The window was slightly open, and wind blew in. Layers of palace gauze filtered out the wind layer by layer, leaving only a light breeze that filled the room with the scent of medicine.
On the wide couch, Pei Yuanjun, dressed in a white robe, was sitting casually. His robe was loose, and he had no belt around his waist, let alone any complicated accessories. His black hair was simply tied up with a ribbon of the same color. He looked like he was leaning crookedly, with a bit of laziness, his facial features were delicate and beautiful, and his sleepy eyes were very leisurely.
"Your Highness, are you in such a hurry to ask this?" The minister sent by the Ministry of Rites stood before him with sweat all over his forehead, unable to put down the pen in his hand.
He was in charge of the King of England's engagement arrangements.
"My king is not feeling well, and there has been no good news recently. If you can bring up some of the gifts, please do so. It would be good to have some good luck." Pei Yuanjun's lips curved slightly, "The gift from the Ministry of Rites should be more generous. My princess saved my life, so she cannot be compared with other princesses."
The Minister of Rites had already started to sweat on his vest. If he added more etiquette, it would almost be the same as the Crown Princess's etiquette. If he added more etiquette, it would still have to be higher than the Crown Princess's etiquette.
This... is extremely treasonous.
But he didn't dare to say this, and could only choose his words carefully. After all, it was an official duty, and he knew what to say at this time: "The gift from the Princess of England should be more important. The Emperor has also instructed that. It's just that any amount of gift can be added. It's just that the Crown Princess has already given the gift first. If..."
When the Minister of Rites said this, he glanced at Pei Yuanjun, waiting for his opinion.
His slender fingers flicked lightly on the table twice, and Pei Yuanjun's dark eyes sparkled unusually, "The Minister means that the gift cannot exceed that of the Crown Princess, right?"
"I dare not!" the assistant minister said repeatedly. He implied that as for what would happen next, he had no control over it. Anyway, he would go back and tell the Shangshu whatever the person said. These things were not something that a small assistant minister like him could handle.
At this moment, the Minister truly felt that what the other Minister was doing was a comfortable job. He also wanted to go to Prince Jing's Mansion and did not want to take care of the marriage of the King of England.
Or if it's not Prince Jing's Palace, the Prince's Palace will do. He would rather help the Shangshu to arrange the Prince's marriage. Can he, dare he, take charge of the affairs of Prince Ying's Palace
"In fact, it should be... After all, she is the Crown Princess, so take three or four items from the Crown Princess's share! After all, this is my first marriage, and I don't know much about what I need. If your Ministry of Rites feels that something is inappropriate, let your Shangshu come and talk to me. I'm injured recently, so it's nothing anyway."
Pei Yuanjun said lazily.
His previous sentence made the Minister of Rites very happy, but his next sentence made him start sweating again.
The words sounded soft, but the meaning behind them was not soft at all, and it also revealed that the Crown Princess did not care at all.
The successor consort is indeed not as good as the original crown princess, and the Ministry of Rites has also reduced part of the original betrothal gift to the crown princess. But even if it is reduced further, it is still the crown princess's. Now the Princess of England is actually going to catch up with the successor crown princess, which is actually not right. But the thing now is that even if it is true, the ministers can only watch.
On the one hand, it is because the prince married
She is the concubine. Not only is she the legitimate wife recognized by the Emperor, but she also saved the King's life. The Emperor has issued an order that the rewards be directly included in the betrothal gifts. Such a betrothal gift actually exceeds that of the Crown Princess.
Even if the quantity is slightly reduced, it is actually still exceeded.
But this is the emperor's intention, and the Ministry of Rites cannot go beyond it.
"Yes, I will go back and report to the Minister." The Minister of Rites had lost his temper completely. As long as His Royal Highness the King of England agreed to reduce a few items so that it would look better on the surface and make people who didn't know much think that the Crown Princess's betrothal gift was still the highest, that would be enough. As for the rest, he couldn't control it.
As long as I can get the job done!
"How is the date calculated by the Imperial Observatory?" Pei Yuanjun's expression was still gentle.
"This... the date has not been calculated yet, but it is said that the marriage of the prince and the princess is a very auspicious sign, and it is auspicious and noble." The Minister of Rites answered carefully. The most important thing for him to come today was this matter. "The Imperial Astronomical Observatory said that they will calculate the date for the crown prince first, then for His Royal Highness the King of Ying, and then for His Royal Highness the King of Jing."
"The people over at the Imperial Observatory are really annoying. They are too slow. My health is not good and I may die at any time. Let them calculate for me first. Just as a good omen, they will help me get better soon." Pei Yuanjun said indifferently and pressed his chest with his hand.
There was heating in the room, so it wasn't cold. His clothes were half open, and the wound on his chest could be faintly seen. That area was still wrapped thickly.
"My health is very weak. If possible, I will go to the palace right now and ask the emperor for permission."
After saying that, he coughed twice.
