The Eighth Prince's wife fell silent, speechless.
"Sister, if I could, I would prefer that you marry an ordinary person and live a peaceful life. I don't want you to sacrifice everything for an almost impossible outcome. But there are some things I can't stop, like how you fell in love with the Eighth Prince, which also sealed that fate."
Heyue pursed her lips and smiled bitterly: "This result is unexpected. I never thought that my sister would become the Eighth Prince's wife. As far as I am concerned, it doesn't matter who I marry, as long as my sister is happy."
However, if Heyue marries the Tenth Prince, it would mean that she is on the side of the Eighth Prince. The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince will no longer believe anything she says, and Heyue and they will become like strangers.
Putting aside the fact that so many years of feelings can't be given up in a short time, more importantly, without that mission, Heyue will...
The words in her heart, the secret, remained unspoken, leaving her heart filled with bitterness.
She understood her and her sister's situation; marrying the thirteenth prince would put them in an awkward position.
Heyue didn't want her sister to be sad or put in a difficult position.
However, some things are destined to be mutually exclusive.
"Silly child, what are you saying? Marriage should be a happy occasion for yourself. I just don't want you to get involved in these troubles. I hope you can be well. The Tenth Prince is a good choice. Of course, if you don't like him, I won't force you." The Eighth Princess's eyes were warm as she reached out and hugged Heyue.
Heyue could sense her sister's struggle and felt very distressed.
Having finally found her sister, Heyue really didn't want to put her in a difficult position.
She tugged at the corners of her lips, feigning ease, and smiled slightly: "Sister, if I and the Eighth Prince were both in danger, and you could only choose one, which one would you save?"
Unable to reveal her inner secret, Heyue had to find another way.
A sliver of hope remained in my heart.
They've been through so many years together, relying on each other for survival, and their relationship is now like that of sisters.
He Yue knew that there was no choice in such a question.
But given her current situation, she has no other choice.
"What's the problem? Why are you still acting like a child?" The Eighth Prince's wife chuckled, thinking she was just jealous and throwing a tantrum.
"Then can you answer my question, sister?" Heyue pouted slightly, just like when she was a child, and asked her in a coquettish tone.
"Well, you and your brother-in-law are the most important people to my sister, how can I choose between them?" The Eighth Princess Consort smiled slightly and answered softly.
He Yue suddenly remembered asking her sister who was more important to her, herself or that man. At that time, her sister hugged her affectionately and said, "Of course, my little Yueyue is the most important."
Heyue was happy for a long time because of those words.
But this time, my sister didn't choose one of them; instead, she remained ambiguous.
He Yue thought vaguely that her sister must have really fallen in love this time, otherwise why wouldn't she even bother with a perfunctory response?
But what could she do? The thing she least wanted to do in her life was to disobey her sister.
※
As the New Year of the 40th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign drew nearer, the atmosphere in the Forbidden City grew increasingly lively.
However, the Thirteenth Prince has been feeling somewhat depressed lately.
After visiting the Fourth Prince's residence several times without finding Heyue, the Thirteenth Prince grew anxious.
The Fourth Prince watched as the boy accompanied him to his residence time and time again, only to be disappointed each time, and finally realized something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" Looking at Thirteen sitting in the chair, scratching his smooth head in frustration and not saying a word for a long time, I frowned and asked in confusion.
"Fourth Brother, Heyue hasn't come for a long time. Don't you find that strange?" The Thirteenth Prince scratched his head, his face scrunched up like a bun.
"What's wrong? Do you need to see her?" Fourth Prince raised an eyebrow.
"No, not exactly." The Thirteenth Prince lowered his eyes somewhat awkwardly and frowned. "It's just that I haven't seen her lately, and I'm feeling very anxious."
"You're not making any preparations for your wedding, but you're always thinking about people who are irrelevant to you," the Fourth Prince teased him.
The Thirteenth Prince looked sullen and somewhat displeased: "Fourth Brother, you know perfectly well that I don't like that concubine, and I have no intention of marrying her at all. Saying this is just making fun of me!"
"Whether you like her or not, you'll have to marry her eventually. Isn't it too late to think about these things now?" Fourth Prince bluntly rebuked him.
"Fourth Brother!" The Thirteenth Prince was slightly annoyed: "I know this is Father Emperor's will. I'll marry her. Anyway, she's just a concubine. I can choose my primary wife later, right?"
"That's not necessarily true." Fourth Prince snorted, not giving him any chance to fantasize: "The selection of the primary consort must be approved by Father Emperor, not by you. If you really want to choose for yourself, then focus on doing what you're supposed to do, marry a secondary consort next year, and then follow your fourth brother on official business. You're older now, and you should be able to distinguish between what's important and what's not. When you're more mature, Father Emperor might grant your request if he's in a good mood. After all, Heyue is the daughter of a first-rank official, she's qualified to be your primary consort."
Despite the Fourth Prince's reprimand, the Thirteenth Prince's expression did not improve at all. He stood up and angrily declared, "I don't think it'll be that time yet, and Heyue will already be my tenth sister-in-law!"
The Fourth Prince frowned, looking at his dark face and troubled expression, and asked in a deep voice, "Where did you get this information?"
The thirteenth prince realized he had let something slip and, feeling embarrassed, lowered his head guiltily: "Fourth brother, I...I..."
"Still not telling the truth?!" the Fourth Prince roared, his face ashen.
The Thirteenth Prince trembled and quickly told the truth: "These days I've noticed that the Tenth Prince is in a good mood, which I find strange. I've noticed that he's been going to the Eighth Prince's residence frequently lately. Originally, it wasn't a big deal, but Heyue has also been going to the Eighth Prince's residence often recently, so I paid attention and asked the people that the Fourth Prince left at the Eighth Prince's residence. That's when I found out that Heyue and the Tenth Prince have been meeting frequently lately, and it was all arranged by the Eighth Prince's wife. I heard that Heyue and the Tenth Prince chatted very happily, which made me a little uneasy."
"Fourth Brother, as you know, Heyue is naive. I don't know why, but she seems to be very close to Eighth Sister-in-law. I'm afraid she's been bewitched by Eighth Sister-in-law."
Thirteenth Prince cautiously glanced at Fourth Prince, whose face was grim, his brows furrowed with worry: "Fourth Brother, you know what kind of person Tenth Brother is. How could we let Heyue get on Eighth Brother's ship so easily? Do you think of a way?"
The Fourth Prince sat down, his expression softening slightly. He rubbed his temples and asked casually, "How do you want your fourth brother to help her?"
The Thirteenth Prince was speechless, a look of panic flashing in his eyes: "Fourth Brother, is there nothing you can do?"
"Since she went to see the tenth prince and they had a pleasant conversation, she must also have feelings for him. Why should we interfere?"
"But Fourth Brother—" The Thirteenth Prince suddenly tensed up, his pupils contracted, and he looked incredulous.
"On what grounds do you intend to stop her?" the Fourth Prince asked calmly, his dark eyes fixed on him.
"But... we can't just sit idly by..." The Thirteenth Prince said this with great lack of confidence. His eyes flickered slightly, and after speaking, he deflated and sat back down with a thud.
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