Chapter 86: Marriage
Ming Huashang's mind was slightly moved, thinking that this was not the first time he said he would support her for the rest of her life. When he wanted to take her away in Luoyang, he had vowed to his grandmother and others that if she could not get married, he would support her.
Ming Huashang couldn't help but think of the dream in which the Duke of Zhenguo had her driven out of the mansion, and it was Ming Huazhang who stepped forward and tried to keep her. It turned out that no matter whether she deliberately made friends with him or not, no matter whether she had a close relationship with him or not, he would never abandon her.
However, she still disappointed him in his dream and died without knowing what happened to her. Ming Huashang didn't know what happened after her death. He had no idea what the people in the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion thought when they heard the news of her death, and what he thought. Ming Huashang felt inexplicably sad and whispered, "Maybe I won't have to support her for the rest of my life."
To this day, even with the warning in the dream, she still doesn't know who killed her, why she died, let alone how to avoid death. If she still can't escape the fate of death this time, then she can only accompany him until next year, which doesn't cost him much money and energy.
Ming Huazhang didn't hear clearly, so he leaned over and asked, "What did you say?"
Ming Huashang shook her head, looked up and smiled at him, "Second brother, this is what you said, you will support me for the rest of my life, you are not allowed to despise me for my ability to eat."
Ming Huazhang looked at her and smiled softly: "Okay. What do you want to eat? I'll go with you to buy it. You can make a fuss as long as you want."
Ming Huashang felt a little bitter in her heart, and hugged his arm under the pretext of being his sister, and said cheerfully, "Okay. It's getting late, let's go back to the banquet."
There were more and more people in the garden, and the nobles sat in groups. All the flirting and testing were hidden in the soft voices, and only laughter could be heard when they were walking back and forth. When Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang passed through the trees, they happened to meet Xie Jichuan. Ming Huashang subconsciously let go of Ming Huazhang's hand. Xie Jichuan seemed not to see their actions and walked over with a smile: "Jingzhan, second sister, so you are here, no wonder I couldn't find you after looking for you for a long time."
Seeing Jichuan like this, Ming Huashang felt even more guilty. She tried to cover it up by saying, "I thought the scenery by the lake was nice, so I just wanted to take a stroll. Brother came to see me."
Xie Jichuan looked at her and smiled, "I know. Why do you need to explain it to me, sister?"
Ming Huachang was silent, and inexplicably felt that he was being tampered with. Ming Huazhang immediately took over the conversation and asked, "Xie Jichuan, where were you assigned to?"
Xie Jichuan's smile seemed a little elusive, and he said, "Donggong."
Ming Huazhang's pupils dilated slightly, and he was very surprised: "Eastern Palace?"
"That's right." Xie Jichuan nodded and said in an ambiguous way, "The Prince's Sheren in the Right Spring Office of the Zhanshi Mansion."
The crown prince was the heir apparent, and the Eastern Palace had a small team similar to the imperial court, but the number of people and size were greatly reduced. The Right Spring Office was similar to the Secretariat, in charge of attendants, tributes, and memorials. The Crown Prince's Sheren was a minor official of the sixth rank, responsible for drafting orders and memorials for the crown prince.
However, this small court was more of a symbol of etiquette and law, and did not hold real power. Especially in the current situation, the prince was in a state of fear under the empress, and his life was in danger at any moment, so how could he draft any orders? Xie Jichuan, the prince's attendant, was just an honorary title, and he actually had no business to do.
But the Queen's move to place Xie Jichuan in the Eastern Palace is intriguing. What does the Queen want to do? Let Xie Jichuan monitor the Crown Prince, or test Xie Jichuan's loyalty?
Ming Huazhang fell silent when he heard about this official position. Ming Huashang saw that the atmosphere was not right and tried to ask: "Second brother, what happened to the prince's servant? Is he not well?"
Going to the East Palace to assist the Crown Prince, and when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, he will be the new emperor's confidant. Who dares to say it's not good? Xie Jichuan smiled and replied: "It's not that it's not good, but I think there is a destiny."
Ming Huachang became more and more confused: "Where did fate come from?"
Xie Jichuan smiled, his eyes slightly curved, like a glacier with floating ice fragments: "My father was once the Prince's attendant in the Eastern Palace. That was almost twenty years ago. I never thought that I would take on this position again."
