Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5271 My Younger Sister's Wedding
Li Yuanjia said, "Don't worry about all that, just tell me if it's okay or not."

Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “This isn’t a question of whether it’s feasible or not; it’s simply unthinkable! His Majesty supports the princes going to sea to take up their fiefdoms for two reasons: firstly, those are his brothers, and he wants to see them each achieve their own success and continue the bloodline; secondly, it’s also to show the world his ‘generosity’ and ‘benevolence,’ thus building his public image. But you are an uncle, and while you may seem to be of higher seniority and deserve more respect, in reality, the blood ties have become more distant, and suspicion is even stronger… Even if His Majesty truly expresses a desire for his uncles to go to sea to take up their fiefdoms, Your Highness should firmly refuse.”

Li Chengqian was willing to send his brothers out to establish their own states, but he might not be willing to let his uncles escape his control and go out to govern a region.

Li Yuanjia understood this, but seeing the princes about to go overseas to assume their fiefdoms and establish their own states, he felt somewhat resentful...

At this moment, a maid came to announce that the banquet had been prepared. Fang Shi then pulled Fang Jun and Li Yuanjia out of the main hall and into the side hall to take their seats.

Instead of eating separately, a round table was laden with delicious dishes, and everyone sat together in one spot. This way of "dining together" goes against current etiquette, appearing crude and impolite, but it shows more intimacy within a family. The atmosphere is harmonious.

The couple offered Fang Jun the seat of honor, but Fang Jun refused. Although he usually mocked and ridiculed Li Yuanjia, he could not overstep the bounds of propriety as Li Yuanjia was both a prince and his brother-in-law.

Li Yuanjia sat at the head of the table, and after everyone was seated, he first raised his cup to toast Fang Jun.

"Although you, my brother-in-law, always disrespect me in public and in private, and are always sarcastic and disrespectful, I won't stoop to your level."

Li Yuanjia drank a cup, then refilled his glass and raised it again: "I know you are using this method to demonstrate your strong support for the Princess's position. I also admire the deep affection between you and your siblings, so I will not hold it against you."

Fang Jun chuckled and drank a cup with him.

When Li Yuanjia raised his cup for the third time, he looked bitter and said helplessly, "But I am, after all, a prince of the Tang Dynasty, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, and your brother-in-law... I won't talk about what happens at home, but when there are many people around, can you please give me some face? Nowadays, all the nobles in Chang'an know that Prince Han is 'henpecked,' so I will lose face, but this will not be good for the Princess Consort's reputation either."

Madam Fang couldn't help but scold, "You only see Erlang constantly contradicting you and feel that you've lost face, but if it weren't for Erlang being your brother-in-law, do you really think that your title of Prince of Han would make those people in the royal family respect you so much? You don't care when you get benefits, and you only remember those trivial details. That's going too far."

Fang Jun nodded: "Big sister is right! Brother-in-law misspoke, he should be punished with a cup of wine."

"Fine, fine, I can't argue with you siblings!"

Li Yuanjia smiled bitterly and drank another cup.

Although the words were harsh, Fang's statement was not wrong.

How many of the princes, dukes, and heirs among the imperial clan truly took the title of Prince of Han seriously and held it in awe? When Emperor Taizong was alive, things were peaceful and the imperial clan kept a low profile, as the authority of the Imperial Clan Court was not to be violated.

However, when Emperor Taizong passed away and a new emperor ascended the throne, the royal family was thrown into turmoil and people were eager for change. The reason why the uncles who were senior and of high rank still treated him with respect and dared not openly confront him was because of the influence of his wife's family.

Especially this brother-in-law.

Fang Jun's doting on his eldest sister is well-known. He even dared to trample on the Han Prince's mansion just because his eldest sister complained, scaring the Han Prince so much that he ran to the palace in the middle of the night to ask Emperor Taizong for help. If anyone else offends the Han Prince and causes the Han Princess to suffer, Fang Jun will really dare to come knocking on their door!

The notorious "Second-hand House Husband" is so infamous that no one dares to mess with him.

Seeing Li Yuanjia drinking one cup after another, Fang hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying, "It's not easy for the whole family to sit down together and have a proper meal. Why drink so much? Drink slowly and chat."

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Look how much your older sister cares about you?"

Li Yuanjia laughed and put down his wine glass: "So your inexplicable worries are actually unnecessary. I am not a heartless fool. The princess cares about me, so I should respect her. How can I let her suffer any grievances?"

He picked up a piece of smoked meat and ate it with relish, saying proudly, "Among so many princes and dukes in the royal family, which one doesn't envy me for having such a virtuous wife? For so many years, my wife has managed the household affairs so well that I don't have to worry about anything. Just this alone is enough to make others envious."

While his own princess was indeed feisty, she was also sensible and well-mannered, earning a good reputation both within and outside the royal family. Not to mention, she had the Fang family to rely on. Back then, given Lu's "prestige," the royal family was very hesitant to propose marriage to a daughter of the Fang family, and almost no one inquired about it. As a result, Emperor Gaozu personally appointed him to propose marriage to Fang Xuanling's daughter... To this day, countless people regret it deeply and are filled with envy and jealousy.

When the topic came up, Fang was suddenly asked, "What are the family's plans for your younger sister's marriage?"

Fang Junqi asked, "Why are you asking about this?"

Fang said, "I happened to see Lady Jiang when I entered the palace a couple of days ago. During our conversation, she asked about my younger sister's marriage. It seems she intends to ask for a marriage proposal for Prince Jiang. I don't know what Father and you think, so I dare not agree rashly. But I must give you an answer, whether it works out or not."

