Rejecting marriage in person
If that child is truly still alive, then Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, is perhaps the most likely person in the world, besides Xie Lang, to know her whereabouts. After all, the Mu family controlled the Imperial Prison during the previous dynasty, and their spies were spread throughout the palace and the capital. With the power of the Mu family, a prominent family in law enforcement, it's entirely possible for them to turn the entire capital upside down and dig three feet into the ground.
Like everyone else present, A Qiu involuntarily held her breath, waiting for Mu Huaying's explanation and response, but no one knew that she was doing so for a completely different reason.
Mu Huaying's deep voice echoed in the hall: "The daughter of the former Emperor Huan does not necessarily have to be the daughter of the last Emperor Sima Yan."
Her words silenced the whispers that had been circulating among those present. Most of the older officials, however, looked on in realization and turned their gazes toward the Left Chancellor, Shangguan You.
A Qiu and her peers, however, mostly looked astonished, clearly none of them had ever heard of this "former daughter of Emperor Huan," who was not born to Sima Yan.
Shangguan You's face had turned ashen, even more so than when he mentioned marrying a noblewoman in place of the princess. His beard almost bristled as he shouted, "This is absolutely impossible!"
Mu Huaying smiled faintly, then turned to Shangguan You and said slowly, "It seems that the Right Prime Minister already knows who I am referring to. Why is the Right Prime Minister in such a hurry to reject it? In fact, marrying into the Northern Qiang is not necessarily a bad thing. Besides, even if you refuse, you should first ask for her consent, instead of rejecting her outright at this moment."
Her gaze swept over Shangguan Yuqi, and she said leisurely, "You have already refused to let Chief Shangguan marry, and now you are rejecting my alternative without even thinking. It seems that the Shangguan family is not what it used to be, and they really have no desire to share the burden of the country."
Shangguan You knew Mu Huaying was provoking him, but he was still so angry that his face turned pale. He said, "I am now the head of the Shangguan family. What you are referring to is the person at the grave. Although she is the former princess of the Huan family, she is also an elder of my Shangguan family. Her name is recorded in our clan genealogy. How can she remarry? As the clan head, I can refuse the marriage to your face!"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yuqi was visibly shaken, as she must have been completely unaware of this detail.
A Qiu recalled that Shangguan Yuqi had mentioned three people in the Shangguan family whom she found hard to part with. One was her aunt, Empress Xining Yanxiu; another was her thirteenth uncle, the former Grand Secretary Shangguan Jin; and the third was Aunt Yao, who had taught her martial arts at the cemetery. She wondered if the Aunt Yao they were referring to was the same person.
Mu Huaying smiled and said, "When the former Princess Langya of the Former Huan married into the Shangguan family, everyone knew it was just a pretense. Her true purpose was to learn the Shangguan family's legendary swordsmanship. Princess Langya never even met the old patriarch of the Shangguan family who promised to marry her. It is said that when she was carried into the main gate in a red sedan chair, she didn't even enter the second gate before lifting her veil and going to the cemetery to practice swordsmanship. Her conduct was noble and admirable. However, people are alive, and after so many years, perhaps her thoughts have changed."
Shangguan You was originally furious, but now he had to calm down and try his best to remain composed.
Mu Huaying was known among the previous Flying Phoenix Four Guards for her deep cunning and meticulous planning. Since she brought up this person at this moment, she must have already made a plan beforehand.
To be fair, if a marriage alliance were to be forced, and if Shangguan Yuqi were to resolutely refuse, then Mu Huaying's daughter, Pei Yu, would undoubtedly be the first choice. Moreover, Shangguan Yuqi's relationship with the royal family, in terms of responsibility, is not as inescapable as Pei Yu's.
Mu Huaying was a ruthless and decisive person, known as the "Handsome Yama" in her day. Whether for public or private reasons, she would never allow her daughter to go down this path, and she would definitely devise a plan to protect herself.
Although Consort Chen had said that a marriage alliance could be avoided, that would largely come at the cost of immediate and full-scale war. Even considering the nation's interests, Mu Huaying, with her status as almost the emperor's elder sister, could not completely abandon the path of a marriage alliance.
Therefore, she suggested that the person in the cemetery was truly cunning and his plans were foolproof.
In terms of status, Princess Langya is a former imperial princess with the bloodline of the Sima royal family. Her lineage is arguably even more ancient and prestigious than that of the newly ascended Xie family, as they are the family of emperors throughout history. If the current dynasty were to bestow upon her the title of princess once more, she would be even more noble and respected, and the Northern Qiang would have no reason to refuse to recognize her.
As for background, among the few well-known socialites and noble ladies, Shangguan Yuqi has the Shangguan family behind her, Pei Yu has Mu Huaying and Jianzhang Shi protecting her, and Fan Liancheng has the Northwest Army behind him. Each of them has deep roots and powerful connections, making them impossible to touch easily. However, this Princess of Langya, the daughter of the Emperor Sima, has a family that was wiped out long ago, and now lives alone in the Shangguan family's cemetery. As for the people in the court, they are all afraid of being implicated, and no one will say a word for her.
Although she was nominally a member of the Shangguan family, even the current clan head, Shangguan You, had to address her as his great-aunt. For the sake of the Shangguan family's ancestors' reputation, they would certainly not easily agree to allow a family elder to remarry. However, as Mu Huaying said, he couldn't refuse to offer both Shangguan Yuqi and this Princess of Langya. Once Mu Huaying made the offer, he would have to choose at least one of them.
Otherwise, in everyone's eyes, such behavior would be seen as selfish, out of touch with reality, and only concerned with protecting one's own family. Does that mean that other people's families deserve to be sacrificed in vain?
