Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 184 The Emperor Grants Marriage
In Kunning Palace, the queen was discussing matters with the emperor.

"Your Majesty, what happened to what you said before?" the queen asked.

"Zhang Xiao himself has nothing to do. Whether he is an official or not, he doesn't have much idea." The emperor replied.

"Oh, what do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"How should I put it? I asked Chen Ju to ask Zhang Xiao. His ambition is quite big. He wants to make the Ming Dynasty strong and the people rich. But he also said that no matter what official position is given to him, it is my grace. I don’t know if what he said is sincere or just superficial, but if he can say this, things will be easier to handle. "

"Then I'd like to trouble Your Majesty. If Zhang Xiao becomes the consort, won't he be able to hold all those official positions?"

"According to etiquette, it is true. Especially the position in the Hanlin Academy, he can no longer hold it. In fact, I still want to let him practice again, that's all, that's fine, otherwise I would be a little worried. He. After all, he has returned from overseas and has nothing to worry about in the Ming Dynasty. Queen, you have not been very well recently, so don’t work too much. I will ask someone to take care of it. "

"I also know that Your Majesty has a lot of things to do, but I am just a daughter, so I have to find a good home. If I don't keep an eye on her personally, I will always feel uneasy."

After coming out of Kunning Palace, the emperor called Chen Ju over.

"Chen Ju, it was you and Chen Ju who came to discuss this matter before, so this time you will also handle the matter together. Go and explain my meaning clearly to Zhang Xiao. Remember, just make it clear as it is. Regardless of Zhang Xiao's agreement with Zhang Xiao, No, don’t make any arbitrary decisions, just come back and tell me.”

In this way, not many days had passed since Chen Ju's last home visit, and Chen Ju came to Zhang Xiao's home again.

"Zhang understands. Thank you Eunuch Chen for telling me the good news. Wenhua, why don't you go and get the thank you gift." Zhang Xiao ordered Lu Zhang.

"The marriage granted by the emperor is a great favor from your majesty, so please think carefully about Zhang Zhan's affairs. As long as you say it, it will be settled. No matter how hard it is to change, otherwise it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor." Chen Ju reminded road.

"The princess is dignified and virtuous, and she is your majesty's legitimate daughter. Your majesty also considered Zhang Zhan carefully for a long time before choosing Zhang Zhan for you. If Zhang Zhan can be treated like a princess, he will always be rich and powerful in the future. But Chen is also here. Don't hide it, after becoming the consort, Zhang Zhanshi, you may have to step down from your current official position. However, Zhang Zhanshiqian said before that no matter what the official position is, you will always have to work for His Majesty. His Majesty’s family, this is a great gift.”

"Zhang Zhanshi, I have a big happy event to tell you here." Chen Ju said.

"Eunuch Chen, I'm here today. Is there something important or something you want to ask?" Zhang Xiao was also a little confused. After all, the people around the leader were very busy, so why did they come to his home so often? Zhang Xiao doesn't think he is so attractive.

"Eunuch Chen, please speak."

"No problem. I'll just write down my birth date and birth date on the paper and let Eunuch Chen take it back. But I don't know which island my family was on when I was born. I can only roughly write down the country of Luzon in Nanyang. Please Forgive me, Eunuch Chen.”

"Eunuch Chen, if that's the case, do I have to stop what I'm doing now? If I want to think about this matter clearly, I have to fast for a few days and burn incense and report to my ancestors before I can tell you. result."

"Ah? That's what happened." Zhang Xiao was a little confused.

"This is natural. However, it is not convenient for Zhang Zhan to tell me his birth date and place of birth right now. It would be better if he still remembers his father's birth date and place."

"Eunuch Chen, please accept the small thank you gift, Eunuch Chen. Zhang is really short of money, so please don't take offense to Eunuch Chen because the thank you gift is meager."

While the two were chatting, Lu Zhang had already prepared the thank-you gift.

Lu Zhang received the order and quickly went down to prepare.

"It doesn't matter what happens."

"This is natural. Chen came here today just to inquire. You have to consider Zhang Zhan's matter carefully. Whether you agree or not depends entirely on your own mind. But Chen wants to say a few more words here. I hope Don’t blame Chen for talking about Zhang Zhan.”

"Oh? What's the big happy event?"

"This is indeed a great and happy event. It is a big matter. Can Eunuch Chen allow me to think about it before reporting it to my ancestors?"

