Zhao Jiaqi quickly helped up the father and daughter from the ground.
"Get up, there's no need for this. When Cuihua gets married, this Princess Consort will give her a thousand taels as dowry. With money in hand, Cuihua won't feel flustered."
Old Tie Chou choked up, truly not knowing how to express his gratitude. He thought of returning home to erect a memorial tablet for the Princess Consort and offer incense thrice daily.
In the evening, Fan Zehao went to the imperial palace and found Huangfu Xi, stating his purpose directly without any pleasantries.
"Leng Han bullied my daughter. Fortunately, Prince Jinli was there, or he would have succeeded. Your Majesty, Leng Han is your subject. How do you propose to handle this matter?"
Huangfu Xi stared at him, bewildered. How long ago had this happened, and he was still bringing up old grudges? Had he taken the wrong medicine today, or was his mind muddled to reveal such a sensitive matter? Wasn't he afraid of his daughter's reputation being ruined?
After a long moment of stunned silence, under the pressure of Fan Zehao's angry gaze, he came to his senses. Relying on his wit, he finally said after a long pause, "What does Your Highness the Regent think should be done?"
This question hit the mark. Fan Zehao grinned, his smile filled with joy, but to Huangfu Xi, it was terrifying. An ominous premonition struck him, yet he couldn't refuse.
"Leng Han is so eager to get married, then this Prince will give him a wife. It's only proper to reciprocate a gift. Is Your Majesty in agreement?"
This statement was a bit far-fetched, as Leng Han hadn't succeeded. However, facing Fan Zehao's insincere smile, Huangfu Xi didn't dare to disagree.
"Yes, Elder Brother is absolutely right!" He paused slightly and then tentatively asked, "The wife he's finding for him, isn't it that ugly woman the Regent's manor has been searching for?"
After Huangfu Xi finished speaking, his mind cleared considerably, and he felt that his question was not one of suspicion but of certainty. As expected, Fan Zehao's reply was equally certain, and furthermore, he revealed something astonishing.
"Precisely because she is ugly and a village girl, you, Your Majesty, will need to issue a decree, bestowing marriage. The bride must not be divorced, must not remarry, must not be bullied, and must be treated with good food and drink. If this Cuihua suffers even the slightest bullying or is harmed, this Prince will exterminate their entire clan."
"Your Majesty, this Prince is also doing this to protect Cuihua's safety. Whether you understand or not, these are my terms. As for whether Prime Minister Leng agrees or not, that depends on Your Majesty."
Huangfu Xi had no words to express his misery. These were hardly conditions. Not marrying meant extermination, and marrying meant treating her like a Buddha, unable to scold or even speak ill of her. If anything went wrong, the consequence was still extermination. The thought of exterminating nine generations of a clan was spoken so lightly by him; it was truly insane.
How could he choose? Not choosing meant death. Choosing offered a glimmer of hope for survival! Anyone but a fool would choose to marry her.
After Fan Zehao left, Huangfu Xi urgently summoned Prime Minister Leng into the palace. He repeated Fan Zehao's words to the Prime Minister, verbatim.
The next moment, the Prime Minister slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jiggle and finally fall to the ground, shattering. The Prime Minister, his whiskers bristling, fumed, "He is going too far!"
"My son was foolish for a moment, but he didn't cause great harm, did he? Furthermore, my youngest daughter has already gone to marry into a foreign land. Isn't that enough? To force me to find an ugly woman to be my son's main wife – isn't this bullying? Does he really think Yun Country is his to command!"
The latter part of his statement was clearly meant to provoke Huangfu Xi, and he understood it, but what could he do? Did he not rely on Fan Zehao to maintain his imperial seat? Why utter such useless words and embarrass him? Huangfu Xi's face fell instantly, a visage so grim it would insult a donkey by comparison.
"Prime Minister, you must choose. Tomorrow, we will give the Regent's Highness a reply. As for the outcome, I don't need to tell you that you already know Fan Zehao's unyielding nature."
After speaking, Huangfu Xi left him alone in the imperial study. In truth, Huangfu Xi didn't need to think; he had already guessed the final outcome. As expected, the Prime Minister chose to let his son marry this ugly woman. The next day, everyone in the capital knew that General Leng Han was going to marry an ugly woman. This attracted more onlookers; people weren't looking forward to the marriage of the Leng family's daughter to a foreign land, but eagerly anticipated the wedding of General Leng.
As for Leng Han, it was said he caused a great commotion at home. In the end, the Prime Minister beat him and confined him to the ancestral shrine, and only then was the matter settled.
The wedding date was set. In Fan Zehao's opinion, any day was auspicious, and there was no need to pick a specific one. However, he and his wife could wait in the capital for two or three days, or even five. This was a joyous occasion with Leng Zhu marrying into a foreign land and Leng Han getting married, and the Emperor wanted the Leng family to have double happiness.
On this day, the streets and alleys of the capital were filled with people, a veritable sea of humanity. However, the crowd wasn't there for the marriage into a foreign land but for the wedding of General Leng's family. Yet, everyone was disappointed; Leng Han did not personally come to escort the bride. Instead, a rooster appeared. The crowd sighed, feeling it was unworthy of General Leng.
However, someone whispered that this Cuihua had once saved General Leng, and it was to repay this life-saving grace that he was marrying her. But Cuihua was too ugly, and their relationship was only one of life-saving grace, with no genuine affection, hence he hadn't personally come to escort the bride.
The common folk were discussing this topic in private. They said that this Cuihua was found by the Regent's Consort a few days ago, so how did she become the person who saved General Leng? Some replied that this was the cleverness of the matter. The Regent's manor sought an ugly woman but didn't explain the reason, fearing it would ruin Miss Cuihua's reputation. After all, given her appearance, if her reputation were further tarnished, even if the General didn't mind, the Prime Minister wouldn't agree.
As the discussions heated up, on the other side, after the wedding ceremony, Cuihua suddenly yanked off the red veil. Her short, thick hands directly grabbed the rooster's neck. As the rooster flapped its wings, she gave a slight pinch, the rooster's neck twisted, and its wings stopped flapping.
The Prime Minister, witnessing this, was dumbfounded. What was this daughter-in-law trying to do? She had just entered the household and immediately pulled such a stunt. Was this a show of dominance?
Hiding in the crowd and watching the spectacle, Zhao Jiaqi was so amused her mouth couldn't close. Fan Zehao put his arm around her waist, holding her close, and asked, "Was this idea yours?"
"How was it? Exciting enough?" She looked up, smiling, her eyes sparkling, clearly seeking his praise.
"This show of dominance is truly fierce and will give the Prime Minister plenty to chew on. The Prime Minister's manor's reputation is completely ruined now."
Zhao Jiaqi scoffed. How could she let the one who bullied her daughter off easily! Making Leng Han marry a woman he couldn't divorce or scold was already being merciful. To put it crudely, she was like a toad sticking to someone's heel – not biting, but incessantly annoying. Who told this entire family their hearts were not pure?