152 Chapter 152
◎Marriage.◎
Huo Qubing carried his son by the scruff of the neck, crossed the threshold, bowed to Liu Ju, and then said seriously, "Your Highness, you are fourteen this year, not four, right?"
"Cousin, I was much more annoying when I was four years old." Liu Ju said with a smile.
"That's true." Huo Qubing patted his son on the head. "Go and play by yourself."
"Alas." Huo Xian agreed, then said to Liu Ju, "Your Highness, I can't play with you anymore."
"Go ahead." Liu Ju smiled and pinched his cheek. "I'll take you to the palace to play some other day."
Huo Xian agreed with a smile, then bowed and left.
Liu Ju asked, "Cousin, is there anything wrong?"
Huo Qubing said, "It's nothing urgent. I'm just worried that Your Highness and Shan'er might start a quarrel and delay your return to the palace."
Liu Ju smiled and said, "It's still early. We can't delay any longer. Cousin, you're back early today."
Huo Qubing frowned slightly and said, "I was discussing with my uncle the issue of garrisoning troops on the Xiongnu border next year when Gongsun Taifu suddenly came to complain to my uncle about his son. I had no choice but to return."
"What's wrong with Gongsun Jingsheng?" Liu Ju also frowned.
The last time Gongsun Jingsheng got into trouble was when Liu Ju encountered him and a group of playboys bullying Zhang He. That time, Liu Ju threw him into the army for a whole six months. It seems that the lesson was not enough, and he is in trouble again now.
Huo Qubing said, "I only heard two sentences, and it seemed to be about him getting married."
Although Gongsun Jingsheng was younger than Huo Qubing, he was much older than Liu Ju. He had been married for many years and even had children. However, his wife unfortunately passed away due to illness last year, and Gongsun He was worried about his remarriage.
Hearing this, Liu Ju's eyelids twitched. He still remembered that one of Gongsun Jingsheng's crimes in his previous life was having an affair with Princess Yangshi.
Liu Ju said, "He wants to marry, so why is Gongsun Taifu complaining? Could it be that his family has set their sights on a certain young lady? It can't be a princess."
Huo Qubing shook his head, not really caring: "Who knows."
He was just annoyed that he was suddenly interrupted when discussing serious matters. As for what kind of woman the Gongsun family wanted to marry, that was their family's business.
Liu Ju thought about it and nodded slowly. It didn't matter that Gongsun Jingsheng and Princess Yangshi had a little affair, as long as it didn't involve curses and military pay.
Seeing that he was somewhat concerned, Huo Qubing said, "In the Han Dynasty, only a high-ranking official could marry a lord. Even if Gongsun Jingsheng doesn't know his own limitations, Gongsun Taifu wouldn't be so foolish."
Liu Ju said: "Maybe he just came to complain to his uncle about this matter."
Huo Qubing said, "If you are really worried, why not ask your uncle?"
"I'm not really worried, but sometimes, my cousin may be an insignificant person who will eventually affect the overall situation." Liu Ju said, "That's why I'm a little worried."
Huo Qubing thought for a moment and decided, "Then go ask your uncle. I'll go with you tomorrow."
Liu Ju smiled and said, "I'll go by myself. If my uncle wants to teach us a lesson and get to know us, I'll take the responsibility for my cousin first."
Huo Qubing patted his arm and said, "No need for you. Come on, I'll take you back to the palace."
"Cousin..." Liu Ju said helplessly, "I'm really not a child anymore."
Huo Qubing lowered his eyes and looked at him.
Liu Ju said: "So, I can go back by myself."
Huo Qubing thought of the guards he had just seen from Liu Ju, so he stopped insisting and said, "I will see His Highness out."
…
The next afternoon, when Liu Ju and Huo Qubing found Wei Qing in the general's headquarters, he was wearing casual clothes and preparing to go out.
