Chapter 233: 233
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“That is great news!” The couple was a little stunned when hearing this. Neither were they in the same party with Prince of Wei nor close to him in private. So, after hearing the news, apart from being surprised, they were not excited about it at all. They rewarded the man who came to report by the rules and then ordered Qiaoqin and the other first maids to prepare the gift list.
The next day, Song Yixiao went to Prince of Wei’s mansion to congratulate Princess Consort of Wei. Daiguo Grand Princess and her daughter both always kept a high profile. Now that Princess Consort of Wei got pregnant, more people came to flatter them one after another. The gate of Prince of Wei’s mansion was crowded with people coming to congratulate them. The carriage of the Duke of Yan’s mansion was almost blocked outside the gate without getting in.
When Song Yixiao finally managed to enter the mansion, she still had to line up for a chance to talk to Princess Consort of Wei. The two of them didn’t see each other often and they even quarreled about Jiang Muting in Zhanchun Venue. Naturally, Princess Consort of Wei wouldn’t treat Song Yixiao warmly. After a polite small talk, she said to Song Yixiao coldly, “I’m tired. You can go now.”
It was true that Song Yixiao’s rank was half a level lower than hers. But they were relatives and the gap was not big, it was improper for her to drive Song Yixiao away with the words “you can go now” as she did to the servants. Princess Consort of Wei really lacked proper respect for Song Yixiao.
However, Song Yixiao also didn’t want to bother with her. She only said “Take care” and then left.
When she walked out, she happened to meet Xie Yiren. As she stopped to greet Xie Yiren, the latter signaled her to come to the side with eyes. Xie Yiren was left speechless by the numbers of the guests coming to visit, she said, “With so many people coming to visit, can Princess Consort of Wei stand it?”
“When I was in just now, I found her look well.” Song Yixiao said with a smile, “Every man has his taste. Maybe she enjoyed it a lot when a lot of people came to visit her. Since Virtuous Consort Jiang lives in the palace and it is inconvenient for her to interfere with her son’s family business. Aunt Daiguo will certainly care about her grandson and there is no way that she would let Princess Consort of Wei be too tired.”
Xie Yiren found that Song Yixiao was right after careful thinking. After all, they were still in Prince of Wei’s mansion, as relatives, it was improper for them to talk too much in this place. So, they said goodbye to each other after these words.
When Song Yixiao returned to Duke of Yan’s mansion, she heard from the servants that the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and Virtuous Consort Jiang all gave rewards. The whole imperial family was happy about Princess Consort of Wei’s pregnancy. But that was not the point, the point was Daiguo Grand Princess used this as an excuse to persuade Emperor Xianjia,” Prince of Wei will soon become a father. How could he still have nothing serious to do?”
Not long before, Emperor Xianjia ordered all his sons to enter politics, except for Prince of Shu. Prince of Wei was also included, he was even assigned to the most important one of the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel. However, when the Emperor’s nephew, Xu Xishi, entered the Ministry of Personnel, he didn’t gain anything. This time, the Emperor’s son, Prince of Wei, was still no match for Jin Suke. Recently, Prince of Wei nominally worked in the Ministry of Personnel. In fact, he could just stay idle and watch others work.
Xu Xishi’s mother, Luguo Grand Princess, died early. She couldn’t help her son at all. But as Prince of Wei’s mother-in-law and aunt, Daiguo Grand Princess wouldn’t sit by and watch him stay idle.
Jin Suke wasn’t a kind one at all. Otherwise, someone noble as the heir of Earl Yiping, Xu Xishi, wouldn’t be eager to work in the Ministry of War. What was more, he chose the Crown Prince, how could he give a face to the main force of Prince of Wei’s party?
No matter how Daiguo Grand Princess forced him, bribed him, used sticks or carrots, he was not moved at all. He just kept Prince of Wei idling in the Ministry of Personnel. The so-called entering politics to share burdens for father and brother became empty words.
This time, Daiguo Grand Princess got a good excuse. She was smart this time. She didn’t go to badger Jin Suke anymore. She directly went to find Emperor Xianjia.
It was hard to tell whether it was for the sake of his future grandson or for the sake of his sister, anyway, at last, Emperor Xianjia ordered Jin Suke to “give more chances to Prince of Wei to better himself.” With the Emperor’s words, Jin Suke couldn’t refuse anymore. He could only inform the Eastern Palace, “If His Majesty doesn’t change his idea, I’m afraid that I could only give some power of the Ministry of Personnel to Prince of Wei.”
The Crown Prince’s party couldn’t sit by and watch the party of Prince of Wei to touch such an important ministry.
When the Crown Prince gathered his men to talk about how to fight back, Gu Shao sent Commandery Prince Zhongling to tell them, “A few days ago, His Majesty’s illness worsened because of Princess Yushan’s improper words. He even couldn’t go to court this year. Now that His Majesty hasn’t recovered, but Daiguo Grand Princess doesn’t care about her brother at all. She just keeps making unreasonable requests. But, Your Highness, as the elder son of His Majesty, you had become Crown Prince at a young age, how can you bother with a woman? “
“Lord Gu is right. Nothing is more important than letting my father rest to recover!” The party of the Crown Prince talked about this topic for a long time, then they chose to accept Gu Shao’s advice. The Crown Prince concluded in person, “From now on, we shouldn’t bother my father too much unless something really important happened. Aunt Daiguo is favored by my grandmother and my father, sometimes, she wouldn’t be that considerate. But as the son, I can’t be unfilial.”
