If Xiao Yao knew what her mother was thinking, she would never have said this. It really ruined her life!
On the night that the gifts from Prince Jing's and Prince Lingnan's palaces were delivered, Xiao Yi went to the upper room of Yayuan alone. The more he thought about it, the more strange Yun Yichen's behavior seemed to him. Ever since he returned to the capital, he had been present at every event, big or small. Unless he was away from the capital, he would always be there.
Normally, he and his sister were at an age where they should have avoided suspicion, but Ping An was always picked up by him personally when he went to the palace, and he was always escorted home when he returned. Ruyi was not treated this way when she went to the palace alone, and this time, with her unusual holiday gift, it was impossible not to think of something wrong.
Xiao Yi explained his doubts to his parents one by one. Seeing that they remained silent, he thought he hadn't expressed himself clearly. Just as he was about to analyze his thoughts again, he heard his father say calmly from the other side, "Your mother and I know about this matter."
"You and mother know." Xiao Yiten jumped up from his chair. As the eldest son in the family, he didn't even know that someone was thinking about his sister. No wonder his parents looked listless and forced to smile these days. It turned out that they knew about this. He was not a considerate son or a qualified brother. He was really derelict in his duty!
"It was Princess Jing who proposed this marriage to your mother." Xiao Jingkang told his son the whole story.
"What do you and mother mean?" Xiao Yi was against this marriage. He had always thought his sister was still young, and even if a marriage was proposed, it would be three to five years in the future. Besides, wasn't the family trying to find a son-in-law for his sister? When did this Prince Jing come in and cut in?
Xiao Jingkang presented his conclusions to his wife and eldest son after days of deliberation. There was no better home for his daughter than marrying into Prince Jing's mansion. A man of ordinary status couldn't even guarantee her safety, and her family wouldn't let her marry into a strange prince's mansion. The imperial palace was a place of cruelty, and after all the comparisons, Prince Jing's mansion was the most suitable.
"Who can guarantee that Prince Jing's mansion is clean? Don't forget that there is also a concubine Han! Besides, according to the status of Prince Jing, he can marry concubines. Who can guarantee that he will not change his mind next year or the year after?" Xiao Yi refuted his father's point of view with fierce words. The main idea was that he did not trust Yun Yichen and did not agree with this marriage.
Tong Mingyu kept rubbing her forehead. The eldest son was the most rational among the three sons, yet his reaction was so intense, not to mention the stubborn second son and the youngest son who, without even asking, would definitely not agree to his sister's marriage.
Xiao Jingkang remained silent, letting his son angrily accuse Yun Yichen of ill-intentions, saying he wasn't a good match for his sister. He didn't want to be married, did he? But if he rejected Prince Jing's mansion, would his daughter still be able to marry in Kyoto? Yun Yichen had ill-intentions, but he was old enough to want to get married, so could you say he was wrong?
"Have you complained enough?" Xiao Jingkang sighed and shook his head. This son was the one he valued the most. Look at him now, he looks like an impulsive child. If his father and his son knew about this one day, they would definitely have a huge fight!
"My...son doesn't want Ping An to marry into Prince Jing's mansion. If she gets bullied in the future, I, as her brother, can only watch helplessly and can't do anything." Xiao Yi thinks this problem is very serious and hopes to attract his parents' attention.
"I'll bring this up when we meet in a few days. If the prince brings another woman into the palace, we have the right to ask him to divorce Ping An. This is my bottom line."
Tong Mingyu and Xiao Yi looked at each other, thought for a while and nodded in agreement. If the rest of the family could accept it, they would let Ping An move back in; if they could not accept Ping An, their family would resign the title of eldest son, move out and buy another house. No matter what, they would not let the child live a life of swallowing humiliation and pleasing others.
The Xiao family celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in a lively and grand manner, at least on the surface. Several pregnant women sat together and ate mooncakes with fruit fillings that Xiao Yao had specially made for them. There were also mooncakes with egg yolk fillings, mooncakes with five nuts, etc. on other tables. Everyone praised Xiao Yao for her ingenuity and praised Xiao Yuan for the novel style of the molds she came up with.
"I originally wanted to sell new mooncakes this year and make a small profit during the holidays, but my mother didn't agree." Xiao Yao complained while eating mooncakes with flower fillings. In the past, her mother always turned a blind eye to what she wanted to do, but this time her attitude was particularly firm, and she didn't know why.
What else could it be? How could the Jing Palace be happy if the future Crown Prince's Consort sold mooncakes? Tong Mingyu had even wanted her daughter to close down both the embroidery workshop and the pastry shop, but it was Xiao Jingkang who stopped her. What's wrong with her daughter having some business to rely on? If the Jing Palace couldn't accept it, then the marriage wouldn't happen.
