Song Yuqing was granted the title of Princess Xuanwen for cultivating new crops, which attracted the attention of several princes of the royal family.
The Empress summoned the Director of Astronomy and asked for his opinion.
“Your Majesty, the divination indeed points to the Marquis of Xuanping’s residence, and this woman will bring blessings to the people. The fact that Princess Xuanwen was able to cultivate new crops proves that I was right.”
"You mean you want my Cheng'er to marry a country woman as his crown princess?"
Seeing that the Empress was angry, the Director of the Imperial Observatory quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, please reconsider."
The Empress was about to get angry, but then she remembered that her son would need the assistance of the Imperial Observatory to succeed to the throne. She took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Imperial Observatory, you need to calculate carefully. If Cheng'er can really marry Song Shiyue and bring blessings to our country, then it is acceptable for Cheng'er to marry that woman."
“Your Majesty, I have carefully calculated the birth date and time of this Miss Song, and she is indeed destined for greatness.”
The Empress pondered for a moment: "This matter must not be publicized. You may leave now."
She instructed the nanny beside her to invite Qi Jingcheng into the palace.
"Mother, I will not marry her."
The Empress said angrily, "This matter is not up to you to decide. I am only doing this for your own good."
"Mother, Miss Song and Miss Shen were born at the same time. Miss Song's birthday is also Miss Shen's birthday. How can we know who is destined to be the phoenix?"
The Queen paused, realizing that her son's words made sense.
"What does Cheng'er mean?"
"Mother, why not marry both of them at the same time? That way, no matter who is destined to be the phoenix, I will be the one to inherit the throne."
"Cheng'er is being ridiculous. There can only be one Crown Princess. If you marry both of them, who do you want to be your Crown Princess?"
Qi Jingcheng sneered: "Shen Danru is talented and beautiful, but her status is too low. Song Shiyue's status is acceptable, but her talent and beauty are not good. Neither of them is worthy to be my Crown Princess. At most, they can only be concubines. Of course, my Crown Princess is someone else."
"Mother also knows that General Shen is on his way back to Shengjing. If I can get General Shen's support, I can secure my position. Therefore, the Crown Princess can only be chosen from the Shen family."
The Empress's eyes lit up. Sure enough, Cheng'er was farsighted and truly a born king.
"Mother, I entrust Cheng'er's marriage to you. There's no rush for the Crown Princess; we can settle the matter of the concubine first."
The Queen nodded in agreement.
Consort Lan was also giving instructions to Qi Jingchen.
"Chen'er, you've grown up, it's time to consider taking a princess as your wife."
"Whose daughter has Mother taken a fancy to this time?"
"Chen'er, what do you think of Song Shiyue from the Xuanping Marquis's residence? If you're willing, your mother will go and talk to your father about it."
Qi Jingchen raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to touch Consort Lan's forehead: "Mother, you're not sick, why are you arbitrarily arranging marriages? How can that ugly woman be worthy of your handsome and unparalleled son?"
Consort Lan smiled and gently slapped Qi Jingchen's hand away: "You child, you've been spoiled since you were little, and your mouth is always so rude."
She paused, then said, "However, I was a little surprised to hear that you said Song Shiyue is ugly. Although she is not a stunning beauty, she is still a pretty girl. You must have too high standards."
"Moreover, I have received news that after the Imperial Observatory recalculated, it was found that Miss Song is destined to be a phoenix. Your Majesty is doing this for your own good."
Qi Jingchen curled his lips into a wicked smile, leaned close to Consort Lan's ear, and whispered, "Mother, I already have someone I love, so please stop trying to arrange marriages for me."
Consort Lan was taken aback, then asked curiously, "Oh? Is that so? Who is that girl that could capture Chen'er's heart?"
Although her son Chen'er may seem promiscuous on the surface, she, as his mother, knows him best. Once he falls in love, he cannot tolerate anyone else.
Qi Jingchen said solemnly, "Mother, you don't know this, but she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Moreover, she is highly skilled in playing the zither and has a gentle and virtuous personality. She is truly the best choice in my heart. I will not marry anyone else but her."
This made Consort Lan even more curious. A girl who could be praised by her Chen'er must be good.
"Chen'er has been talking for a long time, but he still hasn't mentioned the girl's name."
"She is Jiang Jingxian, the third young lady of the Duke of Xingguo's mansion."
The song "Wang Ning Mei" touched his heart deeply, and the sadness and sorrow in Jiang Jingxian's eyes left him unable to calm down for a long time.
Since that day, he couldn't forget Jiang Jingxian and was filled with doubt.
He couldn't understand what a legitimate daughter of the Jiang family had gone through to be able to express such emotions.
Whenever he thinks of her, his heart aches, and he longs to hold her in his arms and cherish her.
However, despite his numerous trips to the Jiang residence, he was never able to meet Jiang Jingxian.
Although he was a prince, he could not casually meet a young lady, lest he ruin her reputation.
A hint of surprise flashed in Consort Lan's eyes; she hadn't expected Qi Jingchen to be so infatuated with Jiang Jingxian.
However, as the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Xingguo's family, she is a suitable match for Chen'er as his princess consort.
She thought for a moment and said, "Chen'er, since you like Miss Jiang so much, then your mother will naturally do her best to help you. However, this marriage is a matter of fate between the two people, and you must not get too caught up in it. I have also met Jingxian before; she is a woman of both talent and beauty."
"But you'd better try to get the position of a concubine for Princess Xuanwen as well."
Seeing that Qi Jingchen remained unmoved, Consort Lan advised, "Chen'er, for your mother's sake, please think about it."
Qi Jingchen couldn't bear to see his mother sad, so he could only nod.
Marrying her is fine; all I need to do is give her a courtyard and not touch her.
Two days later, the Empress finally beat the Emperor to it, and the Emperor bestowed a marriage upon Song Shiyue of the Marquis of Xuanping's family as the Crown Prince's concubine.
As for Shen Danru, he failed to gain the emperor's approval.
First, Shen Danru's status is too lowly to become the Crown Prince's concubine. Second, Princess Xuanwen has just distinguished herself, and the relationship between Shen Danru and Princess Xuanwen is so delicate that she cannot afford to disappoint Princess Xuanwen.
After the eunuch delivering the imperial decree left, the Xuanping Marquis's residence fell silent.
Marquis Xuanping and his wife looked at each other, their eyes revealing disappointment.
They originally hoped for the position of Crown Princess, but despite Yue'er's great achievements, she only received the position of Consort.
They found it hard to accept, but dared not express any dissatisfaction.
Although Song Yuqing felt that marrying the Crown Prince as a concubine was something she had never dared to imagine before, she thought that if it weren't for Shen Danru, she would already be the Crown Prince's principal wife.
All of this is because of that wicked woman. Is she going to miss the chance to become the mother of a nation?
Marquis Xuanping also noticed the dissatisfaction on Song Yuqing's face and advised, "Yue'er, although you have only been made a concubine, it is still a favor from the Emperor. You should be grateful. After you marry into the Crown Prince's residence, you must do your best. Who knows, the Crown Prince might remember your kindness after he ascends the throne and let you sit in that position."
Song Yuqing nodded slightly and said, "Father, rest assured, Yue'er knows what to do."
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