The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 231 Humiliation
British government.

Zhang Maoren had not yet returned, but he had already sent someone to spread the news.

Zhang Lun learned that the wedding was scheduled for three days. Instead of being happy at all, he became furious.

Because according to the provisions of the "Shihun Rites", weddings generally have six steps, namely, accepting, asking for names, accepting, accepting, asking for dates, and welcoming. This is the wedding tradition known as the "Six Rites". It is a norm that high-profile households must strictly abide by.

Of course, the situation in the past dynasties was different, and the customs also changed slightly, but basically they still followed this process and concept.

However, this is just a rough guide, because if you really follow the steps of "Shihun Rite" and do every action in which direction, it would be too far away from reality.

But no matter what, you just have to have the most basic etiquette of hiring a matchmaker and marrying a daughter-in-law, right?

But what about this damned Marquis of Zhongshan?
He is simply a barbarian who knows no etiquette and no education at all!
Without the most basic procedures such as coming to the door to propose a marriage and give out a betrothal gift, this barbarian actually set the wedding date for three days!
what is this?
what?
The British government is the most noble person in the Ming Dynasty!

You are clearly trying to humiliate the British government!
The original words sent back by Zhang Mao's order were to immediately ask the entire British government to start preparations, and to prepare wedding invitations, red lanterns, etc. immediately.

However, Zhang Lun became furious after seeing this, and then decisively found the "party" Zhang Jingshu!

This kind and loving father could not escape the temptation of money.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to give some advice to his precious daughter.

"Shu'er, what do you mean?"

"My father has told me a long time ago that the Marquis of Zhongshan is a barbarian who doesn't know etiquette. He didn't even have the basic procedures of coming to propose marriage and making three letters and six appointments. He actually directly set your marriage in three days. This is obvious. I just didn’t take you to heart!”

Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.

Zhang Jingshu was startled when she heard this, and her face gradually turned pale.

But before she could answer, a beautiful woman dressed up beside her started to smile.

"Giggle...Sister, it seems that your choice is not good either!"

"Ignore the good Mrs. Wu An and insist on marrying a barbarian. Are you okay now? Instead, she was humiliated by this barbarian!"

This girl is Zhang Lun's legitimate daughter, and she is married to Zhu Hui's son Zhu Qi as his official wife. If nothing unexpected happens, this girl will become the duchess of Baoguo, and will be called Zhu Zhang's family for the time being.

Zhu Zhang's words seemed to be to defend her sister, but in fact they were full of humiliation.

That's right, it's humiliating!
In this era, women's reputation is a big deal!

If there is no door-to-door marriage proposal, no three letters and six betrothal invitations, it is even less likely that there will be a big sedan chair with eight carriages and a phoenix crown and Xiapei!

Zhang Jingshu never thought that the result of her hard work would be so tragic and ridiculous!

The domineering Marquis of Zhongshan was still as domineering as ever and directly set the marriage date for the two of them three days later!
It's like marrying a concubine of a British prince without any extra effort on his part!
Zhang Jingshu's face was as pale as paper, and her silver teeth were biting her red lips.

She was born with extraordinary intelligence and beauty, so she was jealous of the Zhu Zhang family, and beatings and scoldings were commonplace. Unfortunately, because she was a concubine, she met a careless father Zhang Lun, so she had to I have been suffering silently, hoping to get married soon and escape from this cave prison.

It's just that Zhang Jingshu never imagined that her life would be so miserable, and that the husband she would spend the rest of her life with would be such a thing.

One can imagine what a tragic end she would end up with if she really got married to him three days later!
Mrs. Zhu Zhang wore her hair in a bun with hundreds of birds facing the phoenix, a phoenix hairpin on her head, a lock of hair curling around her cheeks, a gold and jade necklace around her neck, a double-breasted skirt, a sable cape, and a ring around her waist. Wearing a jingle, he looked noble and elegant, but that melon-seed face was full of meanness and pleasure at the moment.

Being mean is because of jealousy!

The humble concubine in front of me is obviously just a concubine, but she is more beautiful than her legitimate daughter. Why?
How could a maid give birth to a son be compared with her, a true lady of the direct lineage? Why should she be better than her in terms of appearance?
Therefore, Mrs. Zhu Zhang hated the concubine sister in front of her very much, and wished she could just scratch her face with a hairpin, which I felt pity for!
Delight is because you are happy!
As long as she thinks of this bitch who is about to marry that barbarian who shaves her head and beard, and then live a life that is worse than death, Zhu Zhang only feels that her heart is sweeter than eating candied fruit!
"My good sister!"

