Chapter 525, Strive

At the Dong family's banquet, apart from Mr. He's punishment of An Xi, no other accidents occurred. At the end of the day, both the guests and the hosts had a great time.

After dinner, Mrs. Dong sent the female family members away, then helped Old Lady Dong back to the yard and chatted about what happened at today's banquet.

Mrs. Dong sipped her tea and sighed, "My daughter-in-law is becoming less and less useful these days. After a banquet, I feel like my bones are falling apart."

Old Mrs. Dong glanced at her daughter-in-law with a smile and said, "You should find a wife for Yuan Xuan as soon as possible. With a daughter-in-law, you can relax."

Mrs. Dong put down her teacup and said, "We've held several banquets at home. Does Mother have anyone in mind?"

Mrs. Dong's smile faded a little, and she said unsatisfactorily, "The girls from these local officials' families are all pretty good-looking and well-educated, but their family backgrounds are a little lacking. Some of them are not worthy of our Yongjia Marquisate."

Madam Dong: "Mother, the title of Marquis will be inherited by my eldest brother in the future, and it has nothing to do with our family. I think we can lower the requirements a little bit."

Mrs. Dong immediately disagreed and said, "How can this be possible? It's because your family can't inherit the title that we need to find a prominent in-law so that Yuan Xuan can have someone to help him in the future."

Mrs. Dong didn't particularly care about family background, but she felt that what the old lady said made sense. If her son married a daughter-in-law from a prominent family, his life would be much easier in the future.

Mrs. Dong was silent for a moment. "Don't worry. If we can't find a good one locally, we can go back to the capital to choose one. I wrote back last year and asked your aunt to help me choose one."

Mrs. Dong nodded and talked about Mr. He's punishment of An Xi.

Mrs. Dong sneered after hearing this. "The He family is really capable of causing trouble at other people's banquets. Do they really think that they can ignore our family just because they are transferred to the capital? The He family is still quite influential in the local area, but in the capital, they are nothing. I hope they won't have to ask for our favor in the future."

Mrs. Dong quickly said, "Mother, there's really no need to be angry about this. Let's just treat it as a joke." Then she smiled and said, "As for Yiyi, I really like her. If she and Shiyu hadn't helped Yuanyao today, who knows what kind of commotion they would have caused."

Old Mrs. Dong's expression softened: "The eldest daughter of the Yan family is indeed quite good."

Mrs. Dong's eyes flashed, and she asked tentatively, "Mother, what do you think if I tell Yiyi to Yuanxuan?"

Outside the door, Dong Yuanxuan, who had come to see his mother for something, was just about to enter when he heard these words. He was suddenly shocked and stopped, standing silently outside the door, listening to what was said inside.

Mrs. Dong frowned and looked at her daughter-in-law: "Why do you have such an idea?"

Madam Dong smiled and said, "My daughter-in-law really likes Yiyi. She's straightforward, generous, and capable. She started helping Madam Li with the household a few years ago. She gets along well with Yuanyao, too. As for Yuanxuan, she's known him since childhood and knows him well."

Dong Yuanxuan, who was outside the door, heard this and his eyes became brighter and brighter. He couldn't suppress the joy on his face, which attracted the servant standing beside him to look at him several times.

However, Mrs. Dong was interrupted by Old Lady Dong in the room.

"The Yan family's background is too low. If we marry into their family, let alone help Yuan Xuan, we might even have to rely on Yuan Xuan to help them. That's not okay."

Outside the door, Dong Yuanxuan frowned when he heard Mrs. Dong's firm refusal, and he couldn't help but walk in.

Seeing Dong Yuanxuan, Old Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Dong were a little surprised.

Mrs. Dong asked, "Have all the guests in the front yard been sent away?"

Dong Yuanxuan nodded. He calmed down after entering the room. He calmed down a bit and walked to the side and sat down. "I came here just to see Grandma and Mother. The banquet was so busy today. Are you tired?"

