"To be your wife, I must be gentle and virtuous, broad-minded, and watch you be affectionate and intimate with other women without being jealous, not even having the right to be jealous. I also have to manage the household and accounts, and handle the disputes between the women in the backyard. Such a heavy burden is beyond my ability to bear."
Just imagining that situation made her feel suffocated. Concubines had their lowly status, and wives had their own suffering. This era was too unfriendly to women. Su Yushan was in this situation, and although her ambitions were higher than the sky, she was ultimately powerless.
Hongli's eyes curved slightly as he put his arm around her shoulder and whispered softly in her ear, "If you are my wife, I only need you. What need is there for a harem?"
If she were his wife, wouldn't Hongli have taken concubines for various reasons? His social status predetermined that he could never be devoted to one person in his life.
"There are no 'what ifs' in life. I know my place and I will not covet the position of the legal wife."
"I almost wish you were interested. Didn't you say that if you truly love someone, you would want to marry them?" It was because of this sentence that he had the idea to ask her.
However, Su Yushan was referring to Yunfang when she said this, without considering herself. "But you are a prince, and I am just a commoner. All assumptions are invalid, and things that are impossible are impossible. Why bother thinking about them, unless..."
"Unless what?"
She stopped mid-sentence, saying, "It's nothing."
Su Yushan's hesitant words, like a kitten's claws, tickled his heart. "Are you deliberately keeping me in suspense so I can't sleep peacefully?"
He wouldn't give up, determined to get to the bottom of it. When she wouldn't speak, he would nudge her ear and trace the outline of her ear with the tip of his tongue, causing her to tilt her head and tremble slightly. Helpless, she had no choice but to continue talking.
"Unless people have a next life, but whether there is a next life or not, no one knows."
At first, he only wanted to tease her, but the fragrance of her body easily ignited the desire he had been deliberately suppressing. If this continued, he was afraid he would lose control and hurt her.
Helpless, Hongli could only force himself to release her small ear, try to adjust his breathing, and press his ear against her beautiful face, asking in a hoarse voice, "If there is a next life, would you still be willing to be with me?"
They've hurt each other so much in this life, they're already scarred. Shouldn't they let each other go in the next? But his eyes were so expectant. If she said no, she figured he'd get angry again.
Considering the consequences, Su Yushan said ambiguously, "I will only consider it if you are no longer a prince."
She was in his arms at that moment, and he could clearly feel her presence. For Hongli, this was the greatest blessing from heaven.
"The next life is too far away. What if I drink the water of forgetfulness and forget my promise to you? So I have to cherish this life. Although I cannot give you the position of my principal wife, I will do my best to give you the best of everything."
Su Yushan took his words as just a casual remark and didn't take them to heart. Little did she know that Hongli would spend the rest of his life fulfilling his promise to her.
Realizing that the conversation had gone too far, Su Yushan brought it back to the point, "I have no choice, but I hope Yunfang can make her own decisions about her life. She doesn't want to be a concubine, so please don't force her, Fourth Master."
She'd already spoken, what could he do? Gently stroking her smooth, long hair, Hongli smiled helplessly, his voice filled with undisguised doting affection, "Alright, whatever you say, I'll do as you say."
As they spoke, Hongli placed a kiss on her forehead. For a moment, he worried that she would flinch, but she did not move. She showed no shyness or resistance, her expression was calm, and she simply said that she was a little sleepy.
Whenever she didn't want to talk, she would use this excuse. Hongli was already used to it, so he let go of her and helped her lie down.
She wasn't originally this delicate. Because of this child, she had to be careful at all times. Hongli took meticulous care of her, treating her like a porcelain doll, and dared not be careless in the slightest.
In recent days, several more maids and servants have been assigned to Huatang Pavilion, far exceeding the usual number of maids. Some other maids have already spoken to the Princess Consort about this privately.
"Gege Su is just a maid, yet she has six maids and servants to serve her. This is clearly a privilege that only a concubine can enjoy!"
According to custom, a Fujin (Prince Consort) should have eight female servants and only two or three maids. It was indeed unusual for Hongli to assign several more servants to Su Yushan.
Princess Gao and Princess Fucha deliberately chatted about this matter in front of the Fujin (the wife of the emperor), but what could the Fujin do about it?
Last time, when Consort Gao complained that Hongli had given Su Jiafeng five hundred taels of silver and asked Lady Fucha to inquire about it, Hongli was very displeased and even retorted to her. Since this matter involved Su Yushan, Lady Fucha was unwilling to go and run into trouble again.
Faced with their provocations, Lady Fucha remained calm and said with a gentle smile, "Princess Su is frail and has had a miscarriage. Fourth Prince is concerned about the child in her womb, which is why he has sent more servants to take care of her. In the end, it is all for the sake of the offspring and bloodline. You should be more understanding and there is no need to make a fuss."
Princess Gao and Princess Fucha exchanged a surprised glance. Such a significant matter was clearly a challenge to the authority of the Princess Consort. They had thought that the Princess Consort would question the Fourth Prince about it, but unexpectedly, she didn't seem to care at all.
With a slight shift in her gaze, Princess Fucha said sourly, "Everyone can see that Fourth Prince favors Princess Su, but he can't go too far, can he? He keeps making exceptions for her, where does that leave your dignity, Madam?"
Before Lady Fucha could say anything, they kept bringing up her reputation, which greatly displeased her. However, she couldn't lash out, so she could only patiently say:
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Pregnant maids should be given special attention. Once you are pregnant, the Fourth Master will definitely favor you."
Speaking of this, Princess Gao became melancholy. She too had once been favored, and had experienced the wonderful pleasures of womanhood. Now, Hongli hadn't visited her in a long time, and the long nights filled her with unbearable loneliness.
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