Shengshichun

All members of the newly reorganized Zhanshi Palace were appointed by the emperor himself, except for Xie Zhang, who was proposed by Yang Yi.

The emperor and empress were of course satisfied with this candidate.

Xie Zhang comes from a prominent family, and his family background and character are impeccable. In terms of ability, he has been an official in Beijing for so many years that his resume is very impressive.

But the Queen was still a little curious: "Are you familiar with Lord Xie? There are many capable ministers in the court, why did you choose him?"

Yang Yi didn't know what he was thinking of. The corners of his lips slightly raised, with an ambiguous smile: "Master Xie, besides being very talented and knowledgeable, is actually quite interesting."

The queen was even more confused: "He has always been loyal and upright, and he doesn't like to joke around. How can he be funny?"

Yang Yi refused to say anything more, but his expression became more playful, even sly and mischievous.

Xie Zhang took office at the end of the first month. However, the position of Zhanshi was held concurrently by officials from the court, so he could only stay in the Eastern Palace for half of the day to handle government affairs.

This half time was enough for him and Yang Yi to develop a tacit understanding between the ruler and his subject.

That day, Fu Zhen and the Queen were drinking tea in the Imperial Garden. They saw peony flowers blooming from afar, and the two of them walked slowly towards them.

I don't know what they were talking about, but they looked very relaxed.

Before Fu Zhen had time to stand up and greet him, he heard Yang Yi's voice: "...When are you going to propose to my Aunt Ning? My Aunt Ning is a beauty with a noble character. It's hard to find another woman like her in the world."

Xie Zhang sighed: "How can I decide this? I have mentioned it before, but they always say there is no rush."

Fu Zhen pulled aside the branches and leaves of the peony, and saw the two of them stopped under the plum tree, with Xie Zhang's brows and eyes squeezed together with worry.

Yang Yi looked at him and said, “That must be because you are not sincere enough.

"If you haven't made up your mind, I'll be your matchmaker. She's still so young and has a long life ahead of her. How can she be alone like this?

"I heard that the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel has also been a widower for many years. I heard that he has a good character and likes to help the common people. I don't know if my aunt thinks highly of him."

"Your Highness!"

Xie Zhang clasped his hands and looked at him speechlessly.

Yang Yi smiled.

Fu Zhen thought that he never knew how to laugh before, but now he smiles more and more, and when he laughs he is as kind as the queen.

Fu Zhen could no longer hear what they said. They had already crossed the garden and were heading towards a small imperial study in the garden.

The queen sighed and laughed, "This kid, his own affairs are still unresolved, but he's already worrying about others."

This sentence reminded Fu Zhen of something she had almost forgotten. She immediately said, "I'll go ask His Highness what he thinks about the marriage. I promise to complete the task as soon as possible!"

The queen smiled when she heard this and asked her, "Speaking of which, how is your mother doing recently? I haven't seen her for a while. The crystal pork elbow and four-color cakes she sent me last time were both very much to my taste. I miss her a little."

Fu Zhen pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Mother also asked about the Queen last night. She said that once the new dishes developed by the chefs are ready, they will be sent to the palace immediately to honor the Queen."

Madam Ning went to the palace once during the Queen's birthday banquet. She talked about many topics with the Queen at the banquet. Later, she went to the palace several times with Madam Pei and they became very familiar with each other.

The Queen also liked the food from Wanbinlou, and Madam Ning often sent people to deliver the food to the palace.

Fu Zhen had noticed the ambiguity between Madam Ning and Xie Zhang very early on. She also felt that Xie Zhang would be a good match for Madam Ning, but she would not influence Madam Ning's decision, so she never took the initiative to ask about her choice.

It sounded like Yang Yi's previous words were a provocation, but if Xie Zhang had really made up his mind, he would definitely consider it carefully and propose to Madam Ning again.

Madam Ning is not a shy person. She did not agree earlier, perhaps because the time was not right. If it is mentioned again now, she may not necessarily disagree.

When she was with Fu Yun, she suffered so much for her children. Now, it is time for her children to protect him.

Ning Jia successfully entered the Imperial College and was preparing to take part in the Autumn Examination next fall.

Master Shen believed that he had a good chance of passing the imperial examination this time. If his prediction was correct, then at the age of fourteen he would become the youngest candidate in recent sessions.

