Chapter 18. She is a good girl.
The next day, after lunch, a guard came to report that the eldest prince and the second prince had arrived at the foot of the mountain and were paying their respects as they climbed up.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, "Although these two boys are young, they have always been very sensible and filial. It is thanks to the Emperor's good upbringing."
Seeing that neither the prince nor the princess uttered a word, Shuangyun quickly echoed and flattered the Empress Dowager with a few words.
Chu Heng stood up and said, "Mother, I will go ahead to greet the two princes."
Chu Heng was a prince and an elder, but since the princes were the emperor's sons, they were naturally superior to others, and they were representing the emperor. Chu Heng couldn't just sit there and wait for them to come up.
I have to make a statement.
The Empress Dowager was displeased that her two youngest children wouldn't even agree with their mother. One of them was oblivious to others' opinions, and the other was good at playing dumb.
The larger pair was better than the smaller one, but it still had its reasons for displeasing the Empress Dowager.
Children are all debts.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Go, all of you go."
Yongkang and Daiyu had no choice but to stand up, bow and take their leave together with Chuheng.
As soon as they stepped out the door, the Empress Dowager covered her forehead and sighed, "They're all so grown up now, and none of them give me a moment's peace of mind."
Shuangyun hurriedly raised her hand to rub the Empress Dowager's chest, saying, "As the saying goes, raising a child for a hundred years means worrying for ninety-nine. I dare to say that it is because the Empress Dowager spoils the children too much. Why not let them go and do their own thing?"
The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "How can I be at ease..."
Shuangyun glanced at the Empress Dowager's expression and sighed inwardly. It wasn't that the Empress Dowager was uneasy; she clearly wanted everyone and everything under her control.
From her youth to this advanced age, the Empress Dowager's temperament has never changed.
As the eldest and second princes grew older, Shuangyun was often worried. However, the Empress Dowager knew that despite her good intentions, she could not control her strong-willed master, no matter how many years she had served him.
As Yongkang walked outside, he complained, "Why are you dragging me and Sister Lin into this again? Fifth Brother, it's all your fault for talking nonsense!"
Chu Heng said, "It was clearly because you stopped talking first that you were kicked out."
“You didn’t say anything either!” Yongkang said, dissatisfied.
Chu Heng said calmly, "That's why I was kicked out too."
Yongkang pouted: "It's pointless. Mother clearly wasn't genuinely praising them, yet she made us force ourselves to do the same. It's really pointless."
Chu Heng said, "Haven't you ever said anything against your conscience?"
Yongkang: "..."
Yongkang took Daiyu's hand and sighed, "Sister Lin, look, this is how the royal family is. They've been lying since they were little, and they still talk about etiquette and rules. You'll have to suffer the same injustice in the future."
Daiyu smiled helplessly. It wasn't just the royal family; wherever one was, one had to conform to the times and say things against one's will.
Chu Heng tapped Yongkang on the head and said, "Go back and copy the Book of Rites and hand it to me."
Yongkang was completely bewildered: "What?"
Chu Heng said, "Otherwise, I'll report you."
Yongkang put her hands on her hips and huffed angrily, "Copy, copy, copy... I really want to get married soon. Once I have my own princess's mansion, no one will dare to control me!"
Chu Heng immediately warned, "Chu Man, don't say such things in front of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."
Yongkang paused, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Fifth Brother, you look a little scary..."
Chu Heng said, "The prince consort of this dynasty cannot hold a real position, but he still has his father, uncles, brothers, and future children. All of these people will be under the protection of the princess."
“Those who want to marry a princess will consider these things, and the Emperor and Empress Dowager will also consider these things when they arrange your marriage. Don’t you understand what I mean?” Chu Heng looked into her eyes. “This spring, He Qing was married off. Do you remember which family’s young master was her husband?”
Yongkang blinked twice and slowly said, "It's the Fang family, the maternal family of Consort Wu. Her maternal grandfather has now been granted a noble title."
Princess Heqing was the twelfth daughter of the late emperor. The Fang family was an official family and could marry a princess. However, the emperor's main purpose was to use the princess's marriage to grant the Fang family a title, thereby elevating Consort Wu and giving the second prince more support in the court.
The eldest prince and the second prince are the same age, only twelve years old this year. However, the struggle for the throne has never been about age. The emperor used this marriage to benefit the second prince, and the empress dowager could not possibly turn a blind eye to it.
The Empress Dowager's most capable candidate at present is Yongkang.
Having grown up in the palace, and despite Yongkang's straightforward nature, he could still understand these things after being influenced by what he saw and heard.
She held her chin in disbelief: "No...it can't be, Fifth Brother. I'm different. I'm Mother's biological son. Twelfth Sister isn't from the same mother as us."
Chu Heng sneered: "Fifth Sister isn't Mother's biological daughter. Fifth Sister doesn't have the same mother as us?"
Princess Hejia's husband was surnamed Gu, and was the son of the late emperor's cousin. It sounded like he had a very good background, but unfortunately, he was born with a facial disability, so he could not hold an official position.
This cousin had been the late emperor's study companion and had a close relationship with him. When the late emperor saw that he was worried about his son, he suggested sending a princess. At that time, only the fifth and sixth princesses were of marriageable age. The Empress Dowager, who was still a Noble Consort, resolutely pushed her own fifth princess to the late emperor.
