sovbooks Chapter 40 Matchmaking
Chapter 40 Matchmaking
Emperor Yankang remained expressionless, not even bothering to hum a hum, and walked straight to the carriage, bowing respectfully.
The Empress Dowager then slowly stepped out of the carriage, and all the civil and military officials bowed their heads.
Liu Feng had come with the emperor and was standing in the front row. He could catch a glimpse of the Empress Dowager out of the corner of his eye and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. "An old cow eating young grass!"
The Empress Dowager spoke up: "On such a festive occasion, why didn't you summon your uncle to the palace?"
uncle?
Upon hearing this, Liu Feng immediately lost interest. He had thought he was going to hear some juicy gossip, but it turned out to be just the emperor's uncle, which was very disappointing.
On second thought, that makes sense. Throughout history, only Zhao Ji and Wu Zetian dared to openly keep male favorites. Besides, the Emperor Emeritus was still alive; how could the Empress Dowager dare to be so presumptuous?
Emperor Yankang looked at Dai Quan: "Didn't you summon Duke Cheng'en?"
Of course, he was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Dai Quan quickly bowed and said, "The servants below are becoming increasingly unruly; they have even neglected and forgotten such an important matter. This old servant will certainly investigate and deal with it strictly later..."
"Enough!" The Empress Dowager interrupted him, turning to the Emperor: "What have you thought about the matter I mentioned to you the other day?"
Emperor Yankang's face turned cold: "Isn't it a bit too hasty to change it now?"
"In such a hurry?" The Empress Dowager walked up to the Emperor. "Haven't you been looking forward to this day for a long time?"
Emperor Yankang glanced coldly at Duke Cheng'en without saying a word.
"Your uncle is the most suitable candidate to serve as Minister of War..."
The Empress Dowager's voice wasn't loud, but it happened to reach Liu Feng's ears, startling him. Wasn't it said that the empress dowager was forbidden from interfering in politics?!
Emperor Yankang's face immediately darkened. The Empress Dowager, oblivious, continued, "The court's power structures are deeply entrenched, every step fraught with danger. Without the support and assistance of trusted relatives, one will inevitably be plotted against sooner or later. Don't even mention you; even your father was plotted against back then..."
"Mother!"
Emperor Yankang's voice was very loud, which startled the Empress Dowager. All the civil and military officials in the distance heard it and looked up in this direction.
Liu Feng followed Dai Quan's example, hunching over and bending down, but secretly pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the juiciest royal gossip.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's surprised expression and a hint of panic in her eyes, Emperor Yankang suppressed his anger and said, "Mother, isn't it a bit too early for us to discuss these things?"
The Empress Dowager snapped out of her reverie and smiled, asking in return, "If we don't talk about this, then what should we talk about?"
Emperor Yankang's temper flared up again: "The case of embezzlement by the official granary supervisor and the case of cheating in the imperial examinations."
The Empress Dowager paused slightly, then said nonchalantly, "It's just that your uncle made a little money; it's nothing serious. Besides, you've already punished him, so why keep bringing it up?"
"You made some money?" Emperor Yankang laughed in exasperation.
The Empress Dowager looked somewhat embarrassed, glared fiercely at the Duke of Cheng'en, and then turned to Emperor Yankang: "You know your uncle's situation perfectly well. Back then, to help you raise money, your uncle sold everything he owned, even the sacrificial fields in his hometown, just to feed the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."
"Mother!"
The Empress Dowager suddenly realized her mistake and quickly said, "Your uncle assured me that he would only be watching over the Ministry of War's seal for you and would absolutely not do anything reckless."
Seeing the emperor's cold gaze, the Empress Dowager panicked: "My son, everything your mother has done, wasn't for your sake?"
Emperor Yankang seemed to recall past events, his expression softened slightly, and he looked somewhat dazed.
"My son, I did this all for you... I did it all for you!" The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor, her eyes full of pleading.
Emperor Yankang opened his mouth, turned and took two steps toward the stone bridge, then suddenly turned back: "Tomorrow at the court meeting, I will issue an edict appointing the Duke of Cheng'en as Minister of War." After saying this, he strode away.
Dai Quan hurriedly led his men to chase after them, leaving only the heartbroken Empress Dowager and the bewildered officials.
......................
The Dragon Boat Festival was ruined just like that, and those noble sons who hadn't had a chance to impress the emperor and their future fathers-in-law were furious!
Liu Feng, carrying the emperor's reward, happily left the imperial city.
The cart was fully loaded. Li Shoutian drove the cart, his face beaming with smiles: "Truly, Your Majesty's grace is boundless! Once you complete your studies at the Imperial Guard Martial Arts Academy, you will surely rise to great heights. At that time, you mustn't abandon us just because we are rough men."