Although there is still a long way to go from being a juren to being a jinshi, he still proved himself. After receiving the title bestowed by the court, he was able to gain a firm foothold among the children of the capital with his knowledge.

He was proving step by step the oath he made in front of Fu Yun. Even if he didn't have to inherit the property given to him by Madam Ning, he would still have the ability to become a superior person.

At the beginning of spring, local officials came to Beijing to report on their work. Yang Tong and Zhang Cheng, who had nothing to do after their daily work, would go out for tea and stroll around the capital and brought new news from the post station.

"We saw Fu Yun. He was staying in the inn, wearing an old robe that had turned white from washing, and his hair had turned a lot whiter. He was completely different from how he looked in the capital that day!"

Fu Zhen was a little surprised by this. He counted the time with his fingers and found that Fu Jun had been away from Beijing for a year.

Other than that, she didn't have too many feelings. Although he was the biological father of this body, this person didn't leave many traces in the original life. It didn't matter whether he was the biological father or not.

Last year, Fu Zhen mentioned again that he wanted to change his surname back, but this time it was Pei Zhan who had other ideas.

“Why can’t you, Fu, be considered to have inherited the surname of the previous dynasty’s Grand Tutor Fu Ziyu?

“The Ning family’s mansion was originally the old house of Grand Tutor Fu. My grandfather bought it and let you live in it. It was also a fate.

"Now that the Ning family has Jia Ge'er as its successor, Fu Yun may be hateful, but the old tutor is a man of integrity and righteousness. His character and contributions to the country have been praised many times by even the emperor. If you think you can keep it, then I think you can consider yourself the old tutor's descendant."

After Pei Zhan's explanation, Fu Zhen actually felt that there was some truth in it.

Originally, Fu Yun's branch was a close relative of the old Taifu. It was because of their status as the old Taifu's descendants that they were able to snatch this house from many members of the Fu family.

Then Fu Zhen can naturally be said to be the descendant of Fu Ziyu.

In this case, Fu Zhen was too lazy to worry about it. Was his surname Ning or Fu? Or was it Liang? It didn't matter to her.

Fu Zhen thought that he would never have the chance to meet Fu Yun again, and there was no need to meet him, so even though he knew that he was in the post house in the capital, he never thought of meeting him.

But unexpectedly, Fu Jun came to the door herself.

That day the snow finally began to melt, and the sun shone warmly on the streets. Fu Zhen came out of Wanbin Building in a carriage, preparing to go to Gu's house to meet Yang Yi and ask him about his thoughts on marriage.

Seeing the beautiful early spring scenery along the way, he felt like taking a walk along the street, so he called Zi Yan to accompany him and strolled along the street.

Fu Jun came towards them at this moment.

Fu Zhen had a good memory. Although the man in front of him was no longer the same as he remembered, he still recognized him very quickly. Both parties were silent for a moment, and then Fu Yun spoke first: "What a coincidence. You, you came from your mother's place?"

Fu Zhen looked at the white hair on his temples and nodded: "When did you come to Beijing?"

Fu Yun's face trembled: "You don't even call me dad now?"

Fu Zhen pulled the corner: "How is Liu? Did she give birth to your children? You don't even have a child of your own, do you?"

Fu Yun's muscles trembled even more violently.

Fu Zhen lowered his eyelids and looked at his cuffs, which were frayed at the edges: "Your Excellency is an official after all. Although you no longer have a place to make unlimited money, you should also take care of your dignity.

"It's so hard to come to Beijing. If I don't do a good job in this job, I might lose my official position completely."

Fu Yun's skinny face had turned purple.

Fu Zhen nodded at him politely and walked past him.

She didn't look back.

What happens to the people behind her next? She is not interested at all.

To her, when she allowed Fu Rou to murder her repeatedly, this father was already dead.

However, it was not until many years later that Fu Zhen realized that this was indeed the last time they would see each other. From then on, Fu Yun never appeared again.

……

"The harem cannot be left without a master for a day. Several months have passed in the blink of an eye. What do you think, Your Highness? Have you carefully considered the list I handed to you last time?"

Sitting in the side courtyard of the Gu family that was specially set aside for Yang Yi to teach and study, Fu Zhen asked straight to the point.

