Chapter 254 Ruan Ruan is my wife

After that day, Hongxiu never worked for Butler Cheng again. She wanted to keep her distance from Cheng Feng, and she had figured it out: Cheng Feng was not suitable for her.

Rather than getting married and being trapped in the inner quarters doing accounting all day, she should stay by the Crown Princess's side and help her. Besides, once she gets married, she'll just be doing accounting for the Cheng family. She hasn't even repaid the Jiang family's kindness yet, so how can she be so selfish as to find a man to live with?

Besides his legal wife, Steward Cheng also had several concubines in the household. Marriage meant sharing a man with other women, and she was unwilling to live that kind of life.

Lianye was glad that she hadn't been fooled by the man's sweet words.

Inside the hall, Princess Yu sat to one side and sighed, "Divorce is impossible. Even if he wants to divorce his wife, Father Emperor will not allow it. We'll just stay in this stalemate. What else can we do?"

"Did he hit you again?" Jiang Fenghua asked.

Princess Yu nodded. "I made a scene in front of the Emperor once, but he didn't dare to hit me hard. He just felt uncomfortable when I mentioned divorce, and he kept saying in a sarcastic tone that I wanted a divorce because I had someone else outside. If this mudslinging were thrown at me, I'm afraid I wouldn't want to live anymore."

"So you've been manipulated by him." Jiang Fenghua wouldn't meddle in the affairs of the Prince Yu's mansion, nor should she, and she certainly shouldn't.

"Sigh, why is it so hard to be a woman? Why can he divorce his wife, but I can't divorce my husband? I think I'm not as happy as those women in Jishantang. Sometimes I really just don't care about anything."

"You must not do anything foolish. Think thrice before you act. A moment of pleasure is not true pleasure; it will only lead to eternal damnation." Jiang Fenghua sensed a hidden meaning in her words.

"I was just saying it out of anger, what can I do about it?" Luo Ziqiong quickly replied.

Jiang Fenghua remained silent. In fact, as long as Consort Yan agreed, and she went to the Emperor to make a scene, she could get rid of a man like Xie Yu.

"In that case, you should take good care of yourself and never let him hurt you again." That was all she could say.

As Luo Ziqiong approached, she seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she didn't speak.

She probably wanted Jiang Fenghua to put in a good word for her with the Emperor. After all, Jiang Fenghua had influence, and if she spoke up, it would be meddling in other people's business. Xie Shang would definitely not want her to interfere in other people's affairs.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. I'll wait for a better opportunity to help her.

Only after everything was finished did Xie Shang come over and ask with concern, "Are you feeling alright? You must be tired after a long day!"

Jiang Fenghua nodded, "Yes, it's alright. The imperial physician has also examined the babies, and they are all fine. They are very well-behaved. It will be a bit tough as the due date approaches, but I can handle it."

"The investiture ceremony was calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and cannot be changed. I'm sorry you had to suffer," Xie Shang said.

"Is Your Highness going to return to the Crown Prince's residence today? Or is he too busy with state affairs to go back?" If he wasn't going back, she would leave, so as not to stay in the palace and watch him go on blind dates every day. The Empress was really thoughtful. In order to please her son, she dressed all the girls up as palace maids and let them enter the palace. As long as Xie Shang was satisfied, she would make a decision.

In fact, when the crown prince chooses a concubine, he doesn't look at her face much, but rather her family background. Using the harem to disregard the court is a practice that royal families of all dynasties have done.

The daughters of Imperial Censor Zhu and Minister Tang both met this criterion.

"Originally, after the investiture ceremony, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess should have moved into the East Palace, which would have been in accordance with the rules." Xie Shang bent down and presented his handsome face to her. "Today, I am as handsome and dashing as a jade tree in the wind. My beloved consort does not want to keep looking at her husband like this."

Jiang Fenghua nodded heavily, "I do want to, but the Crown Prince is very busy with state affairs. I want to see him every day, but I don't have the chance."

"Then you can live in the palace from now on, in the Morning Light Palace, just like before, nothing has changed."

"Is the Dawn Palace so small? Can it accommodate so many people? Didn't they say we have to wait for the Dawn Palace to be expanded before we can move in?"

