Two Joyous Events (Part Four)
Emperor Ning initially intended to engage the princess sent for the political marriage by Western Kun to the eldest prince.
The two countries had been at war for many years, and this was their first time establishing any diplomatic ties. Emperor Ning wanted to show his sincerity by having his eldest son shoulder the burden.
After finding out Western Kun’s strategy, he quickly lost interest. He haphazardly engaged the princess to a normal son of the imperial family.
The special envoy from Western Kun did not seem to mind upon hearing this. This princess was born from a concubine, and Emperor Kun had her come for a political marriage for the sake of pretending to be friendly. After she was married, nobody cared whether she lived well or not.
“The princess from Western Kun is on her way and will arrive in the capital in five days’ time. At that time, the imperial family will host a wedding banquet, so they decided to just have Yin Shuo and Princess DanYang’s marriage at the same time. It would be two joyous events happening at the same time.”
It had been two months since Emperor Ning recovered from his illness, and his attitude toward the eldest prince and the second prince was slowly returning to normal. It was just that there was not as much trust or doting as before.
Today, he deliberately called the two of them to the imperial study to discuss this matter.
The eldest prince smiled and said: “Father Emperor has always been smart about expenditures. Hosting both of the imperial family’s weddings together will allow for great savings. Moreover, DanYang is no longer young. Father Emperor is wise.”
Wise, what horseshit.
If not for Emperor Ning losing faith in Yin Shuo, he would not have suddenly brought up establishing a cabinet. Would he still be considered wise?
The second prince’s expression was ugly, “Father Emperor, shouldn’t DanYang’s marriage be delayed? Western Kun’s special envoy and princess are coming to the capital. When that happens, there will be many matters to handle. With DanYang’s marriage also taking place, would there not be the possibility of our Eastern Ling losing face?”
It would be nice it could be delayed. It would be best if it could delayed until Yin Shuo lost his position as prime minister. Like this, there would be no need for Princess DanYang to marry him.
DanYang was his only little sister, so she had to marry the minister with the most power. How could she be married off to Yin Shuo, an official who had lost the Emperor’s trust?
The eldest prince’s brow twitched slightly, as he playfully smiled, “What’s wrong, second brother? Before now, you very clearly wanted to rush DanYang’s marriage. You seemed all too eager to have it happen as soon as possible. Now that father Emperor wants her to get married, you are trying to delay it with all kinds of excuses. I truly can’t understand it.”
Emperor Ning kept his head down and did not speak, listening to his two sons argue.
The second prince hastily said: “Previously, there were few problems in court. DanYang is my younger sister, so it’s natural that I would hope that she be able to get married to a worthy husband as soon as possible. But now that there is a situation in court, how can we neglect the country’s important issues for the sake of familial feelings? Naturally, receiving Western Kun’s special envoy takes precedence!”
“Has second brother not been listening to what father Emperor has been saying? By conducting DanYang’s wedding at the same time as Western Kun’s princess’ wedding, it will not just save on the costs. It will also give a bit of face to the princess from Western Kun. For her to be able to have her wedding take place at the same time as our Eastern Ling’s princess’ wedding is something that will elevate her. How can this be considered neglecting the country’s important affairs?”
“Eldest brother, those words…”
“Enough, everyone shut up!”
Emperor Ning lifted his head and unhappily furrowed his brow, “DanYang is Our daughter and your younger sister. That’s why We sought you to discuss her marriage. It’s not for the sake of allowing you two to argue to no end! ChengZhi, are you looking to place emphasis on the connection with Western Kun, or are you looking down on Yin Shuo as a brother-in-law?”
The second prince froze then quickly cupped his hands, “Father Emperor has misunderstood. Son did not have such intentions! Prime Minister Yin is a young talent that is hard to find. How could son possibly look down on him?”
Emperor Ning observed him for a long time before slowly nodding his head and looking away.
His back was soaked in a cold sweat, as he tried to understand what Emperor Ning’s words meant.
Emperor Ning wanted to establish a cabinet, but Yin Shuo was still the prime minister. This led to him following the trend and looking down on his future brother-in-law. Was that not just openly telling Emperor Ning that he hoped to win over the officials in court?
Emperor Ning no longer brought up the matter of establishing a crown prince, which made it clear that he felt a great deal of dread. Now was not the time to be reckless.
