A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1261 The Emperor's Daughter is also worried about marriage

As satisfied as Wu Huaiyu was with Princess Lanling as his daughter-in-law, he was quite resistant to having Princess Gaoyang as his eighth daughter-in-law.

If there are really women who are unlucky in marriage in this world,

Then Gao Yang is definitely one of them.

She lowered the reputation of Princess Li of the Tang Dynasty significantly.

"My son is just a concubine's son, he is not worthy of a royal family," Wu Huaiyu refused tactfully.

Not all princesses are as virtuous as Princess Xiangcheng and Princess Lanling. Gao Yang is the kind of unruly and dissolute princess, and the Wu family cannot accept her.

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment.

"Although Gao Yang is divorced, he is still young," said Li Shimin.

In the eyes of the emperor, a royal princess, even if she was marrying for the second time, was still of noble status. She would have no trouble finding a husband if she was granted a marriage with a noble or famous family. For example, several of Li Shimin's sisters remarried, and all of them married people from famous families.

Princess Gaomi first married Zhangsun Xiaozheng and then married Duan Lun. Princess Changguang first married Zhao Cijing and then married Yang Shidao.

Princess Fangling and Princess Anding were also remarried. Princess Fangling was the Princess Lanling who had an affair with her nephew. After the divorce, she was renamed Princess Fangling. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, she remarried Helan Sengjia, but she was still a womanizer.

Wu Huaiyu didn't dislike second marriages, he just disliked Princess Gaoyang.
But there is no way to mention this.

After all, Princess Gaoyang has only been married to the Fang family for half a year. She is just behaving a little unruly now and has not yet cuckolded Fang Yiai. Wu Huaiyu cannot use something that has not happened as an excuse.

This is very embarrassing.

"Do you dislike my daughter's second marriage?"

"That's absolutely not the case."

"So you dislike the fact that Gao Yang is older than Balang, but he is only three months older?"

"Female junior, holding a gold brick."

"Then why don't you want to?"

"Balang is just a concubine's son, he is not worthy of the princess," Wu Huaiyu had to stick to this point. Anyway, among his three legitimate sons, the eldest was married to Princess Lanling, the second and third were also engaged, and the third was still very young.

Li Shimin frowned.

He suddenly seemed to understand something.

"Is it because Gao Yang is so unruly?"

Although Gao Yang had been married for only half a year, she refused to live with her parents-in-law Fang Xuanling and was unwilling to serve them morning and evening. She lived in her own princess mansion and had no respect or love for her husband Fang Er. Although there was no rumor that she had been having an affair, the nobles and relatives had heard about it, and her reputation was very bad.

"Then I shall promise Princess Chengyang to your son Balang?" said the emperor.

"My son is even less worthy."

Princess Chengyang was born to Empress Changsun and was the younger sister of Princess Changle and Princess Jinyang.

Princess Chengyang married Du Ruhui's second son Du He. Du He was also granted the title of Duke of Xiangyang County and the title of Shangcheng Fengyu because of his marriage to Princess Chengyang. This was originally a happy marriage. The Jingzhao Du family was one of the six surnames in Guanzhong, and produced two prime ministers during the Zhenguan period.

However, because Du Yan and Du Ruhui died early, and Du Chuke was too active in jumping around in the Prince of Wei's palace, he was demoted to a county magistrate. Now, many years have passed, and he has served as a county magistrate in three places. He is still stuck in the position of county magistrate and has no chance to return to Chang'an.

Du He was a relatively talented man, but he was also very ambitious. He wanted to emulate his father and great uncle in supporting the emperor, but in the end he ended up being exiled for treason.

It had not been long since Princess Chengyang got married.

Du He was sentenced to exile, but he remained calm and showed no fear. The most amazing thing was Princess Chengyang. The emperor loved his daughter and asked the princess to divorce Du He, but the princess asked to be exiled to Suiye with Du He.