On the one hand, Xiao Jingkang hoped that King Jing would first announce that this marriage was invalid, and that from now on, marriage between men and women would have nothing to do with each other. On the other hand, he was worried that he would never find a man as outstanding as Yun Yichen again. He had been busy with this matter for the past few years and knew that men who were excellent in all aspects were rare and hard to come by.
On the third day after the festival, Xiao Jingkang put on a dark blue robe that was 90% new and went out as casually as usual.
At the corner of Qiguan Street, I met Xiao Yi, who seemed to have been waiting for a while, leading a horse.
"Father, I want to go with you." Xiao Yi did not use a negotiating tone. His attitude was very firm. If his father agreed that they should go together, he would go even if his father did not agree.
"Let's go together! But you have to control your temper and don't target the prince. There's nothing wrong with him wanting to get married, and we can't keep Ping'an at home forever without letting him get married." Xiao Jingkang wanted to do a good job of ideological work on his son before they met. With the status and pride of King Jing and his son, how could he tolerate the cold attitude of the girl's family!
Yun Yichen is not a poor boy who cannot find a wife. If he says that he wants to get married now, those young ladies will line up from Prince Jing's Mansion to the city gate.
Xiao Yi nodded silently. He thought about it all night last night and realized that just as his father said, if his sister wanted to get married, there was indeed no one more suitable than Yun Yichen.
But he just couldn't feel at ease and had to see it with his own eyes.
The Han family's Wangxianju has now been renamed Juxianlou. Everyone outside knows that it has a mysterious owner, but few people know that Yun Yichen is the real owner here.
Prince Jing did not wear the prince's attire today, but chose a dark purple casual suit. Yun Yichen was much more formal. Not to mention his brand new clothes, just look at the jade hairpin on his head, the jade buckle and jade pendant on his waist, they are all made of the same piece of material.
The only thing missing was a new purse. He hoped that after the actual business was over, his future father-in-law and mother-in-law would notice that something was missing from his waist. If they would let the little girl embroider a purse for him, that would be great. But if not, he would have to wait until he got married to use the purse. After all, he had come this far all these years, so another year or two wouldn't be a big deal.
"Master, the Xiao family is here." Zhao Hai whispered outside the door.
Xiao family, didn't Xiao Jingkang come alone? Yun Yichen hid behind the curtains and carefully looked down. King Jing had never seen his son so nervous. He guessed that this kid was afraid of meeting the old Marquis Xiao!
Seeing the two people walking into the lobby one after another, Yun Yichen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't the old man coming, it would be fine. He really didn't dare to see the old man today. He felt a little guilty and didn't have the courage.
Sitting in the silent room, King Jing and his son were thinking about how to start the conversation. The sound of footsteps came from far away. Yun Yichen stood up and waited to welcome the distinguished guest. He wanted to receive Xiao Jingkang, his future father-in-law, as a junior.
After a while, the door of the private room was gently pushed open from the outside, and Xiao Jingkang walked into the room first. King Jing also stood up. He did not come as a prince today, but as the father of the man to meet his in-laws.
"Xiao Jingkang has met Prince Jing and the Crown Prince."
"Your humble servant Xiao Yi greets Prince Jing and the Crown Prince."
"There's no prince or heir here. Brother Xiao, today we're only discussing family matters, not the etiquette between ruler and subject." Prince Jing greeted Xiao Jingkang and asked him to sit next to him. Not only did his son like Ping'an, but all four members of the family were equally pleased. Therefore, they, father and son, had to demonstrate their utmost sincerity today, precisely to ensure that the Xiao family would be confident in handing Xiao Yao over to them and agree to marry her into the palace.
"My nephew Yun Yichen meets Uncle Xiao and second brother." Yun Yichen bowed and saluted. His movements were neat and precise, without any perfunctory gestures or pauses.
"This is against the rules. We don't deserve it." Xiao Jingkang quickly stood up to avoid the situation. Since they had no relationship at all, he couldn't accept such a gift from the prince. Even if they became father-in-law and son-in-law, they still had to take the initiative to meet each other.
Xiao Yi looked at Yun Yichen in surprise. He had known Yun Yichen for quite some time. Apart from seeing him lowering his head in front of his grandfather, this was the first time he saw him being so friendly, reasonable and gentle!
Maybe he really does love his sister! I just don't know how long this sincerity can last, one year, two years, or a lifetime.
While Yun Yichen was talking to Xiao Jingkang, he glanced at Xiao Yi. The man's face didn't look very good. Could he be here to cause trouble?
It seems like marrying the little girl involves a lot of hurdles! As far as he knows, the first ones in line are the old man and the little girl's twin brother. Then there's the little girl's parents, and the rest... well! Besides Qin's excitement, the Xiao family probably can't find anyone else willing or happy.
No matter how difficult it is, I will never give up and I will never give up!
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