Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 151

Chapter 151

"No!"

Zhao Sheng shook his head and refused, saying, "That's my friend. If he weren't engaged, I would be happy for you to marry him."

But now he is engaged, and the two are in love.

Given how much your father dotes on you, if you were to ask him for help, he certainly wouldn't care whether you were engaged or not, or whether you were mutually in love.

But I know Ziqian's personality; even if his father forces him, he won't agree.

Princess Jiacheng asked him to delay Wang You's marriage, saying that Wang You should not get married before his father becomes the crown prince.

He just wanted his father to become the crown prince, and Wang You and the Wang family wouldn't dare to refuse.

If Wang Youzhen were to get married, even if the Prince of Yong were to ascend the throne, he would not be able to force him to divorce.

However, it would still be acceptable to simply have Wang You break off the engagement and marry Princess Jiacheng.

But he had always considered Wang You a friend and couldn't bring himself to do something like harming his friend.

"Big brother, I didn't mean for him to break off the engagement and marry me."

Princess Jiacheng smiled and said, "Now that my father has ascended the throne, I am a princess and will be living in the princess's residence in the future."

He married me, and I allow him to take a concubine to serve his parents at home.

"You're insane!"

Zhao Sheng asked, puzzled, "What exactly do you like about Ziqian? How can you tolerate something like this?"

The method proposed by the county magistrate of Jiacheng does indeed have a certain degree of feasibility.

Princesses do not live in their husbands' homes after marriage. Instead, the prince consort takes a concubine. Although this is against etiquette, it is still out of filial piety, given that Wang You already had a marriage agreement. So who can say anything?

The important thing is that, given the Prince of Yong's affection for her, as long as Princess Jiacheng insists, she will most likely agree.

When the time comes, they will say that the princess is filial and unable to serve her parents-in-law, and will allow Ma to marry a concubine.

If the royal family doesn't care, who would bother to cause trouble for the new emperor?

But he didn't understand why his sister insisted on marrying Wang You, given that she hadn't had much contact with him.

"You don't need to worry about that!"

Princess Jiacheng said, "As long as you promise to help me, I will persuade my father!"

If you don't agree, I will still beg you when Father ascends the throne.

Even if he is married, he can be forced to divorce, or even lose his wife.

Big brother should know that I'm capable of doing this!

"you--"

Zhao Sheng glared at his sister, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Because he knew that, given the temperament of the Princess of Jiacheng, she was truly capable of doing such a thing.

"I'll think about this matter carefully."

After a long silence, Zhao Sheng said, "Give me some time."

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry anyway." Princess Jiacheng smiled slightly, turned around and left.

"Sigh!" Zhao Sheng stamped his foot.

"What do you think of the son of the Duke of Qi?" Princess Yong asked.

"Um?

""

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Yong was taken aback and said, "You know what, it's really good, but my daughter has to like it first."

"I know, but would I force her?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Princess Yong said, "The son of Qi is of marriageable age. I will send someone to give him a hint. If the Qi family puts the marriage on the table, it will be troublesome."

"Let them meet him later and see if Jia Cheng approves."

"Alright, you decide what to do," said the Prince of Yong.

Princess Yong nodded upon hearing this. Although she doted on her daughter, she wanted to choose a husband who would suit her taste.

Parents always feel that their children are still young and want to consider everything.

She had intended to send someone the next day, but she was still a little worried, fearing that the Qi family might have already arranged the marriage.

The reason I thought of Qi Heng is that I recently heard some officials' wives say that the Qi family is arranging a marriage for Qi Heng.

She even praised Qi Heng for being so good, and she was somewhat tempted, thinking that among the powerful and wealthy families in Bianjing, only Qi Heng was worthy of her daughter.

I had originally intended to discuss this with Prince Yong, but then I received a message from the polo club.

So he thought he should first send Princess Jiacheng to the polo club to take a look, just in case she found someone she liked.

Qi Jia —

"What do you think of the eldest granddaughter of Vice Minister Qiu of the Ministry of Personnel?"

Princess Pingning said, "I have inquired about it. The eldest granddaughter of Minister Qiu is virtuous and kind, and her appearance and character are both good."

The important thing is that Vice Minister Qiu is only in his fifties, and might even be able to advance further. With his help, Heng'er's future career path will be smoother.

If the official had a son, she would only consider his family background.

Given her relationship with the royal family, Qi Heng's future is sure to be bright.

Unfortunately, the emperor had no sons, and she was unfamiliar with neither the Prince of Yong nor the Prince of Chong.

Regardless of who succeeds to the throne, the Qi family will not benefit from it.

"You can handle it as you see fit."

The Duke of Qi held the official gazette in his hand, reading it without even looking up.

"Can't you pay a little more attention?"

