If a wife does not leave any children, she does not need to consider the family background of her second wife.
Choosing another one, though not as good as the eldest daughter of the Fucha clan whom she longed for, would still be better than the Suozhuoluo clan, who could not help at all and kept hindering her.
"Mother knows what's going on, and I have no objections."
Yongqi paused for a moment, then bowed his head and said goodbye before turning and leaving.
This time, Consort Yu did not stop her, and simply watched her leave the room.
At the doorway, even the maid Su Ye, whose situation seemed dire, strode in.
"Your Majesty"
"They've left?"
Su Ye nodded, habitually trying to cover for Yong Qi, "When the prince isn't busy, he'll come over to keep the empress company."
Consort Yu sneered, "By the time he's with me, he might not have time."
Her relationship with Yongqi had started to become strained a few years ago.
Consort Yu had tried to remedy the situation, but the results were not satisfactory.
What could Consort Yu do? She could only let things take their course, which led to the current situation where she rarely even had the chance to have a proper conversation with someone face to face.
Seeing that her master was too angry, Su Ye quickly brought over a teacup and gently comforted her.
Consort Yu gestured to Su Ye to fetch the booklet that was placed on the Eight Immortals Table for her.
In the end, they lied; the list had already been handed over to Consort Yu.
Looking at the circled names above, Consort Yu sighed.
"I wonder if Yongqi can understand my good intentions regarding these candidates."
They didn't choose any high-born ladies; they were all honest and unremarkable people.
Consort Yu knew that if a high-ranking concubine entered the palace, Lady Suozhuoluo would not be able to control her, and that trouble would befall Yongqi.
After handling court affairs, one still has to return to one's residence to solve cases. A person's energy is limited, and it's impossible to keep going like that.
The best solution is to let Suo Zhuoluo stand on her own and become Yongqi's capable wife.
Consort Yu could only admit that she had misjudged the situation and, after much deliberation, had chosen the least respectable one.
But what can be done now? She's still in the position of the wife, so we can only think things through carefully.
In August, taking advantage of the good news from the frontier, Hongli bestowed several beautiful young women upon Yongqi.
Some of them were chosen by Consort Yu, but Hongli disliked that the status Consort Yu chose was too low, so he secretly changed two more.
Consort Shumulu, a concubine of the Yiergenjueluo clan.
With a good family background and capable siblings, Hongli remarked to Chen Yuwei after bestowing the gifts that he had been a good father this time, and Yongqi's life in the court would definitely be better than before.
Chen Yuwei: ...
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. There is something else I don't know how to bring it up."
Chen Yuwei bowed down to apologize, which startled Hongli, who quickly helped her up.
"My beloved concubine, what's wrong? What's troubling you? Is it the other concubines?"
Hongli felt inexplicably guilty when he thought about the people he had brought back.
Chen Yuwei shook her head repeatedly, "No, it actually has nothing to do with the concubines."
Chen Yuwei twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a pretzel and softly spoke of Consort Chun and her son Yongrong, who had been neglected by the Emperor until now.
“Yongrong is older than Yongqi and is still unmarried.”
Your Majesty, why not take this opportunity to bestow Yongrong's marriage upon him?
More and more time has passed, and Empress Xiaoxian has been gone for more than ten years.
Let's just let bygones be bygones regarding the verbal dispute Consort Chun made back then.
Chen Yuwei spoke softly and cautiously.
It's really necessary to bring this up; given Yongrong's age, delaying it any longer will cause problems.
Adult princes are not allowed to live in the Princes' Residence, but Yongrong is too old, and even Yongwei has moved out. If something really happens, it will be a slap in the face to the Emperor.
Hongli's mind took a while to process what Chen Yuwei said.
Yongrong and Consort Chun?
Oh, is that the person Hsiao-hsien treated coldly when he visited, and who has been cold to him ever since? I don't remember.
"Are they, mother and child, alright?"
Hongli coughed, his brows furrowing slightly as he recalled memories of them.
It's a bit of a shame that I don't remember much of it; we only saw each other once or twice during the Lunar New Year.
Consort Chun was not a beautiful woman, and Hongli and she had long since lost their physical relationship.
Their ultimate fate was predictable.
If it weren't for Chen Yuwei's jurisdiction over palace affairs and her strict requirements for the Imperial Household Department...
The Zhongcui Palace, where Consort Chun resided, certainly did not offer her any good treatment. By the same token, it can be concluded that Yongrong's situation was equally dire.
Chen Yuwei nodded, "Everything is fine. Consort Chun is timid, but she has been behaving herself and keeping to herself in recent years."
It is Yongrong's marriage that is causing Consort Chun concern, for I am also a mother.
Putting myself in her shoes, I can understand how difficult things were for Consort Chun.
So, taking this opportunity, Chen Yuwei didn't want to delay and said everything that needed to be said.
Hongli did not object to this; he stroked his chin, indicating that he would keep an eye on the candidates.
"Anything else?"
Chen Yuwei nodded shyly, then mentioned Yongyue outside the palace.
“The princes all have to study in the Imperial Study. The Emperor should bring them back.”
Staying away from home all the time isn't a good thing. Yongyue is getting old, and if this keeps dragging on, she'll have to get married soon.
Unlike Yongrong, Hongli's emotions clearly fluctuated when Yongyue was mentioned.
The reason why Yongyue left the palace back then was a secret that could not be spoken of.
“You can learn just as well outside the palace. I think there’s no rush for Yongyue.”
Hongli ultimately did not budge, but this was within Chen Yuwei's expectations.
If Yongyue could return so easily, what would be the point of having the Imperial Observatory?
Nodding obediently in agreement, Chen Yuwei changed the subject, no longer dwelling on the things that troubled Hongli.
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