Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne
Chapter 44 Bestowing Marriage

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Bestowing Marriage

If it were an hour ago, the people in the Marquis Xuanping’s faction hoped that Prime Minister He would support Prince Dai’s request for a pearl. But now, they hope Prime Minister He would not support Prince Dai’s request for a pearl.

The people in Duke Zhen’s faction naturally hoped that Prime Minister He would support Prince Dai’s request for a pearl, to fulfill their wish.

Prime Minister He stepped forward, first saluted the Emperor, and then respectfully said: "Your Majesty, the custom of granting a pearl to princes was from the previous dynasty, not our dynasty. I believe there is no need for our dynasty to follow the practices of the previous dynasty. Moreover, our dynasty has its own rules."

Upon hearing Prime Minister He’s words, Marquis Xuanping felt relieved. He quickly echoed, "What Prime Minister He said is correct."

Other ministers supporting Prince Dai also echoed, "What Prime Minister He said is correct."

Duke Zhen and the Crown Prince were not surprised by Prime Minister He’s response. Previously, Duke Zhen had told the Crown Prince that Prime Minister He and Song Dekang would not agree to Prince Dai’s request for a pearl.

The Emperor then looked at Grandmaster Liu and asked, "What does the Grandmaster think?"

Grandmaster Liu stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the previous dynasty was the previous dynasty, and our dynasty is our dynasty. Our dynasty does not have a custom of granting a pearl to princes. Besides, the title of prince is already extremely honorable."

The Emperor then looked towards Song Dekang and Chu Ying. Before he could ask, Song Dekang and Chu Ying proactively responded, "We think what Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu said is right."

"Duke Zhen, what do you think?"

Duke Zhen solemnly said, "I think the Prime Minister and the Grandmaster speak reasonably. Our dynasty is our dynasty, and there is no need to follow the practices of the previous dynasty. It was my ignorance; please punish me, Your Majesty."

The ministers of the Marquis Xuanping’s faction and the Crown Prince’s faction were very surprised. Just now, Duke Zhen strongly supported Prince Dai’s request for a pearl, so according to logic, he should have refuted Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu’s words. How could he agree with them so easily?

The Emperor, upon hearing this, straightened his body and said, "Since you all do not agree with granting a pearl to Prince Dai, let’s drop this matter and not mention it again in the future."

The people in the Marquis Xuanping’s faction immediately kowtowed and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The people in Duke Zhen’s faction seemed to regret it, but they still shouted "Your Majesty is wise" along with the Marquis Xuanping’s faction.

"Father, may I go out of the city to welcome back Prince Dai this afternoon?" the Crown Prince asked again.

The Emperor sat back on the dragon throne, "If you want to go, then go."

"Thank you, Father,"

The Emperor suddenly thought of something and added, "Take the third prince and a few others with you."

The Crown Prince replied, "Yes, Father."

The Emperor sat cross-legged on the dragon throne, with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, his gaze casually sweeping over a minister. Suddenly thinking of something, he clapped his knee and asked, "Kong Taichang, I remember you have a daughter who is about to come of age, right?"

Kong Taichang, upon hearing this, felt a tightness in his heart, and a sense of foreboding welled up inside him. He reluctantly stepped forward, "To answer Your Majesty, my youngest daughter will come of age next month."

Upon hearing the Emperor ask Kong Taichang this, the other ministers speculated in their hearts whether the Emperor intended to grant marriage to Kong Taichang’s daughter. Who would the Emperor choose to marry Kong Taichang’s daughter to among the princes? The Crown Prince and Prince Dai are already married. The only prince close in age to Kong Taichang’s younger daughter is the Third Prince. But last year, the Emperor already arranged a marriage for the Third Prince. Could the Emperor want Kong Taichang’s younger daughter to be the Third Prince’s concubine?

The Third Prince is backed by the Wang Family, and if the Emperor marries Kong Taichang’s younger daughter to the Third Prince, he is essentially aligning the Kong Family with the Wang Family.

For a moment, the ministers looked upon Marquis An Yang with envy.

On the surface, Marquis An Yang remained calm, but inside, he was excited. If the Emperor truly marries Kong Taichang’s younger daughter to the Third Prince as a concubine, then the Third Prince will gain the support of the Kong Family, making him even stronger.

