As soon as the queen made a move, the whole capital city followed suit.
This method is not comparable to other people's flattery.
Emperor Kai Yao listened to Xu Xianzhi, the left guard of the embroidered clothes guard, report the situation in the capital.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, all the major families in the capital are busy talking about marriage for their children, so that the supply of official media is in short supply."
Emperor Kai Yao let out air through his nasal cavity and hummed.
"anything else?"
"Weichen's preliminary statistics show that in just a few hours, ten families have already made arrangements for their children."
"List!"
Xu Xianzhi didn't dare to delay, he quickly took out the list from his pocket and offered it with both hands.
Chen Dachang, the servant who served beside Emperor Kaiyao, took the list from Xu Xianzhi, and placed it in front of Emperor Kaiyao.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Emperor Kai Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, and scanned the list, all of them were familiar names.
Emperor Kai Yao snorted coldly, "Is the grandson choosing a wife, are these people so impatient to get rid of the relationship? It's ridiculous that the dignified grandson is so disgusted by others."
In the main hall, a needle can be heard.
The palace people all lowered their heads, trying their best to reduce their sense of existence.
Xu Xianzhi's forehead was sweating, and his heart was uneasy, for fear that His Majesty would take his anger on him.
"Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"
Others are afraid of Emperor Kai Yao's Longwei and dare not speak, but Chen Dachang has no such worries.
He has served Emperor Kaiyao since he was a child, and the master and servant have been together for forty years.
He is Emperor Kaiyao's servant, as well as Emperor Kaiyao's dead soldier and adviser.
Emperor Kai Yao sneered, "Pass down an order to let the emperors and grandsons hand in the list before sunset tomorrow. Such a ridiculous thing should end as soon as possible."
In Emperor Kaiyao's words, it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the empress's idea.
The emperor's grandchildren gather together to choose wives and get married. Among other things, the wedding expenses alone are a huge number.
At that time, the national treasury and the Shaofu will be under double pressure because of this sum of expenses.
Even if the Shaofu has money, it can't afford such expenses.
The Shaofu is the private treasury of Emperor Kaiyao, if he was asked to spend so much money at once to marry the emperor's grandchildren, even if he is the son of heaven and rich all over the world, he would feel heartache.
Chen Dachang bowed to accept the order, walked out of the main hall quickly, called a few servants, and went to the East Palace, each prince's mansion, and the prince's mansion to deliver His Majesty's oral instructions.
…
Prince Ning's Mansion.
After seeing off the servants, Concubine Pei of Ning was very worried and sent someone to call Liu Zhao to speak.
"Someone came from the palace just now, and His Majesty ordered that the list must be handed in before sunset tomorrow. Do you have a suitable candidate for this time?"
Liu Zhao bowed slightly, and said expressionlessly: "Mother and concubine, don't worry, my son has already made up his mind about this matter."
Concubine Ning Pei let out an "oh", a little surprised.
"Have you already thought about it? Whose girl, tell me."
Liu Zhao said indifferently: "When tomorrow, the mother and concubine will know."
Concubine Ning Pei was tongue-tied and very annoyed.
With a straight face, she said displeasedly: "Who's girl is so precious, and she still has to keep it secret when she arrives here. Doesn't this princess have the right to know her name?"
Liu Zhao was unmoved, and said solemnly: "It's unavoidable that something unexpected happened, it's better for the mother and concubine not to know for the time being."
Concubine Ning Pei was so angry that she was almost speechless, "You are growing up, and your wings are stiff. Do you dislike this princess who will drag you back? This princess has worked so hard to raise you, and it is you who got it dislike."
Liu Zhao raised his eyebrows, and there was not even a little extra expression on his face, "The concubine mother misunderstood, and the son has no such intentions. Anyway, after sunset tomorrow, the queen mother will know the candidate for his son's wife, and it will only take one day. Could it be that the concubine mother also Can't wait?"
Concubine Ning Pei snorted coldly, "You also know that it's only a day, and you have to let me wait for a mere day. Do you have me as a concubine in your heart?"
