On the first day of the first lunar month in winter, Chen Caozhi took an ox cart to Xiaolu Shangshu Mansion in Hengtang. He met Lu Qin in front of the door. Lu Qin was ashamed, and he bowed his hand to Chen Caozhi and called him: "Brother Zizhong—
—" He walked away with his big sleeves covering his face.
Lu Qin was demoted from the sixth rank to the imperial censor and became a commoner. He almost received the punishment of bamboo flogging and would never be used again. If it weren't for Chen Caozhi, he would have been executed for treason, so now he met Chen Caozhi.
, land birds are ashamed, have no place, and have no face to see each other.
Banli came up to him and said in a low voice: "Haojiao Chen Langjun has learned that the second head of the family and Liulangjun are planning to leave for Huating in the near future."
Chen Caozhi asked: "Didn't it say that Mr. Lu is going to take Xiao Daofu back to Huating to worship his ancestors, and that Miss Wei Rui will also go with him?"
Banli said: "The new head of the family is a minister and has a lot of affairs. I'm afraid he won't be able to return to Wu County a year ago. Originally, the head of the house wanted his wife and Miss Wei Rui to go with the second head of the family and Mr. Liulang, but the wife refused.
, Madam does not want to return to Wu County so early - Mr. Chen, please go this way, the head of the family went to Taicheng early in the morning, Madam and Miss Wei Rui are both at Baihua Caotang."
Lu Daoyu, Lu Na's nephew, came over to pay homage to Chen Caozhi. Lu Daoyu was the son of Lu Na's brother Lu Zhan. He was newly supplemented by the Nei Tai Official History Order. He was engaged to Gu Minzhi's daughter and would get married next year.
Chen Caozhi then followed Lu Daoyu to the Baihua Cottage in the inner courtyard. Lu Daoyu and Chen Caozhi had gone to Beijing at the beginning of the year and got along well with each other. This time, the Lu family suffered a heavy setback due to Lu Song's entry into the palace. It was Chen Caozhi who acted as the mediator.
Finally, the Lu family was spared from the humiliation of execution, and Lu Na was appointed as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Lu family in Wu County basically maintained its original status. Now that Lu Shi has been dismissed and returned to his hometown, the biggest obstacle for Lu Weirui to marry Chen Caozhi has been lifted.
, although the gentry status of the Chen family in Qiantang and the Lu family in Wujun are still very different, Chen Caozhi is now the Sima of the sixth-rank state and will be ordered to rebuild the Beifu army. His brother Chen Shang was promoted to the supervisor of the seventh-rank palace, and his brother Chen Yu was promoted to the seventh-rank.
The cavalry captain, the family status has been significantly improved, and Lu Na has always regarded Chen Caozhi as his son-in-law. Now the time has come for Chen Caozhi to marry Wei Rui. All he needs is a little time. His brother Lu Shiyi cannot be defeated.
, Lu Na was eager to marry a daughter to Chen Caozhi, and always wanted to be more reserved. However, the rumors about Chen Caozhi and the Xie girl became more and more intense, and Lu Na also felt a sense of crisis——
As he got closer to Baihua Cottage, Chen Caozhi's heartbeat gradually accelerated. He had not yet figured out how to mention Xie Daoyun to Wei Rui and Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan. This was more difficult than when he went to Chang'an and Yecheng as envoys. The blessing of Qi people
It’s not that enjoyable!
How do the people of Jin perfectly express their freedom and affection?
…
After the court meeting in the west hall of Taiji Hall, all the officials returned to the official office to serve as directors. However, Xie An, the minister and the leader of the army, stayed in the court hall and reported to Emperor Sima Yu: "Your Majesty, I have a private matter to report."
Emperor Sima Yu got along very well with Xie An when he was the king of Kuaiji. Xie An succeeded Huan Mi as the leader of the army, which made Sima Yu greatly relieved. He regarded Xie An as a loyal minister and said warmly: "What's wrong with An Shi?
No problem."
Xie An said: "This matter still needs to be witnessed by Lu Zuyan, the Minister of Civil Affairs. Please ask your Majesty to announce that Lu Shangshu will go to the palace."
Emperor Sima Yu said curiously: "What's strange, what is An Shi's private matter? You also need Lu Shangshu to testify, so you have to let me know the basics."
