Chapter 4: Granted Marriage
There was a Dragon Boat Festival family banquet at Xiahou Mansion, and the palace was filled with singing and dancing.
The current Holy Emperor Zhou Xian is already seventy years old, but he is still reluctant to abdicate. He selects new beauties every year. Now there are more than three thousand beauties in his harem.
Although there were many concubines in the harem, the number of royal heirs has only gradually increased in recent years. Before he was forty years old, Emperor Xian of Zhou had only one son. After Concubine Li entered the palace and gave birth to the second prince, the harem gradually expanded and children came one after another, as if a switch had been turned on.
Because of this, Concubine Li was greatly favored by the emperor. The well-maintained, plump and beautiful woman nestled in the old emperor's arms softly and delicately. She pinched a grape with her slender jade fingers and fed it into his mouth. After being held on the fingertips, she smiled charmingly and seductively. The old emperor was so fascinated that he couldn't bear to take his eyes off her.
However, although Concubine Li was favored, the Queen's position as the main wife would not be shaken in any way. The power of the Shangguan family had always been at its peak and they firmly controlled the government.
The eldest prince born by the queen also sits firmly in the East Palace. Although the emperor prefers the second son on the surface, with so many children, they all become children born in old age, and naturally there is no question of who is more noble than the other.
In the future, as long as the prince does not make any mistakes, it is inevitable that he will sit on the throne safely and securely.
All the courtiers who were invited to attend the palace banquet turned a blind eye to the debauchery of their superiors and enjoyed the singing, dancing and music without batting an eyelid. They had become accustomed to it.
Amid the sound of stringed instruments, a young eunuch came tumbling in from outside the palace, panting and saying, "Your Majesty, the general guarding the country is outside the palace asking to see you!"
Hearing this name, a glimmer of clarity flashed in the old emperor's cloudy eyes. He pushed Concubine Li away and sat up straighter: "Announce."
As soon as he finished speaking, a seven-foot-tall young warrior wearing armor and carrying a sword strode into the hall.
The man had a handsome face and a murderous expression. His black eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. Although he did not look away, he frightened the beautiful singers in the hall and made them shrink back.
Not to mention these dancers who had never seen the world, even many court officials were stunned by this iron-blooded aura. They unconsciously avoided his eyes and dared not look him in the eye.
When they reached the front of the palace, the man lifted his robe and knelt down, saying in a serious tone, "Your servant, Chen Ting, has been ordered to return to the capital to see Your Majesty."
The old emperor said with a smile: "My dear minister, please get up. Someone, give the general a seat."
A young eunuch diligently tried to take the sword that Chen Ting casually hung on his waist, but he was weighed down by the 20-jin sword and lost his balance, staggering and almost falling to the ground.
The man glanced at him calmly, and the young eunuch was immediately frightened and knelt on the ground, trembling and shouting: "General, please forgive me! General, please forgive me!"
"Useless thing! Do you eat for free every day?!" Rong Baolin, the eunuch beside the emperor, kicked the young eunuch, put on a smile, bent over to take the sword himself: "General, don't blame me, this useless thing has never seen such a powerful weapon..."
Chen Ting didn't say anything, but just moved his sword forward, with no intention of giving it to them.
Rong Baolin retreated tactfully.
"My dear minister, you are the backbone of the country. This time, repelling the Northern Turks is a great achievement. You have both power and fame. I don't know how to reward you." The old emperor was speaking politely, and Chen Ting listened expressionlessly. When he finished speaking, he heard a familiar voice: "But my dear minister is almost thirty years old, but there is no close person around him. I am deeply worried."
There was no need for Chen Ting to reply at this time, as someone else had already spoken for him: "Your Majesty, haven't you granted marriages to the generals several times before?"
It’s seven times, Chen Ting corrected himself silently in his heart.
The emperor sent him seven women. At first, they were all prominent noble ladies in the capital and legitimate daughters of large families. They represented the emperor's attention to this meritorious official. However, more than half of them died on the way from the capital to Moyun City, and the other half died in the bridal chamber.
There were seven arranged marriages, but none of them came to fruition. This actually had nothing to do with Chen Ting. He didn't know why these women wanted to commit suicide... He would not do anything to them after they married into his family.
No daughter is raised in vain. The legitimate daughter of a large family is a very important asset and means of marriage. The loss of one is heartbreaking enough, and now all seven are gone. Even if Chen Ting is really innocent, everyone does not want to push their daughters into the fire pit, and they all jump out to speak.
"Your Majesty, please think twice. Perhaps it is not the right time for General Chen. Why force it?"
"Your Majesty, please don't force this marriage..."
"Your Majesty is busy with many things every day, so there is no need to worry about such trivial matters... Of course, I am not saying that General Chen's lifelong affairs are not important, but state affairs come first."
“…”
Don't think that these gentlemen don't know. Now the whole capital city says that Chen Ting is an evil spirit. No daughter who marries him will survive the wedding night because she will be killed by the blood in his body.
Regardless of whether this was the reason or not, Chen Ting’s achievements surpassed his master’s, and the old emperor definitely had no good intentions in granting him marriage, and no one wanted to be involved in this matter.
Emperor Zhou Xian, who was sitting at the top, also knew that if he pushed the noble lady of the capital to Chen Ting again, these old foxes would probably get angry. He rolled his eyes and said, "I heard that the daughter of Xiahou Zhizhou in Moyun City is gentle and beautiful, and she is in her twenties. I wonder if you have heard of it?"
The Xiahou family, as relatives of the Yongning Marquis Mansion which was just raided a few days ago, is currently in a rather delicate situation.
Hearing that the two girls from the Shen family had not been heard from since the night their house was searched, everyone had their own guesses as to whether they were dead or alive... or hiding somewhere.
The old emperor has always turned a blind eye to this issue, but now he suddenly brings it up. What is his meaning?
Xiahou Zhizhou, Chen Ting immediately saw the energetic figure of old man Xiahou in his mind, and replied: "I have met Xiahou Zhizhou once before."
Emperor Zhou Xian smiled and clapped his hands: "He has a granddaughter of the right age in his family. How about marrying her to you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the noisy officials on the field fell silent.
Chen Ting was born in the Mansion of the Duke of Rong. He was also granted the rank of first-rank general at a young age. His wife should have been the daughter of an aristocratic family in the capital. However, the old emperor pointed to the daughter of a small prefect in the remote Moyun City and asked him what he thought.
The old emperor was trying to test him.
Everyone was waiting to see Chen Ting explode, but after waiting for a long time, they heard him say calmly: "Okay."
Just like Emperor Xian of Zhou’s attitude when he had granted marriages to test him in the previous times, no matter which family the daughter was from, the answer was just one word - "good".
Everyone looked at Chen Ting's expressionless face and suddenly felt a chill.
This general who guards the country always accepts all brides, but the brides eventually die for various reasons. Could this be his silent resistance?
He didn't refuse on the surface, but in his heart he had already arranged how everyone would die?
Well, this Chen Ting, who looks inconspicuous...actually has such deep thoughts!
Poor girl from the Xiahou family who was named, she is only sixteen years old this year.
Everyone silently lit a candle for her.
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