The ladies naturally praised her for her care and concern.

After tea, snacks, and fruit were served, Yan Nangui said, "Go and invite Consort Ning. The weather is nice today, and the peach blossoms are in full bloom. I'm usually busy, so I don't have much time to admire them."

Bai Wei agreed and went to invite him personally.

Upon hearing this, Consort Ning Shu in the Jade Hibiscus Palace hurriedly went to change her clothes.

I already know what's going on.

As she walked and pondered, she found herself satisfied with all the girls.

As expected, Consort Chen's choices were all excellent.

In the Imperial Garden, Yan Nangui was talking to several girls, and the Seventh Princess was also pulling them aside to ask them all sorts of questions.

Summoning Consort Ning is a way of arranging a marriage proposal; everyone knows that.

When Consort Ning arrived, everyone greeted her with another round of greetings.

Yan Nangui noticed that the Xu family girl had only shown respect but no enthusiasm towards her earlier, while Ning Shufei had been giving her a cold shoulder from the very beginning.

Tsk, so inexperienced.

Consort Ning treated everyone equally, and was both polite and kind.

Since we're here to admire the flowers, we should naturally set aside time for lunch.

Lunch was also served in the Imperial Garden.

After a lively meal, everyone sat and drank tea for a while before the banquet came to an end.

Before leaving the palace, everyone expressed their sincere gratitude to Consort Chen.

After they left, Yan Nangui rode back in a sedan chair. The Seventh Princess had already been taken away; she couldn't hold out for more than half a day.

After returning home, I changed my clothes and washed up.

Jiangxiang said, "Your Majesty, which one do you think is better? In my opinion, the daughter of Lord Ding is well-educated and reasonable, and she doesn't try to please anyone. She's quite nice."

“I think the child from Lord Xu’s family is good,” Yan Nangui said.

Jiangxiang paused, "Ah? That child... I don't feel at ease watching him."

“Foolish, am I choosing a daughter-in-law for myself? The Xu family is powerful now, ever since Lord Ningguo retired, the Xu family has risen, but Lord Xu is seventy years old this year. How many more years can he be powerful?” Yan Nangui said.

“But…” Jiang Xiang gritted her teeth: “Now that Lord Xu is still healthy, once his daughter marries the Crown Prince, he will definitely support her.”

"Yes, we should support him. If we don't support him, where will the Third Prince get his fighting spirit?"

Jiangxiang laughed: "Yes, I was thinking too little."

At almost the same time, the situation at Yujing Palace was completely different.

"What does she mean? These families are all very popular right now. Show them to Consort Ning." The Third Prince said irritably.

"Calm down. What's the use of her calling out? In the end, it's still your father who has the final say," Consort Ke said.

“But I saw my mother today. She wouldn’t have dared to do this if it weren’t for Father’s wishes.” He paused here. “Mother… she… will Father appoint another empress? Mother has been gone for four years.”

Consort Ke was also taken aback: "Even if an empress is to be chosen, it won't be her, will it?"

“But aren’t the things she’s doing now the Empress’s business? Even Consort Xiangxian wouldn’t dare to do this when she’s managing the harem, would she?” the Third Prince said.

Consort Ke frowned, and after a long while said, "We need to think of a solution. Calm down, you still have your mother. This is a critical moment, don't let your father down."

The Third Prince took a deep breath: "Yes."

"Don't be afraid, your mother will find a way. No matter what, she only has a daughter. That can't be changed. After all these years of not being able to conceive, she definitely can't have another child," Consort Ke said.

The Third Prince nodded again.

"You need to be careful what you say in the future, both in front of and behind people. Don't make me remind you again and again, or you might accidentally let something slip."

The Third Prince rose again and bowed, saying, "I understand, Mother, please don't be angry."

Consort Ke sighed, "Mother isn't angry, she's just worried. We always need to be careful."

"Yes, you won't have to be so careful when your son becomes successful in the future. There will be such a day eventually. Mother, you have suffered too much these past ten years," the Third Prince said.

No matter how moved the mother and son were, when Shu Chengfeng arrived at Zhaochun Palace, it was another lively scene.

The Seventh Princess had a good afternoon nap and wasn't sleepy now, but she was very hungry. She wasn't eating properly and insisted on eating next to her father.

Seeing her eating heartily, Shu Chengfeng laughed and said, "It's fine to eat like this now, but you'll have to change it when you grow up. After all, you're a princess; you can't be without manners."

"We'll start correcting her now, with the nannies instructing her. Luo Kui will be back soon. She now has a son and a daughter. Once she's in, we'll teach her properly. That's what I trust most." Chan Yi can't come in yet; she gained a lot of weight after giving birth to her eldest son. Now she's pregnant with her second child.

“It’s alright, he’s still young. It’s not too late to teach him when he’s ten,” Shu Chengfeng said.

"You're the one who insists on decorum, yet you're the one who says there's no rush. So, it seems you can do whatever you want with someone you pamper, huh?" Yan Nangui chuckled.

"If I don't pamper you, you can do whatever you want. How did you fare with those girls you met today? Were there any you liked?" Shu Chengfeng asked.

"As long as I'm satisfied? I didn't give birth to this son. I'm not the mother-in-law either, so what's the use of my satisfaction?" Yan Nangui shook her head.

“You have a good eye. Once you’ve made a good choice, you won’t go wrong,” Shu Chengfeng said.

"Choose a good family background. As for the girl's temperament, it would be strange to judge her after just one meeting. They all seem quite good to me. Speaking of which, when I first met Lord Ding, he was just a guard, and I've rarely seen him since. Now that I see, his daughter is very well-raised. If I had a son, I should give her to him. What a pity."

"You seem quite pleased with the Ding family's daughter. Tsk, Ding Min will surely be pleased to hear that. He dotes on his daughter."

“Alright, I mean it, I genuinely think it’s good. But it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to be a prince’s principal wife. Think about it, making Consort Mei the empress would have the same effect,” Yan Nangui said.

Shu Chengfeng frowned. That won't do.

Someone like Consort Mei could only be a concubine; if she became empress, the entire harem would be in chaos.

"What about the Xu family and the Yan family?"

“They’re all good-looking. They’re all proper to choose from. It just so happens that all three girls are fifteen today. In my opinion, you should choose one for the eldest prince, and the second and third princes should also choose one. The second prince is a bit weak-willed, so it would be better to choose a better girl for him as well,” Yan Nangui said.

"Hmm. I'll think about it some more, and then we'll settle the marriage. It's not that I don't want to establish a crown prince, it's just that I need to slow down; these people are in such a hurry. Let's settle the prince's principal wife first." Shu Chengfeng shook his head.

"Why don't you appoint a new empress, hold a selection of imperial concubines, and bring these young girls in directly without even mentioning them to your son? Choose one to live in Fengxiang Palace. She'll surely give birth to a legitimate son, and that will solve everything, won't it?" Yan Nangui suggested.

"You really have a vivid imagination. You should stop talking nonsense." Shu Chengfeng tapped her on the head.

"Really not going to stand?" Yan Nangui asked, turning his head to the side.

"You're still hoping for this?" Shu Chengfeng was speechless.

“No, if you don’t establish a new one, don’t blame me for thinking about it later,” Yan Nangui said.

Shu Chengfeng paused, then said, "Tsk, we'll talk about it when you want to. Hurry up and eat, Bao'er has already finished."