Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"Heng'er, I've already spoken to the Empress Dowager. She said that her mind has been on His Highness for the past two years and she doesn't know which young ladies of marriageable age are in Bianjing. She'll ask her later."

On the way home, Princess Pingning spoke up.

"Mother can decide what to do," Qi Heng said, seemingly unconcerned.

Empress Cao did not give a direct answer; she must have wanted to discuss it with the Emperor.

If the emperor had any political considerations, he could directly bestow a marriage upon Qi Heng.

If not, Empress Cao would tell Princess Pingning about a few good families and let her choose for herself.

The Qi family also understood the official's meaning.

"If the Emperor truly bestows this marriage, no matter who it is, there must be no complaints, understand?" Princess Pingning said earnestly.

She was somewhat worried that if the emperor actually granted the marriage, Qi Heng might resist the person to whom he was betrothed, which would cause a lot of trouble.

"Don't worry, Mother, I know what's important."

Qi Heng chuckled inwardly, thinking, "What I'm afraid of is that you won't be able to accept it when the time comes."

.........

After his lunch break, the emperor dealt with some official business. Recently, the weather has been favorable and there haven't been any major incidents.

Therefore, I spent more than an hour in the afternoon handling today's administrative affairs.

With some free time, the official began to miss his son.

Although Zhao Shou had been healthy since birth, the emperor always had a hidden worry in his heart.

Not counting Zhao Shou, he had four sons in total, three of whom died before the age of two, and the other died when he was a little over two years old.

As if under a curse, none of his sons ever lived past the age of three.

Zhao Shou is not yet three years old and has not been able to break the curse. He always feels uneasy if he doesn't see his son often.

Arriving at Yanfu Palace in a palanquin, Empress Cao came out to greet them upon hearing the news.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities!"

The Emperor waved his hand, and having already entered the hall with Empress Cao, asked, "Where is Shou'er?"

"Pingning and Hengge entered the palace today. When Hengge left, Shouge made quite a fuss. He only fell asleep after he was tired of making a fuss. He hasn't woken up yet," Empress Cao said.

"We can let them stay in the palace a little longer."

The Emperor laughed and said, "Pingning has indeed raised her son very well. Heng not only plays with Shou, but also teaches him some principles."

The emperor was busy with state affairs and could not visit his son often, but Zhao Shou's every move was reported to him.

The incident where Qi Heng advised Zhao Shou not to deliberately fall was also reported to the Emperor.

The emperor was very pleased to hear this. He was a kind and benevolent person, but his love for his son made him overlook many details.

No evidence was found that Zhao Shou frequently fell down, suggesting it was intentional.

They assumed it was just that Zhao Shou was still unsteady on his feet.

After hearing Qi Heng's advice to Zhao Shou, Zhao Shou corrected his ways and realized that what Qi Heng said was true.

Although this matter is minor, Zhao Shou is his only son and will inevitably inherit the throne in the future.

Even if they are still young, some bad habits should be corrected in time.

Now people think it's fun to have someone else as a human cushion when they fall, but if they become emperors in the future, they'll dare to light the beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords.

What the emperor appreciated most was that Qi Heng was able to point it out after discovering it.

Instead of indulging in Zhao Shou's nonsense to curry favor with him.

Everyone thought he was soft-hearted, but how could he not understand the thoughts of those ministers?

If it were any other son of an official, and if he could gain Zhao Shou's favor like Qi Heng, he would only try to please Zhao Shou like those palace maids and eunuchs when he discovered this problem.

Instead of risking displeasing Zhao Shou, he tried to persuade him.

Children are simple-minded; they can easily like someone, but they can also easily turn into dislike because of some small things.

"Heng'er is not young after all, and it's not appropriate for him to stay in the inner palace for too long." Empress Cao shook her head.

"Too."

The official sighed, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Heng'er has reached the age to get married."

"Your Majesty, I almost forgot about this. Pingning told me today that she wanted me to help Hengge choose a suitable girl, but from what she said, I realized she wanted Your Majesty to bestow a marriage upon Hengge," Empress Cao said.

"A marriage decree?"

The official was taken aback and said, "It's not a big deal. Which family's daughter has she taken a fancy to?"

The Emperor did not care about granting Qi Heng a marriage or bestowing some favors upon the Qi family.

Except for a few companies, he is willing to issue an order as long as two companies reach an agreement.

"Why didn't Your Majesty understand?"

Empress Cao shook her head and said, "It's not that I've taken a fancy to any girl and want to ask His Majesty for a favor, but rather that I want His Majesty to directly bestow a marriage upon Heng-ge'er."

"Where am I supposed to find a suitable family for him all at once?"

The Emperor shook his head and said, "I am busy with state affairs all day long. I don't even know which families in the court, whether civil or military, have daughters of marriageable age. How can I bestow a marriage upon him?"

"Your Majesty, I believe this marriage should be granted."

Empress Cao waved her hand, dismissing all the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall, and said in a low voice, "Shou'er is very close to Heng'er. If Shou'er is still like this when he grows up, he will surely rely on him as a confidant."

"This is also a good thing. I watched Heng'er grow up, and he even knows how to advise Shou'er."

"I will be at ease knowing that Shouge will rely on him in the future," the Emperor said.

"His Majesty!"

Seeing that the Emperor still didn't understand, Empress Cao had no choice but to be direct, saying, "Given the Qi family's social standing, their marriage partner will definitely be a top family in Bianjing. If Heng-ge'er is deeply trusted by Shou-ge'er and has a very influential in-law family, it may not be a good thing."

Some things may not necessarily happen, but we still have to be prepared.

The emperor frowned slightly. He had always believed in governing the country with benevolence and was unwilling to make unfounded speculations.

But what Empress Cao said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

After pondering for a long time, the Emperor asked, "Then who does the Empress think should be betrothed to Heng-ge'er?"

"How about starting from..."

Just as Empress Cao was about to speak, the eunuch Zhu led the awakened Zhao Shou in.

"Father!"

Upon seeing the Emperor, Zhao Shou broke free from Zhu Neiguan's grasp and ran towards him.

"Ouch, my little darling, slow down!"

When the official saw his son running towards him with unsteady steps, he quickly got up to greet him and picked him up.

"whee…"

Zhao Shou found it amusing and laughed heartily.

The emperor no longer cared about Qi Heng's marriage and was preoccupied with teasing his son.

The father and son played around for a while before the Emperor remembered his business and asked, "The Empress was just wondering who to be betroth to Heng-ge?"

"Father, Brother Heng said he wants to marry the sixth daughter of the Sheng family."

Zhao Shou's speech was somewhat unclear, and the emperor had to listen several times before he could understand him.

"Are there any powerful and influential families in Bianjing with the surname Sheng?" the official asked in confusion.

The eunuch Zhu, who was standing nearby, said, "Your Majesty, what Young Master Qi is referring to is a concubine's daughter from the family of Sheng Hong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"A concubine's daughter?"

The emperor was taken aback upon hearing this. After a moment's thought, he laughed and scolded, "He's certainly bold, daring to plot against me!"

"Does Your Majesty mean that Heng-ge'er did this on purpose?" Empress Cao asked in surprise.