Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5275 My Younger Sister's Wedding
Lady Lu asked curiously, "Why are you bringing this up?"

A family with a daughter is sought after by a hundred families, let alone a top-tier noble family like the Fang family, which has "two dukes in one family"? Even before the youngest sister, Fang Xiuzhu, came of age, matchmakers had been knocking down her door, and in the past two years, suitors have been as numerous as fish crossing a river.

Fang Jun's attitude has always been "wait a little longer," with excuses such as "a daughter who marries too early has no experience and will inevitably be bullied by her husband's family," "premature childbirth is harmful to her health," and "a woman is most noble when she is a daughter, so let her stay at home and be raised for a few more years."

The fact that they were suddenly talking about her younger sister's marriage was bound to surprise her.

Fang Jun took a sip of ginseng soup and then began to recount the words his elder sister had spoken at the Han Prince's residence...

After speaking, he looked at his father and asked, "What does Father think of Prince Jiang?"

There were many rumors circulating in the neighborhood that Fang Xuanling was "henpecked," and in fact, Lady Lu was indeed strong-willed, but when it came to important family matters, Fang Xuanling still had to make the decisions...

Fang Xuanling considered for a moment and hesitated before saying, "In short, Prince Jiang is indeed a good man. Although he was a prince in his early years and had the air of a playboy, he was always well-mannered. He is neither as irritable and eccentric as Prince Shu nor as unrestrained as Prince Qi. In recent years, he has become more and more stable. However, Prince Jiang is about to go to sea to take up his fief. If Xiuzhu marries him, she will definitely go to sea with him. I don't know when she will be able to return to the mainland."

As the youngest daughter in the family, Fang Xuanling was also spoiled and pampered, and treated like a precious treasure. How could she bear to follow Chiang Kai-shek and Prince Jiang to his fiefdom in the future, and be separated from him by vast distances?
Fang Jun disagreed: "There's no need to worry about that. I've already considered where Prince Jiang will be enfeoffed. It will definitely be a coastal area. I just need to advise His Majesty to confirm it. At that time, with the naval fleet, it will be convenient for travel. He can come and go as he pleases. Besides, the imperial family has complicated etiquette and many rules. Even if my elder sister is in Chang'an, how many times a year can she go home?"

The status of a princess is not as high as that of a concubine in the palace, but the rules and etiquette are not reduced. It is rare for her to see outsiders, let alone leave the residence.

Fang Xuanling nodded, but did not make a decision. Instead, he asked, "What do you think?"

Today, he no longer simply regards his second son as a son, but respects him with a rather complicated feeling, and he often asks for and cares about Fang Jun's opinions on many things.

Fang Jun then said, "Let's see what my little sister thinks."

Fang Xuanling nodded, and Fang Jun then instructed the maid to check if Fang Xiaomei had fallen asleep, and if not, to call her over.

Before long, Fang Xiuzhu, dressed in a fox fur coat and with exquisite features, entered the study with light steps. After greeting her father, brothers, and mother, she sat obediently next to her mother, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and asked curiously, "Why did you call me over so late?"

Madam Lu took her hand and whispered about Prince Jiang's intention to propose marriage.

Fang Xiuzhu's beautiful face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head.

Fang Jun said gently, "Marriage is a matter of lifelong happiness. Regardless of Li Yun's status, just ask yourself if you love this person and are willing to spend the rest of your life with him. If you are not willing, let alone a mere Prince Jiang, even the 'Four Heavenly Kings' wouldn't be able to change your mind!"

Lady Lu was displeased and first reprimanded him: "Speak properly, and do not blaspheme the gods!"

Then he continued, "You can spoil them all. You spoil the eldest sister and the youngest sister even more. Look at how arrogant and domineering your eldest sister is now. She has the final say in the entire Han Prince's mansion. I can't stand it! Now you're spoiling the youngest sister too. Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How can she have any say in her own life?"

Just thinking about how arrogant and domineering her eldest daughter is in the Prince of Han's mansion, Lu Shi could see that her younger daughter would probably be the same in her husband's family in the future, which gave her a headache.

Although she was strong-willed, Fang Xuanling always made the decisions on important family matters, knowing what was important and what was not. Her two daughters, however, were "surpassing their mother," and now many powerful and wealthy families ridiculed the Fang family for their "family tradition of learning," which also tarnished her reputation...

Fang Jun naturally wouldn't refute his mother's words. He took a sip of ginseng soup, noticed his younger sister secretly watching him, raised an eyebrow, and gave her a look that said, "I'll take care of everything for you."

Fang Xiuzhu covered her mouth and laughed, feeling sweet and happy inside.

The daughters of the powerful, noble, and aristocratic families are all "commodities" used to make alliances and exchange resources. As long as a marriage can obtain the etiquette required by the family, the character of the future husband is irrelevant. Even if he is lame, deaf, or blind, they will still marry him without hesitation.

Where would you find a family that asks their daughter, "Do you like it?"
This feeling of being pampered enveloped her like a boundless warm water, making her feel warm and comfortable all over.

But despite enjoying the benefits, she always knew the bigger picture and how to advance or retreat.

She pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and blushed slightly, saying softly, "I'll leave the marriage to my father and brothers to decide. As for His Highness Prince Jiang... that's fine too."

Fang Jun was dissatisfied: "It's either fine or it's not fine. What does 'okay' mean?"

