Chapter 41: "Young Marquis Lin is not interested in your sister's marriage at all..."

Chapter 41

Lin Zhiyi began his life in Lanyue Palace.

Early in the morning, Xile, the eunuch serving Concubine Lan, was ordered to deliver lychees and peaches to Princess Liyang.

"Your Highness, the Queen really loves you..." Su Lian said with a smile.

These lychees are a rare commodity and it is not easy to transport them from Lingnan. It took our predecessors many attempts to preserve their freshness.

There are many concubines, princes and princesses in the palace, and usually only the emperor, empress, two noble concubines and four concubines can eat it.

Princes and princesses may not have it.

Concubine Lan was one of the four concubines. Emperor Longshun liked her cleverness and understanding, so he gave her his share as a reward.

Concubine Lan loved Jingyue so much that she sent it to Jingyue.

This is a good thing for Lin Zhiyi, who has exchanged hearts with Jing Yue.

Lin Zhiyi ate two and suddenly remembered the lychees he had eaten at his third sister's house a few days ago... He felt a little weird.

Ah, this... The Marquis' Mansion actually started eating lychees earlier than the palace?

Thinking of his uncle, who was quite good at business, Lin Zhiyi understood again - perhaps his uncle's caravan brought them back from Lingnan. His uncle always loved his mother and eldest sister, and his mother and eldest sister loved the third sister even more, so the third sister was the first to eat the lychees.

Cough... although most of it went into fourth sister's stomach.

Lin Zhiyi withdrew his thoughts and sighed silently:

Concubine Lan is truly the only one favored by the Emperor.

But if you put yourself in his shoes, if she were Emperor Longshun, she would also like Concubine Lan, who is knowledgeable, interesting, and a sweet talker who doesn't cause her any trouble.

There are the Queen, Noble Concubine Hui, Noble Concubine Rou, Noble Concubine Zhao, Noble Concubine Xian, Noble Concubine Chun, Noble Concubine Lan, and other concubines in the palace.

The Crown Prince and Princess Duanyang were born to the Queen.

The second prince and Princess Mingyang were born to Concubine Hui.

The third prince and Princess Chaoyang were born to Concubine Rou.

The fourth prince was born to Concubine Zhao.

The fifth prince was born to Concubine Xian.

The Sixth Prince was born to Concubine Chun.

Princess Liyang Jingyue was born to Concubine Lan.

——This also shows how favored Concubine Lan was.

Only a "princess" was able to obtain the position of concubine.

The princes and princesses have grown up now, and the palace has been peaceful for a few years.

Deciding on the crown prince in advance will bring more peace to the harem.

However, recently, the crown prince and other princes have begun to make small moves.

The Crown Prince was trying to win over the court officials, while the other princes were secretly searching for suitable aristocratic families and daughters of aristocratic families to consolidate their own positions.

As long as the crown prince has not ascended the throne, the other princes still have the opportunity to strive for a high position.

The efforts of the princes alone were not enough, and the mothers of several princes took turns to join the fight. Emperor Longshun was fed up with them.

In his heart, Concubine Lan is still the best.

Concubine Lan only worries about Yue'er's marriage and doesn't get involved in any other matters.

It is said that people are in high spirits when happy events happen. It seems that her daughter's wedding is approaching. Concubine Lan is more charming than before, with fair skin and beautiful looks. Her stunning smile makes people feel relaxed and happy when they see her.

Lin Zhiyi met Concubine Lan in the evening.

Concubine Lan brought with her the jade and jewelry that Emperor Longshun had recently gifted her, and announced, "Add anything Yue'er likes to your dowry. Your father has promised to add another 300 acres of fertile land to your dowry."

Lin Zhiyi's eyes widened. She suppressed her surprise and stepped forward to massage Concubine Lan's shoulders. "What did mother do?"

Concubine Lan took two sips of tea, a look of satisfaction flashing across her face. "I didn't do anything. It was others who... did too much!"

Lin Zhiyi narrowed her eyes slightly, quietly waiting for the next words.

