When the fourth princess heard that her mother was going to arrange a widower for her, she immediately became restless.
Su Yue was the most favored princess in the whole Dali. The prince consort she chose had to be a young, handsome, and talented in literature, even if she had to be a son of heaven. How could she become the second wife of a thirty-year-old widower?
Her words directly interrupted Concubine Sun and Emperor Shao Yuan. The whole room fell silent in an awkward manner.
Concubine Sun Gui looked unhappy and was about to say something to smooth things over, but unexpectedly the Fourth Princess walked directly into the hall and knelt down.
"Father, although General Huaihua is a mighty and heroic man, I prefer a gentle and refined young man. Father has always doted on me, and I'm sure he will choose a consort that suits your daughter's taste."
The fourth princess paused, noticing that Emperor Shao Yuan was not in a good mood, and immediately added, "I am young and not stable enough. I cannot bear the heavy responsibility of the general's mansion, and I am afraid I am not a good match for the general."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall turned their eyes towards General Huaihua covertly.
Every word the Fourth Princess said was a hint of her disdain for General Qihua's age and rudeness.
Ning Xihua was also enjoying the melon, thanks to Su Yue who had some brains and knew that she was not worthy of him, so she did not open her mouth and directly complain about the widow. But the others were not fools, so who could not hear what she meant.
As expected, Qin Songfeng immediately kowtowed and replied, "I thank the noble concubine for her trust, but the princess is so precious that I cannot afford to marry her."
Ning Xihua shook her head.
Although Qin Songfeng was over thirty, he had a heroic appearance, held a high position, and was a close confidant of Emperor Shao Yuan.
With his status, even if he married a second wife, there were plenty of nobles in the capital who were willing to offer their legitimate daughters to him. It was indeed unnecessary for him to marry a princess and bring her home to serve as a concubine, not to mention that this princess disliked him.
Emperor Shao Yuan said calmly, "My dear minister, your words are kind, but since neither of you is interested in this, and it is not a good fate, there is no need to mention this matter anymore."
The Fourth Princess happily thanked her and returned to her seat, pretending to ignore Concubine Sun's anger and resentment.
Qin Songfeng also kowtowed again to express his gratitude with a calm expression, without any sign of strangeness.
But whether he really has no grudges in his heart, only he himself knows.
Prince Ning raised his wine glass to hide his sneer, and whispered to his daughter, "You tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice."
Ning Xihua nodded in agreement, "Isn't it?"
Concubine Sun Gui would rather send the fourth princess away as a successor, so she has her sights set on the Yulin Army led by Qin Songfeng.
Now, regardless of whether Qin Songfeng was willing to marry her or not, the Fourth Princess had offended him in public, causing a general to almost be unable to get off the stage in public.
Even if Qin Songfeng had a broad mind, he would definitely have some resentment in his heart, even if he didn't create any grudges.
Some old officials with keen political sense have already realized that a winter solstice banquet may be the beginning of the process of choosing a husband for the princes and princesses.
Prince Ning looked at his daughter who was still eating melons foolishly, feeling a little angry at her for not fighting for it. He secretly thought about how to make his daughter get what she wanted.
That night, after the banquet, Prince Ning and Ning Xihua were summoned separately.
Inside Izumo-den.
"I will not beat around the bush with you, my dear minister. What are your plans for Princess Yuexi's marriage?"
Prince Ning replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I will always follow Xihua's preferences. But as for my own plan, I just hope that she can marry into an ordinary wealthy and leisurely family. It doesn't matter if her status is lower. I can also protect her from being bullied."
Emperor Shao Yuan looked very emotional, "Your love for your daughter is very touching."
Then he murmured, "I see that Princess Yuexi is smart and generous, and I like her very much. I wonder if she will be interested in my sons."
Prince Ning bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, your words are very sincere. It would be a blessing for Xihua if the princes could look up to her."
Emperor Shao Yuan smiled and said, "What do you think of the third brother?"
Prince Ning bowed his hands and smiled bitterly, "The Third Prince is a man of both civil and military talents, and is a perfect match. But I don't know why he doesn't get along well with Xihua. During the last autumn hunt, Xihua behaved badly and even injured the Third Prince. When these two are together, I'm really worried that they will become a pair of resentful lovers..."
Emperor Shao Yuan also recalled the quarrel between Princess Yuexi and the Third Prince during the Autumn Hunt, and he felt doubtful.
He certainly didn't want to end up with an enemy instead of a marriage. But there was only one princess in Prince Ning's mansion, and he was really worried about letting Princess Yuexi marry out. Only if she became a royal daughter-in-law would Prince Ning be cautious and not dare to make any rash moves.
