In the fifth year of Zhenguan, on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, at the end of the twelfth lunar month, in Chang'an City, in the imperial palace, there was the Zhengdian Hall.
After the court meeting, as soon as Changsun Wuji walked out of the Manlu Palace, he was stopped by Yuechan, the personal maid of Empress Changsun.
Knowing that it was his sister who summoned him, he followed Yue Chan to the Li Zheng Hall in a hurry.
As soon as he entered the hall, he saluted Queen Changsun who was sitting on the chair and said:
"I have met the Queen."
When Queen Changsun heard this, she pretended to be displeased and stood up and said to Changsun Wuji:
"Brother, how many times have I told you, in private, when no one else is around, just call me Guanyin maid as before."
Changsu Wuji stood up and smiled at Queen Changsun and said:
"The etiquette cannot be abolished. I wonder why the Queen asked me to come here today?"
Empress Changsun pointed to the seat next to her and said:
"Brother, please sit down."
"Yuechan, pour tea for the eldest grandson, Shangshu."
Changsun Wuji was very good at cultivating his Qi. Hearing this, he walked to the chair next to him and sat down.
After a while, Yuechan brought the tea, and Changsun Wuji took it and took a sip.
Only then did I hear Queen Changsun say from the side:
"Brother, that kid Chong'er hasn't come to the palace to pay his respects for a while. What are you busy with recently?"
Changsun Wuji rolled his eyes when he heard this, looked at Queen Changsun and said:
"The child Chong'er suffered from some colds a few days ago. I was afraid that he would infect the disease to your mother, so I didn't let him enter the palace. When he recovers, I will ask him to come and pay your respects."
Queen Changsun was a little worried when she heard this and said:
"Is Chong'er's illness serious? Can the medical officer from the Imperial Medical Office examine it?"
Changsun Wuji quickly replied:
"The imperial doctor has diagnosed and treated him, and there is nothing serious. I think he will recover in the next two days."
Queen Changsun nodded when she heard this and said:
"That's good, that's good. Chong'er will be seventeen after the Chinese New Year, right?"
Changsun Wuji's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked at Queen Changsun with hopeful eyes and said:
"Mrs. Lao is worried, Chong'er's child is indeed quite old."
Empress Changsun looked at her brother and smiled:
"Brother, when Chong'er gets better, you can take him into the palace to see His Majesty. It's time to finalize the marriage between Chong'er and Lizhi."
Changsun Wuji was overjoyed when he heard this. He had always hoped that the next generation of the Changsun family could marry the royal family again, so that the status of the Changsun family in the Tang Dynasty would be more stable.
He stood up and saluted Queen Changsun and said:
"Mr. Guanyin, brother, thank you on behalf of the eldest grandson family."
Empress Changsun helped her brother up and said:
"Brother, you are serious. My sister has watched Chong'er grow up and knows that he has a gentle and humble temperament. She has liked Lizhi since she was a child. She is very relieved that Lizhi marries him."
...
In the fifth year of Zhenguan, on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, Shenshi, Chang'an City, Chongrenfang, Zhao Guogong's Mansion.
As soon as Changsun Wuji's carriage stopped at the door of the mansion, he jumped out of the carriage.
He walked quickly to the concierge and asked:
"Chong'er, are you leaving the house today?"
Seeing Changsun Wuji's anxious look, the concierge didn't dare to delay. He thought about it and said quickly:
"The young master has never left the house."
After hearing this, Changsun Wuji didn't even change his court uniform, but directly asked his servants to call his eldest son and come to the front hall to see him.
It's just that Changsun Wuji was sitting in the front hall waiting for a cup of tea, but he didn't see Changsun rushing over. Instead, he waited and went to find Changsun Chong's servants.
"Where's Chong'er?"
"When the young master returned home, I searched all over the house for the young master who could not be found. Later, I heard from the servants at the back door that the young master left the house this morning with his servant."
Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji angrily threw the teacup on the ground and said:
"A bunch of trash, they can't even look at one of them, why are they just standing there, why don't they send someone to look for them."
The servant trembled when he heard this and quickly responded.
After a while, the servant gathered a dozen people and rode straight towards Pingkangfang.
...
Changsun Wuji and others waited until the end of the Youshi period before they saw their eldest son hurriedly coming to the front hall.
As soon as Changsun Chong entered the front hall, he saluted and said:
"The child has seen his father, but he didn't know that he had summoned him. He came late and asked his father to punish him."
Changsun Wuji looked at the flushed eldest son in front of him, with a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Although he had roughly guessed his son's whereabouts, he still asked:
"You weren't studying at home and went to the streets to mess around again?"
Changsun Chong took a peek. His father, who looked calm, thought for a while and replied:
"Replying to my father, I didn't go out to mess around. Today, I made an appointment with some talented people who came to Chang'an to take the imperial examination to discuss the collection of Confucian classics. I was so absorbed in it that I forgot about the time. I will pay attention next time."
Changsun Wuji nodded when he heard this and said:
"Well, you just stay at home these two days and don't go anywhere. In two days, my father will take you to the palace and propose a marriage to you."
Changsun Chong's eyes lit up when he heard this, his hands couldn't stop trembling, and he asked eagerly:
"Father, do you want to marry your beautiful cousin on your child's behalf?"
Changsun Wuji nodded and said:
"Well, your aunt summoned me to the palace today. His Majesty has also agreed to this matter. His Majesty will issue a decree to grant you a marriage before the end of the year."
Changsun Chong heard this and murmured to himself:
"That's great, that's great."
"You haven't gone to the palace to pay your respects to your aunt for a long time, haven't you? When the marriage is settled, remember to go to the palace to pay your respects regularly. This time your aunt asked you, and my father said that you had caught the cold. After two days, you will enter the palace. When my aunt asks, just say you’re fine now, do you understand?”
"I understand, kid. Thank you father."
"Go down. In the past few days before the year, you will stay in the house for me and you won't be able to go anywhere. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father."
After saying this, Changsun Chong happily returned to his small courtyard, leaving only Changsun Wuji in the front hall, letting out a long sigh.
"I hope Chong'er can change his behavior after Li Zhi comes in."
Changsun Wuji thought so.
As soon as Chang Sun Chong and his boy entered his small courtyard, the boy walked quickly behind Chang Sun Chong and asked in a low voice:
"Sir, the Duke of the State doesn't see what's going on, does he?"
Changsun Chong patted the young man on the back with a smile on his face and said:
"Well, thanks to your kid's reminder, if I hadn't taken a bath and changed my clothes in Baihua Pavilion, I might have been able to spot the clues. I'll take my token to the accountant to collect the reward later."
The boy smiled and said:
"Young Master, the young one is just a little clever, it doesn't mean anything. Even if the young one is not mentioned, with the young master's intelligence, he will definitely be able to pass the test smoothly."
...
