After dinner, Xiao Jingkang found an excuse and took his wife back to Yayuan. He was now eager to find someone to help him analyze what Yun Yichen meant.
"You're acting weird today. Is something wrong?" Tong Mingyu was confused by her husband's behavior.
How could he not blame them? These inexplicable guys were driving people crazy. Xiao Jingkang didn't have the right to do that. If his words had any effect, he would have directly ordered all young men to stay away from his daughter. Anyway, he wouldn't blame his own baby. It was always others who caused trouble. The girls in the family could never do anything wrong. This was the deeply ingrained belief of the men in the Xiao family.
"Do you know who came this afternoon?" Xiao Jingkang wanted to explain everything in one breath, but he was afraid of scaring his wife, so he had to take the approach of persuasion. He himself didn't know how to react appropriately, let alone a woman!
"When did you become so hesitant? Can you speak more clearly?" Tong Mingyu asked while arranging things on the bedside table.
Since you are so eager to be stimulated, I will satisfy your wish.
"It was Prince Jing who sent his men to deliver a message, saying that he had already made arrangements for our family's safety and that she wouldn't have to go to the Prince's Mansion anymore. Why do you think he did this?"
"Ugh!" The book in Tong Mingyu's hand fell to the ground with a "thump". His mouth, which was opened in shock, took a long time to close.
"Have you thought of anything?" Xiao Jingkang hoped that the thought in his mind was not just a momentary illusion, and he wanted to get confirmation from his wife.
"That's not right! That imperial edict...what's going on here? I'm completely confused."
"Just now, I sneaked into my father's study and read the imperial edict again. It only stated that the daughter of the Xiao family does not need to marry far away from the capital, and that if she does, she must be the principal wife. It also stated that the emperor will not issue an edict to grant a marriage without the family's approval. It did not say that it forbids marriage with the prince's palace. Do you think we have misunderstood from the beginning and misinterpreted the original intentions of the emperor, the prince's palace, and the prince?"
"Ping'an and the prince have never had any intersection or interaction. I don't think Ping'an has any such intention towards the prince." It has to be said that no one knows a daughter better than her mother. If Xiao Yao knew her mother's objective evaluation, she would definitely give her both thumbs up. This must be praised.
"There is one thing I haven't told you. That's when Ping'an twisted her ankle while going to the villa. She had an accidental...contact with the prince. So I want to wait and discuss Ping'an's marriage." She has already been embraced by the prince. Is it appropriate for her to marry someone else?
Poor Xiao Jingkang, I wonder how he would react if he knew that his daughter had been held by Yun Yichen twice in such a short period of time.
"What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Jingkang had no choice but to tell the secret that he had hidden for a long time. Tong Mingyu slumped down in the chair after hearing it. When did this Mr. Xie appear? How come she didn't hear anything about him beforehand? And what did the prince and the palace mean? If they had no interest in her daughter, what would happen to Ping An?
"Can a small guard protect Ping An? Pick any one of these people at random, his status and power are not something he can handle. Although it is a son-in-law recruitment, don't the young couple have to go out? Don't they have to go to the in-laws' house? What should we do if something happens?" This is also the main reason why Tong Mingyu opposed his daughter's marriage. If he can't protect his daughter, everything else is empty talk. Only those who are not afraid of any power in terms of status and position can protect their daughter and make people feel truly at ease.
The couple's old grudges were put to rest, but new worries were added. They knew in their hearts that things would not be over until the day their daughter put on her wedding dress.
The emperor summoned the prince into the palace, and the two of them talked behind closed doors, but from that day on, the prince changed his behavior and became humble and polite. Every day, he went to the funeral hall of the late princess to take care of trivial matters personally. Within a few days, he earned a good reputation for being loyal and righteous, and received unanimous praise from the people of Kyoto.
The Xiao family also breathed a sigh of relief. The child had escaped this disaster. Hopefully, after going through so many hardships, she would eventually find a happy marriage.
After the Crown Princess's funeral, Old Marquis Xiao summoned his sons and daughters-in-law to discuss the lifelong affairs of his grandson and two granddaughters. Xiao Yao's affairs were of course the top priority. In the old man's view, women married into the Xiao family should be content. The family is harmonious and there is no need to worry about any dirty tricks between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, or sisters-in-law. How many families in Kyoto are as kind to their grandsons and sons-in-law as his own?
It’s different for granddaughters. Whether the in-laws are easy to get along with, whether the man is consistent in his words and deeds, whether she can adapt to future life...all these need to be taken into consideration, and there can’t be any carelessness.
"Father, why don't we wait a little longer! We can't arrange a wedding for our child right after the funeral in the Prince's Mansion. At least our family shouldn't set this precedent, don't you think?" Xiao Jingkang's mood is complicated now. He is looking forward to the response from Prince Jing's Mansion, but he is also afraid that if his daughter gets wronged after marrying into such a high-ranking family, he, as a father, will be unable to help. Wouldn't he be so anxious then!
