HCB Chapter 289 Parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words
Chapter 289 Parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words
"The Emperor has arrived..."
Before Yu Zhengsha could say anything, Emperor Murong Shiling had already arrived at the court. He looked down at Murong Cheng and sighed when he saw that Murong Cheng was still kneeling on the ground. Then he sat down.
"My dear ministers, before you all present your reports, I would like to first discuss one matter, which is the marriage I granted to the Crown Prince yesterday."
The ministers looked at each other, some were curious, some were indifferent, and some wanted to watch. Only Yu Zhengsha frowned, his expression extremely ugly. Judging from the emperor's intention, was he going to change his decree?
Just as Yu Zhengsha was feeling uneasy, the emperor continued, "Yesterday, I betrothed the second daughter of the Yu family to the Crown Prince. I thought it was a match made in heaven, but I didn't expect the Crown Prince to kneel outside the Imperial Study and beg me to change my will. After investigation, I discovered that the Crown Prince already has someone in mind. What do you think, my dear ministers, should be done with this matter?"
As soon as the emperor said this, the ministers began to discuss the matter. This arranged marriage was originally the emperor's family affair, but the person to be married was the crown prince, the future heir to the throne. This matter could not be taken lightly, so it was also a state affair, and it was understandable to let the ministers discuss it.
Yu Zhengsha's face turned even uglier when he heard this. He knew the emperor very well. Most of the things the emperor asked the court officials to discuss were things he had already made up his mind about and he just wanted to say them through the ministers' mouths.
Thinking of this, Yu Zhengsha looked at Murong Shiling's face with a bit more speculation.
"Your Majesty, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has someone he likes, then naturally we should help him." One of the ministers spoke up.
"I believe that marriage is a matter for the parents to decide. Besides, the Prime Minister's daughter and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are definitely a perfect match."
The officials in the palace were divided into two factions, one supporting the prince and the other supporting Yu Zhengsha. After discussing for a long time, they still couldn't come to a conclusion.
The eldest prince's party just watched from the sidelines and did not participate in the discussion.
"Feng'er, you are Cheng'er's royal brother. How do you think this matter should be handled?"
The emperor mentioned Murong Feng's name. Murong Feng thought for a moment and then said with a gentle smile, "I have an idea. Since you can't choose between the two, why don't you, Your Majesty, grant them both marriages? Just follow the example of Ehuang and Nvying and marry them both at once?"
The emperor looked at Murong Feng with great satisfaction. Murong Feng's words really pleased him. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"That's a good idea!" the emperor praised, then his eyes fell on the prince who had been kneeling in front of the palace. "Okay, Cheng'er, you can stand up. I will grant your request and modify the decree to allow you to marry both women at the same time. How about that?"
Murong Cheng did not stand up, but kowtowed and said, "Father, I am only willing to marry Miss Liu."
"Nonsense!"
The emperor was a little angry. He had finally come up with such a compromise solution, which could not only prevent Yu Zhengsha from becoming too powerful but also maintain the reputation of the royal family. Why was this prince still so stubborn?
Murong Cheng lowered his head and did not speak, but his eyes were indeed very determined.
"This son is not fooling around. The only person this son loves is Miss Liu. If I marry Miss Yu, wouldn't that ruin her life?"
The emperor was stunned. All kinds of profound truths came to his lips, but he didn't know how to say them.
Murong Cheng looked up at Yu Zhengsha and said, "My Lord Prime Minister, thank you for your kindness. However, if we can't be together, even if we force the marriage, we will have to stay alone in the empty room and be lonely. Is that what you want?"
Yu Zhengsha's expression changed and he was speechless for a moment.
"In that case, why not ask the parties involved how they are making their decision?" Murong Feng on the side came to the rescue in time.
The emperor glanced at him and asked, "Feng'er, do you mean to let the ladies choose for themselves?"
"That's what I mean. Since we can't make a decision right now, why not summon both young ladies into the palace..."
"I disagree!" Yu Zhengsha interrupted Murong Feng and said righteously, "Your Majesty, your Majesty has already issued the decree yesterday, so the engagement is final. How can you change the decree so arbitrarily today?"
"Prime Minister Yu! I have not changed my will. I have simply added another decree to bestow Miss Liu upon the Crown Prince."
"My humble daughter has always been proud and arrogant. How could she tolerate such a thing? Even if she were to marry, Miss Liu would only be a concubine!"
"I'm afraid it's not your turn to decide this, Prime Minister Yu!"
A deep voice suddenly rang out from outside the hall, shocking Yingzi and Yu Zhengsha. This person was... Liu Gongquan!
Sure enough, Liu Gongquan, dressed like an ordinary citizen, walked into the hall with great dignity, followed by Murong Yanhui.
The emperor's eyes swept over the two people who had just entered the hall. Liu Gongquan knelt and saluted, and Murong Yanhui also saluted politely. "Royal brother, since we are discussing a marriage, it would be inappropriate for the parties involved not to be present. As the saying goes, parents' orders are final, matchmaker's words are final. Naturally, the matter between the Crown Prince and Miss Liu should be discussed with Elder Liu, right?"
