Chapter 221: Granted Marriage (Two Chapters Combined into One)
The next day, when he returned to the Ministry of Revenue, Xiao Mo found out that someone had indeed come to report the fire in Yang Shengqiu's house. The person who reported the fire was a young man, and the yamen runners who had seen the young man believed it without a doubt, because the young man looked disheveled and smokey, and it was obvious that he had just come from the fire scene.
Wherever there are people, there will be gossip, even in the six ministries where many Jinshi scholars gather.
The six ministries were on the same street, so this street was called Liubu Street.
For some reason, this matter got out, and when it reached Yang Shengqiu's ears again, it had become that Yang Shengqiu wanted to ask for leave, but was worried that the Minister would not allow it, so he asked his neighbor to report a false letter.
Why are you sure it’s fake?
Because that day was the full moon celebration for the eldest grandson of the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, people from all the six ministries went to the banquet. Old Chen from the Ministry of War happened to be at the same table with Master Yan San, the commander of the West City Division. He personally confirmed that the fire brigade of the West City Division had not moved for ten days and was very idle.
This means that the entire West City has not had a flood for ten consecutive days.
Yang Shengqiu's home is in Xicheng. Did his house catch fire in his dream?
Old Chen was a military officer, famous for his loud voice and big mouth. Before the banquet was over, everyone in the other six ministries knew about this matter.
Someone from the Ministry of Revenue was also present, and the matter reached the ears of the Minister of Revenue the next day.
The Minister scolded Yang Shengqiu without saying a word.
The Minister was a top scholar in the imperial examination and had served as an imperial censor. He was sharp in both speech and writing. More importantly, whether he was a Minister or a Minister of the Chancellery, he was an independent minister.
The Ministry of Revenue was the purse of the Yong Dynasty. The two people specially selected by Emperor Yongjia had the same characteristic, that is, they would not take sides. Unless they were the retired emperor or the emperor, no one could make them bow their heads.
Standing behind Yang Shengqiu was Feng Ke, but the Minister was not afraid because Feng Ke had been eyeing the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for several years and wanted to arrange for one of his own people to be transferred over, but unfortunately he had never succeeded. This Minister, who was born as the top scholar in the imperial examination, was like a nail in this position, and Feng Ke had no way to deal with him.
Just like now, Yang Shengqiu is having a hard time in the Ministry of Revenue. How could Feng Ke not know this?
He knows.
But he didn't make a move.
Why?
Because he was watching. If Yang Shengqiu couldn't even handle this little thing, then he would be useless and not worthy of his help.
After Yang Shengqiu went to Feng's house twice in a row and failed to see Feng Ke, he understood what was going on.
If he wants to be valued, the first thing is that you can stand up. If you can't stand up, you are useless.
Anyone who can enter the officialdom is the hope of the family and a dragon and phoenix among men.
But how many people can rise to success and achieve fame?
After Yang Shengqiu figured this out, he calmed down and immersed himself in dealing with the mountain of paperwork.
When Xiuxiu returned to Tianjing Hutong that day, Xia Dachuan had not returned yet.
Xiuxiu didn't know that Xia Dachuan had followed her out quietly. She didn't care, and neither did anyone else. What could happen to a strong young man with martial arts skills?
It was not until late at night that Xia Dachuan returned dejectedly.
It started snowing at night and the ground turned white in a short time.
When Lao Yu opened the door, he saw Xia Dachuan, dressed in white and with a dull look in his eyes.
"Xiao Xia, where have you been? Why are you so late? Come in quickly."
Lao Yu had been a pirate all his life, never married, and had no children. He liked Xia Dachuan very much because Xia Dachuan was dark-skinned and looked very much like the people on the ship.
He dragged Xia Dachuan to the gatehouse to warm himself by the fire. There were roasted peanuts and chestnuts on the stove. Lao Yu put the uneaten sesame cakes on the fire to roast and said to Xia Dachuan, "These are Wang Ji's sesame cakes. Miss Xiu Xiu brought them back. You have to queue up to buy Wang Ji's sesame cakes. I want to save these two for tomorrow morning. You are in for a treat."
Xia Dachuan had been standing there in a daze, but when he heard Lao Yu's words, his eyes widened. "Master Yu, who brought this sesame seed cake back?"
Lao Yu: "Miss Xiuxiu."
Xia Dachuan: "When did she bring it back?"
Lao Yu didn't understand why Xia Dachuan was so serious about this, so he said, "Today, this afternoon, she gave me three. I ate one in the evening, and there were two left."
Xia Dachuan suddenly came to life: "Miss Xiuxiu is back? Didn't she let the photographer take her away?"
Lao Yu hit him on the head and said, "You little bastard, can't you say something nice? Miss Xiuxiu is fine, why did she let the flower shopper take her away?"
Xia Dachuan grinned and smiled like a fool.