Even if they don't want to sacrifice their own niece, everyone understands that. But then, can't they offer up a helpless orphan girl from the previous dynasty who has no relation to the Shangguan family but is merely under their protection? Why should other families have to offer up their own daughters?
Public and private interests were intertwined, and power and friendship were mixed together. But with Mu Huaying's simple words, Shangguan You was already in a precarious position. If he did not give a proper explanation, he would have a hard time explaining himself today.
After calming himself down, Shangguan You said, "Why doesn't Madam Pei consider your daughter, Miss Pei? In my opinion, Miss Pei is the most suitable candidate. The Pei family has been a military family for five generations, and she is a daughter of a general. Moreover, Madam Pei is of noble status. In terms of both real power and prestige, I'm afraid no one in this dynasty can surpass Miss Pei. Since she enjoys the honor of a princess, she should fulfill the duties of a princess for the country."
He finally brought up the main point: because he kept making excuses to refuse, he had lost the argument and appeared guilty and in the wrong. He decided to take the initiative and question Mu Huaying about why she did not offer up Pei Yu.
Mu Huaying was clearly prepared, and coldly said, "It is precisely because Yu'er is the sole heir of the Jianzhang Army, a military family that the Pei family has been in power for five generations, that she cannot be allowed to marry. If Yu'er were to marry into the Northern Qiang, who would be able to command the Jianzhang Army in the future? Do you think the Right Chancellor could?"
Although she said this to protect her own daughter, no one could deny that it was the truth.
Pei Yu was the only daughter of Pei Yuanli, the Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief of Dongguang, and the Jianzhang Army was the foundation built by the Pei family for generations. If Pei Yu were gone, even Pei Yuanli's wife, Mu Huaying, would certainly not be able to command the Jianzhang Army, because in the minds of the Jianzhang Army, Mu Huaying's primary identity was that of the eldest sister of the emperor, not a member of the Pei family.
Shangguan You was indeed rendered speechless by the question. Mu Huaying retorted sharply, then softened her tone, saying, "Yu'er is like this, and so is Miss Shangguan. She is a swordsmanship prodigy unparalleled in the Southern Dynasty for hundreds of years. Even for the sake of the country, we cannot offer her up. But what is the necessity of keeping Sima Yao? In Qianhuan, she was already a princess living a life of luxury. With the country destroyed, she neither died for her country like the Sima royal family and your uncle Shangguan Jin, nor did she make any contribution to the country. Now that she has an opportunity to share the burden of the country, isn't it the time for her to contribute?"
Her words were a mix of offense and defense. She first gave Shangguan Yuqi face by stating that Shangguan Yuqi did not have to go, but the key point was in the second half of her sentence: If they were to protect Shangguan Yuqi, then the prestigious Shangguan family could not possibly be so stingy as to abandon even one son and refuse to give a single penny.
Only now did A Qiu realize that this Princess Langya, Shangguan Yuqi's mentor and friend, was indeed named Sima Yao. No wonder Shangguan Yuqi called her "Aunt Yao".
At this moment, Mu Huaying, brooking no argument, pressed on, saying, "Sima Yao is no ordinary weak woman. She has practiced swordsmanship in the Shangguan family cemetery for many years. If she were to encounter anything in Beiqiang, she would certainly be able to protect herself. Does that mean your Shangguan sword is no match for the Beiqiang spear?"
Shangguan You was not a quick-witted or eloquent person, but a kind and honest gentleman. Mu Huaying came prepared and attacked him with a combination of offense and defense. He knew it was inappropriate, but he could not respond. He could only look angry.
Seeing that Shangguan You was speechless, A Qiu noticed that Shangguan Yuqi, who was standing under his shoulder, had a resolute expression on her face and wanted to step forward.
Knowing what she was about to do, A Qiu immediately used telepathy to say, "Young Miss, you mustn't!"
Shangguan Yuqi, who was about to take a step, stopped and glanced hesitantly at A Qiu.
A Qiu knew the Shangguan family's integrity; none of them were afraid of trouble or death. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been Yan Xiu's rebellious ways and Shangguan Jin's suicide for his country and friends. Seeing her uncle's helpless situation, Shangguan Yuqi wanted to step forward and volunteer for a marriage alliance. Because of her personality, she would never allow her benefactor, Aunt Yao, to be forced into a marriage alliance with the Northern Qiang; she would rather it be her own choice.
She had already lost her aunt Shangguan Yanxiu, who was of vital importance to her, so how could she sit idly by and watch another family elder who had taken good care of her follow in the same footsteps?
However, the matter is still undecided at this moment. Even if Shangguan You drags his feet and stalls, there may still be a chance for a turnaround. But if Shangguan Yuqi steps forward and agrees, he is agreeing to this matter in front of all the officials of the Southern Dynasty and in full view of everyone. Even if he wants to change it in the future, it will be extremely difficult and almost impossible.
A Qiu's mind raced, quickly calculating how to get through this ordeal.
The exchange of glances between her and Shangguan Yuqi had already been noticed by Gongyi Xiu, who was standing to the side. Gongyi Xiu then straightened his sleeves, stepped forward, and smiled, saying, "Actually, instead of forcing a widowed elder to remarry, I have a better suggestion for Madam Pei."
Gongyi Xiu's words were like a thunderbolt to everyone.
Although Gongyi Xiu was the foremost strategist in the Lanling Hall and was known as the best debater, once he actually became an official, his style of conduct was low-key and prudent. He would refrain from expressing his opinions if he could avoid it, and say what he didn't need to say. This is why he was able to hold a high position in the court, which was full of powerful clans, at a young age.
This is probably the first time he has spoken out in such a controversial manner in his career.
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