Chapter 58 Imperial Marriage
“Aunt, that Wei Ningyan is really cunning. She wants to cause trouble for me and take it to His Majesty.”
Finally, she adopted a pitiful victim's posture in order to make an outrageous demand of His Majesty, proposing to marry the Prince.
The Queen was surprised and said, "Oh, isn't that quite clear? Then why were you arguing with her over there?"
Qin Yingying pouted and said, "Didn't Liang Mo and the others remind me?"
"I told you you didn't have the brains," the Empress said disdainfully.
Then he picked up his teacup and took a sip of water: "Don't worry, Wei Ningyan won't be able to marry the Prince of Shou'an."
Of course, you can't marry him anyway, so just give up on that idea.
Who knew that Qin Yingying, upon hearing this, would say resentfully:
"I've figured it out. As long as Wei Ningyan can't marry the Prince of Shou'an, it doesn't matter whether I get married or not."
The Empress laughed and said, "All these years, all you've done is hold grudges against Wei Ningyan."
Whenever she wants something, you always have to interfere and take it away from her.
Even the Prince of Shou'an was one of them.
I always said you used to dislike Ling'er when you were little, but now it's like you've changed your mind and insist on marrying him.
So he's angry with Wei Ningyan.
Qin Yingying retorted, "Aunt, I used to dislike the Prince when I was little. He was a beautiful woman, and I couldn't even raise my voice to him."
But as he grew up, he became so handsome that I can't just like him because of his face?
Upon hearing this, the Empress glared at her: "How can you say such shameless things, you little lady?"
After saying that, she added, "You shouldn't cause any more trouble. Just wait patiently to marry the Second Prince."
Qin Yingying sighed and said, "Well, there's nothing wrong with the Second Prince. He's good-looking and has a good status."
He's just a bookworm, so boring.
The Empress laughed upon hearing this: "Childish mentality."
He's boring, but you're interesting. Why don't you spend more time playing with him?
Qin Yingying thought for a moment and nodded: "You're right. I'll take him out to broaden his horizons then."
The Empress found it quite amusing.
However, Qin Yingying changed the subject: "None of that matters. As long as Wei Ningyan is not doing well, I'll be happy."
From childhood to adulthood, I've only ever suffered losses at her hands, and I've always suffered losses at her hands. I wish I could bite her to death.
Aunt, who do you think His Majesty will betroth him to?
The Empress sneered, "Your Highness."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yingying was immediately alarmed: "No way, she's marrying the eldest prince, does that mean I'll have to call her sister-in-law?"
From now on, I will have to bow to her every time I see her, and I will be overshadowed by her for the rest of my life.
I won't do it.
Upon hearing this, the Empress said calmly, "Do you care whether she's being treated like a sister-in-law and bowing to her, or do you care whether she's doing well or not?"
Qin Yingying widened her eyes and said, "Of course I hope she doesn't have a good life."
Then she asked, "What? Will she have a bad life after marrying the eldest prince?"
The Empress nodded and asked, "Who does the eldest prince like?"
Qin Yingying thought for a moment: "He said before that he liked Xue Jiu."
"So, Wei Ningyan will benefit from marrying the eldest prince?" the Empress asked.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yingying immediately became happy:
"She's going to be in trouble now. I'm relieved to know she won't have a good time."
The Empress added, "However, she is a woman of deep thoughts and will not sit idly by and wait for her fate. She will surely think of other ways to annul this engagement."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yingying exclaimed in surprise, "A marriage decreed by His Majesty himself, can it be canceled?"
The Empress looked at Qin Yingying and said, "That's her skill."
The second wife of the Wei family has been fighting with you for so many years. Her methods are the most subtle and ruthless, and she knows how to launch a counterattack in the details.
They are also adept at using public opinion to create momentum for themselves, and they are quite shrewd.
You're no match for her; you'd better avoid her in the future.
Qin Yingying was displeased: "Aunt, why are you boosting others' morale while diminishing our own?"
