Chapter 120 Imperial Decree Granting Marriage
Therefore, this marriage should be arranged sooner rather than later; it is best to get married as soon as possible.
Grand Tutor Xie remained silent.
The Empress Dowager continued, "Yu'er is a good child, and I'm sure you don't want her to suffer too much public opinion."
Therefore, my meaning is that if you agree to this marriage, I will immediately have His Majesty issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage.
The old tutor remained silent after hearing this.
Upon seeing this, the eldest princess quickly picked up the teapot and personally served tea to Master Xie and the Empress Dowager.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager continued, "What happened before was Ling'er's fault, which led to your Yu'er being in such a predicament."
Of course, the culprit behind all this is my good-for-nothing daughter, who, in her desperation, sought any treatment she could find.
If your Xie family has any requests, please feel free to make them.
"Today, I, Your Majesty, will grant as many requests as possible."
That's exactly what Grandpa Xie was waiting for.
Now that the Empress Dowager had spoken, he cleared his throat and said:
"Since the Empress Dowager has put it this way, then this old minister will speak frankly."
Upon hearing what Master Xie said, the Empress Dowager knew that there was hope for the matter.
"The Empress Dowager should know the family precepts of the Xie family men, the most important of which is: a man can only take a concubine if he has no son by the age of forty."
Therefore, this old minister hopes that my grandson-in-law will also abide by this rule.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager turned and glanced at the Eldest Princess.
The eldest princess looked completely bewildered.
At this moment, a person emerged from behind the curtain beside them and said urgently:
“I agree, I can abide by this.”
The Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.
Xiao Ling turned to the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess and said, "From childhood to adulthood, I have always disliked women gathering in groups."
I've suffered so much because of them over the years.
I don't like having too many women in my house; it's so annoying.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager also recalled those unpleasant incidents and said:
"I have no objection."
He looked at his daughter as he spoke.
Princess Chang opened her mouth, looked at Xiao Ling, and then looked at Old Master Xie.
Finally, thinking of his two unborn grandsons, he gritted his teeth and said resolutely:
"Okay, I agree too."
Grandpa Xie's expression changed instantly, and he said with a smile:
"In that case, my Xie family agrees to this marriage."
The Empress Dowager laughed upon hearing this: "Very good, very good. Someone, go and tell the Emperor to issue an edict immediately to grant the marriage."
He then picked up a cup of tea and said to Old Master Xie:
"Come on, in-laws, let's have a toast."
At noon, the Empress Dowager invited Old Master Xie to lunch. The two reminisced about many interesting things from their youth and were very happy.
In the end, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, and Grand Tutor Xie returned to the Xie family home with the palace envoys.
The Xie family successfully received the imperial decree.
Accompanying Xie Yunyu were two imperial physicians sent by the Empress Dowager to take care of her.
At the Princess's residence, Xiao Ling also received the imperial edict, and with a smile on his face, he put the edict into the ancestral hall.
The Duke of Qi accompanied him to offer incense to the ancestors, informing him that Xiao Ling was getting married and would soon have twin grandchildren.
That night, the Princess's residence became unusually lively.
In the flower hall, the sounds of singing, dancing, and string and wind instruments rang out again.
The three of them rarely sat down together for a meal, and they chatted and laughed, having a very happy time.
"In two months, our family will welcome a new member, making it a family of four," said the Duke of Qi.
The eldest princess continued, "Two months from now, and another six months from now, our family will become a family of six."
Xiao Ling was also very happy and responded with a smile:
The arrangements for the upcoming wedding will need to be taken care of by Mother.
After the child is born, I will have to trouble my mother to take even more care of him/her.
Let me first offer a toast to Mother.
He then raised his cup to the Princess.
The Duke of Qi chimed in, "Yes, yes, this marriage really wouldn't have been possible without your mother."
But you should thank your mother properly.
The princess was delighted by what the two said, and the three of them raised their cups and drank together.
...
However, human joys and sorrows are not shared.
