"……Yeah……"

Qin Yuan stepped over him and went to sleep on the inside.

Gu Jinghui mumbled, "Yuan'er, I'm a little tired. I had something to say, but I can't remember it."

"If you can't remember, just go to sleep."

Qin Yuan turned over, rolling her eyes as she did so.

Gu Jinghui said, "Let me think about it some more."

Qin Yuan ignored him, since she wouldn't remember it tonight anyway.

Before long, Qin Yuan fell asleep. In her drowsy state, she felt her body was being warmed and held tightly.

I can't break free no matter what I do.

This is really bad.

After Princess Fuyun stepped down, she said, "Father, you are helping my brother, the Crown Prince, choose a consort."

“That’s right,” the little eunuch said with a smile. “The Fourth Princess, Princess Fuyun, and the Crown Prince should still be with Kun Qinyuan, accompanying Zhai Qinghuan to select candidates.”

The Fourth Princess also said, "The Crown Prince has been slow to make a decision, but Mother has already chosen one."

Madam Gu sighed, "He's right. Children and grandchildren don't have the same blessings. What's the use of worrying? You should just endure it."

Rong Momo said helplessly, "The Crown Prince is seriously ill, and Eighth Master is only willing to send his illegitimate sons or sons from other clans to make up the numbers, which shows that he is worried about the Crown Prince..."

"Then what are you spacing out for?"

The young eunuch immediately called out in a shrill voice, "Let's depart!"

The Crown Prince followed respectfully before his parents and said with a smile, "I simply wish to consult with Father Emperor and find a man who pleases me to spend my life with."

Annoyance flashed across the Emperor's face as he stepped forward and asked, "What does the Crown Prince think?"

Rong Momo smiled and said, "They are still big children, but they understand. When choosing a Crown Princess, the most important things are talent and virtue, while appearance and talent are secondary."

Old Madam Gu, however, did not sleep and sat listlessly under the lamp.

The Emperor rose, took a few steps, and asked, "Is Your Majesty choosing a consort for the Crown Prince today?"

The Emperor sighed deeply: "We...we were humiliating my Crown Prince."

"I'll join in the quiet too."

Ultimately, some people say that one's background is important.

The Emperor stopped and looked at Rong Momo.

The seven people, including the couple, looked at each other with melancholy expressions.

Rong Momo said, "The Marquis has returned safely, and the good days are yet to come. The two of them are good, and they will have a child sooner or later. The Marquis's wife is young, beautiful and talented, and she is good at managing the household and skilled in medicine and incense. Who can compare to her in this blessing?"

A hint of disdain and resentment flashed across Princess Fuyun's face, but it quickly disappeared. She laughed and said, "Father, don't listen to what my brother the Crown Prince is saying. I want to find a stunning beauty."

"Hey, you old codger, you're teasing me again. Do you think I don't know what Lao Liu can write? Even if there's been some improvement, he's still far behind the scholars."

Immediately, all the junior officials looked worried and distressed.

Half an hour ago, the Emperor looked at the mountain of scrolls piled up under his desk and sighed, "This matter... this matter should be discussed again later."

On the bedside table was still Gu Liuye's new collection of poems.

Rong Momo looked completely bewildered.

His Majesty, having resolved the dispute between my brother and me, simply escorted Rong Momo into the palace, smiling as he asked, "Has the Crown Prince lost someone he cherishes?"

When the imperial carriage arrived at Kunqin Yuan, the palace servants had already been informed. Rong Momo, along with the Crown Prince and Princesses, came to greet them. The Emperor boarded the carriage and asked with a smile, "What are they doing in Kunqin Yuan so late?"

"...Alright, let's go take a look."

...

That's fine, but His Majesty said that everyone is working harder and harder, and he must conduct a new round of inspections of the officials in the capital.

...

Empress Lin said, "The Marquis's destiny is extraordinary, and your wife is also an outstanding person. She must be my destined wife. With the two of you together, the Marquis will surely be able to break through the limitations of his fate..."

