Tao's lips twitched: "Yue'er, the second young lady is going to be a concubine. It wouldn't sound good if the first daughter of the Duke's mansion became a concubine."
She would rather her second daughter find a wife from an ordinary family, or, if that didn't work out, send her to the estate to fend for herself.
“Who said I’d be a concubine?” Princess Jiahua laughed. “Today is a day of double celebration for the Zhennan Prince’s Mansion, so naturally our Jingguo Duke’s daughter will be a secondary wife.”
Tao looked troubled: "I'm afraid the Prince of Zhennan's mansion won't be happy about it."
"That's not up to her!"
The next morning court session
A minister mentioned that Song Yao had risked his life to save Princess Zhennan at the Jokhang Temple, and that Song Yao had almost lost her life, praising her highly.
"Miss Song is also a devoted lover. She and Prince Pei were childhood sweethearts, but unfortunately, fate did not grant their wish, and the lovers could not be together in the end."
"What do you mean by that, Lord Zhang?"
"Young Master Pei has already presented his betrothal gifts to the eldest daughter of Prince Qing yesterday. Miss Song can't very well become a concubine, can she?"
"The debt of saving my life is enough to make me the wife of the crown prince, why would I become a concubine?"
A dispute arose in the court over whether Song Yao or Zhao Qingyan should marry Pei Zhao. The Prince of Zhennan, with a stern face, stepped forward to interrupt.
"Have you all misunderstood? I've heard rumors that the Princess Consort of Zhennan has promised a generous dowry to Miss Song?"
Zhao Zhiyan, who was at the head of the crowd, suddenly looked at the Prince of Zhennan for confirmation.
The Prince of Zhennan nodded: "That is indeed true."
"Look, you've all misunderstood the Prince of Zhennan. He gave the dowry first, then the betrothal gifts. He would never let Miss Song down."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Zhennan frowned deeply: "Eighth Prince, this is not right."
"What's wrong? Could it be that the rumors are wrong? Wasn't it that when the Second Miss Song was on the verge of collapse, the Princess of Zhennan personally promised that Princess Jiahua would personally break off the engagement between the Crown Prince and the Third Miss to make room for the Second Miss?" Zhao Zhiyan asked in surprise, "Could it be that forcing the Third Miss to break off the engagement was just a pretext, and her real purpose was to marry the legitimate daughter of Prince Qing?"
Zhao Zhiyan's words made the Prince of Zhennan appear to have ulterior motives. He looked up at the questioning gaze of the person in charge and quickly explained, "Of course not. How could the Prince of Zhennan's mansion let down the Second Miss? It's just that the Second Miss's status is too low, and it is indeed inappropriate for her to be the mistress of the house. The mansion has already promised her the status of a concubine."
"A concubine?" Zhao Zhiyan raised an eyebrow: "How can you repay a life-saving debt with a concubine?"
"Indeed, isn't the Prince of Zhennan far too cold and heartless?"
Caught in the middle of the crowd, being pointed at and whispered about, Prince Zhennan felt a lump in his throat and almost fainted. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "Then I will treat you with the respect due to an equal wife."
Zhao Zhiyan cupped his hands in thanks: "The Prince's Mansion is truly grateful and magnanimous!"
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