She was once a woman who was infatuated with her grandson and could not help herself. He said that he did not like Miss Xu and that his family had forced him to marry her. He said that he liked her and was willing to take her home. He said that Miss Xu was too domineering and he really could not stand it. He wanted to kill her, he said...
He'd said so many things, but unfortunately, few of them were true. Step by step, I'd fallen into love, fallen into traps, ruined my appearance, and become someone else's substitute. Now, it all seemed so worthless.
"Yixing, I came here to tell you that my grandmother and my father both hope that I can marry Wu Xueyan."
The stand-in heard this, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he was very calm: "To make room for her, so I have to die?"
"No, no, no, no, of course not. How could I bear to let you die? We've discussed marrying her as a co-wife. Of course, even if she's a co-wife, you'll always be the one who married first. She has to call you sister, and I'll always treat you well."
Absurd! Don't even mention whether Xu Yixing would agree to it. Even if it was a substitute, he couldn't understand his grandson's behavior.
"Can I hear why?"
Sun Ziyou was a little impatient: "You don't understand what's going on in the court, so it's useless for me to tell you."
"If you really don't intend to tell me, why bother coming to inform me? I'm just a puppet anyway. Who do you marry counts as mine?"
She spoke with a very special accent, like singing, and her roundabout way of speaking was very alluring. It was a pity that Sun Ziyou could not think of anything else when he saw her face.
"Well, it's okay to tell you. The scene she staged at Prince Cheng's mansion was arranged by the Second Prince. It was a test and a warning. It was the Second Prince's attempt to win over our family. Whether we are willing to join him depends on whether the Sun Mansion is willing to accept Wu Xueyan. Do you understand?"
The Stand frowned, considering the meaning of this statement.
"So, if you don't accept her this time, you'll be making an enemy of the Second Prince?"
"Yes. You may not know this, but the Second Prince's mother is the most favored Consort Ying. He is the prince most likely to inherit the throne. If you offend him, the Sun Mansion will not end well, and you won't be able to protect him either."
"You don't need to tell me this, I'm not stupid."
Sun Ziyou smiled awkwardly, but inwardly he was filled with contempt. "Are you not stupid? Would you believe such a thing?" "The lowest class is the lowest class, without the political acumen of a noble lady."
"So I had no choice. I hope you can understand me."
The stand-in looked at Sun Ziyou, and saw that his eyes were dark, which meant he had not slept well the previous night.
"You dare not offend the Second Prince, but you also dare not offend General Xu, so I cannot die. But Ziyou, marrying a concubine is no different from stepping on General Xu's face. Do you dare?"
"My father will take care of things over there, so you don't have to worry about it, Madam. I just want to tell you that once the news of this matter gets out, I'm afraid someone from the Xu Mansion will come to visit you. But it's called a visit, but in fact it's to seek your advice. You know what to say, right?"
"No need for my husband's instructions." The substitute imitated Sun Ziyou's tone and returned the sentence.
"Haha, your speaking style is very similar to Yixing."
"I am Yixing, have you forgotten, my husband?"
"Yes, yes, ma'am, that's what you said. You should have a good rest then. I'll prepare your favorite plums later. Eat more."
Sun Ziyou went out and took the little maid with him.
"How is the young lady these days? How is your health? Has your temper improved?"
"Much better, thanks to that Doctor Yao you hired, young master. He's such a great doctor!"
"So, were you there every time they said something?"
"As you instructed, the young lady has never been alone with Imperial Physician Yao. I didn't say anything during my visit, just some medical conditions and precautions. It's perfectly normal."
"That's good. Thank you for your hard work." Sun Ziyou took off the purse and handed it to the maid. The maid smiled and thanked him repeatedly.
On May 7, the Duke's Mansion sent people to the Wu Mansion of the City Defense Bureau. Although no one knew what they talked about, everyone guessed that the Duke's Mansion must have felt that Wu Xueyan's behavior had caused them a lot of trouble, so they went to hold her accountable.
On May 8th, the two governments simultaneously released news that the Sun and Wu families had reconciled, and that the eldest grandson, Sun Ziyou, would soon marry Wu Xueyan, in order to appease public opinion and fulfill the long-cherished wish of Miss Wu San.
This news exploded like thunder over Kyoto. Madam Sun was still in power. If she wanted to marry Wu Xueyan, would she be divorcing Miss Xu or letting Wu Xueyan become a concubine? Obviously, both possibilities were unlikely.
However, the Xu Mansion, which was sandwiched between the two mansions and had never appeared but could not be ignored, had not made any move, as if it had not heard the rumors.
Madam Xu closed her door to visitors, isolating herself from anyone who wanted to learn from her or share any news. Even General Xu, claiming illness, stayed away from court, completely shutting the door to the Xu Mansion.
On May 9th, just as the ladies who cared about gossip opened their eyes and prepared to wash up, everyone heard the news: Xu Yixing was not to be divorced, nor was Wu Xueyan to be made a concubine, but a co-wife was to be married into the family.
"A co-wife? Master, is there something wrong with my son-in-law's brain? How did he come up with this idea?"
Gu also heard the news as soon as she got up. She hadn't even washed or dressed yet. The couple sat by the bed and talked about the matter.
"Without the permission of Old Man Sun and that cunning old lady of his, how could he possibly propose this? Humph!"
"Master, is it because you haven't paid much attention to Xing'er recently that the Sun family feels she is no longer valuable, so they resorted to this desperate measure?"
"Bullshit! I don't care about my daughter? It's obvious that the Sun family has climbed up a bigger tree and wants to kick us away!" Old Man Xu pretended to be angry. He just didn't care about the imposter, but he didn't want to let others know for the time being.
"Alas! Master, you don't have to be angry. Do the Sun family think they can soar to the top by currying favor with the Second Prince? You are the legitimate future father-in-law of the Seventh Prince. Isn't that more legitimate than theirs? Calm down, calm down."
Old Man Xu wasn't very satisfied with Gu's opinion. Did she think that marrying a daughter to the prince was as simple as marrying off a daughter? If it were that simple, then all the officials in the capital wouldn't have to do anything every day and could just stay at home and have daughters.
"What makes me angry is that no one from the Sun family has come to tell us about such a big thing. Do they think we are dead?"
"Yes, yes, in fact, whatever people say outside is just rumors. They didn't tell us, so maybe it's not true. Let's just wait for the news."
Old Man Xu strode forward and went to the study. He wanted to see his second daughter.
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