nycdaug Chapter 121 Objection
Chapter 121 Objection
Shangguan Mufeng was taken aback: "Who is it? Who did you run into?"
What's going on? My daughter went out for a while, met someone, and fell in love with him? This won't do! She doesn't know him at all, how can this be allowed? No, absolutely not!
Zisu: "It's the heir of the Marquis of Zhongxin, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination!"
Shangguan Mufeng felt a little relieved: "Oh? You mean Fang Heng?"
Zisu: "Yes, it was him! Today, on my way to Huangjue Temple, I happened to run into his horse, which got spooked and almost plunged off a cliff. I asked Shen Laihui to help me out and save him!"
Shangguan Mufeng: "The horse got spooked and almost rushed off the cliff? I don't think it's that simple. You know, he's a scholar who passed both the civil and military examinations, and he spent five years on the Northeast battlefield. Someone must have tampered with his horse. Otherwise, how could he not control his mount?"
Zisu: "Yes, the heir of the Marquis of Zhongxin thinks so too. His sister said that it was probably his father's aunt or half-brother who did it!"
Shangguan Mufeng: "It seems that the Fang family is a complicated place. Have you thought it through? Will you choose Fang Heng or Prince Duan?"
Zisu: "Father, you're wrong. Even if I didn't choose Fang Heng, I wouldn't choose Prince Duan. Originally, I wanted to find someone from a less prestigious family, but since I've met Fang Heng, I've decided to consider him. Although the Fang family is a bit complicated, Fang Heng's mother is a good person, and I get along very well with his sister. Prince Duan is wonderful in every way, but he has a very difficult mother. I don't want to be tormented by my mother-in-law every day after I get married. I can't live that kind of life, and I don't want to live that kind of life!"
The thought of his beloved daughter being tormented by her mother-in-law every day after marriage caused Shangguan Mufeng a pang of pain in his heart.
Zisu: "Moreover, Prince Duan's mother is a concubine, and she is also the Empress Dowager's cousin and the eldest daughter of a prominent family. I can't afford to offend someone like that. If I marry Prince Duan, wouldn't I be forced to be tormented and bullied by her? If that happens, can Father stand up for his daughter? I'm afraid it's impossible."
Shangguan Mufeng sighed deeply, "Alas, if that's the case, then there's really nothing your father can do for you." The Prince Duan's mother is incredibly arrogant; even when she's with the Princess, she acts superior and her words are full of barbs. He simply can't afford to offend someone like that.
What a pity! Prince Duan is such a good child! To be honest, he really cherishes this child and hopes he can become his son-in-law.
Zisu: "Moreover, His Majesty's health is not good. He might have to pass the throne to the Crown Prince in two or three years. The Crown Prince is only eight years old this year, and Prince Duan might become the regent. He's too powerful! If Prince Duan's family and the Protector General's family were to form a marriage alliance, I'm afraid the court officials would all be uneasy. That would be detrimental to the Protector General's family in every way! Who knows, when the little emperor grows up, the first one he'll target will be you, Father!"
Hearing his daughter's words, Shangguan Mufeng felt a chill run down his spine. He had never actually considered what she was saying. However, what she said did make a lot of sense.
Zisu: "Especially since you are currently the Minister of War, it is not advisable for you to be too close to Prince Duan. It would be very inappropriate for you to be his father-in-law! Not only that, I also hope that after your three-year term is over, you will not be re-elected, and it would be best if you were given a sinecure. It would be fine if you didn't hold office. I plan to renovate the three manors and turn them into open manors, selling tickets and charging admission fees. In this way, you won't have to worry about not having money."
Shangguan Mufeng: "My child, even if your father stops being an official, as long as your father is still the Protector General, he will still have a considerable salary, enough to support our family of four!"
Zisu and her mother were both frugal and hardworking. They each owned only a few sets of jewelry and wore ordinary clothes. Their daily meals consisted of four dishes and a soup, with eight dishes and a soup only served when guests came. The Protector-General's annual salary was around three hundred taels of silver, which was more than enough for Zisu and her mother, given their frugality!
As for her daughter's several manors, and the farmland she bought fifty li south of the city, they can be used as her dowry. In this way, half of her dowry will be taken care of. Besides, the land, shops, and houses that the court confiscated from Shangguan Chengfeng's house all belonged to the Marquis of Changning, which meant they belonged to him. After he returned from the Northwest, the court returned all of these things to him.
In this way, there's no need to worry about the daughter's dowry.
Since that's the case, he really doesn't care whether he becomes an official or not.
Zisu took Shangguan Mufeng's arm and smiled sweetly at him, "Father, don't worry, when you and Mother get old, your daughter will take care of you!"