When the Crown Prince’s words spread outside the Eastern Palace, all the officials in the court got to know about it. They praised that he was filial and considerate. In comparison, Daiguo Grand Princess was still arrogant and domineering, even Prince of Wei, who enjoyed the reputation of being elegant, also seemed to be hypocritical: For power, he even acquiesced in his mother-in-law’s to disturb to his father, who needed to rest in calm. How could he be such an unfilial son?
“Your Highness, you are the crown prince chose by His Majesty and you have lived in the Eastern Palace for more than a decade. Furthermore, you enjoy the reputation of being virtuous. If you can keep your integrity and leave nothing on others, His Majesty has no reason to remove you from the position of the Crown Prince.” Afterward, when Gu Shao was with Crown Prince alone, he warned Crown Prince, “This is your biggest advantage. So, Your Highness, you should remember to keep calm and don’t take everything too serious. Just be filial and gentle as a son should do, the more the better.”
“Winners take all!” About the same time, Daiguo Grand Princess was also instructing Prince of Wei, “The history is written by the winners! If you become the emperor in the future, all the bad comments today would become compliments. Don’t bother with the rumors. The most important thing for you now is to drive Jin Suke away and take charge of the Ministry of Personnel.”
Apart from instructing her son-in-law to hurry to gain power in the Ministry of Personnel with Emperor Xianjia’s consent, Daiguo Grand Princess also got the idea of intermarriage. After several rounds of secret discussions, the marriage between Ji Zifu and Su Shaoling, the seventh young lady of the Su Family, was finally set. It was three days after the good news of Princess Consort of Wei’s pregnancy.
The Su Family in Qingzhou was a family with deep culture. From ancient times, there appeared many talents in the family, which made it well-known in the whole country. Women in the Su Family also had a good reputation. There appeared several empresses of the previous dynasty and the current dynasty in their family. Su Shaoling had a twin sister, whose name was Su Shaomo. The two of them were always together. Su Shaomo was quite impulsive. Compared with her, Su Shaoling seemed to be more gentle, elegant, and thoughtful.
Although Miss Su kept a low profile, she was considered to be the young lady with the best demeanor among the noble families.
In comparison, although Ji Zifu’s mother was Daiguo Grand Princess and his father was a hereditary marquis, his family had only developed for three or four generations. In terms of ancestors, the Ji Family was no match for the Su Family. Even at present, Su Shaoling was not worse than him in terms of family background. Her father was a duke, her brother was the No. 2 Scholar, and her aunt was the Empress.
These were all not that important. The key was that his reputation among the noble families was not that good.
At a young age, he was ostentatious and willful. It could be said that he was still immature.
But when Great Rui fought with Wuhuan, it was him who caused a lot of nobility caught.
With such a record and no extraordinary talents or moralities, it was hard for Ji Zifu to gain a good reputation.
So, when the news of the intermarriage of the two families came out, many people felt sorry for Su Shaoling, including Song Yixiao.
However, for fear of hurting their kinship, she still had to congratulate him, so she packed things and went to Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion with Jian Xubai.
Unluckily, when they went to Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion that day, they happened to meet Qiu Shuxia. Before their carriage reached the mansion, they already saw the door opened. Ji Weiguan was dressed in a red robe and a golden crest this day. He came out in person to welcome Qiu Shuxia, who was about to get off the horse. Qiu Shuxia was always crazy about causing trouble for Jian Xubai. Song Yixiao was worried when she found that they met him by coincidence.
However, it was daytime, so they couldn’t just turn around and leave. Otherwise, Duke of Yan’s mansion would lose dignity, and Qiu Shuxia would be more arrogant.
Song Yixiao thought quietly in her heart that when her husband had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, how she could help him without leaving anything to others. But after they got off the carriage, they knew that Daiguo Grand Princess had already been prepared. She sent Ji Zifu to greet them and asked them to sit in the backyard garden for a while.
“We came to congratulate your engagement formally. It is not polite for us not to greet Auntie and Uncle first.” Song Yixiao was relieved when seeing the situation. But Jian Xubai said with a faint smile, “How could we even lose the qualification to have tea in the main hall and could only stay in the garden?”
Ji Zifu was indifferent, “We are afraid that you and Uncle Qiu would have a big fight when you meet with each other. The question is neither of you can beat the other party to death, except for bringing disappointment and chaos, what’s the point? It would be better to take a walk with Yixiao in the garden. Although the flowers in spring all withered, the plants in light or dark green are also pleasing to eyes.”
Speaking of which, he glanced at Song Yixiao and said with a smile, “Long time no see, Yixiao. How are you recently?”
“Thank you for your concern, Cousin Zifu. We are fine.” Song Yixiao was looking at her husband with all her attention on him, she didn’t notice that Ji Zifu’s attitude to her was better than to her husband. Actually, she wouldn’t care if she noticed. Hearing what Ji Zifu said, she responded politely, “I forget to congratulate you on having a good future wife, Cousin Zifu.”
