Lu instinctively took a step back. He would rather see a furious look in his eyes than a look of indifference that seemed to be full of mockery.
“I’ve been training in the Crimson Pool for many years now, and I think it’s time to do something.” He turned around and continued walking forward.
Qiu Tang came forward, then looked away from Yang Zhong. "Did you upset him again? Be careful, the old man is easily angered."
"Lord Qiu, my young master meant well. He was advising Lord Yang to retire early. It's truly exhausting that he's still concerned about state affairs at such an advanced age." The chubby boy was extremely worried about his young master's reputation.
Qiu Tang knew perfectly well that Huo Baichuan must have angered Yang Zhong again, but he took Xiao Pang's words to heart and lowered his voice to ask, "You know about that rumor, right?"
Having known him for so many years, Huo Baichuan was well aware of his implied meaning. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"
Qiu Tang rolled her eyes in exasperation and said with a look of disappointment, "It's not that I didn't remind you, but the Empress Dowager wants to marry Princess Jun to your Xiao Xian, while the Empress prefers your seventh uncle's daughter to be the Crown Princess. What do you think?"
"Marrying the young princess is fine, but becoming a maternal relative is not what I want." He paused for a moment, a rare look of seriousness appearing on his face.
Huo Chengqiu is one of the four sons of Mingde and the eldest son of the Huo family. If his daughter is betrothed as the Crown Princess, even if he does not take office, his status will be extremely high.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I think your daughter is quite good. She's suitable to be the Crown Princess. She'll be wiser than the current Empress in terms of governing the country. The Crown Prince is affectionate and of good character. Putting aside his status as the heir apparent, he would be an excellent son-in-law. The current Emperor is old." He glanced at the gate of the Taihe Hall and then fell silent, not saying anything more.
Qiu Tang then understood the meaning behind his words: Emperor Mingde was probably not going to live to see the golden age, and could only clear obstacles for the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would not have to work too hard and could simply be a ruler who maintained the status quo. This made the selection of the Empress a tricky issue.
"I've always been open-minded about matters concerning children. But I need to ask my daughter about this matter so I can tell you the truth. The Crown Prince is sentimental and intelligent, much kinder than the current emperor. I'm quite satisfied with him as my son-in-law. However, if he were to become a monarch, his sentimentality and uprightness would make me uneasy." Qiu Tangshi's voice was very low, and only Huo Baichuan and he could hear it.
Huo Baichuan frowned quickly, remembering his promise to Zhao Shu: if she healed her elder sister, he would protect her father. Only if the Crown Prince ascended the throne could the Yongwang Mansion be protected; the other princes were not safe.
If we were to choose a ruler, the Crown Prince is indeed sentimental, while Zhao Bi is very similar to Emperor Mingde. To be fair, Emperor Mingde was a good emperor; he was flexible, tolerant, and ruthless. To be an emperor, what is often needed is not sentimentality and moral integrity, but the ability to give up and use others, even if it is despicable.
However, he had already decided to choose the crown prince as the next monarch years ago, and he would not easily change his mind.
"Among all the adult princes, the Crown Prince is the cleanest. He has never had any entanglements with the royal families and has not even married a Crown Princess. This is advantageous to us."
With just this one sentence, Qiu Tangshi had no further words to say. He couldn't find any reason to refute the saying, "Every man for himself."
"The Empress will take care of this matter. No matter how well we plan, it will be useless in a short time. Lord Xie is currently in the palace discussing the allocation of funds with the Emperor. He probably won't be out for a while. Tell me first, what do you really think of that little girl from the Yan family?" he asked sarcastically.
Huo Baichuan frowned. "Which girl from the Yan family?"
"Tsk." Qiu Tang was furious and pulled him aside. "Don't pretend with me. It's Yan Ruyu from the Yan family. She admires you very much. Before Old Master Yan left, he asked me to ask you. If it's possible, quickly propose marriage. If not, hurry up and get a wife. Don't let her have any unrealistic fantasies."
Thinking back to Qiu Huli, when has he ever been a matchmaker? And now that he's a matchmaker, it seems he's being looked down upon.
Huo Baichuan glanced at him with disdain, "Can I become a monk instead?"
"Look at you, you're getting on in years, that's enough. Everyone needs to get married eventually. If you don't think about yourself, think about your parents. They're probably longing to hold their grandson so much they're practically growing their necks long." To stop his daughter from nagging him about how pitiful Yan was and how she might not survive if she didn't marry Lord Huo, he was going all out, swallowing his pride and acting as a serious matchmaker, pulling out all the right arguments.
"I will shave my head tomorrow and become a monk."
Qiu Tangshi: ...Speechless, he pulled up his sleeves and stood to the side, not knowing what to say. But thinking about his daughter's nagging in his ear, he felt extremely annoyed. Putting aside Qiu Tong's situation, he was genuinely worried for Huo Baichuan. He was already twenty-six years old and had only a servant by his side all day long, without even a concubine.
Those his age already have three children.
It's not like he has no one to marry. There are countless noble ladies, princesses, and duchesses of the royal family who hope to marry him, but he just isn't in a hurry and doesn't even glance at any of them.
After thinking for a moment, he continued to persuade him relentlessly, "Your body and hair are given to you by your parents. Don't try to fob me off with words. You either marry that girl from the Yan family or quickly choose a woman to marry. Don't let Lord Yan resent you. That girl from the Yan family is his precious jewel. He spoils her rotten. If you push him too far, Yan Shiren is capable of anything."
He wasn't exaggerating; Yan Ruyu was indeed Yan Shiren's precious daughter, raised like a son. She dared to go to places like the Sun family, a feat that ordinary young ladies didn't possess.
"It's not that I don't want to marry; I really do want to marry. It's just that I must marry a woman who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me in this life. What use is an ordinary woman if she is brought into the household, except to give birth to a son and manage the household? Since you have brought it up today, I would like to trouble you to explain to Elder Yan that although his daughter is good, she is not on the same path as me."
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