There was a lot of excitement in front of the residence of Shangshu Hubu.
Standing at the front were two young men with impressive figures, one handsome and elegant, the other tall and majestic. Behind them, there were four soldiers in armor riding tall horses, with four soldiers behind them.
A large box with a gorgeous appearance.
These two people were naturally Qi Dan and Jiang Wenbing who had discussed at noon that they were going to visit the Minister of Household Affairs.
"Please inform me that Qi Dan and Jiang Wenbing are visiting." Qi Dan bowed his hands to the guard in front of the mansion. The guard had been serving in the House of the Minister of Household Affairs for a long time and knew that these two were great people. He was very anxious.
So he went into the house to report.
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest face came out of the door and greeted the two of them. "I heard that His Highness the Fifth Prince and Zuo Fengyi came to visit. I apologize for being a little far away from them."
"Uncle Zhu, what are you talking about?" Qi Dan smiled slightly, making people feel like a spring breeze. "You have watched us grow up since we were young, why are you talking official talk with us now? This is a bit too foreign.
Alright."
This middle-aged man's name is Zhu Yong, the eldest son of Zhu Gong, the Minister of Household Affairs, and the father of Zhu Zhaoer. He currently serves as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, and is mainly in charge of the Host and Guest Department and the Fine Dining Department. The reason why Zhu Yong is in charge of the Fine Dining Department is also very strange.
——He has no other hobbies, but he likes cooking, and he is very good at cooking. Even the skills of the chef of the royal kitchen in the palace are only between his brothers. After becoming the Minister of Etiquette, he took the initiative to invite him.
In charge of the Fine Dining Department, he had to personally cook and serve every big banquet. However, the Host and Guest Department, which was also under his authority, gradually fell under the jurisdiction of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites.
Zhu Yonghan laughed twice and said: "Although Lao Zhu, I don't know much about the ways of the world, but I have been exposed to it for so many years as an official. It would be a lie to say that I don't understand anything at all. There is an old saying that no matter what happens, you will be ignored.
Treasure Hall, the two nephews came to visit today and brought so many boxes of gifts. It doesn’t look like a private matter at all... If it is a business matter, it would be better to address him more formally to avoid suspicion... Hahahahaha..."
"Uncle, you really guessed wrong," Qi Dan still smiled as before, but now he was a little mysterious. "Coming here today... is really for personal matters. Besides, the juniors are here to visit the elders and bring some gifts.
Isn’t it right to come?”
"Oh?" Zhu Yong was a little confused. He really didn't know what personal matter could be worth such a big fight. "Hahahahahaha... It seems that I have overthought it."
With that said, Zhu Yong made a "please" gesture and motioned for the two of them to follow him into the mansion. The guards of Shangshu Mansion were also very discerning and quickly led the four soldiers to lead the horse-drawn carriage towards the back door and enter through the backyard.
Unloaded.
Along the way, the three of them were talking and laughing, talking about the interesting childhood stories of Qi Dan sneaking out of the palace and Jiang Wenbing leading Zhu Zhaoer and other children to play, and often secretly asking Zhu Yong to cook food for them.
After a while, I arrived at the main hall of the mansion and saw an old man already sitting in the hall waiting. This old man was Zhu Yong's father, Zhu Zhaoer's grandfather, and Zhu Gong, the second-rank household minister of the prosperous country today. Zhu Gong was nearly seventy years old.
But he is still young-looking and full of energy.
"Grandpa Zhu." Qi Dan and Jiang Wenbing both stood in front of the hall and bowed to Zhu Gong several times. At this time, Zhu Gong saw the two juniors, and felt a lot of joy in his heart. He said with a smile: "No need to be too polite."
After several people sat down, Zhu Yong asked first - although Qi Dan is the prince, Zhu Gong is also one of the only second-rank officials in the court, and is an elder who is familiar with Qi Dan. Of course, it is not easy to put down his airs and ask questions.