“Congratulate?” Ji Zifu could see that she was fudging him, so disappointment flashed through his eyes. But he soon hid it and snorted, “Everyone said it was good news, then so be it. Xubai, what do you think? Do you want to fight with Uncle Qiu in the main hall or come with me to enjoy ourselves in the back hall? I wouldn’t stop you if you want to go to the main hall. But you should think carefully, Yixiao is also here today. Even if you win Uncle Qiu, she still needs to apologize on your behalf. Otherwise, when Grandma and the others know it, they will blame Yixiao for not being virtuous.”
His last words persuaded Jian Xubai. He wasn’t afraid of Qiu Shuxia, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for his wife. When he had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, there was no way that they didn’t mention the current political situation and relevant policies. They would even reveal what each other had done. All the things were the secrets he wanted to hide from his wife.
But now, Song Yixiao followed him closely, he also couldn’t go to the main hall alone while leaving her here.
When hearing Ji Zifu’s words, ruthlessness and cruelty went through his eyes. Then he said, “What kind of good pastimes did you prepare?”
Ji Zifu didn’t prepare any good pastimes. He could only lead them to walk in the garden. When they got tired, they went to the pavilion to have some tea. After that, Jian Xubai found it was time to leave, so he excused himself. And, Ji Zifu stood up to send them away.
On the way out of the Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion, Ji Zifu finally found an excuse to talk to Song Yixiao after careful thinking, “Yixiao, you know the seventh young lady of the Su Family, right?”
“Miss Su is brilliant, gentle, and refined.” Song Yixiao thought that he wanted to learn something about his future wife, so she answered without hesitation, “She was also quite pretty. You must thank Auntie Daiguo for choosing her as your wife, Cousin Zifu.”
She was wearing a pink wide-sleeved curving-front robe embroidered with the pattern of white camellia, whose collars, sleeves and lower hem were inlaid with two-inch-plus wide shallow pink gold damask. Her cummerbund was also in the same color. The skirt she was wearing was in the color of pale pinkish gray. All these were cute colors but Song Yixiao was a quiet and dignified one. The clothes only made her look quite gentle.
Now, she was praising Su Shaoling seriously. Her watery almond-shaped eyes were filled with sincerity and earnestness. When she titled her head a little, the sunshine in April outlined her beautiful face. Seeing from his angle, she was just like a begonia that had just bloomed. Tender, beautiful, and bright.
Ji Zifu withdrew his eyes after a glance, but he couldn’t help but turn to look at her secretly once again. He suddenly felt his heart in such a mess that he even didn’t know how he sent Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao off. He asked himself repeatedly, “What’s wrong with me?”
His cousin, Ji Mingfei, was renowned for ignoring all the ethics. His reputation was only a little bit better than Jiang Mingfei’s, but he was still different from his cousin. Ji Mingfei loved other people’s wives. No matter how beautiful a woman was, as long as she didn’t get married, Ji Mingfei wouldn’t have much interest in her. But Ji Zifu couldn’t do such ethic-violated things. Moreover, it was obvious that Song Yixiao had no interest in him. Also, his cousin, Jian Xubai, wouldn’t let others steal his wife from him at all.
“Fortunately, I will get married soon.” After returning to his own room, Ji Zifu ordered someone to prepare cold water for him. He immersed the handkerchief in cold water and then put it on his face. He signed, “After I have my own wife, I wouldn’t have time to think about the things I shouldn’t think.”
However, when he thought of the word wife, the image appeared in front of him was what happened in Zhanchun Venue that day. In the blizzard, Song Yixiao was wearing a fox-fur robe. She reached out to put her earlocks aside. Her face was pale because of the coldness, which made her eyes and brows more like the color of the ink. And she was staring at him with half fear and half surprise.
Ji Zifu removed the handkerchief from his face and smashed it in the basin. His move splashed a burst of waves, just like his mood at this time.
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“That is great news!” The couple was a little stunned when hearing this. Neither were they in the same party with Prince of Wei nor close to him in private. So, after hearing the news, apart from being surprised, they were not excited about it at all. They rewarded the man who came to report by the rules and then ordered Qiaoqin and the other first maids to prepare the gift list.
The next day, Song Yixiao went to Prince of Wei’s mansion to congratulate Princess Consort of Wei. Daiguo Grand Princess and her daughter both always kept a high profile. Now that Princess Consort of Wei got pregnant, more people came to flatter them one after another. The gate of Prince of Wei’s mansion was crowded with people coming to congratulate them. The carriage of the Duke of Yan’s mansion was almost blocked outside the gate without getting in.
When Song Yixiao finally managed to enter the mansion, she still had to line up for a chance to talk to Princess Consort of Wei. The two of them didn’t see each other often and they even quarreled about Jiang Muting in Zhanchun Venue. Naturally, Princess Consort of Wei wouldn’t treat Song Yixiao warmly. After a polite small talk, she said to Song Yixiao coldly, “I’m tired. You can go now.”