Seeing her grandson being filial, Mrs. Dong smiled brightly. "Why should I be tired? As long as I can help you choose a daughter-in-law that suits your taste, your mother and I will be happy to do it no matter how hard it is."

Seeing their son looking embarrassed, Mrs. Dong and Old Mrs. Dong both laughed.

After the two laughed for a while, Dong Yuanxuan asked, "What were Grandma and Mother talking about just now?"

Madam Dong glanced at Old Lady Dong and smiled, "Nothing, I just told you about how Yiyi helped your sister out today."

Hearing this, Dong Yuanxuan's eyes flashed, and he struggled in his heart. He knew that the young prince liked Sister Yan, but he still wanted to fight for himself.

After all, the young prince has no say in his own marriage, and Sister Yan is unlikely to be his concubine, so it wouldn't be unfair to the young prince if he wanted to marry Sister Yan.

After hesitating for a moment, Dong Yuanxuan smiled and said, "Sister Yan and my sister are good friends. They have always been inseparable." As he spoke, he pretended to be casual.

"Speaking of which, the Yan family has grown really fast over the years. When I first met the Yan brothers and sisters, Lord Yan was just a county magistrate. Now, only a few years have passed, and not only has Lord Yan become the prefect, but even Old Madam Yan and Madam Li have become imperial consorts."

"After passing the imperial examination, Wenxiu also began working for Master Xiao. Today, my father tested Wenxiu and praised him several times, saying that he would definitely be a good candidate for an official position in the future."

Mrs. Dong glanced at her son with a surprised look on her face. Her son rarely talked about such things with them. What happened today?

Thinking of what she had just discussed with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Dong had an idea. Did her son hear their conversation and also like Yi Yi?

Thinking of this, Mrs. Dong smiled and followed her son's words and said, "The Yan family has indeed developed quite well in recent years."

Old Mrs. Dong wasn't very enthusiastic. She just said, "If a family wants to last long, it depends on whether the younger generation has a promising future. You can't tell anything just by looking at the present."

Dong Yuanxuan smiled and said, "Grandmother, the Yan brothers are certainly promising. Not to mention Wen Xiu, even Wen Kai and Wen Tao are now working with the young prince. They will definitely have a bright future."

Old Madam Dong shook her head. "Even after the young prince's concubine Ma was appointed as his wife, his own future is still uncertain, let alone the people who follow him."

Dong Yuanxuan frowned. "That's impossible. Although the young prince's relationship with Prince Heping is not very close, the emperor treats him very well. Besides, the young prince is the legitimate wife and the son. Even if Concubine Ma is promoted to the legitimate wife, she is only a concubine. Can Xiao Yechen really compete with the young prince for the title of the royal palace?"

Old Madam Dong looked at her grandson disapprovingly: "You are still too young. People in the royal family have always put their own interests first. The emperor may have some affection for the young prince, but what does this affection mean when weighing the interests?"

"Also, don't underestimate the women in the backyard. Concubine Ma was able to force Princess Guo to leave and made it difficult for the young prince to live in the palace. Even now, when people in the capital mention the young prince, almost all of them still have a bad impression of him. You can imagine how powerful her methods are."

"Even before she was officially crowned, Concubine Ma was fiercely contested for the title, let alone now that it's legitimate. Just wait and see, the title of Prince Ping will be up for grabs."

As he said this, he shook his head.

"Now that the young prince is in Zhongzhou, he can still have some peace and quiet. If he returns to the capital, humph, trouble will definitely come."

"Everyone's energy is limited. He's been entangled in all sorts of things. Can you still expect him to have a good future?"

Dong Yuanxuan was silent for a moment: "Grandmother, you don't understand the young prince. If we really return to the capital, I'm afraid Concubine Ma won't be able to slander the young prince like she did when they were children."

Mrs. Dong didn't care much: "Maybe, but the little prince's future is definitely not easy. Okay, let's not get involved in other people's affairs."

(End of this chapter)