Sheng Guangzhi said, "King Qinghe, he gave Brother Du a pound of silver, and Brother Du gave some to me. Otherwise, where would I have gotten the silver needles?"
A hint of disappointment appeared in Ye Shiheng's eyes.
"Brother Zhongping, I don't have any silver needles, but I still have some white tea." Sheng Guangzhi said, "I still have a few pounds of Shoumei."
Ye Shiheng said: "I'll buy you a pound."
Sheng Guangzhi gave him a discount, "I'll sell it to you at half price."
"Deal." Ye Shiheng was very happy. Shoumei on the market was not cheap, and he made a profit by selling it at half the price per pound.
After drinking the silver needle, Du Shangshu suddenly came up with the idea of a tea contest, to be held in the form of tea making, with whoever made the best tea winning. Ye Shiheng readily agreed, and Sheng Guangzhi offered his own famous tea as a bargaining chip, and whoever won the first prize could choose ten kinds to take away.
Du Shangshu and Ye Shiheng were very happy, as the stakes were quite tempting.
The tea Sheng Guangzhi had prepared was all in the form of tea cakes. Since he was going to make tea, he naturally had to grind the tea cakes into powder. Du Shangshu volunteered to grind the tea while Ye Shiheng and Sheng Guangzhi chatted.
Du Shangshu took a Longjing tea ball and crushed it on a tea grinder. He then put the crushed tea into a tea mortar and pounded it. He used a ladle to scoop the tea powder into the small holes on the tea grinder and ground it. This was to make the tea powder more finely ground.
His movements were smooth and one could tell at a glance that he was very familiar with making tea.
Sheng Guangzhi and Ye Shiheng weren't chatting about official business or poetry, but rather, like women chatting, about their own children. Sheng Guangzhi briefly mentioned his own children, and then asked about the Ye family's children, "Brother Zhongping, I remember your Ruhuan was born during the Xiangfu period. He's fifteen or sixteen now, I'm a little too old to remember."
Ye Shiheng said: "She is fifteen years old. She should have held the Jigui ceremony on her birthday, but because her second brother is not at home, she doesn't want to do it."
Sheng Guangzhi asked, "Have you discussed the marriage?"
Ye Shiheng replied, "No, I'm still young."
Sheng Guangzhi disagreed. "A girl reaches adulthood when she reaches the age of fifteen. Some families start discussing marriages for girls as young as twelve or thirteen, and then they marry off after reaching the age of fifteen. Ruhuan is not young anymore. In a few years, she will be an old maid." He then asked Ye Shiheng, "Is there no one to choose from?"
Ye Shiheng asked: "Do you have an introduction?"
Sheng Guangzhi said, "There is a candidate who comes from a family that is worthy of your daughter Huan'er."
Ye Shiheng was very curious, "Who is it?"
Sheng Guangzhi moved closer to Ye Shiheng and whispered in his ear, "Prince Qinghe."
Ye Shiheng was slightly startled, "Zhao Jue?"
Sheng Guangzhi smiled and said, "It's Zhao Jue, the prince of Qinghe Palace. I've met him twice. He's humble and polite, well-spoken, and good-looking. I think he's a good match for Huan'er."
Ye Shiheng's mind raced, and he realized that he had no impression of the Prince of Qinghe at all, and he had not even heard anyone around him mention the Prince of Qinghe.
Sheng Guangzhi had a good eye for people and had met the Prince of Qinghe. He said that the Prince of Qinghe was a good person and should be quite good. However, no matter how good the Prince of Qinghe was, Ye Shiheng felt that he was not a good match for his daughter.
It's not that the Qinghe Palace is not worthy of his General's Palace, but he feels that his daughter is beautiful and shy, and in such a big city like Tokyo, there is no one who is a good match for his daughter.
Seeing Ye Shiheng stunned, Sheng Guangzhi tugged at his sleeve and said, "Brother Zhongping, what do you think of the Prince of Qinghe?"
Ye Shiheng said, "Why did you want to introduce the Prince of Qinghe to me?"
