It was supposed to be a banquet to select a concubine, but in the end only the eldest prince successfully won over the Min family, while everyone else went home empty-handed.
The second prince made a hasty exit, the third princess refused to express her opinion, and the fourth prince vowed never to marry.
There was no need to continue the selection banquet for the imperial concubines, and the officials, not wanting to linger, took their leave.
Jiang Sheng followed behind her grandmother and aunt. Her last glimpse was of Consort Ju talking with Consort Min, her expression haughty yet confident.
She was confused, but couldn't put her thoughts into words.
I had only ever heard that people's hearts were unpredictable, but with Fifth Brother around, he always seemed to be handling things with ease.
It wasn't until today, with the banquet in silence, that she discovered the various anomalies amidst the tangled mess of events.
But it was just a discovery.
She didn't understand why the Second Prince would take the blame for himself, just for the sympathy of a few young ladies.
She didn't know what the Min family was after, that they would tacitly agree to a marriage alliance with the eldest prince.
The only thing that really stood out was that the Fourth Prince was no ordinary man; he managed to use his limp to evoke sympathy from the imperial family and successfully back out of the marriage proposal.
The entire city of Fengjing knows that he is in love with Yao Siqing, a girl from the Yao family, and now he has declared that he will never marry. With such a heavy sentiment in mind, this may be detrimental to Sister Yao.
With too many worries weighing on her mind, Jiang Sheng remained silent the whole way until she returned to the second courtyard.
Old Madam Jiang was exhausted and went back to rest first.
The second uncle and aunt were also busy with their own things, so Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Chengfeng, the brother and sister, took the two of them back.
Before I even knocked, the aroma of mutton, rich yet not gamey, wafted from inside.
"Ah, there really is a big leg of lamb." Jiang Chengyu's eyes lit up. "Looks like we came to the right place this time."
Jiang Chengfeng touched his nose, seemingly embarrassed by his sister's gluttony.
"Please don't stand on ceremony, everyone," Xu Mo said with a smile as he hosted his younger brother. "Just eat and drink to your heart's content."
As they were speaking, the door was opened.
Wearing a large apron, Zheng Ruqian was on the verge of tears, "You're back, you're finally back."
God knows how worried he was that day, fearing both his sister's accident and the danger to his brothers.
Thank goodness, everyone is safe and sound.
When Master Zheng said he was going to kill a sheep, he really meant it. The plump lamb legs and ribs were arranged in a grand display, with Jiang San and Jiang Si tending the fire, Aunt Zhang and Master Kong marinating, stir-frying, deep-frying, and stewing, and the Wang siblings assisting. The whole courtyard was filled with laughter and delicious food.
The warmth and comfort of everyday life are what truly soothe the human heart.
Jiang Sheng's tense nerves relaxed, and she took Jiang Chengyu's hand and walked in confidently to savor the food.
It wasn't until after the meal that Jiang Chengfeng and Xu Mo began to talk about today's concubine selection banquet.
“The Second Prince is outnumbered and outmatched. He could only use a self-inflicted injury to refuse this concubine selection. Fortunately, he managed to refuse, so he will still have room for choice in the future.” Jiang Chengfeng swallowed a big mouthful of meat. “As far as I know, Consort Ju chose a nominal legitimate daughter of a declining noble family for him.”
Being registered as a legitimate daughter means that she was originally a concubine's daughter, but was registered as a legitimate daughter because the principal wife had no children.
Furthermore, given the decline of her family's fortunes, the principal wife offers no help to the second prince. It would be better for her to distance herself and devise a new plan.
No wonder he was willing to take the eldest prince away, no wonder he wasn't afraid even when he was confined to his quarters.
Jiang Sheng thought she had guessed everything, but she still missed the key point. She had to admit that the Second Prince's thoughts were more profound than she had thought.
"It is said that the Third Princess has a slight affection for Min's cousin." Xu Mo put down his chopsticks. "The fact that she was unable to choose a husband today must be at the behest of Consort Ju."
The eldest prince chose the Min family not only because it is a first-class family, but also because it is a family that the third princess might be able to win over when choosing a husband.
If the Third Princess were to actually marry into the Min family, her scheme would be halved.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Third Princess will likely choose between you and Brother He in the future,” Xu Mo said meaningfully. “Brother Jiang, you’d better be careful.”
Jiang Chengfeng's expression turned horrified, and he hurriedly waved his hand, "That won't do. I will have to follow in my father's footsteps in the future. If I marry a princess, I will have nothing left."
Xu Mo chuckled.
Almost every ambitious young man would rather not become a prince consort. If the Third Princess were to marry into the Min family, it would be a beautiful story.
Unfortunately, Consort Ju interfered, determined to choose a powerful husband for the Third Princess.
I just don't know whether it's the Jiang family or the He family.
After Jiang Chengyu had eaten until he was stuffed, the Jiang siblings said goodbye and left, taking two lamb legs with them as a gift for their elders.
"How could I possibly accept both food and gifts?" Jiang Chengfeng feigned reluctance.
Jiang Chengyu reached out and took it, saying, "Then thank you very much, Young Master Zheng."
After the two siblings left, the courtyard finally quieted down.
Zheng Ruqian smiled broadly, then slumped down after closing the door, eagerly asking, "What did the He family say? And what did Xiao Wu say?"
The entire Yanhui Pavilion was staffed by Consort Ju's people; even if they saw Changyan, they would at most give him a glance.
Don't even think about talking; it would be terrible to give yourself away.
As for the He family...
Xu Mo's eyes showed recollection. "He Yunyao, that is, the young master of the He family with slightly dark skin, was initially unwilling to talk to me in detail, and only told me the reason why Prefect He left the He family."
It's not uncommon, actually; it's all for the sake of the prefect's wife.
As the younger brother of the head of the He family, He Chengzhang should have been responsible for the marriage alliance, but he developed feelings for a girl from an ordinary family and did not hesitate to marry her and have children in secret.
The head of the He family couldn't do anything to his own brother, but he repeatedly made things difficult for the wife of the prefect. In the end, the prefect made an agreement with the Fang family—the Fang family would help him get away from Fengjing, and he would go to Anshui County to get rid of Fang Heng for the Fang family.
Of course, He Chengzhang did not fulfill the agreement, so after his three-year transfer expired, he was directly taken back to Fengjing by the head of the He family, and he would be able to settle down in no more than half a month.
When Xu Mo vaguely expressed his desire to cooperate with the He family, He Yunyao did not agree and even seemed to reject it.
He believed that the He family had already achieved their full glory, and that it was better to remain stable and neutral than to pursue more.
Throughout history, those who sought to serve the emperor have either achieved great success and fame, or failed and turned to dust.
The He family's desire for stability is not wrong, but in this treacherous situation, can they really stand idly by?
Xu Mo comforted her younger siblings, "Don't worry too much, all we need to do now is wait quietly."
Waiting for Consort Ju and the First Prince to make their move, waiting for the Second Prince to retreat to his residence to plot, and waiting for the Fourth Prince, whose intentions are difficult to discern, to make his move.
Just a few days later... news spread that the Third Princess was going to marry into the Shanghe family.
The long banquet hidden deep within the palace, and Xu Mo, who had just entered the Hanlin Academy, all wore smiles of expectation.
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