Persuading Kang Shilin
After writing the letter, Zhao Ruxi went to the yamen. Lady Zhu called Liu Quan over, gave him some serious instructions, and then immediately sent him to the capital with two guards.
The three set off at Wushi, and after an hour and a half of fast riding, they arrived at the Kang Family in the capital. The Kang Family had not yet had dinner.
"Liu Quan from the Earl of Suiping's Residence?" Kang Shilin paused for a moment upon hearing the name, then exclaimed, "Quickly, call him in!" He was still worried that something might have happened to Zhao Ruxi.
Liu Quan entered, bowed, and said to Kang Shilin, "I've brought a message for you, young lady, to Mister Kumu."
Kang Shilin took the letter and read it once.
In the letter, Zhao Ruxi recounted to Kang Shilin how Xiao Lingyan had visited her that day and proposed marriage. She asked Kang Shilin what to do, whether or not to accept the marriage proposal.
After reading the letter, Kang Shilin looked up at Liu Quan, then returned his gaze to the letter. However, if someone had observed him closely, they would have known that his focus was not on the letter at all.
Kang Shilin was able to gain the trust of two emperors and live a life of transcendence because he was an extremely perceptive, intelligent, and insightful person.
Kang Shilin knew that when Zhao Ruxi was studying in Beining, Zhou Chun and Ma Sheng had become her capable subordinates.
Later, she took the imperial examination and took up a post in Nanyang. She wrote countless letters to Kang Shilin, and it was usually these two who delivered the letters. If these two were busy, it would be Ma Sheng's son, Ma Wushi, who would deliver the letters; no one else would do it.
When Kang Shilin went to Nanyang, he discovered that Zhao Ruxi had several more bodyguards, including Xiang Ming. However, Zhou Chun and Ma Sheng remained the people Zhao Ruxi trusted most.
This letter is so important; it concerns a prince's marriage and also involves Zhao Ruxi herself. Given Zhao Ruxi's personality, she would naturally send her most trusted and skilled martial artist Ma Sheng, to deliver the letter.
Liu Quan was a capable steward under the Earl of Suiping's Residence, or rather, under the Lady Zhu family. He was neither one of Zhao Ruxi's men nor skilled in martial arts. For whatever reason, Zhao Ruxi would not leave so many trustworthy and capable people around her unused and instead send Liu Quan to deliver the message.
Therefore, the only explanation is that the letter was not sent at Zhao Ruxi's request, but rather at Lady Zhu's request.
In a flash, Kang Shilin figured these questions out.
He looked up and asked Liu Quan, "Why is it you who delivered the message? Where are Zhou Chun and Ma Sheng?"
Liu Quan glanced at the servants in the room, then hesitated before looking at Kang Shilin: "Mister Kumu..."
Kang Shilin waved his hand. "You may all leave."
Everyone except Kang An left. Kang An also retreated to the doorway.
He had Kang Shilin's absolute trust. Standing here, he could see if anyone was eavesdropping outside, and he could also hear any instructions Kang Shilin gave inside, allowing him to react promptly.
Seeing that Kang An remained in the room, Liu Quan didn't pay much attention. Instead, he bowed to Kang Shilin and said, "His Highness Prince of Qi arrived at the Nanyang Prefecture this morning. He left at Wushi, and the young lady returned home and told her mother about it. She also mentioned that she wanted to write a letter to her teacher. Because the young lady was pressed for time and had to rush to the government office after lunch, her mother said she would deliver the letter for her. Afterwards, she sent a servant to the capital."
It was nothing more than handing the letter to Ma Sheng and giving him instructions, but Lady Zhu took over the task of delivering the letter.
Kang Shilin had already vaguely guessed Lady Zhu's intention. Did she want to marry her daughter to the Prince of Qi?
"She sent you to the capital to deliver a message, perhaps she wants you to pass on a message?" he asked.
Even if he were her master, he couldn't possibly make decisions about Zhao Ruxi's marriage directly, bypassing her parents. Therefore, although Kang Shilin strongly disagreed with Lady Zhu's idea, he still had to give her a chance to speak.
"Yes," Liu Quan said. "Madam said that ever since they recognized the girl and she turned fourteen, she, the old lady, and the Earl have been arranging marriages for her. Originally, they were interested in the eldest son of the Fu Da of Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, but the girl didn't want to get involved in factional struggles, so she disagreed. Later Prince Jingping's Estate proposed marriage for his fourth son, but the girl didn't want to marry into a wealthy family and become a lowly wife, having to compete for favor with her husband's concubines, so she also refused."
Hearing this, Kang Shilin frowned.
He knew about the marriage. His little apprentice was not only sensible, but also a very considerate daughter. She would never hide anything from him and would always confide in him with affection and dependence.
Fu Yunkai and Xiao Sijie, not to mention Zhao Ruxi, he also disagreed.
Fu Yunkai himself is a good person, but he is caught in a political vortex and has a shrewish mother at home. The Consort of Prince of Jingping of Prince Jingping's Estate seems gentle, but she is ruthless when it comes to controlling her daughter-in-law, not to mention that Xiao Sijie is a romantic.
"Originally, the second-place scholar Duan Chen, was a good candidate, but Consort Jin has taken a liking to him on behalf of Princess Xiangyang and wants to make him her consort. The young lady already has conflicts with them, and if she marries someone who has rejected Consort Jin and Princess Xiangyang, she will be hated beyond measure, and her life might even be in danger. Young Master Duan isn't so outstanding that my young lady should risk her life to marry him."
"Besides those three, looking at all the young men in the capital, my lady simply can't find anyone worthy of my daughter. Therefore, she's already sixteen and still not engaged. The other day, Wu Zong Lord Wu even told her that if she doesn't get engaged soon, someone in court might use it as an excuse to impeach her."
"Under these circumstances, when His Highness the Prince of Qi came to propose marriage, the Lady felt it was the will of Heaven."
"Your wife is aware of your concerns, sir. But she has her own considerations, so she asked me to convey them to you so you can see if they are reasonable. If you find them inappropriate, then the marriage of our daughter will be discussed further."
"You say it." Kang Shilin was no longer as angry as before.
After Liu Quan explained it to him, he understood Lady Zhu's thoughts and realized that Lady Zhu's actions were entirely out of necessity.
Compared to the three people she chose, Xiao Lingyan was far superior to them in every aspect. Aside from the fact that he was a prince, there was really nothing wrong with him.
During his visits to the palace over the past year, Kang Shilin often encountered Xiao Lingyan playing chess and appreciating paintings with Xiao Ge, and he had a very good impression of Xiao Lingyan.
Moreover, Lady Zhu a woman confined to the inner quarters, lacking political foresight and solely focused on finding a good marriage for her daughter. It's no wonder she's inclined to agree to this marriage.
Seeing that Kang Shilin's expression wasn't as bad as before, Liu Quan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Madam said that His Highness Prince of Qi could have directly asked the Emperor to issue an edict, but he was willing to personally come in the sweltering heat to ask for the young lady's opinion, and said that he wouldn't force her if she didn't want to. Madam feels that His Highness's actions show respect for the young lady. Just for this reason alone, he is much better than others."