Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 87 Discussing Marriage
"I haven't seen you for two years. How is your father-in-law?"

Zhang Ji looked humble, the look of complaint he had towards Wang Hong just now gone, replaced by a friendly smile.

"people of the same taste!"

Wang Hong bowed and smiled, "My dear father-in-law is still in good spirits, unlike me, who has many white hairs!"

"My father-in-law's voice and appearance have not changed, how can I say he is old?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Hong turned his attention to Zhang Yu and said with satisfaction: "I haven't seen you for two years. Ji'an has become more handsome and has the spirit of a man. I have heard a lot about Ji'an's deeds when I was in Qi County."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "When my father-in-law was appointed as the governor of Hongnong, he punished the eunuchs and doormen. When I arrived in the capital, I still heard people talking about it. I admired him very much."

"What I did in my early years is not worth mentioning!"

Wang Hong raised the corner of his mouth slightly. Although the two hadn't seen each other for two years, Zhang Yu's humble attitude still made Wang Hong quite happy.

"please!"

At Wang Hong's invitation, Zhang Ji and his son walked into the hall.

At this time, the Queen Mother was already waiting in the hall, and asked the servants to serve fruits and tea to the three people. Compared with two years ago, when the Queen Mother looked dissatisfied, she greeted them with a smile this time.

"Thank you, mother-in-law!"

Several people sat down, Zhang Ji bowed his hands to express his gratitude, and said: "Ji'an and Ji'er have been engaged for two years. In the past, Ji'an went to the Central Plains to make meritorious service, and now Ji'an has returned home after serving as an official, so we should set a wedding date so that the two can get married as soon as possible."

"What the father-in-law said makes sense!"

Wang Hong nodded and said with a smile: "If my brother had not been imprisoned, Ji'an and Ji'er would have been married by now. Fortunately, my brother was released from prison, and Ji'an made a further advancement, and was appointed as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu Guard and returned to Bingzhou to take up a post. If we had not discussed the marriage, I am afraid that Ji'an and Ji'er would have been married for many years!"

Although people in ancient times could get married very early, the reality is that many people married late.

Liu Bang married Lü Zhi at the age of 31, and Liu Xiu married Yin Lihua at the age of 29. If we say that Liu Bang and Liu Xiu married late because of the war, Cao Cao actually married at the age of 22. If we move the timeline to the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi and Li Bai both got married when they were close to 30 years old.

Now, Zhang Yu's marriage at the age of 20 was not too late, and was considered early among his contemporaries. But considering that he had been engaged to Wang Jili for two years, it would be unreasonable if he did not get married.

The Queen Mother took out the brocade bag containing Wang Ji's birth date and said, "Here is Ji'er's birth date. Please ask someone to calculate the wedding date."

Zhang Ji took it from the maid, carefully put it in his arms, and said, "I am afraid there is no one proficient in the Book of Changes at the border, so I will go to Jinyang to find someone to calculate it. When the wedding date is determined, I will come in person to inform you two."

The Queen Mother hesitated for a long time and asked, "Where will Ji'an live after he gets married?"

"What does my mother-in-law mean?"

The Queen Mother said, "You and your clansmen are mostly in Chanhekou, which is close to the border. Although you have built a fortress, there are often Hu people on the border. I am afraid that it will be dangerous for Ji'er to live in the fortress, so I wonder if my father-in-law can buy a house in Taiyuan."

Wang Hong drank the water by himself and did not interfere with his mother's speech. It was obvious that his mother's words were at Wang Hong's instruction. After all, it was undoubtedly very dangerous to let their daughter marry in Dingxiang County, where the conflict between Han and Hu was the most intense. For the sake of their daughter's safety, they wanted her to live in Taiyuan County, which would also be convenient for them to take care of her.

Zhang Ji frowned slightly and said, "The Xianbei Chanyu Kuitou is dead. Now there are two kingdoms in the desert. Given the current situation in Chanhewu, it is difficult for the Hu people to invade. You two don't have to worry."

Wang Hong put down the cup and said slowly, "My father-in-law has been stationed at the border for more than ten years. I know his strength, but you are a parent and should understand our worries. If anything happens, my son may be able to escape on horseback, but Ji'er may not be able to escape!"