Lao Yu's heart moved, and he looked at him with squinted eyes: "Don't have any bad thoughts, boy. Miss Xiuxiu is not a maid, she is the younger sister of the Second Young Lady. Besides, although her parents are dead, she still has her family, so she is not an orphan without anyone to rely on. What's more, she has the Second Young Lady's support. If the Second Young Lady knows that you are thinking of hitting on her younger sister, I will see how the old man will deal with you."
Xia Dachuan quickly shook his head: "No, no, I don't dare, I really don't dare."
Miss Xiuxiu is beautiful, intelligent, and skillful. She is something a poor guard like him can never dream of. As long as Miss Xiuxiu is safe and sound, he will be satisfied.
The next day, Xiuxiu took Zhang Ye to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for silver. Ten taels of silver was not a small amount, and she had already thought about how to spend it.
As soon as I arrived at the door of the Ministry of Revenue, before I had time to ask the gatekeeper, Xiao Mo came to meet me.
He has been waiting for a long time.
Yang Shengqiu said that when Xiuxiu came, he would give her the silver, and he must not let Xiuxiu talk to the yamen runners, and he must not let anyone know that Xiuxiu came to see him.
Xiuxiu had met Xiao Mo and knew that he was Yang Shengqiu's personal attendant. She took the ten taels of silver from Xiao Mo and left happily with Zhang Ye.
Looking at the backs of the two, one big and one small, walking away, Xiao Mo felt sorry for his master in his heart. This time, the master really lost more than he gained, as he was cheated out of ten taels of silver by this village girl.
Although ten taels of silver is not a lot, it is a considerable sum for Yang Shengqiu, who has no family background and lives on salary.
As soon as Xiuxiu came back that day, she told Zhao Shiqing everything about her meeting with Yang Shengqiu.
A few days later, Zhao Shiqing learned from Xiao Zhen that Yang Shengqiu had someone falsely report a fire. She didn't expect that Xiuxiu's outrageous move would have such consequences. After being stunned, Zhao Shiqing burst into laughter.
After the first month of the year and the second day of the second month, it was the day when Zhao Tingxuan left Beijing.
Zhao Shiqing saw him off a day in advance. Both brother and sister knew that after this separation, they didn't know when they would meet again.
Zhao Tingxuan's eyes were red from crying. He said to Zhao Shiqing, "Little sister, mother is not a bad person. Don't bear a grudge against her."
Zhao Shiqing nodded: "I don't hold grudges. I will avenge my grudges in person."
Zhao Tingxuan......
He had no choice but to change the subject: "When my eldest sister gets married, will you go back to Liangdi to see her off?"
Zhao Shiqing felt that her second brother was just making small talk: "I'm not sending her off, I'm picking her up."
Zhao Tingxuan wanted to give a few more instructions, but he didn't know what to say. Between him and his younger sister, it seemed that his younger sister gave him more instructions.
Zhao Shiqing: "When we return to the palace, the old princess will definitely nag at you and try to sow discord between you and my brother. She wants you to replace my brother. Although my brother is also her biological child, he has been in the capital since he was a child and is not close to her. Besides, you listen to her, but my brother won't listen to her."
Zhao Tingxuan was half-believing and half-doubting. In the past, he would never have believed it, but after Zhao Yunnuan was forced to marry far away, his trust in the Nie family was greatly reduced.
But he subconsciously defended Nie: "Even if Big Brother wasn't raised by Mother, he's still Mother's own flesh and blood, born after ten months of pregnancy. Besides, there are no bad parents in the world. Even if Mother was angry for a moment, she wouldn't really want to sow discord between Big Brother and me."
Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, when you meet her, she'll definitely tell you that big brother is soft-hearted and only listens to big sister and sister. Big sister is a vixen, and marrying her will bring misfortune to the family. As for sister, she'll definitely say that she's ambitious and wants to undermine big brother. She said that the reason she let her sister marry in the capital was all for big brother's benefit, and that sister got a good marriage, the best of both worlds. She'll also tell you that she was treated harshly and tortured in the palace, and all of this was caused by your unwillingness to fight for it. If you still have any filial piety, you can't just sit back and watch."
Seeing Zhao Tingxuan remained silent, Zhao Shiqing warned him, "You'd better be careful and don't let others use you as a knife. If you argue with Big Brother, you won't win.
In terms of seniority, the eldest brother is the legitimate heir. When the father is not around, the eldest brother acts as the father. If you argue with him, you are being unfilial and unkind. Who will obey you?
In terms of support, my sister handed over the military power of the Royal Guard to my eldest brother. What's more, he has his virtuous wife, my eldest sister-in-law, as his support. What do you have? A bunch of second-generation rich kids who only know how to have romantic affairs and an old mother who only holds them back?
As for the people's hearts, my elder brother did a lot of practical things for the people after taking over the government affairs, and the people loved him. As for you, the fact that you were punished by the emperor to copy the Book of Filial Piety in the capital must have spread to Liang a long time ago.
