Emperor Mingzheng had an idea. He wanted to summon the Grand Tutor Wang Shangshu to give him some information. But when he thought of Wang Shangshu's serious face, he thought it would be better to call him Wang Suwen.

After Wang Suwen left court and was left alone by Emperor Mingzheng, his mind was buzzing. Wasn't this the Fourth Prince? Did this mean what I thought it meant? He didn't dare to say it, nor did he dare to ask. When he returned home and told his father about it, they were both a little confused.

Summoning Shen again, Minister Wang asked his wife about the Spring Festival Banquet. Shen, however, was only concerned about her daughter, not her husband or son. She simply said, "Whether Xi Pei enters the palace or the prince's residence, it's worrying. If it's Lingyi, I'd be much more relieved."

Minister Wang: ...

Wang Suwen: ...

An emperor and a prince have both set their sights on your daughter. Whether it's a fight between father and son, or a mutual abandonment, this is simply putting our family on the line. What on earth is she talking about...

Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince was just ticking off Wang Xipei's name, and a palace maid was going back to report. He felt quite guilty about this innocent and romantic girl, but he would treat her well and give her the honor of a prince's consort.

The fourth prince's mother, Concubine Su, was born into a seventh-rank official family. She was a low-ranking concubine when Emperor Mingzheng was in the Qiandi Palace. After Emperor Mingzheng ascended the throne, and after he canonized the empress, the empress promoted a group of elderly people. Later, she gave birth to the fourth prince... Concubine Su knew very well that the several consecutive promotions were due to her seniority and children.

Sufei's father resigned from his post due to illness and came to live in Kyoto. When he came to the palace to see his daughter and grandson, he brought a little girl with him. This little girl was the child of one of Sufei's father's concubines. She was very beautiful, with eyes that moved and a graceful look. She was also good at observing people's words and expressions, and her words were endearing.

Before resigning, Concubine Su's father was only a seventh-rank official, and his concubine was of even lower birth. Naturally, the children of her relatives on her mother's side were of a background that was not worthy of attention.

But this little girl was indeed outstanding in appearance. When Concubine Su saw that her father brought such a girl to the palace to pay a visit without any prior notice, she knew it clearly in her mind. She and the Fourth Prince were already in a difficult situation, with no foundation and no support. It would have been fine if her mother's family had no support, and it would have been fine if they had just lived a quiet life. But she was only thinking about how to use some means to cling to the thighs of her and her son. This little girl must have been raised intentionally because she was found to be good-looking... I guess they were planning to have her as their childhood sweetheart.

But she had to keep up appearances, so she didn't say anything at the time. Concubine Su thought that she could just keep a close eye on her son.

Unexpectedly, two years later, when the Fourth Prince was only ten years old, Emperor Mingzheng suddenly issued an edict requiring all but the Crown Prince to leave the palace and establish their own residences. A group of palace maids, eunuchs, and guards would be assigned to care for them. They were no longer permitted to live in the palace. The youngest, the Fifth Prince, was only eight years old at the time. Of course, all the princes continued their studies at the Imperial Academy, as did their riding, archery, and ritual music lessons.

At that time, the little girl who had been forgotten by Concubine Su for two years became increasingly close to the Fourth Prince because the Fourth Prince frequently stayed at his maternal grandfather's house after leaving the palace and setting up his own residence. Intentionally or unintentionally, both sides kept the relationship secret from Concubine Su.

As if it were natural, the Fourth Prince had become deeply attached to his maternal cousin, Miss Xi. He reasoned that Xi Yinzhu could only be a concubine, so to ensure her a comfortable life, he had to choose a wife with a good personality and someone he could hold onto.

The Fourth Prince was now eighteen years old, and Miss Xi was a year younger. Three years ago, Concubine Su had finally found an opportunity to bring up the matter with Emperor Mingzheng, but the Emperor had instead asked the Empress to handle it. Having shared the hardships of so many years, the Emperor and Empress had always enjoyed a harmonious relationship. The Empress's position as the Empress was secure, and the Empress's son, as the eldest legitimate wife, had long been designated Crown Prince.

Whether it was because she was inherently virtuous, or because Emperor Mingzheng had instructed her to do so, or because Concubine Su and her son were simply too weak to pose any threat, the Empress had actually found a good candidate for the Fourth Prince's consort. Furthermore, the Empress had even asked Concubine Su if she was satisfied. She was satisfied, so why wouldn't she be? Upon hearing this, Concubine Su was overjoyed and immediately agreed, expressing her deep gratitude to the Empress.

Unexpectedly, there is such a good girl, the eldest daughter of the Ren family in the General's Mansion, Ren Jiayu, who is not only outstanding in appearance, but also smart and talented. What is particularly rare is that there are no men in the General's Mansion all year round and the male members of the Ren family are stationed at the border. Ren Jiayu has started to actually manage the General's Mansion at a young age. Ren Jiayu's grandmother is ill, and her mother is a paper beauty who is weak and unable to take care of herself. All matters inside and outside the house depend on Ren Jiayu. However, the Fourth Prince rejected such a good girl.

The Fourth Prince's heart was fixed on Xi Yinzhu. Although he knew she could only be a concubine, he was so obsessed that he wasn't choosing a wife for himself, but rather a suitable mistress for Xi Yinzhu. It happened to be the birthday of the old lady of the Ren family, Ren Jiayu's grandmother. Originally, the Ren family, with their small family, had planned to celebrate it with their family members. However, because the Fourth Prince's mother valued and loved this match, Concubine Su asked the Fourth Prince to personally visit the Ren family to deliver birthday gifts.

During this trip, the Fourth Prince saw that the huge General's Mansion was managed in an orderly manner by Ren Jiayu, and that the servants were all in awe of her. He also saw her grace, generosity, and thoughtfulness, and instead of being overjoyed, he felt unhappy.

If such a powerful figure became the mistress, would Xi Yinzhu still have a place to stand? Finally, thinking of the glory that his mother would be filled with after getting this marriage, he couldn't help but beat around the bush and ramble on.

Unexpectedly, after listening to him, Ren Jiayu pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness is thoughtful, but in this world, things are either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind."

Originally, what the two of them said and thought were completely different things, but after hearing this, the Fourth Prince was even more certain that Ren Jiayu could not marry. He directly told Ren Jiayu on the spot that he had no intention of marrying her.

Ren Jiayu was almost laughing out of anger, and could only say, "I have no desire to curry favor with you, but all under heaven belongs to you, and all the people are your subjects. Now that I understand your Highness's intentions, I'm afraid it will be of no avail. I hope you will report this to the Emperor as soon as possible."

When Ren Jiayu's grandmother found out, she was furious. "How could such a good granddaughter of mine be humiliated like this?" The Empress had informed them first, and then His Majesty had sent Wang Daxi to let them know. Concubine Su had secretly sent someone to exchange the birth dates, and after they matched, they said it was a good match.

The matter of only one imperial decree was missing, and although it had not been made public, everyone with some influence in Kyoto had already heard the news. So, you, the Fourth Prince, suddenly came and said, "I'm sorry, I don't want to." "I don't want to," you said, "where were you before?"

The grandmother of the Ren family went directly to the palace to pay a visit to the queen. The queen felt something was wrong when she heard it, and ordered someone to invite Concubine Su. Concubine Su didn't know about this yet, so she hurriedly said it was impossible, and just thought that her son had said something wrong and caused a misunderstanding.

But the grandmother of the Ren family would not leave easily after being appeased, so the queen had to summon the fourth prince into the palace.