It was true that Song Yixiao’s rank was half a level lower than hers. But they were relatives and the gap was not big, it was improper for her to drive Song Yixiao away with the words “you can go now” as she did to the servants. Princess Consort of Wei really lacked proper respect for Song Yixiao.
However, Song Yixiao also didn’t want to bother with her. She only said “Take care” and then left.
When she walked out, she happened to meet Xie Yiren. As she stopped to greet Xie Yiren, the latter signaled her to come to the side with eyes. Xie Yiren was left speechless by the numbers of the guests coming to visit, she said, “With so many people coming to visit, can Princess Consort of Wei stand it?”
“When I was in just now, I found her look well.” Song Yixiao said with a smile, “Every man has his taste. Maybe she enjoyed it a lot when a lot of people came to visit her. Since Virtuous Consort Jiang lives in the palace and it is inconvenient for her to interfere with her son’s family business. Aunt Daiguo will certainly care about her grandson and there is no way that she would let Princess Consort of Wei be too tired.”
Xie Yiren found that Song Yixiao was right after careful thinking. After all, they were still in Prince of Wei’s mansion, as relatives, it was improper for them to talk too much in this place. So, they said goodbye to each other after these words.
When Song Yixiao returned to Duke of Yan’s mansion, she heard from the servants that the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and Virtuous Consort Jiang all gave rewards. The whole imperial family was happy about Princess Consort of Wei’s pregnancy. But that was not the point, the point was Daiguo Grand Princess used this as an excuse to persuade Emperor Xianjia,” Prince of Wei will soon become a father. How could he still have nothing serious to do?”
Not long before, Emperor Xianjia ordered all his sons to enter politics, except for Prince of Shu. Prince of Wei was also included, he was even assigned to the most important one of the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel. However, when the Emperor’s nephew, Xu Xishi, entered the Ministry of Personnel, he didn’t gain anything. This time, the Emperor’s son, Prince of Wei, was still no match for Jin Suke. Recently, Prince of Wei nominally worked in the Ministry of Personnel. In fact, he could just stay idle and watch others work.
Xu Xishi’s mother, Luguo Grand Princess, died early. She couldn’t help her son at all. But as Prince of Wei’s mother-in-law and aunt, Daiguo Grand Princess wouldn’t sit by and watch him stay idle.
Jin Suke wasn’t a kind one at all. Otherwise, someone noble as the heir of Earl Yiping, Xu Xishi, wouldn’t be eager to work in the Ministry of War. What was more, he chose the Crown Prince, how could he give a face to the main force of Prince of Wei’s party?
No matter how Daiguo Grand Princess forced him, bribed him, used sticks or carrots, he was not moved at all. He just kept Prince of Wei idling in the Ministry of Personnel. The so-called entering politics to share burdens for father and brother became empty words.
This time, Daiguo Grand Princess got a good excuse. She was smart this time. She didn’t go to badger Jin Suke anymore. She directly went to find Emperor Xianjia.
It was hard to tell whether it was for the sake of his future grandson or for the sake of his sister, anyway, at last, Emperor Xianjia ordered Jin Suke to “give more chances to Prince of Wei to better himself.” With the Emperor’s words, Jin Suke couldn’t refuse anymore. He could only inform the Eastern Palace, “If His Majesty doesn’t change his idea, I’m afraid that I could only give some power of the Ministry of Personnel to Prince of Wei.”
The Crown Prince’s party couldn’t sit by and watch the party of Prince of Wei to touch such an important ministry.
When the Crown Prince gathered his men to talk about how to fight back, Gu Shao sent Commandery Prince Zhongling to tell them, “A few days ago, His Majesty’s illness worsened because of Princess Yushan’s improper words. He even couldn’t go to court this year. Now that His Majesty hasn’t recovered, but Daiguo Grand Princess doesn’t care about her brother at all. She just keeps making unreasonable requests. But, Your Highness, as the elder son of His Majesty, you had become Crown Prince at a young age, how can you bother with a woman? “
“Lord Gu is right. Nothing is more important than letting my father rest to recover!” The party of the Crown Prince talked about this topic for a long time, then they chose to accept Gu Shao’s advice. The Crown Prince concluded in person, “From now on, we shouldn’t bother my father too much unless something really important happened. Aunt Daiguo is favored by my grandmother and my father, sometimes, she wouldn’t be that considerate. But as the son, I can’t be unfilial.”
When the Crown Prince’s words spread outside the Eastern Palace, all the officials in the court got to know about it. They praised that he was filial and considerate. In comparison, Daiguo Grand Princess was still arrogant and domineering, even Prince of Wei, who enjoyed the reputation of being elegant, also seemed to be hypocritical: For power, he even acquiesced in his mother-in-law’s to disturb to his father, who needed to rest in calm. How could he be such an unfilial son?
“Your Highness, you are the crown prince chose by His Majesty and you have lived in the Eastern Palace for more than a decade. Furthermore, you enjoy the reputation of being virtuous. If you can keep your integrity and leave nothing on others, His Majesty has no reason to remove you from the position of the Crown Prince.” Afterward, when Gu Shao was with Crown Prince alone, he warned Crown Prince, “This is your biggest advantage. So, Your Highness, you should remember to keep calm and don’t take everything too serious. Just be filial and gentle as a son should do, the more the better.”
