Chapter 223 Transaction
Princess Kunxing returned to the palace and met her brother, Zhu Cijiong, who was eager to have her stay overnight. He agreed. They had lunch and dinner, and chatted about interesting things happening outside. The day ended with Empress Dowager Zhou coughing.
Zhu Cijiong was delighted. His sister's arrival had reduced his schoolwork significantly, and as an emperor, he also needed to curry favor with his relatives. So, Empress Dowager Zhou gave him a day off, allowing him to relax. That night, he secretly returned to have a good conversation with the Emei disciple. Now, this Emei disciple had entered the palace, renamed Chuntao. She was Zhu Cijiong's personal maid! Note! A personal servant! Even Empress Dowager Zhou didn't know the details of this maid yet.
After Zhu Cijiong returned to his own palace, Empress Dowager Zhou and Princess Kunxing sat in Kunning Palace. Empress Dowager Zhou said, "There aren't many people here now, so just say whatever you want!"
"Queen Mother! Your daughter wants to ask you a favor!" Princess Kunxing suddenly knelt down and said.
When Queen Mother Zhou saw Princess Kunxing kneeling, she didn't even raise her eyelids and said, "What's the matter? There's no need for such a grand ceremony! You are a princess, and a princess consort!"
"Mother! I am begging you for the sake of the Ming Dynasty!" said Princess Kunxing.
"What's the matter? Tell me!" said Queen Mother Zhou.
"I beg you, mother, to confer the title of prince on my husband and marry Zhaoren as your concubine!" As soon as Princess Kunxing said this, Queen Mother Zhou was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped.
She pointed at Princess Kunxing and said tremblingly, "Did he ask you to say this? Or is this his final ultimatum to me? Does he still want to rebel? Isn't the Anqing County Prince's position glorious enough?"
Empress Dowager Zhou asked several questions in a row, and Princess Kunxing answered calmly, "Mother, these are not what my husband asked me to say, but what I think! He has no intention of rebelling. I asked the court to make him a prince and marry Zhaoren for the sake of the eternal stability of the Ming Dynasty! Only my husband can save the Ming Dynasty! This will better keep his heart and make him care about the Ming Dynasty!"
Empress Dowager Zhou heard something else in these words. She asked, "Could it be that Zhao Xiaofei wants to leave the Ming Dynasty?"
Princess Kunxing neither nodded nor shook her head. Empress Dowager Zhou said, "He's just waiting for a good price! He's trying to force us, an orphan and a widow, to surrender! Does he really think the Ming Dynasty will cease to flourish without him? What is a princess? She's a powerful weapon for the country! Whether it's for a marriage alliance or to win over ministers, how can they all be given to him alone?"
"Mother! Can't you see? Only Zhao Xiaofei can save the Ming Dynasty!" Princess Kunxing said anxiously.
"Yes! The Ming Dynasty cannot do without him now, but we have also given him honor. He has jumped from a foreign commoner to the current royal consort, and then became a prince because of his military exploits! Isn't the favor enough?" asked the Queen Mother Zhou.
"Do I want Zhaoren to marry him? She is my sister, and I don't want her to marry Zhao Xiaofei. As his wife, I don't want Zhaoren to marry Zhao Xiaofei. There are too many women around him! But for the sake of Ming Dynasty, Zhao Xiaofei must marry Zhaoren! Only in this way will he fight for Ming Dynasty!" said Princess Kunxing.
Princess Kunxing's idea was simple: Zhao Xiaofei was the only one who could quickly return to the future 400 years later, earning wealth for the Ming Dynasty and exchanging it for weapons. This was the only way to drive out the Jianlu and eliminate the rebels. Only by giving Zhao Xiaofei more things to worry about would he not leave the Ming Dynasty and return to his own place.
At night, Kunxing and Zhaoren slept together. She asked, "Sister! Has the Queen Mother found a husband for you?"
"I heard they've found a man from a scholarly family, a successful candidate. I wonder if they'll approve. I also heard he escaped from the capital, his name is Zhou Xian!" Zhaoren looked nonchalant. In her eyes, even though she was a princess, she didn't have the luxury her sister had. Her sister was the true princess of a country, her every outing a grand occasion. She could have whatever she wanted, unlike herself, who was like a bird without freedom, at the mercy of others.
When Princess Kunxing heard this name, she recalled the history book Zhao Xiaofei had given her. Her fate was to be arranged to marry a man named Zhou Xian. He died of depression while pregnant. Hearing this name made her feel uncomfortable, and it only solidified her resolve that Zhaoren must marry Zhao Xiaofei. She absolutely refused to see Zhou Xian and had to drive him away immediately, so Zhao Xiaofei wouldn't know he was in Nanjing.
Princess Kunxing forced a smile and said, "If I ask you to follow the example of Ehuang and Nvying and share a husband, would you be willing?"
Zhaoren didn't show any joy when he heard this. Instead, he thought for a moment and said, "Sister! What do you think? Doesn't it hurt? My brother-in-law is very good! I like him too, but I don't want you to be sad! I've grown up and know that no woman wants to share her husband with another woman. Besides, my brother-in-law has two other women, Li Sihong and Kou Baimen. How can I be favored by him if I marry him?"
"Sister! He must like you! You are so beautiful and you are a princess! You have been in contact with him a lot and you know what kind of person he is. It is better than marrying a man you have never met and have no idea what his temper or appearance is like, right? Just now you said that Zhou Xian is from a scholarly family. Look at the old scholars who teach you and the emperor. You will know what he will be like in the future. Do you really like such a man?" Princess Kunxing's series of questions touched Zhaoren's heart.
Her life recently was like being in prison. She didn't like great scholars or families of scholars. There were too many rules. If she married into such a family, what would be the difference between that and being in the palace? But marrying Zhao Xiaofei was different. Her brother-in-law never cared about rules. The rules were basically set by her sister at home. Li Sihong and Kou Baimen basically didn't dare to go against their sister's wishes. If she married into the family, she could basically command them directly. As long as she listened to her sister, she believed that her life would be better than that of the main wife of a scholarly family. She could go wherever she wanted to play, eat whatever she wanted to eat, and do whatever she wanted to do, and her brother-in-law would definitely not stop her. Marrying into the family like this would be much more comfortable.
Thinking of this, Princess Zhaoren raised her head and asked, "Sister! If I marry you, can I be like you, go wherever I want, eat whatever I want, and do whatever I want?"
"Is this how you see your sister?" Princess Kunxing asked. She had never imagined that this was how she was seen in her sister's eyes.
"Of course! People say that my sister married the right person! My brother-in-law is talented and not pedantic. He also takes my sister around and broadens her horizons! Of course, some people think that my brother-in-law is being extremely rebellious. How can we let a woman be in charge of the family? It's all those old scholars who taught the emperor that if a woman is in charge, the house will collapse. Letting you lead the army and study might cause trouble like Empress Wu!" said Princess Zhaoren.
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