freenovelworld Chapter 782 Preparing for an Imperial Marriage!
Chapter 782 Preparing for an Imperial Marriage!
Duanmu Chen's departure gradually eased the atmosphere in the capital.
The Turkic prince then reiterated their desire for a marriage alliance.
Prince Jimo has been quite active in the capital of Dayong lately.
While it wouldn't be accurate to say they were constantly on the go, they were definitely extremely busy.
In the capital, he made great efforts to get close to influential people in the Dayong Dynasty, and at the same time, he paid more attention to getting close to some civil officials.
Jimmer was smart; he knew that it was not appropriate for him to take the initiative to make more contact with the other side's general.
In fact, people may not even be willing to communicate with them much.
But these civil officials were different.
Most civil officials advocated for peace and did not recommend resorting to force.
Jimmer chose to approach them proactively because he recognized that some of them held significant positions of power and influence with the Emperor. This was what he valued most.
What he needs now is someone who can firmly support him; if he can persuade the emperor of Dayong, that would be even better.
Of course, he also knew that in the current Dayong Dynasty, the newly appointed Crown Prince was probably able to make most of the decisions.
Now that the Crown Prince holds all military power, the Emperor even skips court sessions every few days, leaving everything to the Crown Prince. This is clearly an intentional decentralization of power.
Upon arriving in the capital of Dayong, Jimo finally understood what prosperity truly meant!
The border towns they plundered were indeed just small towns; to the wealthy Dayong, they were practically impoverished places.
But for these Turks, there was plenty of food, wine, and meat.
The women there have finer skin than theirs, their pasta is softer, and they have a wider variety of dishes.
Now that he has arrived in the capital, he realizes that everything he had seen before was nothing but low-class stuff.
If he can win the support of Dayong, then his chances of inheriting the Khanate will be greater.
Prince Gimme treated people to drinks and meals almost every day, and even went to the pleasure quarters of the capital.
However, since he was not very familiar with the official system of the Great Yong Dynasty, most of the people he invited were those who had titles but no real power.
He had always wanted to invite Mu Chang'an, but unfortunately, he could hardly ever even see him.
Mu Chang'an generally doesn't participate in these kinds of social events.
Having reached his level of official rank, he naturally knew he had to be more restrained in certain matters. Besides, he had never been interested in these things to begin with.
Now that his son-in-law has become the crown prince, Mu Chang'an, the future father-in-law of the emperor, is naturally someone that many officials want to curry favor with.
Thinking back to his previous conversation with Mu Xin Nuan and Duanmu Chu Ze, he knew very well that if the Mu family wanted to truly remain in power, it absolutely could not rely on those in positions of authority.
Even if his daughter becomes the Crown Princess, Mu Chang'an is still just a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. All his thoughts and actions should not change because of Mu Xin Nuan's change in status.
On this point, Mu Chang'an reached a consensus with the Li family with pleasure.
Lady Li was never one to particularly enjoy social gatherings, but now that her daughter had become the Crown Princess, the noble ladies and young women of the capital naturally came to offer their congratulations.
Even though the nobles in the capital dared not make any big moves because the former crown prince had just passed away, the frequency with which they were going to the Mu residence was still quite high.
Although Li was having some headaches, she couldn't just turn everyone away, could she?
Besides, they came to offer their congratulations with good intentions, and we can't refuse them all. Otherwise, people might think that the Mu family is arrogant just because they have a daughter who is a crown princess.
The General Zhenguo's mansion was also quite lively.
Everyone in the capital knows that the Zhenguo General's Mansion only has one aunt, who is Li, who married into the Mu family. Now that Li's granddaughter has become the Crown Princess, wouldn't it be impolite not to come and congratulate her?
On this day, after the court session ended, the emperor summoned the crown prince and Prince Ming to the Hall of Diligent Governance.
"Your Majesty, what is your opinion on this marriage alliance?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that although the Turks are trying to be friendly, we still cannot be complacent about their wolfish intentions."
The Emperor nodded with satisfaction. After experiencing some things, his son had finally become more stable and mature.
"Now that they have sincerely pledged allegiance, we cannot embarrass them. Even though my Great Yong is wealthy, we do not wish to see too many casualties. I intend to betroth Princess Nali to you as a concubine. What do you think?"
King Ming was startled and looked at the Emperor with some disbelief.
He truly hadn't expected that his father would be willing to value him again.
It was nothing unusual to take a foreign woman as a concubine.
The problem is that he had just gone through such a thing, and his father's actions were probably an attempt to forgive him for being taken advantage of.
“Father, I have no objection. I will leave everything to your decision.”
Duanmu Chuze also offered his congratulations, "Second brother, that princess is still young, and although she may be a bit wild, she is still a member of the Turkic royal family, so it's not an insult to you. However, there is one thing I still want to remind you of."
Duanmu Chuze is now the crown prince, yet he remains so humble in front of him, leaving King Ming somewhat at a loss.
"Please enlighten me, Fourth Brother."
“Princess Nali is young and beautiful. Second Brother can dote on her and cherish her, but you absolutely cannot let her give birth to your child. I know that Second Brother’s family has enough offspring now. At least you have one legitimate son, and several other illegitimate sons and daughters have been added in recent years. Princess Nali’s offspring are still unacceptable.”
King Ming understood immediately and nodded, "Don't worry, I know."
The Emperor's intention to betroth Princess Nali to Prince Ming as a concubine was still a secret. At this moment, the powerful figures that Prince Jimer had befriended finally proved somewhat useful, revealing the Emperor's intentions while drunk.
Prince Jimo was slightly surprised. His original intention was to use his sister to help him ascend to the throne of the Turks. Now that things had turned out this way, it was certainly not what he wanted.
Although the Ming King was a prince, he did not have much military power.
If she were to marry him as a concubine, it would be far more advantageous to marry a powerful general!
Prince Jim returned to the inn in a fit of rage, stormed into Nali's bedroom, and ravaged her before telling her the news.