The calm in the court this time lasted for a long time, with all forces working hard to maintain a balance.
At the same time, during this period, happy events continued in Bianjing City.
The first happy event was the marriage between Xiao Shen and General Xiao Zheng of Zhongjing Hou Mansion. Originally, these two people were supposed to get married after Gu Tingye and Minglan.
But something happened to the Gu family, and the wedding was postponed for a few months, so the marriage of these two people came to the forefront.
Speaking of which, Zhao Zhen and Empress Cao personally guaranteed this marriage, so its smooth holding was a great thing for Zhao Zongquan.
In addition, during the recent period, Zhao Zhen did not reveal his intention to target Zhao Zongquan. The combination of the two factors completely turned Zhao Zongquan's situation around.
Of course, this change is still not enough in Zhao Zongquan's opinion.
So Zhao Zongquan thought of using this wedding to organize a good one, and use the momentum of the Zhongjing Hou Mansion to gain more recognition and support among the noble groups in Bianjing.
However, this idea was opposed by the Zheng family. To be precise, it was opposed by Mr. Zhongjing and Mrs. Zheng.
You must know that the Zheng family of Zhongjing Hou has a very good family tradition. The old Marquis has outstanding achievements and is very strict in running the family. Originally, the old Marquis did not want to marry the Shen family, but was forced by Zhao Zhen to reluctantly agree.
The old Marquis has always been upright and did not want to be too involved in the crown prince's affairs. Naturally, he did not want Zhao Zongquan to use his name to win people's hearts.
The other person who objected was the wife of General Zheng, who was also the sister-in-law of General Zheng.
Mrs. Zheng is not a simple person. She comes from a noble Su clan family. Some of her ancestors are worthy of enjoying the Ancestral Temple, and many uncles and uncles from her family are also enshrined in the Zhonglie Temple.
In addition to the boys, the girls in her family are also very impressive. Her family accounts for more than 10% of the chastity arches across the country.
Mrs. Zheng, who comes from such a noble family, stands upright and can see clearly, so she can naturally understand the situation in the court.
In addition, Mrs. Zhongjinghou was sick and weak. Mrs. Zheng had been in charge of the Zheng family for more than ten years. The whole family, from old to young, had great trust in Mrs. Zheng and had a deep friendship.
Therefore, what she said was extremely useful in the Zheng family. Even Mr. Zhongjing paid great attention to what his daughter-in-law said.
At this time, the two heads of the Zhongjing Hou Mansion were unanimously opposed. Zhao Zongquan naturally could not force it anymore. After all, he was still just a prince with no real power.
Therefore, this wedding can only be said to be well-organized, that is, it is not rude to others, but it is not extravagant.
And to be honest, with the current situation of the Shen family and Zhao Zongquan, the dowry the two families can collect is not even half of Zhang Guifen's original dowry, and it is difficult to make this scene look good.
After this marriage, what followed immediately was the marriage of Gu Tingye and Minglan.
This wedding was going to be much grander. As the official successor of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, Gu Yankai took advantage of his illness and invited all the connections in the Gu family.
Coupled with the many friends Gu Tingye made, the whole wedding scene was very lively, and Zhao Zhen also fulfilled his promise and gave many gifts on the wedding day.
Of course, the overall specifications are not as good as when Li Hao got married, but they are already very enviable.
But Li Hao didn't see this scene with his own eyes. After all, as Minglan's relatives, the Li family naturally had to stay with the Sheng family.
However, Li Hao was not at a loss. In order to appease Li Hao in advance, he asked Li Hao and Sheng Changbai not to join the team blocking the door.
Gu Tingye had recovered his health, and gave Sheng Changbai a picture of Wujiang Cold Snow by Gao Keming, telling him not to stop anyone.
Li Hao was more difficult to deal with than Sheng Changbai. In addition to a picture of Yan Wengui's Jiangshan Tower, he was also given a tiger-head golden gun, which made Li Hao relent.
But it was a pity that the golden gun did not fall into the hands of Li Hao in the end. When Gu Tingye sent someone to deliver it that day, Zhang Guifen happened to see it.
Zhang Guifen didn't know much about Yan Wengui's paintings, but she knew this spear at a glance.
Seeing the precious gold in it, he reached out and took it.
After rubbing it for a while, he said: "Husband, this gun is really a good gun. The materials and craftsmanship are excellent. It is rare even in my father's house."
Who sent this to you, so generous. "
After hearing this, Li Hao smiled and explained the whole story to Zhang Guifen: "Isn't it that Gu Tingye is going to marry Minglan? He was afraid that I would embarrass him when I blocked the door, so he sent me this gun.
In addition to me, Sheng Changbai also sent a deputy painting to deal with the two of us who are most difficult to deal with first, and then the rest will be easier, right? "
After listening to Li Hao's words, Zhang Guifen shook her head and said, "You two are really..."