Liu Gongquan said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have come here uninvited. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
"Mr. Liu, your words are too serious. Please stand up quickly. Someone, please give me a seat!"
As soon as Liu Gongquan appeared, the ministers in the court immediately understood something. They didn't expect that the legendary Miss Liu was actually Liu Gongquan's daughter. In this case, it was absolutely impossible for her to be a concubine.
Yu Zhengsha was also very surprised. He had thought that this so-called Miss Liu was just an excuse made by the Crown Prince. He had never expected that such a person actually existed, and that she was the daughter of Liu Gongquan. With this, his plan to let Yu Zhenzhen dominate alone was probably impossible.
The prince, who had been kneeling on the ground, was also surprised. Although he had heard Yu Qingli say that she had found a new identity for Liu Jinghong that would definitely be worthy of him, he had never expected that Jinghong's new identity would be so shocking.
However, it really helped him.
Liu Gongquan sat down in the hall. He was a veteran of three dynasties. Although he had retired and returned to his hometown, the power behind him could not be underestimated. Therefore, he was the only one who had the honor to sit in the court.
Liu Gongquan looked at Yu Zhengsha with a piercing gaze. "Just now, the Prime Minister said that your daughter is proud and arrogant, and I'm afraid she won't be willing to share a husband with anyone else. If that's the case, the Prime Minister might as well find a good husband for Miss Yu. With your position as Prime Minister, it's very likely that he will make the other party marry only Miss Yu in this life."
Prime Minister Yu's face turned pale. Worried that the emperor would misinterpret his meaning, he hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, that is not what I meant."
"What does that mean?" Liu Gongquan asked aggressively.
"Your humble servant just, just..." Prime Minister Yu, who was always eloquent, was speechless for a moment.
Liu Gongquan sneered. This kind of character of bullying the weak and fearing the strong really tarnished his reputation of being noble and upright.
"It seems the Prime Minister hasn't thought this through yet. How about going back and discussing it with your daughter before making any plans?"
The emperor spoke in time and gave Yu Zhengsha a way out. Yu Zhengsha had cold sweat on his forehead. He was anxious and angry. A good marriage was about to come to nothing. He was really unwilling to accept it.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to discuss this matter. Can this old minister make the decision?"
"Prime Minister Yu, it seems you still don't understand His Majesty's painstaking efforts. His Majesty asked you to return and discuss this matter because he didn't want to act rashly. Do you want your daughter to marry into the palace and live a life of mere formal status? It seems that rumors can't be fully trusted. Don't you love your daughter the most? How come you've completely disregarded her future?"
Liu Gongquan scolded Yu Zhengsha, who was also enraged. "How are you any better than me? In order to help my daughter win the position of Crown Princess, you actually disregarded your status and barged into the palace..."
"It seems that since I haven't been to the palace for a long time, I can let others bully me."
"Don't be angry, Mr. Liu. Prime Minister Yu means no harm. I think he just forgot for a moment." The emperor smoothed things over for Yu Zhengsha, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes when he looked at Yu Zhengsha.
Really, has Yu Zhengsha forgotten that Liu Gongquan was a veteran of three dynasties, and that the late emperor once bestowed upon him a golden medal, allowing him to enter and leave the palace at any time?
Yu Zhengsha knew it, but he was just angry and said something he didn't want to say. To be honest, Liu Gongquan was really his nemesis. Before he came to power, he had always been suppressed by this man.
"I am grateful for your Majesty's kindness. I am just a commoner now and should not appear in the court. However, since this concerns the happiness of my children, I have no choice but to come forward. Moreover, the matter of my daughter's fief and the crown prince was arranged by the order of her parents and the matchmaker..."
"If the parents' orders are true, where does the matchmaker's words come from?"
Yu Zhengsha seemed to be unwilling to accept the result.
"Prime Minister Yu, this marriage was arranged by me. To be honest, it was a little earlier than His Majesty's decision to grant the marriage. So, strictly speaking, it should be Miss Liu who got the upper hand."
Murong Yanhui's timely interruption made people more convinced. Murong Yanhui has always been unconstrained in his actions. It might be possible that he was the one who introduced the prince and Miss Liu to each other.
Murong Shiling nodded slightly, obviously believing what King Yan said. Yu Zhengsha felt a sense of weakness for a moment. He had never felt this way since he became the prime minister.
"His Majesty……"
"Well, now that things have come to this, Prime Minister Yu doesn't need to be so serious. Let's just leave it at that. Besides, if it's Elder Liu's daughter, she's definitely well-educated, gentle and elegant, and she wouldn't let Miss Yu suffer any loss..."
"If Zhenzhen and Liu Gongquan's daughter have to share a husband, I would rather not marry my daughter off!"
Prime Minister Yu's words caused an uproar in the court. Only Liu Gongquan laughed and said, "Prime Minister, what you said is quite interesting. I heard that it was you, Prime Minister, who originally asked His Majesty to grant the marriage, and now it's you who are the first to regret it. Prime Minister Yu, are you treating the Crown Prince's marriage as a joke?"