"Although the Xianbei now have two states, you have moved to Dingxiang since Chengle. Don't you know that since Yonghe, the land west of Dingxiang has been plundered a lot. Until now, Yunzhong and Wuyuan counties have been emptied, and the people have been displaced. The county governors dare not go out to take office. I hope you can understand the situation."

Zhang Ji shook his head slightly and said, "I have lived in the fortress and guarded the border for many years. When the Hu people were powerful in the past, I was able to defend the fortress. Now the Hu people are weak, and my fortress is growing stronger. Can I resist them?"

"Now, Chanhewu can mobilize more than 500 infantry and cavalry. If we defend the fortress, the combined strength of men and women can reach several thousand. Not to mention that the fortress is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it is not something that the Hu people can take. If Ji'er marries into the fortress, there will be no danger!"

The ideological conflict between powerful military men and aristocratic scholars is now most vividly reflected in the settlement locations of their children after they get married.

As the master of the fort, Zhang Ji and his family had to stay in the fort if he wanted to unite all the people in the fort. If even his son fled to Jinyang to settle down, the people in the fort would not want to stay for long and would naturally flee westward.

And as Zhang Ji said, with the internal chaos of Xianbei, he was very confident about the situation in Chanhewu. After all, they had survived the more difficult days in the early years, not to mention the current situation where they were even stronger.

Wang Hong frowned and said patiently, "Dear father-in-law, why don't we both take a step back. The Hu people often go south to plunder the border in autumn and winter, so why don't Ji'er live in Chanhewu in spring and summer, and live in Jinyang in autumn and winter. The house in Jinyang will be purchased by me, Wang's family."

Zhang Ji's expression was slightly gloomy. The last sentence of Wang Hong's words sounded particularly harsh to him, as if Zhang couldn't afford to buy a house in Jinyang.

Zhang Yu looked calm, quietly eating the fruits on the table. It was difficult for an honest official to settle family disputes, so if he didn't want to cause dissatisfaction on both sides, he'd better say less.

In fact, Zhang Yu was more inclined to Zhang Ji's opinion. As the young master of the fortress, he would sooner or later inherit the power of Chanhewu. If he could not stand together with the people of the fortress, how could anyone obey him?

But what Wang Hong said was not without reason. As the daughter of a noble family, Wang Ji had never lived in the frontier. If Wang Ji was allowed to live in Chanhewu, if something unexpected happened, Zhang Yu would have nowhere to cry!
"Dear father-in-law, you don't need to worry about the house in Jinyang. If my Zhang family can build a fortress, we can also buy a house in Jinyang." Zhang Ji said.

Seeing that Zhang Ji had misunderstood, Wang Hong hurriedly explained, "The house in Jinyang is not a big deal. We can certainly afford it with my father-in-law's wealth. It's just that after Ji'er gets married, we need to discuss where they will live." While Zhang Ji was thinking, he saw a beautiful figure suddenly come out from behind the screen, bowed to Wang Hong and his mother, and said boldly, "Father, Ji'an is the young prince. If he doesn't live in Chanhewu now, I'm afraid the people in the wu will say something about it, which will hurt Ji'an's reputation."

"Shu Lan?"

Wang Hong looked unhappy. He blamed Wang Ji for entering the hall without permission, and was also dissatisfied with Wang Ji for not listening to their arrangements.

Seeing Wang Ji's sudden move, Zhang Yu didn't want to make things difficult for his future daughter-in-law, so he said, "Father, the journey from Qi County to Chanhewu is long, and there are many inconveniences in getting married. It would be better for us to settle down in Jinyang temporarily at the beginning of the marriage. After things are settled, let Shulan go to Chanhewu."

"Besides, I have not yet taken office. I don't know where I will be appointed. If it is in Xihe, Shulan will probably have to follow me to Xihe. It will be difficult for him to live in Chanhewu or Jinyang."

Glancing at the well-educated Wang Ji, and seeing that Zhang Yu's words made sense, Zhang Ji slowed down his tone and said with a smile: "What Ji'an said makes sense. We don't know where Ji'an is working now, so it's not appropriate to talk about future events."

Seeing Zhang Ji's relenting, Wang Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I have a house in Jinyang. For various reasons, no one lives in it. Now it can be used as a wedding residence for Ji'an. This way, it can also prevent the father-in-law from wasting money."

