"Didn't Father Emperor intend to bestow a marriage upon Jing Shuo last time? If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Jing Shuo. But Father Emperor should compensate Jing Lu with a beautiful and intelligent wife."
Jing Yan was able to guess a thing or two about his father's thoughts. He knew that his father would favor him, not only because he was his legitimate son, but also because he was the future stability of the Jing Kingdom.
However, the emperor had few children, and Jinglu was favored by him, often taking his side in small matters, but he was also wary of Changshou Palace's ambitions.
The Emperor will definitely not give the Zhao family's daughter to Jinglu.
In the past, the Emperor would not have betrothed the Zhao family's daughter to Jingshuo, but things are different now.
With Jing Shuo crippled, Empress Dowager Cheng had no hope for him anymore. A prestigious marriage would not only make up for Jing Shuo's disability but also restore the Cheng family's former glory.
Jing Yan paused his thoughts and put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand. He then showed Yue Jiang the lantern drawing he had just made.
"Bring a lantern symbolizing peace and good fortune, to bless you and your child with safety and well-being."
Jing Yan's lanterns are in the shape of a ruyi (a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good fortune), with a small lantern at each end of the ruyi handle, and a pair of ceramic dolls that can be placed on the middle handle, bringing good luck at first glance.
Yuejiang thought it looked good, so she had someone make it according to the pattern.
...
"Second brother, you can walk now."
Jing Shuo has not left the house since injuring his leg. Now he can get out of bed and practice with crutches, but he is unwilling to walk in the yard.
But he was afraid of being pointed at and ridiculed if he went too far, so he walked along the palace wall of Yongshou Hall.
Jing Shuo was surprised to see Jing Lu like this. His expression changed drastically, and he supported himself so that someone could help him into a wheelchair and return to his room.
When Jing Lu saw that Jing Shuo didn't like him and was about to leave, he quickly caught up and put his hands on Jing Shuo's wheelchair, looking very apologetic.
"Second brother, I apologize to you. I really didn't mean to hurt you. You should have known better if you hadn't taken the things that cousin Yutong gave me."
"Of course, if I had known you would suffer such a terrible fate, I would never have chased after you."
Jing Lu cried uncontrollably, his gaze falling on Jing Shuo's stiff legs, his eyes filled with undisguised sympathy.
That gaze stung Jing Shuo. He raised his arm and pushed Jing Lu away from him. Jing Lu lost his balance and sat on the ground. When he looked up again, he saw Jing Shuo pointing at him and cursing.
"Stop pretending. You know best whether you did it on purpose or unintentionally. Now you've made me the laughingstock of the entire palace."
"Even someone like the Zhao family dares to look down on me. They'd love to marry their daughter to you. You'd be so glamorous!"
Jing Lu seemed to have been misunderstood by Jing Shuo, and he shook his head repeatedly with tears in his eyes.
"No, no, no, if Second Brother likes the Zhao family girl, I will not marry her. I will tell Father that I will not marry her. Second Brother, you will definitely get what you want. Please don't hate me anymore, okay?"
"I only need my cousin Yutong. This is all the wish of Grandmother Zheng. I have no interest in the Zhao family girl."
Jing Shuo wouldn't listen to Jing Lu's words. He sternly ordered the people behind him, "Are they all dead? Push me in."
"Second brother, second brother," Jing Shuo was pushed into Yongshou Palace in a wheelchair. Jing Lu got up and wanted to follow, but the remaining eunuchs stopped him from going any further.
Within moments, Jing Shuo entered the Yongshou Palace, and the doors were slammed shut behind him, demonstrating the extent of his anger.
Jing Lu called out a few times but heard no response. Disappointed, he turned around and left the vicinity of Yongshou Palace.
However, Jing Lu did not remain idle. After being turned away by Jing Shuo, he went to the Longevity Palace.
Empress Dowager Zheng had heard that the Zhao family had refused Yongshou Palace's hospitality. After meeting with Jing Huaixu, Jing Lu told her that his father would not mistreat him.
Empress Dowager Zheng felt that the marriage between the Zhao family's daughter and Jing Lu was a sure thing.
Meanwhile, news recently arrived that Jingning, who had been married off to the Jade Kingdom, was doing well there. Empress Dowager Zheng, in high spirits, was having tea with Consort Zheng.
Jing Lu was able to take advantage of Empress Dowager Zheng's absence from the Changshou Palace to secretly meet Zheng Yutong.
Zheng Yutong said in a bad mood, "My great-aunt used to always give me and Princess Jingning the best things she had. A while ago, the Empress sent brocade to all the palaces."
"I heard that only four pieces of the same pattern are very similar. One was given to the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, one was given to Princess Jingyi, and the other is in the hands of my great-aunt."
"It's a pity that my great-aunt didn't even ask me this time before giving the brocade to the Zhao family girl. She was certain that His Majesty would bestow it upon you."
"She can wear clothes similar to those of the Crown Princess even before she has any official title. If she really marries you and becomes a member of the royal family, who knows how much she will be spoiled."
Hearing Zheng Yutong's sullen voice, Jing Lu walked to the table next to him, picked up a box, and took out the clothes inside before Zheng Yutong could speak.
Zheng Yutong immediately recognized the brocade dress as the one that resembled the Crown Princess's. She smiled with delight, her words overflowing with surprise.
"Third cousin, how come you have this outfit?"
Zheng Yutong laughed happily, and Jing Lu laughed along with her: "This is the fourth item. Sister Jingning has just married out, but Her Majesty the Empress's brocade has been prepared for a long time, but it still hasn't been given to Sister Jingning yet."
"This brocade fabric has been sent to Mother Consort. I begged Mother Consort to give this fabric to you, but you are close to Sister Jingning, so you definitely won't accept anything from her."
“I’ll have the embroiderer make this dress according to your measurements beforehand. If you like it so much, you can wear it to the palace lantern banquet.”
"The flowers on Sister Jingning's brocade are about 70% similar to those on my sister-in-law's and my grandmother's. The workmanship certainly can't surpass that of my sister-in-law, but it's no worse than that of the Zhao family's daughter."
"Yutong, you should know that you're the only one in my heart."
Zheng Yutong said shyly, "Of course I know. I didn't say you were mean to me."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
