The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

The bridal sedan chair, accompanied by music and fanfare, departed from the Imperial Household Department and headed towards the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

Guests filled the gates of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, their congratulations resounding. Red silk fluttered like waves under the eaves, and servants threw handfuls of lucky money into the street, causing the common people and children to scramble for it.

When Gu Fuju stood at the door, although he was not wearing official robes, he exuded an air of dignified authority, and his eyes were calm and still like an ancient well.

After congratulating the Marquis of Zhongyong, all the guests who came to the door paid their respects in accordance with proper etiquette.

"Grand Tutor."

Gu Fuju simply nodded in response, remaining silent.

Marquis Zhongyong was so happy that his face was practically frozen from smiling.

He walked toward Gu Fuju.

"Are you trying to steal my thunder?"

Gu Fuju ignored him and just looked at the street.

He has been very busy these days.

I haven't been able to find the time to watch Yu Tingwan.

"I only have one son, and it wasn't easy for him to get married."

"never mind."

Marquis Zhongyong was annoyed. As a military general, he didn't think before he spoke to people he knew: "Your daughter is married, but you didn't even get to drink a cup of wedding wine."

As soon as I finished speaking, I realized something was wrong.

Isn't he just hitting Gu Fuju where it hurts?
But words spoken cannot be taken back.

Marquis Zhongyong looked at his expression and said, "That..."

Gu Fuju frowned slightly, his tone indifferent.

“My daughter, who is from a good family, will not have a low-key wedding.”

"Her mother saved up her dowry year by year until she got married. The courtyard prepared for her by the mansion is already overflowing with her mother's savings."

Money may be a mundane thing, but it is also a woman's support and confidence, ensuring that no one will look down on her.

“I should have carefully selected a good husband for her, personally carried her on my back, and patiently taught her as I escorted her to the bridal sedan chair.”

He is not a talkative person when he is out.

How could one not feel a surge of emotion in such a situation?

Don't talk about him.

When Jia Shan learned that the Lady of Zhongyong Marquis had gone to great lengths to prepare a wedding dress for her new bride, finding thirty embroiderers from Jiangnan in just two months, he had been tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep.

His eyes darkened: "But at that time, Yaoyao had nothing. As far as I know, only a few people in the village who were on good terms with her got together for a meal, and that was it."

Marquis Zhongyong: ...

Damn me!
"But you don't know, that's the best the Wei family could give her, and this child is easily satisfied."

Why be content?
Because we received too little.

Even poor families would prepare a wooden comb, a bronze mirror, two quilts, and earthenware pots and basins for their daughters' weddings.

"But she has nothing."

"Alone, she bid farewell to her miserable first half of life, carrying a tattered cloth bag containing only a few thin, faded, and ill-fitting clothes. Full of expectation and longing, she entered the Wei family and entrusted her life to them."

It contains a resolute determination to burn one's bridges.

Gu Fuju: "Now she has everything. I didn't do a single thing."

"What Jiashan and I owe each other is something we can never repay in this lifetime."

Marquis Zhongyong: ...

I'm guilty.

He scratched his hair.

"that……"

He didn't offer any words of comfort, but finally raised his hand and patted Gu Fuju on the shoulder.

"Yang Changzheng and his family are imprisoned and their deaths are imminent."

The marriage between Yang Jia and Ying Cheng also fell through.

"The capital seems relatively calm, but once Huaiyan's wedding is over, things will start to get chaotic."

“Ying Zhi has been serving the Emperor these past few days, but he has not been valued. A few days ago, the Emperor found a fault on his part and made him kneel outside the palace all night. The night was damp, and his legs, which were already a bit weak, were said to be unable to walk by morning. In addition, he is not as powerful as Ying Yin.”

Ying Yin was not given a warm welcome. He would never go to the emperor's doorstep if he had the chance.

The shadowy figure serving the emperor was never mentioned to the public, but anyone with discerning eyes knew that this was the trump card of emperors throughout history, and the two brothers had more or less made their own guesses.

Ying Yin did not move forward, but he was under pressure from the emperor, both openly and covertly, and his trusted confidants were repeatedly undermined, so his life was not easy.

So, Ying Fuyan took the stage.

After serving the Fifth Prince wholeheartedly on numerous occasions, he also became close with the other advisors.

He was exceptionally loyal to any of his staff members who were even slightly dissatisfied, and was willing to go to great lengths to help them.

Through his hard work, he is now the head of the staff.

Ying Fuyan subtly reminded him.

"Fifth Prince, you are currently in a passive position, only slightly better off than the Second Prince."

"If the poison in His Majesty's body cannot be cured, he will inevitably neglect state affairs in the long run. But as long as he has a breath left, he will not let go of his grip on state affairs and allow his subordinates or princes to act as his agents."

"If the problem is resolved... and His Majesty's health returns to normal, then, if he were to live for several more decades, how could you possibly have a chance to rise to prominence?"

There have been many instances of previous emperors outliving their crown princes.

As soon as he spoke, the other staff members nodded in agreement, thinking he was right!

Cao Bogong, who had just been working for Ying Yin, also respectfully made the suggestion privately during those few days.

"The current situation is not favorable to you, but it is also a good opportunity."

Ying Yin had actually had the idea for a long time, but he had never dared to take action.

If the Emperor could be eliminated back then, why couldn't the Prince of Yan, who was truly entitled to the throne, sit on that position through killing and forging imperial edicts?
— “Jia Yan”.

It is Ying Fuyan's pseudonym.

Yan — Yan.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Master, didn't you already have a plan? Even if it fails, we can still escape unscathed without lifting a finger. It's all beneficial and without any harm."

What is it?
Use your strength to fight.

There will always be someone who will do something desperate.

Therefore, in addition to being looked down upon by the emperor and facing setbacks everywhere, Ying Zhi was also pressured by Ying Yin, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

After agreeing to cancel the marriage, everything went smoothly.

He wanted to repay Wei Zhao and also curry favor with him. So he often spoke of it to the emperor.

"Father, don't be too good to your son, or my second brother will be unhappy."

He spoke with what others might perceive as an unintelligent mind and a naive, innocent tone.

"I really envy the Fifth Prince. He is praised wherever he goes. Many old ministers treat him with utmost respect, as if they were seeing the Emperor himself."

After saying all this, he ran over to greet Ying Zhi when they met on the road.

"Second brother, are your legs alright after kneeling all night? Stay at the manor and rest for a while. Fifth brother was very worried about you."

While members of the royal family were scheming against each other.

Xiao Huaiyan took some time to get married.

Marquis Zhongyong looked at his friend.

He sighed.

"Do you remember? Back when Feng Xing was still around, we drank together. Whether we were successful or not, we were all bound by power and had our edges smoothed out by imperial authority to some extent."

"Now we are old, but our descendants have come together again."

"Huaiyan has endured humiliation and hardship for me and the Xiao family all these years. It can be said that the bitterness has finally come to an end."

"I was timid and dared not fight against those above me. But I got no benefit from it, and all I got in return was for them taking advantage of me time and time again."

"This brat is more promising than me."

"You know what Wei Zhao is like without me telling you."

“Fu Ju”.

"Your daughter's intelligence is just like yours and your husband's. The younger generation these days is more upright and resilient than we were."

(End of this chapter)