The whole world knows he is going to marry
The capital city, the Eastern Palace.
Clang—
Zhao Yong smashed all the jade artifacts on the table! The little eunuch kneeling on the ground kowtowed even louder in panic.
"Say it again! Who does Spring Breeze want to marry?!"
"Your Highness, Chief Minister Zhang has come to marry his sister-in-law!"
"Shut up! How dare such rumors reach the Eastern Palace and offend my ears!" Zhao Yong's pale face flushed strangely, his thin chest heaving. How long has it been? She's only been back home for mourning; how could she be planning to marry someone?
"Your Highness, the news has spread far and wide! This morning, Lord Zhang's memorial requesting His Majesty to grant the marriage arrived. How could it be fake?"
"She, she actually asked Mother to grant her a marriage! Where! Where!" Zhao Yong hurriedly straightened his clothes.
"Right in the Golden Palace, the Empress invited the Minister of Rites and the Grand Censor to discuss the matter."
"Quickly, I, the Crown Prince, am going to the Golden Palace!" Zhao Yong shouted, hurrying out of the East Palace.
As Zhao Yong approached the Golden Palace, he suddenly saw Duan Qingshan, whom he hated the most, also rushing towards the Golden Palace.
Zhao Yong sneered, "General Duan, what brings you in such a hurry?"
Duan Qingshan slowed his pace. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Despite his displeasure, he had to maintain appearances and said with a smile, "I heard that Your Majesty is discussing the Grand Secretary's marriage with someone, so I came to inquire."
"You seem to care about the spring breeze!" Zhao Yong said sarcastically.
"Your Highness is a bit too familiar with that title. I'm afraid Chief Minister Zhang will be unhappy to hear it."
Zhao Yong glared at Duan Qingshan and said, "Duan, don't pretend. Don't think I don't know. You're so eager for love that you're practically ready to take off your pants and offer yourself up as a bedmate."
"Now Chunfeng is going to marry some random wild man who came from who-knows-where! His body has served other men and now he wants to climb into Chunfeng's bed! Let's leave things between us for now, and when we go in later, you and I will oppose this marriage together."
Although Duan Qingshan came from a military background, he had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes. His high brow bones made his eyes appear even more profound, making it difficult for people to see his true thoughts.
Zhao Yong felt inexplicably uneasy under his gaze. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Duan Qingshan shook his head slightly, "I just feel that Chunfeng must have had a really tough time serving someone as clueless as you."
"Shut up! You dare call me 'Spring Breeze'! Don't think that just because your father is a general, I, the Crown Prince, can't touch you." Zhao Yong walked angrily in front of Duan Qingshan.
As soon as the doors of the Golden Palace opened, Zhao Yong hurriedly walked in. He was in such a rush that his sleeves were rolled up into a ball, while Duan Qingshan, after stepping into the Golden Palace, adjusted his breathing and slowed his pace.
The Empress frowned in annoyance at Zhao Yong's rolled-up sleeves.
"Did you come for the Grand Secretary's wedding?"
Zhao Yong bowed and said, "Mother, I have come for this very reason."
"Oh?" The Empress pointed to the memorial in her hand. "Minister Zhang has submitted a memorial requesting that I grant him the marriage. According to your opinion, Crown Prince, should I approve this memorial or not?"
"Your subject believes that it should definitely not be approved! That man is Chunfeng's sister-in-law! Throughout history, how could a sister-in-law marry her sister-in-law? Wouldn't that violate human ethics? Moreover, this is the Prime Minister's marriage. If the Prime Minister is allowed to marry his own sister-in-law, wouldn't the whole country follow suit and everyone want to marry their own sister-in-law?"
After he finished speaking, Zhao Yong hurriedly looked at his mother's face, but the Empress asked Duan Qingshan behind him.
"Is General Duan also here to stop me from bestowing a marriage upon him?"
Duan Qingshan bowed and immediately said loudly, "Your Majesty, although I have come for this marriage, I have not come to stop it, but to request Your Majesty to grant the marriage to Lord Zhang and his widowed sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yong's eyes widened immediately. Out of respect for the Empress, he dared not show it too clearly, only glaring angrily at Duan Qingshan.
"You do have a different opinion from the Crown Prince. Tell me your thoughts."