Fang Xiuzhu blushed even more, and said coquettishly, "It's alright, it's alright."

Fang Jun was speechless: "Are you stupid? I'm just asking if you can do it or not, don't be so ambiguous! You usually seem so smart and decisive, how come you're so vague about such an important matter?"

Fang Xiuzhu lowered her head and remained silent.

Fang Jun was about to say something more, but Madam Lu couldn't stand it anymore and glared at him, scolding, "I think you're the fool! You said it's alright, so it's alright! Why do you have to dig so deep?"

"Uh……"

After being scolded by his mother, Fang Jun finally realized what was happening. Looking at his shy little sister, he clicked his tongue, speechless.

If a young lady says "it's okay," then it really is "okay." How could a lady from a respectable family say "I do"?

Madam Lu put her arm around her youngest daughter's shoulder, stroked her temple, and smiled at Fang Jun, saying, "Alright, you don't need to worry about this matter. I'll have the Princess Consort inform Lady Jiang later, and we'll just wait for her to come and propose marriage."

Fang Xuanling then asked Fang Jun: "Does Your Majesty impose any restrictions on princes who go to sea to assume their fiefdoms? Is it to follow the old system of the Han Dynasty, or to formulate new rules? Most importantly, are princes who have assumed their fiefdoms allowed to continue to have financial and material exchanges with the mainland?"

Upon hearing his question, Fang Jun immediately realized: "Is Father worried that the dowry prepared earlier might be subject to restrictions?"

"The sending of princes to their fiefdoms overseas has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there are many more barriers outside the territory, which can serve as a strategic buffer in extreme situations. The disadvantage is that princes may become disloyal after they are out of control. Cutting off the flow of money between the inside and outside is the best way to prevent this from happening."

It is difficult for a prince to break through the homeland's defenses when he raises an army abroad, but if there is an inside accomplice in the court, anything is possible.

Aside from political alliances, the best way to cultivate inside agents is through bribery. Once the flow of money between insiders and outsiders is cut off, this path is effectively closed.

If Your Majesty has this consideration, then the dowry prepared for Fang Xiuzhu will be basically wasted. The land, shops, workshops, etc., will be useless if the output cannot flow out of the country and into Fang Xiuzhu's hands.

"I don't know what His Majesty is thinking either. We can ask him when the time is right. But Father, there is no need to worry. Even if His Majesty cuts off the exchange of money and silk between the mainland and the vassal states, he can simply prepare another dowry for my younger sister overseas."

"Yes, you know what you're doing. Don't mistreat your little sister."

He was just giving a reminder; Fang Xuanling had complete confidence in his son's handling of matters.

Lady Lu asked curiously, "I've heard that the overseas lands are all wild and untamed places. Where are you going to find a dowry for my younger sister?"

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Don't listen to those aristocratic families talking nonsense. There are different places overseas. For example, Lin Yi, Funan, Zhenla, Pyu, etc., are all countries with hundreds of years of history. The extravagant lifestyle of their kings is no less than that of China."

In the midst of the flourishing maritime trade, in order to prevent more people from going to sea to participate in maritime trade, almost all the meritorious nobles and powerful families involved in maritime trade unanimously adopted the same line, spreading rumors in the country that "overseas is barren," "a land of miasma," and "people eat raw meat and drink blood," which indeed affected many people's impression of overseas. Many merchants who wanted to participate in maritime trade hesitated and gave up their plans.

Madam Lu frowned, somewhat disbelieving: "Don't give me hundreds or thousands of acres of land as a dowry. Where would you find so many people to cultivate it? Your younger sister has been pampered since she was little. Now that she's married and living far away from home, that's her fate. But as her brother, you must take good care of her and help her out."

Fang Junqi said, "Where haven't I helped her? How about I give her a gold mine?"

During a trip to Bangkok, I learned by chance that there was a world-famous open-pit gold mine 300 miles north of the city, which remains hidden in the mountains and unknown to the world...

Mrs. Lu was a little confused: "...A gold mine?"

She was only worried that her daughter would suffer a hard life overseas, so she asked Fang Jun to give her more property and money as a dowry. But she never expected that her son would want to give her a gold mine.
Then, with concern, he said, "Isn't this going too far?"

There were very few gold mines in the entire Tang Dynasty!
Fang Jun waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Don't worry, it's just a gold mine, what's so great about it? Once we enter the Tang Dynasty's coastal waters, the Royal Navy will rule. I will make all the decisions, and no one can interfere. After the Western Regions campaign ends, I'll have Xue Rengui select some men from Guanzhong who are willing to go to sea from the Anxi army. They can bring their families to serve as my younger sister's guards. This will protect her safety and safeguard her assets. Even if we're thousands of miles apart, everything will be perfectly safe."

Fang Xiuzhu's bright eyes sparkled as she asked curiously, "Is Second Brother really the 'Sea King' of the Tang Dynasty, as the rumors say?"

Fang Jun was speechless: "What kind of nickname is that? It's awful!"

Fang Xuanling admonished, "Although I know you are capable, you should still keep a low profile. The more widely such rumors circulate, the more vigilant and wary the court and the public will be of you. In particular, it would not be a good thing if it aroused His Majesty's suspicion."

Fang Jun hurriedly and respectfully accepted the gift.