“Winners take all!” About the same time, Daiguo Grand Princess was also instructing Prince of Wei, “The history is written by the winners! If you become the emperor in the future, all the bad comments today would become compliments. Don’t bother with the rumors. The most important thing for you now is to drive Jin Suke away and take charge of the Ministry of Personnel.”
Apart from instructing her son-in-law to hurry to gain power in the Ministry of Personnel with Emperor Xianjia’s consent, Daiguo Grand Princess also got the idea of intermarriage. After several rounds of secret discussions, the marriage between Ji Zifu and Su Shaoling, the seventh young lady of the Su Family, was finally set. It was three days after the good news of Princess Consort of Wei’s pregnancy.
The Su Family in Qingzhou was a family with deep culture. From ancient times, there appeared many talents in the family, which made it well-known in the whole country. Women in the Su Family also had a good reputation. There appeared several empresses of the previous dynasty and the current dynasty in their family. Su Shaoling had a twin sister, whose name was Su Shaomo. The two of them were always together. Su Shaomo was quite impulsive. Compared with her, Su Shaoling seemed to be more gentle, elegant, and thoughtful.
Although Miss Su kept a low profile, she was considered to be the young lady with the best demeanor among the noble families.
In comparison, although Ji Zifu’s mother was Daiguo Grand Princess and his father was a hereditary marquis, his family had only developed for three or four generations. In terms of ancestors, the Ji Family was no match for the Su Family. Even at present, Su Shaoling was not worse than him in terms of family background. Her father was a duke, her brother was the No. 2 Scholar, and her aunt was the Empress.
These were all not that important. The key was that his reputation among the noble families was not that good.
At a young age, he was ostentatious and willful. It could be said that he was still immature.
But when Great Rui fought with Wuhuan, it was him who caused a lot of nobility caught.
With such a record and no extraordinary talents or moralities, it was hard for Ji Zifu to gain a good reputation.
So, when the news of the intermarriage of the two families came out, many people felt sorry for Su Shaoling, including Song Yixiao.
However, for fear of hurting their kinship, she still had to congratulate him, so she packed things and went to Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion with Jian Xubai.
Unluckily, when they went to Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion that day, they happened to meet Qiu Shuxia. Before their carriage reached the mansion, they already saw the door opened. Ji Weiguan was dressed in a red robe and a golden crest this day. He came out in person to welcome Qiu Shuxia, who was about to get off the horse. Qiu Shuxia was always crazy about causing trouble for Jian Xubai. Song Yixiao was worried when she found that they met him by coincidence.
However, it was daytime, so they couldn’t just turn around and leave. Otherwise, Duke of Yan’s mansion would lose dignity, and Qiu Shuxia would be more arrogant.
Song Yixiao thought quietly in her heart that when her husband had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, how she could help him without leaving anything to others. But after they got off the carriage, they knew that Daiguo Grand Princess had already been prepared. She sent Ji Zifu to greet them and asked them to sit in the backyard garden for a while.
“We came to congratulate your engagement formally. It is not polite for us not to greet Auntie and Uncle first.” Song Yixiao was relieved when seeing the situation. But Jian Xubai said with a faint smile, “How could we even lose the qualification to have tea in the main hall and could only stay in the garden?”
Ji Zifu was indifferent, “We are afraid that you and Uncle Qiu would have a big fight when you meet with each other. The question is neither of you can beat the other party to death, except for bringing disappointment and chaos, what’s the point? It would be better to take a walk with Yixiao in the garden. Although the flowers in spring all withered, the plants in light or dark green are also pleasing to eyes.”
Speaking of which, he glanced at Song Yixiao and said with a smile, “Long time no see, Yixiao. How are you recently?”
“Thank you for your concern, Cousin Zifu. We are fine.” Song Yixiao was looking at her husband with all her attention on him, she didn’t notice that Ji Zifu’s attitude to her was better than to her husband. Actually, she wouldn’t care if she noticed. Hearing what Ji Zifu said, she responded politely, “I forget to congratulate you on having a good future wife, Cousin Zifu.”
“Congratulate?” Ji Zifu could see that she was fudging him, so disappointment flashed through his eyes. But he soon hid it and snorted, “Everyone said it was good news, then so be it. Xubai, what do you think? Do you want to fight with Uncle Qiu in the main hall or come with me to enjoy ourselves in the back hall? I wouldn’t stop you if you want to go to the main hall. But you should think carefully, Yixiao is also here today. Even if you win Uncle Qiu, she still needs to apologize on your behalf. Otherwise, when Grandma and the others know it, they will blame Yixiao for not being virtuous.”
His last words persuaded Jian Xubai. He wasn’t afraid of Qiu Shuxia, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for his wife. When he had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, there was no way that they didn’t mention the current political situation and relevant policies. They would even reveal what each other had done. All the things were the secrets he wanted to hide from his wife.
But now, Song Yixiao followed him closely, he also couldn’t go to the main hall alone while leaving her here.
When hearing Ji Zifu’s words, ruthlessness and cruelty went through his eyes. Then he said, “What kind of good pastimes did you prepare?”