Yang Yi hesitated: "But I don't recognize almost any of the names on the list you gave me. Besides, I'm too old to be picky, right?"

"You are too modest!" Fu Zhen ate preserved plums, "The Queen doesn't like to force people. To be on the list, she must have inquired about other people's wishes in advance. You don't have to worry about your age, you are not old!
"Many of the officials in the capital who lost their wives would remarry young girls aged 17 or 18, and they would both be willing.

"Just tell me if you like it!"

In order to arrange a marriage for Yang Yi as soon as possible and to allow him to successfully give birth to his own children, the Queen even lowered her requirements to a level that even women who had given birth before could accept. But how could Fu Zhen really do that?
Not to mention the women of the common people, there are also many ladies from official families who are willing to marry down because of family reasons.

What's more, he is the son of the emperor and empress!
Even if he really wasn't a crown prince or a prince, his status would definitely not be ordinary! How could he not be able to marry? !
After he became the crown prince, it became easier for Fu Zhen to get the list.

There were not many families among high-ranking officials who were willing to join in the fun, but there were still many candidates among the families of lower-ranking officials. They were also of clean status, well-educated, and had good family traditions.

After listening to Fu Zhen's words, Yang Yi held the teacup and remained silent for a long time.

A snow-white cat rolled in like a ball, took a look around the yard, and without hesitation chose Yang Yi, jumping onto his knees.

Fu Zhen was surprised and said, "Xue'er, you are so bold, how can you lie on the lap of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Yang Yi glanced at her: "This isn't the first time."

As he said this, he skillfully picked up the cat and stroked its head.

“…Xue’er!”

Gu Yingying's figure appeared at the threshold. She panted and glanced at the two people in the yard, then stepped forward with a steady breath and bowed, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Sister Fu."

Fu Zhen looked at her: "Why are you chasing a cat?"

Gu Yingying glanced at the cat that was napping fearlessly on Yang Yi's lap, opened her mouth and said, "I was trimming its nails, but it ran away before I finished."

Fu Zhen glanced at the cat, then looked up at Yang Yi, then looked at Gu Yingying, and finally stood up lazily, holding onto the table:

"I'm a little sleepy. Your Highness, please think about it carefully. I will ask you again tomorrow."

After saying this, she bowed and left.

After stepping out of the door, she stopped, leaned on the door frame and looked into the yard again.

At this time, Yang Yi had already stood up and handed the cat to Gu Yingying from a distance of two steps.

Gu Yingying lowered her head, took the cat and walked out.

Yang Yi stopped her and said, "Aren't you going to cut its nails? It doesn't seem to be afraid of me. Do you want me to hold it and you cut its nails?"

Gu Yingying raised her head in surprise, then slowly lowered it after a moment.

Xue'er lay meekly in her arms, just like herself at this moment.

Fu Zhen withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment and then asked Zi Yan: "Where is the old master? I haven't talked to him for a long time. I'll go and have some tea with him."

……

Fu Zhen's tea party at Gu's house lasted for two hours.

The next day, two new lists were presented to Kunning Palace and the Eastern Palace respectively.

The news that the palace had officially proposed marriage to the Grand Tutor's Mansion came half a month later.

When the news reached the Pei family, it was also presented to Fu Zhen along with a reward brought by the eunuch of Kunlun Palace with a smile on his face.

Su Xing'er joked that this was a thank-you gift for matchmaking, but Fu Zhen didn't think so. She didn't act as a matchmaker. She was just giving a way out to Yang Yi, who was unable to move forward due to his age.

During the tea party with Master Gu, she only told some stories about Yang Yi that outsiders didn't know. It was not the legendary experience of a prince, but the tenacious past of an ordinary man who refused to succumb to adversity.

Master Gu did not mention Gu Yingying at all, but when he sent Fu Zhen out, he invited this close friend to come back another day to have tea with him.

So this marriage was not her credit.

They fell in love with each other and saw something in each other's eyes that was worth staying for.

They had only known each other for a few months, and perhaps it was not enough to talk about life and death. This marriage was realized so quickly because the emperor and his subjects wanted to see the royal family have descendants as soon as possible. However, one must have a beautiful yearning at the beginning to have the courage to continue and pursue higher values. (End of this chapter)