"That won't work." Gao Xuance blurted out.
Concubine Hong looked at her son very abruptly, and Gao Xuance found this feeling very strange. He thought to himself that it would be fine if he didn't know about his past life, but it was obvious that they were uncle and sister-in-law in the past life. If they were mixed together, wouldn't it be unethical?
Before, he suspected that Yao Niang might be reincarnated, but since the interpretation of the divination, she clearly looked like a little girl, so it was very likely that she was not reincarnated. Otherwise, how could she be like that to herself, a person who died young in her previous life.
Never mind. He just let it go.
"Mother, actually I have liked Miss Luo for a long time, but she is young, and I think marriage is a matter of parents' orders and matchmaker's words, so I have never said it out loud." Gao Xuance stood up and said firmly.
Concubine Hong almost fainted after hearing this. She couldn't help but held his hand tightly and asked, "Is what you said true or false?"
During the Mid-Autumn Festival at home, Yao Niang took some time to pay her respects to Old Lady Dou. The old lady was getting older and more frail than she was a few years ago, and her movements were much slower.
But she is not blind or deaf, and is still a very capable old woman.
"Grandma, how have you been lately? Why haven't I seen Fourth Sister Shifang?" Yao Niang asked as she sat down.
Old Lady Dou smiled and said, "I'm fine. Shi Fang has gone to her mother's place. I'll ask her to come over later so you two sisters can have a good talk. As for you, it's better to stay at home than in the palace. I've told your mother to let you feel more relaxed at home."
Yao Niang thanked this old lady who was so caring towards her younger generation. Shi Fang came over from time to time. Her hair had become much thinner. It was said that she always felt that she was getting fat, so she tried not to eat in order to be slim. However, not eating made her hair fall out easily, and her figure was still bloated.
In addition, the eldest wife's family did not make much progress, and my uncle was tired of being an official. Only my eldest cousin, Luo Jingtian, was a scholar, but he asked his family to donate money to become an official, and now he has already gone out to serve as an official.
Therefore, although Shi Fang has some people proposing marriage to her now, Ren Shi doesn't like most of them. And the one she wants to marry, Cao Wanxuan from the Dongyang Marquis Mansion, doesn't like her.
Yao Niang couldn't persuade her any further, and her relationship with Shi Fang wasn't that good, so they only talked in general terms.
At this time, Old Madam Dou said that a small banquet was set up in Ganquanju, and it was still little Jiang who was in charge. Little Jiang had only one daughter, Hui Jie'er, in all these years. The elders in the family had some complaints about her, but they didn't know what to say.
I heard from my mother that my brother Jingfa has been wanting to take a concubine for more than a day or two, but he was wary of going to Jiang's house. However, he has been doing it secretly in the room quite a few times.
But Xiao Jiang was very jealous, and all the secrets were exposed, which was criticized by Yao Niang. These things were nothing to her. Who doesn't want to live a life alone with her husband? Unfortunately, all powerful men, no, even men with a little money, want to play with women.
Women are also very pitiful. If they are a little bit pretty, but their parents are not wealthy, they are likely to be snatched away by others to be concubines.
But she only dared to mention this to Yu.
Yu's heart was pounding when she heard this: "Child, do you know what you are saying? Your brother Jingfa has no children, so won't all the property of this branch go to the eldest branch in the future? Why do people in this world want to give birth to boys? Do you think others are not as smart as you? It's because there is no other way. If our family didn't have your father, you and I might have been kicked out."
"That being said, there's nothing wrong in asking for a lifetime of companionship." Yao Niang just felt that everyone thought that Xiao Jiang was jealous, but she just wanted to be with her man for the rest of her life, just like all women in the world.
When Yu heard this, she was furious: "You, with your status, can only marry into a family with strict rules. But in such a family, you can't have children, and if they don't take concubines, they will have concubines. You can't guard against it..."
"Mom, I understand." Yao Niang knew that Xiao Niang was definitely not saying this to harm her, and that it was based entirely on her experience. However, for Yao Niang, she no longer wanted to know this.
Seeing that her daughter was unwilling to listen, Yu sighed and said, "You have such a stubborn temper. Even if you are strong in everything, you can't bow your head. Women need to be gentle to be liked. Look at your father. Although I have some tricks, it's because I always use judo."
Yao Niang stretched out her hand to stop Yu from saying anything further: "Mom, I know, but I am not you. I have my own path to take." After saying that, she walked away.