So, if you can't win, as long as you fight for it, what will be waiting for you? Others may not know, but you were born into the royal family, so how could you not know?
It was poisoned wine, imprisonment, and being demoted to a commoner!
As long as you don't fight or compete, Big Brother will ensure that you have a life of wealth and prosperity. You can write poems and compose essays if you want, live a life of luxury if you want, and buy as many antiques, calligraphy and paintings as you want. Isn't this the kind of life you want?"
Zhao Tingxuan was so moved that he almost cried. My little sister understands him!
All he wanted was a life with poetry, painting, endless delicious food, fine wine and beautiful women.
Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes at him again. "Also, if I hear you're using the Five Stones Powder, I'll have my eldest brother imprison you. That way, you won't jump naked to your death one day, and then you'll bring shame upon our father."
Zhao Tingxuan was startled and quickly assured himself that he would not do that. He knew that Wu Shi San was not a good thing and he would not touch it.
Zhao Shiqing sighed inwardly, hoping he really wouldn't touch it. In Xiao Zhen's dream, his second brother became addicted to Wushisan and finally jumped from the Stargazing Tower...
Zhao Tingxuan was very grateful for his younger sister's kindness to him, but he still didn't believe that Nie would instigate him to compete with his elder brother for the throne.
If he fails to win the throne, what awaits him is either death or imprisonment, or in the best case, he will be demoted to a commoner.
If a teenage sister can understand it, how could my mother, who has been married into the royal family for so many years, not understand it?
His mother loved him so much that she would definitely not watch him end up like this.
Zhao Shiqing observed his expression and knew from his face that he didn't believe it.
Zhao Shiqing didn't try to persuade him much. Reality would teach him a lesson. Then, he would know how much his good mother loved and cared for him.
On the third day of February, Zhao Tingxuan went to the palace to bid farewell to the emperor, but unexpectedly, the emperor granted him a marriage.
Wei Yaer, the Princess of Changling County.
Zhao Tingxuan was stunned. The Princess of Changling County? Who was this? He had lived in the capital for over a year and had never heard of such a Princess.
However, he soon found out.
Wei Yaer was born into the Wei family. Her great-aunt was Madam Wei of the Baoqing Marquisate, and her great-aunt was Concubine Li.
Wei Yaer's grandfather was Madam Wei's younger brother, and they were the direct branch of the Wei family. Concubine Li was from the side branch of the Wei family. Later, Concubine Li gave birth to a prince, and the Wei family adopted her natal branch into the direct branch. In this way, Concubine Li and Madam Wei became cousins, and Wei Yaer became Concubine Li's great-granddaughter.
Zhao Tingxuan was confused. Concubine Li’s niece was actually going to marry into Liang?
Although he was the second son of the Prince of Liang's Mansion, he was not granted the title of a prince except for the descendants of the royal family. Being granted the title of a prince meant having fiefdoms, and the fiefdoms of the eight kings were already too much, so much that it made the emperor unable to sleep or eat. Therefore, for three generations up to this point, the second son of the prince's mansion was not granted the title of a prince. At most, he was granted the title of a general guarding the country after he came of age. The general guarding the country had no fiefdom. His eldest son was granted the title of a general supporting the country, and his eldest grandson was granted the title of a duke supporting the country. His descendants after that had nothing and were just ordinary members of the royal family.
Zhao Tingxuan had not yet reached adulthood, so he was not even a general guarding the country. Wei Yaer had already been granted the title of county princess, so marrying him was not considered a high marriage.
Although this marriage obviously did not have the consent of his elder brother Zhao Tinghan, it was arranged by the emperor and the bride was the niece of Concubine Li, so it could not be refused.
The angel announcing the decree went to Liangdi with Zhao Tingxuan, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, as well as the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Yulin Army.
That night, Wei Yaer's portrait was delivered to Zhao Tingxuan. Zhao Tingxuan took a look at it, but couldn't see anything. The woman in the portrait looked like an ordinary lady in a painting, with thin eyebrows, eyes and a small cherry mouth.
On the fourth day of February, Zhao Tingxuan and his party left the capital and returned to Liang.
It was not until Zhao Tingxuan left Beijing that Zhao Shiqing learned about the arranged marriage.
She knew that the emperor would condone Nie, the troublemaker, to do whatever she wanted, but she didn't expect the emperor to do it so obviously.
Zhao Tinghan, the Prince of Liang, only married the granddaughter of a retired Hanlin, while Zhao Tingxuan wanted to marry a county princess, and this county princess was from the Wei family!
Before they got married, Wei Yaer had already surpassed Princess Liang.
Zhao Shiqing had reason to believe that when Wei Yaer got married, the emperor would most likely confer the title of princess on her, allowing her to marry into Liang with great glory.
If the mother and son in the palace were more shameless, it is possible that they would send a few beauties to Zhao Tinghan.
There is unrest in the harem, brothers are fighting and killing each other, haha.
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