"The Queen has a daughter who is now in her prime. Your Majesty has been looking for a good son-in-law. After several searches, I feel that Zhang Zhan is the most suitable one for you. So Your Majesty specially sent me here to ask Zhang Zhan what you mean."

"No, no, how can Chen accept Zhang Zhanshi's gift from you?"

"The minister obeys the order. The minister must inform Zhang Xiao of His Majesty's intention word for word."

"Eunuch Chen, if you don't accept this, Zhang will feel uneasy."

"I really can't accept it, that's all. Let me tell you straight about Zhang Zhan. With the case of Princess Yongning in front of me, even if Chen is very brave, he doesn't dare to touch this money. You don't have to deal with Zhang Zhan. Worry, Chen accepted your wishes."

"Zhang understands. Eunuch Chen has worked hard."

Chen Ju said goodbye and left. Lu Zhang was still standing quietly aside.

"What do you think about this?" Zhang Xiao asked.

"This is a major matter for our boss, and students don't dare to discuss it unreasonably," Lu Zhang said.

"Tell me, I hired you with a lot of money, not just for you to do odd jobs."

"The princes-in-law of the imperial dynasty are indeed relatively restricted, but there is no problem with a lifetime of prosperity and wealth. As long as they do not commit serious crimes, ordinary mistakes can be made minor. But it is difficult for the prince-in-law of the dynasty to be reused. Captain Prince Consort Although the rank is high, it is just for filling the position. So it still depends on your ambition, but the master is different. His majesty relies on his knowledge and strategy to be reused. If those official positions are gone, as long as your majesty is still willing to listen to the master. In fact, it doesn’t matter much.”

"For such a big matter, now I have no choice but to discuss it with you. Forget it, go prepare the incense table. I want to burn incense to worship my ancestors." The incense table was set up, and Zhang Xiao started to worship with the incense in his hand. But only Zhang Xiao knew that what Zhang Xiao was worshiping now was not a family in Nanyang, but a family in the original time and space. After staying in this time and space for a long time, Zhang Xiao would have regarded the past of the original time and space as a dream if the books he wrote and the drawings he drew did not remind him.

In Cining Palace, the Queen was carefully serving Queen Mother Li.

"Queen, your health and bones are not good, why do you have to work so hard to take care of me. Now I am eating well, drinking well, reciting the Buddha's name and meditating, and there is nothing serious." Queen Mother Li said.

"Your Majesty, my concubine is fine now. It is my filial piety to take care of the Queen Mother. I haven't been to Cining Palace for a few days, so please don't blame me," the Queen said.

"It's also a pain for you. Since you entered the palace, you, the empress of the palace, have not enjoyed any blessings. You have been so cautious every day. The emperor's Ai family didn't say much. There were some things that the Ai family knew and they didn't ask too much. Anyway, You still have to live a good life. How about the princess's marriage? I heard that you were not satisfied with the choice of consort proposed by the emperor. What if you discussed it in detail with the emperor? , this still violates the ancestral system.”

"I don't know that this is inconsistent with the ancestral system. It's just that I am just a daughter, and I always want to marry better. Even if I can't marry into a family, I can't really marry into an ordinary family. Although Zhang Xiao is old It’s not suitable. After all, he is both civil and military and has a bright future. If my concubine’s daughter marries him, she won’t be bullied.”

"Look what you said, who dares to bully the royal heirs?"

"Having said that, after a woman gets married, no matter how good her mother's family is, she must follow the etiquette and laws. If she doesn't marry well, her whole life will be delayed. If the consort is not strong enough, we can only give him strict training and let him study. Although Zhang Xiao has no fame, he is able to gain the trust of His Majesty, which shows that he is extremely talented and knowledgeable."

"But if you really recruit me as your consort, I wonder if I can put this talent to use."

"Queen Mother, if Zhang Xiao really becomes your consort, I will naturally give advice to Your Majesty and won't let Zhang Xiao waste his time. I also know a little about Zhang Xiao's advice. What should I do if the court needs Zhang Xiao in the future? If you have an important errand, I will never stop you, but I will feel deeply honored."

