The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 445 Prince Fu proposes marriage

In the afternoon, the Fu family sent someone to the door, saying that Fu Yanqing, the king of Huaiyang, invited Marquis Dingyuan to come over and have a dinner.

Zhu Xiu wanted to evade and decline, but Fu Zhaoxin came to invite him in person, and the carriage and horses stopped at the gate of the Hou Mansion.

Helpless, Zhu Xiu had to change her clothes and tie her hair, and followed Fu Zhaoxin to the Huaiyang Palace.

On the way, Zhu Xiu and Fu Zhaoxin sat in the same car and exchanged greetings: "Brother Fu has been awarded the title of Duke of Wuyang County, and my younger brother has not yet congratulated me. This rhinoceros horn folding fan is a high-end product made by my younger brother Xianyuanzhai and has not yet been put on the market." , I specially selected the most exquisite one to give to Brother Fu as a daily plaything."

"Haha~ Dear brother, you are too polite!" Fu Zhaoxin took it and unfolded it with a swish. The fan painted a picture of a river flowing through a mountain, which was majestic.

He was not a person who liked to play with gadgets, but the gift from Zhu Xiu was so finely made and was a rare folding fan on the market, so he happily accepted it.

"I heard that Brother Fu fought bravely on the Yanzhou battlefield and was praised by the officials. With Brother Fu's qualifications and merits, he can definitely take over the military defense of the state, right?"

Zhu Xiu asked insinuatingly where Fu Zhaoxin would work next.

Fu Zhaoxin said with a smile: "I would like to go to Fuzhou or Shengzhou to serve under General Ruan Zhecong. It is close to Mobei and can often fight against the Khitans."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "I guess King Huaiyang will not allow it."

Fu Zhaoxin said helplessly: "You are right. My father only gave me two choices, either to stay in Yunzhou or to go to Shenzhou to serve as a regiment training envoy. Besides, when my eldest sister marries the Duke of Taiyuan, I will Please beg father, maybe I can get him to agree."

"Hehe, if Big Brother Fu really wants to go to Shengzhou, you might as well ask the official directly. As long as the official asks, King Huaiyang can only nod and agree." Zhu Xiu helped out with an idea.

Fu Zhaoxin slapped his thigh: "Yes, why didn't I think of that?"

But soon, his face turned bitter and hesitantly said: "If this is the case, my father will have to scold me bloody."

"This little brother is powerless!" Zhu Xiu spread his hands.

Fu Zhaoxin gritted his teeth and hesitated, but looking at his look, Zhu Xiu could guess that he would still choose to go to Shengzhou.

Suddenly, Fu Zhaoxin murmured again: "But if I go to Shengzhou, I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding with my second sister."

Zhu Xiu was peeling an orange. When he heard this, his hands trembled and he crushed the orange. The juice splashed onto Fu Zhaoxin's face, making him roll his eyes.

"Brother Fu, don't talk nonsense about this matter!" Zhu Xiu was anxious.

Fu Zhaoxin took the orange and stuffed it into his mouth, and said vaguely: "Why is there no trace? It has spread all over Kaifeng that Marquis Dingyuan will be my son-in-law in the Huaiyang Palace! Second brother-in-law, the matter has been decided, just accept your fate!" "

Fu Zhaoxin reached out and patted Zhu Xiu hard on the shoulder.

Zhu Xiu gasped and nervously leaned out of the car window to look around, feeling like she was about to fall into a tiger's mouth.

"Although Mrs. Feng said that she is highly respected, the Feng family is a civil servant's family after all. How can it compare with my Fu family! My second sister, Jin Huan, knew you earlier, and there was an official matchmaker for you before, as long as my father nods , this matter cannot be escaped!

Second brother-in-law, just wait patiently to enter the bridal chamber! "

Fu Zhaoxin laughed and winked at Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu was so anxious that he beat his chest and said, "You are coercing and forcing others to do something difficult! I haven't agreed yet!"

"You don't need to agree! You can just wait until you become the groom's official! I, Mrs. Fu, have always been kind to others and reasonable in everything I do, but this time I want to steal my son-in-law. My father said that I, Mrs. Fu, will convince people with my strength. There is no reason to say so. !
If it were anyone else, I, the Fu family, wouldn’t care!But you, Zhu Xiu, hey~ you are worthy of me, Fu Shi, by any means necessary! "

Fu Zhaoxin grinned so maliciously that Zhu Xiu felt hairy all over and had the urge to jump out of the car window.

