Among the Westerners of various hair colors entering the capital, Cheng Zhiyuan was the only person of Great Zhou. When Emperor Taian heard that he was the adopted son of Old General Lin and that his son, Cheng Shu, was a member of the Imperial Guard, it was hardly surprising that he was summoned to the palace.
"This humble subject, Cheng Zhiyuan, greets His Majesty. Long live the Emperor."
Emperor Taian spoke in a gentle tone, gesturing for Cheng Zhiyuan to rise, and began to inquire about matters overseas.
Having wandered the West for several years and even establishing a significant amount of influence on his own, Cheng Zhiyuan naturally had much to say. Every word and sentence provided Emperor Taian with entirely new insights and precious experience.
The ocean is the greatest manifestation of nature's unpredictable power. Which shipping routes carried the least risk, how to avoid and withstand danger, where pirates were rampant, the grievances between various factions, and the laws and customs of overseas nations—these were not things the imperial court could simply master by opening maritime trade and randomly establishing a merchant fleet.
If there were a trusted insider who was familiar with these matters to lead the way, it would undoubtedly achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Emperor Taian spoke at length with Cheng Zhiyuan for half a day before letting him go. Having spoken so much, he had to drink two cups of clear tea before his throat felt comfortable again.
Liu Chuan hurried to congratulate Emperor Taian on acquiring a usable talent.
It was a rare moment of good mood for Emperor Taian in recent days, yet his expression remained indifferent. "Although this Cheng Zhiyuan is Old General Lin's adopted son, he has been away from the capital for many years. Even if he is indeed talented, we must be cautious in employing him."
Despite saying this, the corners of Emperor Taian's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
Over the following period, countless court sessions, both large and small, were held regarding maritime trade. Cheng Zhiyuan, as an external consultant, participated in nearly all of them. Consequently, people realized that this adopted son of Old General Lin was likely to become a new favorite.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that Cheng Zhiyuan's only son, Cheng Shu, had not yet taken a wife. How could this be? Immediately, countless matchmakers trampled the threshold of the General's Manor.
Further inquiry revealed that Cheng Zhiyuan himself actually didn't have a wife either? Thus, the newly replaced threshold of the General's Manor welcomed another massive wave of trampling matchmakers.
Madam Lin couldn't help but sigh to the Old Madam, "I really didn't expect that at his age, Big Brother would be so popular."
The Old Madam smiled but said nothing.
The fact that the father was more popular than the son wasn't solely because Cheng Zhiyuan had gained the Emperor's favor, but also because of his coveted and substantial wealth.
The noble households were all of the "no rabbit, no hawk" variety; as soon as Emperor Taian revealed his intention to open maritime trade, they had sent people to the coast to investigate, or they had been secretly operating maritime businesses all along. Therefore, once Cheng Zhiyuan appeared in the capital, even if they couldn't uncover his full background, a little digging revealed that he was a man of immense wealth.
Old? Don't be ridiculous; he was only in his early forties and was quite handsome.
"There are even young girls in their teens!" Madam Lin felt her eyes had been opened wide these past few days.
"And what do you think?" the Old Madam asked nonchalantly.
The man walking toward the door paused in his tracks.
Caught off guard by the question, Madam Lin didn't think of herself at all. She curled her lip and said, "I think it's inappropriate. Marrying a girl young enough to be his own daughter—isn't he afraid of divine retribution?"
The Old Madam's mouth twitched. "It wouldn't go that far..."
In this world, it was not uncommon for old husbands and young wives to have a twenty-year age gap.
"How would it not? Just thinking about if Chan'er or A-Hao found a son-in-law around my age—" Seeing Cheng Zhiyuan enter, Madam Lin stopped talking.
"Zhiyuan has been so busy lately, why have you returned at this time?"
"A shipment of foreign goods has arrived; I brought them home." Cheng Zhiyuan restrained the urge to look at Madam Lin and asked calmly, "I just heard something about a son-in-law—"
The Old Madam was amused. "It's just Wanqing. Seeing that the girls coming to propose marriage to you are as young as A-Hao and the others, she was a bit worried."
Madam Lin felt her mother's words were a bit strange. It wasn't worry; it was clearly shock.
Cheng Zhiyuan's smile, however, was exceptionally bright. "Rest assured, Wanqing, I certainly won't marry a young girl; that would be far too inappropriate. I was just about to tell my adoptive mother to help me reject all these proposals. I'll be busy with the maritime business soon and don't have the leisure for this for the time being."
Heaven knows how nervous he had been standing outside the door when his adoptive mother asked for Wanqing's thoughts. But Wanqing's words made him realize that she still had no feelings for him.
It was a heartbreaking and helpless fact, yet he still felt lucky. At least he could continue to wait openly, without having to bear the shackles of coveting a married woman.
"Since you don't have the heart for it for now, we shall decline them first." The Old Madam was well aware of her adopted son's feelings and was happy to see things progress this way.
Madam Lin smiled. "It's better for Big Brother to plan once he's less busy. However, we should start arranging Shu'er's marriage."
Taking a break from his busy schedule, Cheng Zhiyuan discussed Cheng Shu's marriage with the Old Madam and Madam Lin.
The only other person as concerned with this father and son's marriage as they were was Emperor Taian in the palace.
This period of time was sufficient for the Jinlin Guards on the coast to send back information regarding Cheng Zhiyuan.
Emperor Taian had read through it repeatedly. At least from the gathered information, Cheng Zhiyuan had not committed any great evils. Of course, wanting a slice of the maritime pie inevitably required some underhanded means, but in Emperor Taian's eyes, that was nothing.
What he wanted was a talent who could fill the national treasury with gold and silver, not a gentleman of flawless morality.
As long as he could make money and had no intention of betraying the country, he could be used.
To be even more reassured, Emperor Taian thought of a marriage alliance.
If Cheng Zhiyuan were heavily employed, he would leave the capital before long. Even if a princess were married off to him, a wife with whom he spent little time and shared little affection would likely struggle to influence his decisions when the time came.
The people who could truly influence Cheng Zhiyuan were his only son, Cheng Shu, and the people of the Lin family in the General's Manor.
After pondering for two days, Emperor Taian went to Cining Palace. As he approached, he heard the Empress Dowager's laughter.
His facial expression softened, and he entered with a smile.
"The Emperor has arrived." The Empress Dowager's voice was gentle, clearly in a good mood.
Kou Wan, who was accompanying her, bowed respectfully in greeting.
Emperor Taian smiled and told Kou Wan that there was no need for such formality. After chatting for a while, he had her dismissed.
"Mother seems to be in a good mood." Without the juniors present, the conversation between mother and son became much more casual.
The smile on the Empress Dowager's lips deepened. "Wan'er is a lively and pure child; she is a bringer of joy."
These words made Emperor Taian think of Kou Wan's biological elder sister, Princess Yi'an, Kou Jiao.
That young girl who called him "Imperial Father" had not entered the palace for a long time.
He didn't have much affection for Kou Jiao, especially since her temperament could not be hidden from his eyes, but in this moment, he couldn't help but think that the Empress Dowager was being hard-hearted.
Of course, Emperor Taian knew better that being hard-hearted was the norm in this palace. The thought vanished before it could even create a ripple in the lake of his heart.
"How old is Wan'er this year?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered. "Sixteen."
"Sixteen, ah, a truly wonderful age." Emperor Taian smiled as he stated his purpose for coming. "I feel that the grandson of the Lin family's Old Madam, Cheng Shu, who serves in the Jinwu Guards, is a capable and upright young man. He would be quite a match for Wan'er. What do you think?"
(End of Chapter)