Ji Zifu didn’t prepare any good pastimes. He could only lead them to walk in the garden. When they got tired, they went to the pavilion to have some tea. After that, Jian Xubai found it was time to leave, so he excused himself. And, Ji Zifu stood up to send them away.
On the way out of the Daiguo Grand Princess’s mansion, Ji Zifu finally found an excuse to talk to Song Yixiao after careful thinking, “Yixiao, you know the seventh young lady of the Su Family, right?”
“Miss Su is brilliant, gentle, and refined.” Song Yixiao thought that he wanted to learn something about his future wife, so she answered without hesitation, “She was also quite pretty. You must thank Auntie Daiguo for choosing her as your wife, Cousin Zifu.”
She was wearing a pink wide-sleeved curving-front robe embroidered with the pattern of white camellia, whose collars, sleeves and lower hem were inlaid with two-inch-plus wide shallow pink gold damask. Her cummerbund was also in the same color. The skirt she was wearing was in the color of pale pinkish gray. All these were cute colors but Song Yixiao was a quiet and dignified one. The clothes only made her look quite gentle.
Now, she was praising Su Shaoling seriously. Her watery almond-shaped eyes were filled with sincerity and earnestness. When she titled her head a little, the sunshine in April outlined her beautiful face. Seeing from his angle, she was just like a begonia that had just bloomed. Tender, beautiful, and bright.
Ji Zifu withdrew his eyes after a glance, but he couldn’t help but turn to look at her secretly once again. He suddenly felt his heart in such a mess that he even didn’t know how he sent Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao off. He asked himself repeatedly, “What’s wrong with me?”
His cousin, Ji Mingfei, was renowned for ignoring all the ethics. His reputation was only a little bit better than Jiang Mingfei’s, but he was still different from his cousin. Ji Mingfei loved other people’s wives. No matter how beautiful a woman was, as long as she didn’t get married, Ji Mingfei wouldn’t have much interest in her. But Ji Zifu couldn’t do such ethic-violated things. Moreover, it was obvious that Song Yixiao had no interest in him. Also, his cousin, Jian Xubai, wouldn’t let others steal his wife from him at all.
“Fortunately, I will get married soon.” After returning to his own room, Ji Zifu ordered someone to prepare cold water for him. He immersed the handkerchief in cold water and then put it on his face. He signed, “After I have my own wife, I wouldn’t have time to think about the things I shouldn’t think.”
However, when he thought of the word wife, the image appeared in front of him was what happened in Zhanchun Venue that day. In the blizzard, Song Yixiao was wearing a fox-fur robe. She reached out to put her earlocks aside. Her face was pale because of the coldness, which made her eyes and brows more like the color of the ink. And she was staring at him with half fear and half surprise.
Ji Zifu removed the handkerchief from his face and smashed it in the basin. His move splashed a burst of waves, just like his mood at this time.
That is great news! The couple was a little stunned when hearing this. Neither were they in the same party with Prince of Wei nor close to him in private. So, after hearing the news, apart from being surprised, they were not excited about it at all. They rewarded the man who came to report by the rules and then ordered Qiaoqin and the other first maids to prepare the gift list.The next day, Song Yixiao went to Prince of Wei's mansion to congratulate Princess Consort of Wei. Daiguo Grand Princess and her daughter both always kept a high profile. Now that Princess Consort of Wei got pregnant, more people came to flatter them one after another. The gate of Prince of Wei's mansion was crowded with people coming to congratulate them. The carriage of the Duke of Yan's mansion was almost blocked outside the gate without getting in.When Song Yixiao finally managed to enter the mansion, she still had to line up for a chance to talk to Princess Consort of Wei. The two of them didn't see each other often and they even quarreled about Jiang Muting in Zhanchun Venue. Naturally, Princess Consort of Wei wouldn't treat Song Yixiao warmly. After a polite small talk, she said to Song Yixiao coldly, I'm tired. You can go now.It was true that Song Yixiao's rank was half a level lower than hers. But they were relatives and the gap was not big, it was improper for her to drive Song Yixiao away with the words you can go now as she did to the servants. Princess Consort of Wei really lacked proper respect for Song Yixiao.However, Song Yixiao also didn't want to bother with her. She only said Take care and then left.When she walked out, she happened to meet Xie Yiren. As she stopped to greet Xie Yiren, the latter signaled her to come to the side with eyes. Xie Yiren was left speechless by the numbers of the guests coming to visit, she said, With so many people coming to visit, can Princess Consort of Wei stand it?When I was in just now, I found her look well. Song Yixiao said with a smile, Every man has his taste. Maybe she enjoyed it a lot when a lot of people came to visit her. Since Virtuous Consort Jiang lives in the palace and it is inconvenient for her to interfere with her son's family business. Aunt Daiguo will certainly care about her grandson and there is no way that she would let Princess Consort of Wei be too tired.Xie Yiren found that Song Yixiao was right after careful thinking. After all, they were still in Prince of Wei's mansion, as relatives, it was improper for them to talk too much in this place. So, they said goodbye to each other after these words.When Song Yixiao returned to Duke of Yan's mansion, she heard from the servants that the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and Virtuous Consort Jiang all gave