Liu Zhao frowned, he didn't like this kind of debate that was destined to be fruitless.
So he said bluntly, "If the concubine mother has nothing else to do, the son will leave first."
After finishing speaking, Liu Zhao got up and walked outside.
"You stop for this princess. This princess tells you to stop, do you hear?"
Liu Zhao was unmoved, as if he hadn't heard anything, he walked all the way to the door before stopping.
He turned his head and looked at Concubine Ning Pei, "What advice does Concubine Mu have?"
Snapped!
Concubine Ning Pei patted the table, very annoyed, "I can't control you now?"
Liu Zhao suddenly smiled, "Mother Concubine thinks that choosing a wife this time is a simple choice?"
Princess Ning Pei frowned.
Liu Zhao simply walked back to the hall, and said to Concubine Ning Pei, "Mother and Concubine should have heard that the selection of a wife this time was deliberately targeted at me by the Empress. Think about it, under such circumstances, what kind of wife should my son choose?" His wife, can the empress be satisfied?"
"Why do you want to satisfy her? She has only a few days to live." Princess Ning Pei's face was dissatisfied.
Liu Zhao nodded, "The concubine mother is right, the empress is indeed not alive for a few days. But this time, if the son is negligent in choosing a wife, believe it or not, the empress will still have the means to die before she dies." Let us Ning Prince's Mansion never have a peaceful day, and my father will never lose the trust of his grandfather? It may even be taken away from the prince!"
"How is it possible! If she is really capable, why wait until she is about to die, she would have left our palace forever without peace."
Concubine Pei of Ning did not believe Liu Zhao's words, and thought Liu Zhao was alarmist and talking nonsense.
Liu Zhao shook his head slightly, "Concubine Mother underestimated Empress Empress, she really has this ability.
She didn't do this before, that's because our Prince Ning's Mansion has always kept a low profile and never provoked things.
Moreover, the empress's energy is all in the court hall and the East Palace. Seeing that we are keeping ourselves safe, she will not intentionally target us at Prince Ning's Mansion.
But this time is different, this time the son took the lead in provoking a dispute and exposed himself. Before the empress dies, she will stare at me firmly, making sure that I can't hurt the East Palace, and then she will rest in peace.
If I don't cooperate with her, she will definitely think that our Prince Ning's Mansion is more dangerous than Prince Zhao's Mansion, and she will do her best to give priority to solving our Prince Ning's Mansion.
Therefore, choosing a wife this time is not a simple one. This is a game, a war without gunpowder. "
Concubine Ning Pei's face changed, "Are you going to sacrifice your marriage in order to dispel the empress' suspicion
Are you going to pick any girl as your wife? What do you want me to say about you
It's a good day, seeing the queen is coming to an end, why did you provoke the queen at this juncture, and even take the initiative to expose yourself. Don't you claim to be smart, why would you do such a stupid thing
Now even your marriage has been implicated, what do you say? Let me tell you, if you really choose any girl as your wife at random, I will never agree. "
Liu Zhao smiled, with a light smile, "I have already made up my mind about my marriage. When the big wedding comes, the mother and concubine will just wait and drink the daughter-in-law's tea. That's all for now, my son will leave."
"Come back to me!"
Concubine Ning Pei roared.
Liu Zhao didn't stop this time and left directly.
Concubine Ning Pei smashed a set of blue and white porcelain tea sets angrily.
Liu Zhao left Chunhe Hall and went to the outer courtyard to meet King Ning.
When father and son met, Liu Zhao cut to the chase and said, "Father, please take good care of mother and concubine!"
"What about her?" King Ning was cheerful, not caring at all. It seemed quite happy to see Liu Zhao deflated.
Liu Zhao frowned, and said with some dissatisfaction: "The concubine mother wants to interfere in her son's marriage, you have to take care of her."
"You can solve it yourself, so why should I come forward?" King Ning didn't care about Liu Zhao at all, and he didn't have the self-consciousness of being a father at all.
Liu Zhao had a stern face, dissatisfied.
King Ning pretended not to see it, but instead asked: "The list will be handed in at sunset tomorrow. Do you have any plans to marry a girl? Tell me about it, and I will give you a reference."
