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The Emperor heard this, but instead of the anger Princess Xining expected, he remained calm. She was suspicious; had her father not understood her meaning?
“Father?”
The Emperor, of course, understood the simple implication, but he simply wasn’t angry.
“Xining, this is merely your speculation. Prince Su hasn’t mentioned this to me yet.”
“That’s because the Pingyang Marquis’s family hasn’t agreed yet.” Princess Xining, seizing the moment before the matter was finalized, hurried to prevent it, saying, “Father, if Prince Su brings it up, please promise your daughter that you absolutely must not agree.”
The Emperor already knew of her feelings for Xie Yunzhi, and he didn’t hide his displeasure towards Zhenyang.
“How do you know Zhenyang likes Yunzhi?” The Emperor glanced at his daughter, his brow furrowed slightly in warning. “Yunzhi is now married, and Zhenyang is still unmarried. Don’t spread such rumors in the future, lest you ruin Zhenyang’s reputation.”
Princess Xining scoffed inwardly, unconcerned. Zhenyang had pursued men to the point of marrying her younger brother’s beloved; what reputation was left to protect?
“Father, don’t evade the question. Give your daughter a definite answer.”
In all the land, only the favored Princess Xining dared to speak like this.
But the Emperor, who usually indulged her every whim, refused her this time, saying, “Let’s talk about it later. Let’s see what your elder brother thinks.”
“Father!” Princess Xining protested with dissatisfaction.
“Then let’s do this,” the Emperor, pressed by his daughter, presented her with a difficult choice. “If you are willing to find a consort, marry, and have children, I will grant your request.”
Princess Xining was already twenty years old, and her reluctance to marry had been a headache for the Emperor.
If this could make Princess Xining comply, he would also be willing to compromise.
Upon hearing this, Princess Xining’s face fell. She deeply loved Xie Yunzhi, and the mere thought of marrying another man was unacceptable.
At the same time, she couldn’t understand why her father, knowing this, would make things so difficult for her.
In Princess Xining’s view, her father highly valued the Pingyang Marquis family; if he knew of Zhenyang’s intentions, he would never allow Zhenyang to marry into it.
Such a guess about the Emperor’s intentions wasn’t entirely wrong, but Princess Xining missed one crucial point: the Emperor never prioritized sentiment in his decisions.
And what he truly valued was never the Pingyang Marquis family.
Xie Yunzhi’s reputation had reached unparalleled heights, elevating the Pingyang Marquis family along with him. Because of public opinion, the Emperor could only indulge the Pingyang Marquis family.
But he absolutely did not want the Pingyang Marquis family to remain flawless; the more chaotic they became, the better.
“Think carefully and give me your answer. I will choose a consort for you,” the Emperor said.
In other words, Princess Xining couldn’t decide on her own consort; at best, she could choose one she liked from among those the Emperor favored, leaving no room for manipulation.
Princess Xining gritted her teeth and responded, “Yes, I will think carefully.”
In Imperial Concubine Xue’s palace.
Imperial Concubine Xue saw what Princess Xining couldn’t understand, and she enlightened her daughter, saying, “The imperial court is the most ruthless place. Do you think the Emperor truly values the Pingyang Marquis family? If Yunzhi falls, the Emperor would eagerly seize any opportunity to find fault with the Pingyang Marquis family; only then would he avoid the constraints of public opinion.”
And what better way to control the Pingyang Marquis family than to marry a cunning and scheming Princess into it?
“So that’s how it is…” A chill ran down Princess Xining’s spine. It made sense; the Emperor cherished Xie Yunzhi, but he wasn’t necessarily willing to indulge the Pingyang Marquis family.
“Mother, what should I do now?” she anxiously asked for help.
Imperial Concubine Xue felt that even if her daughter agreed to marry a consort, the Emperor would likely still approve the marriage between the Prince Su and the Pingyang Marquis family.
However, she also hoped her daughter would marry, so she said, “It’s up to you. If you don’t want Zhenyang to marry into that family, then find a consort and settle down to live a good life.”
“No, I can’t accept that.” Princess Xining refused without hesitation.
She only loved Xie Yunzhi and would never consider marrying a consort.
Imperial Concubine Xue was furious. She suddenly felt that Xu Qingyi was useless; even with such drastic measures, her own daughter remained stubborn.
“Why can’t you give it up? He doesn’t love you; guarding him for life is futile.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m leaving the palace.”
Princess Xining left stubbornly. She had originally been incredibly jealous of Xu Qingyi, but now she found her niece Zhenyang even more hateful.
As the saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Since the Emperor was unyielding, she could only suppress her jealousy and ally with Xu Qingyi, urging her to strongly resist Zhenyang.
