Chapter 66 The Marriage.
When Chu Heng arrived, Yongkang was resting his chin on his hand and looking up at the thrush under the eaves.
"Fifth Brother, tell me, what's the difference between me and a bird in a cage?" Yongkang, who was usually lively and clever, looked dejected. "I'm not even as good as this bird. At least it doesn't have to think about anything."
Chu Heng also looked at the bird: "According to you, everyone in this world is actually living in a cage, and everyone has their own reasons for not being able to do it."
Yongkang was silent for a moment, then said, "Why don't I just become a monk? It's quiet and peaceful there."
“If you become a monk now, the Empress Dowager will personally hang you,” Chu Heng said indifferently.
Even though the Empress Dowager was no longer as concerned about her reputation as before, she still managed to force her own daughter to become a nun.
If Yongkang dares to slap her in the face like this, the Empress Dowager will really take her life.
Yongkang scoffed, "Am I afraid of dying?"
Chu Heng said, "There's still room for maneuver while you're alive, but once you're dead, you really have nothing left."
Yongkang was confused: "What turnaround? The Emperor is overjoyed now. He can't wait to marry me off to the Fang family, but he doesn't seem to realize that's the Empress Dowager's family. What use is the Eldest Princess to the Empress Dowager!"
"Now that you've figured it out, what were you doing yesterday?" Chu Heng turned to look at her. "But you really couldn't have tolerated being bullied to this extent."
Now that they're forcibly bringing them together, Chu Heng really can't imagine what the Empress Dowager will do next. When did she become like this? Has she really reached the age of senility?
Yongkang snorted, "Fifth Brother, don't talk about me, do you think you could do it?"
Chu Heng retorted, "Do you think I've spared Wen An?"
"Then you and I are indeed born of the same mother." Yongkang shrugged. "Fifth Brother, what did you mean by 'turning things around' just now?"
Chu Heng smiled and said, "It's because you offended the Empress Dowager so badly that His Majesty is playing the role of a good elder brother, which is perfect for pressing the advantage."
Yongkang finally perked up a bit: "Press the attack on our victory? Oh, I understand what you mean. If I go and plead my case now, the Emperor might not marry me off to the Fang family..."
"You can go and say no, I'll bring it up with His Majesty later," Chu Heng interrupted her.
Yongkang quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Fifth Brother!"
“However…” Chu Heng added, “Don’t relax too soon, your choice of consort is still a problem.”
As the Empress Dowager's daughter and the Emperor's younger sister, Yongkang's marriage was destined to involve too many complexities.
Yongkang pondered for a while and said, "Too bad won't do, too good won't do either. How about... I marry a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), the kind from an ordinary background. If I wait a few years, I should be able to find one or two, right?"
Chu Heng was speechless for a moment, then said, "Ten years of hard study, little sister, you're just going to ruin his career like this? Aren't you afraid he'll kill someone in the middle of the night?"
Yongkang argued, "But he can bestow favors upon his family and brothers."
Chu Heng said, "That's good. Then you should marry into the Fang family. Your own brother will definitely be satisfied. Are you happy?"
Yongkang: "..."
Chu Heng pondered for a moment and said, "I have an idea. Our aunts, preferably those who are no longer alive and who don't show off, should be able to see if any of your peers are in their families."
The eldest princess's son is naturally a good match for her, and the marriage would strengthen their kinship. Even if his family doesn't have any influential figures in the court, the emperor can still find a reason to support him.
Yongkang said thoughtfully, "I understand."
Chu Heng added, "And then there's more."
Yongkang waited for a while, but there was no further news. He asked in surprise, "What else is there, Fifth Brother? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Chu Heng smiled and said, "I helped you, shouldn't you express your gratitude?"
Yongkang was indeed very grateful to him, so he decisively said, "Tell me, Fifth Brother, as long as I can help you."
Chu Heng said solemnly, "There is only one thing. From now on, when your fifth sister-in-law goes to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, keep an eye on the situation at Renshou Palace. If the Empress Dowager makes things difficult for her, you should send someone to the Prince's Mansion to report the news."
Whether the Empress Dowager will personally intervene next time, and when she will do so, remains uncertain. Chu Heng must make preparations as early as possible.
Yongkang was taken aback: "Why do you do this? Could it be..."
Has the Empress Dowager already made things difficult for Sister Lin?
“You don’t need to ask,” Chu Heng said. “I only ask you to do this one thing.”
The Empress Dowager is indeed capable of anything. Yongkang nodded vigorously: "Fifth Brother, don't worry, I will protect Sister Lin!"
Chu Heng smiled at her address. The connection between Fifth Sister-in-law and Lin Sister-in-law was established through Chu Heng, but Lin Sister was only between Yongkang and Daiyu, the latter being obviously closer.
...
After leaving Yongkang, Chu Heng went to Renshou Palace. As soon as they met, the Empress Dowager grabbed his hand and cried.
"I carried her for ten months before giving birth to her, would I possibly harm her? What did she do? She gave me attitude in front of outsiders, and I still covered for her. But she didn't appreciate it at all, and she almost cursed me behind my back. How can there be such an unfilial daughter in the world!"
Chu Heng knew immediately that with the Empress Dowager here, there was no turning back for her and Yongkang. The Empress Dowager would never back down, and even if Yongkang did, the Empress Dowager would hold a grudge against her for the rest of her life.