"There are many people there, just me and the Crown Princess. I've decided that from now on we'll live in Chenxi Palace. It's where I've lived since I was a child, and I can't bear to leave it."

"What about Consort Ye and Consort Su?" And what about the women who are about to enter the palace?

Xie Shang clenched his fingers, then smiled slightly, "I've already had people preparing things at the East Palace. Once it's ready, they can move in there."

Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "Great! I also wish to live in the place where Your Highness lived when you were a child, so that they could be born in Chenxi Palace. It would have a good meaning." In fact, she had lived in Chenxi Palace her entire previous life.

"The first time I became a man was also there." Xie Shang didn't mention a word about settling the women who were about to enter the palace in the East Palace.

"Your Highness is so annoying." Jiang Fenghua blushed, understanding his intention perfectly well. In fact, Chenxi Palace was quite large, and there was no problem accommodating Ye Susu and Su Tingwan.

“But the midwives who are supposed to help me give birth are waiting at the Crown Prince’s residence. The baby’s clothes, the birthing supplies, why don’t you accompany me back tonight, Your Highness, so we can pack everything up and move in together? My books, my zither, clothes, jewelry…” Jiang Fenghua continued, “Every little thing in the residence holds memories of our love, memories of Ruan Ruan’s happiness.” She wanted her mother by her side when she gave birth, but once she entered the palace, it wouldn’t be so easy for her mother to come in.

Looking at his radiant wife, Xie Shang couldn't bear to tell her that his mother was forcing him to take a concubine into the palace. His father had said that as the crown prince, he had to balance the court and the harem.

"Then I will stay with you at the Crown Prince's residence. We'll leave the palace now. As for the East Palace and Chenxi Palace, let them take their time to build them. We'll move in whenever they're finished," Xie Shang said loudly.

Jiang Fenghua was stunned. "Your Highness."

"Let's enjoy a good life for a while first, and we can talk about other things later." He was referring to the matter of taking a concubine.

"Is the other matter Your Highness referring to the one about taking a concubine into the household, as the Empress Dowager mentioned?"

Xie Shang was stunned, "So that's how it is..."

"Your Majesty has told me everything. I am heartbroken, but Your Majesty is right. His Highness is the Crown Prince and bears heavy responsibilities. Ruan Ruan cannot be willful and selfish, and she cannot monopolize His Highness." Her voice was weak and she felt extremely aggrieved. She could not change what was set in stone, nor could she change it.

"If I do not take the initiative to arrange for Your Highness to marry a concubine, it would be my fault. However, I love Your Highness deeply, but I cannot bear to see Your Highness with another woman."

As she spoke, a single, glistening tear rolled down her cheek, as if she were heartbroken because he was taking another concubine.

"Don't cry." Xie Shang felt heartbroken when he saw her tears and hugged her to comfort her. "I don't want them. I only want Ruan Ruan. Ruan Ruan is my wife."

Jiang Fenghua wept uncontrollably. "Your Highness, you mustn't say that. If Father and Mother find out, they might think that Ruan Ruan has bewitched Your Highness. Do you know the consequences of being the sole favorite in the harem? I'm afraid Ruan Ruan will be disliked by Mother and Father." Even though he had already made up his mind, he still pretended to be deeply affectionate and wanted her to express her agreement.

Since Ye Susu became his woman by a twist of fate, he has become much more honest in accepting other women. However, he had made a promise to her, and he did not want to become a hypocrite.

If he had been as resolute in rejecting Ye Susu as he was in rejecting Su Tingwan, she might have felt a little sorry for him. But he didn't reject Ye Susu.

After that, he never saw Ye Susu again, and even treated her coldly, all because he felt guilty towards Jiang Fenghua. But it was precisely because of Ye Susu that he felt it was only natural to have other women.

He loved Jiang Fenghua, that's true, but he loved the power in his hands even more. Jiang Fenghua had known all along that Xie Shang would make such a choice. Now, every move she makes is playing the role of a normal wife who is heartbroken and sad when she finds out that her husband is going to take a concubine, and even the grievance of being forced by her mother-in-law to let her husband take a concubine.

Her magnanimity at least earned her Xie Shang's boundless guilt and affection. To outsiders, it was enough that she held a unique place in Xie Shang's heart.