GBP Chapter 1787 Zhongling Cauldron
Chapter 1787 Zhongling Cauldron
Fortunately, Shang Xi is smart!
"Uncle, let's call the Empress over. It'll be faster if we all sit down and discuss things together!"
Wan Lianxing looked at the old steward, who immediately understood: "They're with palace maids making cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers at the border! This old servant will send someone to invite them!"
Hearing that the Emperor was looking for her, the Empress put down her needles and came immediately.
"What is the matter that Your Majesty has summoned me for?"
Wan Lianxing had the Empress sit beside him, and pointed to Suixin and Suiming, "Men should marry when they come of age. I asked Shangxi to find wives for the two of them, but Shangxi insisted on bothering the Empress!"
Zhong Siyu nodded slightly, "The marriage of the two generals is naturally a matter of utmost importance! But which minister's daughter have you taken a fancy to? Would you like me to act as matchmaker?"
Sui Xin glanced at Shang Xi and said, "Listen to this! Look at the Empress's attitude, and then look at yourself!"
Shang Xi said modestly, "Otherwise, how could she be the Empress? The Empress is the head of the palace and the mother of the nation! How dare I, a mere princess, compare myself to the Empress!"
Suddenly, Zhong Siyu spoke up, “Your Majesty, I have a niece who is sixteen years old, with a beautiful appearance and impeccable manners.”
Wan Lianxing put down his teacup, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "How could I forget you have a niece! How old is she?"
Sui Xin spoke up eagerly, "Sixteenth, Your Majesty, please listen carefully!"
Wan Lianxing nodded repeatedly. "What does the Empress's niece look like?"
Zhong Siyu said, "She looks six or seven parts like me. When my father and mother came to beg for alms, the Emperor saw my niece!"
Wan Lianxing shook his head: "There were too many people that day, I have no recollection of it! If she looked six or seven parts like the Empress, she could be called an absolute beauty!"
Sui Ying chuckled to herself, "The Emperor is praising the Empress, isn't he?"
Wan Lianxing was in a great mood. He rolled his eyes at Suiying and continued to ask Zhong Siyu, "How's your talent?"
Zhong Siyu smiled and said, "In the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, you are no less skilled than I am!"
Wan Lianxing became more and more satisfied as he listened. Zhong Siyu was already exceptionally talented, and her skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were no less than those of other women from prominent families. He figured that his niece would be just as good. "Can she dance?" In his memory, Zhong Siyu couldn't dance!
Zhong Siyu secretly bit the corner of her mouth: "She and I were taught by the same teacher when we were young. I don't know how she was later, but I think she should be no less capable than me!"
Wan Lianxing seemed to have discovered some earth-shattering secret: "The Empress can dance?"
The Empress blushed and said, "Your Majesty, the daughters of the ministers are almost all skilled in music and dance!" Zhong Siyu thought to herself, it shouldn't be surprising that she could dance, so why was the Emperor so shocked?
"Then why didn't you skip it for me?"
Zhong Siyu smiled faintly, "His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and surrounded by ministers every day. He doesn't even have much time to eat, so how could he have time to watch singing and dancing? The palace has so many musicians and dancers, but we have never seen His Majesty have such an interest!"
Wan Lianxing patted Zhong Siyu's hand and said, "The Zhong family has done a good job in raising their daughters, producing two excellent girls in succession! When will you let your niece enter the palace so that I can take a look at her!"
"If Your Majesty wishes to see her, I will immediately order someone to summon her. I haven't seen her for half a month!"
"That's excellent! What's the name of the Empress's niece?"
Zhong Siyu smiled and said, "The Spirit Cauldron!"
"The Spirit Cauldron?" Wan Lianxing couldn't tell that this girl was pretty at all!
Zhong Siyu saw through the Emperor's thoughts: "My niece was weak when she was young, so I put the character 'ding' in her name in the hope that she would grow up strong and healthy!"
Wan Lianxing nodded knowingly.
Seeing that Zhong Siyu had sent someone to invite her niece, Shang Xi knew that the matter was almost settled and breathed a sigh of relief. There is strength in numbers, that's for sure.
Shang Xi asked Zhong Siyu, "Empress, how many nieces do you have?"
Zhong Siyu smiled and said, "Only this one is of marriageable age; the others are still too young! Your Highness will probably have to continue to put in the effort!"
Shang Xi smiled and said, "I'm happy to do this for the Emperor and to find a wife for the General! But where can I find a suitable woman? If all else fails, let's go through all the ministers in the court!"
Wan Lianxing said, "This matter cannot be handled by just any woman. Only someone as outstanding as the Empress's niece is worthy of being chosen by Sui Xin Sui Ming!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Xi realized that the requirements were getting higher and higher, and the difficulty was constantly increasing. Where was she supposed to find someone like that? Fortunately, she had already found one!
When the sun was shining brightly, Zhong Siyu's niece arrived. Since the room was full of men, unmarried women rarely saw outsiders, and the Zhong family's daughters were especially strict in their upbringing, so she certainly wouldn't be brought in front of these men.
Zhong Siyu was taking a walk with her niece in the distance of the Imperial Garden. When they came to a pavilion, the aunt and niece sat down and a little tune started playing.
Wan Lianxing gently fanned himself with his fan, looking quite content, and praised, "You played the zither very well."
The old butler said with a smile, "Not bad figure either!"
Suiying had good eyesight; even from a distance, she could make out his appearance clearly. "This Zhong Lingding is quite good-looking; he resembles the Empress by about five points!"
Sui Xin looked at it with satisfaction, "I just wonder how her dance moves are?"
Shang Xi remembered that Sui Xin had said back then that she wanted to find someone who could dance! Two years have passed, and her judgment of people hasn't changed.
With a single glance from Wan Lianxing, the old steward left. He whispered something to Zhong Siyu, who nodded slightly. Soon after, a graceful woman began to dance in the distance. She turned and twirled, her skirt fluttering like butterfly wings. Her toes touched the ground like a startled swan stepping on water, and her waist was as supple as a willow branch in early spring. Every rise and fall touched Sui Xin's heart. He was satisfied now!
When the old steward returned, his smile widened, and he nodded to Wan Lianxing, "Your Majesty, just as the Empress said, Miss Zhong Lingding is a well-mannered and virtuous young lady!"
Wan Lianxing sat back down in his chair and said with a smile to Ge Dongqing, "Brother, take the paper and pen and write the memorial for me!"
Ge Dongqing asked with a smile, "Which general is Your Majesty going to bestow a marriage upon?"
Wan Lianxing looked at the two people opposite him, Suiming stepped back slightly, and Suixin turned her head to look into the distance.
Wan Lianxing knew what was going on: "There is an order of seniority, and the older ones should be given priority. I will decide on this marriage for Suixin!"
Sui Xin chuckled and looked at Sui Ming, "Brother, it's only right that I step forward!" Then Sui Ming knelt on one knee, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this marriage upon me!"
Wan Lianxing stood up and stepped forward to help him up, saying, "If it weren't for my request to expand our territory, you wouldn't have been delayed until now at your age."
Sui Xin stood up and laughed, "It's no use getting married early. I can't go home while I'm in the army. My wife will get old if I leave her at home for a few years! It's perfect that the Emperor has bestowed a marriage upon me now!"
Wan Lianxing knew that Sui Xin was joking. This person was the most unwilling to be alone among them. He put his arm around Sui Xin's shoulder and patted him hard. "You are all my right-hand men, my eyes and ears! Your affairs are my affairs. Let the Imperial Advisor choose an auspicious day for you and Zhong Lingding to get married!"