The Minister of Rites didn't dare to ask him to go to the palace to ask for permission, so he hurriedly said, "If your Highness thinks so, I will report to the Minister. Don't worry, your Highness, there will be a reply soon."
Can I not reply? This person has already said something to "bring good luck".
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Excellency." Pei Yuanjun's expression became more gentle, and there was a hint of intimacy in his eyes as he looked at the Minister of Rites. His originally handsome face became even more elegant and dignified because of his kind look, as harmless and kind as a handsome young man.
"I dare not! But I heard that the fourth young lady of the Qu family has been ill..."
"We are not getting married right away. We just asked the Imperial Observatory to calculate for us first. The Imperial Observatory is too slow. It takes a long time to prepare for each calculation. In fact, the results are just auspicious words like dragon and phoenix. Just calculate a date randomly. There is no need to make such a big fuss."
Pei Yuanjun said indifferently, reached out to pick up the tea on the table, took a sip and slowly put it down.
The Minister of Rites secretly groaned. He did not come here to listen to bad things about the Imperial Observatory. Those people were all arrogant and proud. If they were made unhappy, they would say all kinds of reasons. They were also people that he, a Minister of Rites, could not afford to offend. But the Emperor thought that the slower the process, the more effective it would be. He really took it seriously and spoiled these people to no end.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be early. It's about time to do it around next spring! The weather is too hot, so it's not a good time to get married. I have a hot temper." Pei Yuanjun said again.
The Minister of Rites' lips trembled twice after hearing these words, and he finally found his voice: "Your Highness, this ceremony is too fast. It's not in accordance with etiquette in such a short time."
Royal
When performing a courtesy visit, people usually try to do it slowly and steadily, and there is no rush. But these people were in a hurry this time.
The Crown Prince's previous intention was to say that she was only a concubine and did not need to be treated as the principal wife. Besides, he was the first one to start the marriage, so it was okay for them to get married next spring.
Originally, a concubine was not treated the same as a principal wife.
Now the King of England is actually using the reason of "bringing good fortune to the family", but the problem is that by next spring, this reason will no longer be a reason!
"It's not against etiquette. Let the Imperial Observatory calculate a good day for me these few days. Of course, it has to be the kind with auspicious dragons and phoenixes. Then come spring. Even if it's later than the crown prince's, it can't be too much later. My body still depends on the people of the Imperial Observatory to deliver it to the emperor! When the time comes, they will naturally bless me and my princess. I and my princess are now suffering from fatigue and injuries. If we don't die soon, I'm afraid our lives will be in danger. The crown prince has always been filial, and he will definitely appreciate my intentions."
Pei Yuanjun's voice was very lazy, as if he was not talking about the matter of embarrassing the Ministry of Rites. He spoke about the matter of the Imperial Observatory's calculation of the auspicious day as if he was casually calling someone over to inform the superiors.
“Your Highness…” The Minister of Rites had no choice but to persuade him.
"Go down first. I am also tired. Please ask the Minister to report to the Emperor. If the Crown Prince asks, just say that my health cannot wait."
Pei Yuanjun said lazily, his narrow and long phoenix eyes closed slightly, looking very weak.
Seeing his expression, the Minister of Rites knew that it would be useless to say anything he said now, so he decided to go back and report to the Shangshu. It would depend on what the Shangshu thought. He didn't know what was wrong with the King of England, why he was unwilling to get married before, but now he was in a hurry to get married.
I don’t understand, I really don’t understand.
I heard that the fourth young lady of the Qu family was originally destined to be a concubine, but she didn't expect that after saving the King of England, she would have this blessing. It's incomparable.
The Assistant Minister of Rites left shaking his head in distress, this matter involved too many things and he had no choice. In fact, the Minister of Rites also had no choice. In the end, they had to ask the Emperor. However, given the Emperor's favor for the King of England, they might have to do it according to the King of England's wishes in the end. It seemed that some things had to be prepared in advance.
Those people in the Imperial Observatory are not so obedient. Before, I asked them to calculate a good day for the crown prince's wedding. Now I put the crown prince aside and calculate the one for the King of England. I don't know if these people will be so obedient. Being a Vice Minister of Rites seems to be a noble government office, but it is actually really annoying!
Yu Fengyong, the Censor of the Ministry of Works, has indeed had a hard time recently. Although his previous official position was not very impressive, the benefits were still real. Everyone would give him the lucrative benefits for the sake of Qu Zhizhen. Therefore, even though his official position was not high, he was contented.
But now... let alone a good job, he couldn't even get an ordinary job. He had to report to the government office every day and then sit there doing nothing for a while. From time to time, he would be ridiculed by others, who implied that they, the Yu family, were a nest of snakes and rats, and they deserved the situation they were in.
Yu Fengyong had thought that Qu Qiuyan could rescue Yu from the Yu family, but now when he went to Prince Jing's Mansion to see Qu Qiuyan, he couldn't even see the people around her. They said that Qu Qiuyan was ill, and the person in charge was the former Second Miss Qu, now Madam Qu.