"I had already heard about this when I arrived. It has been spread by storytellers and opera singers and is now being discussed everywhere. Those who oppose it are merely saying that it violates human ethics, as the Crown Prince just said, but those who support it are praising Lord Zhang for being kind and righteous!"
Ignoring Zhao Yong's disdain, Duan Qingshan continued, "Lord Zhang's widowed sister-in-law was originally named Li Xiuman. She was abandoned by her biological father at birth, and then her mother abandoned her as well. Later, her biological mother had a hard time and bought her back when she was four years old. However, because she disliked her biological father, she deliberately disowned him. Li Xiuman did not care at all. Not only did she diligently raise her mother, but she also gave all her money to others before her mother's death, and when she had no money left and needed to bury her mother, she sold herself to the Zhang family for twenty copper coins."
“Your Highness has been pampered since childhood, so you probably don’t know what twenty copper coins mean! Let me give you an example. A steamed bun costs one copper coin every day. Li Xiuman, a strong and healthy young man, was sold for the price of twenty steamed buns.” Duan Qingshan said, then suddenly remembered something, “By the way, Your Highness probably doesn’t know what a steamed bun is either. Well, to put it simply, twenty copper coins can’t even buy a single gold thread on Your Highness’s shoe, but the Zhang family bought a living person.”
"General Duan underestimates me. I've been searching everywhere these past few years. How much is twenty copper coins? He willingly sold himself to the Zhang family and even married Lord Zhang's brother. Now he wants to marry her instead! What kind of logic is that! Doesn't he even think about how his husband would feel if he knew about this in the afterlife?" Zhao Yong retorted, his face flushed red.
Duan Qingshan smiled slightly, “It is true that he sold himself willingly, but the Zhang family did not mention to him what kind of person the other party was! Moreover, they sent Zhang Chunfeng to marry Li Xiuman. Doesn’t Your Highness think that this is a kind of deception for Li Xiuman? When he was being fetched, it was Zhang Chunfeng, but when it came to the wedding ceremony, it was his mentally challenged elder brother? The Zhang family bought him as a male wife, and he worked hard without complaint, taking care of the entire Zhang family day and night! Before he was married, he only had to take care of his own mother, but after the marriage, he had to take care of the entire Zhang family of three! Whether it is Lord Zhang’s clothes or shoes, they are all made by his sister-in-law.”
"That's fine, but since Lord Zhang went to the capital for the imperial examinations, Li Xiuman has been taking care of his elder brother for three years. Lord Zhang truly deserves to repay such a debt of gratitude to the Zhang family and to Lord Zhang himself."
Zhao Yong flicked his sleeves and said, "Of course I should repay the debt of gratitude. I've bought a house to settle my sister-in-law, and from now on, I'll provide for her in wealth and comfort. Why bother with a wedding?"
"Your Highness makes it sound simple. The Zhang family did not inform Li Xiuman of the person she was to marry, resulting in her marriage to Lord Zhang's elder brother. May I ask Your Highness, would you marry a man who married a mentally challenged man and became his male wife for three years?"
"Me!" Zhao Yong choked. "How can General Duan say that? Nowadays, there are many men who are wives, and being a male wife is not inferior to others."
Although he spoke with great conviction, everyone knew the truth. Being a male wife would be one thing, but to become the male wife of a mentally challenged person...
"Your Highness speaks frankly, but there's a lot of talk among the common people. Men are naturally unwilling to marry Lee Soo-man, and Lee Soo-man himself doesn't want to marry a man either. As for women... most women sympathize with Lee Soo-man, but whether they marry him or not, they're somewhat unwilling. There are so many men in the world, why should they marry someone who's already been married?"
"Even common women are unwilling, how can Lord Zhang, as the Grand Secretary of our dynasty, allow this?!" Zhao Yong felt nauseous. The thought of his beloved Chunfeng marrying such a man made him extremely uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, what you say is inappropriate. Women in the common people are women, and so is Lord Zhang. There is no great difference between them. Besides, Li Xiuman is her sister-in-law. It was Lord Zhang who married her. After her brother died, she had an obligation to take care of her widowed sister-in-law. Now, Li Xiuman is the only family she can count on in this world. Do you want Lord Zhang to watch his widowed sister-in-law live a lonely and helpless life?"
"Didn't we give him money?" Zhao Yong said, becoming more and more anxious.
"How can loneliness and helplessness be compared to money?"
