After exiting the gate of the Ministry of Rites and looking at the half-rising sun, Hu Hu couldn't help but sigh.
It's all Wang Yining's fault. The rest of the morning was uneventful. He went to bed too late and had lunch too early. What should he do...
Well, why not go and see your sweet daughter? I heard that that bastard Zhu Yi has been out and about every day lately.
It's almost New Year's Day, and it must be very hard for Yueniang to be busy all by herself.
Having made up his mind, Hu Hui was about to raise his hand to call the old servant over, but saw that the old servant who was outside had already come up to him and leaned over.
"Sir, a distinguished guest has come to the house. Madam, please return home quickly."
Hu Xi raised her eyebrows, suddenly interested.
In the entire capital, there were only a handful of people who could be treated as "honored guests" in front of him.
So Mr. Hu changed his mind and got on the sedan.
"Go home."
…………
In the flower hall of Hu Mansion, two fragrant tea cups were filled with smoke.
There were two people sitting in the guest seats. One of them was wearing a crimson official robe with a first-grade crane embroidered on it. He had a pale face, but his expression was not very good-looking, and he looked like he was being forced.
The other person looked to be about forty years old. He was wearing a bright red python robe made of gold. His chubby body made people feel rich, and he smiled as if he was very happy.
This is a real distinguished guest!
Facing these two masters, the eldest son of the Hu Mansion, Hu Changning, who was supposed to be the master, stood respectfully aside and spoke carefully and politely.
"My mother has sent people to ask my father to come back to the house. I would like to ask you two to stay for a while. My father will return soon."
After the words fell, the thin old man still had a cold face and showed no reaction, but the fat middle-aged man in python robe smiled and said.
"Don't be anxious. It's time to go to the Yamen now. Business matters are important. Official matters are important."
What he said made the slender old man beside him couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at the middle-aged man in the python robe. Do you still know your feelings? This is the time to go to the Yamen?
Why didn't you mention official business when you had to drag him to the Hu Mansion?
A man was sulking. The old man picked up the tea and drank it all in one go.
There was a noise outside, and Hu Hui's figure appeared at the door. Hu Changning finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately went to meet him.
At the same time, the old man Qing Kui who was originally sitting also stood up, but the fat middle-aged man in python robe still sat firmly in his place.
"Father……"
Hu Xi nodded to him and asked him to stand behind her. Then a warm smile appeared on his face, and he quickly came to the hall, and then bowed to the middle-aged man in python robe who was sitting firmly. A gift.
"I returned late and kept your distinguished guest waiting for a long time. It is really rude and rude."
After saying that, he paused, turned to the old man Qing Kui on the side, nodded, and said with a smile.
"Ting Yi is here too. The Ministry of War has been busy lately, so it's not easy for you to take time out to visit me."
The old man Qing Kui smiled bitterly, shook his head, and waved his hands.
"Mr. Jie'an, please stop teasing Yu. The Ministry of War has just accepted His Majesty's decree and must submit the memorial for the rectification of the military camp before the seal. This matter is important. How dare Yu dare to neglect it? If the prince hadn't come to invite him in person, Yu is afraid that he will not be able to leave the Ministry of War for a whole day."
Since he can be called a distinguished guest by the Hu family, his status is naturally not simple.
The slender old man in front of him is none other than the one who has been in the limelight recently, Yu Qian, Prince Shaobao and Minister of the Ministry of War.
As for the other middle-aged man in python robe, it is even more unexpected.
He was actually the Prince of Min, the Prince of Zhennan, Zhu Huixun, who had just been summoned from the vassal state and rushed to the capital after a long journey!
Although he heard the dissatisfaction in Yu Qian's words, the fat King Zhennan was still smiling.
He first accepted Hu Hui's salute calmly, then stood up, returned the salute and said.
"It doesn't matter, my king came unexpectedly today and caused trouble to the eldest uncle."
"What do you say, Your Majesty? It is my great honor for you to condescend to visit me. Your Majesty, please take a seat."
After being polite and finally sitting down again, Hu Hui asked.
"Yesterday, I had something to do and was unable to welcome the prince to the capital. Unexpectedly, the prince came to the door in person today and brought Yu Shaobao with him. I think the prince is not here to blame me for not welcoming him, right?"
Of course Hu Hui knew that King Zhennan had arrived in Beijing.
In fact, Hu Hu knew clearly when he set off and where he stayed every day, because this was the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites.
However, he did not expect that he would come to his house.
You know, this time King Zhennan was summoned to Beijing, nominally to attend the coronation ceremony of his son Zhu Yincheng, but Hu Ming knew that there was another reason, which was for the old King Min.
The old prince's health was getting worse day by day, especially after the last incident with King Xiang. He was bedridden when he returned home. He estimated that he didn't have many days left.
