Chapter 102 In the Western Garden, even the princes vied for the Emperor's favor. ...
Emperor Xianping's high regard for the brothers Xiao Yu and Xiao Lin was evident to all. Therefore, in the past two years, many wives of officials, young and old, frequently came to inquire with the Deng family, whether they wanted to marry their daughters to the eldest son Xiao Chun, the second son Xiao Huan, or the third son Xiao Yi, or to take Ying'er into their own families. The young men weren't in a hurry; both families wanted to wait until they had passed the imperial examinations or received official positions before formally discussing marriage. However, sixteen-year-old Ying'er was almost ready to be engaged.
Without further ado, the next day after dinner, while it was still light, Xiao Yu strolled leisurely to Jingxian Hall, where his second brother and sister-in-law lived.
As the children grew up, they stopped wanting to stay close to their parents. Erlang and Yingjie, the two siblings, went back to their own rooms early, leaving only Xiao Lin and Li Huaiyun sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air.
Upon hearing from the maid that the Third Master had arrived, Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow in surprise. After greeting his wife, he took a sip of tea and went to the front yard.
"What a rare guest! What brings Minister Gao to my humble abode?"
Before even stepping into the main room, Xiao Lin started teasing his younger brother, who would never go near him unless there was a reason, especially since his brother had just returned from Jizhou yesterday and was currently inseparable from his sister-in-law.
Xiao Yu stood on the north side of the main room, tilting his head slightly to admire the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall. Upon hearing this, he turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to his elder brother who had entered.
Xiao Lin didn't stand on ceremony with him. He went straight to the main seat, looked his third brother up and down, and finally his gaze fell on his third brother's chin: "I see that those civil officials all like to keep a tuft of beard. You're almost forty, why don't you grow a beard?"
Xiao Yu then looked at his brother's beard: "Too many people have a beard like yours, I don't want to blindly follow suit."
Xiao Lin: "...Speak, what do you want with me?"
Xiao Yu sat down in the other empty seat and asked directly, "Second Brother, have you found someone suitable for Ying'er's marriage?"
Xiao Lin glanced at his younger brother again and guessed, "You want to introduce a young man to Ying'er? Which family's son is he from?"
Xiao Yu: "There is one, but I'm afraid my second brother won't like him."
Xiao Lin: "Tell me about it."
Xiao Yu: "Pei Yi, apart from his family background being definitely below Second Brother's requirements for a son-in-law, I think he is a good match for Ying'er in terms of appearance, character and talent."
If it were his own daughter, Xiao Yu wouldn't have any special requirements regarding his son-in-law's family background. What's important is the son-in-law himself and his in-laws' family traditions. But his second brother might not think the same way.
Xiao Lin showed neither surprise nor frown. He faced the door and fanned himself a few times with his fan before looking at his younger brother and asking, "Is this the idea of Third Sister-in-law, or the idea of Minister Pei and his wife?"
Xiao Yu: "They have both, but in the end, we have to listen to my second brother and sister-in-law. If they don't like it, they won't force it."
Xiao Lin: "You only have one niece, Ying'er. Do you think she and Pei Yi are a good match?"
Xiao Yu nodded: "Otherwise, I would have refused you directly, Madam, and wouldn't have gone to all this trouble."
Xiao Lin shook his fan twice more, sighed, and said, "Then let's go with Pei Yi. He knows her background well, so I'm not worried that Ying'er will suffer if she marries him."
The discussion went too smoothly, and Xiao Yu felt uneasy. He carefully observed his elder brother for a few moments and asked in confusion, "Second brother, don't you want a son-in-law from a prestigious family?"
Xiao Lin glanced at his younger brother: "Of course I want one. A son-in-law or daughter-in-law from a prestigious family, the higher the reputation, the better. But everything in excess is bad. I am already the son-in-law of the Duke of Dingguo's family, and the Emperor also intends to promote me. In addition, you are a favorite of the Emperor who became a Minister in your thirties. Our family has both civil and military connections. If I continue to choose prestigious families for marriage, it may be suspected of forming cliques for personal gain."