The eldest prince watched the play unfold and did not mind the situation getting out of hand, “Is that so? Son heard that second brother previously visited the prime minister’s manor with great vigor, sending them many supplements and valuables. These days, it seems that second brother is no longer going. If it’s not from looking down on the prime minister, what reason could there be?”
Emperor Ning’s gaze landed on the second prince once more.
“Is what your brother said true?”
“No, it’s not!”
The second prince instinctively refuted it then spoke after thinking for a moment, “Son did not just send gifts to Prime Minister Yin. Son also sent gifts to others, for example, sister Yu Fu. Initially, son wanted to send father Emperor some gifts, but father Emperor has not wanted to see us during this past little while, thus son did not come. There are also gifts for eldest brother. I will have someone send them to the eldest prince’s manor later.”
“Oh? There’s also something for me?”
The eldest prince laughed and said: “Second brother has always been generous with his gifts unlike my poor maternal family, which is often strapped for money. But why is second brother wantonly sending out gifts to everyone?”
The second prince straightened his back and also smiled, saying: “I have not seen father Emperor much during this past little while, thus I have been reflecting on whether or not I have done anything wrong to make father Emperor unhappy. I thought long and hard and felt that my usual actions are harsh and merciless. That’s why I started giving out gifts to everyone. It was to make up for my past mistakes.”
He spoke as if he had attained enlightenment, and there were no holes in his story. For a while, the eldest prince did not know how to respond and simply let out a dry laugh.
Emperor Ning nodded his head, “For you to be able to realize where you are lacking, We are very pleased. Yin Shuo is your brother-in-law, and Yu Fu is your younger sister in name. If you can get a little closer, We can feel at ease. Then things will be set like this. The weddings for DanYang and Western Kun’s princess will be held together and will take place in half a month’s time.”
“One is a princess marrying to solidify relations, while the other is your little sister. Neither of you must slack off. Both of you will go to the Board of Rites to help out!”
The corner of the eldest prince’s eyes squinted at the second prince, as he cupped his hands and smiled, “Yes, father Emperor.”
Two Joyous Events (Part Four)
Emperor Ning initially intended to engage the princess sent for the political marriage by Western Kun to the eldest prince.
The two countries had been at war for many years, and this was their first time establishing any diplomatic ties. Emperor Ning wanted to show his sincerity by having his eldest son shoulder the burden.
After finding out Western Kun’s strategy, he quickly lost interest. He haphazardly engaged the princess to a normal son of the imperial family.
The special envoy from Western Kun did not seem to mind upon hearing this. This princess was born from a concubine, and Emperor Kun had her come for a political marriage for the sake of pretending to be friendly. After she was married, nobody cared whether she lived well or not.
“The princess from Western Kun is on her way and will arrive in the capital in five days’ time. At that time, the imperial family will host a wedding banquet, so they decided to just have Yin Shuo and Princess DanYang’s marriage at the same time. It would be two joyous events happening at the same time.”
It had been two months since Emperor Ning recovered from his illness, and his attitude toward the eldest prince and the second prince was slowly returning to normal. It was just that there was not as much trust or doting as before.
Today, he deliberately called the two of them to the imperial study to discuss this matter.
The eldest prince smiled and said: “Father Emperor has always been smart about expenditures. Hosting both of the imperial family’s weddings together will allow for great savings. Moreover, DanYang is no longer young. Father Emperor is wise.”
Wise, what horseshit.
If not for Emperor Ning losing faith in Yin Shuo, he would not have suddenly brought up establishing a cabinet. Would he still be considered wise?
The second prince’s expression was ugly, “Father Emperor, shouldn’t DanYang’s marriage be delayed? Western Kun’s special envoy and princess are coming to the capital. When that happens, there will be many matters to handle. With DanYang’s marriage also taking place, would there not be the possibility of our Eastern Ling losing face?”
It would be nice it could be delayed. It would be best if it could delayed until Yin Shuo lost his position as prime minister. Like this, there would be no need for Princess DanYang to marry him.
DanYang was his only little sister, so she had to marry the minister with the most power. How could she be married off to Yin Shuo, an official who had lost the Emperor’s trust?