The Empress laughed and said, "I'm just trying to deflate your ego."
Wei Ningyan is just a nobody; I could crush her with a flick of my wrist.
But she's very useful to the overall situation, so don't ruin things for me.
Qin Yingying reluctantly replied, "Oh."
But then I thought, it's a good thing that my aunt is personally dealing with her.
Then he became happy again.
I picked up a pastry from the table and took a couple of bites, but suddenly I started to worry again:
"But today, Consort Xian has taken a liking to Wei Ningyan. If I marry the Second Prince, won't she be unhappy and cause me trouble in the future?"
The Empress chuckled and said, "I have already discussed your marriage with the Second Prince with her."
She did this today only to show His Majesty.
The Wei family is too prestigious; His Majesty will not allow the Second Prince to have such a good in-law family.
Qin Yingying nodded in agreement and then resumed eating her tea and snacks with peace of mind.
The next day, as expected, the emperor issued an edict.
Wei Ningyan, from the Grand Commandant's office, was betrothed to the eldest prince as his concubine.
Qin Yingying, from the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion, was betrothed to the Second Prince as his concubine.
Feng Ling Shuang of the Marquis of Changping's mansion was betrothed to the Third Prince as his concubine.
This imperial edict caused a great uproar both inside and outside the court.
First, the eldest prince's mother, Consort Shu, went to request an audience with the emperor, but the emperor refused to see her.
The Third Prince's mother, Consort Rong, took the Third Prince to the Emperor's palace to express their gratitude, but the Emperor did not see them.
In the Empress's palace, the Crown Prince came to visit and was having a meal with the Empress.
The Empress asked the Crown Prince, "What do you think of your father's bestowal of a marriage today?"
"Mother, this is none of our business. As long as my brothers are satisfied, that's all that matters."
The Empress nodded in agreement.
The Empress then observed his expression and inquired about the candidate for Crown Princess: Zheng Luoqiong, granddaughter of Zheng Kaishan, Duke of Wei and Minister of War.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince simply said:
"My father and you have taught me many times that the Crown Princess should be dignified, well-mannered, kind and generous, and have a good plan in mind."
Zheng Luoqiong should meet all the requirements, otherwise you wouldn't have chosen her as the Crown Princess.
The Empress continued to carefully observe the Crown Prince's expression: "Hmm, it fits perfectly."
The Empress Dowager had met her several times; her demeanor was measured and appropriate, and her words revealed her to be a shrewd and calculating person.
The crown prince nodded and said, "Yes, that's fine then."
The Empress could not discern any attitude towards Zheng Luoqiong from the Crown Prince's expression.
It was always just ordinary; you couldn't tell if I liked it or disliked it.
Seeing this, the Empress had no choice but to give up and start talking about other things.
The conversation between the two quickly reached the emperor's ears.
The emperor listened but remained silent.
When it was time to serve the emperor that night, he chose a young and beautiful woman who had just entered the palace.
Upon hearing this, the women of the harem all fell silent.
The Empress had already informed the families of all the court officials, and Qin Yingying already knew the outcome, so she remained calm.
The entire Changping Marquis's residence was genuinely overjoyed.
It's such a wonderful thing that my daughter is going to enter the palace to become a prince's wife.
For my family, a mere noble household, to have our daughter become a prince's consort is an act of imperial grace.
As for Feng Ling Shuang herself, she felt nothing at all.
Marrying anyone is the same as marrying someone else. There's nothing wrong with marrying into the royal family. At least you'll have a high status and no one will dare to mistreat you.
So I didn't say much.
On the contrary, her sisters at home, who claimed to be visiting, were full of sarcastic remarks, which she found very offensive.
After chasing the person away, he lay on the bed in a daze.
Because he had never met the Third Prince, he had no idea whether the prince was handsome or ugly.
After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to have someone inquire about it tomorrow.
Just as he finished thinking, his father, the Marquis of Changping, sent someone to deliver a painting. The painting depicted a gentle-looking man.
This must be the Third Prince.
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