When he asked about the west, his eldest son Zhu Yong took care of it. It happened that Qi Dan had just revealed the purpose of his visit to Zhu Yong, so Zhu Yong said: "My dear nephew, what you and I just said in front of the house are private matters."
...What exactly is it?”
Qi Dan kept smiling, still with that unfathomable look: "Uncle, Grandpa, you might as well guess first." He then raised his finger and pointed to the servants waiting in front of the hall, and said: "You can also guess.
Look, I’ll give you a big reward if you guess it right.”
The servants, who were still hesitant at first, suddenly started to explode, and they were all whispering in low voices. Some said that it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival recently, and some said that it was to celebrate the birthday of Lord Shangshu in advance... Anyway, the discussion
For a long time, I didn’t give a reason why I came.
Of course Jiang Wenbing didn't know. When he was pulled over by Qi Dan, he only knew that he wanted to give gifts, but he didn't know the underlying reason. But based on his understanding of Qi Dan, he naturally had some guesses in his mind - but he felt that it was not
It will happen so early.
Of course, Zhu Yong and Zhu Gong, father and son, would not talk like servants - what kind of behavior would it be for a dignified court official to chatter like a maid?
As a son, Zhu Yong must of course keep a close eye on his father, otherwise it would be bad to disgrace his father. Just when he was about to open his mouth, he saw that the four boxes of gifts had been carried into the hall. There was a simple and strong man at the door.
The man said loudly: "If my guess is correct... these should be betrothal gifts."
For a moment, many people in the hall were stunned. The meaning of the word "betrothal gift" is self-evident. Many people had also thought about it secretly in their hearts just now, but they just didn't dare to say it out loud.
And the person this courageous person pointed out was naturally a member of the Zhu family - none other than Zhu Yong's eldest son and Zhu Zhao'er's biological brother, Zhu Xieyang.
Now that someone had revealed his purpose of coming, Qi Dan immediately agreed with a smile: "What Brother Xieyang said is absolutely true. Qi Dan's trip today is just to propose marriage." He waved his hand and signaled to the guards who came with him to open the door.
Those four purple-red rosewood boxes with gold edges.
There are four jars of wine in the first box. The names of these four jars of wine have a lot of stories, and they are called "hair like snow". The color of the wine is milky white, which means "growing old together", so it is naturally suitable for discussing marriage.
The best choice for marriage. In the second box are two jade trees more than one foot tall carved from garnet-colored jade. The brilliance of this garnet-colored jade is dancing and dazzling. It has a name called Candle Flower Jade.
It is one of the top ten famous jades in the world, and it is at the forefront of smoked jade. In the third box are some small items, including a pair of brand-new dragon and phoenix red candles, a pair of brilliant bronze mirrors, and a pair of jade combs.
A pair of brand new celadon sea-patterned incense burners, a pair of gold dragon and gold phoenix bracelets, and a pair of jade dragon and jade phoenix bracelets. The fourth box contains dozens of pieces of excellent silk and satin and jewelry, gold dots and jade embellishments, and bead surrounds.
Green around.
The numbers of these gifts are all even numbers, which means "good things come in pairs".
According to common sense, a marriage proposal is a big event, and a matchmaker must first be invited to bring gifts to propose marriage. Why is it that the fifth prince came in person today? It’s not that the fifth prince’s move broke any rules, but it was a bit rash after all.
of.
Zhu Yong chuckled at this time: "I asked you, nephew, why are you so mysterious today? It turns out you are planning to become my son-in-law."
Qi Dan followed Zhu Yong's words and joked: "What? Does Uncle Zhu think that my son-in-law has no talent, no virtue, no appearance, and is not worthy of Zhao'er?"
When Zhu Yong heard this, he immediately waved his hand: "How could it happen, my nephew, you are interested in my daughter? It's too late for me to be happy. Who in this world doesn't know that the fifth prince is a leader among people, with both talent and beauty. You don't want it, my nephew."
I'm making a fool of myself by belittling myself, but..."
