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The Commandery Princess Consort nodded. “Exactly.”
“So… if he’s the one who held me in the water and then marries me, my reputation won’t be ruined?”
Seeing her daughter’s naive expression, the Commandery Princess Consort’s heart ached. “That’s precisely how it works.”
The Grand Princess also understood—though they were losing Xie Yunzheng as a match: “It’s not a bad compromise.”
Shen Shurong pouted. “But everyone says Brother Yunzhao isn’t as good as Brother Zheng~”
“Your life is your grandmother’s life. Could you really bear to make me weep myself to death?” Was this little ancestor really being picky at a time like this? Did she truly not value her life?
“Exactly! If there’s anything lacking in Yunzhao, just have him improve. They share the same parents, after all—he can’t be that different.”
The two women patiently coaxed her—why was their little ancestor shaking her head again?
“Mother, if I marry him, Brother Zheng will take another woman as his official wife—the future mistress of the household. I’d be forever subordinate to her. Rather than live like that, I might as well die!”
Mother and daughter-in-law exchanged glances. How had they forgotten this crucial point?
“Would it be proper for an imperial Junzhu to marry into a household and not manage its affairs?”
“Your grandmother will have your imperial uncle grant you your own estate—a Junzhu residence, established in the vacant western compound. You’ll still be the highest-ranking mistress there. How does that sound?”
“But…”
The Grand Princess massaged her temples. Still “but”?
“But Xie Yunzhao is always out riding horses and walking dogs—he’s hardly ever home. Your granddaughter would be all alone in that big estate, wuwu… I don’t want that…”
“Then we’ll give you the central grounds too! We’ll build him a private riding track right next to your residence—let him walk his dogs at home. Satisfied now?”
Shen Shurong lifted her head, sniffling as she considered this.
The Commandery Princess Consort was stunned by her mother-in-law’s extravagance—how could her daughter still be unsatisfied?
Shen Shurong pursed her lips, lapsing back into melancholy. “But… would he even want to marry me? What if he already loves someone else? Wouldn’t I be repaying his kindness with cruelty by blocking his path?”
“How dare he refuse! Your grandmother will ask him personally.” The Grand Princess rose from the bed and marched out to confront Xie Yunzhao directly…
Xie Yunzhao had no other sweetheart—Shen Shurong was his only love. He’d do anything to marry her.
He dropped to his knees with a thud and declared loudly: “Grand Princess, I, Xie Yunzhao, swear to you—there’s no one else! I’ll devote myself wholeheartedly to the Junzhu, never taking concubines or keeping mistresses!”
Hearing his booming voice through the walls, Shen Shurong’s lips curved slightly. So he’d loved her this deeply even at this stage.
The Commandery Princess Consort fixed her daughter with a pointed look. “You see? He has no other woman, and he’s sworn there never will be.”
The Grand Princess hurried back in, eyes pleading. “Well, dear granddaughter? Are you satisfied now?”
Shen Shurong buried her face in the bed and wept. “But what if Imperial Uncle refuses?”
The Grand Princess sighed, shooting her an affectionate glare. “Your grandmother will go to the palace immediately. Consider this my debt to you repaid.”
“My apologies for troubling you, Mother.” The Commandery Princess Consort gave her mother-in-law a remorseful glance. Her delicate, pampered daughter had certainly presented the older woman with no small challenge.
As the Grand Princess prepared to change clothes for the palace visit, she dismissed the Xie family to return home first.
Both families breathed a sigh of relief, sensing the matter was as good as settled.
Yet Xie Yunzhao’s heart ached unbearably. Though she had agreed to marry him, she must despise him to the core—hate him for ruining her perfect match.
Xie Yunzheng clenched his fists tightly, the fury in his heart impossible to suppress. His little girl… just like that, she no longer belonged to him?
The Commandery Princess Consort also felt a pang of distress. Such a fine son-in-law had slipped through their fingers. Helpless, she patted her daughter gently, trying to soothe her.
The Emperor had long heard about Yongjia’s fall into the water. Seeing the Grand Princess arrive now, he hurriedly stepped down from his dragon throne to greet her. “Aunt, how is Yongjia now?”
Before the Grand Princess could even kneel, her voice choked with tears: “Your Majesty, this aunt of yours has only one treasure in her heart. If she insists on throwing her life away, she might as well take mine with her!”