The eldest prince’s brow twitched slightly, as he playfully smiled, “What’s wrong, second brother? Before now, you very clearly wanted to rush DanYang’s marriage. You seemed all too eager to have it happen as soon as possible. Now that father Emperor wants her to get married, you are trying to delay it with all kinds of excuses. I truly can’t understand it.”
Emperor Ning kept his head down and did not speak, listening to his two sons argue.
The second prince hastily said: “Previously, there were few problems in court. DanYang is my younger sister, so it’s natural that I would hope that she be able to get married to a worthy husband as soon as possible. But now that there is a situation in court, how can we neglect the country’s important issues for the sake of familial feelings? Naturally, receiving Western Kun’s special envoy takes precedence!”
“Has second brother not been listening to what father Emperor has been saying? By conducting DanYang’s wedding at the same time as Western Kun’s princess’ wedding, it will not just save on the costs. It will also give a bit of face to the princess from Western Kun. For her to be able to have her wedding take place at the same time as our Eastern Ling’s princess’ wedding is something that will elevate her. How can this be considered neglecting the country’s important affairs?”
“Eldest brother, those words…”
“Enough, everyone shut up!”
Emperor Ning lifted his head and unhappily furrowed his brow, “DanYang is Our daughter and your younger sister. That’s why We sought you to discuss her marriage. It’s not for the sake of allowing you two to argue to no end! ChengZhi, are you looking to place emphasis on the connection with Western Kun, or are you looking down on Yin Shuo as a brother-in-law?”
The second prince froze then quickly cupped his hands, “Father Emperor has misunderstood. Son did not have such intentions! Prime Minister Yin is a young talent that is hard to find. How could son possibly look down on him?”
Emperor Ning observed him for a long time before slowly nodding his head and looking away.
His back was soaked in a cold sweat, as he tried to understand what Emperor Ning’s words meant.
Emperor Ning wanted to establish a cabinet, but Yin Shuo was still the prime minister. This led to him following the trend and looking down on his future brother-in-law. Was that not just openly telling Emperor Ning that he hoped to win over the officials in court?
Emperor Ning no longer brought up the matter of establishing a crown prince, which made it clear that he felt a great deal of dread. Now was not the time to be reckless.
The eldest prince watched the play unfold and did not mind the situation getting out of hand, “Is that so? Son heard that second brother previously visited the prime minister’s manor with great vigor, sending them many supplements and valuables. These days, it seems that second brother is no longer going. If it’s not from looking down on the prime minister, what reason could there be?”
Emperor Ning’s gaze landed on the second prince once more.
“Is what your brother said true?”
“No, it’s not!”
The second prince instinctively refuted it then spoke after thinking for a moment, “Son did not just send gifts to Prime Minister Yin. Son also sent gifts to others, for example, sister Yu Fu. Initially, son wanted to send father Emperor some gifts, but father Emperor has not wanted to see us during this past little while, thus son did not come. There are also gifts for eldest brother. I will have someone send them to the eldest prince’s manor later.”
“Oh? There’s also something for me?”
The eldest prince laughed and said: “Second brother has always been generous with his gifts unlike my poor maternal family, which is often strapped for money. But why is second brother wantonly sending out gifts to everyone?”
The second prince straightened his back and also smiled, saying: “I have not seen father Emperor much during this past little while, thus I have been reflecting on whether or not I have done anything wrong to make father Emperor unhappy. I thought long and hard and felt that my usual actions are harsh and merciless. That’s why I started giving out gifts to everyone. It was to make up for my past mistakes.”
He spoke as if he had attained enlightenment, and there were no holes in his story. For a while, the eldest prince did not know how to respond and simply let out a dry laugh.
Emperor Ning nodded his head, “For you to be able to realize where you are lacking, We are very pleased. Yin Shuo is your brother-in-law, and Yu Fu is your younger sister in name. If you can get a little closer, We can feel at ease. Then things will be set like this. The weddings for DanYang and Western Kun’s princess will be held together and will take place in half a month’s time.”
“One is a princess marrying to solidify relations, while the other is your little sister. Neither of you must slack off. Both of you will go to the Board of Rites to help out!”
The corner of the eldest prince’s eyes squinted at the second prince, as he cupped his hands and smiled, “Yes, father Emperor.”