When the two sides met, they were both stunned. Wei Qing asked first, "Your Highness... Qubing, do you have something to talk to me about?"
"A bit..." Liu Ju looked at Wei Qing's clothes, "Uncle, your clothes seem a bit strange."
Wei Qing glanced down and asked, "What's so strange about it?"
Huo Qubing said directly: "The patterns on this dress are too exquisite and gorgeous. Uncle, you never wear clothes like this normally."
"Ah..." Wei Qing laughed, "This was made for me by someone who was made by the Princess."
Liu Ju and Huo Qubing looked at each other, and Liu Ju exclaimed, "Wow."
Huo Qubing raised his eyebrows, and although he didn't say anything, a hint of ridicule appeared on his face.
"You two, did you come here just to see what I'm wearing?" Wei Qing smiled without changing his expression.
This immediately made those who wanted to tease him lose interest. Liu Ju said, "Uncle, can't you act a little shy?"
Huo Qubing looked at his uncle expectantly.
Wei Qing smiled and said, "I'm afraid it won't be as Your Highness wishes."
Liu Ju stared at him for a while, then said disappointedly, "Okay, uncle, my cousin and I have something to ask you."
The three of them sat down inside the house. Wei Qing had tea served and then said, "Your Highness, may I ask?"
Liu Ju didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Uncle, did Gongsun Taifu tell you about Gongsun He's marriage yesterday?"
Wei Qing didn't hide anything and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's not a big deal, why bother Your Highness?"
Huo Qubing said, "Your Highness is worried that Gongsun Jingsheng has no self-awareness and will be implicated in other matters."
"Don't worry, Your Highness," Wei Qing said soothingly, "Gongsun Jingsheng still has his father above him. He can't just do whatever he wants."
"That being said, it's just that Grand Coachman Gongsun is reluctant to take care of this son," Liu Ju said.
Wei Qing paused and said, "Your Highness, I will not hide it from you. Yesterday, the reason why Grand Coachman Gongsun came to see me was not because of Gongsun Jingsheng, but because of my sister."
Huo Qubing asked, "Aunt? What happened to her?"
Liu Ju asked, "Who has your aunt taken a fancy to?"
Wei Qing shook his head.
It's not that Wei Junru has a crush on someone, but she knows who Gongsun Jingsheng has a crush on. Gongsun Jingsheng has been scolded by the prince to the point of losing his temper and doesn't even dare to think about it, but Wei Junru doesn't.
Gongsun He was so moved by his son's understanding that he burst into tears. However, he didn't expect that his wife was going to the palace to ask the queen for help. He had to try his best to persuade her to stay, and then he came to Wei Qing to complain.
Gongsun He did not reveal which untouchable woman his son had fallen in love with, and Wei Qing did not get to the bottom of it, but they all knew that the reason Wei Junru had to beg the queen was probably related to the Liu family.
Liu Ju rubbed his nose and said, "I will ask my mother to persuade my aunt."
Wei Qing sighed and said, "The Wei family is in turmoil, and Queen and the Crown Prince are worried about it."
Liu Ju shook his head and said with a smile, "Uncle, don't take this little thing to heart. I can't be happy that the Wei family is my maternal family only when the Wei family has pillars like you and my cousin. That would be too shallow."
Wei Qing smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Huo Qubing said, "I'm keeping an eye on Gongsun Jingsheng."
"No, no!" Liu Ju quickly refused, "Cousin, please don't do that. I'm afraid he'll rebel."
Huo Qubing was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Liu Ju said, "Cousin, it may sound like I'm trying to sow discord, but both my aunt and Gongsun Jingsheng dislike you very much, did you know that?"
Huo Qubing raised his eyebrows: "So?"
Wei Qing smiled and said, "So, His Highness asked you to stop being hated."
Huo Qubing shook his head: "I don't care."
Liu Ju said: "I care about it very much."
It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain. As for Gongsun Jingsheng, it is true that he now understands the times, but Liu Ju would never think that he is not a villain.