Fortunately, Yongkang lived much longer than the Empress Dowager.
Chu Heng said, "Girls are more reserved after all. Mother, think about it carefully. It's precisely because Yongkang has good rules that this little thing happened. Even though it was wrong for her to talk back to me, in my opinion, it was you who was in the wrong in this matter."
The Empress Dowager glared angrily and said, "You and the Emperor both say the same thing. Do you think I don't know etiquette and manners? Do you think I'm trying to harm her?"
Chu Heng said, "Mother's original intention was naturally good, but even the wisest person can make a mistake. Since it is for Yongkang's good, it must be good if Yongkang thinks it is good. Don't you think so?"
The Empress Dowager glared at him: "You listen to her completely? Ha, I've wasted decades of my life!"
Chu Heng knew that the Empress Dowager only needed others to acknowledge and flatter her.
“Mother, Yongkang has even said she’s going to die, you can’t just abandon her life, can you?” Chu Heng said helplessly.
The Empress Dowager then fell silent.
Whether she truly cared about Yongkang's life or not, she certainly wouldn't admit it outwardly.
Chu Heng continued, “Mother, in my opinion, things have already come to this point. If the Li family is no good, then let’s just forget about the Fang family. Are these the only two families in the world with good men? We can just choose someone from another family. Yongkang can wait another year or two anyway.”
"Easy for you to say." The Empress Dowager snorted and slowly leaned back on the soft pillow behind her, but her attitude had clearly softened because Chu Heng's words had hit the nail on the head.
As long as Yongkang is alive, she will never be able to marry her off to the Li family as she wishes, but it would be good if the emperor could not have his way.
The Empress Dowager may not care about the children's happiness, but it's not accurate to say she completely disregarded their lives and safety.
Chu Heng believed that the Empress Dowager would disregard their lives because of his past experiences.
The Empress Dowager is now old and not as willing to go all out as she used to be.
After all, she is now the Empress Dowager, a position of great power and prestige. If she had taken one more step back then, she could have ascended to the throne.
The state of mind they experienced was completely different from what they had experienced on the previous day.
The Empress Dowager said she had a headache and needed to rest, so she told Chu Heng to leave and he returned to Haiyan Palace.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, Yongkang is much better and won't try to kill himself. Mother is also doing well, but she's still angry with Yongkang. I tried to persuade her a bit, and she listened to me somewhat."
The emperor put down his vermilion brush: "That's good. But for the time being, I dare not mention Yongkang's marriage. If something really happens to her, I will not be able to face my late father in the future."
Chu Heng seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, "Since it is a family matter, Your Majesty, I will speak frankly. Now that the Li family is no longer a good family, it is not good to bring up the Fang family again. It will easily remind Yongkang of the past. It would be better to choose another family. We cannot have only those two families with good sons in the whole world."
The emperor pondered for a moment. Now that things had come to this, he felt he had the upper hand over the Empress Dowager, since Yongkang had refused to listen to her to the death.
As for whether or not to marry into the Fang family, the emperor had actually considered it for a long time. Even if she was a direct descendant, a young woman who had not yet entered the court could not weaken the Fang family in any way. At present, the pillars of the Fang family were active in the court, and dealing with them was the most urgent task. It was one thing to quarrel with the Empress Dowager, but it was more important not to let it interfere with important matters.
"I'll think about it some more, there's no rush." The emperor rubbed his forehead. "Marriages for daughters are difficult to arrange, but fortunately my princesses are still young, so there's no need to rush into marriages, otherwise I would really be worried to death."
Chu Heng's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "My nieces are not in a hurry, but Your Majesty, your nephews will have to trouble you. The eldest prince and the second prince are both thirteen this year, right? Good girls are hard to find, it's time to start looking for them."
They would look at each other for a year and a half, and then prepare for the wedding for another year and a half, until they were sixteen or seventeen years old when they got married.
The emperor followed this procedure back then.
The emperor was reminded of the past and couldn't help but think of the unresolved succession. He then picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and said casually, "They are both still young. Even Yongkang, their aunt, isn't in a hurry. Why should they be in a hurry? No hurry."
Chu Heng smiled and said, "You are right, Your Majesty."
You'd better not be in a hurry.
...
Because he had spent the morning in the palace, Chu Heng returned home a little late in the afternoon, but he sent Zhao Qing to inform Daiyu in advance.
Chu Heng changed into casual clothes and came out. Daiyu handed him a water cup and asked, "How is Yongkang?"
Zhao Qing had just reported on what happened in the palace today, and Daiyu couldn't help but worry.
"By sheer luck, at least she's in a better position than before, caught between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor." Chu Heng smiled. "However, the Empress Dowager will definitely look down on her from now on."
Daiyu pouted and said, "I think the Empress Dowager doesn't like anyone."
She's fighting with her eldest son, making things difficult for her youngest daughter-in-law, and even driving her youngest daughter to the brink of collapse. The Empress Dowager is also quite old. Daiyu really doesn't understand what she's doing!
"Flatter her, flatter her, coax her, obey her." Chu Heng counted on his fingers, "The Empress Dowager likes this."
He lowered his head and nuzzled Daiyu's nose: "People like us are hated by the Empress Dowager."
Daiyu was amused by him: "Thinking about it this way, it's actually a good thing that I'm not liked by the Empress Dowager. I don't want to be a lapdog."
Chu Heng smiled too.
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