After Yan Huisheng returned to his residence, he had just finished washing and changing and hadn’t gotten around to eating dinner when he heard that Princess Qingping and her son-in-law had requested to see him. He paused in his movements and said to send them in.
Qingping, assisted by her son-in-law, and led by a servant, entered the Eastern Palace.
To be honest, she rarely came to the Eastern Palace, especially in the years when the emperor was balancing the court’s affairs, supporting the other princes and suppressing the crown prince. She was afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, so she hardly ever set foot there.
The only two times she did visit was when the Crown Prince sent someone to the Princess Residence to ask that she come to the Eastern Palace to collect an upset Duanhua, who was clinging to Zhou Gu. With a stern face, she dragged Duanhua away.
But Duanhua was stubborn and no amount of persuasion would change her. She was reprimanded in the Eastern Palace but still kept coming back afterwards. Eventually, the Crown Prince stopped asking Qingping to collect her, and instead confined her to the palace, instructing a wet nurse to supervise Duanhua’s studies. He ignored Duanhua’s crying and only released her when she stopped crying and was able to recite properly.
When Duanhua returned to her residence, she complained to Qingping who, knowing she was in the wrong, did not dare go to the Eastern Palace to argue with the Crown Prince.
Over time, for a considerable length of time, the only person in the entire Capital City who could keep Duanhua in check was the Crown Prince himself.
After entering the Eastern Palace, Qingping felt a lot of emotions and whispered to her son-in-law, "How should we start the conversation later?"
The son-in-law replied in a low voice, "You are his aunt. Just ask him directly."
Qingping nodded, "Okay!"
To be honest, she was a bit hesitant to confront this nephew who had been the heir apparent since childhood. However, her daughter is her own flesh and blood. What could she do about that? She and her son-in-law had already decided that she wouldn’t meddle in anything. Now that Duanhua has matured, they would live quietly as a family. Hopefully, the Crown Prince, out of respect for her as his close aunt, would not retaliate against her once he ascended the throne.
But who could have imagined that the Crown Prince would want to marry Duanhua? It was like a pie falling from the sky, almost knocking her out.
When they reached the reception room, the Crown Prince was already waiting for them.
Just as Qingping and her son-in-law were about to pay their respects to Yan Huisheng, he raised his hand to stop them, "Aunt and uncle, there is no need for formalities".
Despite his objections, Qingping and her son-in-law still paid their full respects before finally taking a seat. As they noticed Yan Huisheng looking at them, Qingping said with a hint of embarrassment, "I hope we’re not disturbing you this late. But I heard from Duanhua that... you wish to marry her?"
Yan Huisheng nodded, admitting he hadn’t expected Qingping, pregnant as she was, to come to the palace at such a late hour. If he had known this earlier, he wouldn’t have heeded Duanhua’s words, but would have directly visited her at the Princess Residence. He had underestimated the impact this matter would have on her.
Upon seeing his nod, Qingping and her husband widened their eyes in shock. Despite their mental preparation on their way here, they were still deeply surprised.
Yan Huisheng, seeing them both, spoke in a calm voice: "Our cousin seeking a husband through a public announcement is inappropriate. As she is worrying about marriage, and I too am being pressured by the Emperor and the courtiers to choose my Crown Princess, why not marry her? It would achieve two goals at once."
Upon hearing this, Qingping immediately said: "Even though it achieves two things at once, marriage is not a trifling matter, especially as the person you are marrying is the future crown princess, can Duanhua handle such a role?"
"That should not be a problem, I will arrange capable people to assist her," Yan Huisheng responded.
Qingping was taken aback, "What about the future empress then?"
"I do not intend to establish a harem. My mother will educate her, if she cannot manage, I will arrange people to assist her," said Yan Huisheng.
Qingping was silent for a moment, "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
Qingping sighed, "I would have never imagined that both of you, one wanting to marry, and the other eager to get married, were on the same page. Have the emperor and empress heard about this?"