After the imperial decree of marriage was issued, the young ladies in the capital did not quiet down; on the contrary, they became even more unruly.
It was simply because they somehow learned that one of the conditions for the Prince of Shou'an to marry Xie Yunyu was that he could only take a concubine if he was forty years old and childless.
Originally, all the noble ladies thought that as long as Xiao Ling was willing to get married instead of becoming a nun, they would still have a chance.
Xiao Ling was able to marry someone as low-class as Xie Yunyu, so he himself was far superior to Xie Yunyu.
Even if she becomes a concubine after entering the household, she will always have the opportunity to kill the principal wife and take the position.
As a result, the eldest princess and His Majesty actually agreed that a prince could only take a concubine if he had no sons by the age of forty.
That's it, now even that last thought is gone.
However, because the marriage was bestowed by His Majesty, the young ladies in the capital dared not speak out against it and instead joined forces to boycott the Xie family's businesses in protest.
Apart from Jin Yu Man Tang, whose business was slightly worse, many large shops such as Jiu Zhou Dim Sum Shop, Tian Xing Lou, and Xin Yue Shu Zhai were still making a fortune every day.
These things are not worth mentioning to the Xie family.
At the residence of the First Prince.
Upon learning this news, Wei Ningyan smashed everything in the room, wishing she could appear before Xie Yunyu immediately and kill her.
After she calmed down, she called in her personal maid, Chunqing.
"you go……"
Wei Ningyan made some arrangements.
After Chunqing left, Wei Ningyan went to the back garden of the mansion and stared at the koi in the pond in a daze.
Only the tightly clenched handkerchief revealed that she was far from calm inside.
That night, Chunqing received a shocking message and reported it to Wei Ningyan with a pale face.
After listening intently, Wei Ningyan's eyes widened in disbelief, and she said in a shrill voice:
"What? That bitch is pregnant?"
Then he suddenly stood up and started spinning around in place.
"No wonder the prince insisted on marrying her..."
No wonder His Majesty agreed to the condition that a man could only take a concubine if he was forty years old and childless...
I see, I see.
Hahaha... So they were already hooking up all along...
I see... I see..."
Wei Ningyan's gaze became unfocused, and her face suddenly contorted, as if she had become a different person.
Seeing this, Chunqing was too frightened to speak.
"Xie Yunyu...you deserve to die..."
Wei Ningyan suddenly pulled the hairpin out of her hair and slammed it hard into the table.
She could almost see Xie Yunyu's rustic face.
So he used the hairpin to trace lines on the table again and again, leaving deep marks, as if he wanted to slash open the face in front of him.
"I will kill you, I will definitely kill you..."
Wei Ningyan continued to scream shrilly, as if she were insane.
Chunqing could no longer hold back and let out a pitiful cry:
"Miss...Miss...please don't do this..."
Wei Ningyan gradually came back to her senses from her daze, slumped to the ground, and her expression gradually returned to calm.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Chunqing, help me up."
Chunqing quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
Wei Ningyan sat on the stool for a long time without saying a word.
The room was brightly lit by more than a dozen lamps.
But Wei Ningyan's eyes were completely black.
It was so dark you couldn't see anything.
I can't see the road ahead, I can't see my lover, I can't see any hope...
As Chunqing watched the person in front of her gradually return to a deathly stillness, her fear intensified.
Having grown up alongside her mistress since childhood, she knew her mistress better than anyone.
Judging from this, something big is probably going to happen.
Sure enough, just as Chunqing was about to collapse, Wei Ningyan spoke up.
"I must kill Xie Yunyu. As long as the Prince doesn't get married, he might belong to me..."
Seeing her like this, Chunqing called out worriedly:
"Miss……"
Ignoring her question, Wei Ningyan continued, "Are you sure she's pregnant?"
"Xie Yunyu's courtyard was heavily guarded, and the old woman only noticed a few clues in her food."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ningyan said in a gloomy tone, "Since that's the case, then let her have the life to conceive, but not the life to give birth."
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