Zhao Yong was about to speak again when the Empress suddenly slammed her hand on the table.
"Enough. I have already agreed to the marriage, but it's just that she will marry another male wife. There are female officials in the court who marry three or five male wives. Minister Zhang is the chief minister and is still unmarried. She should have someone close to help her."
"Your Majesty is wise. I shall take my leave." Duan Qingshan bowed and glanced smugly at Zhao Yong, whose face was pale.
Zhao Yong hurriedly tried to argue again, "Mother, no! No, you know my heart, I don't want to!"
The Empress rolled her eyes at Zhao Yong, "You've gone out on inspection tours so many times, yet you still don't understand that the will of the people cannot be defied! You didn't even bother to inquire before making a decision! The streets and alleys are full of praise for Zhang Chunfeng's loyalty and righteousness! Many people agree with this matter, but you insist on refuting it."
"Mother!" Zhao Yong called out again, almost crying. The Empress sighed deeply, "Yong'er, you are the Crown Prince. I will never agree to your relationship with Zhang Chunfeng!"
"Why? The child is foolish, but Chunfeng is intelligent; she is perfect to assist me!"
The Empress shook her head. "Yong'er, you really shouldn't have been born into an imperial family. If, many years later, I were to keep you and Zhang Chunfeng, would the world belong to the Zhao family or the Zhang family?"
Zhao Yong's legs went weak. "Mother, how could Chunfeng do such a thing? She wouldn't, she wouldn't try to take it from me."
"Yong'er, love will eventually grow tired of you, but power will never."
Zhao Yong was about to plead again when the slight maternal love on the Empress's face vanished in an instant.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince has behaved improperly and offended the Emperor. Take him back to the Eastern Palace to reflect on his actions for a month." The Empress's voice was cold as Zhao Yong was dragged out of the Golden Palace by the eunuchs.
"It seems Your Highness didn't get away with anything good." Outside the Golden Palace, Duan Qingshan asked with a smile.
"You surnamed Duan, you're not leaving because you're here to laugh at me!" Zhao Yong said angrily.
"Your Highness is joking. I was just worried that Your Highness might get beaten and be unable to leave, so I waited here to see if I needed to send Your Highness back. Since Your Highness was not beaten, I will take my leave."
Duan Qingshan was extremely arrogant. He casually cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, then turned and left.
"Stop right there! You surnamed Duan, how dare you stab my mother like that!" Zhao Yong said in a low voice, "You're in love with Chunfeng, do you really want her to marry a man who's been used by someone else for three years!"
Duan Qingshan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Your Highness, don't you think about it? If Your Highness and Chunfeng get together, wouldn't I only be a concubine? But if it's Li Xiuman, I might still have a chance to become his wife in the future."
“You’re delusional!” Zhao Yong retorted.
"Whether it's wishful thinking or not, we'll have to wait until Chunfeng returns to make a decision. I only know that the Empress is right. Many female officials in the court have three or five male wives. Not to mention those far away, just take your aunt, Princess Mingyu. She's probably going to take her eleventh concubine this month! Life is so long, it's normal for Chunfeng to take two or three."
"A wife should act like a wife. If she can't even tolerate a concubine, then spring breeze should still be mine."
"Duan Qingshan!" Zhao Yong never expected that this person would have such an idea!
"Despicable, utterly despicable!" Zhao Yong shouted, pointing at Duan Qingshan.
Duan Qingshan didn't even glance at it and slowly walked away. "Your Highness, Chunfeng dislikes vulgar language. You'd better be careful."
A month later, Zhang Chunfeng and Li Xiuman arrived at the Zhang residence.
The carriage had just arrived when all the maids and guards of the Zhang household lined up in two rows, waiting to serve Zhang Chunfeng upon his return.
"Sister-in-law, we've arrived." Zhang Chunfeng breathed into Li Xiuman's ear as she lay with her eyes closed. She originally wanted Li Xiuman to rest a little longer, but then she thought that sleeping in the carriage was ultimately uncomfortable.
Li Xiuman's face still flushed, and his legs were terribly sore when Zhang Chunfeng woke him. He was so tired, and seeing Zhang Chunfeng's energetic appearance, Li Xiuman suddenly wondered if he had been too easily fooled by Zhang Chunfeng, agreeing to be with her in the carriage...
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