Rumors suddenly spread throughout the capital about the eldest princess of the Fourth Prince's mansion being "disfigured".
Some say that the eldest princess was kind but had a bad fate, sacrificing her face to protect the fourteenth prince's unborn child.
These rumors eventually escalated into the claim that the Fourteenth Princess Consort was ruthless and cruel, using her beautiful niece to shield herself from disaster. Enraged by the rumors, Consort Wanyan smashed several vases.
There are also rumors that the eldest princess caught the eye of Yihua, who, together with the fourteenth prince's wife, staged a scene of the prince rescuing his mother, ultimately eliminating the eldest daughter who stood in Honghui's way.
These remarks made the eldest princess extremely uncomfortable. She came to apologize tremblingly, saying that it was all her fault for tarnishing her mother's reputation. Yihua said that all of this was irrelevant; she wanted practical benefits more than reputation.
Some even say that the new Crown Princess was behind it all, in order to avenge the Tong family. Unfortunately, she made a mistake and targeted the wrong person; the eldest princess was simply unlucky.
Tong Guining's heart was in turmoil. She tearfully apologized to Yinreng: "I know that you value the bond between brothers the most. I don't know who is making baseless accusations, saying that I wanted to harm my fourth sister-in-law and that it has implicated the eldest princess in her household."
"Your Majesty, I am wronged. Not to mention that I had not yet married you at that time, how could my actions in Yuqing Palace now be hidden from your eyes?"
Tong Guining looked completely adoring of Yinreng; even through her teary eyes, one could see the stars in her eyes, which clearly pleased Yinreng.
He helped Tong Guining up: "Of course I trust you. Ning'er is gentle and quiet, and timid. She wouldn't interfere in these matters. Besides, Ning'er has more important things to consider, doesn't she?"
Tong Guining's cheeks flushed red, and she secretly glanced up at Yinreng before quickly looking away.
Yinreng seemed to see a little rabbit with red eyes begging for a pet, and immediately immersed himself in the soft and fragrant warmth.
In moments of intense emotion, Yinreng seemed to see his legitimate son waving at him.
It was uncertain when the legitimate son that Yinreng had been hoping for would arrive, but Wanyan gave birth to a legitimate son as she had wished.
Wanyan was in high spirits. If there was anything wrong with it, it was that although this child was the legitimate son, he was the second son. The eldest son, Hongchun, could already speak and was born to Shushu Gioro.
Yi Hua sent her congratulatory gift, but the child's third-day celebration lacked a bit of liveliness because the entire capital's attention was focused on a major event: the imperial examination.
By this time, the imperial examinations had completed the provincial and metropolitan examinations, becoming a nationwide unified examination, comparable to the college entrance examination in the previous life.
Passing the provincial examination made one a *juren* (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). Wealthy local gentry with discerning eyes would typically provide advance financial assistance, hoping that the *juren* would later gain further advancement and protect the merchants. This illustrates the strict social hierarchy among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Those who passed the provincial examination became tribute students. The best among the tribute students participated in the palace examination. The top three in the first class were awarded the title of Jinshi (进士), with the first place being called Zhuangyuan (状元), the second place being Bangyan (榜眼), and the third place being Tanhua (探花).
Now we've reached the final stage, just waiting for the Emperor to post the list, followed by the most anticipated part: choosing a son-in-law from among those listed.
At this moment, Ulanara Xinghui's eldest daughter was arguing with her mother.
"Qinghe, what are you arguing with your mother about? That Mr. Zhong is old enough to be your father, and he's a second wife. What do you see in him?" Xinghui Fujin was furious. Mr. Zhong had been a tutor in the household for a while, teaching the girls to play the zither.
He taught for less than three months before taking his leave. His wife, Xinghui, tried to persuade him to stay, as there were very few teachers with real talent who were willing to teach girls. However, she firmly refused, citing the need to review his lessons.
When the list of successful candidates for the imperial examination was released, Qinghe, the daughter, was overjoyed. She acted like a little girl and told herself that she wanted Mr. Zhong to come and propose marriage.
What kind of talk is this? Not to mention that as the eldest daughter of the Ulanara family, participating in the imperial concubine selection is a given.
Even without a talent show, it wouldn't be the turn of a poor student like Mr. Zhong, who has no connections or background.
Qinghe looked at herself in the mirror and said, "He is exceptionally good. His wife has been dead for six years, yet he still remembers her fondly. He is truly a man of deep affection."
Princess Xinghui looked at her daughter with an expression that seemed to say, "I think I've given birth to an idiot!" She said, "He was deeply devoted to his late wife, and you actually think it's a blessing to be his second wife? You've wasted all your education!"
Qinghe wouldn't listen and declared that she would marry no one but him.
Consort Xinghui restrained herself: "His sudden and resolute departure, and his refusal to teach again, was precisely because he sensed your confused thoughts and deliberately distanced himself from you!"
“No, he’s just showing me respect.” Qinghe smiled. “After all, marrying one’s own student would damage one’s reputation, so I don’t blame him.”
“You two siblings are both so stubborn, each thinking you can decide your own marriage. What’s the point of having your parents’ wishes then?!” Xinghui’s wife couldn’t understand how she and Xinghui, who weren’t people who valued relationships above all else, could have given birth to two such headstrong children.
“Isn’t the eldest princess good enough?” Qinghe glanced at her mother. “Mother thinks that the eldest brother is more than qualified to marry the princess, but you promised so readily before. Now that the eldest princess is rumored to have injured her face, you don’t want this daughter-in-law anymore. I’m afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Fujin.”
"Take care of yourself." Consort Xinghui locked Qinghe up in a bad mood. Once the selection of a husband was completed and Mr. Zhong got married, there would be no need for her silly daughter to have anything to do with it.
Back in her room, the thought of her son Mingxuan's marriage made her feel even more troubled.
The younger sister-in-law became a noble royal consort, and even she couldn't refuse the matchmakers' requests.
Previously, although the eldest princess was disadvantaged by her birth, she was a good match for Mingxuan in terms of both appearance and behavior. With the Fourth Prince's secret support, Xinghui's wife was also happy to have her way.
But what exactly happened on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding remains unclear to the sister-in-law, and even the people she sent to deliver rose perfume did not see the eldest princess herself.
The talk of the town in the capital right now is all over the place. If it weren't for the imperial examination taking center stage, it would probably still be the center of everyone's discussion.
Although it is said that one should marry a virtuous wife and take a beautiful concubine, Xinghui had once sternly warned himself not to put maids in Mingxuan's room, presumably having received a hint from the Fourth Prince.
In other words, if Mingxuan marries the eldest princess, he will not be allowed to take concubines in the future, which is a great injustice to him.
Now that the eldest princess is highly suspected of being disfigured, her son is really at a disadvantage. The younger sister-in-law cannot sacrifice Mingxuan's lifelong happiness in order to win the prince's favor.
However, the entire Ulanara family is foolish. From the old to the young, they all insist on keeping the marriage as it is, and Mingxuan even looks like he's budding with romantic feelings.
She was the only villain, yet she had no choice but to play that villain.
Consort Xinghui decided to send an invitation to Yihua to bring the eldest princess as a guest, so that she could see for herself whether the eldest princess had really been disfigured as rumored!
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