"Alas~ The Fu family is our noble family that has served as the chief military officer of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How can I, Zhu Xiu, be so virtuous~"

Zhu Xiu raised his head and sighed.

Fu Zhaoxin said with a smile: "The Fu family started with military exploits, but their cultural background is not prosperous. With a hermit master like you, a genius of the world, if you improve the family's bloodline, maybe you can cultivate a few prime ministers in the future."

Zhu Xiu's face twitched, okay, are you treating me as a high-quality breeding pig?
While talking, Zhu Xiu had arrived at the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion, took a deep breath, and followed Fu Zhaoxin to the front hall.

An old man with gray hair and fine clothes walked out of the hall and stood on the steps to greet him. It was Fu Yanqing.

Before Zhu Xiunan went to Jiangning, Fu Yanqing had stayed in Kaifeng. The two often met in court, but they had little interaction in private.

This old handsome guy had never shown any closeness to him before, and he never mentioned anything about him and Fu Jinhuan.

I thought the matter would end here, but I didn't expect that when I came back this time, Kaifeng City would be in an uproar.

"How dare I bother the King of Huaiyang to welcome him personally?" Zhu Xiu quickened his pace, stepped onto the stone steps, and bowed deeply in fear.

"Nephew, you don't need to be polite. We have a small gathering today. You are as if you are in your own mansion. You don't need to be restrained! There is no Huaiyang King or Dingyuan Marquis here, just call me uncle!"

Fu Yanqing has a hearty laugh and a beautiful and delicate beard under his chin. Although his face has obviously aged and his wrinkles are fine, his handsome facial features can still be seen. When he was young, he must have been a handsome man who made little ladies scream and blush. .

If the old man's appearance was too good, Zhu Xiu would even doubt whether the Fu sisters were his biological children.

Zhu Xiu pretended to be flattered and bowed repeatedly: "Uncle, please accept my nephew's bow!"

"Haha!~Okay! Dear nephew, please, let's have a chat during the dinner!" Fu Yanqing held his hand affectionately.

"Uncle, please!"

To Zhu Xiu's surprise, there was a large round table in the living room, which was covered with dishes, and two young men with low eyebrows were serving the dishes beside them.

"This kind of round table was spread from Cangzhou, Yedu, and Chanzhou. It became popular for a while. Arranging the banquet in this way can bring the guests and hosts closer together, so I followed the trend and asked the butler to find a carpenter to order some."

Fu Yanqing pulled Zhu Xiu to sit down, and it was obvious that he liked this new style of banquet arrangement.

Zhu Xiu smiled and echoed that this kind of round table was popularized when he was in Cangzhou, and now it is also quite popular in Jingzhou and Jingzhaofu.

All the private seats and private rooms of Taihe Restaurant are in use. It has gradually become popular in Kaifeng and will spread throughout the world in a few years.

Glancing at the dishes on the table, they were quite exquisite. Zhu Xiu could tell at a glance that they were also from Taihe Building.

"Make my nephew laugh. I have eaten all over Kaifeng restaurants. Only your name is the property. The delicacies at Taihe Restaurant are the most unforgettable. The Shao Bai Dao and Tai Bai Zui are hard-to-find wines. They have a fragrant and mellow aftertaste. One sip will leave a lasting impression on your lips and teeth. fragrant!"

Fu Yanqing stroked his beard and looked intoxicated.

Zhu Xiu's eyebrows raised slightly, this old man had indeed investigated him.

However, with Fu's energy, it is not surprising to find out that Taihe Building is his property.

Zhu Xiu smiled sensibly and said: "If my uncle likes Taihelou's wine, it's no wonder that my nephew led the Jingzhou winemaker to study the method of making steamed wine day and night!"

"Oh? Steaming wine?" Fu Yanqing became interested. He was a wine expert. Although he had never made wine himself, he still knew the basic process of wine making.

This is the first time I have heard of the method of steaming wine.

"Haha, it is a preparation method that can make the wine more fragrant and spicy. In the workshop, it is called shochu. Taibai Zui and Shao Bai Dao are made using this method."

Zhu Xiu explained vaguely, then cupped his hands and said: "Thanks to my uncle's liking, from now on, my nephew will ask the restaurant to deliver five jars to the house every month. When my uncle returns to Yunzhou, he can also ask Taihe Building in Yanzhou to send someone to deliver them. .”

Fu Yanqing said happily: "In that case, thank you to my nephew."

