It turned out they had come to ask her for a marriage decree. Xingxing seemed thoughtful, and exchanged a glance with Zhu Lin, who had been silent beside her. The latter smiled slightly at her and continued to remain silent.
"Since I have granted your request, and this marriage is not too difficult to arrange, fine. Go out and receive ten strokes of the cane first. Tomorrow I will send someone to the Minister of Revenue's residence to issue the imperial decree of marriage to Tie Qingfeng. You can go back and wait for your wedding." Xingxing agreed without much thought.
"This humble woman thanks Your Majesty." After expressing her gratitude, Song Jiao happily went out to receive the ten strokes of the cane. Although she was going to suffer, His Majesty had promised to grant her and Tie Qingfeng a marriage, so the punishment was worth it.
After Song Jiao left, Zhu Lin asked in confusion, "Why did you agree to bestow a marriage upon Song Jiao? Wasn't that too easy on her?"
"Of course, it's because I don't like her or Tie Qingfeng. Since neither of them is the person I like, and Tie Qingfeng is unwilling to marry Song Jiao, but Song Jiao insists on marrying him, I will grant their wish and see if they become a resentful couple after marriage, or if they can let bygones be bygones." Xingxing gently touched her already bulging belly and said in a soft voice.
Sigh, she didn't have any bad intentions, she just wanted to see others make fools of themselves. Sigh, life in the palace is really stifling, she'll go crazy if she doesn't find some fun.
A bad mood can affect the fetus in her womb. For the sake of the child, she has to find something new to do. It's just a matter of granting a marriage, a simple matter of a word.
However, Tie Qingfeng turned 20 last year and has not yet married. It seems that he is not in a hurry to settle down. This time, Song Jiao came to the capital in a hurry to win over Tie Qingfeng. It seems that Tie Qingfeng has found someone he likes and wants to marry. I just don't know which young lady he has his eye on.
"Someone come here," Xingxing summoned her guards, "Go and investigate which woman the Minister of Revenue's son, Tie Qingfeng, has been spending a lot of time with lately, whether they are having an affair, and whether Tie Qingfeng has any intention of marrying her."
"Yes, Your Excellency obeys." The guard rose and withdrew.
"You focus all your attention on these trivial matters, while leaving all the political affairs to me. You really don't care about your husband at all," Zhu Lin complained, feigning grievance.
Xingxing felt a little guilty, but she was pregnant, so it was understandable that she was being lazy. After all, Brother Lin was too capable. Xingxing could only secretly rejoice in her heart, but she dared not show it directly, otherwise someone would get angry.
That evening, the guard brought back news of Tie Qingfeng. The guard said, "Tie Qingfeng, the son of Tie Yusheng, the Minister of Revenue, went out of the city with the Imperial Guard last month to capture Japanese pirates. After killing dozens of pirates, he rescued a girl on the way back."
Tie Qingfeng has done a great service this time, as the Japanese pirates he killed were none other than the masked man and his group.
The girl he rescued was no ordinary person; she was Song Xiyan, the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. Tie Qingfeng happened to be leading a group to clear the battlefield when he suddenly heard a woman's cries for help in the distance. He led his men to investigate and rescued Song Xiyan, who had overturned her carriage.
Song Xiyan drove the carriage herself, wandering aimlessly along the road, unable to discern directions. Later, for some reason, the horse pulling the carriage suddenly went out of control and galloped wildly forward for half an hour. Finally, the horse was so exhausted that it overturned, and the carriage overturned into a ditch along with it.
Song Xiyan was unconscious for a long time. She didn't know how long it was before she woke up. She shouted for help, and luckily, the imperial army was chasing the Japanese pirates. When she woke up, the Japanese pirates had all been eliminated.
In short, Tie Qingfeng brought the disheveled Song Xiyan back to the city. Song Xiyan was frightened and did not reveal her identity at the time. Tie Qingfeng then settled her in a house outside the Tie family mansion.
After a while, the two of them fell in love. For the first time, Tie Qingfeng felt like he had truly fallen in love with a woman. He was already twenty-one years old and had not yet married. However, he had a maidservant when he was sixteen and later took two concubines. But he did not really like those concubines.
Song Jiao had liked him since childhood, and he knew it. However, he never thought of marrying Song Jiao. First of all, there was a gap in social status between the two families, and his mother didn't think much of the Song family. His father didn't object, but he didn't care about the affairs of the household, so he didn't interfere in his marriage and let him and his mother decide for themselves.
He wanted to enjoy himself for a few more years and didn't want to marry a wife who would keep him at home. Although he wasn't someone who could be controlled, having someone nagging in his ear was always annoying. He decided to postpone getting married for a few more years. Anyway, with his status, he wasn't worried about not being able to find a wife.
Tie Qingfeng is also a man of real talent and learning. He has passed the preliminary examination, the county examination, and the provincial examination. Now he is just waiting to pass the metropolitan examination and become a Jinshi. At that time, he can enter the court as an official without relying on his father.
If he can pass the imperial examination, the matchmakers will wear down the gates of the Minister's mansion.
However, that was his previous thought. After getting to know Song Xiyan, he was gradually attracted by her appearance and talent. Moreover, the family background of the number one family in Jiangnan was not low, so he was quite satisfied.
Song Xiyan was also satisfied with Tie Qingfeng's appearance and admired his talent. The two felt like they had known each other for a long time and hit it off immediately. They both believed that they were a match made in heaven and destined for each other.
After recovering from her injuries, Song Xiyan returned to her maternal grandfather's residence. Soon after, the Tie family sent someone to propose marriage. The two families had a good relationship to begin with, and since the two young people had chosen each other, how could the elders object?
Just as they were about to exchange betrothal gifts and finalize the marriage, Song Jiao suddenly arrived in the capital. She couldn't stay in Nanyang Prefecture any longer; her family kept pressuring her to get married quickly and stop waiting for Tie Qingfeng, who clearly didn't like her. If she dragged it out any longer, she would only suffer.
Girls and men cannot be compared. Tie Qingfeng can still take the imperial examination to raise his status, and it is not a problem for him to get married when he is a little older. But Song Jiao is already an old maid. If she waits a few more years, she will be old and faded, and in the end, she will probably have to be sent to a nunnery to spend the rest of her life.
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