To put it mildly, King Zhennan most likely came to attend a funeral this time.
Of course, as a clan member, the more important thing must be the inheritance of the Min throne. Although with the two restless younger brothers of King Guangtong and King Yangzong imprisoned in Fengyang High Wall, the Min throne is for King Zhennan. It's already a done deal.
However, it was already the end, and the fat prince naturally didn't want any more accidents to happen.
I don’t know if he received a letter from his family other than the imperial edict. Anyway, this time King Zhennan basically set off for the capital as soon as he received the imperial edict.
Even on the road, he was rushing all the way, without delaying for a day. Sometimes, he even traveled all night, and it was not until noon yesterday that he could reach the capital.
Afterwards, he went into the palace to see His Majesty, and then returned to Prince Min's Mansion to serve.
Therefore, Hu Hui did not expect that the King of Zhennan would rush to his house on the second day after entering Beijing.
Not to mention, he also brought Yu Qian with him.
You know, Yu Qian is notoriously difficult to recruit, especially when the Ministry of War has just recently carried out a major transfer of official positions. On the one hand, he has to run in with these people, and on the other hand, he has to continue to promote the rectification of the army. I am so busy that I am not exaggerating at all.
In this case, let alone a county king like Zhennan King, even if Old Min King goes there in person, he may not be able to pull him out of the Ministry of War.
But now the facts are in front of him. Although Yu Qian looked reluctant, he still followed King Zhennan, which had to make Hu Hui curious.
What kind of ability does this King of Zhennan have? In other words, how big of an undertaking does he need to work for two ministers in succession?
Zhu Huixuan's fat face had several wrinkles, and he laughed.
"The eldest uncle is joking. This visit to the capital is for the wedding of my son. It is nearing the end of the year and all ministries are busy. It is not the first time for me to come to the capital. How dare I bother the eldest uncle to welcome you."
After a few polite words, Zhu Huixuan turned to the topic and said.
"To be honest with the eldest uncle, today the king invited Yu Shaobao and went to the eldest uncle's house. It was for something else but his son's marriage."
Now Hu Hui became interested, put down the hot tea that the maid had just brought, and asked.
"I don't know which noble girl is from that family, but she has climbed up to the young prince. She is really a great blessing."
Although Mr. Hu usually likes to be a hands-off shopkeeper in government affairs, and he also likes to take a nap in court, he is very enthusiastic about being a matchmaker and pulling fibers.
In the capital, many in-laws of important ministers and nobles were his matchmakers, which was consistent with his status as Minister of Rites.
Naturally, anyone who can ask Hu Hui to come forward has a very important status in the capital.
In recent years, there have been the marriages of Yu Qian's youngest daughter Yu Xuanying, the marriage of Wang Mu, the youngest son of the former Minister of Civil Affairs Wang Zhi, and earlier, the marriages of Yongkang Hou Xu An, who was still the prince at the time, and Pingjiang Bo Chen Yu. They are also the matchmakers he protects.
There are civil servants, nobles, and even relatives here, but to be honest, Mr. Hu, the matchmaker of the prince's family, really has no guarantee.
Especially, since Zhu Yinqi has been basically designated as the third-generation heir to the throne of Min, he might be a great matchmaker for the vassal king, so Mr. Hu is naturally very interested.
Royal bloodline is naturally extremely noble.
Therefore, Hu Hui asked which family she came from, because no matter which family her daughter was from, in terms of status, if she could marry into a county prince's palace, especially if a prince who could inherit the throne in the future became a concubine, it would definitely be considered an upper marriage.
King Zhennan was obviously very satisfied with the marriage, so he smiled again on his chubby face and said.
"Jing'an Bo Fan Guang, the legitimate daughter of Governor Fan's family, was selected by the old man himself. Yesterday the King of Japan met with His Majesty, and he was also full of praise for the marriage. His Majesty also specifically said that Governor Fan was here at the beginning. The people recommended by the young treasurer are the best in terms of virtue and character, and the daughters they raise must also be good."
Hu Xi raised his eyebrows, and the smile in his eyes grew stronger.
He just likes talking to smart people.
The King of Zhennan first pointed out the attitude of Prince Min, explaining that this marriage was not his own initiative, but was decided by the elders of the family himself, and there would be no other problems.
Secondly, it also explained the emperor's supportive attitude on this matter, and also explained why Yu Qian was brought over, which can be said to be comprehensive.
In just one sentence, almost all the concerns that Hu Hui could think of were dispelled.
Hu Hu was quick to give face to others, and took the initiative to speak before King Zhennan spoke.
"Good thing, good thing! I saw that girl from the Fan family last time. She has good looks and dignified manners. She is a good match for the young prince. If the prince doesn't mind, I can't say, but I will work with Ting Yi to protect this girl." A great matchmaker, we are all very happy together."