To prevent Zhenyang from acting recklessly.
Thinking of Xu Qingyi’s gentle and calm demeanor, Princess Xining felt a strange worry. Could someone with such a mild temperament truly withstand the arrogant and aggressive Zhenyang?
In the evening, Xu Qingyi received an invitation from the Princess’s residence, asking her to visit the next day. Her heart pounded; had the fateful summons finally arrived?
Worried that the Princess was planning to harm her, Xu Qingyi barely ate dinner, causing her children to look at her with concern.
“Mother, what’s wrong? Don’t you feel well?” Zhen, the sweetest child and the most enthusiastic about food, was the first to show concern for Xu Qingyi.
Next was Heng. Seeing his mother’s lack of appetite, he offered her the half-eaten lychee ice he had been enjoying. “This is sour, Mother, eat it.”
Sour things stimulate the appetite; his mother had told him that, and he remembered.
Lin didn’t say anything, but silently watched, also seemingly curious about what was troubling Xu Qingyi.
In front of her children, Xu Qingyi naturally wouldn’t reveal her worries. In reality, she wasn’t that afraid of the Princess; she simply preferred a peaceful life and didn’t want to deal with trouble.
Who wants to strive when they can comfortably lie around?
Of course, Xu Qingyi wouldn’t transfer her worries to her children. She smiled and said, “Nothing, Mother just has a summer slump. Don’t worry.”
At this moment, the other members of the Marquis family noticed that Zhen and Heng had unconsciously started calling Xu Qingyi “Mother.”
Unexpectedly, they were getting along so well. Madam Qin, who couldn’t bear to see others happy, felt a complex mix of emotions.
But it didn’t matter, she consoled herself. Wasn’t there still Lin?
He was an unyielding stone, unattached to anyone, a thankless child.
No matter how good Xu Qingyi was, she wouldn’t be able to win the eldest son’s affection.
After dinner, Xu Qingyi, without any heart for the delicious food, took the articles that Shen Zhijie had annotated and went to Lin’s study. She gave him both articles, smiling, “Scholar Shen wrote his comments for you. I haven’t read them yet; you can look at them yourself.”
She, a complete outsider to the world of scholars, wouldn’t meddle in their affairs.
“Mm.” Lin took the articles, casually placing them on the table, seemingly unconcerned about Shen Zhijie’s comments. Instead, he glanced at Xu Qingyi and asked, “What happened?”
He sensed that something was wrong with Xu Qingyi; it seemed she was troubled.
He wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs.
But the current situation made him realize that if Xu Qingyi encountered insurmountable problems, they would likely be affected as well.
It was best to ask.
Xu Qingyi hadn’t expected Lin to be so perceptive. Of course, a future great man would possess such observational skills.
For a moment, Xu Qingyi subconsciously still treated him as a child and didn’t intend to tell him.
But Lin’s dark, focused eyes looking at her made her feel that Lin was already a mature person, perhaps even more astute than herself.
“Mm, something has happened.” Xu Qingyi, with a sigh, sat down in the corner, a troubled expression on her face. “It has to do with your father.”
Lin paused his pen, his ears perked up.
“Your father has many admirers, you know that, right?” Xu Qingyi thought Lin must know; this boy had extraordinary methods for gathering information. He seemed quiet and reserved, but in reality, he was a gossip at heart. She continued, “The currently favored Princess Xining is one of them; she once unsuccessfully sought to marry your father.”
Unlike her, who had her marriage settled with just a few words.
Therefore, marriage was a matter of timing, location, and harmony; even a slight discrepancy wouldn’t work.
“Imperial Concubine Xue’s daughter?” Lin frowned, remembering his father’s cousin, the Princess.
“Yes.” Xu Qingyi nodded and said, “I met her at the banquet that day. Your father’s cousin had some unkind words for me, but luckily Imperial Concubine Xue was present, so nothing serious happened.”
Lin said coldly, “She’s jealous of you.”
“I suppose so. Today, the Princess sent me another invitation, asking me to visit her residence tomorrow.” Xu Qingyi touched her chest, feeling extremely worried about the upcoming confrontation.
However, she had already made up her mind. If Princess Xining went too far tomorrow, she would cause a scene.
Then she would take Heng and cry on the city walls.
But doing that would offend Imperial Concubine Xue, so she wouldn’t resort to that unless absolutely necessary.
“It sounds like a trap. I’ll go with you.” Lin considered for a long time before speaking.
Although he was only an adopted son, with little influence, it would still be better than Xu Qingyi going alone.
“Ah? No need. I’ll just take your third brother.” Xu Qingyi was surprised but refused with a smile.
Lin was a powerful weapon; it wasn’t time to use him yet. There would be plenty of opportunities to “use” him later.