Chapter 50: Coveting the Princess

“Xi, go out and find out which noble young lady Madam Qin has taken a liking to.”

Du Jinyun was ultimately not at ease.

Whether the future main wife would be lenient or strict would determine how well she would fare in the inner courtyard.

So, she instructed Xi to hurry and inquire.

“Yes,” Xi responded, and then boldly reminded her mistress, “If you want to know more details, you could actually ask Second Young Master.”

Du Jinyun understood this logic well, giving Xi a glare.  “The autumn examination is approaching soon. Second Young Master has been diligently studying lately; I can’t rely on him for everything and disturb his studies.”

It turned out that Xie Huaian, like Lin, was also preparing for the upcoming examination to become a scholar.

Lin, at twelve years old, taking the Xiucai exam was not unusual; there were many prodigies in the world.

Xie Huaian, at twenty, taking the Xiucai exam was also not surprising.

If he’s lucky enough to pass, next year he can take the examination for the Juren (provincial graduate), and in another two years, the Jinshi (metropolitan graduate) examination. He would only be twenty-three or twenty-four years old, a perfectly normal age.

However, the fact that uncle and nephew were taking the exams together created an odd contrast, making Xie Huaian seem rather dull.

This was probably why Xie Huaian particularly disliked Lin.

As fellow scholars, Lin’s existence made Xie Huaian feel quite embarrassed.

Lately, he had been diligently burying himself in his studies, regaining some favor with Madam Qin.

Madam Qin even turned a blind eye to Du Jinyun.

Even though she knew that Du Jinyun was acting inappropriately, taking all of Imperial Concubine Xue’s gifts meant for Xu Qingyi in one go, she only scolded her for being shortsighted and greedy.

Xu Qingyi had put those things in the storeroom, clearly intending for the entire household to use them.

Yet, Du Jinyun, taking advantage of her pregnancy, acted recklessly.

She didn’t consider that the old Madam was quite elderly and should have priority access to these things.

These items should be offered to the old Madam first. If she refused, then the younger generation could use them.

However, it didn’t matter.  As soon as Madam Qin thought of the Princess as her daughter-in-law, her mood improved significantly.

The other woman was a royal Princess, a lady of noble birth.  When she mentioned Du Jinyun’s situation, she didn’t hide anything.

Unexpectedly, the Princess was very generous, stating that a concubine or two didn’t matter; she would simply give them the status of concubines.

This was one of the reasons why Madam Qin was so delighted and valued Princess Zhenyang so much.

If they had rejected Princess Zhenyang, she wouldn’t know where to find a daughter-in-law who was both of high status and generous.

Most importantly, this daughter-in-law could suppress Xu Qingyi, achieving multiple goals at once.

Xu Qingyi also heard that Xie Huaian had taken all the items from the storeroom.

She didn’t need to guess to know that they had been given to Du Jinyun to eat.

She silently prayed, goodness, hopefully, nothing bad would happen from this, and it wouldn’t be blamed on her.

“Liu, find a chance to let Du Jinyun know that Madam Qin is considering marrying Princess Zhenyang to Second Young Master.”

Xu Qingyi thought that compared to herself, Du Jinyun and her husband would be even more afraid of Princess Zhenyang entering their family, so she decided to let them deal with it.

“Yes,” Liu immediately went to carry out the task.

It just so happened that Xi was also gathering information.  The two maids met, successfully completing the task assigned by their mistresses.

“What? Princess Zhenyang?” Du Jinyun was extremely surprised.  “Impossible. How could Second Young Master marry the Princess?”

It wasn’t that she looked down on her beloved; it was simply the truth.

Xie Huaian didn’t even have a scholarly degree; how could he possibly marry Princess Zhenyang?

Madam Qin was truly daring to think that her son was such a desirable catch.

“It’s true,” Xi said.  “Princess Zhenyang is actively seeking to marry him, and Madam Qin is considering it.”

Du Jinyun was shocked again.  Princess Zhenyang was actively seeking to marry him?

That was even more abnormal.

She wasn’t foolish. After a moment of thought, she vaguely understood Princess Zhenyang’s intentions.

The person she was interested in certainly wasn’t Xie Huaian, but Xie Yunzhi?

Prince Su wouldn’t agree to a Princess marrying a paralyzed man.

But marrying Xie Huaian could provide a chance to get closer to Xie Yunzhi.

It was clearly Xu Qingyi’s problem, yet it had fallen on her and Second Young Master.

Du Jinyun angrily scolded Princess Zhenyang for being too much. How dare she!

“I have to tell Second Young Master.”

Du Jinyun, flustered and distraught, went to Xie Huaian’s study.

He immediately put down his pen and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? You look so flustered. Did Xu Qingyi cause trouble for you again?”

“It’s not her.” Du Jinyun frowned and shook her head, but it was indeed indirectly related to Xu Qingyi.  She worriedly said, “Second Young Master, if you marry a wife of higher status, will you fall in love with her?”

