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

Zhang Shikang looked confused.

"What did your Majesty say?"

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Zhang Shikang unhappily, and a strange, barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I have told you before that I wish to grant you a marriage and betroth Kunyi to you."

"Your Majesty, are you kidding?

I already have a wife and eight concubines, and...that girl Kunyi, how old is she this year, thirteen?"

Zhang Shikang thought that Brother Chongzhen was drunk, and stared at Emperor Chongzhen closely.

The old man had indeed mentioned it once before, but Kunyi was just over ten years old at that time, so he just thought it was a joke.

I didn't expect this guy to be serious.

What a joke! As the master of Zhu Cilang and his sister, he has always treated them as his juniors.

As for Emperor Chongzhen, although Zhang Shikang called him "Your Majesty", he actually always treated him as a somewhat stupid older brother.

Ah, I treat you as my brother and you treat me as your son?

"I'm not joking, I'm just granting you a marriage.

Kunyi is thirteen years old now, and will be fifteen in two years. Most girls in our Ming Dynasty get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen, which is in accordance with the etiquette.

As for your legal wife, I will not lose face for Marquis Zhongzhen, and I will grant her the status of Kunyi's concubine.

With me here, who dares to say anything?"

Emperor Chongzhen explained seriously.

"No, no, Your Majesty, I do not agree to this marriage.

She's still a child!" Zhang Shikang argued vigorously.

I still remember that a year ago, the brother and sister called each other Master Zhang. Zhang Shikang had always treated them like children.

Now this guy says one of them is his wife. What kind of behavior is this? What a beast!

However, Emperor Chongzhen remained very calm and said:

"Not negotiable."

Emperor Chongzhen had been discussing this matter with Empress Zhou for several years. From the moment the idea came into being, it has taken root in the hearts of the couple.

After all, nothing can win over ministers better than in-laws.

The reason why Zhu Cilang was allowed to marry Zhang Jingyi as the Crown Princess was because of this, and the reason why Zhang Shikang and Kunyi were granted a marriage was also because of this.

From the parents' perspective, Zhang Shikang was a man of great vision, talent, and elegance, and was a perfect son-in-law for their daughter.

From the perspective of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, if the Crown Prince marries Zhang Jingyi and has a child, he can be made the Crown Prince, and the lineage of the Duke of Yingguo will be connected with the Ming Dynasty and share life and death with it.

As the son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Shikang had no reason not to devote himself to the Ming Dynasty under the double bond.

It can be said that whether from the perspective of the country or from the perspective of being a parent, Emperor Chongzhen believed that this was the best arrangement.

So what if they're young? We can just have the wedding in two years.

In short, tie him up first, and tie him up tightly, otherwise this guy will give up at any time.

"Even the Emperor needs to be reasonable!

This, this, this... the generations are all messed up!

Let the people know that they shouldn't laugh at us?" Zhang Shikang continued to defend himself.

Zhu Cilang married his sister, so he was Zhu Cilang's master and brother-in-law.

But he also married Zhu Cilang's sister, so theoretically Zhu Cilang was his elder brother-in-law.

From then on, he and his brother Chongzhen were promoted to a new generation. Zhang Shikang went from being an older brother to a son-in-law, while Emperor Chongzhen was promoted to a father-in-law.

What should I call you from now on? You call me uncle and I call you uncle too?

The key point is that Zhu Cilang is not older than him at all, and he is still his student!

"The emperor's order is difficult to disobey, don't you know?" Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Zhang Shikang and said proudly.

In the past, he thought that this kid had left him speechless with these words, and now he has tasted the bitter taste of the bitterness.

As the emperor, you cannot follow the rules, otherwise the rules will become weapons for others.

And he made the rules.

"But……"

"Alright, alright, Wuji, why are you being so fussy? Didn't you tell me that if you're afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, you'll end up being like a wolf or a tiger.

When you talk about me, you have a lot of things to say, but when it comes to yourself, you are so indecisive.

I am the Son of Heaven. If anyone dares to speak nonsense, I will kill his entire clan.

Besides, didn’t you say that as long as I let the people live a good life, there will be great scholars who will debate with you and me.

As for the title, is such a trivial matter worth considering? If you are happy, use whatever you want."

Before Zhang Shikang could refute, Emperor Chongzhen didn't give him a chance at all and started scolding him.

Moreover, he used the tone that Zhang Shikang used to use, saying other people's words and leaving them speechless.

Having said that, what else can Zhang Shikang do?

He soon came to his senses. After all, they were getting married in two years, so he could do whatever he wanted. At worst, he could raise her as a daughter. The Duke's Mansion could afford to support her.

"If you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave."

Zhang Shikang really didn't want to stay here, for fear that this old man would say something vicious again.

"Well, go back and have a good rest.

Oh, by the way, the monument you asked the Ministry of Works to build has been completed.

The schools of the General Manufacturing Bureau have also been completed. Mr. Song told me that he hopes you can attend the ceremony.

As for the memorial ceremony, if you don't want to go, I won't go either."

Zhang Shikang has indeed been very tired recently. He hates attending those boring ceremonies the most.

However, the monument and the university hall were projects he personally decided on two years ago. Zhang Shikang attached great importance to them. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I will go, and I suggest that Your Majesty go as well."

"Alright, I was planning to organize another ancestral worship ceremony. Since the monument is of the same nature, let's do it next year."

After Zhang Shikang responded, he walked out of the hall without looking back.

It was already mid-afternoon, August was approaching, the sun had lost its brilliance, and the sky was a deep blue, but Zhang Shikang felt empty inside.

As soon as the carriage arrived home, Zhang Shikang was called by his father to the pond in the mansion.

Zhang Zhiji sat by the pond, holding a fishing rod in his hand, while his servants were frantically fishing with grain and other things beside him.

"Dad, you've made all the fish in our pond vomit. How's the catch today?"

Zhang Zhiji only officially got addicted to fishing last year. Compared with Xincheng Hou Wang Guoxing, who has been fishing for 20 years, his skills are naturally not comparable. He is the type of person who is not very good at fishing but has a strong addiction.

A while ago, he learned from other anglers and concluded that the biggest reason for not being able to catch fish might be that he didn't bait the fish.

So Zhang Zhiji transformed himself into a fishing-digger. In the past, when he went out fishing, he would hold a fishing rod in his hand and bring a servant with him carrying a bucket.

Now, he brings four servants with him when he goes out, and each of them carries a bag of rice. They call it making bait, but in fact it is no different from feeding the fish.

"What do you know? Fishing is about self-cultivation and self-improvement.

Tell me, His Majesty summoned you alone today, but what are the arrangements?"

Zhang Zhiji ignored his son's teasing. The emperor issued an edict today, and his daughter's marriage was settled no matter what.

This is a good thing for the Zhang family, but at the same time, Zhang Zhiji understands very well that the emperor is willing to violate the ancestral teachings because of his third son.

"Oh, Dad guessed it.

Dad, His Majesty wants to arrange a marriage for me, and give my student to me as my wife. Tell me, isn't this nonsense? "