Sheng Guangzhi glanced at Du Shangshu, but Du Shangshu turned a deaf ear and just glanced back at him.
Sheng Guangzhi said, "A few days ago, I went to Brother Chengmei's house for a drink, and it happened that Prince Qinghe was there. I have some friendship with Chengmei and Prince Qinghe. Chengmei's youngest daughter is looking for a husband, so we joined forces to find a son-in-law for Chengmei. During the meal, Prince Qinghe also wanted to propose a marriage to the prince. He said that the prince fell in love with your daughter at the ball game held for the eldest princess' birthday, and since then he has lost his appetite and lost a lot of weight. Knowing that I have a good relationship with you, Brother Zhongping, he asked me to be his accomplice. Seeing that Prince Qinghe was sincere in his words and was indeed a good father, I agreed to the plan. I invited you here mainly for tea and to mention this matter. Brother Zhongping, do you have any ideas?"
Ye Shiheng said: "The matchmaker that my brother brought in is naturally a good one. I've also heard people mention the prince, and he's a good person. I don't really have any ideas about him."
Sheng Guangzhi couldn't tell that Ye Shiheng had any intention of marrying into the Qinghe Palace. He continued, "Huan'er is your legitimate daughter and youngest child, and she is of noble birth. The Qinghe Prince is your Majesty's legitimate uncle, and the Qinghe Princess is also from a prominent family, making her a perfect match for the Ye family. I didn't agree to this proposal because of the Qinghe Prince's deep love for his son. I was truly moved by the Crown Prince's deep love for Huan'er, and I also felt that Huan'er and the Crown Prince were a perfect match, so I brought this up with you."
After hearing Sheng Guangzhi's words, Ye Shiheng's heart was filled with turmoil, especially the first sentence. The Prince of Qinghe was a clan relative, held military power, and was extremely powerful. The Princess of Qinghe came from a prominent family, and her mother's family was also a powerful force. If the Ye family married into the Qinghe Palace, how would the people of the world and the civil and military officials view it?
It doesn’t matter what the people of the world and the civil and military officials think of the Ye family. What matters is how His Majesty thinks of the Ye family?
Thinking of this, Ye Shiheng couldn't help but feel panic and uneasy. He even dared not imagine what he would face if the Ye family really married into the Qinghe Palace.
Despite the turmoil and mixed emotions swirling within him, Ye Shiheng maintained a calm demeanor. He said, "Huan'er is fortunate to have the Crown Prince's favor. However, Huan'er is still young and doesn't know the rules. She's been spoiled by her grandfather, mother, and brothers. She doesn't know how to knit or sew. She's unlearned and has no skills. She's just a pretty face, but she's not really good enough. I'm afraid she's not worthy of the Crown Prince of Qinghe."
As soon as Du Shangshu heard this, he knew that Ye Shiheng had no intention of marrying into the Qinghe Palace. He couldn't help but say, "How could a general belittle his own daughter like this? Every child is a treasure to their parents and extremely precious."
Ye Shiheng looked at Du Shangshu, but thought to himself: "I don't belittle my own daughter, so why should I belittle the Prince of Qinghe in front of you? Am I courting death?"
Who is the Prince of Qinghe? This general doesn’t know him. If he says he likes my daughter, then he likes my daughter and can marry her if he wants?
Want to marry my daughter? Dream on!
Sheng Guangzhi said, "Brother Zhongping, I'm just mentioning it. Whether you agree or not is entirely up to you. If you don't agree, I'll just go back to King Qinghe. It's nothing."
Ye Shiheng sighed softly and stated the reason for his refusal: "My dear brother and my dear brother Du, you may not know this, but my Ye family has only had a daughter like Huan'er after several generations. We have treated her like a precious jewel. Huan'er bears a striking resemblance to my late mother, Xu Ruojin. My grandfather dotes on this granddaughter to the bone. He once said that he would be the one to arrange Huan'er's marriage and that neither her mother nor I would be allowed to interfere."
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