Afternoon.
Warm sun, gentle breeze.
The Liu Family somehow learned that Miss Dong was at home, embroidering her own wedding dress.
She had even prepared many, many dowry items.
They were bewitched.
The Liu Family thought it over and still felt Miss Dong was suitable for their son.
They had watched Dong E grow up since she was little - pure, always smiling, with a good nature.
She was even better than their adopted sister, Immortal Liu.
Even though they knew Immortal Liu's aunt was the Seventh Prince Consort, the Seventh Prince wasn't well-known now and wasn't a strong candidate for Crown Prince. He didn't seem to have much of a chance.
He was just an ordinary royal relative.
The Capital City was full of imperial clan members.
So they brought Liu Tong to apologize and propose marriage again.
This infuriated Madam Dong.
The key was that they came to apologize.
But Liu Tong said: "I'm sorry, Sister Dong, but my heart belongs only to Qingqing. No woman in the world can compare to her. Even if I married you, she would be the only one in my heart."
Madam Dong was so angry she grabbed a stick and started beating Liu Tong wildly.
Was this an apology?
This was just rubbing salt in the wound.
Was her daughter unmarriageable?
They insisted he marry her, but his heart would belong to someone else?
How thick-skinned could he be?
Madam Dong was so furious, she cursed them out on the spot.
"My daughter has suitors who are a hundred times more handsome and outstanding than you. They'll come to marry her on tall horses. You're not even fit to polish their shoes!"
"You're just a commoner with no status. What right do you have? My daughter's husband will definitely have an official rank. Get out!"
She drove them away with blows and curses.
Madam Dong's hands were shaking with anger.
Seeing her mother like this, Dong E said a bit sheepishly: "Mother, I think my lifesaver is actually a commoner without an official rank."
Madam Dong raged: "We'll have your father pull some strings. Your father has been an official his whole life. We'll make him swallow his pride and beg. I refuse to believe he can't get an official rank."
The old nanny thought: ...The master probably can't do that. Oh well, let the master tell her himself.
Dong E happily went back to embroidering her wedding dress.
Afternoon.
Warm sun, gentle breeze.
Perfect weather for drinking tea and chatting.
Laughter occasionally rang out from the palace hall.
Vice Minister Jiang, expert at sowing discord, knew there was a limit to stirring up trouble.
After those two sentences, he didn't mention Minister Lu again.
He started chatting casually with the Emperor.
The Emperor asked what Minister Jiang had been up to these past two days.
Someone not skilled at conversation might simply answer "working."
Although you want to show you work hard, just demonstrating results is enough.
When a leader asks you this, they want to chat about something different.
Answering "working" kills the conversation.
Before Jiang Changtian could reply, a smile spread across his face.
Suddenly the whole room felt as if bathed in spring sunshine.
Some people's smiles are truly dazzling.
The Emperor was momentarily stunned.
He suddenly felt Vice Minister Jiang looked familiar.
His heart even skipped a few beats.
He wasn't sure if it was because he had just taken some medicine.
Lately after taking medicine, his heart would beat powerfully.
It would thump so hard he could feel it himself.
If Cotton were here, she would tell him this was palpitations, an irregular heartbeat, a sign of big trouble - not that he was cultivating immortality, but that he risked becoming an immortal prematurely.
"These past few days, there may be a joyous occasion in my family. My eldest son is not yet married. As it happens, Minister Dong is good friends with my in-law. He learned about my eldest son's situation from my in-law General Meng, and wants to join our two families. I heard from my in-law that Minister Dong is an extremely good person. My in-law says Minister Dong is very capable - although he curses and swears when he speaks, he always gets things done well. A daughter from such a family sounds very practical. If we could successfully propose marriage, it would be my son's good fortune."
The Emperor didn't care much about his officials' affairs.
But he did listen to gossip.
Speaking of Minister Dong, the Minister of Works, he had dealt with him quite a bit.
Then he remembered.
He had a daughter who was at the center of gossip recently.
Reportedly, her fiancé had adopted a sworn sister, that Immortal Liu, so Minister Dong angrily broke off his daughter's engagement.
The Emperor also disliked that Liu official. He believed in ghosts and spirits himself, but didn't like others believing in them.
Seeing others do it made them seem like idiots.
He felt a bit insulted and displeased.
Miss Dong, whose engagement was broken, naturally didn't have a good reputation.
The Emperor was a bit puzzled why Vice Minister Jiang was so happy about this.
"Doesn't that young lady have a bad reputation?"
"This humble official is just a minor Vice Minister of ordinary background. My reputation is even worse. People outside say far more bad things about me. The innocent will prove their own innocence. The fact that Minister Dong can be good friends with my in-law shows he's a rare, honest person. He doesn't look down on my son for having no official position, for being a commoner. How could I be picky about his daughter? I'm grateful beyond words."
At this point, Eunuch Yan, who was sitting beside the Emperor pouring tea, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, that Feng boy has accepted me as his godfather. He's getting married, but I have nothing good to give him. All my possessions were given by Your Majesty, and I'm reluctant to give them away. Why don't you bestow on him the rank of imperial guard? Minister Dong works diligently and responsibly. It wouldn't be inappropriate for his son-in-law to receive a reward. It would stop people outside from gossiping that my godson is inferior to that Liu boy. At least this godfather is more useful than a certain birth father."
After speaking, Yan Wenxin glared at Vice Minister Jiang.
The Emperor usually disliked people around him asking for official positions.
But Wenxin had never asked before. This was the first time he spoke up.
Besides, he was already planning to reward Vice Minister Jiang.
But Jiang had just arrived and was already an Imperial Secretary. It wouldn't be good to promote him again so soon.
As for giving silver, the silver would just be what Jiang had sent, which seemed pointless.
Hearing Wenxin's suggestion was perfect.
He could fulfill Wenxin's wish.
Wenxin never wanted to put him in a difficult position.
It was just a minor imperial guard position.
Imperial guards ranged from sixth to third rank.
Bestowing a sixth-rank armed imperial guard position wouldn't cause the ministers to complain.