Almost twenty years ago... Ming Huachang's heart suddenly sank. According to the time, wasn't the crown prince at that time the crown prince Zhang Huai? Was Xie Jichuan's father, like the Duke of Zhenguo, once a close confidant of the crown prince Zhang Huai?
Ming Huachang felt something was wrong, but couldn't put it into words. Ming Huazhang interrupted the topic calmly and said, "The positions of officials are decided by the officials in the Ministry of Personnel. We should make the best of it and do our part. Let's go back."
Xie Jichuan glanced at Ming Huazhang calmly, said nothing more, and turned away calmly. The three of them returned to the palace where the banquet was held. The charcoal basin was already lit inside, warm as spring, and the fragrance was overwhelming.
When Ming Huashang entered the room, someone suddenly rushed out and she was hit and almost fell down the stairs. Fortunately, Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan followed behind her. Ming Huazhang quickly supported her, and Xie Jichuan also hurriedly stepped forward and supported Ming Huashang's other arm: "Second sister, are you okay?"
Ming Huashang shook her head. She raised her eyes and saw that the person who was rushing across the road without looking was actually Princess Anle.
Li Guoer was the youngest daughter of the crown prince. She was spoiled by her parents since she was young. In addition, she was good-looking and had always been very arrogant. She was a little annoyed when she was bumped into, but when she looked up and saw two handsome, tall and slender men, the anger on her face subsided unconsciously, and she asked, "Who are you..."
Ming Huazhang really looked down on Princess Anle, who was beautiful but brainless, but at this moment he was the subject and she was the king, so Ming Huazhang had to lower his eyes and salute, saying calmly: "Your servant Ming Huazhang, I pay my respects to Princess Anle."
Xie Jichuan also followed suit and saluted: "I am Xie Jichuan, and I am honored to meet the princess."
Ming Huazhang stood in front, silently covering Ming Huashang's figure. Ming Huashang saluted in a low profile, not attracting any attention, but it seemed that the princess didn't want to pay attention to her.
Li Guoer's eyes lingered on Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan, her eyes full of interest. The maid saw something was wrong and hurried forward to remind her: "Princess, this is the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo, who will take over as the Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture, and this is the son of the Xie family, who is the prince's attendant. Both of them are new Jinshi this year."
Li Guoer couldn't hide her disappointment when she heard the identities of these two people. She had certainly met Jinshi Lang, but Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan rarely attended private banquets. Whenever they appeared, they were at group banquets that they had to attend, such as the Wild Goose Pagoda inscription and polo matches. Li Guoer followed the royal team and looked at them from a distance, but couldn't see their faces clearly at all.
Today was the first time she saw the two men up close, but unfortunately she couldn't do anything. After all, she knew that her grandmother attached great importance to this year's imperial examination, and she would never dare to touch her grandmother's people.
A woman's voice came from behind: "Gu'er, what are you doing?"
Then the curtain was opened, and another beautiful, dignified woman appeared behind it. She was stunned when she saw this scene. Before Ming Huashang could recognize who this person was, Ming Huazhang had already saluted calmly: "Your servant Ming Huazhang has met Princess Yongtai."
Only the daughter of the crown prince can be called a princess, while the daughters of other princes can only be called county princesses. When Ming Huashang heard the title, she knew that this was the eldest legitimate daughter of the crown prince and Concubine Wei. Ming Huashang also greeted her: "Greetings to Princess Yongtai."
Although Princess Yongtai didn't know what happened here, she knew her younger sister's character very well. She glared at Li Guoer secretly and said, "It turned out to be Shao Yin Ming, and this one is..."
"This is my sister."
Princess Yongtai responded and said, "It's Madam Ming. It's windy outside, what are you doing standing here? Are we blocking the way? Please come in."
Princess Yongtai, as the legitimate daughter of the crown prince, was too humble to show such an attitude towards the newly-minted scholar who had just entered the officialdom. But considering the current situation of the Eastern Palace, it was not out of place at all.
The prince is called the crown prince, but in reality he walks on a steel edge at every step, always fearing that he will be deposed by the queen. How could the prince's children have the courage to offend the newcomers in the court?
Ming Huazhang did not refuse Princess Yongtai's excessive courtesy, and after returning the gift, he led Ming Huashang into the palace. Ming Huashang walked in last, and vaguely heard the voices behind her.
The one who said this gently but angrily was Princess Yongtai: "Gu'er, I told you to be careful with your words and actions, why are you still so rash?"
