Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

As soon as these words were spoken, Zuo Liangyu immediately became interested.

Although he was conferred the title of Earl by the court, it was only a temporary title. Although Qin Liangyu did not hold any official position, her son Ma Xianglin was a hereditary envoy.

Not only that, Ma Xianglin’s ancestors were direct descendants of Ma Yuan, the Han Dynasty’s General Fu Bo.

Qin Liangyu herself enjoyed extremely high prestige in Sichuan, but her son Zuo Menggeng not only had no courage, but was even a little timid and cowardly, and he was also a commoner.

In this era when people paid great attention to matching family backgrounds, it was an absolute honor for Zuo Liangyu to marry his son as he was the direct descendant of General Fu Bo of the Han Dynasty and the daughter of a hereditary envoy.

Zuo Liangyu came from a humble background and was illiterate. His son Zuo Menggeng was also not outstanding, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that he married down from his parents.

Although Qin Liangyu made such a proposal, she might have been thinking of asking him to send troops to support Shiqu.

But if Qin Liangyu really thought so, Zuo Liangyu could conclude that the other party was indeed not interested in the position of governor.

No matter what, this is a good thing for the Zuo family. Not only can they get the beauty and fame, but it can also increase the prestige of Zuo Liangyu.

"If the old lady really has this intention, it would be a good thing. How could I not be willing?" Zuo Liangyu said happily.

Qin Liangyu felt relieved when she heard this. Seeing that Zuo Liangyu had no objection, she smiled and said:

"Why don't you find a day and go to Shiqu to meet your son?

It would be best to bring Meng Geng with you, so that he can talk to Ling Qi, and we won’t have to stick to those old rules.”

Zuo Liangyu finally let down his guard after hearing this. Not only could he marry into the Ma family, but his worries would also be solved at the same time. It was truly a good thing.

“Since the old lady is in charge, what else can Benbo say?

The current situation is turbulent. In order to prevent any changes, it is better to do it today. After the old lady has rested at home for two days, why don’t I take my son to Shiqu to pay a visit to General Ma?

Madam, rest assured, as long as I become a relative of the Ma family and protect the safety of Shiqian City, I will do my duty!"

At this time, Zuo Liangyu cared more about his children's marriage than Qin Liangyu.

He knew that Qin Liangyu had come in person, probably hoping that he could send troops to support Shiqu.

The reason why she didn't mention this matter and used her daughter's marriage as a matchmaker was actually because she wanted him to speak in person.

For Zuo Liangyu, this was nothing to worry about. As long as he could become relatives of the Ma family, Shiqu, as a strategic point between Sichuan and Huguang, had to be preserved.

Otherwise, if Shi Que failed, not only would the imperial court be blamed, but he would also have trouble explaining to his future daughter-in-law.

"What Master said is exactly what I meant.

The current situation is turbulent, but I think that even if the court is slow in efficiency, the decree to promote you as governor-general will probably be issued in the next few days.

Who knows, it will be a double blessing for Master Bo." Qin Liangyu showed a rare hint of flattery.

But just this little bit of compliment made Zuo Liangyu so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

Not to mention Qin Liangyu's prestige, the fact that such a meritorious family now came to ask Zuo Liangyu for help by offering to marry their daughter was enough to make him extremely proud.

The two chatted for a while, and Qin Liangyu ended the banquet on the grounds of being tired.

That night, Qin Liangyu stayed in the guest room of Zuo Liangyu's house. The next day, accompanied by Zuo Liangyu, Qin Liangyu visited Zuo Liangyu's military camp.

The camp of 50,000 people occupied a large area of Shizhou City. Zuo Liangyu drove away all the people in this area. Since there were not enough barracks, he occupied the residents' homes.

Qin Liangyu pretended not to see it and only occasionally praised Zuo Liangyu for his wise use of troops. Zuo Liangyu was naturally satisfied.

On the third day, Qin Liangyu and Zuo Liangyu set out for Shiqu together.

Unlike when they came, there were 500 more people in the return team.

As soon as Qin Liangyu got on the carriage and lowered the door curtain, the smile on her face gradually disappeared.

She had thought that this would require a lot of trouble and might delay her for quite a while, but she had not expected that Zuo Liangyu would become so anxious when he heard that she wanted to marry off her grandson, which saved her a lot of trouble.

Zuo Liangyu was cautious by nature. Although he was wearing casual brocade clothes when he met her that day, he could not hide it from Qin Liangyu's eyes.

Under his usual brocade clothes, Zuo Liangyu was also wearing a set of inner armor. Although it was wrapped very tightly and concealed, Qin Liangyu still saw the clue through the cuffs when he raised his hand.

This time when returning to Shiqu, those who could follow Zuo Liangyu as guards were basically Zuo Liangyu's elite direct subordinates.

Along the way, Zuo Liangyu rode on his warhorse and would occasionally run to Qin Liangyu's carriage to greet her. He would also often bring her candied fruits and the like, which Qin Liangyu would accept with a smile.

When they arrived outside Shiqu City, Ma Xianglin, the Shiqu envoy, had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as the two sides met, they exchanged pleasantries again.

Ma Xianglin had already learned about the situation through his mother's letters, and was very warm towards Zuo Liangyu.

Compared with the warmth of the Ma family, Zuo Liangyu seemed a little reserved, or even cautious.

While he was talking, he secretly looked around the city wall of Shiqu City. If he discovered any fraud, he would escape without hesitation.

After finding nothing unusual on the city wall, Zuo Liangyu entered Shiqu City under the protection of the guards.

After entering the city, Zuo Liangyu became even more cautious. He wished he had eyes all over his body so that he could be on guard against everything around him.

Ma Xianglin quickly prepared a banquet to entertain Zuo Liangyu and his son Zuo Menggeng.

Since they wanted to discuss marriage, Zuo Liangyu did not ask for the guards to enter the room, but there were still seven or eight personal guards guarding outside the living room door.

On the other side, Qin Yiming led a group of white-flag soldiers, each carrying fine wine and roast chicken, and rushed to the barracks where Zuo Liangyu's guards were.

Zuo Liangyu first talked with Ma Xianglin about the current situation, and reiterated that as long as the marriage could be accomplished, he would ensure that Shiqu was safe.

Ma Xianglin thanked him gratefully. Zuo Liangyu then pulled his son Zuo Menggeng over. Zuo Liangyu was a rough man, and he even asked Zuo Menggeng to call him father-in-law in advance.

Ma Xianglin was very cooperative and toasted Zuo Liangyu, but Zuo Liangyu declined on the grounds that he had not yet healed from his injuries. Instead, he pulled his son over to drink with him.

After three rounds of drinking, a servant came in and whispered something to Ma Xianglin.

Ma Xianglin remained silent after hearing this, and Zuo Liangyu took this opportunity to say:

"Brother Ma has already met my son. Since we are talking about marriage, we will not be bound by etiquette. Why don't you meet my uncle's daughter-in-law?

Why not call Lingqi over so that they can get to know each other better? "

When Ma Xianglin was young, he was known as Zhao Zilong and Little Ma Chao in the army. He and his wife were a perfect match, so his daughter must be a beautiful woman as well.

After Zuo Liangyu finished speaking, Zuo Menggeng suddenly stood up. He was already very drunk at this time, and staggered to Ma Xianglin and said:

"Father-in-law, I wonder if my wife is pretty? If not, I can..."

Zuo Liangyu didn't expect his son to be so out of control after drinking a few more glasses of wine. Just as he was about to scold him, he heard Ma Xianglin say with a stern face:

"Humph, how can a tiger girl marry a dog boy!"

……