Huo Qubing crossed his arms and said, "Your Highness..."
Liu Ju patted his arm and said, "My cousin, Gongsun Jingsheng is just a boy. You don't need to bother the Marquis of Guanjun or the General of the Cavalry. You should pay more attention to Gongsun Taifu. Who knows how much he loves his son?"
Huo Qubing put his hands down, which meant compromise.
After chatting with Wei Huo for a while, Liu Ju went to the Pepper Room.
Today, Liu Yuan's three sisters all came to the palace to pay their respects to their mother. Liu Ju went over to greet the sisters, and seeing that there were no children in the palace, he asked, "Where is Han'er?"
Liu Yuan smiled and replied, "He went to the Guanjun Marquis's mansion to look for Shan'er, and Shan'er asked him to come over and eat some grapes."
"The grapes from the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion are delicious!" Liu Ju affirmed.
Upon hearing this, Wei Zifu laughed and said, "I just told your sister that you brought back a basket of grapes from Qubing Mansion yesterday. You're not a child anymore, but you're still so greedy."
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "It's probably because he hasn't started a family yet. Don't worry, mother. Once he becomes an old man, he will grow up naturally."
Liu Ju's face immediately fell: "Sister, why are you talking about this..."
Liu Xiang said with a smile: "What's there to be ashamed of? Zi'er, if you don't like the person that Grandpa found for you, we can find one for you!"
It was a very common thing in the Han Dynasty for the emperor or the prince's sisters to want to send women to them, but when Liu Xiang said this, there was no other meaning. She just wanted to watch Liu Ju's fun.
As expected, as soon as Liu Xiang finished speaking, Wei Zifu patted her hand and said, "Xiang'er, stop messing around. Since His Majesty has intervened in this matter, the first person in the Crown Prince's Palace must not be the one we have chosen."
Liu Ju smiled and said, "These are all trivial matters, mother."
Seeing how heartless he was, Wei Zifu couldn't help but say worriedly, "In your eyes, nothing is trivial. You just watch your mother worry."
Liu Ju hurriedly said, "Mother, I'm still young. Look, when my sisters were my age, you weren't this worried, were you?"
"Your sisters aren't as difficult to deal with as you," Wei Zifu sighed. "This one isn't good, that one isn't. You're even more cautious than a young woman choosing a husband."
Liu Ju said, "Mother, it's only right for you to be cautious with someone you've been with all your life."
Because of this sentence, Wei Zifu was stunned for a moment. She seemed to have thought of something. After a moment of silence, Wei Zifu nodded and said, "Yes, it's a matter of a lifetime, so we must be cautious."
Liu Ju saw that his mother looked unhappy and asked hurriedly, "Mother, are you...unwell?"
Wei Zifu shook her head and chuckled softly, "Now that my son has grown up, mother has some feelings."
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "You are old enough to be an old man. Isn't your son grown up?"
Liu Ju said: "Sister, you mentioned it again..."
Wei Zifu laughed first, and then everyone laughed.
After finishing the important business of this trip, Liu Ju left the Pepper Room and went to the Xuanshi Hall to pay his respects to his father.
Unexpectedly, upon meeting, His Majesty the Emperor said, "I heard that the Crown Prince has even chosen a son-in-law, but what about your daughter? Why haven't I seen her yet?"
Liu Ju: “…”
【Author’s words】
Neither "Records of the Grand Historian" nor "Book of Han" records that Princess Yangshi was the daughter of Wei Zifu.
In the early Tang Dynasty, Yan Shigu's "Han Shu Zhu" referred to Princess Yangshi and Princess Zhuyi as the daughters of Wei Zifu. In the mid-Tang Dynasty, Sima Zhen's "Shi Ji Suo Yin" referred to Princess Shiyi and Princess Zhuyi as the daughters of Wei Zifu. This article does not adopt these two statements.
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