rewards. The whole imperial family was happy about Princess Consort of Wei's pregnancy. But that was not the point, the point was Daiguo Grand Princess used this as an excuse to persuade Emperor Xianjia, Prince of Wei will soon become a father. How could he still have nothing serious to do?Not long before, Emperor Xianjia ordered all his sons to enter politics, except for Prince of Shu. Prince of Wei was also included, he was even assigned to the most important one of the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel. However, when the Emperor's nephew, Xu Xishi, entered the Ministry of Personnel, he didn't gain anything. This time, the Emperor's son, Prince of Wei, was still no match for Jin Suke. Recently, Prince of Wei nominally worked in the Ministry of Personnel. In fact, he could just stay idle and watch others work.Xu Xishi's mother, Luguo Grand Princess, died early. She couldn't help her son at all. But as Prince of Wei's mother-in-law and aunt, Daiguo Grand Princess wouldn't sit by and watch him stay idle.Jin Suke wasn't a kind one at all. Otherwise, someone noble as the heir of Earl Yiping, Xu Xishi, wouldn't be eager to work in the Ministry of War. What was more, he chose the Crown Prince, how could he give a face to the main force of Prince of Wei's party?No matter how Daiguo Grand Princess forced him, bribed him, used sticks or carrots, he was not moved at all. He just kept Prince of Wei idling in the Ministry of Personnel. The so-called entering politics to share burdens for father and brother became empty words.This time, Daiguo Grand Princess got a good excuse. She was smart this time. She didn't go to badger Jin Suke anymore. She directly went to find Emperor Xianjia.It was hard to tell whether it was for the sake of his future grandson or for the sake of his sister, anyway, at last, Emperor Xianjia ordered Jin Suke to give more chances to Prince of Wei to better himself. With the Emperor's words, Jin Suke couldn't refuse anymore. He could only inform the Eastern Palace, If His Majesty doesn't change his idea, I'm afraid that I could only give some power of the Ministry of Personnel to Prince of Wei.The Crown Prince's party couldn't sit by and watch the party of Prince of Wei to touch such an important ministry.When the Crown Prince gathered his men to talk about how to fight back, Gu Shao sent Commandery Prince Zhongling to tell them, A few days ago, His Majesty's illness worsened because of Princess Yushan's improper words. He even couldn't go to court this year. Now that His Majesty hasn't recovered, but Daiguo Grand Princess doesn't care about her brother at all. She just keeps making unreasonable requests. But, Your Highness, as the elder son of His Majesty, you had become Crown Prince at a young age, how can you bother with a woman? Lord Gu is right. Nothing is more important than letting my father rest to recover! The party of the Crown Prince talked about this topic for a long time, then they chose to accept Gu Shao's advice. The Crown Prince concluded in person, From now on, we shouldn't bother my father too much unless something really important happened. Aunt Daiguo is favored by my grandmother and my father, sometimes, she wouldn't be that considerate. But as the son, I can't be unfilial.When the Crown Prince's words spread outside the Eastern Palace, all the officials in the court got to know about it. They praised that he was filial and considerate. In comparison, Daiguo Grand Princess was still arrogant and domineering, even Prince of Wei, who enjoyed the reputation of being elegant, also seemed to be hypocritical: For power, he even acquiesced in his mother-in-law's to disturb to his father, who needed to rest in calm. How could he be such an unfilial son?Your Highness, you are the crown prince chose by His Majesty and you have lived in the Eastern Palace for more than a decade. Furthermore, you enjoy the reputation of being virtuous. If you can keep your integrity and leave nothing on others, His Majesty has no reason to remove you from the position of the Crown Prince. Afterward, when Gu Shao was with Crown Prince alone, he warned Crown Prince, This is your biggest advantage. So, Your Highness, you should remember to keep calm and don't take everything too serious. Just be filial and gentle as a son should do, the more the better.Winners take all! About the same time, Daiguo Grand Princess was also instructing Prince of Wei, The history is written by the winners! If you become the emperor in the future, all the bad comments today would become compliments. Don't bother with the rumors. The most important thing for you now is to drive Jin Suke away and take charge of the Ministry of Personnel.Apart from instructing her son-in-law to hurry to gain power in the Ministry of Personnel with Emperor Xianjia's consent, Daiguo Grand Princess also got the idea of intermarriage. After several rounds of secret discussions, the marriage between Ji Zifu and Su Shaoling, the seventh young lady of the Su Family, was finally set. It was three days after the good news of Princess Consort of Wei's pregnancy.The Su Family in Qingzhou was a family with deep culture. From ancient times, there appeared many talents in the family, which made it well-known in the whole country. Women in the Su Family also had a good reputation. There appeared several empresses of the previous dynasty and the current dynasty in their family. Su Shaoling had a twin sister, whose name was Su Shaomo. The two of them were always together. Su Shaomo was quite impulsive. Compared with her, Su Shaoling seemed to be more gentle, elegant, and thoughtful.Although Miss Su kept a low profile, she was considered to be the young lady with the best demeanor among the noble families.In comparison, although Ji Zifu's mother was Daiguo Grand Princess and his father was a hereditary marquis, his family had only developed for three