"Why don't you regret it now? Maybe my sister, I will go to Wu'anhou's mansion and have a rest, and I can make Wu'anhou change his mind. I believe they will give me this favor."

As soon as the words fell, another burst of narrow laughter sounded.

Mrs. Zhu Zhang just liked to humiliate Zhang Jingshu like this. She couldn't wait to see this pretentious good sister kneeling at her feet the next moment, begging her to help her and help him escape from the clutches of the Zhongshan Marquis!

Zhang Lun was not surprised by this kind of thing about a legitimate daughter bullying a concubine and didn't bother to take a second look.

Instead, he took this opportunity to suggest: "Don't be afraid, Shu'er, my father is here. If you really don't want to get married, my father will go to Wu'an Marquis himself. That guy Zheng Hong is my father's good brother. He I will definitely not refuse..."

Before Zhang Lun finished speaking, Mrs. Zhu Zhang immediately turned her back.

She was just talking, hoping to coax Zhang Jingshu to kneel on the ground and plead for her. How could you, a father, take it seriously?

She didn't want to see such a good show ruined by her father Zhang Lun!
Mrs. Zhu Zhang just wanted to see this disgusting sister fall into the abyss and never be able to stand up again!

"Father, please don't talk nonsense!"

"Sister, you have already sharpened your willpower before. You are so determined. If you go to find Marquis Wu'an now, wouldn't you be humiliating yourself?"

Hearing this, Zhang Lun was in trouble for a while.

If he had simply refused before, then he could still be shameless and give it a try.

But this girl had unreasonable ambitions last time, and Zhang Lun was impatient with Wu'an Marquis Zheng Hong, so he told her directly when they were drinking last time. As a result, the two parties ended up having a bad fight.

Now if we really let him come to our door, it would be a bit embarrassing indeed!

"Shu'er, what do you think? As a father, you would never..."

Before Zhang Lun had finished playing the role of "loving father", Zhang Jingshu suddenly raised her head and looked at the two relatives in front of her calmly.

"I marry!"

"Hey, that's right. As long as you don't want to get married...what did you say?!"

Zhang Lun had spoken proudly before, but before he could finish his words, he froze on the spot, looking at his concubine with astonishment on his face!

"What did you say?"

"I said I will marry!" Zhang Jingshu looked directly at her biological father calmly, "This is your grandfather's order. Shu'er believes in your grandfather. No matter how ignorant the Zhongshan Marquis is of etiquette and how overbearing he is, now that the wedding date has been decided, then Shu'er is Tang's wife!"

"Father, please pay attention to your dignity and stop talking about Marquis Wu'an. It's about Shu'er's chastity!"

The previous sentence directly expressed Zhang Jingshu's attitude, or it was a bitter mockery of Zhang Lun.

This is the opinion of Zhang Mao, the leader of the British government. Even if you, Zhang Lun, are dissatisfied, what can you do?

At least before you, Zhang Lun, took over the British Dukedom, you were a good-for-nothing dandy who didn’t even dare to disobey Zhang Mao’s orders!
The latter sentence reminds Zhang Lun that you are shameless, and I, Zhang Jingshu, am still shameless!

Zhang Lun is a man who has no other skills. His ability to eat, drink, have fun, chat and brag is top-notch.

Therefore, it was difficult for him not to hear the underlying meaning of what he, a concubine, was saying. Then his face became livid and he stared at Zhang Jingshu with an angry look on his face.

"Okay!"

"It's really good!"

"You are a pickpocket, and now you feel that you have climbed onto the high branch of the Marquis of Zhongshan. Do you dare to mock your biological father?"

Zhang Jingshu's face was still very calm, without any fluctuations.

"Father, you are joking. How dare Shuer'an be disrespectful to you?"

"After all, Shu'er's mother died in the hands of your father!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was silent.

All the maids and servants fell to their knees, too frightened to even speak out.

But Mrs. Zhu Zhang hurriedly covered her mouth because she was almost going crazy laughing.

I really didn’t expect that!

If I go back to my hometown today, I can still see this great drama of the breakup between father and daughter!