Shangguan Mufeng: "Alright, then I'll be waiting for you to be filial to us! You can't go back on your word, or your father will go to the yamen to sue you for being unfilial!"
Zisu couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Go ahead and sue, I'm not afraid at all!"
Shangguan Mufeng reached out and tapped his daughter's forehead: "You little rascal, you're so clever, where did you learn that from?"
Zisu made a face at him: "Of course I learned it from Father! Father is so wise and powerful, so as his daughter, I am naturally very intelligent as well!"
Shangguan Mufeng couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You silly child, your mouth is as sweet as honey, but don't think you can fool me. Fang Heng must undergo his father's strict examination. The examination period must be more than a year!"
Zisu: "I welcome Father to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of him. The clearer and more detailed the evaluation, the more at ease I will be!"
Shangguan Mufeng: "Don't worry, Father will investigate even how many ant nests there are in his yard!"
The father and daughter were chatting animatedly when Madam Yu came over and scolded, "What are you saying? Why are you talking for so long? The food is all ready, we're just waiting for you to eat!"
Zisu: "Mom, you came all the way here to call me? Wouldn't it have been better to have my brother run the errand for me?"
Madam Yu: "Your younger brother has just finished practicing martial arts and is taking a bath and changing clothes!"
Zisu: "Sigh, Brother Shen is too strict with his younger brother. As soon as he came back from outside, he started training him. I think it's better to let Brother Luo stay by my side from now on, and leave Brother Shen at the mansion to focus on instructing his younger brother in martial arts!"
Madam Yu: "How can that be? How can I feel at ease letting you go out without someone capable taking you with you?"
Zisu: "Mother, my own martial arts skills are quite good, and Xiangli and Yingtao also know martial arts. Although Brother Luo can't compare to Brother Shen, he is still a first-class master!"
Madam Yu: "Anyway, I don't care. Whenever you go out, you must take Shen Laihui with you. Otherwise, don't even think about stepping out of the house!"
Zisu had no choice but to compromise: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, Mother. Thank you for caring so much about your daughter!"
In small matters, Zisu always obeyed Madam Yu and never argued with her. Besides, although her parents doted on her and didn't restrict how often she went out, she was also very self-disciplined and would only go out five or six times a month at most, not every day.
With Zisu's advice, Shangguan Mufeng subconsciously kept a slight distance from Prince Duan. Unlike before, when he was very close to him in front of outsiders, he no longer addressed him as "Your Highness" but instead used Prince Duan's courtesy name.
Prince Duan sensed something was amiss and couldn't help but feel saddened.
He knew why Shangguan Mufeng was distancing himself from him—it was because he was Prince Duan, the Emperor's most beloved nephew. He also knew he was too prominent, but what could he do if the Emperor favored him so much?
However, this is not a good sign. It means that even Shangguan Mufeng probably doesn't think he's the best candidate for son-in-law anymore! No, this won't do! It seems he has to speed things up and finalize the marriage with Zisu to avoid any unforeseen complications.
You know, Zisu met Fang Heng yesterday when she went to Huangjue Temple, and they even spent half the day together. Does this mean that Zisu likes that guy? Hmm, very likely, extremely likely!
Upon returning to the Prince's residence after his mission, he went to his mother and said, "Mother, I have someone I love. Please, Mother, make the decision and send someone to propose marriage!"
Consort Qin: "You have someone you like? Who is it?"
Prince Duan: "My mother is the daughter of the Protector General, Princess Shangguan Zisu of Yulin."
Upon hearing this, Consort Qin flew into a rage: "Fine, the rumors were true! You really have fallen for that vixen! A country girl who has been exiled, how can such a woman be worthy of you? If you like her, I won't stop you. You can take her as a concubine! In any case, she absolutely cannot be the choice for the principal wife!"
Upon hearing his mother's words, Prince Duan was stunned. In his haste, he couldn't help but raise his voice: "Mother, Zisu is a good person. It wasn't her fault that she was exiled. Growing up in the countryside, her manners and temperament are in no way inferior to those of princesses raised in the palace. Once you've met her, you're sure to like her. Mother, why don't you meet her? I'm sure you'll like her!"
Consort Qin glared at her son fiercely: "Look at you! You've never spoken to me so loudly before, but now, for this vixen, you don't even care about respecting your own mother! If you're like this now, what will become of me after you marry her?"
Besides, the exile was her own fault. If she hadn't proactively asked Xiao Fan to help her revoke the title of Marquis of Changning, how could Shangguan Zhihua have retaliated against her, even going so far as to instigate Consort Mei to exile her entire family? In fact, she not only got herself exiled, but she also implicated her own mother and younger brother. She's simply a scourge, a jinx, a disaster; whoever marries her is doomed!
There will be one more update today, a bonus chapter for monthly votes. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I have seen all the comments and will reply when I have time.