What Zhao Zhen said in front of many courtiers and official documents, how could the British Duke refute it in public.
Moreover, Zhao Zhen had already discussed this matter in advance, and the British public and his family were already prepared.
But later it turned out that Zhao Zhen never mentioned it again, and Li Hao didn't seem to know about it, so they thought things had turned around.
But I never expected that Zhao Zhen would finally announce the matter so suddenly in public, catching the British father-in-law and his wife off guard.
After being stunned for a moment, the British father-in-law and his wife came to their senses. They quickly stood up with Zhang Guifen and said, "It is my Zhang family's good fortune to be given the marriage by the official, and Mr. Li is both civilized and military, and has extraordinary wisdom and bravery. It is also a blessing for my daughter to have such a husband." .”
Zhao Zhen was very satisfied after hearing what the British father-in-law and his wife said, so he then looked towards Li Hao.
But at this time, the family of three really hadn't reacted. Suddenly, they heard that the official was planning to marry their son in public, and he was referring to the only daughter of a British father-in-law. This big pie fell from the sky and made them dizzy. brain.
As for Li Hao next to him, he was also thinking a lot at this time, because he finally knew who Zhao Zhen wanted to marry him.
At the same time, in this way, the British father-in-law's family can understand the abnormal reaction to him. After all, they have been choosing for so long before they found the family they love for their girl.
Seeing that things were about to be settled, they were kicked out by me. It seemed that their attitude towards me was normal.
After all, as courtiers, they couldn't get angry at the officials, so they could only point it at themselves.
Thinking of this, Li Hao felt that he was really wronged. This matter obviously had nothing to do with him, but when he thought about it, it seemed that it did have something to do with it.
In addition, Li Hao was still a little confused about Zhao Zhen's purpose. Not only did he not understand why he wanted to grant the marriage, but he also didn't understand why he suddenly proposed it in public when he had clearly given up in the middle.
He was so engrossed in this thought that he naturally did not respond, so everyone looked at the Li family for a delay in responding.
Slowly, the faces of the British family began to look a little ugly, thinking that they had already agreed, but in the end, the Li family even disliked it.
Seeing that something was wrong, Mrs. Ling Guogong, who was sitting behind Li Hao and the others, quickly took a piece of fruit from the table, threw it on Li Hao's lap, and then reminded in a low voice: "Don't be stunned, quickly thank the official for his kindness." .”
At this moment, Li Hao reacted immediately and immediately thanked him: "Your Majesty is so kind to me, and I am so grateful that I burst into tears. When I first heard the good news, I and my parents were so happy that they did not react. Please forgive me."
After hearing Li Hao's words, Wei and Li Jian finally woke up and hurriedly followed Li Hao to express their gratitude.
At this time, Zhao Zhen was relieved. Looking at Li Hao's silent expression, Zhao Zhen was really afraid that this guy would be stupid and refuse in public, which would make things difficult to handle.
Seeing Li Hao agree, Zhao Zhen said: "It's normal to be overjoyed when you suddenly hear that a happy event is coming. Of course I won't blame you.
Since both of you have no objections, the matter will be settled as such. Tomorrow I will issue a marriage edict to both families. I will still have congratulatory gifts to send you on your wedding day. ”….
After hearing this, the two families could only thank the emperor for his great kindness, which meant that they had decided on the marriage between Li Hao and Zhang Guifen.
Afterwards, the two families were about to return to their seats, and during the short journey that Li Hao and the others took back, they could hear congratulations from both sides.
Of course, the congratulations on their lips came from the envy in their hearts. After all, she was a British only daughter, so noble and decent.
Just like Mrs. Wang, as soon as Mrs. Wei sat down, she came closer and congratulated: "Your family is really blessed now. You can marry the daughter of a British prince. You will be very dignified in Bianjing City in the future.
Moreover, in the future, Brother Hao will be able to get support from the British family in the court, and his future will surely be even more limitless. "
This is a nice thing to say, but it is not so comfortable to hear, because it can be heard from these words, at least in the eyes of many official families in Bianjing.
How unequal the status of the two families is, but their
Others would not speak so openly like Mrs. Wang.
Moreover, the three members of the Li family also have their own thoughts, and Mrs. Wei still thinks of Minglan in her heart after all.
Although Mrs. Wei had told Li Hao that as long as she could find a good in-law for Minglan, she would not force Li Hao to marry her, but Ms. Wei never gave up the idea of promoting the marriage.
Now that the official family suddenly proposed marriage, the Wei family was really caught off guard, and she still felt a little indebted to Minglan.
Li Jian's thoughts were different from those of the Wei family. Although Li Jian was grateful to Wei Xiaoniang for her help, his son had a bright future after all, but due to love, he was asked to marry a concubine. Li Jian still disagreed. of.
It was just because he cared more about Wei's feelings that he didn't say anything right.
Today's situation is what Li Jian would rather see.
As for Li Hao himself, he is actually more complicated in his heart.
After all, Zhang Guifen is pretty and has a not-so-bad personality. Mainly because she has a mine at home, she is a good choice no matter how she looks at it.
