"Your Majesty, Lord Zhu died in the line of duty, and his wife, overwhelmed by grief, followed him in death. They left behind a twelve-year-old daughter. Once her mourning period ends, we can begin considering her marriage."
This Lord Zhu had been the imperial commissioner the emperor sent to oversee disaster relief.
While carrying out his duties, he accidentally lost his footing and fell into an ice-covered lake.
Although those nearby rescued him, he died from the chill he caught.
When the news reached Capital City, the emperor had yet to grant him a posthumous honor before his already frail wife fainted and never woke again.
The Imperial Censor brought this up at court partly to remind the emperor not to chill the hearts of a meritorious official's surviving family.
His other purpose was to arrange a marriage for Miss Zhu.
Miss Zhu had lost both parents at such a young age. Even though her father had died in the line of duty, a girl without parents to guide her would struggle to find a husband's family later.
It would be better to secure a dependable match for her while the emperor still remembered Lord Zhu.
"What do you propose, my minister?"
The emperor did not recklessly pair mandarin ducks. She was a young girl who had only just lost both her parents.
Honestly, her marriage really was difficult to arrange.
He had also sent people to inquire about the Zhu Family. Lord Zhu had been the eldest son and had provided considerable support to the family's other branches over the years.
His wife was the daughter of a scholar, whom he had married according to his parents' wishes.
After marrying, the two had always treated each other with the courtesy of honored guests.
But perhaps the Zhu Family's ancestral