The clear and proud voice was obviously from Princess Anle: "My mother said she would find a husband for me, so I came out to take a look. What's wrong? You only allow my brother-in-law to obey you, but I am not allowed to choose a husband of my choice for myself?"
"Gu'er!" Princess Yongtai was afraid that Li Gu'er would show disrespect to the new Jinshi, but she didn't expect that this was exactly what she was worried about. Princess Yongtai scolded, "Mother really indulged you too much. How could you say such a thing?"
"I'm a princess, and I'm so beautiful. It's a blessing for them to marry me!"
"You still dare to say that?"
The woman's voice was low, and the words she said afterwards were unclear, but Ming Huashang could guess what they were saying. Xie Jichuan walked in front and sighed softly, "It's a disaster for a woman to know that she is beautiful but has no brains."
Ming Huazhang glanced at him coldly: "This is in the palace, be careful with your words."
Xie Jichuan shrugged and said nothing more. Ming Huashang couldn't help but look back at the door. Xie Jichuan saw her movements and smiled, "Don't worry, second sister, don't worry that your brother will be chosen by the princess or the county lord."
Ming Huashang was caught red-handed, feeling a little embarrassed: "What should I worry about? It's not my turn to worry about my brother's marriage."
"What about my sister's own marriage?"
"Why are you talking so much today?" Ming Huazhang could no longer bear it and said to the guest, "The Xie family's seat is over there. You should leave now."
After finally getting rid of Xie Jichuan, Ming Huazhang calmly said to Ming Huashang, "Don't worry about him. He's crazy and what he says is nonsense. You don't need to rush into marriage."
Ming Huashang smiled awkwardly, thinking that it was still uncertain whether she could survive next year, so she had no time to pay attention to the marriage proposal. Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang sat down at the seats in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. As soon as she sat down, she noticed that Princess Yongtai and Princess Anle had returned from outside. Princess Anle ran towards Concubine Wei with a pout, and Princess Yongtai followed behind with a helpless look on her face.
Seeing this, a man walked towards Princess Yongtai. Princess Yongtai naturally took his hand after seeing this. The two of them whispered as if no one was around, and it was obvious that they had a good relationship.
Ming Huashang guessed that this must be the husband of Princess Yongtai. Ming Huashang quietly asked Ming Huazhang: "Second brother, who is that man? I don't think I have heard of him."
Ming Huazhang glanced at the East Palace and said, "That's Yongtai's husband Ji Xian. They met in Fangzhou. After His Majesty decided to make Prince Luling the Crown Prince, Yongtai returned to the capital with his family, and Ji Xian followed him. No wonder you didn't recognize him."
Ming Huashang nodded secretly and whispered, "It seems that they have a good relationship."
"That's right." Ming Huazhang said, "Ji Xian's father was the military officer of Fangzhou, responsible for guarding Prince Luling. That's probably how he got to know Yongtai."
Ming Huashang silently said "oh". She looked up at Princess Anle who was flirting with the Crown Princess and said tactfully, "Although Princess Anle and Princess Yongtai are sisters, they have completely different personalities."
Ming Huazhang also looked towards the East Palace seat and sighed silently in his heart.
The two brothers, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang, have not had a good life in recent years, but their situations are completely different. The Crown Prince was imprisoned in Fangzhou, where he was short of material resources and lived from day to day, while the Prince of Xiang was imprisoned in the palace. Although it was still difficult, he was in the imperial city after all and had no worries about food and clothing. The children of their two families also showed completely different temperaments. The children of the Crown Prince grew up in poverty but suddenly returned to the imperial capital. They either showed cowardice and weakness or showed strong greed for money; the children of the Prince of Xiang grew up in the influence and oppression of imperial power, and showed maturity and forbearance at an early age.
It is unclear whether such a distinction is good or bad for the restoration of the Tang Dynasty.
People gradually arrived, and the maids began to serve the dishes. Ming Huashang only gossiped about the royal family's affairs, but soon she stopped caring. What did the royal family's struggle have to do with her? She was more concerned about what to eat today.
