NFBE Chapter 359 Finding a Wife Requires Personal Effort
Chapter 359 Finding a Wife Requires Personal Effort
After returning to the Prince's Mansion, Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan settled everyone in and had a good rest for a day.
The next morning, Zhao Xuan, preoccupied with the marriage alliance with the Rongdi tribe, urged Gu Zhanghua to go to the palace with her.
After having breakfast with Consort Xiao, the two got down to business and began discussing potential marriage partners.
Autumn had arrived, but the three of them didn't stay cooped up in their bedroom. Instead, they sat down at the stone table in the flower hall, where tea and pastries were served. Even just enjoying the breeze made them feel quite comfortable.
Gu Zhanghua personally brewed tea, and Xiao Aiyue first inquired about the general situation of the Rongdi King.
Zhao Xuan will introduce herself first.
"The Rongdi king's name is Yingyang. He looks to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and has never married. So this marriage alliance is to marry a queen."
“He’s a bit too old. In our Xia Kingdom, women are married after they reach the age of seventeen or eighteen. An unmarried woman would be about ten years older than him, which would be an old man marrying a young woman. It’s not a good situation.”
Xiao Aiyue chuckled, as if making a joke.
"We can't expect the Rongdi king to marry a divorced girl or a widow, can we?"
Zhao Xuan: ...
Gu Zhanghua: ...
"That's definitely not possible,"
Zhao Xuan's eyes twitched. She had just gotten to the point about age and had already suffered a major setback. Zhao Xuan was speechless.
"Mother, could you please think of another way?"
Xiao Aiyue thought for a moment, then continued to ask Zhao Xuan.
"What do you look like?"
It's no wonder Xiao Aiyue didn't ask Gu Zhanghua. Generally speaking, there's a difference between how men see a man's appearance and how women see a man's appearance.
So asking Zhao Xuan is more reliable.
Unexpectedly, even the age issue alone made Xiao Aiyue feel uneasy, and Zhao Xuan's heart began to race again.
If her appearance is still not up to par, will her mother-in-law just quit and leave the blame to her?
Please don't! Zhao Xuan pleaded in her heart. She was now very self-aware; she didn't have the skills to handle the job!
Zhao Xuan racked her brains trying to recall Ying Yang's appearance, and suddenly, she felt that the problem was even bigger!
Although she had been in close contact with the Rongdi King a few times, Zhao Xuan hadn't really paid much attention to his appearance. Now that she thought about it, all she could think of was a thick beard and a messy, gaudy braid...
I have absolutely no recollection of the rest!
What should we do?!
After racking my brains and trying to recall, a high nose bridge gradually appeared in my mind, and it seemed to have a pair of... eyes?
"You're ugly?!"
When Xiao Aiyue saw that Zhao Xuan didn't reply for a long time, her heart sank. She was old and ugly, and no matter how eloquent Zhao Xuan was, she couldn't help her!
"No no no!"
Zhao Xuan gritted her teeth, carefully choosing her words, trying her best to exaggerate without feeling guilty.
"Tall and imposing, he's the number one warrior of their Rongdi tribe. As for his looks... he's quite pleasing to the eye, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose!"
As she spoke, fearing that her description was not detailed enough, she glanced at Gu Zhanghua, who was making tea, and quickly used analogies to describe Xiao Aiyue.
Her heart was pounding. She was going to do anything to shift the blame, acting like a matchmaker, spouting whatever came to mind.
"Anyway, he's not as refined as Xiao Wu, and he's a little bit like Second Brother in terms of temperament, but not quite as elegant as Second Brother. How should I put it... he's quite good-looking!"
As Xiao Aiyue listened to Zhao Xuan's description and saw her son sitting there obediently with a smile on his face, slowly making tea, she suddenly felt a mischievous thought.
"Xiao Wu, aren't you jealous listening to your sister Xuan praising other men like that?"
Xiao Aiyue joked.
Gu Zhanghua remained unmoved, only his smile grew even brighter.
“Praise me if you want. There are plenty of good men in the world, but I believe that in Sister Xuan’s heart, there is only one Xiao Wu.”
Xiao Aiyue couldn't help but sneer, "Fine, you've cultivated quite well, now you know how to show off your affection in front of your mother!"
Gu Zhanghua poured tea for the two of them, placed the teacups in front of them, poured one for himself, and took a small sip.
He put down his teacup, then calmly took out a few small paintings from his sleeve and placed them on the stone table. He picked one out, unfolded it, and handed it to Xiao Aiyue.
