"This rumor seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I suspect it might be a rumor spread on purpose." From the very beginning, Fourth Prince did not believe in such nonsense as marrying a woman with the water element in her birth chart to move the heavens. Apart from Western theories like astronomy, he did not believe in any talk of fate or spirits.
Tong Jiageer stroked his short beard, squinted his eyes, and said, "Why don't we send someone to investigate and see how this rumor started?" Everyone was a little confused when they heard what the two of them said. Some people still supported doing what the people wanted, thinking that it might really move the heavens to send down rain.
Seeing that the discussion was not yielding any results, the Fourth Master told everyone to go home and rest for the next few days before the sacrificial ceremony, so that they could be well-rested for the ceremony a few days later.
The sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was no easy task. All of them worked with the Ministry of Rites to prepare all the sacrificial offerings and arrange the ritual activities. Moreover, everyone had to stand under the scorching sun for several hours. Those who were not in good health probably wouldn't be able to hold on until the end of the ceremony.
After 1 p.m., the Fourth Prince and Su Peisheng left the palace together in a carriage and headed to the Fourth Prince's residence.
Because the Fourth Prince hadn't sent anyone back to deliver the message, none of the women in the manor knew he was about to return. After dinner, several princesses went to the pavilion in the small garden to cool off, or perhaps to chat. Since the Fourth Prince wasn't in the manor, none of them needed to worry about who would be favored by him. At this time, they could actually get along peacefully, either teasing each other or praising each other. In any case, it was always a bit of fun, much better than being cooped up in their own courtyards.
Lanqin couldn't refuse Geng's invitation, and after dinner that day, she also came to the pavilion in the small garden, where she saw that Song and Wang were already there. After the four of them exchanged greetings, they all sat down around the stone table in the pavilion.
The group chatted idly, eventually getting to the recent, sudden rumor. Just then, Lady Li and Lady Wu arrived. Seeing four people already seated in the pavilion, they said with charming smiles, "Since everyone's here today, this lady has come to join in the fun!"
The four women stood up, bowed to Madam Li who had already ascended the steps, and then performed a similar bow to Madam Wu behind her. After Madam Li and Madam Wu sat down, Madam Li said, "Did you sisters just hear you talking about that rumor in the capital about someone who's supposedly marrying a woman whose five elements all contain the water radical?"
Lady Wang replied, "Indeed, I wonder if the Emperor must actually marry a woman like that for rain to fall."
Wu Shi picked up the conversation, saying, "Absurd! I think such rumors should not be believed. Your Majesty is of noble birth. If the so-called 'woman with the water element in her name' were actually a commoner, would Your Majesty really want to marry such a commoner as your consort?"
Wu's words caused a moment of silence among the crowd. "What do you think, Princess Niu?" Wu asked.
"I heard that the chief priest of the sacrificial ceremony will be the one to marry her, not necessarily the emperor." When Lanqin first heard this rumor, she thought that the ancients were really superstitious, but she was puzzled by how quickly it spread. She felt that the rumor came too fast, and almost everyone knew about it.
“What Princess Niu says is quite right. To tell you the truth, this sacrificial ceremony will be presided over by the Fourth Prince on behalf of the Emperor!” Madam Li flicked her fingernails and casually uttered these words.
Now, everyone present was speechless with surprise. They had never given much thought to the rumor before, because it was just a rumor and had nothing to do with them. But now it was undoubtedly directly related to their favor, so how could they not be alarmed?
"Even for the Fourth Prince, the selection of a woman to marry is usually arranged by the Emperor and Consort De. Now, to let him marry a woman of unknown background just because of a baseless rumor, isn't that a bit hasty and absurd?" It was Madam Song who spoke. She had been listening to their chatter in silence all this time, while she was embroidering on a embroidery stand under the palace lantern, stitch by stitch.
“Sister Song is absolutely right! Moreover, a woman with all five elements of water in her name is not someone you can just find. Even if you do find one, she still has to be worthy of the royal family!” Madam Wang chimed in.
"What you all say is so true! I've truly seen something amazing today. Some people, just to prevent their brother-in-law's favor from fading, are willing to disregard the safety of the nation and the lives of the common people. It's truly terrifying!" Yan Yu, supporting her wife, suddenly emerged from behind the bushes at the back of the pavilion. Everyone had been engrossed in discussing this matter, and no one had noticed when the wife and Yan Yu had arrived.
Everyone immediately stood up, gave the Fujin a graceful curtsy, and said in unison, "This servant wishes the Fujin good health!"
Seeing a row of people bowing to "herself," Yan Yu felt a little smug. Although she knew that they were bowing to her sister, the Fujin, Yan Yu always felt that one day she would replace her sister in the household.
"Yan Yu, don't talk nonsense. All the sisters are kind-hearted people. How could they not wish for the well-being of the court, the country, and the common people!" The Fujin scolded Yan Yu a few times, and the latter dared not be presumptuous again and immediately shut her mouth.
“Actually, this sacrificial ceremony is for the Fourth Prince. If he can marry a woman whose destiny is associated with water in all five elements, it will help alleviate the drought. We should understand his intention to consider the greater good.” The Fujin walked to the seat opposite Li Shi and sat down.
"But it's probably not easy to find a woman whose five elements all contain the water element, and she also needs to be a suitable match for marriage," Madam Geng said, expressing her concerns.
The Fujin seemed to have been waiting for this sentence. She immediately replied, "This woman is not hard to find. Yan Yu has water in all five of her horoscopes." The Fujin had a confident smile on her face from beginning to end.
This time, everyone was even more surprised and taken aback than when they heard that the chief priest was the Fourth Master. They never expected that Yan Yu would actually be a person with the water element in his five-element chart.
Lanqin looked at them, but she already had a plan in mind. Because she was a thorough materialist, the idea of a high priest marrying a woman whose five elements all contained the water radical was utterly absurd.
"My dear sister, you are of such noble birth, are you now willing to become a concubine?" Li asked, staring into Yan Yu's eyes.
Yan Yu glared back defiantly and said, "As a prince, it is the greatest blessing of my life to marry the Fourth Prince. I don't care about status at all. I only hope to relieve my brother-in-law's worries and help the people live on."
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