GBP Chapter 171 This is a mother's request of you
Chapter 171 This is a mother's request of you
Empress Ma smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, those two will be betrothed to you."
Yang Shaofeng hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve this..."
Empress Ma smiled again, and instead of stopping Yang Shaofeng from bowing, she asked directly, "What, do you mean you don't have feelings for either of them?"
Not in the mood?
That's pure nonsense! Jin'er and Yu'er are both beautiful twin sisters. Jin'er is quiet and elegant, while Yu'er is lively, charming, and adorable. They both have fair skin and beautiful features. Any normal man would be tempted by them.
What's more, I, Yang, even accepted Jin'er and Yu'er's sachets and handkerchiefs, and later I also accepted the soap they gave me without any hesitation. Now I say I don't have any feelings for the two of them, how despicable would I be?
Magistrate Yang, unwilling to be a scoundrel, obediently bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I was overjoyed for a moment and could hardly believe it. Moreover, moreover..."
Empress Ma asked in surprise, "What else?"
Magistrate Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent of two princesses marrying the same minister at the same time. If Your Majesty wishes to set this precedent, I'm afraid the officials in the court will not agree."
If Empress Ma were to offer him either Jin'er or Yu'er in marriage, Magistrate Yang would not feel guilty at all, and might even feel regretful.
However, when Empress Ma directly said that she would marry Jin'er and Yu'er to him, Magistrate Yang felt a little guilty.
The story of Zou Ji admonishing King Qi to accept criticism makes it very clear: "Those who praise me are trying to get something from me."
There is also an old saying among the people: When you give a gift to someone, you must have something in mind.
Whether or not Jin'er and Yu'er were raised by Empress Ma from childhood and treated like her own daughters, as Empress Ma said, none of that really matters.
Even if Jin'er and Yu'er were picked up on the street or bought temporarily by Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma, their current status is that of legitimate princesses.
Emperor Zhu Chongba and Empress Ma went to great lengths to marry Jin'er and Yu'er to him at the same time. Emperor Zhu might even face pressure from the court. Everyone has heard the story of Ehuang and Nüying, but who has ever heard of two princesses marrying the same minister at the same time?
So here's the question: If Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma insist on marrying Jin'er and Yu'er to me despite the pressure from the court, what do they want from me?
If Zhu Yuanzhang was simply trying to win people's hearts, then what about the hundreds of county magistrates in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun? Could Deng Xiaoping have adopted hundreds of daughters?
Just as Yang Shaofeng was pondering this in his mind, Empress Ma said with a smile, "Since you do have that intention, then you don't need to worry about the rest. Let me be frank with you, if these two girls weren't twins, and if the two sisters hadn't both taken a liking to you, do you think His Majesty would have been willing to let the two sisters marry at the same time?"
Yang Shaofeng quickly stood up, cupped his hands to Jin'er and Yu'er and said, "I am truly ashamed to have received such favor from Your Highnesses."
Jin'er and Yu'er covered most of their faces with round fans and gave Yang Shaofeng a slight curtsy. Empress Ma laughed again and said, "Alright, you still haven't answered my question—if His Majesty and I were to betroth Jin'er and Yu'er to you, would you be able to treat them well?"
Seeing that he had been forced into a dead end and had no other way out, Yang Shaofeng made up his mind and bowed to Empress Ma, saying, "I am grateful to Your Majesty and Your Highness for not considering me despicable and allowing Princess Jin and Princess Yu to marry into the family. I will certainly treat the two princesses sincerely and would never dare to let them suffer the slightest grievance."
Empress Ma hummed in agreement and said seriously, "Remember what you said today. I'm entrusting both of my daughters to you, so you must treat them well—this isn't a request from an empress, but from a mother. Can you promise me that?"
Yang Shaofeng bowed again and replied solemnly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
……
"We're doomed."
Although it was known long ago that Empress Ma was no ordinary person, after all, she was able to keep Emperor Zhu in check, and no one in female-oriented novels was willing to play palace intrigue with her. Even when the Jurchens compiled the History of Ming, they couldn't fabricate any scandals about her. This shows how powerful Empress Ma was.
But Yang Shaofeng never expected that Empress Ma was even more cunning than Zhu Yuanzhang. With just a few words, she cornered him, leaving him no way out.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Yang Shaofeng felt as if he were not lying on a bed in the county government office bedroom, but in a huge prison. This cage, woven by Empress Ma, seemed to have holes everywhere, but in reality it was airtight, and no matter which direction he tried to escape, he could not get out.
No wonder that old man Zhu Chongba was so thoroughly controlled.
No, I need to be more careful when dealing with Lao Deng and Xiao Zhu in the future. I absolutely cannot offend my mother-in-law as well.
After all, if he offended the old emperor, he could still rely on his mother-in-law. But if he offended his mother-in-law, he might not have a place to stay in the entire Ming Dynasty.
No, we can't mess with Xiao Zhu too much in the future. After all, he's my brother-in-law. If we mess with him too much and he complains to Jin'er and Yu'er, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end.
Let Lao Deng do whatever he wants from now on. He's unlikely to complain to Jin'er and Yu'er anyway, and he probably wouldn't dare complain to his mother-in-law either.
Yang Shaofeng spent most of the night lost in thought before finally falling into a deep sleep, only to be woken up by the crowing of roosters the next day.
Yang Shaofeng, the county magistrate, got up with a yawn, hurriedly tidied up and washed, and then rushed to the courtyard where Empress Ma was resting to pay his respects to his mother-in-law.
Upon arriving at the courtyard where Empress Ma resided, they saw that Zhu Biao and his two brothers, Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San, had already finished washing up and were about to pay their respects to Empress Ma.
Upon seeing Yang Shaofeng, Zhu Biao smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Younger brother greets brother-in-law."
Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San followed suit, bowing to Yang Shaofeng and saying, "Younger brother greets brother-in-law."
Yang Shaofeng hurriedly returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Your humble servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Second Prince, and Your Highness the Third Prince."
Zhu Biao stepped forward, helped Yang Shaofeng up, and said, "Brother-in-law, you don't need to bow like this anymore. There's no need to be distant for no reason."
Before Yang Shaofeng could say anything, Zhu Biao continued, "By the way, Mother's stomach isn't very good, brother-in-law, please remember to have someone prepare some light meals later."
Yang Shaofeng was dumbfounded.
No, what do you mean by "I remember having someone prepare some light meals for Empress Ma"?
When your Zhu family, the imperial family, goes on trips, don't you know to bring a cook?