"Mother, look at this painting. It depicts the grand occasion of a bonfire party we held with the Rongdi tribe one night when we were in the Northern Territory! The one sparring with Uncle Qin in this painting is the Rongdi King, Yingyang!"
Xiao Aiyue took the drawing and examined it carefully. Although it was a sketch, it captured the essence of the subject.
The Rongdi King Yingyang is depicted only in profile in the painting, but his tall and robust physique is real, and his high and straight nose is quite striking.
Zhao Xuan glared at Gu Zhanghua.
"If I had known you brought a painting, I wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble!"
Gu Zhanghua chuckled and patted Zhao Xuan's hand, then turned to Xiao Aiyue and said slowly and deliberately:
“Mother, I think that although Yingyang looks a bit rough, he is very decisive and resolute, and he does things quickly and efficiently. Once he decides on something, he will do it!”
I think a woman who can be with him definitely can't be petty; she should be cheerful and generous, well-educated and reasonable, and preferably skillful, especially able to endure hardship, since life on the grasslands is quite tough.
After listening to Gu Zhanghua's request, Xiao Aiyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and after careful consideration, couldn't help but sigh.
"All the young ladies I know are so delicate and frail, I've thought about them all over the place, but not one of them has caught my mother's eye, let alone the Rongdi King..."
Upon hearing Xiao Aiyue's words, Zhao Xuan immediately became anxious.
"If even you can't find a suitable candidate, what should we do?"
Xiao Aiyue slowly put down her teacup and rolled her eyes at Zhao Xuan.
"Didn't your father say that we should first find women who are willing to marry into the Rong and Di tribes, and then talk about the others later? We haven't even taken this first step yet, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"So when will you take this first step?"
Zhao Xuan pressed for an answer.
Xiao Aiyue raised her chin with a touch of arrogance.
"After you left yesterday, I sent word to all the households with eligible candidates, and we'll have the results in a few days! Now that we have this portrait, things will be even easier. Perhaps one of the young ladies will really like this dashing young man!"
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.
Wait! Now all we can do is calmly wait for news.
?
Now, Yingyang returned to the Rongdi tribe and, in accordance with the agreement, hurriedly prepared everything he needed.
After finally getting everything ready and having some free time, I accepted an invitation to visit Mona's residence.
The two men toasted each other, and after several rounds of drinks and dishes, Yingyang looked at Mengna, who was surrounded by a wife and a concubine, and suddenly a strange thought arose in his mind.
Mona's wife was someone he grew up with; they were childhood sweethearts. His concubine, whom he later married, was also someone he loved; they met and fell in love during a martial arts tournament.
So why did he, the Rongdi king, entrust the decision of which queen to marry entirely to the virtuous queen?
Shouldn't he make his own decision about his marriage and marry a woman he likes?
What if he doesn't like the woman that the Princess Consort carefully selects?
Or what if he likes someone, but the woman doesn't like him?
If they can't back out then, and can't get a divorce, are they destined to be a resentful couple for life?
The more Yingyang thought about it, the more serious the situation seemed, and the more he felt that his happiness for the rest of his life was about to be ruined!
You have to find your own wife; you can't rely on someone else. And it has to be a mutual consent process!
"no!"
Yingyang slammed the wine bowl down on the table and stood up abruptly.
"You can take my place in delivering the horses to General Qin in a couple of days!"
Just as Mengna was happily eating the meat his wife had cut and fed him, he heard this and immediately dropped the meat in his mouth onto the table with a thud. His eyes widened as he looked at Yingyang.
"Your Majesty, shouldn't you go personally for such an important matter? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?"
Yingyang looked at Mona very seriously.
"Because I have more important things to do, and no one can replace me!"
"What's more important?"
Mona couldn't help but ask a question.
"A major life event! A lifelong commitment!"
"What are the major life events? Birth, aging, illness, and death?"
Eagle Soars: "..."
Yingyang knew all too well that his good brother wasn't very bright, and he was afraid that if he explained things too complicatedly, his brother wouldn't understand for a while, and that overusing his brain could easily make him even dumber.
So Yingyang looked at Mona's wife, and then at Mona's concubine.
"Can someone else take your place when it comes to sleeping with your wife?"
"Of course not!"
Mona was so angry he was about to grab a knife and attack someone. Yingyang saw that Mona understood, waved his hand, and turned to leave.
Mona looked left and right, scratching his head, completely bewildered.
"What did Your Majesty mean by what you just said? Has he taken a fancy to you two? That can't be! The hatred of having one's wife stolen is as irreconcilable as the hatred of killing one's father. Our King isn't that crazy, is he?"