Xie An said: "I would like to betroth my niece Xie Daoyun to Chen Caozhi as his wife. I sincerely request your majesty to issue a decree to grant the marriage."
"Ah!" Emperor Sima Yu was shocked. Chen Caozhi's love affair with the girl from the Lu family was known to the world. The girl from the Lu family even wrote to Empress Dowager Chongde. The Empress Dowager Chongde also felt sorry for Lu's daughter. Now Lu Shi has deposed him.
, Chen Caozhi and Miss Lu are expected to get married together, but now there are rumors that Xie Daoyun is deeply in love with Chen Caozhi.
Asking him to grant a marriage, the Lu family of Wu County will definitely have a grudge. He has newly ascended the throne and is trying his best to win over the nobles from the north and south. If he favors the Xie family of Chen County in this way, it is not the best idea——
Emperor Sima Yu wondered: "An Shi, you also know about Chen Caozhi and the Lu family's daughter. If I rashly issue an edict to marry your niece to Chen Caozhi, it may lead to disputes."
Xie An said: "So if I want to discuss with Lu Shangshu, we should discuss Chen Caozhi's marriage in front of His Majesty."
Emperor Sima Yu was helpless, so he ordered the palace eunuch to invite Lu Na, the Minister of Civil Affairs, to come to the west hall to discuss matters. The palace eunuch on duty that day was Chen Caozhi's elder brother Chen Shang. Chen Shang was originally an old official of Emperor Sima Yu when he was the Great Situ.
After Sima Yutong succeeded to the throne, he promoted Chen Shang to the title of Central Supervisor of the Qipin Palace. This was also a show of gratitude to the Chen family of Qiantang.
Chen Shang was ordered to go down to the office of the Minister of Civil Affairs in Taicheng. As soon as Lu Na returned to the office and sat down, he heard that the emperor had summoned him. Not knowing what had happened, he asked Chen Shang: "Chen Zhongjian, do you know what the emperor announced to me?"
Chen Shang hesitated and said: "I don't know much about it, but it seems to be related to Shizhong Xie, who is also in the palace." He thought to himself: "Sixteenth brother is in trouble now. The Xie family of Chen County and the Lu family of Wu County have a dispute.
, the Sixteenth Brother is in this situation, I am afraid that he will be greatly affected. It is really hard to choose whether it is better for the Sixteenth Brother to marry the Xie family’s daughter or the Lu family’s daughter. I am afraid that under the anger of these two powerful people, everyone will
If I refuse to marry my daughter to my sixteenth brother, I have to say that there is no such possibility, and it is really dangerous."
Lu Na glanced at Chen Shang, nodded, and asked no more questions. He followed Chen Shang to the west hall of Taiji Hall, saluted Emperor Sima Yu, and said: "I sincerely ask for your Majesty's permission to marry my daughter Wei Rui to Sizhou Sima."
Chen Caozhi is my wife."
Emperor Sima Yu was dumbfounded. Lu Na also came to ask him for a marriage. This put him in a dilemma. Look at Xie An. Xie An was sitting still, not showing any surprise.
Emperor Sima Yu thought: "I can't make the decision for you, you can discuss it yourself." He said bluntly: "Ancestor said that just now Anshi also asked me to marry Chen Caozhi for his niece. What should I do?
?”
When Lu Na heard what the emperor said, he didn't seem particularly surprised. He seemed to have expected that Xie Daoyun's condition had improved. Brothers Xie An and Xie Wan would definitely try their best to get Xie Daoyun to marry Chen Caozhi. Which one could not bear it?
The Lu family of Wu County will never allow the Xie family of Chen County to bully the family and steal their son-in-law!
Lu Na said solemnly: "My daughter and Chen Cao have been in love for several years. Empress Dowager Chongde also praised the good couple. Good things are about to happen now. But Xie Shizhong wants to fight for my daughter's husband because of his niece. If the rumor gets out, Chen Jun Xie
Isn’t your name laughed at by the world? An Shigong is known as Yaliang, so this is not what a Yaliang person should do!"
Emperor Sima Yu saw that the two powerful ministers were about to quarrel, and secretly complained in his heart. He still had something that he couldn't express clearly. His daughter, Princess Xin'an, Sima Daofu, had been making noises every day begging him to issue an order to let her marry Huan Jihuan.
