188. Finalizing the engagement
The Duke of Anguo, dressed in brand-new official robes and carrying carefully prepared congratulatory gifts, arrived at the Prince of Shu's residence early in the morning.
The pavilions and towers within the mansion are arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner, with lush flowers and trees.
The Crown Prince of Shu was only seven years old and had not yet assumed personal rule. All the affairs of the palace were managed by a few subordinates he had brought from Shu. The head of the subordinates was surnamed Wang, and everyone called him Lord Wang.
The servants led Duke Anguo to the main hall, where Lord Wang was already sitting and waiting. He was dressed in a long robe, holding a folding fan, and his brows showed a scholarly elegance, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, a maidservant served tea. Amidst the fragrant aroma, Duke Anguo spoke first, his tone tinged with a hint of probing: "Lord Wang, I've come today for two reasons. First, to deliver a small gift to His Highness the Heir Apparent, and second, to have a chat with you. I've heard that the Heir Apparent is currently studying at the Imperial Academy. I wonder how his studies are progressing?"
After the princes arrived in the capital, since most of them were still of school age, His Majesty arranged for them all to go to the Imperial Academy... The Imperial Academy is quite lively now.
Lord Wang smiled and said, "The young prince is intelligent and diligent despite his young age, but he is still somewhat confused about politics. Duke Anguo has been in the court for a long time and is well-versed in the ways of governance. If there is an opportunity, I hope he can give the young prince more guidance."
Duke Anguo's heart stirred, knowing that Lord Wang had received his signal, so he followed up with, "I dare not offer guidance, but the current situation in the court is complicated. Some people are always thinking of monopolizing power and suppressing dissidents. If His Highness the Crown Prince is to take charge of the Prince's Mansion in the future, I'm afraid he will have to deal with these storms."
He deliberately kept his intentions hidden, not revealing who "certain people" were.
Lord Wang understood perfectly well what was going on. He sighed softly, his tone seemingly helpless, but in reality, he spoke directly: "The Duke of Anguo is absolutely right. The Prime Minister has deep roots in the court, and he has been causing our Shu Prince's Mansion a lot of trouble, both openly and secretly, lately. Everyone in the manor is hoping to have a reliable ally to weather the storm together. If we can have an ally willing to help us, in the future when the court structure changes, we may not be unable to push our ally to a more important position, such as... the position of overseeing all officials."
Upon hearing the words "commanding all officials," Duke Anguo's heart skipped a beat.
This is clearly a promise: if he is willing to form an alliance with the Shu King's Mansion, there will be a chance to bring down the old prime minister and make him the prime minister!
He suppressed his excitement, picked up his teacup to conceal his emotions, but his tone betrayed his urgency: "Is what Lord Wang said truly feasible? However, the Prime Minister's power is immense, I'm afraid we..."
“Duke Anguo need not worry,” Lord Wang interrupted him. “Although the Prime Minister is powerful, he is not invincible. As long as Duke Anguo is willing to work with us and shows some sincerity to demonstrate his determination to form an alliance, the rest can be left to us.”
Duke Anguo took a deep breath, knowing that the Prince of Shu's mansion was forcing him to reveal the truth.
He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and revealed the old prime minister's weakness that he held in his hands.
Although he chose to cooperate with the old prime minister, he still secretly collected a lot of dirt on him, just in case.
These weaknesses, which I originally intended to keep to myself, are now being used as a show of sincerity in order to secure the position of Prime Minister.
A glint of light flashed in Lord Wang's eyes, and he nodded: "We accept Duke Anguo's sincerity. Since both sides are of one mind, why not draw up an alliance agreement to put each other at ease?"
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Duke Anguo immediately said. “Speaking of which, my eldest daughter is named Lingrong, and she is seven years old this year, just the same age as the heir!”
Lord Wang feigned surprise: "Really? That's quite a coincidence. We were just looking for a consort for the Crown Prince so that the two of them could develop feelings for each other as soon as possible."
“However…” he sighed.
Duke Anguo's heart leaped, thinking something was about to go wrong: "But what?"
"However, given the current sensitive situation, it might be inappropriate to finalize the engagement in a high-profile manner."
Upon hearing this, Duke Anguo relaxed again: "Is that so difficult? Why don't we finalize the marriage contract first and make the engagement official? Once things have calmed down, I'll send my daughter over, following the example of the ancients, and let the children develop their relationship first."
In ancient times, it was common practice to arrange marriages for young children, sending the woman to the man's home, and then consummating the marriage after the child reached adulthood.
However, this has become less frequent over time, but it still exists.
Upon hearing this, Lord Wang cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency is indeed wise; I admire you!"
After speaking, he clapped his hands, and a servant brought over pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Lord Wang personally picked up the pen and wrote a draft of the marriage contract—
The heir of the Shu King and Lin Lingrong, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo, were betrothed and would marry after they came of age.
Before that, Lin Lingrong needed to live in the Prince of Shu's Mansion and be taught etiquette by the Prince.