Princess Pingning, annoyed by her husband's perfunctory attitude, said, "We only have one son. Don't you care at all about his marriage?"

"How could I not care?"

The Duke of Qi said with a bitter face, "You've already mentioned more than a dozen girls. Even the emperor doesn't choose his concubines this way."

You always praise people for how wonderful they are, and I always think it's nice to hear it.

But as soon as I said it was a good fit, you said no, we need to think about it some more.

"We only have one son, how can we not be careful about his marriage?"

Princess Pingning snorted coldly: "Not only must one have outstanding character and appearance, but family background is also very important."

After all, when the new emperor ascends the throne, he won't treat the Qi family as well as the current emperor did.

Before the Duke of Qi could say anything more, a maidservant hurried in, bowed, and said, "My lord, Madam, the Prince of Yong's residence has sent a matron, saying that she is here on the orders of the Princess of Yong to deliver a message to you."

"Go quickly and invite them in," the Duke of Qi ordered.

"yes!"

The maidservant bowed and left in a hurry.

"She really thinks she's the Empress. The Emperor hasn't even officially named an heir yet, and she just sends a maid over whenever she needs something." Princess Pingning pouted.

The Duke of Qi said anxiously, "Say less, or our family will be in big trouble."

"I know, but there are no outsiders here."

Princess Pingning wasn't brainless; it was just that she grew up in the palace, where the Emperor and Empress treated her like a daughter, and everyone treated her with utmost respect.

Therefore, Prince Yong and Prince Chong were listed as candidates for crown prince.

Otherwise, both of their princesses would have to treat her with utmost respect.

Now, the Princess Consort of Yong has sent a nanny to deliver a message, which makes it difficult for her to accept this sudden change in status.

A short while later, a woman in her forties was led in by a maid.

"Greetings to the Duke of Qi and Princess Pingning," the nanny said with a smile and a bow.

"You're too polite, Granny."

The Duke of Qi smiled and asked, "What are your instructions, Princess Consort of Yong?"

"You flatter me, Duke Qi. The Princess Consort sent me here because she heard that Young Master Qi is discussing marriage and wanted to ask if it has been settled." The old woman smiled.

The Duke of Qi and Princess Pingning were completely bewildered, but still said, "It's not settled yet. I wonder why the Princess Consort of Yong is inquiring about my son?"

"The princess wishes to act as matchmaker for Young Master Qi," the nanny said.

"How could I trouble Princess Yong with such a trivial matter?" Duke Qi quickly declined politely.

He thought it was one of the officials who supported the Prince of Yong who wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family.

The Qi family was not only of high social standing, but Qi Heng also had an excellent reputation among the sons of nobles.

Even though Qi Heng failed the exam, there are still many families who want to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family. In recent days, quite a few families have expressed their desire to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family through various means.

It is said that if a family has a daughter, a hundred families will seek her hand in marriage. Naturally, the woman's family cannot come to propose marriage directly. Therefore, they can only express their willingness to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family and invite the Qi family to come and propose marriage.

If the position of Crown Prince is decided, and the Princess Consort of Yong acts as matchmaker, he might consider it.

But the position of crown prince has not yet been decided, and even though the Prince of Yong has a great chance, he does not want to take the risk.

"The princess said she's just trying to match them up. She can arrange for them to meet at a later time. If they like each other, that would be great, but if they don't, it's no big deal," the nanny said.

"this--"

While the Duke of Qi was still hesitating, Princess Pingning asked, "May I ask which family's daughter she is?"

"The princess said we'll know when we meet," the nanny said with a smile.

"Then please trouble you to tell Princess Yong that you thank her for her help, and that I will take Heng'er to see her whenever there is news," said Princess Pingning.

"Then this servant will go back and report," the nanny said with a smile.

"I'll see the old lady off."

Princess Pingning smiled broadly and personally escorted the old woman out of the main hall, watching her until she was out of sight before turning back into the hall.

"Why did you agree?"

The Duke of Qi said urgently, "She didn't even say which family's daughter she is."

"My lord, why can't you see things clearly?"

Princess Pingning said irritably, "If Princess Yong really was acting as a matchmaker for someone else, why wouldn't she say whose daughter she is?"

The whole "matchmaking" thing is just a pretense; they're really just choosing a husband for Princess Jiacheng.

"Then we absolutely cannot agree to that."

The Duke of Qi said anxiously, "The Emperor has not yet designated an heir; who knows who he will choose? If we were to form a marriage alliance with the Prince of Yong's family, it would be disastrous!"

"There's no 'what if'."

Princess Pingning waved her hand and said, "This matter is basically obvious. Once Prince Yong ascends the throne, Heng'er will be his horse."

Normally, a prince consort cannot hold a substantive official position. However, if Heng'er married Princess Jiacheng before that, then he would have married a princess, not a princess, and would still be able to hold a substantive official position.