As a famous wine exclusively operated by Taihe House, this bottle of wine is expensive and cannot be taken out easily. The Fu family can enjoy five bottles every month. If the wine drinkers in the street know about it, they will be amazed and envious. "Father, let's talk while we eat!" Fu Zhaoxin growled with hunger and swallowed his saliva.

Fu Yanqing picked up the chopsticks and said with a smile, "That's fine."

Zhu Xiu symbolically took a few bites of each dish, picked up the wine and drank a few glasses with Fu Yanqing.

No matter how delicious the food at Taihelou is, as the owner, he has eaten it countless times and is a little tired of it.

Now that he is in an official position and has no time to research new dishes, Taihelou's pace of introducing new dishes has been much slower.

Fu Yanqing and Fu Zhaoxin ate with gusto. Some of the fried, grilled and stir-fried dishes tasted novel and unique to them. They were also blessed with Taihelou's special condiments, which made them endlessly memorable.

"My dear nephew, I heard that Shi Kuangwei and his daughter moved into the Hou Mansion?" Fu Yanqing ate slowly and pretended to ask casually.

Zhu Xiudao: "It is indeed true. General Shi does not have a residence in Kaifeng, so it is inconvenient to live in Guanyi. There are many vacant courtyards in my residence, and it is more lively to live together."

Fu Yanqing took the warm towel from the servant, wiped his hands and said, "Shi Kuangwei is the crown prince Shaobao and the general of Zuowei, and he lives in someone else's house with an unmarried daughter, so he is not afraid of making people laugh.

The historian is from the Shatuo tribe, he is vulgar and has become a habit, and he doesn't know Chinese etiquette and customs. Nephew, don't be as ignorant of etiquette as Skuangwei. "

Zhu Xiu was stunned for a moment and said: "That's what my uncle taught me. It's just that when my nephew was in Jingzhou, General Duo Mengshi took care of him. The Shi family and I were as close as one family, and we were indistinguishable from each other. I never thought that this move was not in line with the imperial court." Etiquette.”

Fu Yanqing smiled slightly, and said meaningfully: "The official gave Shi Kuangwei the post of Zhongwu Jiedu envoy, and he will rush to Xuzhou to take up the post after the Duke of Taiyuan gets married.

You are an official in Beijing and living with a military governor from another state will inevitably attract criticism.

What's more, the Shi family's daughter is not yet married, and you two live together, and it will not sound good if word spreads about it. "

Zhu Xiu immediately understood that perhaps this last sentence was what Fu Yanqing really wanted to say.

He and Shi Lingyan lived in the same house, and people were fascinated by the news.

Nowadays, Kaifeng City is happily talking about the three families competing for a son-in-law, and there are many speculations about who Zhu Xiu, the young and famous founding prince, will end up with.

If it was known that he lived with Shi Lingyan, it would inevitably have an impact on his reputation, and it would also affect the Fu family and Fu Jinhuan.

Zhu Xiu was silent for a while, then raised his hands and said, "My nephew didn't consider this matter well, please let me remind you."

Fu Yanqing played with the wine glass and said with a smile: "Did you know that just when you entered the palace, Shi Kuangwei also entered the palace. The officials have something to talk to him about."

Fu Zhaoxin's mouth was full of oil after eating, and he raised his head and smiled at Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu was shocked. No wonder Shi Kuangwei didn't come back today. It turned out that he had gone to the palace.

The Fu family had known about this for a long time, but they didn't tell him until now.

"My wise nephew is smart. I should be able to guess why the officials summoned Shi Kuangwei." Fu Yanqing personally filled Zhu Xiu's wine glass.

Zhu Xiu smiled bitterly and cupped his hands in the direction of the palace: "It's really a sin to alarm the officials for me alone."

Fu Yanqing said sternly: "Who doesn't love rare treasures? My nephew is famous and talented. He is famous all over the world at a young age. He will definitely be a famous minister and general who will leave his name in the history of the great Zhou Dynasty in the future!"
The old grand masters Feng Dao, Fu Shi, and Shi Kuangwei made jokes about three families competing for a son-in-law for the nephew alone, which shows how coveted the beautiful jade of the nephew is, and makes people want to Make it your own!
The officials even joked that if there was a princess of the right age, it would never be the turn of the three of us to compete for the best son-in-law. "

Zhu Xiu coughed in embarrassment, and his face felt slightly hot. He couldn't stand being slapped with a rainbow fart naked in front of him.

Moreover, the person speaking was the fourth most famous Fu Fu, No. 1 in the military service of both the government and the public.

When Chai Rong and Fu Jinzhan get married, the Fu family's power will rise to another level.