As expected, Concubine Lan couldn't help but sneer, "Recently, Concubine Rou and Concubine Zhao have been flirting with me, and have been constantly whispering in your father's ear—what's the reason? Turns out they're trying to get the Third and Fourth Princes to marry the daughters of the Ding'an Marquisate!"

Lin Zhiyi exclaimed in surprise: "What?!"

They actually set their sights on the Ding'an Marquis Mansion - are they convinced that the Ding'an Marquis Mansion has the most daughters?

Concubine Lan continued, "They don't even consider how His Majesty could possibly agree to let Marquis Ding'an's daughter marry the prince? I arranged for Young Marquis Lin to be your consort because it's considered a 'princess' marrying out of wedlock. They're all jealous of Marquis Ding'an's power, but they don't know that Marquis Ding'an had already informed His Majesty that his daughters would not marry princes. Otherwise, they'd say Marquis Ding'an is a loyal minister."

Not marrying your daughter to a prince is a sign of loyalty to His Majesty. The Ding'an Marquisate does not support any prince. It is only loyal to His Majesty.

Even the Crown Prince did not ask to marry the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an, but settled for the second best and chose the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister. How could other princes succeed?

"Marquis Ding'an has made remarkable military achievements and holds one-third of Dayan's military power. Your Majesty initially intended to confer him the title of Marquis Ding'an, but he declined. For over twenty years, Your Majesty has always felt indebted to him, and so has secretly ensured that Marquis Ding'an is not drawn into the vortex of the succession dispute."

Lin Zhiyi: It turns out that Emperor Longshun thought of conferring the title of Duke Ding'an on Marquis Ding'an.

She thought that Concubine Lan's non-participation in the fights between concubines and other princes did not mean that she did not have the ability. On the contrary, she was just too clear-headed and did not want her child to be in the limelight, so she let Jing Yue dress up as a woman to completely avoid trouble.

Jingyue's mother loved him very much.

"With military power in hand, the Ding'an Marquisate is indeed unsuitable for any further connection with any prince." Concubine Lan sighed, "As for the Prince Consort... it may take a few more years before His Majesty grants him any real power. As long as you find a way to reach an agreement with the Prince Consort, you will be safe for the rest of your life."

Lin Zhiyi: "Okay, I'll listen to Mother."

Concubine Lan raised her hand and gently pressed his, signaling him to stop massaging. Instead, she took his hand and pulled him forward, looking at him with a smile yet seriousness. "Yu'er, you and your husband are still young, so it would be nice to have a few years of relaxing and comfortable life. Afterwards... when the new emperor ascends the throne, who knows what the situation will be like."

"Don't worry, mother. I will take good care of myself and you. No matter who the new emperor is, it will have nothing to do with us. I believe that the Ding'an Marquis Mansion will also protect us well." Lin Zhiyi comforted.

Concubine Lan's heart and eyes were filled with 'him'. She smiled and said, "As long as you are doing well, I am relieved. Besides, maybe your husband will get a good job after he comes of age."

Lin Zhiyi knew that Concubine Lan was well-informed, so he took the opportunity to ask, "What did Concubine Mother hear?"

Concubine Lan gestured for him to sit down as well, and replied, "I heard from your father that he intends to take advantage of your marriage to the Prince Consort to raise the Duke of Ding'an's status. This way, the Prince Consort's status will be even higher."

Lin Zhiyi: "No wonder the other queens and the emperor brothers are anxious."

Concubine Lan looked at him jokingly, "What about you? Are you satisfied with the consort your mother has chosen for you?"

Lin Zhiyi thought to herself - has Jingyue ever been dissatisfied with her?

But it doesn't matter. Now she is Jingyue, and she can say whatever she wants: "Satisfied. Thank you, mother, for your insightful recognition of talent."

Concubine Lan was amused by him: "You... I heard that yesterday... you went boating on the lake to admire the lotus flowers until noon? And you even invited your husband to have dinner in the palace?"

Lin Zhiyi: "Yeah. It's boring to be alone anyway. My husband happened to be on leave yesterday."

Lan Fei: "That's fine. You should spend more time with each other before you get married so that you can understand each other's temperament. Then you can better control him and negotiate the terms of cooperation."

Lin Zhiyi: "Yes."