Looking at her daughter's back, Yu felt a little scared for no reason.
A daughter who is too strong-willed will not have a good relationship with her husband, unless the other one has a very good temper, otherwise it will be very difficult.
Therefore, at night, she said to Luo Zhizheng: "Master, Yao Niang is already thirteen years old, and even Shi Yu has already been engaged. Have you ever thought about looking for a man for her first? If she is not chosen in the palace, we have candidates in our family. We can't leave her without a place to go."
As a mother, all she wants is for her daughter to be stable, especially now that Jinghao has grown up. With her husband's promotion, Yu's status at home has become higher and higher, and she lives a very comfortable life. Luo Zhizheng was not originally interested in women, and he would only go to her room when she was not feeling well. He supported her in all matters, big and small.
Even when Yu Yan wanted to return to the Luo family as a widow, it was Luo Zhizheng who arranged it for her.
After hearing what she said, Luo Zhizheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, she can get married even at the age of 18. It's no big deal."
"That's... that's true, but no matter how good our Yao Niang is, people will think there's something wrong when they hear that I'm only eighteen." Yu felt like she was burning with anxiety.
But the father and daughter didn't care at all, and she was the only one who was worrying about it.
Luo Zhizheng turned over and said, "Go to sleep quickly. There's no rush. If you don't sleep, I'll sleep first..."
"Master..." Yu was sulking to herself.
Unfortunately, Yao Niang had to go to the palace again the next day. This time, the person sent by Concubine Hong to pick her up arrived early, so Yao Niang had to say goodbye to her parents and sisters-in-law.
When entering the palace, Yao Niang used to be in a hurry and never looked around carefully. Now she took every step carefully. The female official urged her, "Miss Luo, it's getting late. Let's go to Kunning Palace to see Concubine Hong first."
"Yeah." Yao Niang didn't know why Concubine Hong asked her to come back so early.
Kunning Palace is still as magnificent as before, especially after the mourning period ended. A screen wall was added here, and it was said that the palace would be rebuilt, but to Yao Niang, it was already very magnificent.
At the ceremonial gate of Kunning Palace, she saw Hong Shuyi. This girl was 19 years old this year and was still working as a female official in the palace. She really wasted her time.
Unfortunately, Princess Zhenyang no longer likes Hong Shuyi in recent years. She often helps Princess Hong manage palace affairs, and it is said that she often uses profit to gain favors and bribes her with small profits.
But there were also many people who laughed at her, saying that she refused to leave the palace and was clinging on to seek wealth and fame.
Hong Shuyi pretended not to hear anything and smiled at everyone. Her ability to endure was even better than Luo Jingrou's. Today was interesting. When Hong Shuyi saw her, she didn't look as calm as before.
"Sister Hong, why are you here?"
"Nothing, I just happened to be on my way out. By the way, Concubine Hong is waiting for you, please go in first."
Yao Niang was puzzled. She looked up at the sky, as if someone was coming with bad intentions.
But when she entered the main hall, she felt that everything was normal. She knelt down and greeted: "I, your humble servant, greet Madam Hong. May Madam Hong be blessed with good health."
Concubine Hong cared about Yao Niang as if she were her own son or nephew, but ever since her son knelt down and fell deeply in love with her, she began to look at Yao Niang. She saw that she was wearing an ordinary female official uniform when she entered the palace today, but it made her skin look even fairer and more radiant, as if it brought glory to the Kunning Palace.
It is just as others say, seeing her is like seeing a beautiful jewel.
Looking at her again, she has an elegant demeanor and a gentle and kind appearance.
"Get up. You came early today. It's a good opportunity for us to have dinner together. How is your family?" Concubine Hong asked with a smile.
Yao Niang felt strange. This Concubine Hong had been looking at her for too long. But when she heard her ask, Yao Niang smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, everything is fine at home. My father and mother asked me to say hello to you, too."
"Oh, then thank you very much, Lord Luo. Yes, I heard that your family's ancestral home is Gaoping, right? Your grandfather was the chief prosecutor of Xianluo, right?"
"Your Majesty has a really good memory. My grandfather was the top scorer in the imperial examination and later retired as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing." At this moment, Yao Niang felt a little suspicious. Why would Concubine Hong ask so many questions?
Concubine Hong thought that Luo Yao's ancestors were indeed a family of officials, and her cousin married into the Fenyang Wang family, the emperor's uncle, who was also a well-known family.