The head of the Zhou Dynasty's first cousin family and the future father-in-law of the country was sitting next to him, drinking wine and praising Zhu Xiu to the heavens.

Zhu Xiu's face was slightly red and he whispered: "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, my nephew is so virtuous and capable, and he's so favored by my uncle."

Fu Yanqing waved his hand and said: "When the official family put down Li Shouzhen's rebellion in Puzhou, they wrote to me about this matter. The old man and the official family have been friends for many years. I know that it is difficult for the official family to favor a young man so much. .

That's why I agreed to let Huan'er go to Jingzhou to meet you.

After the sisters came back, the old man asked her, the child only said that he saw something new during the trip to Jingzhou, and how beautiful the scenery of Yuanzhou was, but he didn't mention a word to you.

I knew then that Huan'er had a good impression of you.

This child is arrogant and arrogant. He has always been looked down upon by Toshihiro, but you are the first to do so.

I said that I would take advantage of this return to Beijing to ask the officials to grant you a marriage in front of the emperor. Huan'er looked shy and reserved, but she was actually very happy in her heart.

Alas~ When my daughter is raised, she will eventually get married. If I can entrust her to you, it will be a rare marriage. "

Fu Yanqing raised his head and took a sip of the wine in his glass, his face filled with the lamentation of an old father who was reluctant to leave his beloved daughter.

Zhu Xiu could only drink with him, and his cheeks were slightly dizzy from alcohol.

When he thought of Fu Jinhuan, who had a smile as bright as a flower, his heart felt hot and his face became even redder.

Fu Zhaoxin burped and shouted: "Brother Xian, just say something nice, are you willing to be the son-in-law of my Fu family?"

"This, this," Zhu Xiu said hesitantly, with sweat on her temples and the tip of her nose: "When I was in Jingzhou, I promised General Shi that when I found a relative, I would marry Mrs. Shi. The Shi family has been very kind to me. I really can’t bear to bear this responsibility
My nephew doesn’t know how to politely refuse Mrs. Feng’s place.”

"Bang~" Fu Yanqing suddenly slapped his palm on the table and said with a smile: "The official summoned Shi Kuangwei just to talk about this matter. Although the Shi family is also a military family, they have been in the border areas for a long time and are from the Shatuo tribe. , can never be compared with my Fu family!

Shi Kuangwei is a little more arrogant, but he also understands the truth. He will understand that only marrying me, the Fu family, is the most beneficial to you!
You don't have to worry about Feng Dao.

The old master is old. You become his grandson-in-law. How much help can the Feng family give you?
It is the Feng family that needs you, not you that need the Feng family!
It's different if it's Fu Shi. It's you, Zhu Xiu, who needs Fu Shi, not Fu Shi who needs you! "

Fu Yanqing patted Zhu Xiu on the shoulder: "My dear nephew, I am a martial artist and speak straightforwardly. Don't worry about it!"

Zhu Xiu laughed twice: "How dare you, my uncle is honest with me, my nephew is very grateful!"

"As long as you understand that I have good intentions!" Fu Yanqing laughed loudly, spitting out the smell of alcohol and already feeling drunk.

Fu Zhaoxin shouted at the young man: "Why don't you go and carry two jars of Taibai to get drunk? My father and son will definitely get drunk together with my second brother-in-law today!"

The two boys agreed with a smile and hurried to bring the wine.

Zhu Xiu couldn't stop him in time, the wine had been delivered, the mud was opened, and the fragrance overflowed.

"Hey, little brother, I can't bear to drink. Brother Fu, I can't do that~ Uh-huh~ Gudong Gudong~"

Zhu Xiu watched in horror as Fu Zhaoxin handed him a large bowl of wine, put his arm around his shoulders, and poured it into his mouth without saying a word.

Fu Yanqing didn't stop him, he just picked up the wine bowl, wiped it clean, wiped his beard and shouted happily.

After getting drunk from two bowls of Taibai, Zhu Xiu's face turned red and her ears were red, and she kept burping from the wine. Fu Zhaoxin was also drunk and pestered Zhu Xiu to drink.

The aroma of wine in the hall was strong and the atmosphere was joyful. The three men were laughing and chatting loudly. After a while, people were seen staggering around.

Someone was already drunk and in a daze, hugging Fu Yanqing and shouting eagerly like Lao Taishan.
Fu Yanqing and his son even sang a military song popular in Hebei: "We work together to break the bamboo, there is no need to cut the grass; just sit and listen to the triumphant song, and you will be relieved in advance."

(End of this chapter)