smiled and said, "Anyone who catches our master's eye must be good. I heard that he even led his own team in business and built up a fortune from nothing to become the head of the Songjiang City herbal medicine business. It wasn't easy."
Smart people are hard to fool, so just serve your master with a loyal heart. A loyal servant who follows a good master will never have a bad end.
Liu Ling sighed. Since arriving in Songjiang City, the prince has been preoccupied with important matters. The master has appointed officials from outside the city, and they are often on the road. The eunuchs who followed him from Luoyang have been neglected and unable to contribute.
Things will be different in the future with a female master. With the female master giving orders, it will be much easier for eunuchs to act.
As long as you can get things done, the power in your hands will naturally come back.
That kid named Zhou Chen has been proud for a few years, haha, things change over time, it’s their turn now.
The Meng and Yuan families came and went quickly. They left Songjiang Prefecture early the next morning. The next day after they left, it was a beautiful day with clear skies.
Qi Wang's former husband Su Guang acted as a matchmaker and went to the Gu family in Minren Lane to propose marriage, which caused a sensation in the whole Songjiang City.
Princess Qi is actually the shopkeeper Gu!
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