Chapter 117 It would be a shame if the two of them didn't perform on stage
Yuan Zhixu nodded and said, "I've read his articles. They have their own merits, just like Song'er's."
Seeing his wife didn't understand what he meant, he patiently explained, "The writing reflects the person. Song'er has a free and easy personality, and his writing is always full of new ideas. If the court needs someone to expand the territory, Song'er is definitely a good choice."
"Du Heng's writing style is more pragmatic. He looks at things thoughtfully, starting from the crux of the matter and seeking solutions. To stabilize the government, we need people like him."
He raised his eyes to look at his wife, and his tone slowed down. "It's a pity that such a talented person is associated with Xu Chongnian. Now the Inspectorate has put him on the list of candidates for deferred examination. He will not be able to take the imperial examination this spring."
Madam Yuan was startled and was about to speak when Yuan Zhixu spoke first, "Everyone has selfish desires. All I can do is not to add insult to injury. The rest depends on Du Heng's own luck."
Mrs. Yuan nodded, everyone has their own fate.
Then, she turned her thoughts back to her husband and whispered, "I'm a little worried. If Xu Chongnian knew that you had let him go, would he say something unfavorable to you?"
After knowing each other for so many years, there are always some things that are tacitly understood. I am afraid that Xu Chongnian will say everything he should and shouldn't say in a fit of anger.
Yuan Zhixu wasn't worried. "If he told those things, it wouldn't do him much good. The emperor's ultimate support lies with the Lu and Pei families. After all these years, they still refuse to give in. Especially Pei Yuanshan. He went too far this time. The plague was rampant in the north, but he concealed it and didn't report it."
"What's so good about the North? Why isn't there a single one of them willing to return to the capital and become a close minister to the Emperor? Isn't that good?"
Yuan Zhixu laughed and said, "Why are you so confused about this? If they refuse to give in to each other, it means that the Queen and the Imperial Concubine refuse to give in to each other. As a woman, you should understand better than me, right?"
Mrs. Yuan suddenly realized that her husband was indeed right.
In terms of the order of the marriage contracts, it was obvious that the Imperial Concubine was the original wife, but the Empress got there first and became the principal wife, and then naturally ascended to the throne of Empress.
The hatred of having your husband taken away is irreconcilable!
As for Lu Zhi, he had thought it was a great humiliation that his daughter's position as wife had simply been taken away by the daughter of the Pei family. Little did he know that his deputy, Pei Yuanshan, who had always been as close to him as a son, was actually harboring ulterior motives to annex his northern power. After the emperor ascended the throne, Pei Yuanshan was granted the title of General Zhenbei. While he had also been promoted from Border Commander to Marquis Dingyuan, his position was clearly lower in terms of authority.
Only then did Lu Zhi finally realize that the Pei family had long regarded them as pawns.
How could he swallow the humiliation of being forced to split the Northland into two? Even if returning to the capital would bring him greater honor and favor, he would rather stay in the Northland and compete with Pei Yuanshan.
Madam Yuan suddenly realized, "So, the Emperor is angry because Xu Chongnian favored Pei Yuanshan in this matter. He thought he was following your advice and supporting the Empress's faction?"
Yuan Zhixu said calmly, "You can say that. But when Your Majesty was still a prince, I had already joined forces with the Pei family. If Your Majesty was afraid of me, he wouldn't have allowed me to join the cabinet."
He couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty only wants to make an example of someone to scare the monkeys, to make the Pei family remember their limits. Furthermore, Your Majesty has already begun to consider taking action in the North, and this Spring Examination is a sign of this."
"When two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. The emperor does not want to see them kill each other. Therefore, he needs someone who has no connection with either the Lu or Pei families to balance the situation in the north."
Madam Yuan was shocked when she heard this: "If that's the case, won't Song'er be disliked by His Majesty?"
My nephew Yuan Song is extremely talented. Now that he no longer has a rival like Du Heng, his place on the imperial examination list is a foregone conclusion. However, if the emperor is displeased with his surname Yuan, he may not gain any benefits even if he passes the palace examination.
Seeing that his wife's words hit the mark, Yuan Zhixu finally smiled. He slowly took out a letter from his sleeve and whispered, "I need to ask my wife to sing a play with me."
......
Yuan Song had been trapped in the mansion for several days. His uncle had been the one to bring up the matter of marriage, and his aunt had been making excuses, which made him impatient.
In the eyes of his uncle and aunt, he was just joking, but only he knew that his heart was truer than gold. After thinking it over again and again, he picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Zhejiang.
Who would have thought that only half a day after the letter was sent, his uncle and aunt, who had been delaying their meeting, actually sent someone to call him over.
The moment he stepped into the room, he saw the opened letter lying in the middle of the desk. His heart suddenly sank, knowing that the visitor had ill intentions.
"Don't worry about the marriage proposal anymore. You will inherit my legacy in the future, so how can we rush into this marriage? I have already chosen a candidate for you, so just focus on preparing for the exam. After the spring exam, we will get married."
Yuan Zhixu looked solemn, and his tone was clearly one of informing rather than negotiating, leaving no room for maneuver.
Mrs. Yuan, however, was not as intolerant as Yuan Zhixu. Instead, she smiled and gently advised, "Song'er, at your age, you are still young and in love. It's normal to have someone you like. However, marriage is a matter of two people, not two families. It should not be treated lightly."
Then he changed the subject, seemingly choosing words specifically to irritate Yuan Song, and said, "I've had someone find out everything about Miss Su. Although her maternal grandfather, Mr. Rong, still has some respect, her mother died young, and her father, though a scholar, abandoned his studies and went into business, selling tea for a living. If you only look at the Rong family, they're not bad at all. It's a pity that the Su family is so humble. If you really marry her, who knows how people will laugh at our Yuan family in the future."
"How about this? When you return from the spring exam with a gold medal, if you're still thinking about her, I'll let you take her as a concubine. That will be the fulfillment of your infatuation. What do you think?"
Yuan Song knew his uncle and aunt would use the promise of the family's prosperity as a pretext to force him into submission. He had long since prepared himself to withstand any threat. He, Yuan Song, had always set his mind to something, and there had never been a time when he couldn't accomplish it. The Spring Examination was nothing more than writing an essay, something he never took seriously. He had come to the capital early this time simply to see Ying'er, whom he hadn't seen in three years.
Although he hadn't said anything before leaving, his mother had already seen through his thoughts and wrote a letter asking his aunt to invite Madam Du and Ying'er to the house for a chat after the New Year. He had thought his aunt would take the opportunity to bring them together, but he didn't expect to hear such insulting words.
He laughed in anger, reached out and took the handwritten letter from the desk, and said sarcastically, "I never knew that my uncle, a cabinet minister, and my aunt, who came from a scholarly family, would even open and examine the private letters of a junior. They are really protective of me."
"It would be a shame if the two of you didn't perform on stage."
"presumptuous!"
Yuan Zhixu slammed his palm on the table and shouted angrily, "How can you be so disrespectful to your elders? I tell you, I have the final say in your marriage! If you insist on not listening, leave this house as soon as possible! And don't tell anyone in the future that you are my nephew, Yuan Zhixu!"
"That would be great!"
Yuan Song's phoenix eyes slanted down into his temples, a hint of sharpness emanating from his half-smile. "There have always been rumors out there that my title of Jieyuan came from some strange source, and that even my first place in the exam was simply the result of my uncle's recommendation and support."
He snorted coldly and said, "Since my uncle has already intended to draw a clear line between us, how dare I let him down?"
"Goodbye!"
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