"The young master is the two eunuchs Wang Chengen and Wang Erxi. They are here. They said they have something important to ask!" Xiao Si said.
"Tell them to wait a moment, I'll be right there!" Zhao Xiaofei said. Li Sihong, like a wife, helped Zhao Xiaofei straighten his clothes. She followed him out of the room and went to the front hall together.
"Two eunuchs! I just got home, why are you following me here? What can I do for you?" Zhao Xiaofei saluted. In his heart, he thought: You two damn eunuchs, do you know that you have ruined my good fortune?
Wang Chengen smiled and said, "It's just a few questions. Why don't you sit down? Let's not talk while standing!"
After Wang Chengen finished speaking, Wang Erxi and Zhao Xiaofei also sat down. At this time, Li Sihong took the tea brought by Yuping and brought it to Zhao Xiaofei and the other two.
Wang Chengen said, "I'd like to ask, Mr. Zhao, have you found a marriage in Nan'ao? Or have you even arranged one?"
"No! Men in our country get married many years later than those in the Ming Dynasty! And the royal family of our country has regulations that the eldest brother must be married before the younger brother can get married!" Zhao Xiaofei lied.
Wang Chengen smiled and said, "That's great! His Majesty wants to recruit you as Princess Kunxing's consort. Are you willing?"
When Li Sihong heard this, her heart tightened, and she accidentally dropped the last tea bowl to the ground. Wang Erxi saw this and said angrily, "Mr. Zhao invited this servant from home, but she's so clumsy. She has big feet for nothing, but she can't even hold the tea bowl steady!" Li Sihong quickly bowed and left the room.
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself, "Wang Erxi, you see things quite clearly. You, a eunuch, are looking at my woman. Be careful or I'll castrate you again."
Wang Chengen saw Zhao Xiaofei was stunned, so he asked again, "What do you think, Master Zhao?"
"You're talking about the matter of a son-in-law? I'm a prince of a small foreign country. I'm afraid I can't afford to marry him," Zhao Xiaofei said to Wang Chengen.
Wang Erxi then said, "My lord, you may not be aware of the rules of our dynasty. Princesses marry only from commoner families. You are new to our dynasty, hold no official position, have good character, and are the Crown Prince's savior. I think you are a perfect match!"
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself, of course I know. Even if I become a prince consort, I still have to live separately from the princess. I have to ask permission from the palace maids and eunuchs to give gifts when we meet. And I can't even take a concubine. I won't do that! So he said, "My two eunuchs! How old is Princess Kunxing? Only thirteen or fourteen. In our country, women can only marry after they are eighteen. Isn't the princess too young?"
"Do you think we are in your Nan'ao country? This is the Ming Dynasty! If you want to live well here, you have to follow the rules here. Do you understand?" Wang Chengen said. He stood up and walked to Zhao Xiaofei and patted him on the shoulder gently.
"I..." Zhao Xiaofei wanted to say, "Can I not be a prince consort?" But when he saw Li Sihong outside the door winking at him, he swallowed the rest of the words. Li Sihong saw that Zhao Xiaofei saw her look, so she turned away.
"What? Have you figured it out?" Wang Chengen asked.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Zhao Xiaofei saluted.
"Okay, okay! Then you are the prince consort of our dynasty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Wang Chengen said with a smile.
"I also congratulate the prince consort!" said Wang Erxi.
"Thank you, both eunuchs!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
Wang Chengen and Wang Erxi finished their questioning and stood up with a smile. Zhao Xiaofei gave Xiao Si a look, and Xiao Si immediately understood. This was a gift for the two eunuchs. He quickly ran to the storeroom and took out two glass wine glasses. He gave one to each of them, and the two eunuchs happily returned to the palace.
After sending the two eunuchs away, Zhao Xiaofei ran to Li Sihong's room. He saw her sitting on the bed, crying softly. Zhao Xiaofei asked, "Why did you wink at me? If I had refused, I could have married you!"
"No! If you reject the emperor's wish, do you think you can still live a good life in Ming Dynasty?" Li Sihong looked at Zhao Xiaofei with red eyes.
"Do you know that I don't want to be a prince consort?" Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Of course I know you're deeply in love with me, but for your sake, I can't bear to see you suffer. I'm a prostitute, and being your concubine is a blessing. Since you're going to be my consort, I'm willing to follow you without any official status." Li Sihong said this, tears streaming down her face. Today had been a roller coaster ride for her; it was too thrilling. Zhao Xiaofei had finally agreed to marry her, but then this happened.
"How can I not give you a status? Even if I want to marry the princess, can't I take you as my concubine?" Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Young Master! This place is not like the Kingdom of South Australia. If you marry the princess, not only can you not be with her, but you can't take concubines either." Li Sihong said.
Zhao Xiaofei finally understood why Li Sihong had said she was willing to follow him without a formal relationship. So that's why! Princess Kunxing was just a child. In later times, she would have been in the first grade of junior high school. There really wasn't much to talk about with a first-grade kid. He hadn't noticed at the time, and wondered if the princess had bound feet.
But Zhao Xiaofei's worries were in vain. Although foot binding was a serious practice during the Ming Dynasty, it was not practiced by the royal family. Only wealthy individuals and some scholarly families bound their feet. Archaeological discoveries at the Dingling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty's Thirteen Tombs reveal that the feet of Empress Xiaoduan and Empress Xiaojing were of normal length. Therefore, royal family members did not bind their feet.
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