pertwk Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Chapter 178
If he had a choice, Han Zhang wouldn't want to do this either.
If Empress Dowager Cao is unwilling to relinquish power later, he might be infamous for it for all eternity.
"Grand Chancellor, you and the other officials in the court were all key ministers of the late Emperor. Now that the Emperor has just ascended the throne, you should all advise him not to let him act recklessly," said Empress Dowager Cao.
Han Zhang smiled wryly upon hearing this and said, "Your subject understands."
If he could have persuaded her otherwise, he wouldn't have come to see Empress Dowager Cao.
Early that morning, Wang You and his family went to the Sheng family's house.
The Sheng family home is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers today, creating a very festive atmosphere.
Today is the auspicious day for Sheng Changbai, the eldest grandson of the second branch of the Sheng family.
Although Sheng Hong was the second son, the fact that the Sheng family had an ancestral hall in Bianjing showed that the Sheng family intended for the second son to be the main branch.
This situation could not have occurred before the aristocratic families disappeared.
Because powerful families would concentrate their resources on cultivating the main lineage.
However, with the disappearance of aristocratic families and the prevalence of the imperial examination system, such situations are quite common today.
It is common for a small family to produce a scholar who passes the imperial examination, with the family genealogy having its own page and becoming the main branch.
In the end, the Sheng family was actually a small family, and several generations ago they were even beggars.
When Sheng's grandfather was alive, he was just an ordinary merchant.
It wasn't until Sheng Hong's father passed the imperial examination with flying colors and became a third-ranking scholar that someone was able to become an official.
The ancestral hall of the Sheng family in Bianjing was established at that time, with the original intention of having Sheng Hong's father inherit the ancestral hall and become the head of the main branch.
However, at that time, Shengwei's father was still alive, and family succession was not like the imperial throne, where there was a concept of abdication.
Unfortunately, Old Master Sheng passed away early. At that time, Sheng Hong was still young, so Sheng Wei, the eldest son of the first branch of the family, naturally became the head of the Sheng family.
However, once Sheng Wei passes away, the second branch of the family will become the main branch of the Sheng family.
Sheng Changbai was not only the eldest grandson of the Sheng family.
Theoretically speaking, he is still the successor of the Youyang Sheng clan.
Therefore, the wedding was naturally very grand, and the Sheng family and all the members of the third branch who could attend came.
"Mother!"
"mother in law!"
"relatives by marriage!"
When the Wang family arrived, the entire Sheng family came out to greet them.
"Okay, okay."
Today, Grandma Wang was dressed in a bright red robe, her hair neatly combed and pinned up at the back of her head, making her look both festive and very energetic.
Supported by Madam Wang and Sheng Hong, she nodded and greeted the Sheng family, and then the Wang family was ushered inside.
Wang Min and Madam Feng were greeted by Sheng Wei and his wife, while Wang You and Mu Jie'er were greeted by the younger generation.
"Cousin, congratulations!" Wang You said with a cupped hand and a smile.
A rare smile appeared on Sheng Changbai's usually serious face as he said, "I'll need you to accompany me to the wedding later. You're Uncle Hai's student, so the task of knocking on the door is yours."
You cannot address your father-in-law as "father-in-law" until the wedding ceremony. You can only address him as such when you are about to pick up your bride.
"That won't do. A wedding is all about celebration. It would be so boring if I had to open the door so easily," Wang You said with a smile.
"Then when you marry my sixth sister, don't blame me for making things difficult for you!" Sheng Changbai said, feigning anger.
Although Wang You could only marry Minglan as a concubine, the special thing about concubines is that they could be married off with a grand procession of eight people, just like the principal wife.
Therefore, when Wang Youlai marries Minglan, he will also have to come to the Sheng family to fetch the bride.
However, in other aspects, it won't be as grand.
"Haha, just kidding," Wang You quickly begged for forgiveness.
"Come on, let me introduce you!"
Sheng Changbai pointed to a young man and introduced him: "This is my uncle's younger brother, named Changwu. He is currently working in the Five Cities Military Command. He is a little older than you."
"Hello, Cousin Changwu!" Wang You greeted him with a smile.
"Cousin—hello cousin."
Sheng Changwu was somewhat flattered by Wang You's politeness.
Madam Wang always looked down on the eldest son's family, and the Wang family and the eldest son's family had little contact with each other at other times.
Although Wang You was only a Hanlin Compiler, he was the future imperial son-in-law.
"Let's go inside and sit down to talk," Sheng Changbai said.
Wang You followed Sheng Changbai inside, but was pulled into his courtyard.
"Cousin, it's not time for wedding night pranks yet," Wang You teased.
"Don't joke around."
Sheng Changbai's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I've been busy these past few days and haven't had time to see you. Tell me, is Zhong Huai alright?"
Wang You also stopped smiling and said, "I don't know the specifics right now, and I can't answer you."
All I can tell you is that you shouldn't die.
Upon hearing this, a hint of worry flashed in Sheng Changbai's eyes. He opened his mouth, but finally sighed and said, "If it's not difficult for you, could you help Zhong Huai?"