Later, when the Empress passed away and a successor was being chosen, the Gu family put in a lot of effort in front of the Empress Dowager. Later, when the Emperor became the Crown Prince and secured his throne, the Gu family stood by his side. All of this was the result of Princess Jia's maneuvering with her husband's family.
Now, the Gu family's influence in the court has gradually declined, and the emperor has no intention of promoting the Gu family's descendants. Only then can He Jia breathe a sigh of relief. She spends her days at the princess's residence with a few children and hardly ever sees the Gu family anymore.
Yongkang shuddered and shook his head repeatedly: "I don't want to! Fifth Brother, then... what should I do?"
Chu Heng said, "The Empress Dowager won't choose a family like this for you so that you can help the Crown Prince in the future."
As Daiyu listened, she pondered to herself that in order to help the eldest prince, Yongkang's choice of husband would have to be related to the empress.
Yongkang naturally thought of that too, and she slumped her shoulders: "It's so annoying, I don't want to get married."
It wasn't that the Empress's relatives were so despicable, but rather that her marriage was destined to be used as a tool in the power struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Who knew what other things might happen in the future? Just thinking about it made Yongkang feel dejected.
Daiyu still had a doubt. Logically speaking, the Empress Dowager was the legal mother of Princess Heqing, and her marriage should not be decided by the Emperor alone.
Since the Empress Dowager is interested in the eldest prince, and she seems to be a strong-willed person, would she just stand by and watch the emperor help the second prince? There must be something else going on.
Now is not the time to think about these things. Daiyu said gently, "Princess, there is no need to be like this. You may not be able to decide on the choice of your husband, but you can still decide how you live your life afterward. As the princess just said, you are the Empress Dowager's biological daughter after all. The situation is not the same as before, and there are still ways to maneuver."
Chu Heng had no time to worry about Yongkang's reaction, as he was lost in thought because of Daiyu's words.
When she advised Yongkang like this, wasn't she also talking about herself, having no choice in her marriage and only able to live her life well from now on?
The Empress Dowager at least cared about Yongkang, her own daughter, but what about Daiyu? In the Empress Dowager's eyes, she was just someone to bring good luck to her son.
That day, Daiyu said, "Only if Your Highness lives can I live." Chu Heng didn't take it seriously then, but today he finally understood Daiyu's feelings.
If Chu Heng dies, it's the end of his life, but Daiyu will die unwillingly with lingering attachments; she has no choice.
The Empress Dowager forbade her to choose.
Miss Lin doesn't like others making decisions for her.
Chu Heng had always believed that this arranged marriage was a misfortune for both him and Daiyu.
However, this is not the case. The pain and harm suffered by Daiyu were far greater than those suffered by Chuheng.
She had someone she loved—Chu Heng finally remembered what Master Pingyi had once mentioned; she had a poetry club, she had interesting days…
But all of this was shattered by this marriage agreement.
When Chu Heng fell ill, the Emperor and Empress Dowager, in their desperation, sought any treatment they could find, and Daiyu... suffered an undeserved calamity.
Upon reaching the mountain gate, Chu Heng looked over again. He saw that Daiyu and Yongkang had talked for quite some time. Yongkang had now recovered his previous spirits and was whispering to Daiyu about the eldest and second princes.
She's a good girl; it's my fault for dragging her down.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the two princes finally went up the mountain. Chu Heng and the other two stepped forward to pay their respects, but the princes refused to accept them. They then bowed to them in return, exchanging pleasantries before finally getting into their sedan chairs and heading to the temple.
After paying their respects to the Empress Dowager, everyone returned to their seats. The Empress Dowager then pulled her two grandsons aside and asked them about the children in the palace, as well as their studies.
After a heartwarming exchange between grandmother and grandson, the Empress Dowager smiled and told them to go and rest for a while, and that she would accompany them in reciting scriptures that evening.
Chu Heng and the other two then withdrew.
Yongkang clicked his tongue a few times: "They must have been exhausted from their journey, not even letting the two children rest."
Chu Heng said, "You're the only one with a big mouth. Have you finished copying the Book of Rites?"
Yongkang was dumbfounded: "Fifth Brother, are you crazy? You told me to copy it first, and it's been so long, have you seen me have any free time?"
Chu Heng then said, "Let's go back and copy it now."
Yongkang glared at him for a while, hands on his hips, then pouted and said, "Fifth Brother, you reminded me before I listened to you and copied the Book of Rites. It wasn't because you threatened me!"
Chu Heng waved his hand and said, "Go."
After Yongkang had walked away, Daiyu looked at Chuheng and asked, "Your Highness seems unhappy. Is it because of the princess?"
“Born into royalty, one's fate is not one's own; it was all destined.” Chu Heng’s gaze fell into the void, and he said wistfully, “It’s just that some people shouldn’t have been dragged into this in the first place…”
Without any clear beginning or end, Daiyu couldn't understand his meaning at all, and frowned, saying, "I don't understand what Your Highness is saying."
Chu Heng turned to look at Daiyu, whose bright, clear eyes were now looking at him with a slightly questioning gaze.
She was so pure and beautiful that Chu Heng was immediately filled with shame and embarrassment, and he quickly avoided Daiyu's gaze.
"...It's nothing, it's getting late..." Chu Heng's eyes flickered. "Miss Lin, you should go back first."
Daiyu was puzzled but didn't want to press for an answer, so she simply nodded and said, "Okay."
A note from the author:
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