Chapter 73: Marriage
Sun Yunshu's report was indeed true. The next morning, Xie Chengyan received a secret report from the palace, ordering him to come to the palace for a meeting. The palace was eager to completely sever Xie Chengyan's ties with the Forbidden City, and would not easily summon him to the palace unless it was for a wedding or funeral for the Tian family.
The Baiyue envoys entered the palace, hoping to make peace with the Yin Kingdom and ask to marry Princess Mingyi to show the friendship between the two groups.
Although Princess Mingyi was not born of a legitimate wife, she was the youngest princess in the royal family and was therefore favored more. The Baiyue people's request was undoubtedly an embarrassment to the Dayin Kingdom.
The royal family's affairs are state affairs, and the princess's marriage is different from that of ordinary people.
At present, the strength of the Baiyue nation is growing stronger and stronger. The brave Marquis Lu Qianshan stationed in the southern border has reported to the army more than once that the strength of the Baiyue cannot be underestimated, and in recent years there has been a trend of launching a war again.
Therefore, some people in the cabinet stood up and agreed to let Princess Mingyi marry the Baiyue people in order to seek peace between the two countries.
When even the cabinet chief Pei Yuanzhong nodded, Princess Yuan'an Xie Zhaohe spoke up: "Achu is still young, marrying far away to the Baiyue is absolutely not an option!"
Such a decisive attitude surprised everyone. Xie Chengyan just listened without saying anything. He knew his imperial sister. If she was not a woman and the eldest son inheritance system that had existed in Dayin Kingdom since its founding, she would probably have ascended the throne.
Everyone knew Princess Yuan'an's character. She'd been meddling in government affairs during the reign of the previous Emperor Yinning, and now, with the new Emperor on the throne, she was still acting so arrogantly. Pei Yuanzhong immediately said, "Second Princess, how could you say such a thing? Your husband, Lu Qianshan, is still guarding the southern border, and the Baiyue people are eyeing him covetously. Even if you're not concerned about the safety of the Great Yin Kingdom, what about Marshal Lu? Do you want him to become prey to the Baiyue's sword?"
Xie Zhaohe said sternly, "Marshal Lu is first and foremost the commander-in-chief stationed in Southern Xinjiang, and only secondarily my husband. When we discuss matters in court, we always discuss state affairs, not personal matters. Lord Pei, there's no need to be so hasty in putting this accusation on me."
Pei Yuanzhong said coldly, "Then isn't it a personal affair for the princess to want to keep Princess Mingyi? With national affairs at hand, if one person's marriage can buy a few years of peace for my Great Yin Kingdom, what's wrong with that?"
"Ask yourself, Lord. If you truly agree to this marriage, how many years will the Baiyue people give Dayin? If Dayin fails to build up his army by then, marrying the princess to the Baiyue will inevitably boost Baiyue morale."
Pei Yuanzhong sneered, "Oh, Second Princess shouldn't bring a woman's heart to the court. Princess is kind-hearted, so please leave the affairs of the court to us."
Pei Yuanzhong was known for his outspokenness, a fact that had earned him favor from the late Emperor. When Pei Yuanzhong first entered officialdom, Xie Chengyan, still a child, had met him briefly. At the time, the northwestern tribes of Dayin were in turmoil, and Pei Yuanzhong, thanks to his book "On Pacificating the Northwest," earned him the favor of Emperor Jing and was summoned to serve in the imperial court.
Xie Chengyan was the one Pei Yuanzhong saw on his first day in the palace. Pei Yuanzhong saw a group of eunuchs and palace maids following him, which showed that he was of high status. He also noticed the gilded python pattern on his clothes. He bowed and said to a child who looked a few years old: "Your Highness, Pei Yuanzhong, greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
Even though Xie Chengyan was still young at the time, he knew Pei Yuanzhong had caused trouble by saying this. In ordinary families, admitting a mistake would be just a reminder, but this was the royal family. If they named Xie Chengyan the crown prince, where would the real crown prince be placed?
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