Liu Zhao didn't give face, "Don't bother father and king."
King Ning stepped forward, patted Liu Zhao on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "As the eldest son of this king, you should marry a girl who matches your status. If you insist on going your own way, you must marry a girl from a poor family. As a wife, soon your brothers will surpass you. Have you ever thought about the consequences?"
Liu Zhao smiled, "Did the father never trust his son?"
King Ning laughed, "Of course I believe you, the premise is that you have to show something."
Liu Zhao was silent.
King Ning said again: "In the royal family, interests are the most important thing. You don't need to be reminded of this truth. You should understand it. You are not a prince, and you don't have a title. You are just the eldest son of the royal family, the grandson of the royal family. It will definitely fall on your head, do you know?"
Liu Zhao bowed his head and smiled contemptuously, "Thank you for reminding me, father, my son is clear."
King Ning patted Liu Zhao on the shoulder again, "Your Majesty is always stingy with granting titles to the royal family. If you want to be knighted in advance, you must have a capable wife. Otherwise, you can do it alone. nothing."
Liu Zhao looked at King Ning, "Is it just like your father?"
"Ha ha… "
King Ning laughed loudly, "Anyway, you should do it yourself."
Liu Zhao said blankly: "Father is busy, so my son won't bother me. Let me go!"
Liu Zhao left without looking back.
King Ning let out a hey, a little annoyed, and quickly laughed it off.
The servant entered the room to wait on him, and asked in a low voice: "Does the prince not care at all about the eldest son's choice of wife?"
King Ning looked out of the window, "If this king can't reach that position, it doesn't matter who he marries. After a hundred years from this king, I don't need to care whether the palace is in prosperity or decline.
If this king ascends to that position one day, then he will also suffer the consequences. The truth of what should be said has been explained, whether he listens or not, the king doesn't care. "
"My lord thinks of the eldest son wholeheartedly, but it's a pity that the eldest son doesn't appreciate it."
"He has been stubborn since he was a child, and he is not likable. Hmph, I want to see what he wants to do after making so many things."
King Ning's face twisted instantly, but in a blink of an eye, he laughed again, cheerful and very kind.
…
Gu Fu.
Gu Ting beat the matchmaker out in front of Mr. Gu. Yelled, saying that the wife has to choose by herself.
Enraged by Master Gu, he beat Gu Ting on the spot.
If it wasn't for the great master Gu Zhiming to stop him, Gu Ting's legs would have been broken.
Gu Ting was beaten, but he didn't learn a lesson.
He was still cheerful, rubbed his buttocks, and said to Gu Jiu, "It doesn't hurt."
Gu Jiu gritted her teeth angrily, only hated Master Gu for not hitting harder. Before the leg injury healed, he dared to make a fuss, and he really couldn't rest for a day.
Master Gu was so angry that he was out of breath. He sat on a chair, pointed at Gu Ting, and cursed, "Get out! Get out of here. You bastard."
After finishing speaking, he picked up the teacup and threw it at Gu Ting's head.
Gu Ting was a nimble wounded man, he dodged the flying teacup with a tilt of his head.
Mr. Gu's anger was rising, why did he give birth to such a son of a debt collector.
The elder waved his hand, signaling Gu Ting to leave quickly.
Gu Jiu also pulled him, "Brother, hurry up. Be careful that father will beat you again."
Gu Ting was obedient, grabbed Gu Jiu's wrist with his backhand, and ran away.
Gu Ting ran away, but Mr. Gu was still angry.
"This brat runs fast. If he doesn't run, I'll break his legs."
Elder Master Gu Zhiming laughed, "Second brother, calm down first. I like Sanlang's temperament. Why don't you follow his wishes and let him join the army with me."
Master Gu sighed, "Brother misunderstood, it's not that I don't want this kid to join the army. Do you know what he said? He said that if he wanted to join the army, he would go to the northwest as a frontier army. I raised him until he was so old, but he Going to the northwest to die. Do you think he is a debt collector?"
