***
Although the New Year has passed in the palace, social interactions among officials and their families continue unabated.
Especially after a year, the Second Prince Jing Shuo turned twenty and the Third Prince Jing Lu turned nineteen, both of whom were of marriageable age.
The palace is paying closer attention to the daughters and relatives of its officials, hoping to select future princesses from among them.
However, Jing Shuo's legs were already impaired, and even with the title of a prince's consort, no family in the court was truly willing to marry their daughter to him.
Since losing his mother and breaking his leg, Jing Shuo has often given up on himself. He has no interest in getting married. In fact, he can barely stand up now, so getting married would be nothing short of a humiliation for him.
Empress Dowager Cheng advised him to rest well, saying that perhaps he could marry a wife from a good family.
Jing Shuo lay on the bed with disheveled hair, having no hope for the future, and still couldn't resist making sarcastic remarks.
“Grandmother, since you secluded yourself in Yongshou Palace, how come you are even more out of touch with the news than a cripple like me?”
"I heard that Changshou Palace has been frequently visiting Prime Minister Zhao's wife this year. Prime Minister Zhao and his wife have a beloved daughter who is very filial. After her grandmother passed away, she stayed at the Zhao family's old residence to observe mourning for her grandmother and was highly regarded by Prime Minister Zhao."
"With such a beloved daughter, my parents would surely be willing to marry her off to the Longevity Palace. What right do I have to covet her!"
"That's not necessarily true," Consort Cheng said, "after all, she died taking the blame for Empress Dowager Cheng. Before she died, she asked me to take good care of Jing Shuo."
Of course she agreed, no longer caring about Jing Shuo's rudeness.
But seeing Jing Shuo so dejected, Empress Dowager Cheng felt even more sorrowful, and she sighed as she looked up.
“Your father, I misjudged him. I thought that all these years he respected me as his legal mother, and that he had his own brother who died alongside the late emperor in a foreign land, as well as a large number of orphans. Even with his biological mother around, he would still have to give me face.”
"Who knew he was just worried about his reputation and let me have some minor squabbles with the Longevity Palace, so he could have some peace and quiet."
"After waiting for so many years, he finally found a weakness in me, which caused your mother to commit suicide by hitting her head against a wall. Now I can no longer move around in the inner palace, and the Longevity Palace is all-powerful."
“But Jinglu is not your father’s crown prince after all. How much prestige does the Longevity Palace hold in the palace? How could your father be so foolish as to deliberately betroth a woman from a prominent family to Jinglu?”
"Even if Jinglu is honest, doesn't His Majesty know his own mother? You have always believed that the people in the Longevity Palace are less ambitious than I am."
After Empress Dowager Cheng finished speaking, Jing Shuo's dazed face regained its composure. He stared wide-eyed at Empress Dowager Cheng, then looked at his crippled legs.
"Grandmother said that Father wouldn't bestow a very good marriage upon Jinglu?" she asked incredulously.
Empress Dowager Cheng: "Even your marriage will not be too bad."
Ultimately, Consort Cheng's death was due to Jing Huaixu using the excuse of dying of illness, and Jing Shuo's leg was also crippled. With no court officials supporting him, he could no longer pose any threat to Jing Yan.
Having no powerful backer, he became the most powerful backer, and Jing Huaixu would no longer be harsh on his son regarding the marriage.
Empress Dowager Cheng's only hope was that the woman the Cheng family had found could successfully enter the Eastern Palace and have a son or daughter.
...
If the palace intends to bestow a marriage upon someone, it will release the news in advance and invite some of the officials' wives and their daughters to the palace for a banquet.
At the banquet, all the principal seats in the palace were occupied, and each noblewoman was accompanied by a beautiful young woman.
Empress Dowager Zheng had long maintained close ties with Prime Minister Zhao's family, so at the banquet, she made a point of praising the Prime Minister's wife's eldest daughter, Zhao Nianfu, to Jing Huaixu.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Zhao family's daughter is extremely filial. After her grandmother passed away, she did not leave the house for three years, did not make any friends, and stayed in the old house every day to mourn her grandmother. During those three years, she wrote tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures."
“Even after the mourning period is over, Prime Minister Zhao will return to the capital with his family to resume his post, but Nianfu is willing to stay in the old house for the rest of her life.”
"Such filial piety reminds me of Jingning. She was also obedient and well-behaved in my presence, but it's a pity she married so far away."
"Now that I see Nianfu, I feel so close to her. If she could stay by my side for a long time, I would be so happy."
After Empress Dowager Zheng finished praising her, Madam Zhao gave her daughter a look, and Zhao Nianfu immediately stood up to express her gratitude.
“As a daughter, Nianfu was raised by her elders and can only repay them with filial piety. Nianfu is ashamed to accept such high praise from Empress Dowager Zheng, and even less worthy of comparing herself with Princess Jingning, who married for the sake of the country.”
"Zhao Qing has done a good job raising her daughter; no wonder the Empress Dowager likes her," Jing Huaixu exclaimed after Zhao Nianfu finished speaking. Then, as if recalling a painful memory, he became quite sad.
"This reminds me of Shuo'er. He had a sudden accident, and then his mother passed away from illness. His health has not improved for a long time."
"He is now of marriageable age, and I would like to arrange a marriage for him."
Jing Huaixu turned his gaze toward Empress Dowager Cheng. Empress Dowager Zheng was shocked by her son's intention and hurriedly called out.
"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"
Empress Dowager Cheng looked at Empress Dowager Zheng across from her and became anxious. She smiled and glanced triumphantly at the other side.
"Yes, with Sister Zheng praising Miss Zhao so highly, I'm starting to like her too."
"Think about it, Shuo'er is a grown man, but ever since his mother passed away, he has been depressed. He is not as clear-headed as the Zhao family girl."
"If Shuo'er had a wonderful person like the Zhao family girl, how could he not get out of the gloom?"
Zhao Nianfu thought of the Second Prince with the broken leg. Although he wasn't at the table, she was still terrified. How could she marry a cripple? She was visibly panicked.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager Cheng, you flatter me. Nianfu is not capable of such a feat."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
