Only fit to be a concubine
Zuo Murui was convinced that Fu Zhiqiao was a woman who couldn't be brought into the public eye. After all, how could a woman from a respectable family have an affair with a man without proper matchmaking? If such a restless person were to enter the family, she would probably turn the Prince's mansion upside down.
Zuo Murui gave Xie Zhuo a severe scolding, and at the same time, her impression of Fu Zhiqiao worsened.
If Fu Zhi Qiao knew that she could imagine so much, she would definitely roll her eyes. Not to mention that this was just her own conjecture, it was clearly a matter between the man and the woman, but she immediately put the blame on the woman.
Tsk tsk! Feudal ideology has done so much harm!
After a long pause, Zuo Murui, having calmed down, said, "Since you've already made up your mind about that woman, why not take her into your household as a concubine?"
Xie Zhuo never even considered the idea of letting Fu Zhi Qiao become a concubine in the Prince's mansion. How could such a proud woman be willing to become a concubine? In his view, the status of a concubine was simply an insult to Fu Zhi Qiao.
“Mother, I am Xin Yue Zhi Qiao, but our relationship is completely innocent, and she is not some shady mistress.”
"Since she's not a mistress, you should hurry up and get married, then bring her into the household!"
Xie Zhuo was helpless; he had already addressed this issue before. "I've already said it, it's her son's wish..."
"No! If she wants to enter the Prince's mansion, she can only be a concubine." Zuo Murui immediately interrupted Xie Zhuo. She was just a merchant's daughter. It would be a great honor for her to become a concubine in the Prince's mansion. How could she possibly dream of becoming the Prince's wife?
Xie Zhuo wanted to say something more, but Zuo Murui didn't want to listen at all. Her face quickly darkened: "Huaiyan, you are the child I carried for ten months and gave birth to. Are you going to disobey me for the sake of an outside woman?"
How can a merchant's daughter become the wife of the prince's heir? Does the prince's family still have any face left?
Xie Zhuo will definitely inherit the throne of Prince Duan in the future. How can the future Princess Consort of Prince Duan be the daughter of a merchant? Zuo Murui became angrier and angrier as she thought about it. If it weren't for her son's preference, a woman from a merchant family wouldn't even be qualified to enter the Prince's mansion as a concubine!
Why can't I reason with my mother? Xie Zhuo took a deep breath: "Mother, I truly love her and want to marry her."
"Mother," Xie Zhuo called her, not "Mother Consort."
Zuo Murui was slightly taken aback; Xie Zhuo hadn't called her "mother" for many years.
Xie Zhuo was the eldest son of the Prince's Mansion and the future heir. From birth, he was highly valued by the old prince, who raised him with him until he was seven or eight years old. After that, the old prince sent him to study in other places, which resulted in his mother and Xie Zhuo not being as close as a typical mother and son.
Zuo Murui couldn't understand why, with her son's status and looks, he could marry any kind of noble lady he wanted, so why did he choose to fall for a merchant's daughter?
After a series of changes in her expression, Zui Murui sighed and said, "Huaiyan, you are the heir of the royal family and will inherit the throne in the future. Why don't you take her into your household first, and after you marry your principal wife, give her the title of a concubine? After you inherit the throne, you can elevate her to the status of a secondary consort. What do you think?"
After speaking, Zuo Murui paused and looked at Xie Zhuo's expression: "I have already found a marriage for you. It is the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue. After you return from Liangzhou, you can go to her house to propose marriage." Agreeing to let Fu Zhi Qiao enter the manor as a concubine was already a step back for her: "After you inherit the throne in the future, you can elevate her to the status of a secondary consort. The status of a secondary consort in the royal manor will not be a disservice to her."
Xie Zhuo: "..."
He only wants to marry the woman he loves, so why is his mother trying so hard to stop him?
Seeing Xie Zhuo's pale face, Zuo Murui took a deep breath and softened her voice: "Huaiyan, ask yourself honestly, is the status of a concubine in the Prince Duan's mansion truly an insult to her?"
In Zuo Murui's view, Fu Zhiqiao was just a country girl, and she should feel honored to be given the position of a concubine. She had already made a great concession by promising to give Fu Zhiqiao the position of a concubine after Xie Zhuo married his principal wife.
"Mother, please don't make decisions on your own!" Xie Zhuo didn't want to argue anymore; after all, the only person he wanted to marry was Fu Zhi Qiao. With that, he quickly left.
*
After leaving Yuzhu Pavilion, Xie Zhuo felt an unbearable unease thinking about Zuo Murui's words. He respected Zuo Murui, but he was not a puppet on her strings; he was a living, breathing person.
Marriage is a lifelong commitment. What's wrong with him wanting to find someone he loves to spend the rest of his life with?
Moreover, given the current status of the Prince's Mansion, he is simply not suited to marry a noblewoman from a prominent family.
In order to maintain the balance of power among various factions, His Majesty has been secretly suppressing aristocratic families in recent years. The marriage alliance between Prince Duan's Mansion and the Minister of Rites will only intensify the Emperor's suspicions about the mansion. Xie Zhuo dared not think too deeply about what kind of fate awaited a prince who was disliked by the Emperor.
To lower the emperor's guard against the prince's residence, his best option was to marry a woman from an ordinary family.
So what if she's a merchant's daughter? He had already decided to marry her when he persuaded Fu Zhiqiao to open a restaurant in the capital.