Kong Taichang is a descendant of the Saint Confucius, and the Kong Family holds a very high status in the hearts of scholars throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that gaining the support of the Kong Family equates to gaining the support of half of the world’s scholars.

When the Crown Prince and Prince Dai married, the Emperor did not marry a daughter of the Kong Family to them. Ministers speculated that the Emperor did not want the Kong Family involved with the Imperial Family. Unexpectedly, now the Emperor intends to marry Kong Taichang’s younger daughter to the Third Prince, which is truly unpredictable.

Duke Zhen and Marquis Xuanping both frowned, looking displeased.

Kong Taichang did not wish to marry his daughter into the Imperial Family, nor did he want the Kong Family to be involved in the struggles between the princes.

"The daughters of your Kong Family are renowned for their talent and are role models for women across the world."

Upon hearing this praise from the Emperor, Kong Taichang felt no joy, but rather his heart was pounding wildly.

"Your Majesty, you flatter us. The daughters of the Kong Family are no different from those of common families. Moreover, my youngest daughter has been spoiled by me and doesn’t like to study much, nor does she have any discipline. Her disposition is arrogant and willful, and she cannot bear Your Majesty’s praise."

"Kong Taichang, you are being modest. The children of the Kong Family are all taught well," the Emperor said with a smile. "The daughters of the Kong Family are sought after by everyone. Today, I would like to ask your youngest daughter for the prince, and see if you would be willing to be in-laws with me, Kong Taichang?"

So it was true!

The ministers simultaneously exclaimed in their minds.

Kong Taichang bitterly smiled in his heart but showed an astonished expression: "Your Majesty, this is an honor for me. It’s just that my youngest daughter is too unruly to be fit for a princess consort."

The Emperor waved him off, "I think the daughters of the Kong Family are excellent. Don’t be modest anymore. Prince Dai does not have a concubine yet, so I’ll marry your youngest daughter to him as his concubine."

As soon as he said this, there was an uproar in the hall. The civil and military officials showed shocked expressions, unable to believe what they had just heard.

Kong Taichang was left stunned, forgetting to thank for the imperial favor.

Duke Zhen’s face drastically changed, his eyes wide open. The Crown Prince’s face turned pale, showing signs of severe shock.

Marquis Xuanping was initially as stunned as everyone else and then displayed a joyful smile on his face.

Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu were also taken aback by the Emperor’s marriage decree. Just now, the Emperor did not agree to grant a pearl to Prince Dai, so why would he suddenly want to marry Kong Taichang’s younger daughter to Prince Dai as a concubine? What play is the Emperor enacting?

Duke Zhen panicked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty..."

He had just started to speak when the Emperor raised his hand to interrupt him, "Kong Taichang, is it that you are unwilling to be in-laws with me?"

Kong Taichang was shocked when he woke up, his heart still filled with astonishment.

"I am willing. Thank you, Your Majesty, for the wedding decree." At this moment, Kong Taichang’s mind was in chaos, his heart also in turmoil. He did not understand why the Emperor wanted to marry his youngest daughter to Prince Dai.

The ministers supporting Prince Dai were ecstatic at this moment. To them, the Emperor marrying Kong Taichang’s youngest daughter to Prince Dai was helping Prince Dai gain the support of half the scholars of the world. In recent years, what Prince Dai lacked most was the support of the scholars. The Emperor was paving the way for Prince Dai.

Compared to the pearl, this marriage is far more beneficial for Prince Dai.

The Emperor did not agree to grant a pearl to Prince Dai earlier, and they thought the Emperor wanted to curb Prince Dai’s power due to his high achievements. Unexpectedly, the Emperor directly married Kong Taichang’s youngest daughter to Prince Dai. Indeed, the Emperor still valued Prince Dai the most.

"Do any of you have anything else to discuss?"

The ministers, still dizzy from the surprise of the marriage decree, even if they originally had matters to present, had lost their spirit by now.

Seeing that the ministers had nothing to discuss, the Emperor stood up and left.

"Court is dismissed!"

After the Emperor left, the hall immediately became lively.

The ministers of Prince Dai’s faction congratulated Marquis Xuanping one after another, while those of the Crown Prince’s faction anxiously questioned Duke Zhen about what was happening.

The Crown Prince had a gloomy face, his heart raging with anger. He gritted his back teeth tightly, his hands clenched into fists.