Chapter 60 Wild Duck Sachet: One's Jealousy, Another's Appearance
Grand Tutor Wang Renyu has entered the palace.
"Wang Qing, you've arrived." Yuan Hao was not surprised to see the white-haired Wang Renyu and ordered someone to offer him a seat.
"Sit with me for a while."
This Wang Renyu was a senior minister of the late emperor, learned and upright, who had served as the tutor of many imperial daughters, including Yuanjing and Yuanyan, before retiring from court due to his advanced age. Yuan Hao held him in high esteem.
"Your Excellency Wang has come to the palace today to discuss the matter of establishing an heir, hasn't he?" Yuan Hao immediately revealed the old tutor's purpose.
"This old minister knows Your Majesty is troubled. I have come today not for any other reason than to have a word with Your Majesty." Wang Renyu sat down slowly with the help of his attendants, his tone natural.
"Grand Tutor, what's wrong with these officials? I'm still alive, and they're all pressuring me to establish an heir apparent."
When facing someone as close as Wang Renyu, Yuan Hao was able to set aside his imperial cunning and speak his true feelings.
"Your Majesty need not be angry. I suppose the court officials acted this way because they were unsure of the situation after Your Majesty's marriage to the Prince of Qin, and feared that it would cause further turmoil in the court. If the princesses are divided and become powerful, it is not a good thing for the court," Wang Renyu said earnestly.
“What you say, Wang Qing, I am well aware of. If Jing’er could truly stand firm, that would be fine. But what are her abilities? Do I not know them all? She appears virtuous, but her actual abilities are mediocre. She is not capable of handling important matters… How can I entrust the country to her with such abilities?”
Yuan Hao understood his eldest daughter, Yuan Jing. Although she had a good reputation, she lacked political talent. Since entering politics, she had been assisted by many capable ministers, but she had not achieved any outstanding results.
In contrast, Yuan Yan demonstrated extraordinary talent in both investigating grain transport and establishing the system of allowances for officials to maintain integrity, and truly made contributions to the court.
Wang Renyu said understandingly, "The Prince of Qi is still young. His Majesty hopes for her well and needs to provide her with more guidance and experience so that she can become a useful person."
Her words made sense and successfully eased Yuan Hao's displeasure somewhat.
"Perhaps I have too high expectations for Jing'er," Yuan Hao said.
After Wang Renyu left, Yuan Hao issued an imperial edict appointing Yuan Jing as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of the Six Ministries and assisting in the administration of the court.
The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was the highest-ranking official in the Imperial Secretariat, surpassing the Left and Right Vice Ministers in rank and position. Although, given Yuan Jing's abilities, political affairs were actually handled by the Left and Right Vice Ministers, the prestige associated with this appointment was unparalleled.
The imperial decree caused a stir throughout the court and the country.
Almost everyone believed that although His Majesty did not directly appoint the Crown Princess, his move was undoubtedly telling the court officials that Yuan Jing was the successor she was grooming.
For a time, ministers who supported King Qi celebrated privately, and people flocked to King Qi's residence to offer their congratulations.
Some courtiers with other subtle thoughts also temporarily put aside their ideas and quieted down.
Lord Sun listened to the congratulations from the other ministers in his residence, his face glowing. He probably already considered himself the Crown Princess's maternal grandfather, and his whole demeanor became even more energetic and radiant.
Feng Qing called Yuan Jing to her side and instructed her to be diligent in handling government affairs and not to slack off.
"Father, rest assured, your son will certainly do his job well and live up to the Empress's grace." Yuan Jing was particularly spirited at this moment, his expression radiant.
Lu Yingkan had been worried that Yuan Yan would overpower the Prince of Qi. But upon hearing the imperial edict, his heart finally settled down.
Wanting to completely submit to the King of Qi, she soon came up with other ideas.
Lu Yingkan summoned his husband and ordered him to select handsome young men from the Lu clan, bring them back to his residence, and register them under his name.
Meanwhile, at the Qin King's Mansion.
"Shh." Yuan Yan raised his index finger to silence the system.
Yuan Yan was well-informed and naturally received the news that Yuan Jing had been appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.
But she remained completely unhurried, as if she hadn't heard anything, and focused intently on writing calligraphy.
Finally, Yuan Yan put down his pen.
"alright."