"You are sincere. But even if you are a royal family, you cannot force marriage on others. Fortunately, Zhang Xiao does not have any fame yet, and it is all thanks to His Majesty's promotion. Otherwise, this matter would be difficult to achieve. As long as If Zhang Xiao is willing, I have nothing to say. The granddaughter of the Ai family is not young anymore, and it’s time to get married. "

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

"The princess's mansion is already under construction, right? Are you planning a title?"

"The princess palace is already under construction. If it weren't for the Japanese invasion, it would have been completed last year, and it is almost completed now. The princess title is still being drafted, and His Majesty said he wants to come up with a nice title."

"That's great. I've met Zhang Xiao too. Let's not mention his talent and academic skills. He is also decent, diligent and capable. The granddaughter of the Ai family won't be afraid of suffering a loss if he marries her."

"Thank you Queen Mother."

"Is there anything the family can thank you for?"

A week later, in the imperial study, the emperor was looking at Zhang Xiao in front of him with great interest.

"I heard from Chen Ju, have you thought it through?" the emperor asked.

"Wei Chen has thought it over carefully, fasted and burned incense, and told the ancestors. It is Wei Chen's honor that Your Majesty is willing to recruit me as your consort."

"You have to think clearly. You entered the Hanlin Academy, and it was indeed approved by me. But the achievements you made later are not my favoritism. In the past few days, I have also taken stock of your achievements in the past few years. , you are also quite prominent among the ministers. Even without my help, you will be able to become a third-rank official in ten years, and it is not impossible to join the cabinet in the future. If you become my consort, I don’t know what will happen in the future. , Now these official positions you hold must be taken down first, otherwise it will be difficult for me to explain in front of the ministers. "

"Everything depends on your Majesty's instructions. If there is no special errand, Weichen can just write a book at home, or go to a class. If there is any errand that Weichen needs to do, Weichen will never refuse. ”

"You are open-minded. It would be great if all my ministers were like you, able to rise up and down."

"In this case, I will make an order later. You will be relieved of your official duties in Hanlin Academy, Zhanshi Mansion, and Honglu Temple. If there are any important matters that need to be handed over, then during this period, Hand it over slowly. If you really need your help in writing the book, just go and help. You are usually at home and don’t have to go to the Yamen to do business. "

"The minister obeys the order."

After coming out of the palace, Zhang Xiao quickly went to work. The errand at Honglu Temple is just a sinecure, so just tell the chief officer. What matters most is the errands of the Hanlin Academy and Zhan Shifu, and these two yamen are basically one. Zhang Xiao actually just needs to say hello to Wang Shoufu.

But when Zhang Xiao saw Wang Shoufu again, he felt that although he was still the same person, Wang Shoufu felt much kinder.

"Zhang Zhanshi, I'm afraid this is the last time I will call you this." Wang Xijue said,

"Chief Assistant, I'm really a little embarrassed. So many things were initiated by me, but now I have to give up." Zhang Xiao said.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. But from now on, even though I am in the position of chief minister, I will not be able to control you. Since you have been chosen by His Majesty as your consort, you should be more careful and meticulous in your work, so as not to be caught by others. You just Just stay at home peacefully. The princess's wedding is a big event and it will take a lot of time. I will find someone to take care of the things you are currently responsible for, so you don't have to worry about it. "

"Thank you, Chief Minister, for your consideration."

"Minglue, you are different from ordinary ministers. Your Majesty will always ask for advice from you, so if you want to come over to check the books and archives, the door of the Hanlin Academy will still be opened for you. Just explain your intention in advance. It stands to reason that the prince-in-law should still go to the Imperial College to study, but you are different from the previous prince-in-law. You can go to the Imperial College to teach. I will also help you ask what the solution is. "

"Thank you, Chief Assistant."

"You're welcome. If you have some free time and have any opinions on the addition of Yuan History and the establishment of Tongwen Museum, just write me a note. Now that your identity is different, I can't meet you too much. A series of books on the rise of great powers. , it’s up to you to take care of it yourself. After all, although the Hanlin Academy has found some books for you, the articles are mostly written by you. If you have time, you can write them. If you need help from the scribe, I can also help you find them. "

"I understand. Thank you, Chief Assistant, for your guidance."

"Minglue, if we really arrange for you to go to the Imperial College to further your studies, it would be fine if you go. Your knowledge is enough, but you may not understand all the etiquette and rules. There is no harm in learning more. I understand. Early, it’ll be good for you too.”

"I understand," Zhang Xiao agreed.

(End of this chapter)