Chapter 473 A Little Show-off
Compared with the Empress and Aunt Xue, the conversation between the Emperor and Lin Ruhai was much simpler.
After the court session, Lin Ruhai was about to return to the yamen, but was stopped by Xia Shouzhong, who said that he was summoned by the emperor.
Following Xia Shouzhong to the Dragon Head Palace, the two chatted for a while before the Emperor said bluntly, "My dear minister, that young man will be leaving for war in a few days. Therefore, I would like to perform the betrothal ceremony while he is still in the Divine Capital. Do you have any other ideas?"
Although Lin Ruhai was somewhat suspicious, why did the emperor bring up this matter? Shouldn't someone from the Jia Mansion have brought it up? Even if it was a royal marriage, and they wanted to bring it forward, it should have been the Jia Mansion that decided and informed the royal family. Now, the emperor was going to be the matchmaker forever?
Although he was puzzled, Lin Ruhai still said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I obey your order!"
"Okay, then my dear, go back and make preparations in advance. I will inform you tomorrow when the Imperial Observatory sets a date."
"Minister, I'm leaving!"
Look, men talk to each other in such a straightforward and simple way...
Aunt Xue left the palace with Yuanchun's farewell. Although Yuanchun was very close to her, Aunt Xue was cautious and naturally would not say much.
After leaving the palace, Aunt Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her whole body.
Although the Queen acted extremely close, she didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest. It was no exaggeration to say that during her time in the palace, she had always been very dignified and didn't dare to make any mistakes.
"Mom is back?" Xue Pan stepped forward to support Aunt Xue. "Why did the royal family summon you? Is there something wrong?"
Aunt Xue was in high spirits today, so naturally she didn't bother to reprimand her son for his casual remarks. "It's about your sister and Cong'er exchanging gifts. Cong'er is about to go off to war, so the Empress said she wanted to propose marriage in advance, and that's why she summoned me to the palace to discuss this matter."
"Then will mom agree?"
Aunt Xue glared at her son. The Queen summoned her to the palace to discuss matters to give her dignity. If she didn't respond, wouldn't that mean she was giving up this dignity?
"Hurry back home. Forget it. Let's go to your uncle's house first to see if he's on a mission. Your uncle needs to help with this matter."
The mother and son came all the way to Wang Ziteng's house. Since the matter between Jia Cong and Baochai was settled, Aunt Xue has become more respectable in the Wang family. She didn't need to report at all and just walked in directly. When she arrived at the front hall, Wang Ziteng's wife Qin had already come out to greet her.
"Sister, how did you find time to come over today?" Qin held Aunt Xue's arm affectionately. "These past few days I've been thinking about inviting you over for a visit, and it just so happens that you're here today. Since you're here, why don't you stay with me for a night? We can chat and get close."
"I shouldn't have come to bother you at this time, but I went to the palace early this morning to see the Empress. We talked for half a day, and the Empress gave me a banquet. So I just came back from the palace and I have something to discuss with my brother. That's why I came to be your guest." Aunt Xue said with some pride.
The Xue family is just an imperial merchant family, and she doesn't even have an imperial decree. That's why she always feels inferior to everyone she meets.
When I met this sister-in-law before, she often boasted to me about attending the royal banquet in the palace. And I was envious. After all, being able to enter the palace to pay homage to the queen was indeed a great honor for a woman.
But even if he didn't have the rank of an imperial edict, what would it matter? The Empress personally sent a message to summon him into the palace, not only chatting with him for a long time but also dining with him. Such an honor was not something that ordinary imperial edict holders were entitled to. Moreover, apart from a few extremely high-ranking imperial edict holders, like his sister-in-law, although she also had an imperial edict, it was only of the third rank. Forget about having the Empress give him a meal alone, even if he wanted to speak to her, he might not have the chance.
How many words had I spoken to the Empress today? I couldn't even count them. Besides, wasn't it obvious which was more intimate, the royal banquet or the Empress's private banquet?
Sure enough, when Qin heard this, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Her Majesty summoned my sister to the palace? What's the matter?"
Aunt Xue smiled and said, "My brother has mentioned several times before that His Majesty and the Empress treat Cong very well. I was a little skeptical at first . After all, the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects cannot be violated. But today, after meeting the Empress, I realized that this is not just talk. The Empress treats Cong as her own son."
"It's because Your Majesty and His Majesty had previously arranged a marriage between Cong'er and Baochai. Cong'er was about to go off to war, and Your Majesty didn't want Cong'er and Baochai to have any regrets, so she wanted to move the date forward and have the betrothal ceremony before Cong'er left. That's why she summoned me to the palace to discuss it."
"However, calling it a negotiation is also a courtesy given to me by Her Majesty. Besides, this is a great occasion, how can I refuse?"
"So I came to look for my brother right after I left the palace. After all, such matters ultimately require my brother to step forward and properly handle them! My brother is Baochai's uncle, and he knows more about the rules than a woman like me in the harem. From what the Empress said, this Nacai ceremony is not just for the Jia family, but even the royal family has to participate. If we neglect it, wouldn't it be our family's fault?"
"Of course!" Qin, having come to her senses, nodded immediately. As the saying goes, things change over time, and how many years have passed? She had originally looked down on her sister-in-law, but now, after all, she had raised a good daughter.
"Sister, come in and wait. Your brother will be back from his mission soon. As you said, this is a major matter for our two families, and it also concerns the royal family. Naturally, we can't take it lightly. When your brother comes back, you two can discuss it carefully. Although time is a bit tight, we still have to make arrangements."
"Have a banquet prepared, and have those rebellious sons come and accompany Pan'er to the front hall to talk." After instructing the maid behind her, Qin said to Aunt Xue, "Since you're here today, there's no rush. You can eat and leave later. However, both our families will be busy for the next few days, so you won't be able to stay at home. I'll go directly to your house tomorrow and at least help out a little."
After Lin Ruhai finished his errand, he returned home. After sitting quietly in his study for a while, he said to the maid beside him, "Go and invite the two concubines over... Well, Yu'er is back too, right? Please invite her over as well."
Not long after, Lin Ruhai's two concubines and Daiyu, who had just returned from the Jia Mansion, came to the back hall.
"Greetings, Master!"
"Daddy, what's the matter?"