"Cousin, I've never understood."
Wang You said, "Gu Tingye is a man who often harbors calculations. Take his proposal to marry my fourth cousin, for example. You should be able to see what his purpose is. Why are you helping him so much?"
"hehe."
Sheng Changbai smiled and said, "Most of the time, there's calculation involved between people. Can you guarantee that you've never calculated against your relatives and friends?"
As long as his schemes didn't involve harming me, that's enough.
You only meet a few true friends in your lifetime.
"Perhaps my cousin is right," Wang You nodded.
He had also considered that he wouldn't be so confident in the face of Sheng Changbai's question.
Moreover, Sheng Changbai is right; at least Gu Tingye didn't scheme with malicious intent.
Back in Yangzhou, Gu Tingye simply overlooked the fact that they might encounter danger.
Although his proposal to marry Mo Lan was for the sake of his family, it was also driven by ulterior motives.
It couldn't be considered a trap for the Sheng family, since he felt the government wouldn't investigate these noble families too deeply.
On the contrary, as the legitimate son of a marquis's family, and with the potential to inherit the title, marrying a concubine's daughter from the Sheng family would be a bargain for the Sheng family.
Although Zhu You couldn't accept it, he had no reason to advise Sheng Changbai to stop associating with Gu Tingye.
"Although I haven't been in the Hanlin Academy for long, I can already sense the undercurrents in the court. Be careful," Sheng Changbai warned.
As the official secretariat, the Hanlin Academy may seem to have little real power, but it is not the only institution in the court that can be kept in the dark about matters large and small.
This is why Hanlin Academy was able to serve as a training ground for court officials.
Because the Hanlin Academy provided access to the latest developments of the imperial court.
"I know, don't worry about me," Wang You said with a smile.
Half an hour later, the guests invited by the Sheng family began to arrive.
At 1:30 AM, the wedding procession officially set off. Wang You rode a horse beside Sheng Changbai, followed by Sheng Wei and the matchmaker, and then the servants carrying the wedding gifts.
The wedding procession, accompanied by the sounds of gongs and drums, made its way to the Hai family's home.
By deliberately controlling the speed and taking a detour, we arrived at the Hai family's house at noon.
Many relatives of the Hai family surrounded the entrance of the Hai family's house, blocking the way with wine and poems urging them to get married. It took a long time before they were allowed to enter.
Upon arriving at the Hai family's main hall, Sheng Wei, an elder, exchanged the betrothal letter for a marriage certificate from Hai Wenqing under the matchmaker's encouragement. Then, Sheng Changbai offered tea and changed his address to Hai Wenqing.
After doing all this, the Hai family invited the bride out.
-
Hai Chaoyun, dressed in a green wedding gown, held a round fan to cover her face as she tearfully bid farewell to her parents.
The admonitions and instructions from Hai Wenqing and his wife were nothing more than that she should be filial to her parents-in-law, be a good wife and mother, and so on after marrying into the Sheng family.
Then, Haining, the elder brother, carried him out of the house and placed him in the bridal sedan chair.
The parents will not be present during this process.
"Ziqian, let's find an opportunity to get together sometime," Haining said with a smile.
"Okay." Wang You nodded with a smile.
Hai Ning went to work as a local official two years ago, and he only came back this time because his younger sister was getting married.
Because I was busy with family matters, I didn't have time to see Wang You.
"Alright, let's not delay the auspicious time."
Sheng Changbai bowed three times to the Hai family before mounting his horse.
When returning home after the wedding, one cannot go back the way one came, and one has to take a long detour, not getting home until close to evening.
The auspicious time for the wedding ceremony should be at dusk. There is intermarriage, and the wedding ceremony is also called the "dusk ceremony".
They would hold a wedding ceremony in the evening and become husband and wife.
Unlike later generations, the ceremony was not completed at noon.
It's no wonder that ancient weddings were often described using a sedan chair carried by eight men.
Ordinary families also perform the ceremony at dusk, but it is not as complicated as that of wealthy families.
They usually plan their departure carefully, and after exchanging gifts at the bride's house, they go straight home for the New Year.
Although we won't take the same route, we won't deliberately take a detour either.
I got home around dusk.
For a wedding like Sheng Changbai's, if there were even two fewer sedan chair bearers, the process wouldn't have lasted an entire afternoon.
The Hai family prepared an enormous dowry, and the wedding procession, including the bride's family, stretched for over ten miles, truly a ten-mile-long red bridal procession.
The journey attracted a large crowd of onlookers, and after a whole afternoon of commotion, they finally arrived at the Sheng family's house near dusk.
Next, we went to the main hall to pay our respects to the ancestors, offer tea, and change our address to each other.
After the bride was escorted to the bridal chamber, the banquet officially began.
The banquet lasted for nearly an hour, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, thus concluding the wedding.
Wang You did not participate in the wedding night festivities. After his mother helped Madam Wang see off the guests, the family returned home.
Grandma Wang was getting on in years, and after all that running around so late, she was exhausted. She went back to the Jingxin Courtyard to rest as soon as she got home.