The system then looked over and found a long piece of paper spread out on a table, on which was a single large character.
[quiet]
Calm your mind, quiet your spirit, and wait for the right opportunity.
...
The news gradually spread, and even Lu Lingyue received a letter secretly sent by her father.
The letter informed Lu Lingyue that her mother had selected a boy from a collateral branch of the Lu family and registered him under his name, intending to send him to the Prince of Qi's residence as a concubine.
Unable to disobey his wife's wishes, and worried about the potential impact on Lu Lingyue, Lu's father was caught in a dilemma and could only secretly send a letter to give Lu Lingyue some mental preparation.
"How could the patriarch do such a thing?" Hengwu couldn't help but feel indignant on behalf of the young master upon hearing this.
"At this critical juncture, the patriarch's decision to arrange a marriage with Prince Qi is clearly a declaration of his full support for Prince Qi. If His Highness were to find out, how would he view the young master?"
"His Highness has already been quite cold to the young master, and I'm afraid his situation in this mansion will become even more difficult..."
Hengwu felt more and more sorry for the young master as she spoke.
Madam Lu's actions showed absolutely no consideration for Lu Lingyue's situation. As previously stated, she had completely abandoned Lu Lingyue, severing his ties with the Lu family.
Hengwu could think of this, and Lu Lingyue knew it all too well.
Are you heartbroken? Of course you are.
In his mother's eyes, he was also a pawn, only more valuable because of his good looks and talent. In essence, what difference was there between him and the sons of the Lu family's collateral branches?
Lu Lingyue saw things clearly, but she still couldn't hide the disappointment in her heart.
Hengwu advised, "Young Master, you can't go on like this. The Chief Minister will be entering the household soon, and His Highness will only bestow less favor upon the inner quarters. The head of the family doesn't care about you, Young Master, you should also plan for your future."
Lu Lingyue: "Hengwu, following me has made you suffer."
“I am not suffering. I only hope that you can regain His Highness’s favor and settle down in this manor. Things are different now. His Highness’s affection for you is waning. You must learn to humble yourself and stop letting yourself go.” Hengwu said sincerely.
...
When Yuan Yan attended court, the political situation changed once again.
Some court officials who had initially favored her reverted to a wait-and-see approach after Yuan Jing was appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, feeling that His Majesty still favored Prince Qi deep down.
"Your Highness, do not be discouraged. There is still a long time ahead. It is common for things to change in the court."
After finishing his official duties for the day and leaving Hongwen Pavilion, Du Heng immediately ran over to comfort Yuan Yan and invited him to a restaurant for drinks.
To everyone's surprise, Yuan Yan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "Drinking?"
"I'm busy."
Putting everything else aside, she had promised to spend the afternoon with Yi'er, so she didn't have time for Du Heng.
Upon closer inspection, Du Heng saw that Yuan Yan looked completely at ease, without the slightest hint of disappointment on his face, and he was speechless.
"Your Highness, how come you don't seem to care at all that the Prince of Qi has been appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?" She was actually quite surprised.
“What’s there to think about? The Empress is wise, and her decrees are always based on her own considerations. With so many officials around, it’s not my place to worry about these things,” Yuan Yan said.
"Alright, that's enough. My fiancé is still waiting for me."
After Yuan Yan finished speaking, he boarded the carriage and left without waiting for Du Heng's reaction.
Inside the palace.
"Did the second prince really say that?" Yuan Hao asked, putting down the memorial in his hand after hearing the report from the messenger.
After receiving confirmation from the spy, Yuan Hao remained silent for a moment, then sighed slightly.
"If only the eldest and second eldest sons could switch personalities..."
The residence of the eldest son of the emperor.
Yuan Yan went to find Yang Lingyi, presumably on the orders of the eldest prince, and the servants quickly ushered her in.
Since the imperial decree of engagement was issued, the eldest prince has kept Yang Lingyi confined to his residence, allowing her to calm down and seriously prepare for the marriage.
"Sister Yan, what brings you here?"
Yang Lingyi was overjoyed to see Yuan Yan.
But seeing that she had arrived so early, and worried that Yuan Yan hadn't finished his court duties before coming to keep him company, she couldn't help but ask.
"I've almost finished with everything for today, so I came to see Yi'er."
As Yuan Yan spoke, he noticed the red veil that Yang Lingyi was sewing spread out on the table, and he couldn't help but pick it up and take a look.