But Ming Huazhang had no appetite for the food on the table. He couldn't help thinking about the new batch of Xuanxiao Guards who stayed in Chang'an. There were seven people in the new batch of Xuanxiao Guards who were appointed this time. Among them, Ming Huashang and Su Yuji were ordinary women. It was not convenient for them to go to the stage. They would have to hide among the people to perform their tasks in the future. The other five were all appointed. Ming Huazhang went to Jingzhao Prefecture to deal with the administrative affairs of Chang'an City; Ren Yao and Jiang Ling went to Yulin Army. Although their official positions were low, they were also rooted in the Beiya Forbidden Army; Su Xingzhi went to the History Inspection Office to monitor the Shangshu Province and the Six Ministries. They have always been the most trusted and valued places by those in power; the strangest one was Xie Jichuan. He actually went to the East Palace to help the prince draft documents.
Xie Jichuan's talents were certainly more than enough for this task, but Ming Huazhang did not see the empress's love and care for new talents, but only suspicion.
The empress placed her own spies in Chang'an's administration, army, officialdom and even the Eastern Palace. Did she really distrust Chang'an, or the previous regime represented by Chang'an, so much?
That's her son!
The empress entered the palace surrounded by people. Ming Huashang quickly withdrew her gaze from the dishes and followed the popular kneeling ceremony. The empress used both kindness and authority, and slowly said, "No need to be polite, just stand up." After the eunuch said a few polite words, the banquet began.
Ming Huachang picked up the chopsticks and started eating in silence. Ming Huazhang was immersed in his thoughts when he suddenly saw a pair of chopsticks passing him and carefully reaching for the dish on the other side.
Ming Huazhang turned around and found that Ming Huachang had already eaten most of the food in front of him. Ming Huachang looked like a hamster that had been caught stealing things. He blinked at him innocently and tried to cover up the fact by picking up food for him: "Second brother, don't you want to eat?"
Ming Huazhang sighed, moved the dishes on the other side of the table to the middle, and said helplessly: "Are you hungry?"
"Um."
"Didn't I tell you to eat before you left?"
Ming Huashang curled her lips and said aggrievedly: "That's only a little bit. After such a long time, it's all used up just by walking."
Ming Huazhang snorted softly and said slowly, "Who asked you to go boating with Su Xingzhi? You deserve it."
Ming Huachang choked and was speechless. What did this have to do with Su Xingzhi? Even if she stood there without moving, she would still be hungry.
Ming Huazhang said this, but he still handed her a plate of snacks. Ming Huachang was concentrating on eating, completely ignoring the outside world.
The Queen likes poetry, literature and history. Today, more than ten Jinshi are present. It would be a waste if they don't write poems. The Queen asked people to write poems facing Qiuhu Lake. The eunuchs provided pens and ink in the palace. If any talented person has an idea, he can come and write a poem. Then the eunuchs will send it to the Queen for evaluation.
This opportunity to show off and please the superiors was not only of interest to the ministers, but also to the princes and grandchildren of the Li and Wu families. Princess Taiping, the King of Wei, the King of Liang, etc. each hired many writers to write for them. Those with money let their staff think about it, those without money thought about it themselves, and those without money and talent had to bite the bullet and write a few words to express their opinions.
Soon, a pile of papers was piled up in front of the empress. The empress asked Shangguan Wan'er to comment on it. Shangguan Wan'er took a pile of poems, glanced at them and threw them away. The white papers flew around and soon fell on the edge of her skirt, which looked like a pile of snow from a distance.
Shangguan Wan'er only read it once before calmly arranging the first, second, and third poems. The eunuch took the manuscript and read it aloud in front of the crowd, and everyone present was convinced.
Shangguan Wan'er deserved the title of the most talented woman in the court. Ming Huashang admired her very much. After applauding, he continued to eat with his head down.
However, the selection was still going on. Shangguan Wan'er read out the poem of the son of the King of Wei in front of the crowd. It was obviously written by someone else, but no one cared. The queen smiled and said, "Yanji has made great progress. Not bad."
The eldest son of the King of Wei, Wu Yanji, stepped out and thanked the King respectfully. The King of Wei also showed a look of honor, but he did not expect the Queen to change the subject and ask, "I remember that Yanji is not married yet, right?"
The atmosphere in the palace was stagnant. Even though Wu Yanji had already agreed to marry, he was now unmarried. The King of Wei smiled and said, "Thank you, aunt, for thinking about him. He is rash and has not yet arranged a marriage."
The Queen nodded slowly and said, "Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. The children are young and handsome, so they should get married early. It would be bad to delay. Prince, what do you think?"