"Will this work?" Duke Qi asked, frowning.

"Why not? Don't forget that Emperor Taizong's princesses were all like this, and he even established rules for the promotion of imperial consorts for this purpose," said Princess Pingning.

Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were twelve years apart in age. Emperor Taizu died at the age of fifty, while Emperor Taizong was thirty-eight at the time.

Therefore, Emperor Taizong's older daughters were all married off as princesses.

The son-in-law of the emperor is not allowed to serve as a prince consort, and the princess is not included in this category.

After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he naturally bestowed the title of princess upon his daughter, and the former prince consort became the imperial son-in-law.

However, the original position was retained.

As for the prince consort being promoted, that's a bit outrageous.

Simply put, becoming a son-in-law of the emperor will elevate one generation in the family hierarchy.

Parents are addressed as elder brother and sister-in-law, and grandfather is addressed as father.

Because of the age difference between Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the age gap between their daughters was also quite large.

The daughters of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong all married founding heroes, and these founding heroes also intermarried with each other.

Thus, when it came to determining seniority, the daughter of Emperor Taizu became the elder of the daughter of Emperor Taizong.

Secondly, princesses do not need to serve their parents-in-law, nor do they need to perform grand ceremonies.

But the princess needs it.

Emperor Taizong's daughters were originally princesses and needed to perform the rites, but whether they should continue to do so after becoming princesses was a question.

So Emperor Taizong created the custom of raising horses for his daughters.

This way, his daughter and horse could be of the same generation as the daughter and son-in-law of Emperor Taizu.

This also avoided the dispute over whether or not to continue the grand ceremony.

Since the father and son had become brothers, there was no need for grand formalities.

Such a bizarre rule actually passed.

This shows how serious the collapse of ritual and music was during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

The deaths of many scholars resulted in the civil service being largely incompetent.

Even the reign title used by the founding emperor was the same as that of the previous dynasties, so it's not so strange that the son-in-law was promoted.

Princess Pingning believed that marrying Princess Jiacheng would guarantee the Qi family's status, and Qi Heng would also be able to hold a real position.

The emperor is the father-in-law; wouldn't it be better for him to take care of the emperor than for those officials?

Although the Duke of Qi still had some concerns, he agreed after being persuaded by Princess Pingning.

After the results of the imperial examination were announced, the scholars who remained in Bianjing all left.

As soon as the results of the imperial examination were announced, Old Madam Sheng took Sheng Changbai to the Hai family to finalize the marriage.

Once the engagement was settled, the Sheng family began arranging the wedding for Sheng Changbai.

Feng also frequently went to the Sheng family to help out.

Half a month after the results of the palace examination were announced, the Ministry of Personnel began to appoint officials to the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Sheng Changbai was selected to serve as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy.

-

The official positions of Shujishi and Hanlin Xiuzhuan and Bianxiu are different; Hanlin Xiuzhuan and Bianxiu are assigned duties.

The position of Shujishi was more like a nominal post. The reason it was described as such was because Shujishi was not the same as a regular nominal post.

Ordinary honorary positions are those where one receives a salary but does no work, does not need to clock in or perform duties, and can stay at home or return to their hometown.

The junior scholars were required to serve in the Hanlin Academy.

However, the junior scholars did not have any specific duties; they simply studied at the Hanlin Academy.

The Shujishi were also known as the future prime ministers, and their actual role in the Hanlin Academy was the same as that of the compilers and editors.

There were limited positions available for compilers and editors, so they created temporary positions like the Shujishi (庶吉士).

Regardless, entering the Hanlin Academy would pave a much smoother future for officials than those who were directly demoted.

Feng Ping was lucky and was appointed as the registrar of Zhongmu County.

Although it was only a ninth-rank official position, Zhongmu County belonged to Kaifeng Prefecture and was not far from Bianjing (Kaifeng), making it much better than those poor and remote areas.

Feng Ping was very pleased with this and specially invited Wang You to a celebratory dinner.

"Ziqian, I'm short on cash, so I can only invite you to a place like this. Please don't mind," Feng Ping said with a smile.

The place where he treated Wang You to dinner was just an ordinary restaurant.

The food is quite good compared to other restaurants of its kind, but it certainly can't compare to Fanlou.

"If that's what you mean, then I'm leaving!" Wang You said, feigning displeasure.

"Look at you, I was just being polite, and you took it seriously."

Feng Ping looked around, pointed to a table in the corner of the lobby, and said, "There's empty space on both sides over there, making it easier to talk. How about we sit over there?"

"When in Rome, do as the host says. You can treat us as you see fit," Wang You said.

"Ziqian, please!"

Feng Ping led Wang You to a table in the corner and ordered wine and dishes.

"Ziqian, doesn't your teacher have any plans?" Feng Ping asked.