After reviewing the contents of the marriage certificate and confirming that everything was correct, Duke Anguo took the pen without hesitation and signed his name on the certificate.
"Good!" Lord Wang smiled as he saw him sign the marriage contract and carefully put it away. "Duke Anguo is indeed a straightforward man. Now that the marriage is settled, we are in the same boat from now on."
"Of course, of course." Duke Anguo nodded repeatedly, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.
He had long forgotten Li Yuniang and Lin Fuman's objections yesterday, and the hesitation in Lin Lingrong's eyes. His mind was filled with the power that would come with the alliance, and he felt that he was getting closer and closer to the position of prime minister.
The two chatted about some trivial matters of the court before Duke Anguo got up to take his leave.
As he stepped out of the Shu Prince's Mansion, the sunlight bathed him, and he felt refreshed, as if even the air had become fresher.
-
Inside the main hall of the Prince of Shu's mansion, as Lord Wang watched the Duke of Anguo's departing figure, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of mockery.
He picked up the incriminating evidence left behind by the Duke of Anguo and had it delivered to the study in the backyard. He then said to the figure in the shadows, "Give this to Lord Xie and tell him that the Duke of Anguo has fallen into the trap."
Among all the princes who came to the capital, many wanted to marry a local noblewoman so that they could quickly gain a foothold and receive assistance.
However, they dare not act rashly or show such intentions at the moment.
Among them, the Crown Prince of Shu was the one who got along the least with the old Prime Minister.
-
Xiao Tuanzi and Lin Fuman were still a little worried after returning from Xie Wenling's place.
So the two of them went to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to see Lin Lingrong.
As soon as the two stepped into the courtyard of the first wife, they heard suppressed sobs coming from inside the house.
The little dumpling panicked and ran into the house with its short legs.
"Big sister!" She rushed into the room and saw Lin Lingrong being held by a woman dressed in an elegant brocade dress, who was none other than Gan Fanggui.
Lin Lingrong's eyes were red, but she bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. When she saw the little dumpling, she called out in a wronged tone, "Princess..."
The little dumpling ran to the bedside and took her hand: "Big sister, don't be sad. Brother Xie said he would help. Brother Xie is so amazing!"
Gan Fangui then raised her head, her face streaked with tears. She stroked the little boy's head, her voice hoarse, "Good child, thank you... But you don't know, your Uncle Anguo has already made a decision, we..."
Lin Fuman followed her in, saying angrily, "When Father comes back later, we must ask him about this."
Li Yuniang stood aside, sighed, and stepped forward to wipe away Gan Fanggui's tears: "Sister, don't panic. When Master comes back, we'll talk to him properly."
As they were talking, familiar footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
The little boy immediately perked up his ears, pulled Lin Lingrong's hand and backed away, his little brows furrowed tightly.
She had met Duke Anguo several times, and each time she felt he was very fierce.
Lin Lingrong was also a little scared, afraid that Duke Anguo might have already signed the marriage certificate, just as Lin Fuman had said.
Duke Anguo pushed open the door and walked in. He was taken aback when he saw the group of people with red, swollen eyes from crying. He then frowned and asked, "What happened? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
"Your Excellency!" Gan Fanggui stood up first, her voice trembling with excitement, "Have you already signed the marriage contract with the Prince of Shu's Mansion? Are you going to send Lingrong to the Prince of Shu's Mansion? How could you make a decision without discussing it with me!"
Duke Anguo's eyes flickered, then he looked puzzled: "Marriage certificate? What marriage certificate? Who told you that? I just visited the Prince of Shu's residence today and talked with Lord Wang about the young master's studies. I didn't mention any marriage at all."
The Crown Prince has only been here a short time, and the situation is still very sensitive.
His marriage to the crown prince could be done in private, but if it became a big deal and was brought into the public eye, he would become a target.
“But,” Lin Fuman said, “yesterday I clearly heard Father say that he was going to the Prince of Shu’s mansion to propose marriage, and that he was going to marry my sister to him!”
"Fu Fu, don't talk nonsense," Duke Anguo said sternly, though his tone wasn't as harsh. "I did say that yesterday, but it was just a joke. How did it become a real marriage proposal? How could I let your sister get married at such a young age?"
Seeing that Duke Anguo had changed his mind, Lin Lingrong was surprised but also suspicious: "Father, really... really no marriage certificate was signed?"
"Of course not." Duke Anguo nodded firmly.
Gan Fangui and Li Yuniang exchanged a glance, and both felt a little relieved.
Gan Fanggui wiped away her tears and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It was because I was too anxious that I misunderstood you, sir."
“It’s alright, I know you all mean well for Lingrong,” Duke Anguo smiled, his tone light. “Alright, stop crying. Let Lingrong go play with Fufu and the county princess for a while. I still have some official business to attend to. I’ll have dinner with you later.”
After saying that, he turned and left the room.
The little dumpling watched Duke Anguo's retreating figure, but his little brows remained furrowed.
Why did she always feel that Duke Anguo was lying?
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