Zhu Huixun narrowed his eyes with a smile and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Uncle Da Zong, you are so polite. This matter should be requested by me. To be honest, Uncle Zong, I have taken the liberty to come here today because I want to ask Uncle Zong and Yu Shaobao to go to Jing'an Bo Mansion on my behalf to propose marriage. "
"This is my son's invitation letter, as well as the betrothal letter written by the old man himself. Last night, I prepared the betrothal gift and put it outside."
As he spoke, Zhu Huixuan took out two documents on red paper and black ink from his sleeves and handed them over.
Hu Hui took it with a smile, but frowned while looking at it.
Logically speaking, when proposing a marriage, the elders of the groom's family should go there in person.
However, after all, the royal family has different status. Even if King Zhennan is optimistic about the marriage, he cannot go to propose marriage in person. This is against the rules, so he can only ask others to do it for him.
Both Hu Hui and Fan Guang, who is about to be proposed, understand this.
It should be said that although Zhu Huixuan could not go there in person, he paid enough attention to this marriage.
A large part of the reason why Fan Guang was able to stand out in the Battle of Oara was because of Yu Qian's recommendation to him in times of crisis.
Therefore, even if it was difficult to invite him, Zhu Huixuan still went to the Ministry of War in person, using the emperor as a shield, and tied up Yu Qian.
At the same time, he ran to Hu Hui's mansion and personally invited Hu Hui, the oldest and most respected Minister of Rites in the whole court, to let the two of them personally protect the match.
This lineup, let alone a marriage proposal for a mere Earl's Palace, is enough to even be canonized as a royal concubine.
Therefore, Hu Hui could see that this marriage was very important to King Zhennan.
Of course, what's more important is that the emperor obviously supports this matter.
Because of this, Hu Hui hesitated.
To be honest, he felt that the Zhennan King was a little too anxious.
You know, the betrothal gift brought by a benefactor must be more than thirty kinds at least, and each one must be carefully prepared. Even if it is quick, it will take half a month.
However, King Zhennan just entered the capital yesterday. How fully prepared could he be in this night's work?
Although it is said that Jing'an Bo Mansion is matched with Zhennan Prince Mansion, it is natural for him to marry properly.
However, the more this is the case, the more we cannot ignore the etiquette, and we cannot let others feel that we are neglecting others.
What's more, the family status of Jing'an Bo Mansion is already quite high.
Although he is a newly promoted nobleman and does not have a deep foundation, Fan Guang himself is a nobleman who is deeply trusted by the emperor.
Since Hu Hu wanted to protect this matchmaker, he had to turn it into a good thing.
If the two families were not prepared for details such as the betrothal gift, and a good thing turned bad in the end, that would not be what Hu Hu wanted.
So, after carefully looking at the Geng Tie and the Letter of Appointment, Hu Shushu raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"My lord, you have worked so hard for your children's marriage. I just arrived in Beijing yesterday, and I have prepared all the betrothal gifts so quickly. I must be very busy this night!"
Zhu Huixun was a smart man. He knew the elegant meaning of the song after hearing it. He immediately heard the overtones of Hu Hui's music and gave a few instructions to the entourage next to him.
Then, someone stepped back, and when they came back up, they had already carried several large boxes and placed them in the flower hall. Then, Zhu Huixuan pointed at these boxes and said.
"Uncle Zong, please rest assured. Although I only arrived in Beijing yesterday, the marriage was decided by the old man, so I naturally started preparations early. What's more, my son has also reached the age to discuss marriage. With the appropriate items, I, the king Some of them prepared in advance, and brought them all with them to Beijing this time."
"Last night, the king and the princess took a look at these betrothal gifts one by one, and each one was the best..."
As he spoke, Zhu Huixun stood up, picked up the small box at the front, opened it, placed it in front of Hu Hui, and said.
"Not to mention other things, this pair of bracelets was personally given to my mother and concubine by His Majesty Taizu when the old man was getting married. Since the death of my mother and concubine, the old man has always cherished them like pearls. This time, he specially gave them to me. Take it out and give it to Yin Xi as a betrothal gift."
Then, Zhu Huixuan pointed to the cage next to him and continued.
"Also, this betrothal goose was given to me by my Majesty when he came to the palace yesterday. His Majesty ordered someone to catch it from the royal hunting ground."
"Both the king and the old man attach great importance to this marriage. Although it is indeed a bit impatient, there is absolutely no slightest sign of neglect. Uncle Zong must rest assured about this."
After hearing this, Hu Xi looked at the pair of emerald green bracelets in front of her, and then at Bei Yan next to her. A smile appeared on her face, but a thoughtful light flashed in her eyes...