It seemed that they were speechless at the two people's actions of taking advantage of the situation, but this did not affect Zhang Guifen's love for this spear.
So Zhang Guifen rolled her eyes and said, "What you are doing is so shameless. How can you threaten Gu Tingye with this matter?"
Hearing this, Li Hao thought Zhang Guifen wanted him to return the gift, and was just about to answer the call.
As a result, Zhao Guifen changed the subject and said, "What you are doing is wrong. Just leave this gun with me first. When you realize your problem, you can come and get it from me."
Li Hao was stunned for a moment after hearing these words, and finally turned around. Feelings, you said it was my fault.
Then he turned around and took away the gun. Where did this come from.
So Li Hao said: "What Madam said, I thought you wanted me to give it back. Who would have thought that you wanted to take it away yourself.
Originally, there was no problem with giving this gun to Madam, but you don't know how to use it, so why are you holding it in your hand? "
Hearing Li Hao say that he couldn't use a gun, Zhang Guifen suddenly became a little unhappy.
He directly carried the gun barrel forward, held the middle of the gun barrel with both hands, and then stabbed towards Li Hao, preparing to teach Li Hao a lesson.
A set of movements is performed smoothly, and it can be seen that the hands are really skilled.
But Li Hao was not slow to react. He directly picked up Yan Wengui's scroll and used it as a short stick. After dodging, he hit the stick under the head of the spear, deflecting the spear's thrust direction.
But Zhang Guifen reacted very quickly. After realizing the direction deviation, she quickly stopped her strength and raised her gun to sweep towards Li Hao.
But maybe the gun was a little heavy, so Zhang Guifen's reaction speed didn't seem that sensitive.
This allowed Li Hao to respond calmly. After exchanging a few moves, Li Hao took the initiative to push him aside.
He boasted: "I didn't expect that Madam's marksmanship is really good. She is worthy of being the only daughter of a British princess. She is indeed a well-educated girl.
However, this gun is still too heavy for Madam to use. How about I find a lighter gun for Madam and then I can practice with Madam. "
Regarding what Li Hao said, Zhang Guifen naturally knew that it made sense, but if she had to do what made sense, she would not be a woman.
So Zhang Guifen said: "If my mother-in-law knew about it, you could use Minglan's marriage as a bargaining chip and blackmail Gu Tingye's mobile phone.
What do you think your mother-in-law will do with you? Should I talk to her about this? "
Hearing Zhang Guifen's fatal blow, Li Hao immediately became scared and said quickly: "Actually, I think this gun is really suitable for Madam. Otherwise, Madam, just take it away."
But now that the words have come to this, Zhang Guifen doesn't want to let Li Hao go so easily, who dares him to provoke her.
So he said: "Is this the only gun suitable for me? I just heard a painting."
After hearing this, Li Hao quickly handed over the painting in his hand, and then Zhang Guifen left with satisfaction.
This time Zhang Guifen gained a lot, but Li Hao became empty-handed.
However, this was an internal conflict within the family. Even though the things were gone, Li Hao kept his promise and did not create problems for Gu Tingye.
Of course, Zhang Guifen didn’t really want the gun and the painting. After all, the British government didn’t have anything, and there were more
Zhang Guifen is trying to have more ways of getting along with Li Hao.
In fact, Zhang Guifen's choice of path was not bad. Later, when Li Hao was shooting archery or practicing martial arts, he often brought Zhang Guifen along with him, which made it fun in the long run.
But back to Gu Tingye, no one came to deliberately make things difficult, and his marriage went smoothly.
In addition, maybe because he was really happy to see Gu Tingye marrying his wife, Gu Yankai's health also showed signs of improvement for a while, which can be said to be a double happiness.
But this good times didn't last long. Two months after Gu Tingye got married, Gu Yankai's physical condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. Even if the imperial doctor from the palace came, he could only stay in bed for a while without any hope of recovery.
In this case, a very real problem looms in front of him. Once Gu Yankai dies, Gu Tingye will have to face Ding You.
At that time, the right to guard the palace will be handed over. When Mrs. Xiao Qin died, Li Hao could still help Gu Tingye look after the palace guards.
But Li Hao is mainly busy with the affairs of the Salt and Iron Department now, and he no longer has the position of the Palace Front Department, so it is not appropriate for him to take over the palace guard.
Therefore, there must be someone who can take over Gu Tingye's responsibilities during the period when Gu Tingye and Ding You are away.
Of course, Li Hao didn't pay much attention to this matter. After all, as long as the situation in the palace was stable, military general Ding You only needed a hundred days, not three years like the civil servants.
But at this time, news suddenly came out from the palace that Zhao Zhen suddenly got cold and was bedridden.