"It's like this. I want to embroider a picture of Guanyin to hang in my room these days. After all, the people in the Shanggong Bureau don't know as much as you do. Especially since you are so good at painting portraits, I would like to ask you to embroider a picture of Guanyin for me."
It turned out that it was because of this that embroidering the Guanyin statue was very exhausting, but Yao Niang still agreed. She had become a lot more impetuous these days, and embroidering something could help her calm down. The more critical the moment, the less room for mistakes could be made.
Just look at Concubine Lin, she caused such a disturbance that it was a good omen. Isn't this forcing the emperor to abdicate?
Therefore, after returning to the house, she paid her respects to Princess Zhenyang and began to hide in the embroidered Guanyin statue, and rarely went out except to read. Zhuang Lingyi curled her lips, thinking that Yao Niang was too flattering.
At this time, changes occurred in the court. When someone requested to make Lin the empress, someone else mentioned that Lin's auspiciousness would be detrimental to the country. Qin Tianjian also said that if Lin became the empress, the emperor and empress would not be in harmony.
But since Lin had been the principal wife after all, she was specially named the noble concubine. Concubine Hong was originally a hidden concubine, and she gave birth to two sons and a daughter, so she was also named the noble concubine.
The canonization ceremony will be held in the spring of next year. Now the palace has issued an order that everyone will start calling Lin Guifei Lin and Hong Guifei Hong, which actually seems to be an equal.
Of course, the emperor quickly arranged a marriage for his eldest son, and he chose Wang Yuanshuang, the daughter of an earl. Wang Yuanshuang's family background was second to none, and the eldest son was given the title of King Xian, so he ordered Qin Tianjian to choose an auspicious day for him to get married.
"King Xian? Why was the eldest prince only given the title of King Xian?" Concubine Lin really couldn't believe it. It didn't matter if she was given the title of Concubine Xian, because Hong was only given the title of Concubine Xian anyway.
But after all, her eldest son was the eldest prince, and there would definitely be opportunities in the future. How could she have known that her eldest son was not named the crown prince but only the King of Hyeon?
There were also quite a few people, including young historians such as Shan Yujing, who began to submit memorials to the emperor asking him to appoint a crown prince.
Luo Zhixiao was so angry when he found out about this. Luo Zhixiao was once a member of Prince Heng's faction. If Luo Zhizheng had not been an official in the Ministry of Personnel, he would have been demoted long ago. But now he has only been transferred to the Imperial Household Department as a minor official, and even the prospect of promotion is unlikely. He had no idea that his son-in-law would have gotten into such trouble again.
He called his son-in-law Shan Yujing over immediately. Shan Yujing was also very smart. He knew what it was about.
But since ancient times, wealth and honor have been sought in danger. Even if the emperor no longer likes Concubine Lin, she gave birth to the eldest prince, who will be the crown prince in the future. He is now trying to gain a good reputation and to gain prominence.
"Yujing, what's wrong with you? Although the emperor has not appointed his eldest son as the crown prince, he is still the first among the princes to be appointed as a king. Besides, you have just started working in Yushidao, you shouldn't be so reckless." Luo Zhixiao also spoke earnestly.
Shan Yujing said righteously, "Old Taishan, I know that my words don't count, but a real man in this world should know what to do and what not to do."
Luo Zhixiao had always been cautious in his official duties. After all, his family already had a Luo Zhizheng, who was known for his tough character and had a very good reputation in the court.
But in terms of talent, fame, and even official career, Luo Zhizheng was much better than Shan Yujing.
Shan Yujing was only a Jinshi from the third class. If he had not had connections in the court, it would have been difficult for him to go to the imperial court. He might have been sent out long ago. He was not comparable to Luo Zhizheng, who was born in the Hanlin Academy and became the emperor's daily lecturer.
Shan Yujing didn't care...
Of course, there were changes in the palace. Wang Yuanshuang was originally a study companion like everyone else, and everyone got along with each other the same way. But now Wang Yuanshuang has suddenly become the Princess Xian, and there has been a distinction between the highest and the lowest.
The younger brother of Emperor Jianzhang, the Ninth Prince, was granted the title of Prince of Le'an, with his fief in Shuzhou. Cheng Shaojin was given to the Ninth Prince and was to be enfeoffed after his marriage.
