The virtuous concubine tapped the bottom of the basin with her slender fingers, causing ripples in the water.
"Even if it's nine parts fake and one part true, I still have to make plans."
"It's better to believe something like this than not. If she just wants to enter the palace to serve the Crown Prince and put on this show, I will help her."
The Crown Prince was only one step away from the throne, and the more so, the more cautious Concubine Xian became. She would carefully consider every step she took.
Jinxiu glanced at the clepsydra beside her, picked up a cotton towel and gently wiped Concubine Xian's hands.
Then she asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you want Miss Su to be the lord of the Eastern Palace? No matter how I think about it, I feel that her status is too low and she is not worthy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Jinxiu knew best how much the virtuous concubine had worried about the prince's marriage. A woman with a family background like the second daughter of the Su family would never be considered by the empress.
"Entering the Eastern Palace? It's just another concubine for the Crown Prince. No matter whether her divination is true or not, as long as she stays by the Crown Prince's side, that's all that matters."
"As for the candidate for the Crown Princess, I am somewhat fond of the girl from the Song family." When Concubine Xian said this, the corners of her lips relaxed and she suddenly laughed.
Jinxiu was a little surprised. "Ms. Song's attitude towards Her Majesty is so great. Her Majesty is already being merciful by not punishing her. Do you still want to honor her?"
The virtuous concubine had stood up at this time, holding a small bowl of millet in her hand, and teasing the parrot hanging under the beam.
"You know what? The emperor has been feeling more and more guilty towards the late queen over the past few years, and he has become more and more tolerant of the Song family."
"Song Zan is in charge of the Five Cities Military Command. Winning over the Song family is equivalent to winning over the power of the emperor and the generals."
"I know the Song family thinks I was the one who killed the late queen, but that doesn't stop Song Wanwan from marrying into the Eastern Palace. Everything depends on human effort."
When speaking the last four words, Concubine Xian emphasized her tone and her eyes looked somewhat deep.
-----------------------
After leaving the palace, Su Qingyu took Shen Yue and Shen Ying directly back to the Shen family.
After getting off the carriage, she did not return to the west courtyard, but went to the old lady's Qingyuan Residence.
When I went in, the old lady was holding a booklet and looking at the words on it with a lens in her hand.
"What are you looking at, mother? You look so engrossed." Su Qingyu bowed and sat down opposite the old lady.
The old lady smiled and handed her the booklet in her hand. "You've returned from the palace? It's a good opportunity for you to take a look. These are the candidates your sister-in-law recommended to Ying'er."
"It's time for Ying'er's marriage to be decided. Once it's decided, she'll have to show it to Yue'er."
Su Qingyu opened the booklet and started reading while the old lady was still talking.
"I think Yang Wenshi's eldest son is a good one, but the Yang family doesn't have a head lady right now. Yang Wenshi's second wife is gone, so it's hard to say what will happen to the inner house in the future."
"There's also the Prince of Zhao's palace, who's about the same age. But he doesn't have a very good reputation. I vaguely heard he has a mistress."
"There's another person I like, Han Jin, last year's top scholar. Although he came from a humble family, he has good character and knowledge."
After Su Qingyu looked at the candidates, she closed the booklet and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
He chuckled twice more and said, "This matter still needs the decision of my mother and sister-in-law. It's not for me to interfere."
The old lady was such a smart person that she could tell at a glance that Su Qingyu had something on her mind.
"Just say whatever you want to say, don't worry." The old lady asked.
Su Qingyu pondered for a moment and said, "I feel that the Second Young Lady may not be suitable to marry into a large family and become the wife of the head of the clan."
The old lady was stunned, but not angry.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Logically speaking, a legitimate daughter of the Shen family could marry even a prince or noble. In today's roster, none of the candidates were illegitimate children. They were generally the eldest legitimate son of the family, or at the very least, the second legitimate son, who was exceptionally talented and learned.
Su Qingyu then told the old lady what happened in the palace today, and her expression changed.
"Mother, this isn't a big deal, and my daughter-in-law can handle it. But what the Second Young Lady did was truly excessive..."
Su Qingyu wanted to say stupid, but held it back. She continued, "Now, outsiders look at the Shen family with envy. But the more they do this, the more they are putting the Shen family on the fire. If they are not careful, there will be a bottomless abyss behind them."
"With the Second Miss's personality, if she really marries into a wealthy family, it's still unclear whether it will be a blessing or a curse for the Shen family."
The old lady's face was very gloomy. "How could Chen Ying say such stupid things? Is she dissatisfied with her good life?"
"Fortunately, you handled it well today, otherwise it would be another troublesome matter."
Shen Zhixiu's marriage to Su Qingyu had already violated the Crown Prince's taboo. At this time, it was really inappropriate to offend the virtuous concubine.
The old lady thought for a moment, then turned and instructed Madam Zhao, "Go and tell her to give Chen Ying ten strokes with the ruler, and then make her kneel in the ancestral hall for three days."
After Zhao Ma Ma left, the old lady looked at Su Qingyu again, "In your opinion, what kind of family should we find for Chen Ying?"
She agreed with Su Qingyu's words from the bottom of her heart. It was a good thing for a daughter to marry into a wealthy family, but she also had to be able to live up to the high standards of marriage. Someone like Chen Ying, who never thought before speaking or doing anything, would bring disaster to the family, and it would be too late to regret it.
The Shen family no longer needs to rely on their daughter's marriage, and every step must be taken steadily.
Su Qingyu listened to the old lady's question, thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, it would be good to marry someone closer to the family. For example, the Yan family of Jinling or the Chen family of Wuling, if there is anyone suitable, we can look at them."
The Jinling Yan family is the old lady’s maiden family, and the Wuling Chen family is the maiden family of the eldest lady Chen.
Both families were scholarly families, and were considered local gentry. However, they were far from the capital and had little real power.
Su Qingyu thought of the Yan family in her previous life and suddenly said, "I'm not familiar with the Yan family. I only know that the second uncle of the Yan family has a second son. The third master praised him a while ago, saying that he is very knowledgeable."
The old lady's expression changed when she heard this. "I know the person you're talking about. He's the fifth of the next generation. I asked someone to inquire about him, and it seems he's a good match."
Su Qingyu thought to herself, of course it's a good match. In his previous life, the fifth young master of the Yan family married a year later, and six months later, he beat his new bride to death. Everyone then realized that the fifth young master, though gentle and polite on the surface, was actually a tyrannical and cruel man. Before the wedding, he had beaten to death four of his concubines alone.
I heard that the new daughter-in-law was a famous talented woman in Jinling, well-educated and well-mannered. At that time, this matter caused a big uproar. If Shen Ying married her, it would be considered saving a girl from a good family.
She thought so in her heart, but said gently: "This matter still depends on mother and sister-in-law. What I think may not be right."
The old lady patted Su Qingyu's hand lovingly and said, "You are already very good. You have done everything properly and thought everything through."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked about today's banquet in the palace. Su Qingyu wanted to ask about the Song family and Concubine Xian, but Chen suddenly walked in.
"Mother, how's your choice? Which family should we choose for Ying'er?"
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