Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 404 The Duke's Mansion Selects a Son-in-Law
“Yes, Madam!” Uncle Zhong bowed and replied.

Zhongbo had anticipated this, and he had prepared not only Zhang Guifen's share, but also those for the Duke and the young master.

There was nothing they could do; the most important thing in the Duke of Ying's mansion right now was Zhang Guifen's marriage.
This whole family is thinking about it!
Upon hearing that Zhongbo had made all the preparations, the Duchess of Yingguo was immediately relieved.

"She's definitely an old hand at our Duke's side!" the Duchess of Ying thought to herself. "When Fen'er gets married in the future, I'll have to add more people to the family!"

"Only our own elderly relatives can use it with peace of mind!"

However, the Duchess of England secretly found it amusing, realizing that she might be overthinking things.

After all, their daughter's marriage is still undecided!

She nodded to Uncle Zhong, and then focused her attention on the pile of "documents". Although the Duchess of England appeared calm and unhurried, judging from her unusually fast typing speed, she was probably not "consistent with her appearance" and was probably very anxious inside!
Seeing this, Zhongbo did not disturb her, but merely pursed his lips as if revealing a slight smile, and then respectfully bowed to the Duchess of Yingguo.

"Ah."

The Duchess of England waved her hand dismissively as she carefully examined the documents in her hand, muttering to herself, "This young man is quite good, and his family background is excellent too!"

"Hmm? That's quite suitable, his grandmother and my family have been friends for generations..."

After signaling to Zhongbo to do as he pleased, the Duchess of Yingguo devoted herself entirely to the things in her hands.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry; the Duchess of England was truly exhausted for her daughter!
There's nothing we can do; every family loves their daughter dearly!

Upon receiving the instructions from the Duchess of England, Zhongbo immediately slipped out quietly. Once outside the door, he quickly summoned the maid who was standing in the courtyard and instructed her, "By order of the Madam, go quickly to the young lady's courtyard and give this to her."

As he spoke, Uncle Zhong took out the notes he had prepared beforehand and continued, "Tell the eldest daughter to study these carefully and see if there are any that she likes."

Although he was already an elder in the household, Zhang Guifen was still a young lady from a prominent family who had not yet married. Therefore, Zhongbo simply had a maidservant relay the instructions.

After the maid left, Zhongbo couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Miss, you really can't delay any longer this time!"

In fact, the Duchess of England was right when she said that Zhang Guifang's marriage really could not be delayed any longer.

Although the title of Duke in England is hereditary and can be considered a family of officials who live and die with the nation for generations.

but!
You have to give as much as you receive.

Although the Zhang family enjoyed a great deal of wealth and luxury, they also had to pay a heavy price.

Not to mention how many of the Zhang family's sons died on the battlefield, most of their daughters were married off to other families in order to consolidate the Zhang family's influence in the court.

Admittedly, the Zhang family's actions were partly motivated by a desire for wealth and status. However, it is undeniable that as a military family, the Zhang family also had its own principles. Otherwise, even without their current status, they could still enjoy wealth and status based on the achievements of their ancestors.

All of this was simply because the Zhang family wanted to serve the imperial court. This empire was ultimately the result of the joint efforts of the Zhang family's ancestors and the founding emperor. The glory of our forefathers must not be tarnished!
The Zhang family has its own principles.

Zhongbo knew that the most important reason for urging Zhang Guifen to get engaged was the current political situation in the court.

Now, the princes have grown up, especially the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan, who have become increasingly powerful. However, the position of Crown Prince remains undecided, which has led the princes to set their sights on the powerful figures in the court.

Leaving aside the civil officials, the most prominent military family is the Zhang family, the family of the Duke of Yingguo, especially since Zhang Guifang is the only legitimate daughter of this generation.

If Zhang Guifen could be married into his own family, it would undoubtedly greatly increase his chances of "ascending the throne"!

This is the common sentiment of all the princes who "have lofty ambitions".

Unfortunately, the Duke of England and the current emperor had a tacit understanding, and the two of them openly and secretly blocked various means, even traps, with the aim of preventing Zhang Guifen from marrying into the royal family.

However, as the saying goes, "It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark." Especially as time goes by, the current emperor's health is deteriorating, and the princes, especially those with higher serial numbers, are becoming increasingly bold and active.

In fact, the Duke of England understood that this kind of taking sides was inevitable. However, with the reputation of the Duke of England's mansion, as long as he did not actively place his bets, even if a new emperor ascended the throne, he would not take any major action against the Duke of England's mansion. At most, the emperor would suppress their power.

However, given the size of the Zhang family, these are nothing compared to the fact that the Zhang family's deep roots in the military are not so simple.

In short, besides considering the overall situation, the Duke of England also cared about his daughter's happiness.

Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. As long as she doesn't marry into the royal family, no matter who Zhang Guifen marries in the future, the Duke of Ying's mansion will have enough resources to support her. That's why Uncle Zhong made such a remark, hoping that Zhang Guifen could get engaged as soon as possible and get through this difficult time.

Zhang Guifen was not entirely unaware of this.

……

The British Duke's residence survived four reigns and was expanded twice, making it magnificent and far superior to the residences of ordinary princes and nobles.

However, in the very center of the British Duke's mansion, there is a very special residence.

This residence is called the Red Makeup Pavilion. Although it is just a detached house of the Duke of England's mansion, it has a hidden world inside.

The main entrance of the Red Makeup Pavilion has three rooms, with barrel tiles and mud loach-shaped ridges. The door railings and lattice doors are also intricately carved and decorated with the latest styles. However, it is different from the style of other residences in the British Duke's Mansion. It is less solemn but more playful.

Looking down, one sees a uniform array of water-polished walls, with white stone steps carved into the shape of white lotus flowers. Below the snow-white walls on both sides, tiger-skin stones are laid out with intricate and unpredictable patterns. Overall, it is certainly unconventional and delightful to behold.

This separate courtyard was Zhang Guifang's residence.

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(End of this chapter)