Chapter 581 The Prospective Prince's Consort
As evening falls, the sun sets behind the western mountains, casting its rays upon the landscape.
Gu Jingxi entered the room, took off his official hat and handed it to the maid, then walked towards Meng Jinyao. Seeing that she was holding a card, he asked, "Ayao, whose card is this?"
“The invitation from the Wen family of the Ministry of Personnel invites me to a flower-viewing banquet.” Meng Jinyao said, putting down the invitation, picking up the teapot, and pouring him a cup of fruit tea. “Husband, try this. This is an iced fruit tea made by Chunliu and Ningdong. It’s refreshing and thirst-quenching. I just had a cup and it was quite nice.”
Gu Jingxi nodded, sat down next to her, and instructed, "Don't get too close to the women of the Wen family."
Meng Jinyao smiled gently: "Don't worry, my husband, I know what I'm doing."
The Fourth Prince's marriage has been arranged. His fiancée is Wen Qinghan, the eldest granddaughter of Minister Wen. It is said that the Fourth Prince fell in love with Wen Qinghan at first sight and was determined to marry her, so he requested an imperial decree to grant them the marriage.
She had met Wen Qinghan before. She was beautiful, dignified and gentle, and came from a good family. The Wen family had considerable influence in the court. If the Fourth Prince married Wen Qinghan, he would gain more supporters and be one step closer to that position.
Therefore, whether the Fourth Prince fell in love with Wen Qinghan at first sight or with the Wen family's status is something only the Fourth Prince himself knows.
After a moment, Meng Jinyao asked in a low voice, "Husband, do you think the Fourth Prince is going to try and take the throne?"
Gu Jingxi gave his wife an appreciative look and replied, "Basically, no prince doesn't want to sit in that position, unless he is mediocre, has no support, can see his own position clearly, and doesn't compete or fight for it, or make futile efforts."
Meng Jinyao remained silent, unsure if she was being conspiratorial. She felt that the Fourth Prince's recovery was quite coincidental. With the Crown Prince Huizhao assassinated and the Second Prince deposed, the two most likely candidates for the position were gone, and the Fourth Prince's health improved, allowing him to rise to prominence among the court officials.
Even when he was still sickly, the Fourth Prince had a good reputation. He was intelligent and gentle, but it was a pity that he was in poor health. Now that he is healthy, the ministers immediately took sides with him.
Curious, she asked again, "Husband, I've heard that the Emperor's most favored son is the deceased Crown Prince Huizhao, followed by the Sixth Prince. Between the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince, who do you think the Emperor favors more?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head: "The emperor's heart is unfathomable, how could I possibly know?"
“That’s true.” Meng Jinyao nodded and said, “People outside say that the Emperor prefers the Sixth Prince as the Crown Prince because he is the Empress’s son and the second son of the Empress, who is deeply loved by the Emperor and Empress. He has a better chance than the Fourth Prince. But judging from the voices outside, the Fourth Prince, who is intelligent from a young age and is eighteen years old, is more popular than the Sixth Prince, who is only ten years old. The Sixth Prince only has the advantage of being born of the Empress.”
Gu Jingxi listened to her gossiping and laughed, "In the struggle for the throne, you don't know who will win until the very last moment."
-
Wenfu.
Meng Jinyao accepted the invitation and arrived as promised.
The Wen family was already a prominent and influential family, and now with the prospective consort of the Fourth Prince, everyone knew that if the Fourth Prince were to ascend to the throne, the Wen family would have an Empress. For a time, the Wen family was at the height of its power and influence.
When Meng Jinyao arrived, there were already quite a few guests. Her husband was Chunchen, and she didn't want to have anything to do with the Wen family. So, when she had the chance, she found a quiet corner to stay in.
Not long after, Song Xinning, who also wanted some peace and quiet, saw her, and the two close friends got together to chat.
When talking about her children, Meng Jinyao sighed softly, "A-Ning, our Wanwan can finally talk and walk. I used to think he was a bit slow, and that A-Yan's daughter wouldn't be interested in him, but your son has a chance."
Song Xinning frowned and asked in a low voice, "Ayao, have you forgotten what my brat's last name is?"
Meng Jinyao didn't react for a moment, then followed up by asking, "What's his surname?"
Song Xinning glared at her, then chuckled helplessly, "You're so jealous for no reason that you're confused yourself?"
Meng Jinyao belatedly realized, "Oh, right! His surname is Chen, so what?"
Hearing this, Song Xinning glared at her again, both amused and annoyed, and said, "Ayan's daughter also has the surname Chen. People with the same surname cannot marry. No matter if your Wanwan has a chance or not, my brat has no chance either."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
Song Xinning: "..."
The two looked at each other in silence, their silence deafening.
A moment later, Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "I was so busy competing with you for a daughter-in-law that I forgot about this."
Song Xinning shook her head helplessly: "I don't know who said it before, but the most important thing is that the child likes it, and we can't get engaged without considering the child's wishes?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "If they have no intention of getting married in the future, they definitely won't force it. They still have more than ten years. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and maybe they'll fall in love." After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh, "Ayan's daughter is so cute. I like her no matter how I look at her. If it weren't for the fact that they don't allow it, I would have taken her home."
Upon hearing this, Song Xinning suddenly realized and glanced at her: "I think you're just simply envious of Ayan's daughter. If you like daughters so much, why don't you have one yourself?"
Meng Jinyao said matter-of-factly, "Giving birth yourself requires ten months of pregnancy, how can it be as sweet as taking it from someone else?"
Song Xinning asked in surprise, "You only care about other people's daughters? Don't you and your lord plan to have any more children?"
Meng Jinyao nodded: "Yes, we don't plan to have any more. Wanwan is enough."
Song Xinning asked, "Wanwan is an only child, won't he be too lonely?"
Meng Jinyao disagreed: "He'll have friends and a wife in the future, how could he be lonely?"
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them: "What do you mean by lonely? Who are you talking about?"
The two turned around and saw Princess Jingning standing behind them, a smile on her lips and a look of doubt in her eyes.
Song Xinning replied, "It's nothing. Ayao said she doesn't plan to have any younger siblings for Wanwan, but she's planning to persuade Wanwan to 'seduce' your daughter so that she'll have a daughter too."
She said this hoping that Princess Jingning would feel a sense of crisis, but Princess Jingning not only did not feel a sense of crisis, but was overjoyed: "Ayao, do you really think so? The son you and your Marquis raised must be good. If they are destined to be together in the future, and my daughter marries your son, and you are her mother-in-law, I will not have to worry about her being wronged after marriage."
Song Xinning: "...Does Prince Shen know what you're thinking? Be careful he doesn't get angry with you."
Princess Jingning waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Shen Yunzhou can think whatever he wants. No matter how reluctant he is to part with his daughter, he can't stop her from getting married in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com