Chapter 8 Marriage
Although the emperor was dissatisfied with Shengxia's military power, he also knew that this matter could not be rushed. After all, the barbarians had just surrendered, and Shengxia, the great general who defended the country, was still needed to intimidate these barbarians.
"My dear ministers, our great General Sheng has fought for our country. It is truly an honor for us to defend our country. Let us raise our glasses to you, my dear general."
The emperor was really happy today. The humiliation of losing six cities four years ago was swept away today. He felt so happy.
After drinking a glass of wine, Shengxia walked to the center of the hall, knelt down and saluted the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a request. Please grant it."
"Oh, I don't know what you want to do, my dear. As long as I can do it, I will definitely agree." The emperor, who was in a good mood, naturally agreed happily.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to allow me to exchange the red letter and iron certificate for the black jade ointment." Shengxia said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
After Shengxia finished speaking, the hall fell into silence. Everyone looked at Shengxia in disbelief. Even Sheng Yuan was stunned for a moment.
The Red Book and Iron Certificate is a specially granted golden medal of immunity from death, which can ensure that the three clans will be exempt from the death penalty. This is the second time that the Red Book and Iron Certificate has been specially granted since the founding of the Wei Dynasty.
"I can agree to this matter, but Minister Sheng, please think it over carefully." The emperor did not show it on his face, but he was actually very happy in his heart. This would reduce one obstacle for him to take back the military power in the future.
"I will never regret it." Shengxia answered firmly.
"Okay, I promise you, I will send Doctor Jiang to the General's Mansion tomorrow."
Sheng Xia returned to her seat. Sheng Yuan lowered his voice and said in a trembling voice, "Xiao Xia, you're crazy. That's a red seal and an iron certificate. Your brother isn't worth it. Tell His Majesty that you regret it."
"Brother, I've made up my mind. We are the only two children of our father and daddy. Now we depend on each other for survival. Nothing is more important than your health."
"Brother, why are you so stupid? It's not worth it. Brother is not worth it."
"Brother, you are the best brother in the world. You have always taken care of me and treated me well since I was a child. In my opinion, you deserve it."
Tonight, everyone's eyes were on Sheng Xia and Sheng Yuan. They were very curious about what they were talking about, but the sounds of singing and dancing covered up their conversation, so no one knew what they were talking about.
In a place where no one was paying attention, the Queen gave the Crown Prince a wink, and the Crown Prince nodded imperceptibly.
"Father, General Sheng is a blessing to my country. Now that he is nineteen, isn't it time for you to pay attention to his lifelong affairs?"
"Yes, General Sheng is a man and will eventually get married. Your Majesty cannot delay General Sheng's lifelong event."
The Queen then agreed, saying that after all, he wanted to introduce his distant nephew to Shengxia.
"Yes, yes, it's my fault. Lord Sheng is already 19 this year. We can't delay any longer. I was inconsiderate."
"Your Majesty, I have a candidate here. He is my distant nephew. He is handsome and has great respect for General Sheng." Then the Queen called his distant nephew Zhao Wen to step forward two steps.
"Your humble servant pays homage to Your Majesty, Queen." Zhao Wen said respectfully.
When Shengxia heard the prince mention his marriage, she knew that they had bad intentions. The queen was the younger brother of the current prime minister Zhao Quan, and they were reaching too far.
"He is indeed a handsome man. I think he is a good match. What do you think, Lord Sheng?"
In the emperor's view, it would be a good thing if Shengxia really married Zhao Wen. After all, Zhao Wen was the queen's family member, and would be the prince's helper in the future. After all, he was still very satisfied with the prince, and in the end, the military power would eventually return to the hands of the royal family.
The Queen and the Crown Prince naturally had the same idea in mind. In their view, Shengxia was a boy, and after getting married, she would definitely prioritize her husband's family, and the military power in Shengxia's hands would eventually be used by them.
How could Shengxia not understand the intentions of the Queen and the Crown Prince? If he agreed today, he would be tied to the Queen and the Crown Prince in the future. Besides, this man walked in a weak manner, and one could imagine what he was like in private.
Sheng Yuan was so anxious that he almost stood up. These people were really going too far. His brother was a young hero and deserved the best man in the world. Even if his brother didn't get married, he would not marry a man who looked like he was overindulging in lust.
Sheng Yuan was already planning to risk his life to reject the proposal of the Queen and the Crown Prince. He would never watch his brother jump into the fire pit.
The Queen and the Crown Prince looked at Zhao Wen and felt that it was a sure thing. After all, it was good enough for Shengxia to have a man who liked her now, not to mention that this man was their nephew, who was more than enough for Shengxia.
At the moment when Sheng Yuan refused, Sheng Xia walked to the center of the hall and replied respectfully.
"I thank the Queen and the Crown Prince for their kindness, but I already have someone I love, and I will marry him."
Shengxia didn't know why, but when he said this, the boy who spoke for him on the street on the day he returned to Beijing subconsciously emerged in his mind.
The Queen originally had a confident smile on her face, but as Shengxia finished speaking, the smile on her face began to show signs of cracking.
"General Sheng, I wonder which boy you like? Just tell me and let His Majesty arrange a marriage for you." The Queen asked with an effortful smile.
Shengxia knew that if she didn't tell who it was today, the Queen and the Prince would not let her go.
"He is the son of Marquis Yongning." After Shengxia said this, the tall and handsome young man appeared in her mind.
Shengxia remembered that the man's servant said that he was the young master of the Marquis of Yongning. The reason he chose him was because of the young man's performance that day. He should not be disgusted with him and might be willing to play along with him. He could only take a gamble. In this situation, he could only think of him.
If he is unwilling to marry her at that time, he will ask for a divorce after the storm has passed, and he will give him enough gold, silver and treasures to compensate him.
"General Sheng, I heard that Xia Yang, the legitimate son of Marquis Yongning, has been engaged, and it seems that the person is not General Sheng." Prime Minister Zhao Quan said sharply.
The Queen and Zhao Quan looked at each other and exchanged meaningful glances.
Then, the Queen raised her lips slightly, and said with a half-smile, "General Sheng, do you feel that my nephew is not suitable for you? So you made up an excuse, saying that you already have someone you like. If that is the case, General, you could just tell me directly. Why beat around the bush and even commit the crime of deceiving the emperor?"
After hearing what the Queen said, the Emperor felt that Shengxia was deceiving him and felt a little angry.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at Minister Sheng below with dignity, and there was a hint of doubt and warning in his voice.
"Your Majesty, I did not mean that. I am just sure that he is the son of Marquis Yongning." Although his voice was a little low, it was very clear.
The emperor frowned. He was obviously not satisfied with Sheng Aiqing's answer. After all, the prime minister's words were definitely not groundless.
"My dear Minister Sheng, do you understand the interests involved here? If what you said is false, it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor, a serious crime punishable by death!" The emperor's tone became increasingly severe.
"Your Majesty, I would never dare to say a word of falsehood." Shengxia replied with certainty.
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