Chapter 4 Request for Marriage
"But where should your fiefdom be drawn?"

Now that a consensus has been reached on Wang An's enfeoffment, the next step is to demarcate the fiefdom.

However, Daliang was established only four hundred years ago and had countless vassal kings.

Apart from the prefectures directly under the imperial court, there are not many unowned lands.

Wang Hongyuan pretended to be in deep thought, but his eyes were actually looking at his trusted minister, the chief minister of the cabinet, Fang Bingqian.

Fang Bingqian was able to become the chief minister of the cabinet by guessing the emperor's intentions. He immediately understood and said, "Your Majesty, I think the fief of Prince Xin can be Jizhou."

However, Fang Bingqian's proposal caused an uproar among the officials. Gao Jin directly opposed it, saying, "This proposal is not acceptable. Jizhou is located on the border, bordering the Jurchens in the east and the Black Tartars in the north, both of which are powerful enemies of Daliang. Letting His Royal Highness Prince Xin go to Jizhou would be tantamount to sending himself to death!"

However, Fang Bingqian seemed to have anticipated that someone would object, and said calmly, "Master Gao has misunderstood. I am doing this for the good of His Royal Highness Prince Xin."

"Firstly, our Daliang has no extra land to be enfeoffed. Secondly, Your Highness Prince Xin is the only son of the late Emperor Zhaowu. He should follow the example of the late Emperor and guard the national borders, and pacify the border troubles for Daliang!"

"Nonsense!" Gao Jin was about to refute, but Fang Bingqian waved his hand.

"Since Master Gao disagrees, then where do you think the fiefdom should be drawn?"

Gao Jin frowned and sighed, "Maybe we can stay in the imperial capital, it will be the same."

Wang An was shocked when he heard this. If he stayed in the imperial capital, he would always be a hidden danger to Wang Hongyuan, and he would definitely be attacked by him.

So he hurriedly said: "Uncle, let's go to Jizhou!"

The ministers were surprised, and Wang Hongyuan looked at Wang An suspiciously.

The dangers of Jizhou were not only the external threats that Gao Jin had mentioned. Due to years of famine in Jizhou and looting by barbarians, many local people could not survive and became bandits, so the bandit problem was also very serious.

If a normal person heard that they were going to be sent to such a place to serve as a vassal, it would be good enough if they refused to go. How could they volunteer?

However, Wang An's reason was also very strong, "If it is beneficial to the country, life and death are of no concern, why should we avoid it because of misfortune or fortune!"

"Although my nephew is only interested in living a carefree life, he is also a descendant of my great ancestor! If I can defend the border for the court, I would not mind dying!"

"Great! What a great saying: If it is beneficial to the country, we should not avoid it because of misfortune or fortune!" Gao Jin's face flushed with excitement, and he clapped his hands and exclaimed: "If all the members of the Daliang clan can be like Your Highness, there is no need to worry about the prosperity of the country!"

Many court officials were surprised and moved, as if they were meeting Wang An for the first time.

"I've heard that His Royal Highness Prince Xin has a humble character, but I never thought he would be so enlightened!"

"As expected, heroes emerge from youth. This is what a saint said!"

"I think this sentence should be engraved outside the Meridian Gate so that we can see it every day, so that we will not forget the original intention of entering the government!"

"Seconded!"

Wang An then remembered that although this world was extremely similar to the ancient China in his previous life, they were two completely different worlds, and naturally Lin Zexu did not exist.

He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. It was not a good thing to show off in front of Wang Hongyuan. Instead, it would make the other party wary.

Sure enough, Wang Hongyuan praised him a few times with a somewhat unnatural look on his face, and then decided: "Since the emperor's nephew has such a great ambition, let's set off as soon as possible!"

"Nephew, I obey your order!" Wang An said, and then said, "Nephew, I have another unwelcome request."

Wang Hongyuan nodded and said, "Go ahead."

