Chapter 345 Marriage

"Shoufu really thinks so?"

The emperor asked with a smile, staring fixedly at Xiao Shoufu below, his usually gentle eyes were extraordinarily deep at this moment, as if he was probing, but also seemed to be just asking casually.

Xiao Shoufu maintained the posture of bowing, and his every move seemed to be measured by a ruler. He said in a steady tone: "The eldest prince is both the head of the lineage and a talented person. He is orthodox and he will do his part."

He lowered his head slightly, showing a respectful attitude in his posture, and his tone was unprecedentedly firm, but the half-drooped eyes made it difficult to see his eyes clearly.

Seeing this, Mr. Liu and the others, who were still fighting high before, were completely discouraged like a punctured skin, and they no longer had the will to fight.

"Okay!" The emperor slapped the armrest of the throne heavily with his palm. He was in a good mood, and he seemed to be several years younger.

At this stage, everyone was convinced of how they should express their stance, bowed in unison, and came out one by one to second the proposal:

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"I think it's time to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible, and I ask the emperor for permission."

"What Her Royal Highness Princess Dachang and all the adults said is true."

These voices are all loud and powerful, a scene of unity of one heart and one mind.

Looking down at the courtiers below, the emperor's mood improved, and deep lines of laughter appeared in the corners of his old eyes, and he ordered vigorously, "Pei Wenrui, then the Ministry of Rites will prepare for the registration of the crown prince as soon as possible."

"Qin Tianjian, you should calculate an auspicious date as soon as possible."

Pei Wenrui, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and Qin Tianjian immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to accept the order.

The dust settled.

Feng Yang curled his lips into a smile, and looked around again.

This time she was seriously ill, her cheeks were so thin that they were slightly sunken, but her eyes were unusually bright and firm.

For her, the most important thing is to have successors in the country that Taizu brought down with one hand.

Establishing a reserve has been a major national event in all dynasties, and it cannot be determined by an imperial decree.

After the emperor made the decree, Pei Wenrui, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and other officials of the Ministry of Rites spent a full three days consulting the classics, and formulated the regulations for the appointment of the crown prince.

"Qin Tianjian has calculated three auspicious days, please the emperor to choose."

"The Ministry of Rites has already drawn up the imperial edict for the establishment of the crown prince, and I invite the emperor to review it before distributing it to the states."

"The Prince's various dresses and crowns have been arranged by the Supervisor of Ceremonies."

"Before the establishment of a crown prince, the ancestors must be worshiped first. It coincides with the first year of the emperor's death. The ministers wonder whether the prince's son will worship the emperor on his behalf, and ask the ancestors."

"On the day when the ceremony is made, one has to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and pay homage to the ancestral temple to complete the ceremony."

"The crown prince is the future monarch, and the ceremony of enactment must not be hasty."

"..."

The Dajing Dynasty has only been established for fifty years, and there are not many old rules to follow. When the first emperor was canonized as the crown prince, the dynasty was first established. Shangshu is Wang Zi from a noble family, and Wang Zi roughly sorted out such a set of regulations according to the old rules of the previous dynasty.

This time, the Ministry of Rites only slightly modified it.

The emperor carefully read the documents presented by the Ministry of Rites, Long Yan was very happy, and readily agreed.

On the same day, the emperor ordered the eldest prince Chu Yi to go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices to the late emperor.

Sacrifice to the imperial mausoleum is a major event, the Ministry of Rites immediately began to prepare, so busy that the Minister of Rites, the left and right servants and other important officials rested in the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites for several days, wishing to give birth to three heads and six arms.

After divination by the Qin Tianjian, the date for offering sacrifices to the imperial mausoleum was set on April 15th, and there were still 20 days to prepare.

As a result, the Ministry of Rituals became even busier. They had to draw up a list of people who would go to the imperial mausoleum with the eldest prince to offer sacrifices, arrange the ceremonial guards for the sacrifice, coordinate with the Taichang Temple, and arrange fasting before the sacrifice, etc.

The news that the emperor was going to establish a crown prince soon spread throughout the capital, and even the common people felt beaming.

It seems that March has passed in the blink of an eye, and at the beginning of April, the weather is getting warmer and sunny.

On a sunny day in April, peonies, peonies, roses, pomegranates, etc. are facing the sun, blooming to their heart's content, and the fragrance of flowers is overflowing.

