There was a lot of excitement in front of the residence of the Minister of Revenue.
Standing at the front are two young talents with impressive appearance, one is handsome and elegant, the other is burly and majestic. Behind the two men, there were four soldiers in iron armor riding tall horses, pulling four large, gorgeous-looking boxes behind them.
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 are visiting. Please forgive me for not being able to welcome them from afar."
"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."
This middle-aged man's name is Zhu Yong, and he is the eldest son of Zhu Gong, the Minister of Household Affairs, and the father of Zhu Zhao'er. He currently serves as the right minister of the Ministry of Etiquette 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 cooking, and he is very good at cooking. Even the chef of the royal kitchen in the palace is only as good as him in skills. After a while, after becoming the Minister of Rites, he took the initiative to ask Ying to manage 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 the Left Minister 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 more or less as an official for so many years. It would be a lie to say that I don't understand anything. There is an old saying that no matter what happens, you will get involved. 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 it was a little mysterious. "Coming here today...is really for personal reasons. Besides, when juniors come to visit their elders, shouldn't they bring some gifts?"
"Oh?" Zhu Yong was a little confused. He really didn't know what private matter could be worth such a big fight. "Hahahahahaha...it seems I'm overthinking it."
With that said, Zhu Yong made a "please" gesture, indicating that the two of them would follow him into the mansion. The guards of Shangshu Mansion were also very discerning and quickly led the four soldiers to lead the cart towards the back door and unload the goods from the backyard.
Along the way, the three of them talked and laughed, talking about interesting childhood stories of Qi Dan sneaking out of the palace when they were young, 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. And this old man is Zhu Yong's father, Zhu Zhaoer's grandfather, and Zhu Gong, the second-rank household minister of the prosperous country today. Zhu Gong is nearly seventy years old, but he is still a boy with fair hair and a strong spirit.
"Grandpa Zhu." Qi Dan and Jiang Wenbing both stood in front of the hall and bowed to Zhu Gong several times. When Zhu Gong met the two juniors, he felt a lot of joy in his heart and said with a smile: "No need to be 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 relatively 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 over the task. It happened that Qi Dan had just revealed the purpose of his visit to Zhu Yong, so Zhu Yong said: "Xian Nephew, what was the private matter you and I talked about in front of the house just now..."
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 became furious and were all whispering in low voices. Some said it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival recently, some said it was to celebrate Lord Shangshu's birthday in advance... Anyway, after discussing it for a long time, they didn't come up with a reason.
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 didn't think it would happen so early.
Of course, Zhu Yong and Zhu Gong, father and son, would not discuss like the servants - what kind of behavior would it be for a dignified court official to chatter like a maid?
As a son, Zhu Yong, of course, had to 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. And a simple and strong man at the door said loudly: "If my guess is correct... these should be betrothal gifts."
For a time, 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 - it was Zhu Yong's eldest son and Zhu Zhaoer'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 are quite interesting, and they are called "Fa Ruxue". The wine with hair like snow is milky white in color and carries the meaning of "growing old together", so it is naturally the best choice for marriage discussions. Inside the second box are two jade trees more than one foot tall carved from garnet-colored jade. The garnet-colored jade is dazzling with brilliance. It has a name called Candle Flower Jade, and it is one of the top ten famous jades in the world. Fifth, we must be at the forefront of smoked jade. The third box contains some small items, including a pair of brand-new dragon and phoenix red candles, a pair of brilliant bronze mirrors, a pair of jade combs, a pair of brand-new celadon sea-pattern incense burners, a pair of gold dragon and gold phoenix bracelets, and A pair of jade dragon and phoenix bracelets. The fourth box contains dozens of pieces of excellent silk and jewelry, decorated with gold and jade and surrounded by green beads.
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 deal, 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 hasty after all.
Zhu Yong laughed at this time: "I asked you, nephew, why are you so mysterious today? It turns out that 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 be possible, nephew, you are interested in my little girl? 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, 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 Zhao'er who doesn't want it, or the Zhu family? Or is it a bit of both? Qi Dan was determined to win before he visited Shangshu's Mansion. Seeing that Shangshu's family welcomed him very much, why at this critical moment... Qi Dan's mind couldn't help but his thoughts were confused. He had never thought about his trip. Will fail.
Seeing that Qi Dan was somewhat silent and Zhu Yong could not say anything else, 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 in the sky, with golden branches and jade leaves. Personally speaking, you are also talented in both civil and military affairs, 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 this time, 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 finally understood. He smiled and said: "Zhao'er and I are childhood sweethearts. I have been close to and cherished her since she was a child. This time I came to propose marriage in person. How could there be any reason for her to be a concubine? Of course I want to marry her as my concubine. 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, Han" recorded in ancient classics. The royal family of the Sheng Kingdom had a surname of Qi, so of course they had to avoid the word "Qi", so the first "Qi" was not named. Starting from the second prince, he was named the King of Chu. When he came to Qi Dan, he was of course the King of Zhao, but Sheng The princes of the country have always been 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 very dependent 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 is 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? She and Zhao Erlang are talented and good-looking, so it is natural for them to be regular wives.
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 your own intention or His Majesty’s?"
As the Minister of Household Affairs, Zhu Gong was of course extremely thoughtful. What's more, this matter is related to Zhao'er's marriage, and even the fate of the entire clan. We must be extremely careful and careful, and we must not be careless at all. And his question was just to test His Majesty's tone, and it hit the nail on the head - it would be best if His Majesty agreed, and both families would be happy. But if His Majesty does not agree with this marriage, wait until the wedding preparations begin and then stop it urgently - firstly, it will hurt the heart of the little granddaughter Zhao'er; secondly, it will disgrace the entire Zhu family; thirdly, His Majesty's attitude will also It is known that the Zhu family is not favored by the emperor, and it is probably going to be over.
With Qi Dan's intelligence, how could he not know Zhu Gong's intention in asking this 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 will not ignore this good thing. I hope the Lord Shangshu will not worry too much." .”
