"No, given our current status, how can Wanru allow her cousin to be further caught in the vortex of ridicule?" Wu Ya Wanru suppressed the overwhelming joy in her heart. She was right after all; he still harbored feelings for her.
The Fourth Prince saw that Lady Wuya was still the same young girl who had just entered the palace, so youthful and well-behaved, always thinking of others and never thinking much of herself.
"Cousin, Wanru has passed away." Wuya curtsied, then concealed the sorrow on her face, lifted her skirt, and brushed past Fourth Master.
The Fourth Prince was caught off guard and allowed Wu Yawan to walk quite a distance before turning back and dejectedly walking out of the Fourth Prince's residence.
Wu Yawan walked towards the palace gate, where her personal maid was waiting. Upon seeing her hurrying over, the maid rushed to greet her.
After the two of them got into the carriage waiting at the palace gate, Cuiyun asked, "Madam, has the Fourth Prince gone?"
Uya remained calm before raising the corners of her mouth and saying, "Of course I went. Besides, he just asked me to be his princess."
"What? Fourth Prince really said that? Then Madam, have you agreed?" Cuiyun asked immediately, almost bursting out laughing.
“I refused!” Uya said, opening her beautiful eyes.
"What, Madam? Aren't you?" Cuiyun asked, puzzled.
“I agreed as soon as he brought it up. What will he think afterward? He’ll think I was so eager to become his woman,” said Uya.
"Oh, Madam is right. You haven't severed ties with the Xiao family yet, how can you immediately become the Fourth Prince's person?" Cuiyun thought that Wuya was worried about the Xiao family, which was why she hadn't agreed to the Fourth Prince's request.
Uya ignored Cuiyun, knowing full well that she didn't care what the Xiao family thought. Her reluctance to immediately agree to the Fourth Prince's proposal was a ploy to make him cherish and love her more in the future—a mere game of cat and mouse. When the Fourth Prince truly came to marry her, the Xiao family would be all smiles, perhaps even showering her with elaborate dowry and carrying her out the door. If it weren't for the mystery surrounding her identity, she might already be the Fourth Prince's wife. The Consort De had betrothed her to the Xiao family of Nanling, a seemingly ancient and wealthy clan. However, the eldest son of the second branch of the Xiao family she married was nothing more than a dissolute playboy, all he did was indulge in debauchery and empty ambition. After marrying into the family, Uya discovered he already had several concubines. Less than a year into the marriage, he began suggesting taking concubines, naturally because she hadn't given birth to a son, not even a daughter.
After that, Lady Wuya had no choice but to accept her husband's demands to take concubines, and the number of women in the courtyard grew larger and larger. Beautiful courtesans skilled at seducing men entered the household. The eldest son of the second branch of the Xiao family went to take the imperial examinations year after year, but failed time and again, eventually blaming Lady Wuya's family for lacking connections and being unable to help him. Initially, his family had chosen Lady Wuya because she was from the family of Consort De, a lowly Manchu family, but Consort De was not the type to promote her own family. Therefore, the Xiao family was always disappointed in Lady Wuya, which is why, after her husband's death, they wanted to elevate the son of one of her concubines to continue the family line.
Recalling her experiences in the Xiao family over the past decade, Wuya Wanru gradually harbored resentment towards her own family and even towards Consort De. If it weren't for Consort De's initial obstruction, she might have already been with the Fourth Prince. If Consort De hadn't been so indifferent to her treatment in her husband's family, she wouldn't have gradually become disliked by her husband. Thinking of this, Wuya Wanru felt even more that Consort De had wronged her, and she felt even more strongly that she should win back the Fourth Prince's heart.
Some people always like to shift the blame for their misfortunes onto others. Wu Yawanru is such a person. While resenting Consort De, she doesn't consider that her family's current status and her marriage to the prestigious Xiao family of Nanling are all thanks to Consort De. She only feels that Consort De hasn't given her enough, and when her demands aren't met, instead of being grateful, she harbors resentment.
The reason Consort De was able to maintain her position before a shrewd emperor like Kangxi was precisely because of her selfless devotion and lack of ulterior motives. Consort De's maternal family was of humble origin, and among the women sent to the palace by powerful clans, she stood out because Kangxi considered her the only one who approached him without any hidden agenda. If Consort De had constantly recommended her family members to Kangxi, what would he have thought of her? Kangxi wasn't such a foolish emperor; he appointed officials based on both talent and family background. Although the Xiao family of Nanling had been a powerful clan for centuries, their recent descendants had become lazy and incompetent, like many centuries-old families whose large offspring had gradually diluted their strength.
Consort De's rise from a lowly palace maid to the position of a high-ranking imperial concubine was not solely due to her beauty, but also to her exceptional intelligence and a bit of luck. If she had been so foolish as to believe that becoming the emperor's woman would allow her to elevate all her lowly relatives to a higher status, she would have been doomed in the palace.
Unfortunately, Wuya Wanru believed that Consort De was cold-hearted and unwilling to help her, which led to her gradually losing favor in her husband's family.
When Fourth Master returned to the South Fifth Palace, his mind was filled with the image of Wu Ya Wanru. The first love he had buried deep in his heart unexpectedly surged so intensely at this moment.
After a busy afternoon with these thoughts in mind, the Fourth Prince hurriedly closed the official documents in his hand and headed to Yonghe Palace.
"What? You want to take Wanru as a concubine?" Consort De exclaimed in surprise after hearing the Fourth Prince's explanation.
“Yes, Wanru is now disliked by her husband’s family. She is still so young, how can she endure such a life? Mother, she is just a princess, Father Emperor won’t care. Now, Wanru is all alone, and I can’t bear to see her like this,” the Fourth Prince said emotionally.
Looking at her son's resolute expression, Consort De knew he was determined. Thinking about it, his words made sense. Given Wanru's situation, if she divorced the Xiao family, she would be quite old and have a daughter; finding a suitable husband would be extremely difficult. However, it wouldn't sound good for a dignified Fourth Prince to take a woman with a child as a concubine.
"Fourth Prince, this isn't like you. How can you be so impulsive with Wanru?" Consort De ultimately felt it was inappropriate, not out of concern for the feelings of the women in the Fourth Prince's household, but because she herself felt that such a matter would be a laughing stock if it were to be told. People in the palace already knew a little about the Fourth Prince and Wanru's past relationship, and for them to get back together now was truly unsuitable.
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