But in this way, Zhang Jingshu, a bitch, is equivalent to cutting off her own future. Even if she is humiliated to death in the Zhongshan Marquis Mansion, no one will seek justice for her!

Because, this bitch has no biological family anymore!

Zhang Lun looked at the concubine in front of him in astonishment. After all, he still wanted to maintain his father's face in front of everyone, so he suppressed the anger in his heart, put on the posture of a strict father, and shouted sternly: "Why? Father, I don’t know what rumors you have heard, but it would be disrespectful for you to talk to my father like this. Where did you learn your female virtues? It seems that your father still lacks discipline..."

"Ha!" Zhang Jingshu finally broke out, "When have you ever disciplined Shu'er?"

"As a father, apart from fighting bravely and staying in brothels and playing with women all day long, how often have you been in this home? How often have you disciplined your children?" "Zhang Jingshu!" Zhang Lun was about to be beaten. Crazy.

In front of so many servants, the concubine publicly contradicted him, the prince of the country. If word spread, Zhang Lun would probably become the laughing stock of the capital!
"My father kindly helped you mediate your marriage so that you could have a better future, but in the end you..."

"Do you have good intentions?" Zhang Jingshu shouted angrily through gritted teeth: "You clearly took the money from Marquis Wu An and wanted to sell your daughter as a commodity! How can there be such a ruthless and vicious person in the world like you? Father!"

As soon as the words fell, there was a crisp "pop" sound. Zhang Lun finally couldn't help but take action and slapped him hard.

It is only natural for me to discipline my daughter!
Even if this concubine is beaten to death today, no one can say no!
Zhang Jingshu covered her red and swollen face and stared at Zhang Lun with hatred.

However, Mrs. Zhu Zhang pretended to exclaim at this moment, stepped forward and said with concern: "Good sister, let me see!"

"Father, how could you be so harsh?"

"My sister is getting married in three days. Is it possible that you want your sister to go out to meet people like this?"

At the end of the sentence, Mrs. Zhu Zhang almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In fact, she didn't know why she hated this concubine so much.

Maybe it's because she looks more beautiful than him?
Maybe it's because she always looks disgusting and calm when things happen?

But no matter what, disgust is disgust!

Mrs. Zhu Zhang wished that this damn concubine would marry that barbarian who shaved off his hair and beard, and then suffer humiliation and torture!
Zhang Lun angrily scolded: "You are really just like your mother, you are a bitch who can't stand up to the stage..."

"What qualifications do you have to mention my mother?!" Zhang Jingshu fired back not to be outdone.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Lun raised his hand again.

However, at this moment, the housekeeper arrived in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, someone is coming from the palace and they say they have a will!"

Someone from the palace has a purpose!

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Lun's eyes suddenly lit up.

As a noble family of Jingnan, the British Crown Prince is deeply trusted by the royal family, so it is common for the palace to issue decrees.

However, this was all before the Zhengtong Dynasty.

Ever since the Tumu Fort Incident, when the British Duke Zhang Fu died on the battlefield, there has been some inexplicable estrangement between the British Dukes and the royal family. Anyway, since then, all British Dukes have lost the opportunity to lead the army in war. .

Zhang Mao had only done some superficial work in supervising history books in his life, and gradually drifted away from the royal family.

In other words, this is a decree from the palace that has not been seen for a long time!
Zhang Lun did not dare to neglect and immediately ordered: "Open the middle door and prepare the incense case!"

After all, the British government is a long-established noble family, so the process of receiving orders is still very familiar.

But before Zhang Lun left, he yelled at his servants: "Lock this evil obstacle in the room and strictly prohibit her from going out. In three days, she will be married to the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

Since you have to choose a path of no return and marry that barbarian who shaves off his hair and beard, then don’t blame me as a father!
Zhang Jingshu looked at her father's back coldly, feeling sad or ridiculous.

Being born into such a wealthy family and being a concubine is an extremely sad thing in itself.

In her life, she was destined to become a marriage tool for wealthy families, but she had always been unlucky. This time she met a domineering and arrogant Marquis of Zhongshan!
Zhang Lun hurried to the scene with Zhu Zhang and everyone in the mansion, then knelt down in front of the incense table and looked at the palace envoy with hope.

This time, the people who came were two "big shots".

One of them is Chen Kuan, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony. He is responsible for announcing the decree on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor.