The next time she saw Jingyue, she would ask him if he should tell Concubine Lan that they were actually a perfect match, so that Concubine Lan wouldn't have to worry about their post-marriage negotiations and agreements...

However, there are many people in the palace and many spies in each palace, so it is better to keep the secret for the time being.

Concubine Lan sat for a while in the Lanyue Palace and selected some new headwear for 'Princess Liyang'. Lin Zhiyi happily tried to wear them with her and changed her makeup, showing great patience.

——She remembered clearly what Jing Yue had told her: to be patient when facing her mother.

Her main characteristic is that she is extremely patient.

What's more, beauty and makeup is also a job she is good at and loves.

She also regarded Lan Fei as a good sister from another world.

Concubine Lan was very happy to be coaxed. Seeing that Jingyue seemed to be more willing to try new jewelry, new hairstyles and new makeup than before, she felt relieved a little.

As long as Yue'er is willing to do this, his identity will definitely be kept secret for longer!

Lin Zhiyi coaxed Concubine Lan into leaving the Lanyue Palace happily.

She walked him to the palace gate and said, "Farewell, mother."

After returning to the palace, she put away some jewelry and cosmetics, deciding to use new ones every day.

If you dress up as a girl, you naturally have to look pretty every day!

Lin Zhiyi spent the first day of living alone after the exchange safely.

It was also time for Jingyue to finish classes at the Imperial College.

He came out of Yafeng Hall with Zhou Mingyan with a smile on his face. Zhou Mingyan habitually wanted to put his arm around his shoulder, but he dodged.

Zhou Mingyan: "??? Xiuyuan, you've been acting weird all day. Why won't you even let me put my arm around your shoulder? Do you dislike me?"

Jing Yue: "No, the weather is too hot."

This reason is omnipotent.

Zhou Mingyan accepted this reason and then asked, "By the way, didn't you dislike horse archery lessons in the past? Why are you so excited today? You hit ten hearts in a row! Even Commander Yang praised you."

Jing Yue coughed lightly. He was so excited about being able to ride and shoot freely that he couldn't control himself.

He also enjoyed the cheers from his classmates.

It turns out that going to school with peers is such a happy thing.

Thinking about his situation of practicing martial arts and studying alone in the palace, he didn't want to go back.

"I can't lose the princess's face." Jing Yue found another good excuse, "I just boasted that I would protect the princess. I have to satisfy her with the horseback archery test, right?"

"That's right. Princess Liyang is also very good at riding and archery, ranking first among the princesses. If the two of you were together, you would be unbeatable."

"I think so."

The two of them had left the Imperial College and were looking for a carriage when someone rode past the gate and called out, "Young Marquis Lin, Young Master Zhou, are you interested in going to Piaoxianglou for a drink?"

Jing Yue looked up and saw that the person sitting on the horse was none other than the second son of the Yongsheng Marquisate - Xie Junxing.

Xie Junxing was also studying at the Imperial College, but he was two years older than them, from the Qi generation, and studied at Qixinyuan. His classes ended a quarter of an hour earlier than theirs.

Compared with his elder brother Xie Junnuo, Xie Junxing's career in the Imperial College was actually quite "miserable".

The chief priest, the doctors, the teachers, the commanders, the coaches... all praised his elder brother's talent for both civil and military affairs. Naturally, they also had high hopes for him.

Unfortunately, people are different.

Even though they are brothers from the same mother and have the same early education, it is impossible for Xie Junxing and Xie Junnuo to be exactly the same.

Especially since he was a child, he had always heard people around him praising his brother, and Xie Junxing’s main character was a rebellious person.

Otherwise, how could he play with Cheng Lunian?

Jing Yue didn't have a good impression of him, while Zhou Mingyan didn't care.

So, after hearing Xie Junxing's invitation, Zhou Mingyan looked at Jing Yue and asked: Do you want to go?

Xie Junxing slowly threw out a bait: "Young Marquis Lin, don't you care about your sister's marriage at all?"

Jing Yue's peach blossom eyes locked on Xie Junxing, her gaze stern.

"Okay, Piaoxianglou, right? Thank you, Second Young Master, please!"

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The author has something to say: Please collect it, my dears~ Kiss everyone!