Pei Xingshu is now a high-ranking civil official, but he is the only prominent member of the Pei family, and their foundation is extremely weak. The Pei family cannot be considered a powerful force in the capital. In addition, since his family is already related to Pei Xingshu by marriage, any further marriage between their children would only strengthen the family ties. Outsiders cannot accuse him of trying to win over Pei Xingshu.
Furthermore, prominent families consider the long-term implications of choosing a marriage partner even more carefully than he does. If a prestigious family truly wants to marry Ying'er, it's because they're after his and his brother's favor with the Emperor. But his dear third brother is like a firecracker; everything is going smoothly until it ignites, and once it does, his promotions can be as swift as his demotions. Being demoted is the least of his worries; the real fear is that his brother will end up in jail.
At that time, will the Emperor also dislike him because he hates his third brother?
Once he and his third brother have lost the Emperor's favor, will the prestigious family that married Yingjie for the sake of that favor continue to treat Yingjie well?
Xiao Lin moved to the capital when he was four or five years old. He had seen too many so-called prestigious families flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, so he dared not gamble.
Pei Xingshu is a good match; he's a steady and reliable official, unlikely to get into trouble himself, and also unlikely to be implicated by his third brother. With his wife around, Luo Lan probably won't mistreat Ying'er. Even if, hypothetically, Pei Xingshu and his wife dared to mistreat Ying'er, Xiao Lin, while he can't do anything about prestigious families, would still dare to confront Pei Xingshu and beat him half to death—because he's taking advantage of the fact that the Pei family isn't a prestigious one!
Xiao Lin didn't hide any of his thoughts from his younger brother. He didn't believe that his brother would side with Pei Xingshu's brother-in-law, who was not related to him by blood. If his brother dared to be biased, he would call his older brother to give him a good beating.
Xiao Yu sensed a hostility from his brother's increasingly cold gaze and clenched fists. He didn't know if it was directed at him for the trouble he might cause in the future, or at his brother-in-law, Pei Xingshu.
“Since Second Brother doesn’t mind the Pei family, then Second Brother should ask Second Sister-in-law and Ying’er what they think. If they also agree, I will have Madam send a message over there,” Xiao Yu said, standing up.
Xiao Lin snorted: "They all agree, so just give the Pei family the answer directly."
The wife and he both noticed their daughter's little crush on Pei Yi, and their permission for their daughter to visit Pei Zhi at the Pei family home was a tacit approval from the couple.
Xiao Yu retired after achieving his goal and brought his brother's words back to Shensi Hall to tell his wife.
Luo Fu gained a new understanding of Xiao Lin and praised him with a smile: "Second brother has thought things through carefully. He really loves Ying'er and you, his younger brother, very much."
Xiao Lin was prepared for his younger brother to cause trouble, but he didn't explicitly tell his brother not to.
Xiao Yu: "..."
The second brother certainly understood his character well, but this also showed that the second brother was not confident that the emperor would remain wise forever.
The following day, Luo Fu told her sister, and before the emperor's departure, Pei Xingshu and Luo Lan solemnly entrusted a famous matchmaker from the capital to propose marriage at the Marquis's residence, officially beginning the first step of the traditional betrothal ceremony.
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On May 25th, the Emperor departed the capital for the Western Garden Palace. Accompanying him were his consorts, princes, princesses, several high-ranking civil and military officials, three thousand imperial guards, and the families of some high-ranking officials.
The imperial palace was only a little over a hundred miles from the capital, and the emperor's entourage arrived at the palace before dusk the next day.
The Luo family of three were allocated a small courtyard. Although it was not as comfortable as living in Shensi Hall, being able to accompany the emperor was a great honor. Luo Fu was not picky, and Cheng Jie was looking forward to visiting the West Garden the next day. As for Hong Ge, he had to study at the Imperial Academy and his studies were getting heavier, so he did not come along this time. He was not disappointed, as they had already agreed to stay with his grandparents for a while.
After a night's rest and a short breakfast, Empress Xie invited all the wives of officials and young ladies who had accompanied her on this trip to stroll in the garden.
