Chapter 103 The Prince Selects a Concubine
At the banquet today, he looked like a clay Buddha, without any desires or demands, and with no expression on his face.
He didn't even look at the concubines, let alone his own mother.
However, Mrs. Wei had some opinions about Li Yueyao, and unconsciously turned the topic back to Li Yueyao.
"Your Highness, the Grand Princess, has been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures on Spring Mountain these past few years. She looks surprisingly healthy and has a delicate complexion, showing no signs of aging at all."
Li Yueyao didn't know why Mrs. Wei spoke so unkindly to her.
But he still spoke calmly: "Living in Chunshan is real, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures is fake. It's just that the scenery in the mountains is beautiful, and the mood is happy, so naturally I don't look old."
Madam Wei said with a half-smile, "I heard that the Right Prime Minister has been visiting Your Highness's residence frequently recently, and sometimes even staying overnight. Is Your Highness about to have good news?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall put down their chopsticks and looked at Li Yueyao.
Everyone knew that Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess and the Right Prime Minister had been in close contact in the past few months, but no one had said it out loud.
What's wrong with the Lady of Wei today? It sounds like every word she says is an insult to the Grand Princess of Jinyang.
Li Yueyao saw that Madam Wei had come with bad intentions, so she put down her chopsticks, looked at her with a smile and said:
"Madam Wei is arranging marriages for two beautiful young girls with the eldest and second princes.
He has to go to the palace to care for the Queen and the Crown Prince, so how can he have the time to pay attention to my residence?
It seems that my time in Chunshan these years is not as good as the time I spent with Madam Wei at her mansion, where she is so versatile and energetic."
Everyone present listened to Li Yueyao's blunt words and held back their laughter.
You are already in trouble, yet you still have the mind to laugh at others.
Mrs. Wei was displeased when she heard this. She slammed her chopsticks down on the table with a "smack".
Li Yueyao calmly picked up a piece of lotus root with chopsticks and looked at the angry wife of Duke Wei and said:
"Why, is Madam angry?"
"You... no matter what, I am still your elder..."
The virtuous concubine looked unhappy and interrupted the wife of the Wei Kingdom in time:
"Madam, your aunt is also an elder, and she is your Majesty's aunt, and she is of the same generation as you.
Besides, this is a royal banquet, not your mansion's reception hall."
The virtuous concubine's last words were very serious. Everyone in the hall lowered their heads and dared not speak.
Although the queen was dissatisfied with her mother, she was embarrassed in public, as her mother lost face.
So the Queen said slowly, "Aunt, it's no secret that the Right Prime Minister frequently visits your residence.
Mrs. Wei is asking these two questions because she cares about you.
The rest of those irrelevant people are not worth Madam Wei's concern, are they? "
When Lady Wei heard the Queen come to her rescue, she snorted and picked up her chopsticks again.
Li Yueyao smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam."
After saying this indifferently, Li Yueyao stopped talking.
Xian Fei took over the conversation and said, "Today's flower viewing banquet is for the eldest and second princes. Let's talk about business."
After saying that, he asked Defei with a smile: "Sister Defei, is there anyone you like?"
De Fei had been watching the excitement for quite some time, and when she heard Xian Fei's question, she smiled and said:
"The child is grown up and has his own thoughts. As a mother, I can't ask too much."
After hearing this, Concubine Shu laughed and said, "Sister Defei, you are wrong. Marriage has always been decided by the father's order and the matchmaker's words since ancient times.
How can there be any private transfer of information?"
De Fei laughed when she heard this: "Sister Shu Fei is right. It's the parents' orders. Isn't there still His Majesty? I won't worry about it."
Then he turned to look at Concubine Shu and asked, "How come Concubine Shu has already taken a fancy to someone?"
Concubine Shu nodded: "Of course."
"I wonder which girl she is?" Defei asked casually.
"She's not a stranger, but my niece, Wen Ya."
A few days ago, Concubine Shu had heard a letter from the Duke of Zhenguo that the eldest prince had colluded with Gao Hongchen and was trying to disrupt Wen Ya's marriage.
When Concubine Shu heard the news, she gnashed her teeth in anger. This Concubine De, who usually looked listless, actually had such great ambitions.
How dare she plot against my Yu family? Her Liu family is just the family of a university scholar. How dare she go against my Zhenguogong Mansion? She is courting death.
When I saw Concubine De today, I suppressed my unhappiness and waited for the good show to begin. Let's see if Concubine De can still smile.
As expected, when the topic came to this point, Mrs. Wei spoke again.
"Oh, in that case, could you please invite the young lady from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to come forward and have a chat?"
Concubine Shu smiled and said, "Of course. Someone, please ask Wen Ya to come over."
"Yes." The maid responded and went down to call someone.
After a while, a girl in a pomegranate skirt walked in heroically and saluted everyone.
The queen looked at Yu Wenya and actually saw some of Concubine Shu's appearance when she was young on her face. She was dazed for a moment.
After Yu Wenya stood up, Li Yueyao said with a smile:
"This is the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. Come, come here, let me see her."
After hearing this, Yu Wenya walked towards Li Yueyao with a smile.
"When I went to Chunshan, you still had two small buns on your head. In the blink of an eye, you have grown up so big.
Well, heroic and valiant, that's the style of the girls from your Zhenguo Mansion."
Yu Wenya let Li Yueyao look at her openly.
Then he calmly replied, "Your Highness, the Grand Princess, is too kind. I am still far inferior to my aunt."
Li Yueyao laughed and said, "You're not much behind. I heard you're also well-versed in classics, history, and military strategy at home?"
After hearing this, Concubine Shu replied, "I have nothing better to do than to read a few books. I don't deserve such praise from my aunt."
Madam Wei then spoke up, "A lady from a noble family must be quiet, elegant, well-educated and well-mannered, so that she can manage the harem for her husband's family.
A girl who is always involved in fighting and killing has lost the gentleness that a woman should have."
When the people in the hall heard this, they felt that Mrs. Wei had gone mad and was determined to make trouble with the Grand Princess of Jinyang and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion today.
Concubine Shu said calmly, "Madam, you are right. Just like the girls from your Xie family, they are gentle, cool, well-read, and can win the favor of your husband."
Mrs. Wei said proudly after hearing this: "Of course, I'm not bragging, my Yu Ning and Yu Xuan are the most gentle and considerate.
Although I am not well-read, I can still add fragrance to the sleeves and compose poems."
Li Yueyao couldn't help laughing.
What on earth was Lady Wei doing here today? What Concubine Shu said was clearly a satire on the Queen, and she even agreed with it.
The queen's face could not be any darker.
He interrupted his mother and said, "The marriages of the princes will ultimately be decided by Your Majesty.
Even if you are interested in your niece, Concubine Shu, you still need His Majesty's approval."
Concubine Shu calmly placed the teacup in her hand on the table:
"I have already made my way before your Majesty."
As soon as these words were spoken, Concubine De indeed glanced over.
"Sister Concubine Shu, the prince's marriage requires more than just His Majesty's consent; the Imperial Astronomical Observatory must also examine the couple's horoscopes.
If the horoscopes calculated by the Sitian Monitoring Bureau are not compatible, I am afraid even Your Majesty would not dare to agree."
After hearing this, Concubine Shu looked at Concubine De with a stern look and said:
"Sister Defei is right. We need the best fortune to be born."
The queen was in a very bad mood today. Her mother was meddling in everything, making her lose face.
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