Zhao Jiaqi, having sounded her out, understood that if Song Xin could return as Prime Minister, it would save her and Fan Zehao a lot of trouble.
"I hear Song Lan is eighteen, I wonder if she is married!"
"No, that girl Lan'er has a high standard. She was choosing when her father was still Prime Minister, but she hadn't found a good match when he was removed. High-ranking families don't want to marry a daughter from a fallen family, so her marriage has been delayed. Now she's neither here nor there, a difficult case!"
Speaking of her daughter, Zhou Qiangwei had a stomach full of complaints.
"They say marriage is decided by parents and arranged by a matchmaker, but she's my only legitimate daughter, and I always wanted her to find someone she liked herself. Not only did she not find anyone, but she's also grown into a young woman. My heart aches!"
Zhao Jiaqi patted her hand. She understood this feeling very well. If her daughter were looking for a partner, she might be more anxious than her daughter.
Marriage was a second birth.
A girl was truly afraid of marrying the wrong person. Marry right, and you're happy for a lifetime. Marry wrong, and you'd be flayed.
"Sister Zhou, I'm planning a flower viewing banquet next month. The plum blossoms in the Plum Garden are in full bloom, and the rare flowers and exotic plants in the warm greenhouse are also blooming. At that time, Sister, you can help Miss Song choose a suitable marriage. Whichever young gentleman you fancy, I will bestow the marriage!"
Zhou Qiangwei gasped in surprise. Her mind raced.
She knew the Empress's character well. She rarely interfered in others' affairs. This time, she had summoned her to the palace and spoke of Lan'er's marriage, even going so far as to bestow a marriage. This was truly astonishing.
"Does Your Majesty the Empress have someone in mind for the young gentleman, to arrange a marriage for Lan'er?" Zhou Qiangwei asked, trying to probe Zhao Jiaqi.
The latter nodded without hesitation and admitted, "Yes, I do have this intention, but the final decision rests with Miss Song. I am merely offering a reference opinion."
Anyone the Empress favored would undoubtedly be a good match.
This stirred Zhou Qiangwei's heart, and she quickly asked, "Which family's young gentleman is it?"
"Prince Xian and Prince Xiaoyao. Both these princes have secondary consorts, but no primary consort. Although they are imperial princes, their character is quite good!"
Hearing that it was the two great lords, Huangfu Xu and Huangfu Xian, she sighed inwardly.
Huangfu Xian had always intended to marry Song Lan, but her Lan'er was not interested in him. Moreover, Prince Xian already had a secondary consort, who was the Emperor's own cousin. If the primary and secondary consorts did not get along, it could directly affect the royal family and the Song family.
"I will have to discuss this matter with my husband when I return. Originally, we didn't want Lan'er to marry into the royal family, fearing she would be caught in power struggles. Now that the storm has calmed, if Lan'er is willing to marry, my husband and I will not obstruct her!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, understanding Song Xin and Zhou Qiangwei's concerns.
Time flew by, and it was the beginning of January.
The Empress held her first flower viewing banquet, inviting the families of court officials. Illegitimate daughters and sons could also attend.
Just past noon, the first batch of families arrived at the palace.
After paying their respects to the Empress, they went to the garden. Their brightly colored attire, walking in the white snow, was a scenic sight.
Fan Zehao, with his arm around Zhao Jiaqi's waist, looked down from the pavilion and smiled, "Wife, we must finalize the marriages of Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu today!"
"Yes, let's both work hard and have them married by the end of the year, hoping to have a child by next year!"
This way, in three to five years, he could completely hand over the throne and lead his wife and children back to their fiefdom to live a simple life.
The two who had just entered the palace sneezed violently, rubbing their noses and looking around. Who was talking about them?
They were unaware that they had been targeted and were about to be sold off tonight.
As soon as the couple finished their conversation, Yu Meng, the little traitor, directly relayed her parents' words to Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu.
The two felt a chill down their spines upon hearing this.
Huangfu Xian rubbed Yu Meng's head and mused, "My great-niece really cares about her uncle. She's good for reporting back to me."
Huangfu Xu saw his intention and immediately said, "If we're leaving, we're leaving together. Don't expect to leave me behind here."
Yu Meng grinned at the two brothers, her eyes full of cunning. "If you want to leave, you must take me with you, or I'll report you to my birth mother!"
The two princes exchanged glances. Run away with the Emperor's darling?
Prince Xian: "Take her?"
"It's up to you!" Prince Xiaoyao tossed the decision back to Prince Xian.
"If you don't take me, I'll leave on my own. If anything happens to me, none of you can shirk responsibility, hum!"
Yu Meng was ready for a life of adventure. If they didn't take her, she'd go on her own!
When the eldest princess threw a tantrum, her demeanor was comparable to her mother's. The two princes immediately decided to take the eldest princess and flee.
The protagonists of the evening ran off, taking their troublemaking daughter with them, which greatly angered Zhao Jiaqi.
"Don't you know the girl's temperament? She's almost nine years old. If she wants to play, let her play. In a few years, she'll be getting married, and she won't have the chance to play!"
Fearing his wife's anger and her ill health, Fan Zehao constantly tried to appease her, only to receive a heavy blow from his wife.
"We'll discuss Yu Meng's marriage after she turns twenty!"
In Zhao Jiaqi's eyes, Yu Meng getting married at twenty was non-negotiable.
Under Fan Zehao's astonished gaze, she went to the banquet. She was very distressed that she hadn't managed to arrange marriages for the two princes today.
However, she did manage to pair up a few couples at the banquet, which was a consolation for her efforts.
What Zhao Jiaqi didn't expect was that Song Lan and Fang Mingjiang took a liking to each other, and the impatient Zhang Heng and Bai Lu also fancied each other.
Could this be considered an unintended success?
By the end of the year, Deputy General Zhang Heng and Bai Lu were married. The Emperor and Empress not only acted as matchmakers but also attended the wedding. For a time, Deputy General Zhang Heng became a new noble in the capital.
The wedding of the newly appointed Minister of War, Fang Mingjiang, and the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister was also a dazzling event in the capital.
The entire capital knew that Fang Mingjiang was a loyal general of the Emperor, who had followed him unswervingly. At his wedding, the Emperor and Empress not only attended but also gave speeches, making the Fang family extremely prominent in the capital.
Time passed quickly, and the New Year arrived. As spring bloomed, the Emperor and Empress suddenly left the palace.
The couple traveled together, leaving all court affairs to the Prime Minister, who was fully in charge.
Song Xin, upon realizing that the Emperor had called him back to serve as a long-term laborer, was furious.
Had he known this would be the case, he would have taken his wife out to play long ago. Why bother taking on the position of Prime Minister? It was tiring enough.
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao, who had left the palace for their travels, were accompanied by only a few guards and two maids.
On a pleasure boat, they sailed north. Their first stop was their fiefdom.
Their godfather and several friends were in the fiefdom. They had been away for a year, and they didn't know how they were doing, or how their businesses were.
"Wife, after we inspect the inner city, we'll head east. We can inspect as we go, what do you say!"