But how could Li Shimin allow him and his eldest grandson's daughter to be exiled to Suiye? She was just implicated. In the end, the emperor forced him to divorce and forced the princess to stay in the palace.

In comparison, as soon as Fang Yiai got into trouble, Gao Yang immediately wanted to divorce him. Not only that, he also took away many of Fang Er's properties.

"Your Majesty, there has never been a precedent where a son of my family could marry two princesses. I dare not break this precedent. The grace is too great for me to enjoy."

Wu Huaiyu's reason is barely acceptable.

If the Wu family had two brothers and two princesses, it would be really amazing, not to mention that Princess Chengyang was a legitimate princess.

"I have discovered that among the children of the nobles in Chang'an, your Wu clan children are the best educated. I will now select sons-in-law for Chengyang, Gaoyang, and Baling. I will not choose them based on their family background, but will first consider their character, then their talent, and finally their family background.

I know your Ba Lang, he is a very good boy."

"Huaiyu, we have known each other for seventeen years. Today, Lizhen returned home with a happy face. I saw it with my eyes and was happy in my heart. I also hope that my three daughters who have just divorced can find husbands and be as happy as Lanling after marriage.
Whether it is an exception or not is nothing.”

"Well, you can choose any one of my three daughters. If you don't like Gaoyang, then you can choose one between Chengyang and Baling. They are both older than your Balang, but not much older."

When Li Shimin said all this, he was very much like an old father in later generations who had a single daughter at home and went to the corner of the park to find a blind date for her.

Although the emperor asked him to choose,
Princess Baling and Princess Chengyang were not as dissolute and unruly as Princess Gaoyang, but Wu Huaiyu was still unwilling to accept it.
The doctrine of the mean cannot be extreme.

It’s too late.

In the past, Fang Xuanling's family had three marriages with the royal family, but now the two sons involved have been exiled.

"Your Majesty, there are many talented people among the nobles and ministers in the court. I know some of them and can recommend a few to Your Majesty.

For example, Weiweiqing Xue Huaiyu had a son named Xue Guan, who was tall, handsome, and talented. Moreover, the Xue family in Hedong was also a famous and prestigious family.

After the fall of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, the Hedong Xue family moved with 5,000 households to Fenyin in Hedong. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, they developed from local tyrants to a first-class aristocratic family with many civil servants and military generals. They are divided into two major branches: the Southern Ancestor and the Western Ancestor.

Xue Guan was from the Western Ancestor Branch.

Xue Guan is related to the royal family.

Xue Guan's grandfather Xue Deyuan married the sister of the current prime minister Gao Shilian, who also had a sister who married Changsun Sheng, the mother of Empress Changsun and the emperor's uncle.

Therefore, Princess Chengyang, born to Changsun, was a cousin of Xue Guan.

The Hedong Xue family is still a famous family for producing handsome men and beautiful women. The men are handsome and the women are beautiful, which may be related to the fact that they have been living in the north for a long time and intermarried with the local Hu people.

The Xue family in the Sui and Tang dynasties produced many famous people, such as the literary master Xue Daoheng, the uncle and nephew scholars Xue Shou and Xue Yuanjing in the Qin Palace, the overlord of Western Qin Xue Ju and Xue Rengao, and the brothers Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun whose house just collapsed.

Xue Guan's father was the Minister of Imperial Guards, which was already a high-ranking official of the third rank.

He is also Princess Chengyang's cousin, so it's a good marriage between them.

Li Shimin had some impression of the grandson of his wife's aunt. He was indeed good-looking and talented. Xue Huaiyu was not very outstanding, but he had Gao Shilian and Zhangsun Wuji as his backers, so he was promoted to the position of Weiweiqing after a year.

Seeing Wu Huaiyu shirking his responsibilities,
Li Shimin was also helpless.

"Then introduce another talented person to Princess Baling."