Cheng'er was a well-bred young lady, and she obediently followed her mother's side the whole way.
Today can be considered a favor from Empress Xie to all the wives of officials. From now on, the wives of officials will be free to stroll and enjoy the scenery in the West Garden. Empress Xie will summon one or more wives of officials to accompany her according to her preferences.
Whether accompanying Empress Xie to admire flowers or riding horses with Princess Kangping and Princess Yi'an, Luo Fu would take Cheng'er with her wherever she went. When she rode horses, the nannies from the princess's residence would look after Cheng'er, while the little princess from the princess's residence would play nearby. Princess Yi'an got married at the age of seventeen, and the little princess was only one year younger than Cheng'er, so they could play together.
The three of them rode back that day and saw the Crown Prince standing beside two young girls in the distance, his actions showing a clear intention to take care of them.
Kang Ping smiled at his niece and said, "It's been five or six days, and this is the first time I've seen the Crown Prince come out to enjoy the scenery."
Princess Yi'an said, "That's just how he is. He's very introverted and loves reading the most. He's either practicing martial arts with Mr. Wu, which saves people from worrying that he's not doing his job properly."
Kangping recalled seeing his elder brother playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with the Second Prince, Third Prince, and Second Princess on the grass the day before, and inquired, "The Emperor and the others played Cuju the day before yesterday, why didn't the Crown Prince go?"
The second prince and second princess are Consort Li's children, while the third prince is Consort Lin's child. They are both eight or nine years old this year.
Princess Yi'an was more concerned about her father's movements in the harem than her aunt, and therefore knew more. She muttered, "Consort Li is good at teaching her children to compete for the emperor's favor. Bringing Consort Lin's third son along makes it seem like the younger ones only want the emperor and have no intention of competing for his favor."
This is something the Empress Dowager couldn't do. And even if she had the intention, she was already a married princess, and her brother was seventeen. Which of the siblings could still act so childishly?
Kangping and Empress Xie had been mahjong partners for many years, and their sister-in-law relationship had long been established. Consort Li was exactly twelve years younger than her. When Consort Li first came to her brother's side, Kangping had no interest in getting close to this newcomer. Later, Consort Li became more and more favored, and Kangping had no intention of flattering this favored concubine whose personality did not suit him. So what if she was a favored concubine? She was still her brother's own sister.
In front of Luo Fu, Kang Ping reminded Yi An, "It's not convenient for the Crown Prince to learn this trick, but he should take the initiative to get closer to his elder brother. He can't be like your mother."
The moon is beautiful. When the Emperor was a prince, he might have had the leisure to please a cold and aloof princess. But as he ascended the throne, and as more and more young and beautiful concubines vied for his favor, his feelings for the aging, aloof beauty would only grow weaker. They say love extends to everything connected to the beloved, and even a cold house can influence one's affections. The position of Crown Prince isn't something that can be permanently changed once it's established.
Yi'an frowned, for she had reminded her brother before.
The Empress Dowager might still be able to maintain her relationship with the Emperor through sharing a bed, but the younger brother completely inherited the Empress Dowager's cold nature and had no advantage in pleasing the Emperor. Most importantly, the younger brother had none of the desire to compete with the Emperor for his father's favor, unlike the other princes!
Luo Fu, who didn't want to hear but was forced to listen to this royal secret, was speechless.
The first crown prince of the Yongcheng Dynasty was indirectly deposed because of Xiao Yu's exposure. The current crown prince of the Xianping Dynasty is Xiao Yu's student. If the current crown prince is deposed because his temperament is not liked by his father and because Consort Li and her son are working hard on the other side, how can Xiao Yu, the tutor of the deposed crown prince, expect to have a good future?
Thinking about it this way, another woman immediately gained the frustration and disappointment that the Crown Prince was not living up to his potential!
The prince, who had come out for some fresh air after reading for a while and happened to stop by to see what his niece and his teacher's daughter were playing with: "..."
Why did his sister, aunt, and teacher's wife on horseback look at him with such heavy eyes?
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Author's note: Here I am, another single update tonight. I'll try my best to resume double updates tomorrow!
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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