Wang An looked at Shen Shaozhu and said solemnly, "I don't know how many years it will take to go to Jizhou. I really can't bear to be separated from my flesh and blood. My nephew begs to go with the Empress Dowager." Wang Hongyuan showed a cunning look in his eyes and said decisively, "Nonsense, since the founding of our dynasty, there has never been a biological mother who went to the vassal state with a prince, let alone the Empress Dowager!"

Wang An's words were indeed against etiquette, and the court officials who had just praised Wang An all spoke out against it.

Wang An looked unhappy and was about to argue when he felt someone grabbing his arm.

Turning back, she saw Shen Shaozhu with a loving expression on her face. She reached out and gently stroked Wang An's cheek and whispered, "My son, your mother knows that you are filial, but Wang Hongyuan will not agree. The etiquette of Daliang will not allow the empress dowager to follow her son to the vassal state."

"Forget it. As long as you can leave this place and live a happy life, your mother will be happy even if she dies."

Wang An saw a hint of determination in Shen Shaozhu's eyes, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Wang An knew that Wang Hongyuan wanted not only his brother's throne, but also his brother's woman!

Shen Shaozhu also knew.

She had been exhausted physically and mentally over the years in order to preserve her innocence. If it hadn't been for Wang An, she would have followed her late husband long ago.

If her son, the only one who kept Shen Shaozhu going, became a fiefdom, what would she do when she lived alone in the palace?

Wang An didn't dare to think about it, and nervously squeezed Shen Shaozhu's palm and persuaded: "Mother, you have to wait for me to come back to pick you up! If anything happens to you, I don't want to live anymore!"

"If you don't agree, I won't be the vassal either!"

Shen Shaozhu's eyes turned red and he nodded quickly.

"Okay, mother will wait for you to come back and pick me up!"

After Shen Shaozhu finished speaking, he looked at Wang Hongyuan who was sitting on the dragon throne, and his delicate face showed an incomparable determination.

"Before my son goes to the vassal state, there is one more matter that I would like to ask the emperor for his decision!"

Wang Hongyuan's eyes flashed with a trace of covetousness, which then quickly disappeared. He smiled and said, "What is it that the Emperor's sister-in-law wants me to decide?"

Shen Shaozhu raised his hand and pointed at the crowd, saying word by word: "Your Majesty, please grant my son a marriage!"

"Back when I was still pregnant with An'er, the late emperor had made an agreement with the Grand Commander, Duke Wei, that if the Grand Commander gave birth to a daughter, she would marry into the royal family as the Crown Princess. Do you remember, Grand Commander?"

A middle-aged general in the crowd looked solemn. He glanced at Wang Hongyuan, who was furious, and frowned, saying, "It was just a joke back then, how can it be taken seriously? Moreover, His Royal Highness Prince Xin is about to be enfeoffed, and he is not the crown prince, so how can there be a crown princess?"

"Hahaha!" Shen Shaozhu chuckled a few times and said contemptuously: "Sir, don't joke. Even if it's a joke, you promised it yourself! Could it be that the Grand Commander is such a powerful person that he wants to break the promise when he sees that my son has no chance of becoming emperor?"

"This..." Grand Commander Cao Meng was suddenly speechless.

Although I really think so, it is difficult to say it out loud.

Most importantly, although he had several sons, he only had one precious daughter.

Moreover, she is extremely talented and beautiful, and countless princes and nobles in the capital city are eager to get her.

If Wang An could really ascend the throne, Cao Meng would naturally want his daughter to marry Wang An. However, Wang An not only proposed to be a vassal, but even to a bitter and cold place like Jizhou. How could he bear to let his daughter suffer with him!
"Haha." Shen Shaozhu turned to the officials and said solemnly: "Please judge for yourself. Isn't the Grand Commander bullying us orphans and widows?"

Wang An couldn't help but be surprised. In his memory, Shen Shaozhu had always been a weak and introverted person. This was the first time he saw her asking for justice like a common woman.

She's just a daughter-in-law. Is it necessary to fight for her at the cost of your dignity?
(End of this chapter)