"Dou Huaiqiu, the grandson of Empress Taimu and the son of Dou Desu, the Supervisor of the Imperial Household, entered the officialdom through family background and is currently the magistrate of Qinghe County. He is honest and capable and has made considerable political achievements." Dou Huaiqiu's great-grandfather Dou Yi was the father of Empress Dowager Dou. He called Li Yuan his great-aunt and Li Shimin his cousin.

The Fufeng Dou family also produced two prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin knew that this cousin was indeed very capable, in his twenties, and still unmarried. At first, Li Shimin almost promised Princess Lanling to this cousin.

"Xue Guan and Dou Huaiqi are indeed two young talents, but your Balang is not bad either."

"My son is far inferior. How can a concubine's illegitimate son compare to these two famous men? They are both legitimate sons, talented, and royal relatives."

Wu Huaiyu was very rude and kept belittling his own son, saying that other people's children were more talented.

Seeing this, Li Shimin had no choice but to stop mentioning the matter of marrying the princess to the Wu family. He couldn't just be so impulsive.

After the return party, I went home.
Wu Huaiyu mentioned this to Xuan Fu, "Princess Gaoyang's reputation is indeed not very good, but Princess Chengyang and Princess Baling sound good, especially Princess Chengyang. Du Erlang was sentenced to exile, but the princess refused to divorce and was willing to accompany him to Suiye thousands of miles away. It is really amazing and admirable."

"We already have a princess in our family. I don't think it's necessary to have another one."

"They are precious children, not ordinary people. How can we take them all home?" Huaiyu said with a smile.

"My husband is right," Xuanfu said as she took off her makeup while sitting in front of the dressing table. "Then you should also find a marriage partner for Balang as soon as possible. He is already fifteen years old and can get married and have children in the next two years. Cao mentioned this to me a few days ago. As a father, you should pay attention to this matter."

"You can't let people say you're unfair."

"I've been thinking about this, too."

The emperor's daughter has no trouble finding a husband, and the Wu family's sons have no trouble finding wives. There are too many people who want to marry into the Wu family. Even if a concubine gives birth to a son out of wedlock, there are still many noble families who want to marry into the family, and they are even willing to marry off their legitimate daughters.

However, Wu Huaiyu is now more cautious and picky about marriage.

Not everyone can propose marriage. In the early years, Wu Huaiyu was just a rising star, and he was willing to propose marriage to those noble families in order to increase the reputation of the Wu family and win over allies.

But things are different now. If you don’t choose carefully, you will easily be implicated.

"You need to find a time to talk to Balang face to face about this matter. You just rejected this golden branch and jade leaf to him, and even a legitimate princess. Aren't you afraid that he will be unhappy?"

From Wu Huaiyu's perspective, it was inappropriate for the Wu family to marry another princess, especially since the emperor first proposed Princess Gaoyang for marriage. Wu Huaiyu could only refuse. If he really picked one, and chose the legitimate Princess Chengyang, that would be really foolish.

Therefore, regarding the matter of marrying Princess Gaoyang, the Wu family must either accept Princess Gaoyang or refuse.

But for Wu Balang, a concubine's son, it would be a rare opportunity for him to marry a princess, or even a legitimate princess, even if it was a second marriage.

"Old Eight is a reasonable man. I'll talk to him tomorrow and he'll understand. I'll find him a good match and won't let him down."

"So which family do you like? The Five Surnames and Seven Clans, the Six Surnames of Guanlong, or the Twelve Clans of Jiangnan?"

The Wu family had marriage alliances with the imperial family Li, the maternal relatives Changsun, Gao, and Zhang. They also had marriage alliances with the Shandong gentry families of Fanyang Lu, Boling Cui, Zhaojun Li, and Taiyuan Wang.
He also intermarried with the Li Keshi family of the Longxi Li clan, as well as the Cheng Yaojin family, the Xu Jingzong family, and many local powerful families, such as the Feng, Xianning, Chen, Yang and other families in Lingnan, the Yang, Tang and other families in Shuofang, and the Gao family behind the Yanyun Mountains.