I never thought that Cheng Shaojin was going to marry the Ninth Prince. Yao Niang had a very good relationship with Cheng Shaojin. She went to Princess Xing'an in person and gave her her most precious jade pendant.
"This was given to me by my father. I have been wearing it all the time. This time I am giving it to you. Sister Cheng, I hope you can follow the times and be happy in everything in the future." Yao Niang knew in her heart that the Ninth Prince was not actually Cheng Shaojin's ideal man, and she had even heard vaguely about the relationship between Cheng Shaojin and the eldest prince.
Cheng Shaojian was very happy: "Mother Yao, the marriage is arranged today, and I will go home. They have sent people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to follow me home. It will be difficult for us to meet in the future. I know that you are extraordinary, and you are better than me in every way. I only know your temper, but I have to advise you that the jade from Jingxiu must have flaws, and the pearl from Lilong also has microscopic flaws."
Yao Niang immediately understood what Cheng Shaozhen meant. She knew herself very well. What Cheng Shaozhen probably wanted to say was that there is nothing perfect in the world. No matter how beautiful an object is, it will have flaws, so there is no need to pursue perfection.
Just like she requires her husband to have status, good looks, be loyal to her, and be capable, but is there probably no such man in the world?
Cheng Shaojian was trying to persuade himself not to be too calm and to be able to tolerate other people's shortcomings.
What if she is betrothed to the Fourth Prince? Then she should live a good life, that's probably what she meant.
"Sister Cheng, I know what you mean. We will meet again someday. It is not appropriate for me to stay here for long. You must take good care of yourself." Yao Niang nodded heavily.
When Yao Niang was about to leave, Cheng Shaojin also gave her a pair of jade bracelets: "This is a pair of jade bracelets passed down from my ancestors. I heard that they came from Myanmar. My sister treats me with sincerity. We are closer than real sisters. You must accept it."
Yao Niang nodded with tears in her eyes.
Two names have already been decided, and the remaining ones are the second prince and the third prince. Yao Niang just kept all these in mind and appeared to be extremely calm.
She was still embroidering the Guanyin statue in the house, but Princess Zhenyang even joked, "Why aren't you in a hurry at all?"
Yao Niang said helplessly: "I just hope that the princess will be like Princess Xing'an. If she gets engaged, I will be happy for her."
Princess Zhenyang pinched Yao Niang's face and said, "You know what? I wish you could stay in the palace so that I would have a companion. You know, although I have a biological sister, our relationship is very polite. But you are here with me, accompanying me everywhere, and advising me all the time. What should I do if you marry far away in the future?"
If someone was impatient, they would definitely ask Princess Zhenyang to be the lobbyist. However, Yao Niang felt that this was not possible. She really couldn't take advantage of others in this way.
She recited the "Calming Mantra" in her mind, reminding herself to stay calm.
However, after Shan Yujing submitted a petition to establish the crown prince, the emperor kept it in his palace and ignored it. However, Shan Yujing went around the imperial court and contacted several people who had submitted petitions to the emperor. This angered the emperor, and Shan Yujing was beaten with a hundred sticks and demoted to a commoner.
Luo Zhixiao came to Luo Zhizheng and asked, "Third brother, can you help me with this matter? If he is really demoted to a commoner, then wouldn't his imperial examination be in vain?"
Luo Zhizheng sighed, "Second brother, do you think I didn't ask for it? It's just that the emperor has shown special favor. I want him to return to his hometown to rest for a while and build up his reputation. It will be a good thing in the future. Please rest assured, as long as I am in the court, I will definitely help him turn things around."
This Shan Yujing, it was really a good decision not to marry her daughter to him back then. He is even more crazy than he was back then, and he wants to gain a good reputation quickly.
Now Lin was only given the title of Imperial Concubine, and she was still making a presumptuous move to create some auspicious omen. It was fine to support the orthodoxy, but her daughter didn't marry the eldest prince. What if she married another prince? Wouldn't that mean he was against his daughter? Then her daughter would have a hard time.
Of course, based on his loyalty to the court, he would still like the eldest son to inherit, but he can't hold back now.
After sending Luo Zhixiao out, Luo Zhizheng thought to himself that in a few months, the emperor would probably confer titles on the second and third princes, as both of them would be over fifteen years old.
Originally, the three kings were to be conferred titles together, but the inner cabinet disagreed and wanted to confer a title on the crown prince, but the emperor refused, saying that it was not right now. Therefore, the eldest prince was conferred the title of king first, and the other two princes were conferred titles three months later.