"Did Yi'er sew this veil herself?" Yuan Yan looked at the exquisite embroidery on the veil, touched it with his hand, and his eyes showed curiosity.
"No..." Yang Lingyi's face turned slightly red when she heard her say that.
"This veil was made by the embroiderer in the manor; I just took it and made a few changes."
In the Phoenix Kingdom, it turns out that every man who gets married has to sew his own wedding dress and veil.
On the wedding day, he would wear it so that his wife's family could see his embroidery skills and the husband's achievements.
If a man from a wealthy family didn't embroider a single stitch, he would be gossiped about and called lazy by the entire household. Therefore, even noblemen who weren't skilled in weaving and embroidery would have to sew a few stitches on their wedding clothes before marriage to show their virtue.
When Yang Lingyi said this, he felt a little uneasy, worried that Sister Yan would think he was lazy, and he deeply regretted not having practiced his embroidery skills more before.
Upon closer inspection, Yuan Yan indeed found several altered lines on the flower in the corner of the red veil, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Is this what Yi'er is talking about?" she asked, holding the veil in her hand.
"My embroidery skills are not good, Sister Yan, you mustn't make fun of me," Yang Lingyi said softly.
His face was flushed, his eyelashes fluttered, and he avoided Yuan Yan's gaze, not daring to look up at the part he was embroidering.
Yuan Yan didn't want to make fun of Yi'er, but Yang Lingyi was just too cute, so she couldn't help but want to tease her.
“If you keep doing this, Sister Yan, I won’t show you the other things I’ve embroidered.”
Seeing that she was still smiling, Yang Lingyi could only force herself to remain calm and said with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.
"Oh? Yi'er embroidered other things too. Let me see what they are."
As Yuan Yan spoke, he urged Yang Lingyi to take it out and take a look.
Yang Lingyi regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. But she couldn't go against Yuan Yan's insistence, so she had no choice but to take out the sachet she had embroidered.
Yuan Yan took the sachet and saw that it was embroidered with two wild ducks. The ducks were crooked and the stitches were uneven.
However, based on Yuan Yan's experience, he judged that a normal sachet would not be embroidered with ducks.
So this duck is...
"Mandarin ducks?" Yuan Yan asked tentatively.
Yang Lingyi had actually finished embroidering the sachet several days ago, but he knew he wasn't good at it and was afraid of being outdone by the servants in Yuan Yan's household, so he hesitated to give it to Yuan Yan.
Seeing that Yuan Yan did not show any unusual expression while holding the sachet, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“They are like mandarin ducks flying wing to wing.” Yang Lingyi nodded, her voice tinged with shyness.
The mandarin duck is a symbol of loyalty in the eyes of the people of the Phoenix Kingdom. He spent a long time learning to embroider this and gave it to Yuan Yan, hoping that after they got married, they could be as loving and affectionate as the mandarin ducks.
"Well, thank goodness I didn't say it was wild ducks flying in unison." Yuan Yan's expression remained unchanged, but he secretly rejoiced.
"Sister Yan, did I do a bad job...?"
Seeing that Yuan Yan did not respond, Yang Lingyi looked at her expression and asked hesitantly.
"How could that be? Yi'er's embroidery is so charming and rustic, I love it." Yuan Yan smiled and looked away from the sachet.
"From now on, I will entrust all my sachets to Yi'er."
As he spoke, Yuan Yan immediately hung the sachet that Yang Lingyi had given him on his waist.
However, she forgot that the sachet with twin lotus blossoms that Shen Lianzhou had given her was on her person. As soon as she tied it on, Yang Lingyi saw it.
"This sachet... the younger brothers in the Prince's mansion must be very skillful, the embroidered twin lotus flowers are so lifelike."
Yang Lingyi guessed that this must have been sent by a servant from Yuan Yan's household, and a slight pang of jealousy rose in her heart.
How could the King of Qin's residence be without men?
Yang Lingyi had long known that Yuan Yan had another husband, but seeing the marks left on Yuan Yan's body by another man still made her feel a tingling, sour feeling in her heart, which she couldn't ignore.
"Unlike Yi'er, she can't even embroider a mandarin duck properly." His voice trailed off as he spoke, tinged with regret and self-pity; he was clearly jealous.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