A few colorful butterflies spread their wings and fly among the peony flowers. They stop among the flowers for a while, fly for a while, and play with each other for a while...

"Meow~"

A snow-white white cat and a jet-black black cat ran past the two of them one after the other. The two cats happily chased the butterflies in the garden, their cries soft and excited.

One of the butterflies landed on the girl's slender index finger, and the thin butterfly wings flapped tremblingly twice in the sunlight.

The corners of Gu Yanfei's lips twitched, looking at the cats running, sleeping or squatting in the garden, a thought could not help appearing in her mind: Qingguang would definitely like this place.

"Crack."

A thin section of branch and leaf was neatly cut off by the scissors, and the slight sound alarmed the butterfly that had landed on Gu Yanfei's finger, and the butterfly flapped its wings and flew away.

Fengyang next to him didn't care, and while trimming the branches and leaves of a pot of peony flowers, he explained: "If you want the peony to grow well, you must trim off the dense branches, leaves and side buds. The side branches must be fine but not complicated, so as to ensure other The branches grow stronger."

"The long and residual flower buds also have to be cut off, this is to reduce the consumption of nutrients."

"Not only diseased and dead branches need to be pruned, but some long branches must also be shortened appropriately."

"..."

Feng Yang spoke eloquently, with a pleasant tone.

Gu Yanfei on the side heard one head and two big ones.

She likes to concoct herbs for alchemy, but she has no interest in tending these flowers and plants.

However, when they were in the Yaoling Realm, the third senior sister of the sect liked to play with these flowers and plants, and always liked to grab them, junior sisters and juniors, and talk about it.

So Gu Yanfei still understood a little bit, she said with a smile: "Pruning peonies needs to grow one foot and retreat eight inches, right?"

Her words summed up the essence of pruning peonies. Feng Yang raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile: "Yan Fei, do you know how to grow peonies?"

Feng Yang carefully looked at this pot of peonies, to see if there was anything else that needed pruning.

"It's only a little worse than you." Gu Yanfei smiled obediently, a very cute smile.

Her kung fu of being coquettish and obedient was learned in Yaoling Realm under the love of so many senior brothers and sisters, and she has practiced it to perfection long ago, and Fengyang likes her, so she was naturally happy in her heart, and burst out laughing.

The two talked and laughed at Yanyan.

The old nanny next to her moved away the pruned peony, and moved another pot of red peony, with more than a dozen flower buds growing on the branch, and the buds were green.

Feng Yang was not in a hurry to get the scissors, and stretched out his fingers to lightly poke one of the buds, "Unfortunately, this flower budding is a few days late this year, I'm afraid it won't be able to catch up with this year's Peony Festival..."

Feng Yang lowered his eyelashes halfway, looking at this pot of red peonies with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

A few points of sunlight jumped on her gray eyelashes, dyeing the white eyelashes into platinum, making her look a little distant.

Gu Yanfei's eyes froze.

She knew that what Fengyang was talking about was not Peony Festival at all, what Fengyang really wanted to say was that she might not live to see this pot of peonies bloom.

There was a hint of sadness in the atmosphere.

When the wind blows, the crimson buds on the branches sway gently.

With a thought, Gu Yanfei guided the aura from the white jade and red plum hairpin to the fingertips of his right hand little by little, forming a white light invisible to the naked eye.

"Snapped!"

She snapped her fingers lightly at the pot of peonies.

The next moment, the buds on the peony in the pot trembled slightly, blooming little by little, layers of petals stretched out... Blossoming red peonies bloomed miraculously at an incredible speed.

A faint fragrance of peonies came to the nostrils, and even the butterflies around were attracted to it one after another, circling around the pot of peonies.

This scene, like a dream, is so beautiful

Feng Yang looked at the scene of flowers blooming in amazement, his eyes lit up instantly, and his whole body was radiant.

Fengyang was looking at the flowers, but the old nanny next to her was looking at her without blinking, her eyes were blurred with water vapor, as if she saw Fengyang's youthful appearance, with a compelling demeanor.

She has served the eldest princess Fengyang for most of her life. In the past few years, His Highness's body and spirit have become worse and worse.

She knew that His Highness had no nostalgia for this world anymore, and she hadn't seen His Highness look so energetic for a long time.

so good. The old mammy lowered her head quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeves.

Seeing Fengyang's smile, Gu Yanfei lifted her chin triumphantly. Isn't she great?

Received the little girl's proud eyes, Feng Yang's smile became brighter.