Fang Jun scratched his head.

Lady Wang, the birth mother of Prince Jiang, Li Yun, came from the prestigious Langya Wang clan. However, she was not favored in Emperor Taizong's harem and was not granted any honors until Emperor Taizong's death. It was only after His Majesty ascended the throne that he bestowed upon her the title of "Lady of Jiang State" in recognition of her son Prince Jiang's title, thus giving her a proper title.

Rumors of Li Yun's interest in Fang Xiaomei have been circulating for some time, but the Fang family has remained noncommittal. Lady Jiang has never actually come to propose marriage, and Li Yun will inevitably have a grand wedding before going to sea to take up his fiefdom. Lady Jiang is clearly unwilling to wait any longer.

Fang Jun has mixed feelings about Jiang, Wang, Li, and Yun.

This prince is handsome and exceptionally talented. He is neither as arrogant and domineering as Prince Li Yin of Shu, nor as gentle and refined as Prince Li Ke of Wu. He is somewhere between steady and unconventional, lacking in strategy but good at being obedient. He seems to be impartial, but in reality, he is neither here nor there.

I always feel like I'm not good enough for my little sister...

But he also knew that there were probably very few people in the world who could truly catch his eye and whom he considered worthy of his little sister.

My younger sister is also getting older, and her marriage can't be delayed any longer, so we'll probably have to make do for now...

Li Yuanjia chimed in, “Not only in Chang’an, but throughout the entire country, there are countless nobles, imperial relatives, and powerful families who are interested in marrying my younger sister. Not to mention her beautiful appearance and intelligence, and the strong backing of her father-in-law and Erlang, even the dowry that her family has prepared for her has already been spread around, attracting countless people to covet her.”

Many years ago, Fang Jun began preparing Fang Xiaomei's dowry: the best paddy fields in Guanzhong, the best shops in Dongshi, the best paper mill in Jiangnan, the largest wool workshop in Huating Town, plus countless rare treasures in the Fang family warehouse... Marrying Fang Xiaomei was like bringing a gold mine home.

This caused him, the eldest son-in-law of the Fang family, to feel a pang of jealousy and resentment whenever he thought of this incident and compared it to other things.

Fang Xuanling was a high-ranking official and a renowned scholar, with the nation's finances under his control. However, he had no interest in managing his family business and was even considered "poor" at one point. Therefore, when he married off his daughter, he only gave her a dozen or so cartloads of rare books as part of her dowry, which became a popular topic of conversation among scholars at the time.

But in Li Yuanjia's opinion, it would be better to give more money and property as a dowry...

Of course, he would never dare to say such a thing. It would be one thing if others saw him as "mercenary" or "vulgar," but if he angered the princess and she started making a scene, he would really not be able to bear it.

Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll discuss this with Father and Mother when we get back, and then we'll make a decision. Of course, the most important thing is to see what my little sister wants. If she's not willing, we won't marry her off to a mere prince, let alone the crown prince."

It's not a big problem that Prince Jiang, Li Yun, will soon be going to sea to take up his fiefdom after his marriage and will not be able to easily return to the Tang Dynasty. The navy is in his hands. It will be difficult for Li Yun to return to the capital, but it will not be difficult for Fang Xiaomei to return to the capital. It is not a case that the family will be separated after marriage and will never be able to see each other again.

He couldn't say whether he was satisfied with Li Yun or not; the most important thing was how his younger sister felt.

Li Yuanjia retorted angrily, "What do you mean by 'merely a prince'? You, Fang Er, now hold great power and have been appointed Grand Commandant, so you look down on even princes? Your intentions are despicable!"

Naturally, he only made a few complaints before sighing, "You really are an anomaly. It's normal to spoil your own sisters, but to spoil you to this extent is extremely rare and unique."

In his view, Fang Jun's doting on his eldest and youngest sisters was excessive, and he felt sorry for the future son-in-law of the Fang family.

Even he, a prince, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, and the brother-in-law of his elder sister, was subject to her rule. He was not allowed to show the slightest disrespect to his elder sister or suffer the slightest grievance. How much more so would his future brother-in-law?

If Fang Xiaomei quarrels with her husband after marriage and comes home crying, Fang Er might actually go to her husband's house and break his legs, without caring whether he is of noble birth or not...

Fang Jun chuckled and said, "Your Highness, you should worry about yourself. If my younger sister marries Prince Jiang, how should Prince Jiang address you, his brother-in-law, when he comes to pay his respects and offer tea?"

Li Yuanjia stroked his beard and sighed, "Although the scene must be very awkward, let alone the imperial family, even those aristocratic families often mess up the seniority system, right? You'll get used to it."

Jiang Wang Li Yun is his eldest nephew. If he marries Fang Xiaomei, he will become his brother-in-law. At that time, will Li Yun call him "uncle" or "brother-in-law"?
Similarly, Fang Xiaomei is now his wife's younger sister, and may become his nephew's wife in the future...

It's a messy account that's impossible to settle.

The banquet went smoothly; Fang Jun was kind enough not to find fault, which pleased Li Yuanjia, and he ended up getting drunk without realizing it.

After bidding farewell to his elder sister, it was nearly evening when he left the Han Prince's residence. Before he even reached home on horseback, he was greeted by a palace eunuch who came to deliver an imperial decree to enter the palace for an audience.

The battle report from the Anxi army has just arrived in Chang'an...