GBP Chapter 360 Afraid he'll cause trouble as soon as he's released from his cage!
Chapter 360 Afraid he'll cause trouble as soon as he's released from his cage!
"Yes, what a coincidence! He wasn't in a hurry to get out after being locked up for so long, but now that scholars from all over the country are coming to the capital, he's in a rush. What are he up to!"
This time, Jiang Wenqing had no more reservations and complained to his good brother.
"He is a prince. Even if he is under house arrest, he cannot possibly be without any means or sources of information."
They must have known that my son Mingfei had passed the provincial examination with top honors and was destined to go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination. That's why they waited patiently, feigning innocence, and waiting for their chance to strike, hoping to succeed in one fell swoop.
"Hey, Brother Jiang, don't worry, he hasn't been released yet. Let's think of something, there's always a way!"
After recovering from his shock, Huangfu Zhongwen tried to persuade Jiang Wenqing, hoping he wouldn't do anything out of line because of his excitement.
"any idea?"
Jiang Wenqing looked at Huangfu Zhongwen with clear eyes, as if she had placed all her hopes on him.
This put Huangfu Zhongwen under tremendous pressure. Oh dear, is it too late for him to say that he has something to do at home and needs to rush back?
"Cough cough."
Such a thought only occupied my mind for a moment before being driven away by something called "loyalty".
"Brother Jiang, don't worry. One person's plan is limited. Let's think of a good solution and we'll be able to protect our nephew Jiang."
By the way, is my nephew still in the examination hall? At least for now, he's safe; no one can enter the examination hall without permission.
Jiang Wenqing waved his hand: "Where you are now is not important. What matters is where you are after the imperial examination. Brother Huangfu, don't forget what you just said: that person will be released after the imperial examination."
So now my son is safe wherever he is, but after the exam, that may not be the case.
Waaaaah~ Why is my son so unlucky? Waaaaah~ Why am I so unlucky?
He only has this one precious son, who is both filial and rich. That damned fourth prince is going to ruin his eldest son!
Huangfu Zhongwen scratched his head, realizing for the first time that Jiang Wenqing was smarter than him.
Huangfu Zhongwen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and his eyes lit up, saying, "Brother Jiang, after the results of the imperial examination are released, arrange a marriage for Mingfei as soon as possible!"
No, no, no, we actually need to start preparing now. We need to see which families have eligible young ladies and arrange marriages as soon as possible!
"Engagement? My son is only thirteen years old. Isn't that a bit too early? He has three older sisters who are still unmarried."
For some reason, Jiang Wenqing was somewhat averse to the suggestion, perhaps because the ideas that Jiang Xiaoqi had instilled in the Jiang family had taken effect.
No matter how old the girls in the Jiang family were when they got engaged, they would only officially marry into their husband's family after they turned eighteen.
The fourth daughter, Jiang Lian'er, had just turned sixteen, and the twins of the fourth and fifth daughters were also over fifteen. All the daughters were married, so they would have to wait at least three more years.
Three years later, Jiang Xiao will be sixteen, the perfect age for engagement. Jiang Wenqing has always thought so and planned so, as has the landlord Jiang.
“Oh dear, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If we wait three years, then these three years will be very dangerous for my nephew Jiang. We are not afraid of thieves stealing from us, but we are afraid of thieves eyeing us.”
Jiang Wenqing was troubled. None of his six daughters had ever given him this kind of worry, so how could his only son be targeted by a lecherous man?!
Where can I seek justice?
Alas, it's all because my own child is too outstanding in appearance. If you were to bring out all the noble young men in the capital, I doubt many could compare to my son's looks.
He's still young now and often travels to other places to study. If he gets older, he'll definitely have a well-known name in the capital.
Phrases like "the most handsome man in the capital," "the elegant and refined young master Jiang," and "the seventh young master whose looks rival Pan An"—well, "the seventh young master" sounds better.
Pshaw, is this the time to be thinking about which name sounds good?
Jiang Wenqing got back on track and seriously considered Huangfu Zhongwen's idea. The idea wasn't bad, but it might not work.
True philanderers don't care whether the woman they covet is engaged or has a sweetheart.
Perhaps they even think that what they snatched from others is more exciting, more precious, and more appealing!
"No, it might work, but it's not a reliable option."
Huangfu Zhongwen nodded and began to ponder deeply again.
"Eh? Then let His Majesty the Emperor bestow a marriage upon the Fourth Prince as soon as possible. Once he's married, with the supervision of both his wife's family and His Majesty's side, perhaps he'll behave better?"
"Ask His Majesty to grant a marriage? That's easier said than done. The court isn't ours to control; how can we possibly order the Emperor to grant a marriage?"
Huangfu Zhongwen smiled and said, "Ask the Minister for help. Of course, not only the Minister, but also some ministers should jointly submit a memorial."
It is said that the fourth prince has reached the age to choose a princess consort. Once he is married, he will be able to settle down and avoid causing trouble again if no one is there to restrain him.
However, this matter needs to be brought up by a reliable person, preferably someone that neither the Emperor nor the Fourth Prince would find easy to refuse.
"Who? The Fourth Prince's birth mother?"
Huangfu Zhongwen shook his head, "The Fourth Prince's birth mother has long since passed away. He was previously raised under the care of Consort Shu. Oh, Consort Shu is also from the Tong family and is the Fourth Prince's aunt."
Jiang Wenqing nodded. "Brother Huangfu, you really know a lot. I really didn't know that if you hadn't told me. The Tong family is really going all out. One daughter died, and they sent another one in to take over the family business."
"No, no~ This Consort Shu was the one who entered the palace first. The Fourth Prince's birth mother was just a lowly concubine. Later, because she gave birth to a prince, she was posthumously granted the title of Consort."
However, she didn't even receive a proper title; after her death, she was only referred to as Consort Tong.
"Sigh, we've gone off on a tangent. The question we're asking is who is the person the emperor cannot refuse."
"Actually, there are two. One is Minister Tong. In public, Minister Tong is a second-rank official, and he happens to be in charge of the Ministry of Rites."
This made it quite reasonable for the Minister of Rites to propose the prince's marriage. Privately, Minister Tong was the fourth prince's maternal grandfather, so his concern for the prince's marriage was also understandable.
"Oh~ what about the other one?"
"The other one is the Empress Dowager. Although the Empress is the head of the inner palace, she focuses most of her attention on the Second Prince and doesn't care about anything else."
Many matters in the inner palace were actually decided by the Empress Dowager, who held considerable influence in both the inner palace and the imperial court.
After all, the Empress Dowager's maternal family was the Ouyang family, which had produced many officials and renowned scholars. If the Empress Dowager requested the Emperor to bestow a marriage upon her grandson out of love for him, His Majesty would not refuse.
Jiang Wenqing frowned slightly. "Brother Huangfu is right, but why should these two listen to us?"
Especially the Empress Dowager, who lives deep within the palace; how could we, lowly officials, possibly see her so easily?
Huangfu Zhongwen smiled but remained silent, waiting for Jiang Wenqing to continue questioning him.
Jiang Wenqing, being quite polite, asked, "Brother Huangfu, do you have any connections?"
"Hehe, there's a slightly roundabout connection, which should be enough to get the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor to put in a good word for it~"
Jiang Wenqing's eyes lit up, and he fawned over Huangfu Zhongwen, refilling his teacup.
"Brother Huangfu, have some tea, have some tea! Have dinner at my house tonight, and we'll have a long talk by candlelight!"