Zhu Youjian bowed and thanked him, saying, "My brother's marriage is entirely up to the Emperor, my brother and his wife."
The emperor smiled and nodded, then spoke a few more words to Zhu Youjian before letting him leave.
In any case, the emperor did not want Zhu Youjian to marry Zhou as his princess as he had done in history.
Although Zhou was virtuous, her father's greed was unchangeable, and he valued money over his life. If they became father-in-law and son-in-law, Zhu Youjian would be less likely to punish Zhou Kui for corruption and bribery in the future.
Although the emperor would not take any sentiments into consideration, he still did not want to create a rift between him and Zhu Youjian because of this matter.
Furthermore, the emperor didn't want to hold any more ceremonies like selecting concubines. The main reason was that it was too expensive.
Of course, the emperor did not expect Zhu Youjian to have a free love relationship. He had to choose, but only from a small range, such as the women of marriageable age among the ministers.
Besides, the emperor felt that Zhu Youjian was not too old and it would not be too late to wait another two years.
In fact, in addition to his brothers' marriages, the emperor was also considering another important matter, which was the issue of vassalage.
There were also people older than Prince Xin Zhu Youjian who remained in the capital and had not yet been enfeoffed, including Prince Gui and others. The emperor did not want to waste more money and manpower, so he let them go to enfeoffment, but he had to have a suitable excuse and reasonable arrangements.
The emperor had always wanted to solve the difficult problems of the royal family and the nobles, but he could not rush into it and could only proceed gradually, which was very troublesome.
"Your Majesty," Wang Tigan bowed and asked in a low voice, "Should we start singing and dancing?"
The emperor nodded slightly to show his agreement.
Soon, the sound of stringed instruments rang out and the singing and dancing performance began.
……………….
The cold wind was biting and sounded like crying and howling.
Inside the wooden house, Daishan, Dorgon and other high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty did not celebrate the New Year at all, and their faces were filled with worry.
Under the pursuit and interception of the Ming army, only about 300,000 Jurchens escaped to Haixi. Considering the Jurchen population at that time, this was already a very good strategic shift.
But Daishan, Dorgon and others did not show much excitement or joy. From heaven to earth, this is the only way to describe their mood.
The population was sparse, the environment was harsh, and even food was scarce. In order to survive, these Jurchens had to return to their old ways of fishing and hunting, and it was inevitable that they would return to a primitive state of life.
"Of the four great beiles of the past, only I am left." Daishan lowered his head slightly, counting on his fingers beneath the table, his heart filled with sorrow. "Most of my sons are dead too, and they were all brave and battle-hardened."
Although he felt sad, Daishan did not regret it. He was even grateful and admired his father Khan's decision.
If they had not immediately arranged a large-scale retreat after the defeat in Haicheng and continued to fight against the well-equipped and powerful Ming army with constantly increasing combat effectiveness, they would probably have been wiped out by now.
Therefore, without the luxurious and comfortable houses in big cities like Liaoning and Shenyang, they ran to this cold and remote place to set up tents and build wooden houses. Although life was hard, it saved their lives and preserved the opportunity to rise in the future.
"The strength of the Ming army is no longer something that can be resisted by bravery alone." Daishan had already had this feeling and understanding.
The sharp artillery bombardment, the dense musket fire, and the galloping armored cavalry. Every time Daishan thought of this, he felt that it was a very wise and correct thing to transfer hundreds of thousands of people safely.
The harsh life and cold environment were a deadly environment that could be overcome by any means. However, with the Jurchens' current weapons, equipment, and soldiers, they were simply unable to resist the Ming army's attack.
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