Although she knew it in her heart, Irgen Gioro still snorted heavily when she heard this: "How is our Xiao Liu lacking? Although she can't compare to Yuxiu, who is proficient in all the arts, she is still much better than Wanyan."
Marhan chuckled, knowing his wife still remembered Wanyan Mingshuang hitting Xiaoqi the night before. He poured her a cup of tea and gently comforted her, "What are you doing? She's better than Xiaoliu. Shouldn't we be happy? At least we can guarantee Xiaoliu's happiness. Do you want Xiaoliu to marry the Fourteenth Prince?"
"Of course not!" Lady Irgen Gioro's face darkened: "Sixth Princess must never marry into the royal family!"
"That's fine then. No matter which family Consort De takes a liking to, it's none of our business. Even if she ends up choosing the sixth child, there's still room for maneuver with the Emperor."
Having anticipated his wife's reaction, Marhan was not surprised at all.
To outsiders, Marhan was not as favored by the emperor as Mazi, Isanga and others. In fact, he was about to retire in a few years. His only son was still young, and there were no capable members of his clan, except for a powerful wife's family.
However, relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself, and the only way to ensure wealth and honor is to marry into the royal family.
Having an older sister who is a royal daughter-in-law to help him is much better than having an uncle with no blood relation. Guan Zhu's future career will be unimpeded.
However, Marhan knew that sometimes being out of favor with the emperor in the eyes of outsiders was not necessarily a bad thing, and even marrying into the royal family was not necessarily a good thing.
"What happens to Xiao Liu in the future depends entirely on the Emperor's mind. Even if the Emperor bestows a marriage upon him, the Fourteenth Prince will not be the best choice. There is no need to worry that Xiao Liu will suffer."
The emperor cared not about the power of his subjects, but about their loyalty.
Loyalty is hard to come by, and it is not easy to remain untainted in the officialdom, yet it is something he has accumulated over time.
He believed that as long as the emperor remembered him and with the support of his wife's family, the future of the Zhaojia clan would be secure.
“I do have a good candidate in mind,” said Yiergenjueluo Shi slowly, glancing at him.
"Oh? Who?" Marhan raised an eyebrow in confusion, noticing his wife's expression as if she had planned this all along, but had never told him.
“Iduli grew up with Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi, and they can be considered childhood sweethearts. Iduli is the younger brother’s only legitimate son. With this relationship, Xiao Liu will not suffer.”
Looking at his wife's earnest expression, Marhan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and was filled with relief. He reached out and took his wife's hand, saying, "You always seem to understand what I'm worried about. Itul is a good choice. I trust Itul's character, but I trust your judgment even more."
Irgen Gioro blushed, glared at him, and snorted, "I'm only thinking about my daughter's happiness. After all, family is the most reliable." But she was secretly pleased with her husband's words.
Although the two have grown older over the years, they are still very much in love and sweet words are always exchanged. Whenever she hears these words, Irgen Gioro will complain that the other party is shameless, but she is happy in her heart.
“In any case, with Iduli around, my brother-in-law won’t ignore the Zhaojia clan.” Marhan chuckled, already used to his wife’s duplicity: “Isan’a has great respect for you, her elder sister.”
Thinking of her only younger brother, Irgen Gioro was also very gratified.
Her greatest concern in life was her children. Fortunately, she had a younger brother, so she could rest easy even after she passed away.
Heyue, who was eavesdropping outside the door, raised her index finger to Wang Mama, shushed her, and signaled not to tell her father and mother that she had been there. She then quietly left the main courtyard.
"That's great. So Mother had planned this all along. Yiduli?" Heyue stroked her chin, her eyes darting around. After all, Yiduli was her and her sixth sister's cousin, so Heyue had never considered him. Close-kin marriage was never a good idea.
She knew that if her father and mother thought it was good, then it was an even better choice.
If Sixth Sister truly loves Yiduli, marrying him would indeed be a good choice.
Oh dear, I should ask Sixth Sister and Yiduli what they think.
Watching the little princess's departing figure, Wang Mama glanced at the inner room, then thought for a moment and decided not to tell the madam. After all, the little princess was still young, and even if she heard, it wouldn't be a big deal.
She couldn't help but think that the little princess was becoming more and more lively as she grew up. She had even learned to eavesdrop on the master and madam's conversations. After all, she was a child at heart and had a strong sense of curiosity. Granny Wang shook her head and found it amusing.
The next morning, after washing up, Heyue couldn't wait to run to Yanyue's courtyard.
Yan Yue was playing shuttlecock with her maids when she spotted He Yue. A smile appeared on her lips, and the shuttlecock flew high into the air, steadily heading towards He Yue.
He Yue felt a surge of joy, caught the flying shuttlecock, tossed it aside, and started kicking it with ease.
She lifted her leg, kicked forward, kicked back, and bent over—the movements were fluid and graceful, drawing applause and cheers from Yan Yue and her maids.
The shuttlecock flew back into Yan Yue's hands. Yan Yue ran over and looked at He Yue, who was half a head shorter than her, with a surprised gaze: "I didn't expect you to be such a hidden talent, even keeping it from me."
Heyue smiled with narrowed eyes and changed the subject: "Sixth Sister, are you going out to play today?"
Yan Yue's face fell: "Mother won't let me go out, saying that unless Yi Duli accompanies me, but that brat Yi Duli hasn't shown up yet, and I don't know what he's doing."
"Let's go inside and talk for a while, I'm bored anyway," Heyue said, seizing the opportunity.
Yan Yue nodded, and the two went into the house together. They sat on a daybed in the west side room, with a small mahogany square table in the middle. A maid brought over a plate of fruit and placed it on the table.
After the maids had all left, Heyue picked up an apple, took a bite, and casually asked, "Sister, how did your time with the Fourteenth Prince go last time?"
"Huh? What do you mean, how?" Yan Yue looked completely bewildered.
He Yue felt a bit awkward, like she was asking her sister's blind date about her boyfriend, but she still forced herself to ask, "Do you like the Fourteenth Prince?"
Although it seemed strange, Yan Yue honestly shook her head: "I don't like it."
He Yue breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Then why don't you like it?" She needed to find out the truth in order to find the right solution and understand her sixth sister's true feelings.
"Hmph, people like him are so willful and domineering, especially when they talk to girls, they don't know how to be polite at all. I hate people like that the most." She angrily took a bite of her apple, her eyes blazing with fury, full of resentment.
Heyue nodded silently. It seemed that Sixth Sister liked polite people.
Yes, any girl would like a guy like that, except for herself, of course.
"What kind of man does Sixth Sister like?" Heyue could finally ask this question naturally, blinking her eyes like a curious child: "That Fourteenth Prince is quite handsome and quite popular with girls."
She vividly remembered how much Sixth Sister adored the Thirteenth Prince, and how she was never as kind to Yiduli. In fact, her eyes would light up whenever she saw the Thirteenth Prince.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