So what if his mother objects? Fu Zhi Qiao is the person he wants to marry, and he has a hundred ways to bring her home.
This trip to Liangzhou was his opportunity. Once he had established himself in the army, he would ask Grand Tutor Liu to adopt Fu Zhiqiao as his goddaughter. Xie Zhuo had already made up his mind.
With the status of being the adopted daughter of the Grand Tutor, once her grandfather gives his approval, her mother will have no reason to oppose them.
He will shoulder the glory of the royal family, and he will marry the woman he loves!
Zuo Murui was unaware of the old prince's painstaking schemes. She only knew that in recent years, the glory of the Duan Prince's Mansion had faded, and Xie Zhuo, as the future heir of the mansion, had to shoulder the responsibility of restoring its honor.
The wife of the heir of the Prince's Mansion is the future Princess Consort of Duanqin. This title is not something that a mere merchant's daughter can command. Without sufficient upbringing and knowledge, how can she be worthy of this important responsibility?
Zuo Murui was filled with regret. She had stopped him too late. If she had nipped the problem in the bud, Xie Zhuo wouldn't have gone so far as to want to marry that woman.
No, that woman absolutely cannot stay in the capital!
We need to find a way to get rid of them.
Zuo Murui sat in the chair, her frustration rising again. Just then, Xie Chi returned, playing with his pigeons. Zuo Murui glared at him fiercely: "Your son is so disobedient, and you still have the heart to play with the pigeons here?"
Xie Chi was puzzled.
Granny Zhang came over to serve tea. He took a sip before looking at Zuo Murui and asking, "What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Zuo Murui angrily told Xie Chi that Xie Zhuo had taken a liking to a merchant's daughter outside and even wanted to marry her.
"Let him be!" A young man who isn't a bit of a playboy is a wasted youth, and Xie Chi didn't think this kind of emotional matter was a big deal.
"Nonsense! You're going to let him delay getting married? A man should settle down before he can establish a career. Look at Huaiyan's peers, aren't they all married and have children?"
Seeing that his wife was angry, Xie Chi coughed lightly and stopped talking, then made an excuse to leave the room.
After being rebuffed by her son and not understood by her husband, Zuo Murui became even angrier after all the fuss. She turned her attention back to Fu Zhiqiao, realizing that the root of all the problems lay with her.
Zuo Murui beckoned Zhang Mama to come closer and whispered a few words to her.
Granny Zhang looked at her with surprise, and hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, is this alright?"
Zuo Murui didn't care about anything else anymore. She had listened to Zhang Mama's advice before, saying that she shouldn't separate the lovers to avoid alienating the mother and son. She was determined to break up the lovers!
"Take a few reliable people with you and keep an eye on things. If you have any news, have someone send it back immediately."
Granny Cui sent the manor's personal guards to follow Xie Zhuo. She specifically instructed them that the young master must not discover the tracking. The young master was highly skilled in martial arts, and the guards were afraid of being discovered by him, so they only dared to follow him from a distance.
On the first day, after leaving the palace, the young master went to the military camp to handle military affairs. In the afternoon, he went to the drill ground to instruct the soldiers in martial arts. In the evening, he returned to the palace. Nothing special happened.
The next day, they lost track of the person...
As if sensing something, the young master vanished in a flash.
On the third day, after following the young master for three consecutive days, they finally managed to uncover some clues.
The young master acted as usual as yesterday, but after finishing his shift, he did not return to the palace immediately. Instead, he went to a small alley not far from Zhuque Street.
The guards dared not be careless and kept a close watch on Xie Zhuo's every move. Several guards behind him held their breath and carefully observed from the eaves until they saw Xie Zhuo enter a small courtyard.
The guards secretly noted down the address of the courtyard and went back to report to Zuo Murui.
A luxurious carriage stopped in the alley. The dark curtain was lifted, and Zuo Murui stepped out of the carriage.
The gate to the courtyard was knocked open, and the gatekeeper poked his head out, but before he could speak...
Granny Zhang raised her chin slightly: "Go tell your master that a distinguished guest has arrived."
The doorman glanced behind them. He didn't recognize the people in front of him, but he could tell from their clothes that they were not ordinary people.
"Wait a moment." Just as the gatekeeper was about to close the door, two guards came out from behind and blocked the door with their hands.
The guards were tall and strong, with large swords at their waists, and the gatekeeper couldn't resist them.
"People from humble backgrounds have no manners." Zuo Murui was blocked outside the courtyard by the gatekeeper before she could even enter, and she was very displeased.
Zuo Murui led five or six maids into the courtyard in a grand procession, leaving two guards at the gate.
A series of rapid footsteps approached from behind.
Two young maids from the courtyard came out to greet them. Seeing a group of strangers without a gatekeeper to guide them, they questioned, "Who are you?"
Zuo Murui didn't even glance at them, and went straight to the main hall to sit down. The little maid was so anxious about what to do when she saw them acting like masters and mistresses.
Zuo Murui sat on the chair in the head seat, while the other maids stood on both sides, making the already small main hall seem somewhat cramped.
This is the scene that Fu Zhiqiao saw when she arrived.
The two maids who were originally serving in the main hall were blocked at the door by the guards with swords. When they saw Fu Zhi Qiao, they were like seeing a savior. "Miss, those people broke in on their own..."
Fu Zhi Qiao glanced at the head of the table's clothes and understood: "Understood, you all stand guard at the door."
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