The brush in the Emperor’s hand fell with a clatter. ‘Throwing her life away?’
The Grand Princess and the late Emperor were both born of the legitimate empress. When the late Emperor seized the throne, the Grand Princess, who had long managed the treasury, played an indispensable role. Even the current Emperor owed his position to the Grand Princess’s staunch support of the legitimate line.
Thus, in the Great Zhou, the Grand Princess stood second only to the Emperor himself. Her “treasure” was Shen Shurong, to the extent that even the imperial princesses would fawn over Yongjia whenever they saw her, desperate to curry favor.
The Emperor usually doted on Yongjia more than his own daughters. Now, hearing that she had tried to take her own life, he grew frantic. “That foolish child! With Us here to stand by her, what does she have to fear? Was she saved in time?”
The Grand Princess continued to wipe her tears. “We barely managed to calm her down—one moment she wants to hang herself, the next she slashes her wrist. How can this old woman endure such torment?”
“Tell Us, Aunt, what does she want? We will grant her anything.”
“She lost her reputation because of the Xie family’s second son. If she were to marry the heir now, her conscience wouldn’t allow it. But if she marries Xie Yunzhao, she’d have to live subordinate to the elder branch. She’s a Junzhu, raised in the lap of luxury all these years—how could she bear such humiliation?”
The more the Grand Princess spoke, the heavier her heart grew, her tears flowing unchecked.
The Emperor, who had never seen his aunt in such a state before, felt a pang of sorrow himself. He helped her to a seat. “Aunt, don’t cry. No one shall bully Our precious niece. We will establish a separate residence for Yongjia…”
By the time the Grand Princess left the palace, the matter was all but settled. The Emperor had even issued an imperial decree to formalize the marriage, silencing any gossip.
The decree soon arrived at the Xie household. The entire family came out to receive it, kowtowing in gratitude for the imperial favor.
After seeing off the palace eunuch who delivered the decree, the Duke of Lu dismissed the servants, a hint of satisfaction flickering in his eyes. “You two brothers must work together. Though marriage is important, nothing surpasses the prosperity of our family.”
“Yunzhao, now that you’re marrying the Junzhu, live well with her. As for Yunzheng, he can still choose another match of equal standing—this only benefits the Duke’s household.”
Xie Yunzhao couldn’t care less about what benefited the Duke’s household. He kept his head lowered in silence—all he wanted was for Shen Shurong to be safe and well.
The Duke of Lu, eager to leave, could no longer conceal the smugness in his heart. “Madam, you’ll have your work cut out for you—selecting a suitable principal wife for Yunzheng.”
“Of course.”
The Duchess took her sons’ hands and placed them together. “You two must not let this drive a wedge between you. None of us wanted the Junzhu to fall into the water.”
Xie Yunzheng turned his face away, his nose stinging with unshed tears. She was so perfect—perhaps a bit spoiled by the Grand Princess’ doting, but he had long since regarded Shen Shurong as his lifelong partner.
And now… she would become his sister-in-law, the wife of his younger brother!
How could he possibly accept this?
Xie Yunzheng’s face darkened. Had Xie Yunzhao done this on purpose? He had adored Yongjia Junzhu since childhood.
When they were young, if Xie Yunzheng mentioned that Yongjia Junzhu enjoyed watching bird nests being raided or crickets fighting, Xie Yunzhao would immediately abandon his studies to scramble up trees or hunt for novel amusements.
Xie Yunzhao, as the eldest legitimate son, had been so outrageously irresponsible that the Duke’s household delayed petitioning for an heir until, at sixteen, their father finally resolved to switch their birth order—making Xie Yunzheng the elder brother and Xie Yunzhao the younger.
Back then, Xie Yunzhao hadn’t cared in the slightest, shrugging it off as unimportant. Their father had finalized the change without hesitation.
Thus, the younger brother became the firstborn, Xie Yunzhao’s elder sibling, and was formally recognized as heir by the Emperor.
But later, someone—whoever it was—told Xie Yunzhao that only the heir could be betrothed to Yongjia Junzhu. In a frenzy, he had kicked open the door to Xie Yunzheng’s study, demanding to reclaim the heirship.