Xie Huaian’s face darkened, and he said displeasedly, “Jinyun, we’ve been through so much together, and you still doubt my sincerity?”

For Du Jinyun, he had even picked up books he didn’t like.

Heaven knew how torturous studying was for him.

“I’m sorry, Second Young Master,” Du Jinyun said, her eyes reddening.  “I’m just very worried. I heard…”

Xie Huaian pressed, “What did you hear?”

Du Jinyun bit her lip.  “Princess Zhenyang wants to marry you, and the Marquis residence and Madam Qin are considering it.”

“What?” Xie Huaian was also startled, reacting just like his wife; he couldn’t believe it.  “How is that possible? She’s Prince Su’s daughter.”

Prince Su was currently very influential, and he might ascend the throne in the future.  Then Princess Zhenyang would become a true Princess, not just in title.

Actually, being a consort wasn’t so bad. One could still be granted titles and high positions.

One could even use the shortcut of being the Emperor’s son-in-law and rise rapidly through the ranks.

Xie Huaian, lost in thought, began to daydream.

“It’s true,” Du Jinyun didn’t notice the ambition in her lover’s eyes and continued, “If you don’t believe me, ask Madam Qin. She’ll tell you.”

Xie Huaian came back to his senses and patted Du Jinyun’s hand gently.  “Don’t worry. No matter who I marry as my main wife, I only love you.”

“But the Princess has too much power. How will you control her in the future?” Du Jinyun worriedly frowned.  “Second Young Master, for the sake of our child, you should refuse to marry the Princess.”

That made sense.

If the Princess wanted to harm Du Jinyun and her child, they would likely have no way to fight back.

Xie Huaian thought for a moment and said, “I’ll ask my mother if it’s true.”

Soon, Xie Huaian received confirmation from Madam Qin that Princess Zhenyang had indeed expressed interest in marrying him.

Madam Qin then analyzed the pros and cons and advised him, “My son, this is a rare opportunity. If you miss Princess Zhenyang, you’ll never find a wife from such a high-ranking family again.”

She was afraid that Xie Huaian would make another foolish decision for Du Jinyun.

“But Mother, she clearly doesn’t like me. If she’s after Big Brother, marrying her in will only cause trouble,” Xie Huaian scoffed.

Madam Qin paused and instructed her son, “You don’t need to worry about that. Women are fickle. Whoever is kind to them, they will favor.”

Her gaze turned cold.  “Your brother is in that state. Once she sees him, she will give up.  When she has children with you, she will eventually favor you.”

That might be true for ordinary women, but could anyone be sure about Princess Zhenyang?

When the opponent is Xie Yunzhi, Xie Huaian didn’t believe he possessed the charm to win over the Princess.

He still had that much self-awareness.

“Huaian, broaden your horizons. Look at other good women. What is Du Jinyun?”

Seeing that he didn’t speak, Madam Qin assumed it was because of Du Jinyun and immediately started scolding.  “To be honest, although I don’t like your sister-in-law, her background and upbringing are there. A Marquis residence young lady is a Marquis residence young lady. She’s a million times better than that shortsighted, lowly woman!”

Xie Huaian had a headache. Why did his mother suddenly lose her temper?

And she always seemed to disparage his taste.

“Alright, this has nothing to do with Jinyun. Don’t blame everything on her,” Xie Huaian said.

“Right,” Madam Qin coldly snorted.  “It’s not her fault. It’s all your fault. You’re the one who makes me angry.”

Xie Huaian endured it and continued with the important matter.  “Marrying the Princess is a serious matter, possibly involving the court. You and Father must carefully consider this.”

Because a single mistake could implicate nine generations of family members.

Of course, the Pingyang Marquis residence had special privileges. No matter who became the new Emperor, they would be treated leniently.

“We know that,” Madam Qin said, maintaining her composure despite her anxiety. She also understood the great risk of taking sides.  “Therefore, your father plans to call several of your uncles to discuss whether we should take this step.”

With Xie Yunzhi backing them up, they weren’t particularly nervous.

On one side, mother and son were discussing.

Xu Qingyi and Du Jinyun were both waiting for news in their respective courtyards.

Learning that Xie Huaian and Madam Qin hadn’t quarreled, they were both disappointed.

“Why didn’t Second Young Master refuse?” Du Jinyun’s disappointment was mixed with fear, a sense of unease.

Xi was beside her, unsure how to comfort her.  “Perhaps… Second Young Master was simply considering the overall situation?”

After all, it was a serious matter.

Du Jinyun shook her head. If Xie Huaian was a man who considered the overall situation, he wouldn’t have plotted against Xu Qingyi with her.

“That dog,” Xu Qingyi’s disappointment was mixed with contempt.

She guessed that Xie Huaian didn’t strongly refuse this marriage because he was attracted to the Princess’s family background.

He was ultimately an ambitious man.  He could refuse a Marquis residence young lady for Du Jinyun probably only because the Marquis residence young lady’s background wasn’t strong enough.

If a princess had taken a liking to him, well, the outcome was clear.