The prince was caught off guard by being named. The Queen's words had already reached this point, and the hidden meaning was obvious. The prince said in fear and trepidation: "Mother, you are right. I have just returned to Chang'an, and I don't know where to start with the marriage of my children. Please love them more and arrange marriages for Prince Shao's brothers and sisters."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Wei became anxious and stopped talking to her daughters. Prince Shao Li Chongrun was her only son. Was such an important matter as choosing a daughter-in-law supposed to be left to the empress?
However, the prince lowered his head, looking as if he would leave everything to his mother's arrangements, so even if Concubine Wei was anxious, there was nothing she could do.
The empress said calmly, "Chongrun is related to the succession of the throne, so we have to find a good match for him and there is no rush to settle. But the girls can't afford to delay. I think Yongtai is calm and stable, and Yanjiqian and Shouli are a perfect match."
After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. Princess Yongtai's eyes widened. Just as she was about to say something, Concubine Wei immediately ordered someone to hold her down. She thanked the emperor respectfully, "Your Majesty is right. Your daughter-in-law thanks your mother for the marriage."
Ming Huashang hadn't finished the osmanthus cake in her mouth yet, and looked at Ming Huazhang in surprise. Didn't Princess Yongtai have a husband? Or did Ming Huazhang's information have been wrong?
Ming Huazhang also looked a little surprised. He held Ming Huachang's hand and shook his head slightly at her, his eyes very serious. He immediately went to find the man just now, and sure enough, Ji Xian had disappeared.
It was impossible for the empress to be unaware of what happened to Princess Yongtai in Fangzhou, but she still openly broke up the marriage and married the prince's daughter to the son of King Wei, thus forcing the marriage between Li and Wu.
Anyway, Princess Yongtai's engagement was made in Fangzhou, not Luoyang. The Queen said that she was not married, so even if she had a child, she would have to divorce and marry someone else.
In the palace, whether it was the eunuchs or the ministers, they all saw that Princess Yongtai and her husband were in love, but no one mentioned it at this moment. They all praised Princess Yongtai and the eldest son of King Wei as a match made in heaven. Princess Yongtai felt that the world had gone crazy. She wanted to say something, but she was controlled by Concubine Wei's people and forcibly taken away.
And this was just the beginning. Afterwards, the empress casually married the prince's youngest daughter, Princess Anle, to Wu Chongxun, the son of Prince of Liang. She also married several daughters of Prince of Liang and Prince of Wei to the princes of the Li family.
In the blink of an eye, except for Li Chongrun, the only two legitimate daughters of the crown prince in the East Palace were married to the Wu family, and the Prince of Xiang also had a daughter-in-law with the surname Wu. It seemed that the Li and Wu families had never been so close, and in the blink of an eye, they became in-laws with several sons and daughters.
No matter what the situation was, everyone who was called stood up to thank him, not daring to say a word. Ming Huashang silently swallowed the osmanthus cake in her mouth, and suddenly she didn't mind that Princess Anle had bumped into her just now.
Prince Ding looked at this scene with an indescribable smile on his lips.
How familiar! When Princess Taiping was newly widowed, he thought he was accompanying his cousins to look for a bride, but unexpectedly the princess chose him from among the young men of the military family. His family also accepted the order with such fear and trepidation, and after returning, they forced his childhood sweetheart to death. Later, he was conferred the title of Prince Ding, married Princess Taiping, and became the envied son-in-law of Chang'an and Luoyang. Who wouldn't say he was lucky?
He smiled and thought of his niece-in-law named Ji Xian. It was said that when Yongtai was imprisoned in the Fangzhou Palace with his parents, he was and had no means of survival. Ji Xian was able to visit the palace frequently because of his father. He often secretly brought food and toys to Yongtai and protected her from being bullied by the guards. Later, he proposed to her several times and finally convinced his parents to marry Yongtai, who was still a hot potato at the time.
Unexpectedly, we survived the most difficult years of confinement. We can share adversity, but not wealth.
But Ji Xian was still very lucky, at least he was only divorced, and if he knew the current situation, he could still be alive. He didn't even see his childhood sweetheart, his wife who had been with him through thick and thin, for the last time.
So what about the royal family? They are just a group of chess pieces who can't even decide who will sleep with them.
Prince Ding had a calm smile on his face, but his eyes were dark and bottomless. He didn't know that Princess Taiping looked at him motionlessly for a long time without turning her head.
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