"Paying respects to Your Majesty!"
In Taiji Palace, Meton solemnly bowed in front of all the officials.
When Meton had set the wedding date, Empress Zhangsun and Madam Qin had personally presided over it, so Meton had not seen Li Shimin. Now that the wedding date had been set and all that was left was to be personally received, Meton naturally had to go to court to thank Li Shimin.
"No need for formalities!" Li Shimin said in a clear voice.
Now that Meton and Princess Changle had set the wedding date, Li Shimin could only accept this reality, and his prejudice against Meton had greatly diminished. Moreover, he was extremely satisfied with Meton's betrothal gift, so he naturally found Meton even more pleasing to the eye.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty for obtaining a fine son-in-law," the officials congratulated.
Were it not for the engagement between Modun and Princess Changle, it was likely that all of the aristocratic families and nobles would not have let go of this wealthy son-in-law. Everyone knew that once a clan was married to Modun, they would most likely rapidly rise in power within a short period of time. Now that Modun was married to Princess Changle, all of the aristocratic families and nobles had given up on this idea.
"Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, Our daughter is about to get married!" Li Shimin sighed. In the blink of an eye, his daughter was about to get married, and it wouldn't be long before he became her grandfather. Anyone would sigh at how time had flown by.
Many of the old officials who had followed Li Shimin to conquer the world couldn't help but be moved. Many of their sons and daughters had already begun to get married.
Cheng Yaojin chuckled and impatiently said, "I heard that Merton's betrothal gift was a magic mirror worth ten thousand taels of gold. This old subject's heart is itching to see it. Would Your Majesty be willing to broaden this old subject's horizons?"
If it were any other official, Meton would have suspected them of having ulterior motives, but Cheng Yaojin was born with a carefree personality, so he was probably just curious.
The other ministers were also moved. It would be a lie to say that they weren't curious about the magical mirror that had subdued the entire harem in such a short time.
"What's so difficult about that?"
When Li Shimin heard this, a proud smile immediately appeared on his face. If such a miraculous betrothal gift could shock the officials, it would naturally make him proud.
With a wave of his hand, a mirror as tall as a person was quickly carried into Taiji Palace by a few eunuchs. When Meton presented the betrothal gifts, he also made two more mirrors and presented them to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun respectively. This mirror was the one for Li Shimin.
When everyone saw the scene in the mirror, the officials were so shocked that they were speechless.
"What an eye-opener! Once this mirror appears, I'm afraid no one will use the bronze mirror anymore. "Cheng Yaojin took a deep breath and said.
The other ministers nodded in agreement. As men, they weren't as obsessed with mirrors as women. They were just curious about it. However, everyone knew that with this mirror, no one would be able to use the blurry bronze mirror anymore.
Li Shimin suddenly showed a complacent expression. The appearance of this magic mirror was the greatest opportunity for the Tang dynasty to alleviate the copper shortage crisis.
Fang Xuanling's heart moved, and he suddenly realized the use of this mirror that would benefit the country and the people. He couldn't help but be shocked. He suddenly turned his head and said, "Mo Jiu, can this mirror be mass produced?"
Meton glanced at Li Shimin and shook his head, "The production of this mirror is very complicated and the cost is amazing. I'm afraid it's difficult to mass produce. However, my disciple has developed a silver mirror that can be mass produced. Although the clarity is not as good as this one, it's much better than the ordinary bronze mirror."
Li Shimin was not dissatisfied with Meton's nonsense. After all, the higher Meton raised the magic mirror, the greater the benefits of the royal family.
Moreover, the magic mirror was a sharp weapon used by him to cheat the countries of the Western Region. If it was mass produced, it would be as cheap as cabbage. With the reflection of the silver mirror, the magic mirror's value would be maximized.
"Silver mirror? Isn't the cost too high? "Fang Xuanling frowned. In contrast, the value of silver was much more expensive than copper coins. It would be bad if the shortage of copper coins turned into a shortage of silver in the end.
Meton explained, "Of course, the mirror is not made entirely of silver. It's just a thin layer of silver paper, and the cost is less than half of the bronze mirror."
"If so, it is indeed a technique that will benefit the country and the people." Fang Xuanling nodded.
The other ministers also nodded. Even some stubborn imperial censors put aside their prejudice of fancy techniques. After all, the technology of making mirrors was too important to the Tang dynasty.
The ministers congratulated again before returning to their seats. Li Shimin nodded slightly to Pande.
Pande strode forward with the imperial edict in his hand and said in a sharp voice, "The marriage between Meton and Princess Changle is in accordance with the order of the parents and the matchmaker's words. The two are in love with each other and are in accordance with the etiquette and marriage laws. The two are husband and wife, a match made in heaven. Meton is hereby conferred the title of Commandant Prince …"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meton thanked.
The marriage of an ordinary person required a signature from the county yamen. Perhaps there was no better proof than an imperial edict for a princess of the imperial family to become a nun. Modun and Princess Changle's marriage was legally unimpeded.
The ministers congratulated again, and the Taiji Palace was filled with jubilation.
Suddenly, Quan Wanji stepped forward and said, "I have something to say, but I don't know if it's appropriate."
Li Shimin frowned, but he didn't stop him. "My beloved minister naturally has nothing to say."
Quan Wanji bowed and said, "The sovereign is the subordinate. The princess is of the imperial bloodline and is the master. Mo Jiu is a minister. When the princess marries, wouldn't the minister match the master? The Minister believes that the minister matches the master. I ask Your Majesty to bestow a princess residence to Princess Changle. Only by marrying the princess can the imperial family be displayed."
"Prince Consort?" After Quan Wanji said this, the ministers looked at each other in dismay. This was indeed a display of the imperial family's reputation and was in accordance with the etiquette of the Confucian school. However, it wasn't good news for the prince consort. Wouldn't the prince consort be the same as the commoners' son-in-law and marry into the imperial family?
Meton's face immediately darkened. He looked at Quan Wanji with an unfriendly gaze. This old man was trying to stir up trouble again.
"I think that Sir Quan's words are reasonable. The princess is a member of the imperial family. If she suddenly marries, I'm afraid that she won't be able to eat or sleep well. If we build a princess residence for her, the princess won't be wronged." Another Imperial Censor agreed.
Immediately, many Confucian officials agreed with Prince Consort's suggestion. Li Shimin couldn't help but be moved. On one hand, Prince Consort could display the imperial family's status. On the other hand, he could also ensure that his daughter wouldn't be wronged. This was naturally beneficial to the princess.
It wasn't just Meton who had an unfriendly gaze. Many of the ministers who were related to the imperial family were also frowning. The imperial family couldn't control the marriage of a princess. If there was another Prince Consort, the prince consort wouldn't be able to live. Moreover, there weren't many princesses in the Tang dynasty who knew their place.
However, Quan Wanji was standing at the top of the hierarchy. If the ministers refuted, they would inevitably be crowned with a high hat. For a moment, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and the other ministers who were related to the imperial family all focused their attention on Meton.
Meton was marrying the eldest princess Changle. The marriage between Meton and Princess Changle would most likely determine the future of the princess' marriage.
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