"I'll ask Hachiro what he thinks first, and then we'll make arrangements."

The next day, Wu Huaiyu called Balang Chengyuan.

"Accompany Aye to feed the pandas."

When the father and son arrived at the Leopard House, they first asked the servants to fetch some young bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots were out of season, so the giant pandas would have one less delicacy.

But they also like to eat fresh tender bamboo.

"Yesterday, your eldest brother and sister-in-law came back home, and I went to the palace to attend the banquet. His Majesty mentioned something," Wu Huaiyu told the story straight to the point and also specially explained the inside story.

"You don't blame Aye for rejecting you, do you?"

Cheng Yuan smiled and said, "Father, you are doing this for my own good. Actually, I heard in the Imperial College that Princess Gao Yang has a bad reputation. I dare not marry such a beautiful girl."

"Hahaha, don't say that outside."

"know."

"Then what kind of wife do you want to marry? What are your requirements in terms of family background? Just tell me and Aye will help you find one."

Cheng Yuan suddenly became shy.

"What's the matter? Do you have a girl you like?" Wu Huaiyu looked at him, a little surprised.

"I, I, I like my seventh cousin from my eldest aunt's family."

When he said this, Wu Huaiyu was stunned. The seventh cousin from her eldest aunt's family was the daughter of Wu Yu'e and Ma Zhou.

"No."

Wu Huaiyu refused.

Cheng Yuan was stunned, staring at Wu Huaiyu with wide eyes, "Aye, why?"

He was anxious, his face flushed, "My son really likes my seventh cousin, and, and my cousin likes me too."

Shit, there's actually something else going on here. These cousins ​​actually have developed feelings for each other, but I don't know if they've secretly pledged their love to each other.

Cousins ​​from my aunt’s and uncle’s families are close relatives.

"Balang, your seventh cousin from your eldest aunt's family is too closely related to you. Marriage between close relatives is very harmful. It will result in infertility. Even if you do have children, they are likely to die after childbirth or suffer from congenital defects." Wu Huaiyu explained.

But Chengyuan thought it was just an excuse his father made up.

Because although all dynasties have prohibited marriage between close relatives since ancient times, this close relative refers to marriage between people with the same surname and direct blood relationship. The Tang Dynasty law stipulates that marriage between people with the same surname and direct blood relationship is punishable by two years' imprisonment, and relations between relatives above the age of mortal are treated as adultery.

However, it does not deny marriages based on matrilineal blood relations, such as cousin marriage, aunt-cousin marriage, and uncle-nephew marriage.

Some people even believe that this kind of cousin marriage is a way to keep the wealth within the family and strengthen the relationship.

From the royal family to the gentry and then to the common people, this kind of cousin marriage was very common.

Even Empress Changsun married her daughter, Princess Dongyang, to the son of her uncle Gao Shilian. Princess Dongyang was her cousin given by her uncle.

Wu Huaiyu felt that Chengyuan marrying his aunt's daughter was a close relative marriage, which was not allowed. However, in the Tang people's concept at that time, there was no problem with this at all. Instead, it was a good thing to strengthen the relationship between relatives.

Wu Chengyuan didn't understand his father at all. He could accept his father's refusal to marry a princess, or even to choose one of the three princesses. However, he and his cousin were in love with each other and had been interested in each other for a long time. He wanted to take this opportunity today to explain to his father and ask him to agree to the marriage.

No, my father refused with this reason.

"Father, I don't want to marry a princess, nor do I want any of the five surnames and seven clans in Shandong, the six surnames in Guanlong, or the daughters of prime ministers or ministers. I will not marry anyone but my seventh cousin in this life."

Wu Huaiyu frowned, feeling helpless when he saw his son losing his guard.

(End of this chapter)