Zhongdao got divorced. As for what she wanted to do after the divorce, she didn't say it clearly, but after thinking about it, she knew that she wanted to marry Chen Caozhi. Sima Daofu heard that Lu Shi was exempted from being a commoner, and knew that Chen Caozhi married Lu Weirui.
Obstacle, so she was very anxious and wanted to strike first——
Emperor Sima Yu thought to himself: "Dear blessing, my father really wants you to divorce Huan Ji. As Chen Caozhi becomes my consort, he will naturally be more loyal to the royal family. However, when Huan Wen is alive, who dares to terminate the engagement with the Longkang Huan family?"
, misfortune is inevitable, even Chen Caozhi will lose Huan Wen's trust, so Chen Caozhi cannot be the consort under any circumstances." Emperor Sima Yu forgot that Huan Wen married Princess Nankang, who was the consort of the Jin Dynasty.
But I saw Xie An smiling and saying: "Brother Zuyan, when will I let my niece compete with the daughter of a wealthy woman for a husband? I am just asking for the emperor's favor to grant a marriage."
Lu Na couldn't believe it. Was this what Xie An, who was known as the most magnanimous and virtuous person, said? This was simply a scoundrel. Lu Na, who was a serious and serious person, was so angry that he could not speak.
Xie An added: "I am requesting a marriage from the emperor for my niece, and my brother Zu Yan is requesting a marriage from the emperor for his daughter. They can go hand in hand and complement each other."
Emperors Sima Yu and Lu Na were both astonished, and Chen Shang, who was standing in the corner of the palace, was also extremely surprised. How could two women fight for their husbands go hand in hand?
Lu Na regained his composure and frowned: "What does Mr. Xie mean by this? Can Chen Caozhi marry two wives at the same time?"
Xie An asked back: "Why not?"
Lu Na said: "It is good for a man and a woman to have two surnames. The upper one can inherit the ancestral temple, and the lower one can inherit the descendants. But it is not polite to have one husband and two wives."
Xie An said: "Emperor Yao had two daughters, the eldest was called Ehuang, and the younger was called Nvying, and they both married Shun. There are ancient precedents for this."
Lu Na did not expect that Xie An actually wanted Chen Caozhi to marry both Wei Rui and Xie Daoyun. This matter was very bizarre. Lu Na had never thought about it and said: "Ehuang, female heroes are just legends, even if they are real.
, this is also the case where Yao placed his Zen in Shun and gave him two wives to test whether Shun could manage his family. Having two wives in the family would inevitably lead to disputes. Because their names and positions were equal, they could not compete with each other. Shun was the ancient sage emperor, so
He has two wives who can live in harmony. Although Chen Caozhi has a virtuous reputation, how can he imitate the ancient sage emperor?"
Xie An said: "There is also a precedent for marrying two wives in this dynasty. In the past, Duke Jia, the Marquis of Xuanyang Township, didn't Emperor Wu specially order him to marry the left and right wives?"
Jia Chong, the Marquis of Xuanyang Township, was the most powerful official in the early Western Jin Dynasty. He first married Li Feng, the daughter of Wei Zhongshu Ling. Li Feng was executed by Sima Shi. The Li family was exiled because of his father's crimes. Jia Chong married another Guo family. Later, Li Feng
The family returned Luoyang with a general amnesty, and Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty specially ordered Jia to fill the left and right wives——
When Xie An said this, Lu Na also remembered what happened a hundred years ago. Lu Na said: "There is indeed a precedent for this matter, but the Guo family and the Li family did not get along well, and there were many disputes."
Xie An said calmly: "It is widely said in Jiankang that the girls of the Lu family are virtuous. How can they be jealous? And I, the daughter of the Xie family of Chen County, are also knowledgeable and courteous. Whether the family is harmonious or not depends on Chen Cao's family management skills."
——Two daughters marrying one husband is not what I want. I have no choice but to obey the authority."
Lu Na thought deeply in silence. The affair between Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun was also widely spread in Jiankang City. There was no reason for Xie's daughter to be Chen Caozhi's concubine. Such a double marriage could not but be said to be a happy solution for both the couple.
The Lu family in Wu County and the Xie family in Chen County are both beneficial, and it is more beneficial to enhance Chen Caozhi's status. The marriage of noble families will take the lead in interests, that's all.