Chapter 452

Madam Xia invited Zhu Xingshu to take a seat and the maids served tea. Madam Xia asked nervously, "I do not know the general. May I know why the general is here today?"

Zhu Xingshu laughed, "We did not know each other before but we will be very familiar from now on! Hahaha, Madam Xia, I have come here today to congratulate you. "

Madam Xia's heart tightened, "May I know why you congratulate me?"

Zhu Xingshu laughed, "The Emperor has taken a liking to your daughter and yearns for her day and night! So he asked me to propose marriage! Madam Xia, the Emperor is the ruler of the world. Your daughter is loved by the Emperor. Isn't this great news? "

"I will not marry him! Is the Emperor that great? Oh … the Emperor is great but what does that have to do with me? I only want to marry someone I like. I don't want to marry the Emperor. I don't like him! "

Before Madam Xia could speak, Xia Yingying jumped up and angrily retorted. She snuck a glance at Ye Xiaotian and saw his dark expression. She was afraid that he would misunderstand, so she quickly confessed.

Zhu Xingshu's expression darkened, but he realized that this was a woman the Emperor doted on, so he suppressed his anger and forced out a smile. "Miss Xia, I am talking to your mother, you should not interrupt …"

Xia Yingying angrily said, "This concerns my marriage!"

Zhu Xingshu said, "It's precisely because this concerns your marriage that you shouldn't interrupt!"

Zhu Xingshu smiled faintly, "You are straightforward and naive. There is nothing wrong with that but once you enter the palace, the rules will be strict. Even if you have the Emperor's favor, the rules cannot be broken. So, it is better to start paying attention now. "

"I have six sons and only one daughter. I have indeed spoiled her rotten."

Madam Xia smiled, "But I am used to it. If it was the Yingying who followed the rules, I would not like her. Our Xia Family is different from others. Since this concerns my daughter's marriage, it is important whether she likes it or not! "

Zhu Xingshu's expression darkened, "Then, does Madam Xia agree to the Emperor taking your daughter as the Imperial Noble Consort?"

Xia Yingying angrily said, "I do not like him!"

Madam Xia said, "I cannot do anything if my daughter does not like him. The Xia Family appreciates the Emperor's good intentions. The Xia Family is not worthy of this imperial kinship. "

Zhu Xingshu had especially emphasized the words "Imperial Gui Fei". He had thought that everyone in the Xia Family would be overwhelmed by the favor, but he did not expect that they did not take it to heart at all. Zhu Xingshu emphasized in disbelief, "Lady Xia, when your daughter entered the palace, she did not start off as a small palace maid and could be directly made a consort. "The Imperial Consort is second only to the Empress. is."

"Even if it is the Empress, Yingying does not have this fortune!"

Was Ye Xiaotian a man who could let the mother and daughter stand in front of him? Although he was born in the capital and his reverence for the emperor was far greater than that of the mother and daughter from Qiandi, that was Ye Xiaotian in his normal state, not the Ye Xiaotian in his berserk state. Ye Xiaotian had transformed. His ears were pointed and his chin was long. He had transformed into a donkey.

Ye Xiaotian walked forward step by step and clasped his hands at Zhu Xingshu, saying, "Because Yingying is already betrothed to someone, and that person is me! From what I know, every time the Palace chooses a concubine, the people are busy marrying off their daughters. Because once they are married, the Palace cannot conscript them. Yingying is already betrothed to me. Even the Emperor does not have the right to snatch a woman from the common people, right? "

Ye Xiaotian was sinister. The other party had not done anything and had already put the label of 'snatching a woman from the common people' on him. At first, Zhu Xingshu thought he was Yingying's elder brother. Only after hearing this did he realize he was the Emperor's rival in love.

Zhu Xingshu suddenly felt troubled. If he had known it would be so difficult to be a matchmaker, he would not have happily accepted the decree and left the palace. Zhu Xingshu looked at Ye Xiaotian and asked, "Who are you?"

Ye Xiaotian said seriously, "Guizhou Snail Magistrate, Officer, Ye Xiaotian!"

Zhu Xingshu had never heard of such a person before. He had never even heard of the position of commanding officer twice. Zhu Xingshu's mind spun for a while before he realized that the other party was a local official. Zhu Xingshu immediately found a point to attack. "How dare you! You are a local official, yet you dare to leave your fief and come to the capital? Do you know that this is a crime punishable by death for treason? "

Ye Xiaotian said calmly, "How does General Zhu know that I left my post and came to the capital? I was impeached and was sent to the capital by Guizhou Inspector Ye Mengxiong for questioning. "

"So you are an official awaiting punishment!" Zhu Xingshu found another point that he could use and quickly asked, "What crime did you commit that you need to be sent to the capital for the Emperor to question you?"

Ye Xiaotian frowned and said, "I only know that you are the State General and did not know that you have another official position. May I ask if you are in the Imperial Censorate, the Supreme Court, or the Ministry of Justice? An unrelated yamen has nothing to do with me. "

Zhu Xingshu smiled and nodded. "What a sharp tongue, I have learned much!"

Zhu Xingshu turned to Lady Xia and said sincerely, "Lady Xia, if your daughter can become the Imperial Noble Consort, I do not need to say more about the benefits it will bring to the Xia family. I believe Lady Xia understands.

As for the worry that your daughter will be wronged once she enters the palace, you do not need to worry. Other than the Empress, there is no other woman that the Emperor would entrust a member of the royal family to propose marriage. His Majesty's love for your daughter is evident. I hope you can consider it carefully. There is no need to reject me so quickly. I will come again another day! "

At this point, Zhu Xingshu smiled and cupped his hands at Lady Xia. He took three steps back, turned around and left with a flick of his sleeves.