Zhu Yong's words were undoubtedly a compliment to Qi Dan, but the last word "just" that was left unfinished made Qi Dan's heart skip a beat. Just what? Is it because Zhao'er is unwilling, or is the Zhu family unwilling? Or is it?
Is it both? Qi Dan was determined to win before he visited Shangshu's Mansion. Seeing that Shangshu's family also welcomed him very much, why at this critical moment... Qi Dan's mind couldn't help but be confused. He actually
I never thought I would fail in this trip.
Seeing that Qi Dan was somewhat silent, and Zhu Yong could not say anything further, the eldest son Zhu Xieyang spoke on his father's behalf: "It's hard to tell my father if he has concerns, but I don't have anything to worry about..."
"Qi Dan, let me ask you this - in terms of birth, you are His Majesty's prince, a noble man, and a man of wealth. Personally speaking, you are both civil and military, and have made great achievements. But... our Zhu family is also considered a famous family.
Zhao'er is also a lady... When you come to propose marriage, do you want Zhao'er to be the wife and princess that your matchmaker is marrying, or... are you just taking her as a concubine?"
After listening to Zhu Xieyang's words, Qi Dan understood in his heart. He smiled and said: "Zhao'er and I are childhood sweethearts. I have been close to and caring for her since we were children. This time I came to propose marriage in person, how can I
The reason for making her a concubine? Of course I want to marry her as Princess Zhao."
Emperor Sheng had seven sons and three daughters. The eldest prince was naturally the prince and crown prince, while the remaining six sons were named princes according to the seven aristocratic surnames "Qi, Chu, Qin, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han" recorded in ancient classics. The royal family of the Sheng Kingdom
The surname is Qi, and of course there is some taboo around the word "Qi", so the "Qi" character at the beginning is not given. Starting from the second prince, he is given the title of King of Chu. After ranking Qi Dan, he is of course the King of Zhao, but the prince of Sheng Kingdom.
They have always only given the title of king but not the land, so people usually only use the title of prince to show respect.
What Qi Dan said about marrying Zhu Zhao'er as Princess Zhao was of course a formal statement that he wanted to marry Zhu Zhao'er as his head wife.
After hearing Qi Dan's answer, Zhu Xieyang's expression softened and he apologized a little: "As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. Zhao'er has been relying on me since he was a child. If it is inconvenient for my father to say it, I, the older brother, will say it."
, my rude attitude just now was very offensive to His Highness the Fifth Prince, please forgive me."
The fifth prince nodded. He could understand Zhu Xieyang's mentality very well - after all, Zhao'er was the only daughter of the Zhu family and the apple of the eyes of the whole family. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if she only made him a concubine? He and Zhao'er
The man is talented, the woman is good-looking, and she is of the right family. Of course, it is only natural for her to be a real wife.
The few people were talking more and more happily, and the embarrassment just now had been eliminated. At this time, the old man Zhu Gong, who had been smiling all the time, suddenly spoke, breaking the harmonious atmosphere: "Your Highness, the fifth prince, please allow me to say more - I don't know how to marry you."
Is this matter of taking care of your child your own, or His Majesty’s?"
As the Minister of Household Affairs, Zhu Gong is of course very thoughtful. What's more, this matter is related to Zhao'er's marriage, and even the fate of the whole clan. He must be extremely careful and careful, and cannot be sloppy at all. And his question is just a test.
Your Majesty's words are to the point - it would be best if Your Majesty agrees, and both families will be happy. But if His Majesty does not agree with the marriage, wait until the wedding preparations are started and then stop it urgently - which will hurt the little granddaughter Zhao'er.
Secondly, it has touched the face of the whole Zhu family; thirdly, from His Majesty’s attitude, we can also know that the Zhu family is not favored by the emperor, and I am afraid that it will be over.
With Qi Dan's intelligence, how could he not know the intention of Zhu Gong's question? He calmly looked at Zhu Gong's old face and replied: "This is my wish, and I have not reported it to my father yet. But I think my father must have
I won't ignore this beautiful thing, and I hope that the Lord Shangshu will not worry too much."