Emperor Shao Yuan suddenly remembered that the Crown Prince had asked him to marry Princess Yue Xi. He hesitated and asked, "Then...what about the Crown Prince?"
Prince Ning lowered his head, hiding the corners of his mouth that were curled up, and said with a dissatisfied tone, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is a graceful and elegant man, but..."
"My dear, please speak your mind."
Prince Ning knelt down and kowtowed, "This may offend the majesty of heaven, but I hope Your Majesty will understand how much I love my daughter."
He bowed and replied, "Last time, Xihua accidentally blocked an arrow for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Although she didn't say it, I knew at that time that Xihua might like His Royal Highness. But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has always been weak and frail. I am worried... I am worried that Xihua will be alone and helpless in the future... I deserve to die!"
After that, he kowtowed to Emperor Shao Yuan again to apologize.
Emperor Shao Yuan understood Prince Ning's meaning. Princess Yuexi herself liked the prince, but Prince Ning was worried that the prince would die young, so he was not very reassured.
He hadn't considered Su Bi at first, but now he thinks she's not a bad choice.
Regardless of whether the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the Crown Prince are really at odds or just pretending, the fact is that the Crown Prince is weak now. The Ning Wang Mansion and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, one guards the northern border, and the other guards the western region. Their spheres of influence are far apart, so there is no need to worry about them colluding.
In addition, Princess Yuexi is in love with the Crown Prince, so it seems possible to use the Crown Prince to control the Ning Palace.
Emperor Shao Yuan placed his fingers on the table and pondered it carefully.
But the emperor was suspicious, and he still had many concerns about the Ningwang Mansion and the Zhenguogong Mansion.
"My dear, I am only fulfilling my duties as a father. What crime have you committed?"
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty! I just said some things from my heart, but no matter who Your Majesty chooses for Xihua, it will be an honor for the entire Ning Palace!"
Emperor Shao Yuan replied kindly, "I understand. Let me think about this matter again."
But in his heart, he thought that Prince Ning, this old fox, had calculated that he would not dare to make any random decisions.
Princess Yuexi's marriage needs to be carefully considered, and there can be no mistakes.
Inside the Yunqing Palace.
"Have Xihua's previous injuries healed?"
Concubine Sun stopped Ning Xihua from bowing and took her hand and asked affectionately.
"Thank you for your concern, my lady. Everything is fine now."
Concubine Sun Gui smiled and patted her hands, "That's good."
She looked at Ning Xihua with great delight, "Xihua, you will be eighteen after the Chinese New Year, and marriage cannot be delayed any longer. Do you have any candidates in mind for your future husband?"
Ning Xihua lowered her head, looking shy.
But in her heart, she thought, here it comes again, Concubine Sun Guifei hasn't given up on pairing her up with Su Xu.
Seeing her expression, Concubine Sun Gui thought there was hope, and quickly said, "If not, look at Xu'er..."
"My queen!"
Ning Xihua quickly interrupted her and replied shyly, "I'm actually alone and embarrassed to tell the queen, but my father agreed after knowing it..."
Concubine Sun Gui's heart skipped a beat, but she still forced a smile, "I wonder which young man could win Xihua's favor?"
Ning Xihua said coquettishly, "Oh, Madam, please stop asking~"
Concubine Sun Gui was unwilling to give up and joked, "It hasn't been decided yet. It's always good for a girl to be more picky. Besides, my Xu'er is not bad either. Xihua can also be considered."
Ning Xihua looked surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, don't you know?"
Concubine Sun Gui was confused by the question, "Know what?"
Ning Xihua raised her eyes cautiously, as if afraid that she would be angry, and said softly, "Everyone knows that the Third Prince has a crush on Miss Lin, and the two have already decided to spend their lives together..."
Concubine Sun Gui could no longer maintain her smile and asked her with a sullen face, "That's not true! Where did Xihua hear that from?"
Ning Xihua replied timidly, "But the ladies outside all say so..."
Concubine Sun Gui could only reply stiffly, "Xihua, don't listen to the nonsense outside. She is just a concubine's daughter. Even if Xu'er likes her, she is just a concubine. Xihua doesn't need to worry about it."
Ning Xihua lowered her head and said nothing, but in her heart she felt somewhat saccharine.
Well, she couldn't even get a concubine. It's hard for this little white flower to get along with Concubine Sun Gui.
At this time, Concubine Sun Gui was not in the mood to say anything more to Ning Xihua. "Today's palace banquet is very busy. I am tired. Xihua should go back and rest early."
Ning Xihua replied obediently, "Yes."