Su Qingyu's eyes felt a little sore, she knew that Song Hongshen was standing up for her brother.
Beside him, Shen Zhixiu remained calm, occasionally serving food to Su Qingyu. He showed no reaction to what was happening in the hall. He looked at Song Hongshen with a hint of appreciation and indulgence.
A few years ago, he also gave guidance to Song Hongshen on his studies, so in a sense he was half his disciple.
Princess Yongjia had never been humiliated like this before. They said the Li family was extinct and that the Li family's dogs were leading the army. This was clearly an act of humiliating the Li family.
She was so angry that she knelt on the ground and said righteously, "Royal brother, even if the loyal and brave king has made great contributions, he cannot humiliate my Li family."
"I don't think he takes my brother, the Emperor, seriously at all. If he can humiliate me today, he will trample on the Emperor's authority tomorrow."
"Please ask my royal brother to make the decision."
But at this time, Emperor Xuande was stunned looking at Song Hongshen.
After Song Hongshen returned from the northern border, he was much thinner than when he was in Beijing.
That smile just now was 60% similar to the late queen.
If Song Hongshen were whiter, they would look even more like him.
It is true that nephews look like their aunts.
Thinking of this, he felt a little more fond of Song Hongshen. If Zi Ning were still alive, she would be proud of this nephew, right?
So he ignored Princess Yongjia's accusations against Song Hongshen and said, "What the loyal and brave prince said does make some sense. The selection of the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier will be discussed by the cabinet later."
Princess Yongjia was suddenly angry and anxious, but there was no point in being anxious. Fortunately, there was still room for maneuver.
Emperor Xuande asked Yongjia and Song Hongshen to sit down first, as this was not the time to discuss matters.
Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was a little awkward, Concubine Xian took the opportunity to smooth things over.
"Your Majesty, King Zhongyong was crowned king at such a young age based on his military achievements. He is truly a rare talent as a general."
"He is from the late queen's family. In my opinion, we can become even closer relatives with the Song family."
Emperor Xuande's expression was deep. "Oh? How is this a close relationship?"
He thought that Concubine Xian was going to publicly propose that the Crown Prince marry Song Wanwan.
But unexpectedly, Concubine Xian smiled and said, "Don't the emperor have several princesses who are still unmarried? If Prince Zhongyong could become the emperor's son-in-law, wouldn't that be another wonderful story?"
The Emperor had three daughters of princesses who were of marriageable age, including Princess Qingyang, the daughter of Consort Xian. She hadn't said which princess, as she wanted to wait for the Emperor's approval before making any plans.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande was actually quite tempted. A marriage between cousins was a beautiful story. And such a talented young man was worthy of his daughter.
Thinking of this, Emperor Xuande looked at Marquis Zhongyi with a smile.
"I think this idea of Concubine Xian is a good one, Marquis Zhongyi. I will send someone to your family to propose marriage tomorrow."
It was a joke, but also a way to test the Song family's intentions. Asking someone to propose marriage was also giving the Song family enough face.
According to Emperor Xuande's idea, Song Zan would kneel down and say that the Song family was marrying above their station, and then express his gratitude happily.
But Song Zan's face changed drastically. He stood up, threw away his robe, and walked to the middle of the hall.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Song Hongshen cannot marry the princess."
Emperor Xuande was puzzled for a moment, as Song Zan's reaction was completely different from what he expected.
The virtuous concubine couldn't help but speak first, "Lord Zhongyi, are you arrogant just because your son has made great contributions? Do you think that a princess of my royal family is unworthy of the King Zhongyong?"
Emperor Xuande looked unhappy when he heard this. He was the emperor, and he was rejected when he asked for marriage for his daughter in public. Where was his face?
And judging from the expression on Marquis Zhongyi's face, he might really think so.
"Marquis Zhongyi, my princess is not worthy of your son?"
Song Zan knew that he had been impatient and shouldn't have contradicted the emperor in the palace. Even if he wanted to refuse, he should have said it in private.
But the situation has come to this now, and I can only find an excuse to get around it.
Song Zan's thoughts raced as he spoke, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. My wife and I have already arranged Song Hongshen's marriage. We are just waiting for him to return from the border town so we can propose."
As soon as he said this, many of the ladies present were surprised. They hadn't heard that the Song family had arranged a marriage for this third young master? They were all waiting to ask someone to propose.
I don’t know whose girl this is, but she is so lucky to be valued by the Song family.
Emperor Xuande also asked curiously: "Oh? Whose family is this girl from?"
Song Zan groaned in his heart, how could he know which family the girl came from?
He didn't even know whether other people had daughters or not, so he couldn't even make up a story.
And this is not easy to make up. At least the people in the hall cannot tell it, otherwise it will be exposed.
Seeing that the emperor was still waiting for his answer, Song Zan blurted out, "She is the daughter of the third branch of the Su family, the fifth child."
He had never met the fifth daughter of the Su family, but he had heard his wife mention her quite a bit in recent days. She was said to be young, very dignified and steady, and very well-educated.
Since he was young, he definitely had no engagement. Furthermore, no one from the Su family was in the palace today, so it was easy to fool him.
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.
The Su family is almost fading out of the circle of upper-class families in Beijing, and no one has even heard of the fifth young lady from the third branch.
Those who knew about this were whispering about how the third master of the Su family was now serving as a fourth-rank assistant censor in the Metropolitan Censorate.
A fourth-rank official is not enough to be in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The most astonished were Su Qingyu, Song Wanwan, and Song Hongshen. They all knew the inside story and guessed that this might be an excuse from the Marquis of Loyalty.
Su Qingyu shook her head. The Marquis of Loyalty was too impulsive. The fifth sister was still young. Even if they were engaged, the marriage would take three years.
The most anxious person was Song Hongshen. He didn't even know who the fifth lady of the Su family was, so how could she be engaged?
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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