Lu Bu's guess was correct. Mrs. Feng's pregnancy caused Shouchun officials to spontaneously discuss Wang Zheng's marriage issue again. Lu Qiling, who had not yet married, her original status as the head wife was once again questioned.
Since Mrs. Feng was pregnant with Wang Zheng's first child, her identity as a concubine could not escape regardless of her gender. Wang Zheng originally called everyone to discuss this point, but unexpectedly everyone was discussing another topic.
The king's government has already been crowned at the beginning of the year. Now that he has to choose a concubine, why not also decide on the marriage and the candidate for the main wife?
Mi Heng was the first to say that at this time and at that time, given Wang Zheng's current status, Lu Lingqi was no longer a good match. It was possible to marry her, but a real wife was absolutely inappropriate.
Guo Jia, who had not met him last time, also expressed his agreement: "Lu Feng, the heroic tiger of the ancestors, is also a hero in the world. If he really marries his daughter, he will be a relative, and he can participate openly, even
Interference in our Xuzhou government affairs must be observed by the Lord at this time."
Wang Zheng heard this and looked at Guo Jia: "Fengxiao's words, do you agree with Zhengping's opinion?"
"It's just that I originally proposed this matter on my own initiative. I even invited Zhang Guo to go to Wu County for matchmaking, and I also paid a betrothal gift. Now that I'm going back on my word at the last minute, I'm afraid it will attract criticism from everyone in the world."
"My lord's concerns are not unfounded."
Guo Jia said with a smile: "Whatever goes against you is also contrary to you. Since my lord promised Lu Lingqi the status of his wife, then speaking back now will indeed have a bad impact. It doesn't matter to me, Xuzhou. After all, my lord is kind and loving.
Everyone in Xuzhou loves him. The admiration of the courtiers and the people for the lord will never change because of this incident, but..."
"How the newly attached lands like Jiujiang, Lujiang, and Beihai will react, and how the people of the world will view my lord, we have to think deeply about it."
"So what I mean is actually quite different from that of Brother Zhengping. It's said to be a done deal. For the sake of my lord's reputation, Lu Lingqi's status as the principal wife cannot be shaken. If she wants to be shaken, she can only make Lu Bu take the initiative to repent, or..."
Having said this, Guo Jia looked around at everyone and said calmly: "In this world, there are some people who are so poor that they become extremely wealthy, but they suffer unreasonable disasters and die young because of this. I have seen this general and tiger girl before in Xiapi.
Haha, it seems that he belongs to this type of person."
Hearing the implication of Guo Jia's words, Wang Zheng frowned immediately. Before he could speak, Mi Heng on the side nodded his head in agreement:
"This is a very clever plan. It can be said to be a blow to the bottom of the pot. Lu Qiling's own family is not blessed to be able to bear it. No matter Lu Bu or the people of the world, it is natural that the master is not to blame."
But it was useless for him to agree. Wang Zheng shook his head almost without thinking, and then directly stated his position:
"Lu Lingqi has no grudges against me. If she wants to do this devious way to a woman just because of some hidden dangers, I won't be able to bear it and will feel even more uneasy!"
Guo Jia's strategy clearly stated that he was trying to find a way to give Lu Qiling a "reasonable death" in Xiapi. It was nothing more than a "sudden illness" or an "accidental encounter with bandits".
Anyway, the result will definitely be to use the unexpected "violent death" as an excuse to respond to Lu Bu's side.
Wang Zheng felt very uncomfortable to kill a woman who had no grudges against his family, and to use such insidious means was really hard for him to accept.
After pondering for a moment, Wang Zheng said slowly: "There is another way to show filial piety. Can we think of a way to make Lu Bu take the initiative to repent?"
"It's difficult."
Guo Jia shook his head: "There was a military report from Pengcheng some time ago. Lu Bu led his troops to attack the Lu State, but was attacked by the Yanzhou Army. Not to mention another major defeat, even his generals Wei Xu and Hou Chengdu surrendered to Cao Cao.
Now that the army is weak and at the end of the road, marrying the Lord's Guild Alliance is his only chance to make a comeback. How could Lu Bu take the initiative to go back on his word and give up this only way of survival?"
Everyone nodded, deeply agreeing that what Mi Heng said just now was right, it was indeed the same at this time and that time.
At the beginning of the negotiation of this marriage, Wang Zheng had won the four counties of Xuzhou and his foundation was unstable. In addition, Cao Cao specially sent Dong Zhao as envoy to Xuzhou in order to provoke Lu Bu and Wang Zheng into a "two tigers competing for food".
In order to deal with this plan on the one hand, and to form a strong support on the other hand, Wang Zhengfang adopted Zhang Zhao's strategy and took the initiative to send him to propose marriage to Lu Bu.
But now, the royal government has actually covered nine counties, including Beihai, Taishan, Guangling and even Jiujiang, which are rich and powerful, with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses in hand!
