in2ebook Chapter 147 Is the Marquis of Zhenbei still the Marquis of Zhenbei if he neither fights battles nor
Chapter 147 Is the Marquis of Zhenbei still the Marquis of Zhenbei if he neither fights battles nor
As the sun set and night fell, the He family discussed the feasibility of the marriage.
Everyone held their own opinions.
He Shaoqing and his wife thought it was alright, but He Shaofu was not satisfied.
“Third Uncle is, after all, from an official family. If he wants to get married, there are plenty of girls from the same official family. Even if the Zhao family girl has some favors with the Pingxi Marquis’s family, how many are there? It would be better to properly marry into an official family and have another in-law so that they can support each other in the future.”
"Besides, this Miss Zhao is so unruly and shrewish, and she doesn't know any manners. If she marries into the family, won't there never be peace in this household? In my opinion, it would be better to marry her off to a well-educated and courteous concubine's daughter."
He Shaoqing and his wife found the idea reasonable and hesitated for a moment.
However, Madam He was behaving like a good stepmother, so she asked He Landian, "Third Brother, what do you think? You've met this Miss Zhao today, do you think she's suitable?"
He Lan Dian stood up, bowed, and then said, "My son thinks it's alright."
"Oh? You think it's alright?" Madam He was surprised. Most men in this world like gentle and virtuous women, but Miss Zhao's personality is far from gentle and virtuous.
He Lan Dian said, "The Zhao family's daughter is not gentle, but she is sincere. It is easy to guess what she is thinking, and she listens to advice. If she is lacking in manners, Mother can teach her a thing or two after she marries into the family."
However, what he thought to himself was: This fierce wife is really a good thing; from now on, she'll be the one bullying others, and no one else will be the one bullying her.
"Moreover, Father and Mother, if you suddenly break off the engagement, it will be difficult to explain to the princess."
Upon hearing this, He Shaoqing and Madam He frowned again. This was indeed a problem. If they refused the princess, how would the princess save face? Perhaps the princess wouldn't say anything to her face, but who knew if she would hold a grudge in her heart.
Perhaps once they agreed to the marriage, there was no turning back.
He Lan Dian continued, "I just heard what my mother said. The princess also mentioned the matter of the Min family girl, saying that if the Changyang Marquis's mansion goes too far, the princess is willing to step in and help."
“Father, Mother, I believe that for this reason alone, if the He family ever encounters difficulties, the princess will be willing to lend a hand. Therefore, this marriage is worthwhile.”
“Not bad.” These words struck a chord with He Shaoqing, and he immediately made a decision: “Then this marriage will continue, but it’s a shame that you’re marrying such a woman.”
"I'm not wronged," He Lan Dian said with a sincere and honest expression. "What is this sacrifice for the He family? Besides, I understand Zhao's personality. As long as we provide her with good food and drink and don't provoke her, we can get by."
Madam He thought about it and agreed: "Since you've said so, let's send a message to the princess tomorrow. Once the Min family's affairs are settled, we'll choose an auspicious day to hold the ceremony."
"Thank you, mother."
When He Lanxue, the eldest son of the He family, returned home at night, he was greeted by his wife, who was full of resentment.
"I think your third brother looks honest on the surface, but he's actually full of ulterior motives. He makes it sound so easy for him. We feed him well and drink him well, and we can't even make him angry. It's a joke. Does he think our He family has to give in to his wife in everything?"
Madam He felt truly aggrieved. If Zhao Rufang were a noble lady from a wealthy family, it would be one thing, but she was just a girl from a peasant family who, relying on her past favors with the princess, made her put up with everything.
Where would such a thing happen?
Who does she think she is?!
Young Master He was quite open-minded: "Being able to establish some connection with the princess is something many people would beg for."
Although the He family has nothing to hide, being caught in this vortex of power, it's hard to say they might be implicated and framed. If that happens, a word from the princess might save the He family from their predicament.
"Moreover, because of this favor, my mother and my third brother and his wife can often visit the Marquis of Pingxi's residence. Even if they can't provide any assistance to the He family, it lets those people know that the He family is not without support, so they dare not plot against the He family."
Trading a marriage with an unremarkable illegitimate son for a connection with the Marquis of Pingxi's household, though not a large sum, was still worthwhile.
"Isn't there the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion there?" The He family had served in the north and had some connection with the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion. In fact, the name of the eldest son of the He family was given by the old Zhenbei Marquis.
“I think the adopted daughters of the Marquis of Zhenbei are all gentle, obedient, well-educated and polite. If we could marry one of them, it would strengthen the ties between us and the Marquis of Zhenbei.”
"The Lady of Zhenbei Marquis?" Young Master He frowned upon hearing this. "What do you think the Lady of Zhenbei is doing with those girls? My third brother is an illegitimate son, would she even look at him? What does our He family have that would be worth her attention?"
The Zhenbei Marquis's mansion is quite lively now. The Zhenbei Marquis has a son, who is also his only son, but he has been spoiled by the Zhenbei Marquis's wife since childhood and can't even handle a sword or spear properly.
The person that Marquis Zhenbei has been keeping by his side all this time is Huo Ling, the posthumous son of his younger brother. The boy is only fifteen years old, but he dares to ride a horse and chase the enemy for three thousand miles and kill the enemy leader. He is known as the tiger cub of a military family and is the backbone of the Huo family.
In contrast, the young master Huo, who can't even handle a sword or spear properly, is a disgrace to the Huo family. Nowadays, many people believe that the young master Huo is unworthy of his position and are requesting a replacement.
Lady Zhenbei then became anxious, but her anxiety was not to change her son and make him the rightful heir of Zhenbei. Instead, she adopted several orphans of soldiers as goddaughters, attempting to use marriage alliances to secure her son's position as heir.
She had a pretty good idea: her son would become the future Marquis of Zhenbei, while others would be left to guard the border and fight battles.
Is a Marquis of Zhenbei who doesn't fight battles or command troops still a Marquis of Zhenbei?
Does Huo Jiajun agree?
Did the imperial court agree?
When Young Master He thought of the Lady of Zhenbei, he didn't know what to say. It was not without reason that she doted on her children and was reluctant to let them go to the battlefield.
Her maternal family's surname was Yang, and their families had served under the Huo family's army for generations. Her father was a capable deputy general of the old Zhenbei Marquis. In that battle more than ten years ago, her father and uncles all died on the battlefield.
The child she gave birth to was her only bloodline. When she heard that the Marquis of Zhenbei wanted to take the child to the battlefield, she went mad. The Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion had no choice but to leave the child in Qindu.
And then, as I kept raising it, it ended up like this.
However, the Huo family did make other preparations while letting her spoil their son.
Thinking of Huo Ling, who bore a striking resemblance to the Marquis of Zhenbei, Young Master He's eyes flashed, and he said to his wife, "A doting mother spoils her son. You should have less contact with the Marquis of Zhenbei's wife in the future, lest you learn from her excessive pampering of the children and ruin their lives."