Liu Feng rolled his eyes, casually peeled open a zongzi and handed it over: "I won't be going to the Hundred Household Office for roll call tomorrow. I'll go to the Imperial Guard Martial Arts Academy first. Tell them that."
"I know." Li Shoutian took the zongzi and wolfed it down. He then lightly patted the horse's rump with his whip and spurred the carriage toward Chongwenmen Inner Street.
As soon as I turned the corner, I saw a large, dark group of people ahead.
Li Shoutian, with his sharp eyes, said, "They are from the Jia and Zhen families."
Liu Feng looked up and saw two official sedan chairs walking side by side, with Jia Zheng and Zhen Yingjia both lifting the curtains and talking to each other.
Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, and the eldest son of the Zhen family rode in on horseback, completely blocking the street with their two families.
Liu Feng spat. He hated people like this the most; they had absolutely no sense of public morality!
After walking for a while, the Zhen family turned into the alley, while the Jia family continued walking forward, with Liu Feng following behind at a leisurely pace.
They hadn't gone far when the Jia family's procession suddenly stopped.
Jia Lian dismounted, walked over, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Commander Liu, may I have a word with you in private?"
Liu Feng originally intended to pretend he didn't know him, but he was an official of the Northern Garrison Command, and who would believe him if he said that? So, out of consideration for Lin Ruhai, he jumped off the carriage and followed Jia Lian toward the Jia family's procession.
Jia Zhen had already dismounted and greeted him with a smile, taking two steps forward: "Commander Liu."
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Liu Feng clasped his hands and said, "General Jia."
Jia Zhen quoted a few literary phrases. The gist was that they felt truly guilty for not being able to go to the dock to greet Liu Feng and host a welcome dinner...
Everyone loves to hear kind words, Liu Feng replied with a smile.
Jia Zhen then offered to host a dinner party and set a date.
Liu Feng readily agreed, not only out of respect for Lin Ruhai, but also because he wanted to see what the Jia family was really like.
Ugh, this damn gossipy heart!
Liu Feng didn't want to pay attention to the hypocrite, but since the other party had already stepped out of the sedan chair, he had no choice but to go forward and greet him.
Scholars have always had a common problem: they love to lecture others, and they always put on an act as if they are doing it all for your own good.
At first, Liu Feng patiently agreed with him, but as the conversation progressed, the tone gradually changed. He feigned seriousness and suddenly shifted the focus to the Ministry of War's case, criticizing his methods as too ruthless and cruel. He quoted classical texts and sages, urging him not to act so impulsively and decisively...
Liu Feng was furious and almost kicked him on the spot.
Seeing that things were about to go wrong, Jia Zhen hurriedly changed the subject, exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries, and then half-pushed, half-carried Jia Zheng into the sedan chair.
After the Jia family had gone some distance, Liu Feng spat, "Hypocrite!" and turned to get into the carriage.
Li Shoutian drove the carriage into the alley before whispering, "Just now, the eldest son of the Zhen family turned back halfway. It seems he had something to say to the Jia family. When he saw that you were laughing and talking with the Jia family, he turned back immediately."
Liu Feng didn't mind and said, "It's rare to have a day off. I'll go and call Wang Daniu and the others over later. We'll drink together tonight."
......................
Zhen Yingjia was overthinking things.
The eldest son of the Zhen family said, "Father is overthinking things. The Emperor would never betroth my second sister to this man."
Zhen Yingjia shook his head slightly: "You don't understand. Thunder and rain are both blessings from Heaven. Since the Emperor can use your second sister to win over the nobles, he can naturally use your second sister to win over and cultivate his own confidants. The Emperor's words are law; if he says they are a good match, then it is a marriage ordained by Heaven."
The eldest son of the Zhen family was slightly taken aback: "Isn't this going too far?"
Zhen Yingjia sighed deeply: "Imperial power has always been like this."
"Then, what should we do?" asked the eldest son of the Zhen family.
Zhen Yingjia was silent for a moment: "Just now, Cunzhou said that the heir of the Prince of Nan'an asked him about Er Yatou at the martial arts training ground..."
The eldest son of the Zhen family frowned: "The heir of the Prince of Nan'an? The Dowager Consort repeatedly instructed us not to associate with the four princes of different surnames..."
"Times have changed."
Zhen Yingjia paused for a moment, "The Emperor intends to crack down on civil officials, and will inevitably turn to win over the powerful nobles and rely on the meritorious officials of the old dynasty again. If our family can produce a princess, even if the Dowager Empress and the Emperor Emeritus are no longer around, the Zhen family will have a solid backing and its foundation will be secure."
"Go to the palace to request an imperial decree?"
"No. Go to the Rongguo Mansion and ask the Grand Madam to inquire at the Nan'an Prince's Mansion on his behalf... If the Nan'an Prince's heir is interested, then we'll trouble her to act as matchmaker for the two families."