Perhaps the marriages of the other two were not finalized until three months later.
I just don’t know if my daughter will become successful?
The palace was still peaceful. Ever since Gao Xuance found out that Lin was not crowned as empress and did not take charge of the harem, he knew that her power had been greatly weakened. In her previous life, it was precisely because she was the empress that the eldest prince had countless people supporting him no matter what, because everyone thought that Concubine Hong would sooner or later become like Concubine Liao during the previous emperor's time.
Now that Lin cannot become the empress, she is a noble concubine like her mother. On the contrary, her mother is more favored, and the servants do not dare to surrender to Queen Lin at will.
This is the first step. There are many more steps to go, and he will take them one step at a time.
Thinking of this, he went to pay his respects to Concubine Hong. When he entered the room, he saw Hong Shuyi. Gao Xuance nodded and walked in. Hong Shuyi turned around and said, "Third Prince."
Gao Xuance paused and asked, "What's up? Lady Hong wants to talk to me about something?"
He was previously named King of Linjiang, but now everyone is waiting for the imperial edict, so he is still called the prince in the palace.
Hong Shuyi smiled and said, "The queen didn't sleep well last night. She didn't want to call a doctor to see her. I hope the third prince can help persuade her."
"Okay, I understand." Gao Xuance walked in immediately.
Sure enough, he saw that Concubine Hong's face was pale and indeed haggard, so he quickly asked with concern, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Concubine Hong shook her head: "Nothing, I just felt a little upset last night. By the way, I heard that Luo's son-in-law Shan Yujing wrote a letter to the emperor to make the eldest prince the crown prince, and was beaten by the emperor, is that right?"
Gao Xuance nodded: "Yes, he has been exiled."
"My son, last time you said you loved Miss Luo, and I know she is a good girl. But seeing that her family supports Lin so much, I think it would be better if we call off this marriage. Don't worry, I will make the decision on your marriage and choose the one carefully for you." Concubine Hong promised her son.
But Gao Xuance said: "No, Luo Zhizheng did not say anything, it was just the son-in-law of the second branch of the Luo family who did something wrong, and those minor officials also used this to gain fame."
What he said was the truth. If it was Luo Zhizheng who did it, it wouldn't be so rough.
Concubine Hong felt that her son was deeply in love. She looked at Gao Xuance and said, "How can you excuse her like this? This girl has had a profound influence on you. If this is the case, I will marry her off to avoid this."
Hong Shuyi, who was outside, heard everything, but when she saw someone coming, she sneered and went to Princess Zhenyang's palace. She wanted to tell Luo Yao's mother to give up. You know, the third prince is a famous mother's obedient son and listens to Concubine Hong in everything.
"Mother, what are you talking about? I am just telling the truth. I am not trying to help her." Gao Xuance felt confused.
Concubine Hong knew that her son would listen to her in the past, but she had no idea that he would say this now. She frowned and said, "You should marry someone with military power. What's wrong with that?"
Gao Xuance frowned. He had left his mother when he was too young, so he always thought his mother was very smart. But now it seemed that she had no political skills at all and she kept going back on her words. Who said that military power was the most important?
Aren't these troops supposed to obey the emperor? It's as if the princes have to kneel down to these people who are just following orders. This is really a woman's view.
But he can't openly attack his mother now, otherwise the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will be very bad when Yao Niang enters the house.
Gao Xuance then knelt down and put his hairpin to his throat: "Mother, if you want to do this, just kill me first. I was tempted by her because I saw how well she got along with you. I had no idea that you misunderstood me."
Concubine Hong was so frightened that she almost fell off her seat: "Son, please talk nicely if you have something to say. Don't do this. Mother knows your filial piety——"
Gao Xuance's expression relaxed, and he couldn't help but say: "Then the child's marriage——"
"Don't worry, since you have your opinion, I won't force you." Seeing him put down the hairpin, Concubine Hong breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked in confusion, "Didn't you say that she should be married off at the beginning? Why is there such a big reaction now?"
Gao Xuance was also stunned for a moment. Yes, as long as she got married, it would be fine as long as she didn't have to be with her second brother. Was he possessed by a ghost just now?
But a man should keep his word, so Gao Xuance had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "My son is just talking nonsense. I'm afraid it will hurt her reputation, and she doesn't know these things..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
