Sun Miaoqing glanced at her sister-in-law and found that she didn't find it strange at all when she heard Wen Jin say that.
Presumably, he has said such things more than once at home.
Zhao frowned slightly, but then her face lit up with relief. Having been through similar experiences, she understood these things better than Sun Miaoqing.
A mother is naturally happy when her son is filial, and she doesn't care about anything else.
Sun Miaoqing stated bluntly, "We are family, and you two are grown up now, so let me be frank with you about some things."
“I have my eye on princesses from the main branches of the Fuca and Niohuru clans. With their backgrounds and character, they could easily become empresses. Our family is doing us a favor.”
"With a wife like this, you two will naturally have nothing to worry about regarding your future and domestic affairs."
"But every gain has its loss. If I want to have the happiness of having multiple wives in the future, I won't be able to get past this hurdle."
"Not to mention concubines, even a maidservant is not allowed. There can be no sons of a different surname in the family."
"You two think it over carefully. If you're unwilling, your aunt won't force you. If you agree, you must do it."
The two boys exchanged bewildered glances, clearly not expecting Sun Miaoqing to make such a demand. Those families that claimed to have impeccable morals and only allowed men to take concubines after forty without children were never short of maids to serve them.
Why is it that when it comes to them, the aunt's demands are even stricter than the bride's?
Zhao immediately became anxious. When they were arranging the marriage, her sister hadn't mentioned any of this!
"Your Majesty, isn't this a bit too harsh? Putting aside everything else, what if the wife you marry can't give birth to a son?"
"There are also times when it's inconvenient, and someone always has to take care of you."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Sister-in-law, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. I thought you understood this. My brother is not a lecherous person, which is why the Sun family is able to live in harmony and prosperity."
"Why is it different when it comes to my nephew?"
Zhao knew perfectly well that being a wife and being a mother were not the same thing, but when it came to her son, she was not so willing to accept it.
"Your two nephews are truly blessed to have married such a noble princess."
"But noble ladies are often delicate and pampered, and it might be difficult to control them. If we don't even allow them to have a private room, their wives might start to dominate them in the future."
Zhao hesitated, but didn't want to go against Sun Miaoqing's wishes. However, watching her son suffer was also a dilemma for her.
Sun Miaoqing said, "Even if the noble ladies raised by prominent families are a bit arrogant, they are still polite and sensible girls."
“If they were willful, capricious, and ruthless, I wouldn’t dare let Wenjin and Wenyu marry into the family.”
Zhao still felt it was inappropriate; her family was not short of money. As for her son's future, with a favored concubine aunt like Sun Miaoqing, there was no need to worry.
But when he thought of his sister suffering in the palace, and how the Fifth Prince needed the support of these powerful families to compete for the crown prince position, he couldn't help but think of his sister's suffering in the palace.
Madam Zhao felt that although her two sons were being treated unfairly, it wasn't unacceptable. Since she was going back to Tongzhou anyway, she could leave them in the capital and let them do as they pleased.
Wen Jin thought about it for a long time and still felt that his future was more important than beauty. His father only had his mother as his wife, and no other concubines or maids.
He's been doing just fine all these years, with a harmonious family and everything going smoothly. Meanwhile, look at his classmates—every single one of them has a harem of wives and concubines. They're constantly vying for power and influence.
His friend's birth mother was the one who gave birth to him, and was promoted from a maidservant to a concubine. But he had an older, capable, and accomplished elder brother above him, and a young, lovable son born to his favored concubine below him.
He was caught in the middle; though no one mistreated him, he was not valued either. Every day he watched his birth mother and the other concubines quarrel and fight, causing embarrassing situations every few days, and he felt deeply powerless about it.
He always told Wenjin that after marriage, he would only have one wife and no one else, so that his children would not face the same situation.
Wen Jin wholeheartedly agreed, “Aunt, I have no objection. Harmony in the family brings prosperity. Where there are many wives and concubines, there are many disputes. I am willing to be like Father.”
Sun Miaoqing said, "Really? Don't force yourself because of me."
Wen Jin said, "I won't force you; this is what my nephew truly feels."
Sun Miaoqing nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Wen Yu, "And you? Are you like your brother, or are you thinking of having two women on each side?"
"Beauty fades with time; if you marry her, it's a lifelong commitment."
Wenyu asked, "As long as she's beautiful, I have no objection. When she grows old, I'll be old and gray too, then who will look down on whom?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Remember what you said today. If you ever think of being unfaithful or heartless in the future, I will be the first to not let you off the hook."
Seeing their aunt's stern attitude, Sun Wenjin and Sun Wenyu nodded earnestly. Sun Wenyu thought to herself, "My aunt has changed so much since she became a concubine."
Not only is she more beautiful than before, but her overall demeanor and imposing presence are even more impressive than the Governor-General's.
She was completely different from how she used to help the brothers learn to read and write back in Suzhou. But no matter how different things were, she was still his aunt and wouldn't harm them.
Sun Miaoqing said, "Take the two of them to Hongzhou's place. I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with my sister-in-law."
"Yes, young masters, please follow me."
"Thank you for your trouble, Sister Rose."
After everyone had left, Sun Miaoqing said, "I haven't seen them for two years, and they've both grown so tall. Luckily, they don't look like my brother, otherwise, this marriage would be difficult."
Zhao asked, "I wonder which two princesses Your Highness has taken a fancy to?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "I do have some plans in mind, but I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm thinking of communicating with both families after returning to the palace, but it's not certain that it will work out."
"Consort Jing is skilled in perfumery. She searched through ancient books and reconstructed several precious perfumes that had long been lost, such as the Goose Pear Tent Incense."
"In addition to those cosmetics and perfumes, I find them to be much better than those sent by the Imperial Household Department."
"Once the business is established, if the Fuca and Niohuru families are interested, each will contribute 10% of the shares as a betrothal gift."
Sun Miaoqing originally intended to give 20%, but Da Pang Ju suddenly interfered and gave away another 20%. What difference would it make if she worked for nothing?
Even one tenth is a lot. Others may not know, but Sun Miaoqing knows what a generous gift this is!
Zhao said, "Your Majesty has worried so much about them. This is, after all, your private property. How can you use it as betrothal gifts for their brothers?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "It's not entirely for them; I also have my own reasons."
"His Majesty intends to lift the sea ban, and I also want a share of the profits. Whether we get married or not, I will give away 20% of the shares. It's just a matter of who to give them to and how to give them."
"The Emperor took the lion's share of the money when it came to the smallpox vaccination. He only promoted me to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, but didn't do anything else."
"I tried to subtly hint at it several times, but the Emperor didn't respond. I'll just have to accept this loss; there's nothing I can do about it in the inner palace."
"But if my brother achieves results, the Emperor will have no choice but to acknowledge it. Sister-in-law, we still need you to take care of many things outside for me and the Fifth Prince."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