His power has expanded too fast. Not to mention the now successful Lu Bu, even at the peak of his power, it was difficult for him to match it. But for such a royal government and such an interest group in Xuzhou, no matter Lu Bu himself or he
The few soldiers and horses under my command are not only dispensable, but even worse than nothing!
After all, no matter whether civil or military, everyone is now extremely optimistic about Wang Zheng's future. If more people are involved, wouldn't it mean that there are more mouths competing for food?
So at this moment, it can be said that everyone in the Xuzhou Army is not happy for Lu Qiling to be Wang Zheng's wife, including Xu Fang, Wu Sheng, Yu Jin and others who are not in Shouchun.
Maybe the exception is Zhang Zhao, who worked hard to promote this marriage.
But on the other hand, at this time Lu Bu's forces were eager for the marriage to be finalized, so Lu Qiling hurriedly entered the marriage.
"How about using the excuse of being a common wife?"
Seeing that no one could do anything, Wang Zheng had no choice but to take the initiative and ask: "A person like Lu Bu has a proud personality. How can he be willing to accept someone on an equal footing with his daughter? If he gets angry, we can just follow the trend?"
"Hair wife?"
This term is easy to understand, and everyone understood it immediately, but just like that, almost everyone did not understand why Wang Zheng thought of this method. Mi Heng immediately frowned and said: "My lord, you want one husband and two wives?"
Such things that are not in line with etiquette have never happened since ancient times."
"Uh, no?"
Wang Zheng was startled when he heard this and looked at Guo Jia.
Guo Jia also nodded and said: "My lord, I roughly understand what I mean. It is to choose a woman to share the same room with Lu Qiling as equals. However, since ancient times, they have always been monogamous, and the status above concubines is no more than concubines."
But she is still far inferior to the legal wife."
Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was a special existence of "concubines". In "Rituals·Shihunli", it is said that "in ancient times, when a daughter was married, her nephew would follow her, and she was called a concubine." That is to say, when the daughter of the emperor and princes in ancient times got married,
You must marry your niece or sister, and the sister you married from is the concubine. Although the status of the concubine is lower than that of the head wife, it is higher than that of the concubine. If the head wife dies, then the concubine has the opportunity to become the head wife, but the concubine is
For those who do not have this qualification, this kind of "concubine" can be regarded as the earliest manifestation of an equal wife.
The real equal wives and common wives only appeared in the Tang Dynasty, but they only maintained a tacit attitude. For example, "Old Tang Book·Wang Maozhong Biography" contains, "His wife has been named the lady of the country, and he has been given the title of Li."
She is also the wife of the state; every time she goes to the palace to pay a visit, the two ladies will receive the gifts together."
"If not, then there won't be."
Wang Zheng thought for a moment, then waved his hand indifferently and said: "So what if I didn't do it before? I just happen to be the first person to create this world, so why not?"
seem...
Nothing wrong with that?
Guo Jia and Mi Heng looked at each other. Although these things may seem a bit sensational and even risk the disapproval of the world, when it comes to Wang Zheng, they may not actually attract much criticism.
First, in the final analysis, this is just Wang Zheng’s family matter.
Secondly, with the current chaos, no matter whether the princes are civil or military, or the traders are soldiers, who has the time to care whether he has one wife or two wives?
Third, for the Han Dynasty, Wang Zheng had already done the most unethical thing. Compared with committing rebellion and rebelling against the Yellow Turbans, what is the point of marrying two wives?
In fact, the most important thing is that even Mi Heng, who attaches great importance to etiquette and rules, has to admit that Wang Zheng's proposal is the only solution at present.
Guo Jia had already made his words clear. Wang Zheng could not take the initiative to regret the marriage, and he did not agree to let Lu Qiling "die without illness." At this time, Lu Bu would never say it back...
After all, to say the least, even if Lu Bu didn't want to follow Wang Zheng, he would never turn against Wang Zheng at this time.
If you take the initiative to regret your marriage, isn't that causing trouble for your family and making enemies?
So looking at it this way, the "equal wife" is just
Exactly the only solution.
Even if Lu Bu and his daughter hold their noses and accept it, Wang Zheng's back house will have an extra force to suppress the Lu family.
Thinking of this, Mi Heng took the initiative to ask: "Who does your lord want to make equal for this?"
Hearing this, Wang Zheng looked at Mi Heng with a half-smile but not a smile, "I don't belong to you right now. If Zhengping has a beautiful woman in his heart, why don't you tell me about it?"
Mi Heng was about to open his mouth, but suddenly his heart froze.
Although he was arrogant and unkind, he was not a fool after all. He didn't react until the words were on his lips, and quickly changed his words: "This is a family matter for the Lord, I cannot speak."
"Ha ha."
Wang Zheng smiled and said warmly: "Zhengping, you and I have been friends for a long time, why do you need to say such things to deal with me? If you think that this marriage is just a family matter for me, why did you oppose Lu Bu's daughter twice?"
"I have already said that during the meeting, those who speak are innocent and can speak freely. If you have someone to choose, just say so."
Anyway, Mi Heng has joined the system a long time ago, and there is definitely no problem with his loyalty. He is just selfish, and at least it does not conflict with his own interests. Wang Zheng will not care too much for the time being.