But when he thought that this was an arranged marriage in the evil old society, Li Hao still felt a little uncomfortable. Did he also have to experience the model of marriage first and love later?
So as soon as they saw it, Zhao Zhen and Queen Cao started driving back to the palace.
Li Hao quickly spoke to Mr. Wei, then turned around and followed him into the palace, intending to ask Zhao Zhen about the situation.
However, as soon as Zhao Zhen left, the atmosphere at Xuandemen suddenly became heated.
All the officials present gathered around the British Duke and the Wei family.
However, the British family was obviously not very happy. They only exchanged a few words with acquaintances and then made excuses to leave and return home.
This situation was also noticed by Wei, who had been paying attention to the situation, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It happened that the people who were with Mr. Wei here were all acquaintances, and they couldn't stop congratulating her.
Wei directly expressed her worries: "I don't think this is necessarily a good thing. Looking at the British father's attitude, I'm afraid it won't be so smooth."
Hearing this, the Duke of Ling's wife also turned around, saw the British Duke leaving, and said, "Don't think too much about it, after all, this happened suddenly, and they have only one daughter in the family, and they have loved her dearly since childhood.
Since it was the official's golden words and their family agreed here, then the matter was already done and there was no need to repent. ”….
Hearing this, Mrs. Wei thought in her heart: Yes, there is no such thing as repentance.
But I don't know if this is talking about the British government or to comfort myself.
Seeing that Wei didn't say anything, Ling Guogong's wife thought she was still worried, so she said, "Brother Hao of yours is from Tanhua, a man of both civil and military skills, and he is now in an important position.
Getting married to a British official is not a high-level proposition, so you don't have to worry about it that much. "
After saying this, Mrs. Lingguo suddenly realized that there was a key person she had not seen, so she asked: "By the way, we have been talking here for a long time, where is your brother Hao, why didn't you see him?"
Wei explained: "When the official returned to the palace just now, he left with him, saying he wanted to inspect the palace again.
As you know, he is now in charge of the palace guards. There are so many people coming and going today, and the safety of the official family must be the most important thing. "
At this moment, Li Hao, who was mentioned by the Wei family, was already in Funing Hall.
Zhao Zhen seemed to have expected that Li Hao would come, so when Li Hao asked for an audience, he was invited in without even sending a message.
When he saw Li Hao, Zhao Zhen said the first thing he said: "You come to see me now, presumably because you want to ask about the marriage you just granted."
Li Hao replied: "The official is a wise man. Today, the official suddenly granted me a marriage. I am really confused, so I wanted to come and see the official."
Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Well, I'll ask you three questions first. After you answer them, I'll give you the answers."
Li Hao said: "If an official asks a question, I will answer truthfully."
Zhao Zhen asked: "The first question is, I asked you to marry the only daughter of a British father-in-law. Will this marriage humiliate you?"
Li Hao replied: "It's natural
No, the British princes have been princes for generations, and they are still high-ranking ministers. "
Zhao Zhen asked: "Second question, you have also seen the Zhang family girl. What's wrong with her appearance and conduct?"
Li Hao replied: "The Zhang family girl is upright and cheerful. She is well-known in the official records of Bianjing City. Her appearance and conduct are perfect."
Zhao Zhen asked: "The third question is, will this marriage be beneficial or harmful to your future and reputation?"
Li Hao replied: "This is naturally beneficial. The British Duke plays an important role in the court and has many disciples and old disciples in the army. If he can have the help of this family, it will naturally be beneficial to his official career and reputation."
After listening to Li Hao's answer, Zhao Zhen asked, "Look for yourself, this marriage will be beneficial to you without any harm, so what problems do you have.
As for the British public affairs, since they can agree to it, it will be fine and you don't need to worry about it. "
At this point, Li Hao really didn't know how to answer or explain his purpose of rejecting a marriage that would be beneficial to him without any harm.
Do I still have to explain to Zhao Zhen the values of free love in later generations? But in this era, that theory is absolutely deviant and deviates from the mainstream of society.
Li Hao was speechless for a moment, but Zhao Zhen said at this time: "And it's not like I didn't give you time. Two or three months have passed since I asked you that day.
If you find the person you like among them, I will naturally not make things difficult for you, but since you haven't, then shouldn't you thank me for helping you settle the marriage? ”….
These words hit Li Hao even more, as if he was saying that you have been given a chance, and what can you do if you don't seize it yourself? Li Hao had no choice but to thank the emperor again.
Then Zhao Zhen said: "Okay, I will order someone to deliver the marriage decree to your house tomorrow.
Remember to go to the British government office early. After all, it is a marriage between two families, and the procedures must be followed, and etiquette must not be lost. "
Then Li Hao was asked to leave Funing Hall, but everything stopped here.
But because of this incident, Bianjing City began to become lively.
In the midst of this excitement, the marriage was also being discussed at the prince Zhao Zongquan's house.
Because under Zhao Ceying's persuasion, Zhao Zongquan and his wife were really interested in getting Xiao Shen and Li Hao married.