"Old Wang, Old Wang," the Emperor coughed several times.

"When I see the third brother and Yuan'er together, they look so well-matched, and I feel so happy. But then I think about the sixth brother, who is younger than him, and he already has a bunch of children. I wonder when he will have a child. I can't sleep because of this."

The emperor then flew into a rage during the morning court session, giving many of his ministers a thorough dressing-down.

"Nonsense."

Princess Fuyun said earnestly, "These lists piled up in the palace have included all the eligible unmarried noblemen in the capital who are not talented in poetry, not proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, not from prominent families... and not even proficient in Buddhism and Taoism. None of these noblemen have any special talents, and my brother the Crown Prince has not taken a liking to any of them. So naturally we need to find a peerless beauty."

However, since all the important officials were included, even the emperor himself was powerless to do anything about it.

Rong Momo strictly followed the Emperor's decree to practice frugality, saving money wherever possible in the Kunqin Yuan family, with only a few dim palace lanterns in the courtyard.

The Fourth Princess said, "Why must she be both talented and beautiful? Your sister-in-law is just a vulgar woman. Since she is to become the Empress, she naturally has to be a bit wicked."

That is why we would prefer to choose a wife for the Crown Prince whose maternal family has declined, so that the Crown Prince's ancestors can live peacefully and grow up without sacrifices or offerings to him in the afterlife.

This sudden turn of events has certainly caught many people off guard, leading many to speculate that His Majesty intends to use this opportunity to change the political landscape.

The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Now that Father Emperor is here, I would like to consult with you on the matter."

"It is late at night. Father and Mother, please rest early. Your children have come to pay their respects."

Actually, it wasn't just Hachiko who was worried; we were worried too.

The Emperor was still reviewing memorials by candlelight. The ice sculptures displayed in the hall had melted down to just their bases, and the little eunuch was drowsy with his eyes half-closed.

The Beijing Inspection was conducted every eight years to assess officials in the capital. In the past, officials and their families would contact each other, exchange information, and protect each other, so it was just a formality.

The seventh day.

Weiyang Palace.

With tears in her eyes, Madam Gu said, "That child is so ugly and has such a hard life. If... it would be too pitiful."

The Crown Prince wore a winged crown and a red robe with a round collar and wide sleeves. There was a golden dragon on the back, front, and shoulders. His fair and thin face looked even sicker in the lamplight. He stood aside and smiled, "Father, don't listen to your nonsense. The two girls are just making trouble. They should know their place. There's no sister who can choose a sister-in-law for her brother."

The Crown Prince hesitated and said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty wishes for me to choose the Song family."

On that very day, the Emperor saw the memorial submitted by the Marquis of Dingbei's residence. After reading it, he was slightly pleased and said, "If all the ministers were like the Marquis of Dingbei, then the Xiaoxing empire would be secure forever."

The young eunuch said, "Although the two princesses are young, they know how to care for their elder brother. It's understandable that you two are bothering Rong Momo. Let's discuss this together. However, the Crown Prince's mind is made up, and the selection has not yet been made."

Rong Momo coaxed, "Why aren't you asleep so late? Is it because our Sixth Master's poems are so good that you can't bear to sleep?"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is like a gourd with a mouth. He only says that he will let the Empress Dowager arrange things, but he seems to like all of them. I have no idea what to do. Your Majesty, please make a decision for me."

Princess Fuyun lowered her eyes, concealing the strange look in them.

The young eunuch hurriedly lifted his eyelids, reared up his whisk, and asked with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, are you about to send off the imperial carriage to Kunqin?"

The crown prince rose, and led his sisters to take their leave.

"Absolutely stunning?"

The Crown Prince hurriedly scolded, "Sister Yi, don't talk nonsense."

His Majesty is not aware of this either.

Although the emperor rebuked him, he had a smile on his face.