Chapter 195 A Pawn to Ease the Situation
Inside the Duke of Anguo's mansion, in Zheng Mengdie's courtyard, neither the head maid nor the young maid dared to utter a sound.
Zheng Mengdie had already whipped three maids this morning.
Even her head maidservant received two slaps from her.
"They all came to humiliate me, all thinking of climbing up the social ladder."
If I get sick, none of you will get sick either.
Zheng Mengdie's eyes were red, her hands were clenched tightly, and there were broken porcelain shards all over the floor of the room.
She was initially quite pleased when she learned of the Empress Dowager's intentions.
The eldest sister was betrothed to the King of Qin as a concubine.
She was to be betrothed to the heir of the Duke of Dingguo.
Everyone in the capital knows that the heir of the Duke of Dingguo is already fifteen years old and will inherit the title in less than three years.
This will also be the youngest duke in Dayu.
And if she were to marry into that family, she would become the youngest Duchess of Da Yu.
If this marriage had happened in any other noble family, they would have burned incense sticks as thick as eight feet for their ancestors!
but......
"Miss, this old servant feels sorry for you."
You were raised by my grandmother. My wife passed away early, and she was still thinking of you before she left.
They said that the girls of the Zheng family have it tough, and that this old servant must protect you.
"Young master left so early, you..."
Zheng Mengdie could hear again the worried words her wet nurse had spoken after she returned yesterday.
"Didn't my grandfather and the Empress Dowager arrange a very good marriage for me? Nanny, what are you worried about?"
Everyone says that my older sister's marriage isn't as good as mine! Zheng Mengdie hadn't yet recovered from her joy.
Zheng Mengdie's wet nurse sighed.
"Miss, you need to look at many things in the long term."
It seems that the eldest daughter has married someone not as good as you, merely a concubine in the royal palace.
But that was the Prince of Qin's residence, the Zheng family's only hope.
Even though she's just a concubine, once His Highness the Prince of Qin ascends the throne, will she still be a concubine?
That's definitely the rank of Imperial Concubine!
Just think about our Imperial Concubine, even the Empress has to avoid her in the palace.
Furthermore, if His Highness the Prince of Qin were to ascend the throne, it would undoubtedly be with the support of the Zheng family.
Do you think the Zheng family would allow the Empress's position to be given to someone else?
If the Princess Consort of Qin were to suddenly pass away at that time, the eldest daughter would inevitably be promoted to the position of Empress.
Therefore, although the young lady is a concubine of the King of Qin, her future prospects are limitless.
"On the other hand, Miss..." The wet nurse shook her head.
“Wet nurse, I know, I know you love me and can’t bear to see me suffer.”
But there can only be one position, and if the Zheng family takes that position, it can only be the eldest sister.
After all, my eldest uncle is still alive, and he will be the one to succeed my grandfather in the future.
My aunt's family is quite powerful, so only my eldest sister is suitable for that position.
"It's because my parents are gone!" Zheng Mengdie sighed.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Mengdie's wet nurse immediately took Zheng Mengdie's hand.
"Miss, could you tell the old lady that you don't want to marry the Duke of Dingguo's heir, and that you don't want to get married so early?"
"Why? Wet nurse, why do you say that? As long as the Empress Dowager bestows the marriage upon me, I will surely be the wife of the heir of the Duke of Dingguo."
What's wrong with being a first-rank imperial consort?
My grandmother told me that if I have any children in the future, a boy will definitely be the heir apparent, and a girl will also have a title.
"I know the Shen family is difficult to deal with, but my marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, and they can't do anything about it." Zheng Mengdie was a little puzzled.
Her wet nurse shook her head.
"Miss, you may think the Shen family is doing well now, but their glory is like frost on grass; it will disappear in the blink of an eye."
Let me analyze this for you, starting with the immediate situation.
It's obvious to everyone that the Shen and Zheng families are at odds.
You got into the Shen family, definitely not because they begged you to. No one in the Shen family, from top to bottom, will treat you well.
Even servants harbor resentment towards you from the bottom of their hearts.
When the Duke of Dingguo passed away in the north, many people said that our Duke was involved in the matter.
If you marry into the Shen family, they will treat you like an enemy.
"Miss, tell me, what would you do if you married your enemy?" the wet nurse asked.
Zheng Mengdie was startled.
"This...this can't be! After all, it was a marriage arranged by the Empress Dowager; they shouldn't dare to do that."
The wet nurse sighed for a while before saying, "My lady, that's no ordinary family, that's the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
The current Duchess of Dingguo and that old Madam Shen were the ones who beat people with their canes in the Zichen Palace, and the imperial family didn't care.
What else wouldn't they dare to do?
Think about it, it's true that your marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, but what if they use filial piety to pressure you?
There are endless rules to follow, countless family matters to handle, and those difficult sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law—who among them is easy to deal with?
The most important point is that if the heir of the Duke of Dingguo decides that you are his enemy...
Will he let you have children?
He'd rather have a child with his concubine or a mistress than have a child with you!
You shouldn't say that you can just take the baby and raise it, no matter who gave birth to it.
Miss, can't you see? You can never truly raise a child you didn't give birth to.
Look at the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Family now. If the Imperial Family truly respected and respected the Empress Dowager, then the person sitting on the Empress's throne should be our family's great-aunt.
Not another one.
Zheng Mengdie felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, and she immediately trembled all over.
"Then why did Grandmother still marry me off to the Shen family?"
"Doesn't Grandmother know any of this?" Zheng Mengdie murmured to herself.
"In each generation of the Zheng family, only one person can become a distinguished individual."
Starting with the Empress Dowager's generation, apart from the Empress Dowager herself, all other girls were sent to marry into political alliances for mutual benefit.
Wasn't it the same for the generation of imperial concubines?
The Consort's younger sister, the young lady from the Zheng family, was married off to a general of the Pingnan Army because the Duke wanted to win over the Pingnan Army.
That General Pingnan was a full twenty years older than my little aunt!
In less than five years, my aunt passed away...
What about the current generation?
Miss, please think carefully about how your family treats you and the eldest daughter.
Yes! The old lady dotes on you and indulges you in everything. You can learn whatever you want, and you don't have to learn if you don't want to.
But the eldest young lady, from the time she could walk, received the strictest etiquette and upbringing, and even her governess was bestowed by the Empress Dowager.
Don't you understand?
The old lady dotes on you, indulges your every whim, and lets you do whatever you want.
That's because the Zheng family's hopes don't lie with you, but with the eldest daughter.
And you, just like that young aunt back then, are merely a pawn for the Zheng family to ease the situation.
Once the game is won, who cares about the pieces anymore...?
As soon as the wet nurse finished speaking, Zheng Mengdie felt a rush of blood to her head.
She... is a pawn!
Because she lacked parental support, she was merely a pawn in a game of appeasement...
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