Of course, Zhao Zongquan also had his own considerations in doing this, and wanted to take this opportunity to intervene in the current system of nobles and civil servants. As a result, Zhao Zhen's marriage completely broke Zhao Zongquan's original plan.
Now Zhao Zongquan really regrets why he came to Bianjing City so obsessed with it in the first place.
Zhao Zongquan was very happy when he saw Zhao Zhen's edict conferring the title of prince. He thought that when he arrived in Bianjing, he would be officially canonized and become the legitimate prince and take charge of the East Palace.
But who would have thought that Zhao Zhen would suddenly come up with a special prince position to accommodate himself, which greatly exceeded Zhao Zongquan's expectations.
Although there is only one prince now, and the succession is no problem according to common sense, there is no guarantee that Zhao Zhen has other ideas.
After all, not only the position of prince, but also the Kaifeng Prefecture Yin, which symbolized the status of prince, was not given to Zhao Zongquan.
At the same time, because he was not a prince or a king, Zhao Zongquan did not have his own subordinate officials in Bianjing. In other words, although he began to help Zhao Zhen handle official affairs, he could not actually form his own team.
This is also the main reason why Zhao Zongquan has been unable to transfer Yuzhou officials to Bianjing.
It was this situation that gradually made Zhao Zongquan uneasy.
Because he had been put on the stand, he could only advance but not retreat. It was because of this that Zhao Zongquan was anxious to break the situation.
But the candidate I had thought of early in the morning fell through. Where can I find the right person?
Zhao Zongquan has had little contact with the nobles in Bianjing City since he came to Beijing.
Especially after the prince's position was established, those who had interacted with him began to have reservations about Zhao Zongquan and did not want to get involved too deeply for the time being.
After all, the most utilitarian group among the nobles had basically been eliminated with the Yanwang Rebellion, and the remaining people were quite cautious.
However, if one chooses from among civil servants regardless of honor and rank, the main people Zhao Zongquan can come into contact with are a few great ministers, but when he comes, there are no suitable men in their family, and even if they do, they are still not sure whether they are willing to marry Zhao Zongquan. Maybe getting married.
After all, she is already a very popular minister, so there is really no need to enter into this marriage.
As for those small and diligent officials, Zhao Zongquan really looked down upon them. Of course, the main reason was that they had no effect on the overall situation.
For a moment, Zhao Zongquan really couldn't think of a suitable candidate, so he said to Zhao Ceying: "Don't you often follow Li Hao on weekdays? You have also made many friends with the noble disciples in Bianjing City. Isn't there a suitable candidate among them?"...
Zhao Ceying said: "Most of the noble children that Li Hao made friends with were those who had previously served under him, and most of them with prominent family backgrounds were already married."
Having said this, Zhao Ceying suddenly thought of something and said, "But today I met Gu Tingye. He is the legitimate son of Marquis Ningyuan, and he is now the commander of the Imperial Guard.
His mother happened to pass away some time ago, so Ding You was always at home, and I saw him.
But as far as I know, he is not married yet, and I have never heard of anyone he is interested in. In terms of family connections, he is considered a suitable candidate.
only……. "
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zongquan said: "Nothing, please tell me if you have anything to say."
Zhao Ceying glanced at his mother and uncle, and then said: "But his reputation in Bianjing City is not very good, and he was a wanderer for a while in his early years.
However, he later improved and even took part in the imperial examination. He just failed to pass the palace examination. However, among the people I came into contact with, they all spoke highly of Gu Tingye. "
After hearing this, Zhao Zongquan actually hesitated a little and looked at his eldest wife and brother-in-law.
But after all, he was still eager to change the status quo, so Zhao Zongquan said: "No one has faults. As long as he knows his mistakes and can correct them, he is still a good man after all.
Moreover, I have also heard about the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion. Their eldest son is in frail health, so maybe Gu Tingye will have to take over the title.
If you marry him, you will become a marquise, and you will be rich for generations. "
The above words are mostly meant for my eldest wife and brother-in-law.
After finishing speaking, Zhao Zongquan paused for a while, preparing to see the two people's reactions.
Shen Congxing actually wanted to say something after hearing this, but was stopped by Da Shen.
So Zhao Zongquan understood what his eldest wife meant, and said, "But Gu Tingye is the commander of the Imperial Guard after all. If he marries my family, will the officials be jealous?"
Zhao Ceying replied: "Gu Tingye has passed away from Ding You now. With Li Hao's friendship with him, we will naturally see each other often.
It's up to me to talk to Gu Tingye first. If this is feasible, then we will find a way.
Anyway, Gu Tingye is still young. As long as we become a family and he has been silent for two years, we can make up for it. "
Zhao Zongquan thought this was reasonable and said, "Okay, then it's up to you to handle this matter as soon as possible."
It was during this conversation that Xiao Shen's future arrangements were decided. Of course, it was not certain whether things would go so smoothly.
The next day, Li Hao rushed back to the mansion as soon as the palace door opened.
After Wei and Li Jian received the imperial decree granting marriage, the family set off to the British government for their first formal meeting and negotiation. .
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