What made him even more depressed was that the Prince Jing's Mansion had no intention of forming a marriage yet. Although his daughter's contacts with the princess and the princess remained unchanged, and gifts from the palace were sent to the Xiao family from time to time, the Prince Jing's Mansion had not taken any substantial action. He didn't know what their intentions were.
"Then let's settle Ayang's marriage first. We'll prepare first and get them married in two months." The old marquis also endured the heartache and mentioned his granddaughter's marriage with a stiff upper lip. Now that his eldest son stepped forward to stop it, it was none of his business. As long as it didn't hurt his beloved, his decisive and straightforward character would immediately return, and he would arrange the tasks quickly and resolutely.
"See! The difference between a granddaughter and a grandson is like heaven and earth to their father. I can guarantee that when Ping'an is getting married, our family will have meetings for three days and three nights. But now, it takes less than a quarter of an hour to get the grandson's matter done." Xiao Jingyan felt balanced now. It seemed that not only his son was not liked by the old man, but his grandson was not treated much better either.
"Worry about yourself first! Your wife will give birth soon. If you give birth to another son this time, you should take Ah Yu back to the Princess's Mansion. If you don't take care of your son and he grows up and won't let go when he sees a girl, I tell you, our Xiao family has no descendants with bad behavior. If he really doesn't learn his lesson, don't blame me for not recognizing him as your grandson."
His granddaughter was so frightened by him that she dared not leave Yaoyuan Tower. When she heard that he was in Ninghe Hall, she stopped coming to have dinner with him. The old marquis had long wanted to talk to his son and ask him to show his fatherly dignity and take good care of the child.
"Do you think I didn't say anything? He has to listen too! Fortunately, he only sticks to Ping'an and acts very seriously outside. He is still better than his mother." How could Xiao Jingyan be a match for his mother and wife alone? They spoiled their son and indulged his mischief, so the child didn't take his threats seriously at all.
"You're quite content, aren't you? My Ping'an is thirteen now. Wouldn't it be nice if the news of him being constantly touched by boys spread out? If you and your wife don't mind him learning bad habits, then find him a few pretty girls to play with at the Princess's Mansion. Don't let him hang around Ping'an and Ruyi every day. Otherwise, don't blame me, your uncle, for pretending not to see it if Ah Jun punishes him again."
Xiao Jingkang was very angry at his brother's indifferent attitude. This was a case of speaking without any hesitation. Which parent doesn't care about their daughter's reputation? His brother can tolerate his son's behavior, but he can't bear to see his daughter suffer any more.
"I don't care! Then please lend a hand and help find two girls as pretty as Ping An. If you find any, I promise to bring that brat back to the Princess's Mansion." Xiao Jingyan took a roundabout measure and threw the problem back to Xiao Jingkang.
If I send my son back to the Princess's Mansion now, I will lose my freedom. I can't let a pregnant woman with a seven-month belly look after the child! What's more, Princess Xiyue is not the kind of person who will put herself in a difficult position! I will be the one who suffers then. There are a lot of people in the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion who help take care of the child. Why should I suffer the consequences myself? Even a fool knows how to calculate this account, right?
"If your princess has the guts, go find her yourself! We won't commit such a crime." It would be good for the pretty girl to fall into the hands of the princess and her son, but our family won't help them! The old marquis decisively refused.
"You can't find it!" Xiao Jingyan has always claimed to be a peerless handsome man, but he didn't expect that he is now being overtaken by his little niece. That girl definitely inherited his advantages and looks so outstanding. Who else could she look like if not because she looks like him?
The old marquis and Xiao Jingkang looked at each other in bewilderment. This was true. After all, they had never seen a girl prettier than Ping An. They didn't dare to say that there was no one prettier than Ping An, but finding one wasn't so easy.
"It's your job to take good care of your son. Don't just wander around and live a carefree life. If Ah Yu grows up to be a bad person, you will regret it one day." The old marquis warned his son sternly.
He's already so crooked, how much crooked can he get? Xiao Jingyan nodded in agreement while secretly complaining in his heart.
With the old marquis's order, Tong Mingyu began to busy herself with the engagement of her second son. Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan helped with some small matters. The more they participated, the more curious they became. They both wanted to witness with their own eyes what the engagement scene was like.
The adults were so busy that no one noticed that the two little girls had already prepared men's clothes and planned to witness Xiao Yang's engagement ceremony with their own eyes.
"Brother, Ping'an and Ruyi are going to Shou'an Hall to see their third brother get engaged, and the date is set for the day after tomorrow. My information is very valuable, right? How about giving me that piece of jade?" Yun Ruonan stretched out her hand to accept the reward. Her brother hasn't seen Ping'an for some time, and he has been getting more and more irritable recently. It may be related to this matter!
I can't bear to miss the little girl, but why would I be so upset if I saw her? She never planned to be a lady from a noble family, right? She is such a torturous person that makes people love and hate her. Yun Yichen feels that he is destined to fall into her hands in this life.
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