When the old man heard this, he also frowned, "How could Sanlang think of going to the northwest to serve as a frontier army? That's a desperate fight. Isn't it good to join the army in the capital?"
Master Gu gritted his teeth, "That's right! I told him that too. What he said in the end, he said that a good man should not be greedy for wealth and pleasure, and go to the Northwest to earn military merits by himself and make his wife and child. It is simply absurd. He thought war Is it just like children playing house?"
The old man laughed, "I didn't expect Sanlang to be ambitious. But joining the army is not as simple as he thought. Don't worry about this matter, I will take care of it.
Tomorrow, when I cancel my leave, I will bring Saburo with me, and first let him see what the real barracks look like.
After he knows that fighting is not a joke, he will not clamor to go to the northwest to join the army. "
Mr. Gu was overjoyed, he stood up, and thanked him personally, "Thank you, big brother. Saburo will be counting on you."
Elder Gu waved his hand and said with a smile: "One family, don't talk about two families. Saburo is promising, and I am honored to be an uncle."
Gu Teng didn't want to get married, but Gu Teng was a little moved.
In the evening, he looked for an opportunity to meet Mr. Gu in the study.
"Father, my son is not young, and I want to settle the marriage soon."
Master Gu was a little surprised, "Have you thought about it?"
Gu Teng nodded, "The eldest daughter of the Minister of Rites, my son thinks it's very good."
Master Gu frowned slightly.
The servant of the Ministry of Rites is the fourth rank, and Mr. Gu is the third rank. Moreover, Mr. Gu is backed by the Marquis Mansion. Speaking of which, if the daughter of the Minister of Rites marries Gu Teng, it will be regarded as a high climber.
Master Gu said: "Your marriage, why don't you look at it again."
Gu Cheng opened his mouth and said, "Father, in three years' time, my son will have to take the exam. My son thinks it is suitable to marry the eldest daughter of the Minister of Rituals."
Master Gu hesitated for a moment, then said: "Your marriage has been considered for my father. My father wants to marry a noble daughter for you.
Saburo didn't care about it, he wanted to join the army, so he probably won't be in the mansion for a long time in the future. In this way, this home can only be handed over to you.
Your wife will be the head young mistress of the mansion in the future, and she will take on the heavy responsibility of managing the entire family.
The daughter of a civil servant is still a bit too weak, and the daughter of an honorable man is more aggressive and bold, and it is more suitable for you. "
Gu Teng bowed slightly, and said firmly: "My son likes to be quiet, and he doesn't like aggressive and bold girls. My son wants to marry the daughter of a civil servant, so I ask my father to make it happen."
Master Gu frowned, "Why are you so stubborn."
"Also ask father to complete it."
Master Gu was furious, "I can help you, but there are so many civil servants' daughters, so you don't have to marry the daughter of the Minister of Rites."
"The father thinks, who should the son marry?"
Mr. Gu snorted coldly, "Marry the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites directly. There are several granddaughters born in his family, but none of them are married yet."
"Father thinks that marrying the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites is better than marrying the eldest daughter of the Minister of Rites?"
"Of course."
Gu Teng shook his head slightly, "But my son doesn't think so. According to my son's understanding, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, this year is seventy-one. No one knows whether this adult can survive until three years later. Besides, how can a granddaughter compare to a direct relative?" My daughter is close, after all, there is a layer of separation.
On the contrary, the son of the Minister of Rites has paid special attention to the other party's resume. This lord is from the same town as Shen Changshi who is next to His Majesty, so there should be some contacts in private.
Shen Changshi is currently one of the youngest and most useful people around His Majesty. Not surprisingly, he will soon be promoted to the rank of internal servant and junior supervisor.
With him around, once something happened to the Minister of Rites, the minister of the Ministry of Rites would definitely replace him and become the youngest minister of the Ministry of Rites. "
Master Gu stared at Gu Teng with some doubts, "Who told you all this?"
Gu Teng bowed slightly and said, "These are all things my son learned slowly after he returned to Beijing."
Master Gu let out a long breath, with mixed feelings in his heart.
"You ask Weifu to think about this matter again."