"Not urgent!"

Zhang Ji smiled and said, "Let me go to Jinyang to calculate the horoscope and see when the two of them can get married."

After a pause, Zhang Ji said, "In my opinion, the wedding date should be set sooner rather than later, so that Ji An will not have time to get married in the future."

"That's what I think!" Wang Hong nodded.

After Wang Ji and Zhang Yu's words, the atmosphere in the hall was relaxed. Because Wang Ji had not yet married Zhang Yu, it was inconvenient for him to sit with him for a long time, so he returned to the inner room first.

As the dinner time came, Wang Hong hosted another banquet. After the banquet, Zhang Yu and his son stayed in the guest room of the mansion under Wang Hong's arrangement.

Not long after Zhang Yu finished washing up, under the cover of the quiet night, Hongniang knocked on the door, reminding Zhang Yu to go to the side room to meet Wang Ji.

Zhang Yu did not talk much with Hongniang because he was worried about making noise on the way. Under Hongniang's guidance, Zhang Yu came to the side room.

Zhang Yu pushed open the door and saw Wang Ji kneeling on the table.

Because there were so many people in the hall before, Zhang Yu didn't dare to look at him for too long. Now, with the dim light, Zhang Yu looked at Wang Ji, whom he hadn't seen for two years. She was wearing Feiqi as the upper garment and Suqi as the lower skirt. Her hair was slightly hanging down, and she had a silver hairpin in her hair. Her makeup was elegant and she looked particularly charming.

Compared to Wang Ji two years ago, she is now less immature and has a more delicate look between her features. Combined with her outfit today, Zhang Yu can't help but feel his heart beating faster.

"Shu Lan!"

"Jian!"

Seeing Zhang Yu enter the room, Wang Ji stood up and greeted him. Although she didn't say much, the tenderness in her eyes was enough to show how much she missed Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu reached out and held Wang Ji's hand, and said softly, "In the past two years, I have missed Shu Lan very much."

Wang Ji blushed and said shyly, "The news that Ji'an was imprisoned made me very worried."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "If going to jail can help me get promoted, I'd like to go there more often."

Wang Ji rolled his eyes at Zhang Yu and said, "Stop talking nonsense!"

"hehe!"

Zhang Yu and Wang Ji sat at the same table, their bodies pressed very close to each other, and even through their clothes, they could feel each other's hot body temperature.

Seeing Wang Ji's face getting redder, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "In the afternoon, Shu Lan came out from behind the screen, which must have been surprising. However, if Shu Lan hadn't come forward, I'm afraid the two gentlemen would have argued endlessly."

Wang Ji smiled slightly and said, "The two families will be related by marriage, so harmony is the most important thing. If we argue over trivial matters, we may end up with enemies, which is not what you and I want."

"Shu Lan is able to see the big picture, and I am deeply fortunate to have your favor!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

Wang Ji helped Zhang Yu straighten his collar and said with a smile, "You are so heroic and vigorous. You have been promoted to a lieutenant at the age of 21 and have been promoted to a rank of 1,000 stone. I am also lucky to have met Ji'an."

I have to say that Wang Ji has outstanding emotional intelligence, and it is a real pleasure for Zhang Yu to communicate with him.

That night, Zhang Yu and Wang Ji talked about many things, and when they talked about deep feelings, they were naturally moved. However, because they were not married and the environment was inconvenient, they should have stopped at courtesy because of their feelings.

After staying in Dalu Mountain for two or three days, Zhang Yu met with Wang Ji every night. However, as the time for taking office was approaching, Zhang Yu and Hao Zhao had to go to Xihe County to take office. Zhang Ji also went to Jinyang at the same time to find someone who was proficient in the Book of Changes to calculate his horoscope.

"Book of Tang·Biography 1": Empress Gao Wang, whose taboo name was Ji and courtesy name was Shulan. ... At the end of the Han Dynasty, the Xianbei were strong and the world was in turmoil. I secretly told my father: "The rebellion in the west is difficult to quell, the Hu people are growing stronger, and the corrupt officials are in power. I am afraid that the world will be in chaos!" My father Hong deeply agreed and sighed: "My daughter is so talented and beautiful, I can't marry her to anyone rashly. I should find a good husband."

(End of this chapter)