Wang You greeted his parents and returned to his own courtyard.
The next morning, after having breakfast, Wang You arrived at the Imperial City Guard.
"Wang Xiuzhuan!"
As soon as Wang You arrived, Yu Xingzhi came over, bowed, and said, "The evidence has been collected, and we can begin the formal sentencing."
"Are you sure there's no problem?" Wang You asked.
"I personally led a team to check it several times, there's absolutely no problem!" Yu Xingzhi said confidently.
"I will go to the palace later to report to His Majesty and see what he has to say," Wang You said.
"Then I'll go and get busy," Yu Xingzhi said.
"etc!"
Wang You asked, "Do you know what His Highness the Crown Prince has been busy with lately?"
He hadn't seen Zhao Sheng for some time, nor had he heard any news about him.
"Wang Xiuzhuan doesn't know?" Yu Xingzhi asked in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Wang You asked, frowning.
"The Crown Princess was seriously ill a few days ago, and His Highness the Crown Prince stayed with her at the Eastern Palace. However, the Crown Princess passed away late last night!" Yu Xingzhi said.
"What?"
Wang You asked in surprise, "Why haven't I heard any news?"
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and the Crown Princess is the future Empress.
The Crown Princess was seriously ill, and the news should have spread long ago, but now that she is dead, he has not heard any news at all.
Based on the current members of the royal family, the Crown Princess's status should be ranked fifth, second only to the Crown Prince.
Such an important person died so quietly; it immediately suggests something is amiss.
"It seems the Crown Princess forbade the news from spreading. His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have a deep relationship, so the news wasn't leaked," Yu Xingzhi said.
"I understand, thank you for your command, Yu," Wang You said.
"You're too kind, Wang Xiuzhuan. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now!"
"Um."
Wang You nodded, watching Yu Xingzhi leave with a furrowed brow.
Why did the Crown Princess hide the news of her serious illness?
It's somewhat understandable that the Crown Princess was worried that news of her serious illness would affect her position.
After all, if the news of his serious illness gets out, people outside who don't know the truth might spread rumors.
Ancient people were superstitious, and if some bad rumors spread, they could indeed have some impact.
If Zhao Sheng truly had a deep affection for the Crown Princess, and the imperial physicians were incredibly skilled, he should have searched far and wide for renowned doctors to treat her. It was impossible for him to keep the news completely secret.
But Wang You had not heard any rumors before this.
Even though the Crown Princess passed away last night, Shi Tou and the others didn't hear any discussions about it on their way to the Imperial City Guard.
It seems more like someone is trying to minimize the controversy surrounding this incident and is covering up the news.
Wang You pondered for a long time but still had no clue. After hesitating, he left the Imperial City Guard and went to the Eastern Palace.
The Eastern Palace was not a separate building complex; the earliest Eastern Palace was actually connected to the Imperial Palace.
Because of the emperor's fear of the crown prince, he was completely isolated from the palace at some point.
Because it is located on the east side of the palace, it is also known as the East Palace.
The Imperial City Guard is located within the Imperial City, not far from the Eastern Palace.
When Wang You arrived, he saw white sails hanging at the gate of the East Palace, indicating that a funeral was indeed being held.
Wang You explained his identity and purpose to the guards outside, who then went inside to report. Shortly afterward, a eunuch came out and led Wang You inside.
Upon arriving at the East Palace study, the eunuch stopped and said, "This is as far as you can lead Wang Xiuzhuan. Your Highness, please allow Wang Xiuzhuan to go in alone."
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law!" Wang You bowed respectfully.
"You're too kind, Wang Xiuzhuan. Please go in quickly and don't keep His Highness waiting."
9
After the eunuch finished speaking, he said something to the eunuchs standing at the door, and they opened the door.
Wang You went inside, and as he walked around the screen, he heard the door close behind him.
He looked around but did not see Zhao Sheng.
"Your Highness! Your Highness?"
Wang You walked in while shouting, and after a while he smelled alcohol.
"I'm here!"
Just then, Zhao Sheng's somewhat indistinct voice came from inside the room.
Following the sound, Wang You entered the inner room and saw Zhao Sheng sitting behind a desk, tilting his head back to pour wine into his mouth.
Some wine jars and their broken fragments were scattered on the ground.
The smell of wine was even stronger in the inner room.
"Your Highness!"
Wang You bowed respectfully and said, "This is an official document!"
"Haha~"
Zhao Sheng put down his wine jug and laughed heartily, his laughter filled with bitterness. After a long while, he looked at Wang You with hazy, drunken eyes and said, "Ziqian, what do you think is the point of me being the Crown Prince?"
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words!" Wang You quickly reminded him.
"Be careful what you say?"
Zhao Sheng sneered, "One must be careful with one's words; the imperial family is the most ruthless of all."
Wang You kept his head down and didn't speak. From Zhao Sheng's words, he was already certain that there was something wrong with the Crown Princess's death, and that it was related to the Emperor.
If there were any problems with the Crown Princess, Zhao Sheng wouldn't have said these words. The only explanation is that the Emperor wants the Crown Princess dead.