"He wants to come back another day to listen to the message. How preposterous!" Xia Yingying said angrily and pulled Ye Xiaotian's hand. "Brother Tian, let's hurry back to Guizhou."

Ye Xiaotian said in a low voice, "You can leave, but I cannot!"

Xia Yingying said, "If you are not leaving, then I will not leave either."

Lady Xia said, "Silly daughter, Little Tian has an official position and because he has committed a crime, he will be judged by the justice department. So he cannot leave. Why are you staying? What can you do? Mother will arrange for a carriage to send you back to Guizhou! "

Ye Xiaotian said, "Auntie is right. Yingying, you go back first!"

Xia Yingying said, "Guizhou is still under the Great Ming Dynasty. If I do not make the Emperor give up, what can I do if I go back?"

Ye Xiaotian shook his head. "It is not like that. Although the Emperor is high up, there are many things he cannot do as he pleases. He cannot appoint or dismiss officials as he pleases. Marrying or taking concubines is influenced by the internal and external courts. Even if he wants to go out of the palace, he needs the approval of everyone. So, as long as you return to Guizhou and are not under his watch, it will be a hundred times more difficult for him to have any ideas about you! "

Xia Yingying said reluctantly, "But when I see you, I …"

Ye Xiaotian teased, "You have to go back to see me often. If you are locked in the palace by the Emperor, we will never see each other again."

Xia Yingying hesitated for a while before reluctantly nodding. "Alright, I will listen to you. I will leave first. However, I do not want to return to Red Maple Lake. I want to wait for you in Tongren, for your return! "

…

If he wants the Emperor to obtain Miss Xia, he must get rid of Ye Xiaotian!

This was the first thought that came to Zhu Xingshu's mind as he walked out of the Xia Mansion.

Women cannot be reasoned with when they love. This will be the biggest obstacle to offering her to the Emperor. As long as he can get rid of Ye Xiaotian, perhaps Miss Xia will voluntarily enter the palace out of sadness. Even if she is unwilling, it will be much easier to settle the Xia family.

But how can he get rid of Ye Xiaotian?

Kill? That was not the way of thinking of the Imperial Family or the eunuchs. The cost of committing such a crime was too high. Not to mention the current Emperor, who could barely be considered an obedient child in the eyes of the officials, even the previous Emperor Zheng De was known to be lawless. But such a lawless Emperor, for him to fall in love with a commoner woman, Liu Liangnv, he had to put in a lot of effort. How to do it? The method was as follows:

First, Emperor Zheng De sent the chief eunuch Liu Jin to find Liu Liangnv's brother and bribed him with promises of a high position and generous salary. Because Liu Liangnv's father had passed away, the eldest brother was like a father. Her eldest brother could make the decision for her.

Then, Eldest Brother Liu, who wanted to be a relative of the Emperor, found his younger sister. Fortunately, the relationship between Liu Liangnv and her husband was average. Eldest Brother Liu tried to drive a wedge between them. He was a high and mighty Emperor. Furthermore, he was only in his twenties and was handsome, so Liu Liangnv was moved.

Following that, Eldest Brother Liu found his brother-in-law and used both carrot and stick, coercion and bribery. In the end, he promised him great benefits, including hundreds of acres of fertile land and countless gold and silver treasures. Only then did he convince him to stop marrying and write a divorce letter.

With this marriage letter, Liu Liangnv was able to follow Emperor Zheng De as she wished. Because of this, her eldest brother became a high official in command. However, because she had married before, although she enjoyed the Emperor's favor and preciousness, she did not have a title. It was not that Emperor Zheng De could not bear to give it, but the officials were not willing.

Now, although Miss Yingying was not married, she was already betrothed. This was a hurdle that could not be crossed. The Emperor was the ruler of a country. He could not hire a killer to eliminate the obstacles to taking a concubine. Once the secret was leaked, the price would be too high. Then what should be done? Of course, it was to have Ye Xiaotian take the initiative to annul the marriage!

Zhu Xingshu still did not know that Ye Xiaotian and Xia Yingying had not signed a marriage letter. Ye Xiaotian had said this in front of Xia Yingying, and Xia Yingying and her mother did not deny it. In Zhu Xingshu's view, what Ye Xiaotian said was naturally true.

Was Ye Xiaotian a sinner?

A strange smile appeared on Zhu Xingshu's lips. "It seems we can make a big deal out of this matter."

Just what crime had Ye Xiaotian committed, how severe the consequences were, and whether he could use this to force him to give in? Zhu Xingshu was not confident. He needed to first understand Ye Xiaotian's background. However, he was a relative of the Emperor, so he could not go to the Three Law Bureaus to inquire.

For a member of the Imperial Clan to go to the Three Law Bureaus to inquire about a local official in Guizhou, before Ye Xiaotian could attract any trouble, he would first incur a great deal of embarrassment. What was a member of the Imperial Clan doing to inquire about an official?

The lower officials and the local officials were in opposing camps, but compared to the Imperial Clan, the lower officials and the local officials were like one family. He could not just reply to the Emperor. If the Emperor asked about the specifics, he could have the Emperor send his own people to inquire. What use was he then?

To inquire about this matter, he had to find someone completely unrelated to the system of civil officials. This person had to know about Ye Xiaotian's background or have the ability to inquire about him. Thus, Zhu Xingshu found the commander of the Brocade Guard, Yu Wuguo …