"Meow!"

The black cat flew over in front of them, turned into a black shadow, and quickly ran towards a capable woman in Tsing Yi at the entrance of the garden.

The clingy black cat circled affectionately around the skirt of the woman in Tsing Yi, meowing non-stop.

The woman in Tsing Yi walked up to the two of them without looking sideways, and clasped her fists to Feng Yang boldly and said: "Your Highness, there are new envoys from the Yue Kingdom, and they have just mentioned the matter of the marriage between the two countries to the Emperor."

The woman in Tsing Yi has a tall and straight body, like a clump of green bamboos, and the simple movements are done by her, with a heroic temperament.

Feng Yang gave a faint "Oh".

The woman in Tsing Yi immediately went on to say: "The envoy of the Yue State said that the sage of the Yue State heard that King Kang was young and promising, he was a good man with both civil and military skills, courage and strategy, and wanted to ask King Kang to be the son-in-law for the eighth emperor's daughter Ximing Diji. The country has a good relationship with Qin and Jin."

Feng Yang didn't raise his head, his eyes still fell on the delicate and beautiful peony flower in front of him, while turning the flower pot around, he asked, "Who is from Yue country?"

"It's Dou Zixiang, the eldest brother of the Crown Princess of the Yue Kingdom." The woman in Tsing Yi replied, "Then Dou Zixiang said that the Yue Kingdom would like to use the Huangshuiyang sea area as the dowry of the Emperor Concubine."

This matter should have spread to all the prefectures in the capital by now. I am afraid that people in all prefectures are speculating whether this marriage was meant by the sage of the Yue Kingdom, or by the Prince Baili Zhao of the Yue Kingdom.

"Crack."

Feng Yang picked up the scissors and cut off two residual leaves in succession. The extremely sharp scissors reflected dazzling light in the sun.

Feng Yang asked again indifferently: "Where is King Kang?"

"The emperor just announced that King Kang will enter the palace." The woman in Tsing Yi replied.

Fengyang laughed lightly.

There was no emotion in this plain smile, and no emotion could be heard.

"Meow!"

The white cat came to her side and rubbed her calf affectionately with its cheeks.

Feng Yang was about to bend over to hug the cat, when suddenly he felt a little dark in front of his eyes, so he straightened up again, with a tired look on his face.

She took two steps back, planning to sit down on an armchair next to her.

Gu Yanfei quickly grabbed Fengyang's arm and helped her sit on the chair.

Feng Yang's face turned pale again, and his breath was weak.

The old mother next to her also walked over quickly, and asked worriedly, "Your Highness, what do you think?"

Feng Yang waved his hand silently, indicating that he was fine.

Gu Yanfei stared fixedly at Fengyang, she could tell that Fengyang's soul fire was erratic, like a cluster of candles that were about to be blown out by the wind, fading and extinguishing.

Fengyang's time is running out.

If all goes well...

Feng Yang sat for a while, regained his composure, met Gu Yanfei's clear eyes, saw what she meant, and smiled.

"Ruosu, go down." Feng Yang waved his hand and gestured again, the woman in Tsing Yi who came to report saluted, then backed off, and the black cat ran after her "meowing".

Feng Yang inspected the extremely delicate and beautiful peony flower in front of him with satisfaction, and asked with a smile: "Yan Fei, you also have a contribution to this potted flower, how about giving it to you?"

However, Gu Yanfei refused without hesitation: "No, you can raise it yourself."

The little girl's tone was so firm that Feng Yang couldn't help laughing.

Gu Yanfei picked up the mandarin duck-eyed white cat on the ground, put it on her lap, gently stroked the cat's back, and said with a playful smile: "You can train cats, I see, all these cats in your house are very obedient .”

"You don't know, the cat in my house is stupid and bad, it catches the best flowers in the house and ruins them!"

Gu Yanfei tilted her small face, revealing a pair of shallow pear dimples on her face, her bright eyes were kind, "So, your highness should raise this pot of peonies yourself."

This last sentence has a lot of meaning.

Feng Yang looked at this person and the cat, his eyebrows and eyes slightly curved, and there was a gentle smile on the corner of his lips.

"I'm serious!" Gu Yanfei moved towards Fengyang with a smile, "Next time I'll bring it to show you, it's broken, and it's useless except for being beautiful!"

"Wrong." Feng Yang finally couldn't help laughing out loud, tears even faintly overflowing from the corners of his eyes.