Wang Zhenghua had already mentioned this, and Mi Heng knew that he had already found a candidate, otherwise he would not have taken the lead in opposing Lu Qiling again today.
If he refuses today, even if Wang Zheng will not blame him, he will never have the opportunity to speak on this matter in the future. After hesitating for a moment, he is determined and determined, and he simply said directly:
"My lord, there is a girl in the Mi family named Mi Zhen. She is both talented and beautiful, and she is also a kind-hearted person. She is highly regarded by the people of Xiapi and the county. I think this girl is a good match."
"Mi Zhen?"
Hearing this name, an elegant and beautiful face immediately appeared in Wang Zheng's mind.
If it is true that the first encounter occurred when the two did not know each other's identity, then the second time is unlikely.
They met both times in the Mi family's house. The girl's conversation was extraordinary and her temperament was generous. She could not be a servant or a concubine, so she could only be a relative of Mi Fang.
Under such circumstances, Wang Zheng could guess with his toes that the so-called Shi Bei was most likely the Mrs. Mi who married Liu Bei in history.
And did Mi Zhen guess Wang Zheng’s identity?
Wang Zheng didn't know, but from what he thought, this woman Mi Zhen was very chic. Even if she didn't know his true identity, she would never believe that he was just an ordinary guard.
Will you marry Mi Zhen?
I have to say that this choice made Wang Zheng a little excited.
Compared to Lu Qiling, whom he had never met (he thought), at least the young girl Mi Zhen left a good impression on him, and he even had a favorable impression.
Because the other party is not only beautiful, but also has a smart mind. The key is that he is very consistent with Wang Zheng's three views.
However, even though he was thinking this way, Shang Wangzheng remained calm. Instead, he looked at Mi Heng and said with a smile: "This is Mi Fang's sister, Zhengping. I remember that you and Zifang have no personal relationship, so why would you recommend this?"
female?"
"Your Majesty, your words are tactful. I and Mi Fang have no personal relationship."
Mi Heng smiled bitterly and said: "We just hate each other, but as the sages have said, we don't avoid relatives when doing things internally, and we don't avoid enemies when doing things externally. Although I have a bad relationship with Mi Fang, I admire her sister very much."
"This girl is not only charming and beautiful, but also talented. If she can marry a hero like my lord, it will be a perfect match, a match made in heaven, and it will be passed down to future generations, and it will be a good story!"
Is it rated so highly?
Wang Zheng was startled. He did not expect that Mi Heng, who had eyes above his head and had nothing to spare, would admire Mi Zhen so much. He was silent for a moment, nodded, and asked Guo Jiadao: "What do you think of being a filial piety?"
But I saw Guo Jiadao: "I have also heard about this girl Mi Zhen. She is indeed a good candidate for a wife, but she is not suitable at this time."
"oh?"
Wang Zheng looked sideways and asked, "Why?"
"My lord wants to marry an equal wife, just to anger Lu Bu."
Guo Jiadao: "Mi Zhen's status is not low. Naturally, the Mi family was not a high-profile figure before.
He is from a high-ranking family, but since his lord took over Xuzhou, he has been very kind to him. Now he has the potential to replace the Chen family as the leader. Mi Fang is also an important minister under the lord, and his sister is the daughter of the Mi family. This
It’s no small matter to have one of two identities, let alone have both?”
"A beautiful girl like Mi Zhen wants to be an equal wife. At most, Lu Bu and Lu Qiling are dissatisfied, but they may not be angry. In this case, my lord's plan is useless, so I say it is not appropriate at this time."
"Um..."
Wang Zheng and Huang Zhong and Wei Yan beside him all nodded, feeling that what Guo Jia said was quite reasonable.
There is a trivial truth!
But Mi Heng was very dissatisfied and immediately sneered: "Then according to Guo Jijiu's idea, a woman with a low status is the most suitable? After all, it is already very embarrassing to have an equal wife. If Lu Qiling is
It is even more shameful and humiliating to sit on the same level as a servant, right?"
His words were meant to be sarcastic, but he didn't expect Guo Jia to nod his head repeatedly:
"Yes, you know me Zhengping. What I want is for the lord to accept a maid as his equal wife. In this case, Lu Bu and his daughter will probably leave in shame and anger."
Wang Zheng was stunned, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan were also stunned.
Mi Heng was also stunned, but soon turned into furious.
"absurd!"
He jumped up in anger: "According to what you said, Lu Bu and his daughter have left, but what happens next?"
"How does it end?"
Mi Heng's question is correct. According to Guo Jia's plan, if Wang Zheng insists on accepting a lowly woman as his equal wife, let alone a arrogant and famous hero like Lu Bu, or an ordinary wealthy family, I'm afraid
It is also difficult to accept, and there is a high probability that he will be unable to bear the humiliation and break off the engagement.
But the question is how will it end after the engagement is broken off?
With Wang Zheng's current status, if he really married a slave, wouldn't he be the laughing stock of the world?