"I have not informed them yet. If Duanhua agrees, and both of you consent too, I will inform the emperor and my mother tomorrow," Yan Huisheng replied.
Qingping saw how he placed Duanhua’s opinion above everything else. She nodded, and for a time did not know what else to say. Finally, she said: "Duanhua, the child, is naive and has been spoiled since childhood. She is impulsive with a temper, and has quite a few bad habits, but she is also easy to coax and deceive. After spending some time with Su Rong, she has matured a lot and is more likable now than before. However, a person’s temper and nature, their inherent traits, are not easy to change, so even if you weren’t willing to marry her and let her continue looking, sooner or later she would find someone she liked. There is no need for you to sacrifice yourself..."
"Aunt." Yan Huisheng interrupted her with a smile, "I am not sacrificing myself."
Qingping looked at him, "You are the Crown Prince. All the maiden daughters in the world are at your disposal. You can marry whoever you want and there are many far better than Duanhua."
Yan Huisheng replied in a calm voice, "I do have requirements for my future wife. I do not wish to be bound by obligations, and I feel somewhat repelled towards strange women. Aunt, are you worried that I won’t treat my cousin properly? Rest assured, as long as she doesn’t do anything detrimental to my Eastern Palace or the state, I won’t be harsh with her."
"I see." Considering Yan Huisheng’s words, Qingping felt there wasn’t much left to discuss. She looked toward her son-in-law.
Her son-in-law also didn’t know what to say, "Since the Crown Prince has made a decision, and Duanhua also agrees, we obviously hope for a successful match. But please, don’t spoil her too much as she will take things for granted. We didn’t discipline her well when she was young, making her quite willful and arrogant. We never thought she would rise to such prominence and marry into the Eastern Palace. Please be sure to discipline her well."
Yan Huisheng smiled and nodded, "Since I have chosen to marry her, I will take responsibility for her. You can put your minds at ease."
The son-in-law gave a nod of acknowledgement. He felt at ease. With her character, even a biased father like him had to be frank and admit that it was beyond his imagination for her to find someone better than the Crown Prince.
Qingping stood up and said decisively, "Alright then, we should head back now."
The son-in-law also stood and made a formal farewell gesture towards Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng was a bit surprised that these two had come just to ask a few questions and then left once they got their answers. It was hard to say whether it was because they trusted his character as aunt and uncle or if they felt relieved to finally be able to marry off their troublesome daughter. Despite his intelligence, he can’t figure it out in the moment..
He also rose, "I’ll see you both out."
Qingping and her son-in-law didn’t decline, allowing Yan Huisheng to escort them to the gate of the Eastern Palace. After they got in the carriage and left.
Yan Huisheng stood a while as he watched Princess Qingping and her son-in-law’s carriage depart in the distance, before turning back to return inside his residence.
Inside the carriage, Qingping let out a long sigh of relief, and so did her son-in-law. The couple exchanged a glance, both seemed somewhat sentimental.
It was just like a dream, who could have imagined this?
Even Qingping, being the most pampered princess in the imperial court, never thought that one day her daughter would marry their most accomplished heir apparent. She and her daughter have always been criticized in the royal court for their conduct, and she never anticipated there would come a day for them to be vindicated.
Feeling emotional, she said, "That brat is lucky. I don’t have to worry about her anymore, let the Crown Prince take care of her!"
The son-in-law laughed, reminding her, "You still have another child in your belly. What if this one is also like Duanhua..."
Spitting out a curse, Qingping said, "Don’t jinx it! This one will definitely be very well-behaved and not like Duanhua or me at all. If they do come out like their sister, I will send them to the Crown Prince for discipline."
The son-in-law: "..."
He felt that if his words were heard by the Crown Prince, he might have second thoughts about the marriage.
Qingping scolded the son-in-law once again, warning, "I’m telling you, you are not allowed to say such things again in the future; it can be a bad influence."
The son-in-law cried mercy, "Alright, alright, I won’t say it again, it’s an exception this time."
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