The other one is Qiu Chan, the head of Kunning Palace and concurrently the Shang Gong of the Palace Bureau. He is the undisputed number one female official and the absolute confidant of the Empress.

After all, Zhang Lun was the prince of the country, so he still knew Chen Kuan.

This means that what happened today must be a good thing!

Why would Chen Kuan, the first minister of the inner court, come in person?

There are really not many people or things worthy of Chen Kuan’s appearance!
He couldn't help but patiently asked: "Da Xun, why are you here this time?"

Chen Kuan originally had a slight smile on his face, but after looking around for a week, he didn't see the real owner, and his smile suddenly stopped.

"Prince Lun, the decree is for the lady of your house!"

Miss?

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhu Zhang suddenly perked up and her whole body became hot with excitement.

If it was a decree given to her, then there was only one possibility left—a decree!
It’s definitely a decree!

Starting from the Song Dynasty, imperial edicts were used to change civil and military officials' ranks, posthumous gifts to ministers, demote and convict officials, and grant gifts to their grandfathers and wives.

In the Ming Dynasty, officials of the fifth rank and above had the opportunity to receive imperial orders from the emperor if they had outstanding achievements, while those of officials below the sixth rank were called imperial orders.

A woman who has received imperial orders is called "Mrs. Imperial Order", and there is a strict hierarchy. The first- and second-rank official's wife is called "Madam", and the aunt's mother is called "Mrs."; the third-rank official is a lady, the fourth-rank official is a respectful person, and the fifth-rank official is a respectful person. The highest rank is pleasant, the sixth rank is peaceful, and the seventh rank and below are Ruren.

Madam Gaoming can go to the harem on major festival days and attend banquets hosted by the queen. In other words, this is the highest honor that all women in the world long for!

Even Zhang Lun subconsciously looked at his daughter and secretly sighed that his son-in-law Zhu Qi was truly in love. How could he find a way to get his daughter's life so quickly?

Chen Kuan looked at the helpless Zhang Lun and Zhu Zhang, and couldn't help but shook his head speechlessly.

"We are talking about the lady of your house, not the woman!"

"Prince Lun, please invite the rightful master to come out immediately, don't waste any time!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Lun and Zhu Zhang were stunned on the spot, looking at each other with dull expressions.

Fortunately, Chen Kuan's reminder had an effect, and Zhang Lun said in a hoarse voice: "Go and invite the second young lady... over here!"

Miss, not a woman!
How many young ladies can there be in this British government?
Second young lady, Zhang Jingshu!
Mrs. Zhu Zhang stood there in a daze.

She even wanted to question the eunuch if he had made a mistake.

However, as Zhang Jingshu hurried to the scene and Chen Kuan read out the edict in public, everyone realized that they had indeed made a mistake. The edict had named Zhang Jingshu.

This is a wedding decree, and the wedding date is just three days away.

What an honor it is to be married by the emperor!
And at the end of the imperial edict, there was indeed a decree, but it was for Zhang Jingshu.

In view of the outstanding contributions made by Marquis Zhongshan to the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty the Emperor canonized Zhang Jingshu as the First Grade Imperial Lady!
And it's not over yet, because there is a big shot in the palace waiting for him.

Qiu Chan, the head of Kunning Palace, read out the Queen's decree with a smile. In addition to sending a large number of enviable rewards, she immediately summoned Zhang Jingshu into the palace.

It seemed that the Empress was very interested in this British concubine who the Marquis of Zhongshan had personally requested for marriage to.

After the decree was read out, Zhang Jingshu accepted the decree and thanked him.

But just when she was about to get up and leave, Zhang Jingshu made an unexpected move when her eyes touched the rewards from the Queen.

"Shang Gong Qiu Chan, please send these rewards to the Zhongshan Marquis Mansion, which will be my wife's... home from now on!"

Qiu Chan was stunned when she heard this. When she noticed Zhang Jingshu's red and swollen cheeks and Zhang Lun's mournful appearance, she made a rough guess in her mind.

"Okay, it's just a small matter."

"Now follow me into the palace!"

Zhang Jingshu strode away, leaving everyone in the Zhang family deeply shocked.

Zhang Lun looked at his daughter's leaving figure and collapsed on the ground.

The emperor granted marriage and the queen summoned her!
Either way, it indicates that Zhang Jingshu is taken seriously!

"damn it!"

"What...did I do before?"

(End of this chapter)