Gu Yanfei blinked in bewilderment.

Feng Yang pointed at the white cat on Gu Yanfei's lap with a smile on his face, and said: "This cat is very bad, if anyone scratches someone, it's not my cat who is obedient, but you who please the cat."

The white cat obviously didn't understand what Feng Yang was saying, so it gave an innocent "meow", its round face tilted, its blue and gold eyes were as beautiful as a pair of glass beads.

Gu Yanfei looked down at the obedient white cat, smiled too, and nodded, "Well, I've always liked cats!"

Just like sunshine is always pleasing.

The cheerful laughter of the two echoed in the garden.

The white cat on Gu Yanfei's lap looked at the two of them inexplicably, kicked its hind legs, jumped off her lap, and happily ran to chase the butterflies again.

"Meow meow cat..."

The two sat in the garden watching the cats fluttering butterflies, and occasionally commented.

I don't know how long it took, but the woman in Tsing Yi named Ruosu just came back, and with her was the shiny black cat.

"Your Highness, King Kang has already accepted the marriage." Ruosu clasped her fists and said.

Feng Yang was drinking tea, and upon hearing this, he only twitched his eyebrows, and looked at Gu Yanfei with a half-smile, but neither of them said a word, only the white cat let out a "meow".

Ruosu straightened out his thoughts, and continued in an orderly manner: "King Kang told the emperor that he already has a concubine, and if Emperor Ximing wished to be a side concubine, he agreed."

"The envoy of the Yue Kingdom praised Kang Wang for his deep affection, saying that the third prince of Baili had sent a letter to declare the matter to the saint, and Emperor Ximing felt that Kang Wang was a person who believed in his love and commitment, and was willing to be the side concubine. .”

There was no ups and downs in her tone, nor the slightest emotion, it was just a statement.

Feng Yang put down the teacup and said calmly, "Very good."

Gu Yanfei played with a peony flower that was cut off by Fengyang casually, and turned it around, the layers of petals trembled slightly, delicate and charming.

She smiled, her eyes bright.

Really good.

The news of King Kang's marriage between the two countries spread throughout the capital in just half a day. This news shocked the entire capital and made those aristocratic families breathe a sigh of relief.

This is really good news that makes them overjoyed.

In the evening of that day, Yuan Zhe, Wang Kangyin, Pei Wenrui and others gathered in Xiao Shoufu's mansion, all of them glowing.

"Kang Kang finally listened to our advice this time." Xiao Shoufu, who was sitting on the top, sighed with his beard, his brows and eyes could not hide a bit of complacency, and he looked relieved.

Wang Kangyin and other people nodded one after another, smiling all over their faces, and the haze that had lingered in their hearts for a month was swept away at this moment.

The atmosphere in the hall relaxed.

Before Kang Wang disregarded their objections, he tried to break with them and wanted to marry Li Yunxie. This incident made all the aristocratic families sigh, but they didn't want to bow to Kang Wang.

Unexpectedly, after more than a month, Kang Wang still gave in.

Wang Kangyin, Minister of the Household Department, waved his sleeves lightly, and said tactfully: "Kang Kang still knows the overall situation is the most important thing...the days left for him are numbered."

"Yeah." Another person sighed meaningfully.

Everyone exchanged tacit glances with each other.

Perhaps Kang Wang finally realized that he was panicking.

After the sacrifice of the Emperor's Mausoleum on April 15th, the emperor will formally hold a grand ceremony for the establishment of the crown prince for the eldest prince. By then, the eldest prince will be the legitimate crown prince.

The crown prince is the crown prince of the country and the foundation of the country, which cannot be abolished without reason.

After the first emperor ascended the throne, the ministers asked the late emperor to make the present crown prince according to the Taizu's edict. The late emperor delayed for a few years, but in the end he did not dare to disobey the Taizu's edict, and reluctantly issued a decree to appoint the crown prince.

This incident became the greatest regret of the late emperor for the next ten years, and the late emperor did not find a chance to abolish the current crown prince until his death.

If the crown prince is officially established today, it will be difficult for King Kang to take the throne. Unless both the emperor and Chu Yi and his son are dead, then the next heir to the throne may fall to King Kang.

Time is running out.

"It's thanks to the persuasive words of the chief minister," Yuan Zhe, who was dressed in a sky-blue straight gown, stroked his sleeves gracefully, and said with a smile, "it was only possible to persuade King Kang to change his mind!"