"I've already used it, Your Highness has already used it, right?" Ulanara showed no embarrassment whatsoever, as if she and the Fourth Prince were an old married couple of many years.
The Fourth Prince coughed once and then sat down separately from his wife. After the maid served tea, the wife waved to them, leaving only Lingxiu behind.
"Your Highness, the reason I asked you to come here today is actually about Hongshi." The Fujin was quite straightforward. Anyway, the affection between her and the Fourth Prince had long since faded to nothing. She was just the official wife in name only, but many things couldn't be avoided.
"Hongshi? What's wrong with him?" Fourth Master was quite surprised, not expecting Lanqin to have guessed correctly.
“Hongshi has a girl he likes and has told me about it. I was thinking that Your Highness has already proposed to Hongshi the second daughter of the Irgen Gioro family, but that girl is quite stubborn about this matter,” the Fujin said with difficulty.
"Which family's daughter has he taken a fancy to?" Fourth Master asked.
"It is Xueying, the youngest daughter of my younger brother Yingge!" the Fujin said.
The Fourth Prince felt a pang in his heart, recalling that not long ago, his wife's younger brother, the Duke of Ying, had mentioned to him that although he hadn't said it explicitly, he had expressed his desire to arrange a marriage between his daughter and his family.
“Your Highness,” the Fujin said, “though marriage is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker’s words, wouldn’t it be better to find a suitable match that also suits our son’s wishes?” She continued, “Although I am not Hongshi’s birth mother, I have raised him for eleven years and have long regarded him as my own. I cherish him more than my own life. Therefore, I beg Your Highness, could you please reconsider his marriage?” The Fujin’s voice was almost choked with emotion.
The Fourth Prince was actually reluctant to marry Hongshi to a daughter from the Ulanara family. Subconsciously, he didn't want his son to be like him, facing a woman with such a personality as his primary wife. It's said that aunts and nieces often resemble each other; if Xueying had a personality like the primary wife, would Hongshi be like him? But the primary wife said Hongshi was fond of Xueying. Had they met? The Fourth Prince didn't remember Hongshi accompanying the primary wife back to her parents' home. The primary wife hadn't returned in recent years; her brothers had come a few times, but never with their daughters.
"Your Highness, I haven't been back for many years. I was thinking of having Xueying stay with me for a few days this year. Your Highness can then decide what to do." Seeing that the Fourth Prince was silent, which meant he was hesitant, the Fujin (principal wife) offered another suggestion.
"That's fine. Let your niece stay for a few days, of course. As for the matter of Hongshi's marriage you just mentioned, I'll go back and think about it some more. Also, let the Fujin preside over this year's ancestral worship ceremony," the Fourth Prince suddenly said. He still disagreed with Yingge's daughter marrying Hongshi, but after all, Hongshi was not only his son but also the son of Ulanara. Since he had rejected her proposal, he had to give her some face. Therefore, the Fourth Prince decided to let the Fujin preside over the ancestral worship ceremony.
Sure enough, when the Fourth Prince brought it up, the Princess Consort was immediately pleased and quickly said, "If Your Highness commands, I will naturally obey."
After the Fourth Prince left the main courtyard, the smile that had just appeared on the Fujin's face gradually faded.
"Congratulations, Madam. It seems the Prince has changed his mind about you?" Lingxiu stepped forward and said.
"You think he's changed his mind? I'm old and faded, how could he possibly change his mind now? He simply doesn't agree to let Xueying marry into the family, so he deliberately brought up such a trivial matter as having me preside over the ancestral rites. It's just a smokescreen," the Fujin said.
"What should we do then? Should we still bring Miss Nie in?" Lingxiu asked hurriedly.
"We'll go pick them up after the first day of the lunar month. Let them stay for a few days so they can get to know Hongshi. If they really hit it off, have Hongshi ask his father. Maybe it will work out," the Fujin said.
"Madam, we'll be going to the front courtyard soon. Let me serve you some breakfast first!" Lingxiu said. The Fourth Prince had just arrived and said he'd already eaten, but the Madam had also said she'd eaten, implying that she hadn't prepared anything for him and that she hadn't invited him over to compete for his affections. It was truly pathetic for a husband and wife to behave like this.
“If we let Hongshi and Yinghua consummate their relationship, he probably won’t be able to refuse, will he?” The Fujin suddenly said, seemingly ignoring Lingxiu’s words.
Lingxiu was taken aback and said, "I'm afraid this will damage the reputation of the Ulanara family, and it would be difficult for Miss Biao to agree to."
“If she marries into the family, and the Prince truly ascends to the throne, our Hongshi will be the eldest son, making the position of Crown Prince very likely. Compared to temporary reputation, Xueying should be a sensible girl. I heard from Yingge that she's very clever. Once I explain the situation to her, she'll definitely agree,” the Fujin said. It turned out that Ulanara wasn't just seeking a marriage alliance; she valued the future position of the Ulanara family within the imperial power.
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