This broke the peaceful situation in Bianjing City.
Especially when Zhao Zhen was unable to go to court for several days in a row, there suddenly became some undercurrents in Bianjing City.
In this case, Gu Tingye might want to vacate the post of commander of the Imperial Guard, which attracted everyone's attention.
After all, everyone knows the importance of this position, and Zhao Zhen is old after all.
No one is sure whether Zhao Zhen's illness is a temporary illness or whether it can be cured. And even if it is cured this time, there is no guarantee that there will be no next time.
At this stage, what was originally a hundred-day worry may turn into a job change.
Moreover, this term will last for at least three years. No one can guarantee whether Zhao Zhen's body can survive these three years.
However, in this matter, Li Hao still took the initiative after all. After all, Gu Tingye had not resigned yet, and most of the soldiers in the Imperial Guard were Li Hao's old troops.
In addition, Li Hao will have more people to choose from as the commander of the Imperial Guards, and many of them have participated in the last counter-insurgency battle, which makes Zhao Zhen more trustworthy. .
On the other side, Zhao Zongquan naturally wants his own people to fight for this position, but there are not many people around him who can use it.
Although Zhao Zongquan's original Yuzhou team has been transferred to Bianjing in the past two years, their positions are still too low.
Even if Zhao Zongquan wanted to, it would be impossible to push them to the position of commander of the Imperial Guard, not to mention other nobles who had taken refuge in private.
On the surface, the only person who has a relationship with Zhao Zongquan and hopes to compete for the position of commander of the Imperial Guard is Zhao Zongquan's brother-in-law, General Zheng of the Zhongjing Hou Mansion.
Although they may not be very close to Zhao Zongquan, they are still one of their own after all, and it is better than others occupying this position.
On both sides, Li Hao wanted to be safe and ensure that the transfer of power would not go beyond what it should be, while Zhao Zongquan was preparing in advance for the future.
Both sides are waiting for news from the palace and Ningyuan Houfu. Of course, Li Hao, who is close to the water, is always more convenient than Zhao Zongquan.
And apart from these two sides, does anyone else want to get involved in this position?
Li Hao believes that there must still be some, but they are still hiding in the dark, waiting for the critical moment to come out to see if there is a chance to miss them.
It is precisely because of this that Li Hao has been having a headache recently, causing him to frown at times at home.
And this also made Zhang Guifen see it.
On this day, Zhang Guifen came in with refreshments and said, "Are you still worried about things in the palace? In fact, my father can also talk about matters in the military.
How about I ask my father for help? Besides, the official trust is always more important than yours, so I think they will choose the person you recommend. "
After hearing Zhang Guifen's concern, the sorrow in Li Hao's heart dissipated somewhat.
He stood up, held Zhang Guifen's hand, and explained: "If my father-in-law comes forward, there will be no problem. However, although the position of crown prince has not yet been determined, Zhao Zongquan is still most likely to succeed.
If we were to deal with the enemy, we should naturally fight with all our strength, but when dealing with Zhao Zongquan, I had to show some mercy.
Only I came forward to ensure the smooth succession of the commander of the Imperial Guard, so even if it succeeded, Zhao Zongquan would have nothing to say.
But if my father-in-law comes forward, I'm afraid that the situation will be a little ugly. If it really breaks down, it will not be good for both families. "
Zhang Guifen, who has been exposed to what Li Hao said at home since she was a child, can naturally understand what Li Hao said.
It was precisely because she understood that she knew that it would be difficult for her to help Li Hao in this matter.
But even so, she still tried her best to solve Li Hao's problems.
So she chose a day to say hello to Li Hao and Wei, and then went back to her parents' home to hear her father's opinion directly.
But on this matter, the British public had the same view as Li Hao, and he did not think he was suitable to intervene in this matter.
Then he said to Zhang Guifen: "Li Hao and I have the same view on this matter, and it can only be solved by Li Hao himself.
Didn't you see that he hasn't gone to Mr. Ouyang recently? He just doesn't want to involve too many people in this matter.
The fewer people involved, the simpler the matter will be and the safer it will be in the future. "
After hearing what her father said, Zhang Guifen finally understood that it seemed that Li Hao could only do this by himself and could not let others help.
Now that she had the answer, Zhang Guifen stopped embarrassment and stopped embarrassing her father.
However, the British public was actually very happy about Zhang Guifen's move.
Because the British public knows her daughter, since she can take the initiative to come to him for Li Hao, it means that she already has a place for Li Hao in her heart.
This also shows that the official marriage, at least in terms of the results, is not a bad thing.
Of course, after being happy for his daughter, the British father-in-law quickly became depressed again when he thought of Gu Yankai's current situation.
The bad news did not last long. After half a month on the hospital bed, Gu Yankai couldn't hold on any longer and passed away.