or four generations. In terms of ancestors, the Ji Family was no match for the Su Family. Even at present, Su Shaoling was not worse than him in terms of family background. Her father was a duke, her brother was the No. 2 Scholar, and her aunt was the Empress.These were all not that important. The key was that his reputation among the noble families was not that good.At a young age, he was ostentatious and willful. It could be said that he was still immature.But when Great Rui fought with Wuhuan, it was him who caused a lot of nobility caught.With such a record and no extraordinary talents or moralities, it was hard for Ji Zifu to gain a good reputation.So, when the news of the intermarriage of the two families came out, many people felt sorry for Su Shaoling, including Song Yixiao.However, for fear of hurting their kinship, she still had to congratulate him, so she packed things and went to Daiguo Grand Princess's mansion with Jian Xubai.Unluckily, when they went to Daiguo Grand Princess's mansion that day, they happened to meet Qiu Shuxia. Before their carriage reached the mansion, they already saw the door opened. Ji Weiguan was dressed in a red robe and a golden crest this day. He came out in person to welcome Qiu Shuxia, who was about to get off the horse. Qiu Shuxia was always crazy about causing trouble for Jian Xubai. Song Yixiao was worried when she found that they met him by coincidence.However, it was daytime, so they couldn't just turn around and leave. Otherwise, Duke of Yan's mansion would lose dignity, and Qiu Shuxia would be more arrogant.Song Yixiao thought quietly in her heart that when her husband had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, how she could help him without leaving anything to others. But after they got off the carriage, they knew that Daiguo Grand Princess had already been prepared. She sent Ji Zifu to greet them and asked them to sit in the backyard garden for a while.We came to congratulate your engagement formally. It is not polite for us not to greet Auntie and Uncle first. Song Yixiao was relieved when seeing the situation. But Jian Xubai said with a faint smile, How could we even lose the qualification to have tea in the main hall and could only stay in the garden?Ji Zifu was indifferent, We are afraid that you and Uncle Qiu would have a big fight when you meet with each other. The question is neither of you can beat the other party to death, except for bringing disappointment and chaos, what's the point? It would be better to take a walk with Yixiao in the garden. Although the flowers in spring all withered, the plants in light or dark green are also pleasing to eyes.Speaking of which, he glanced at Song Yixiao and said with a smile, Long time no see, Yixiao. How are you recently?Thank you for your concern, Cousin Zifu. We are fine. Song Yixiao was looking at her husband with all her attention on him, she didn't notice that Ji Zifu's attitude to her was better than to her husband. Actually, she wouldn't care if she noticed. Hearing what Ji Zifu said, she responded politely, I forget to congratulate you on having a good future wife, Cousin Zifu.Congratulate? Ji Zifu could see that she was fudging him, so disappointment flashed through his eyes. But he soon hid it and snorted, Everyone said it was good news, then so be it. Xubai, what do you think? Do you want to fight with Uncle Qiu in the main hall or come with me to enjoy ourselves in the back hall? I wouldn't stop you if you want to go to the main hall. But you should think carefully, Yixiao is also here today. Even if you win Uncle Qiu, she still needs to apologize on your behalf. Otherwise, when Grandma and the others know it, they will blame Yixiao for not being virtuous.His last words persuaded Jian Xubai. He wasn't afraid of Qiu Shuxia, but he didn't want to cause trouble for his wife. When he had a conflict with Qiu Shuxia, there was no way that they didn't mention the current political situation and relevant policies. They would even reveal what each other had done. All the things were the secrets he wanted to hide from his wife.But now, Song Yixiao followed him closely, he also couldn't go to the main hall alone while leaving her here.When hearing Ji Zifu's words, ruthlessness and cruelty went through his eyes. Then he said, What kind of good pastimes did you prepare?Ji Zifu didn't prepare any good pastimes. He could only lead them to walk in the garden. When they got tired, they went to the pavilion to have some tea. After that, Jian Xubai found it was time to leave, so he excused himself. And, Ji Zifu stood up to send them away.On the way out of the Daiguo Grand Princess's mansion, Ji Zifu finally found an excuse to talk to Song Yixiao after careful thinking, Yixiao, you know the seventh young lady of the Su Family, right?Miss Su is brilliant, gentle, and refined. Song Yixiao thought that he wanted to learn something about his future wife, so she answered without hesitation, She was also quite pretty. You must thank Auntie Daiguo for choosing her as your wife, Cousin Zifu.She was wearing a pink wide-sleeved curving-front robe embroidered with the pattern of white camellia, whose collars, sleeves and lower hem were inlaid with two-inch-plus wide shallow pink gold damask. Her cummerbund was also in the same color. The skirt she was wearing was in the color of pale pinkish gray. All these were cute colors but Song Yixiao was a quiet and dignified one. The clothes only made her look quite gentle.Now, she was praising Su Shaoling seriously. Her watery almond-shaped eyes were filled with sincerity and earnestness. When she titled her head a little, the sunshine in April outlined her beautiful face. Seeing from his angle, she was just like a begonia that had just bloomed. Tender, beautiful, and bright.Ji Zifu withdrew his eyes after a glance, but he couldn't help but turn to look at her secretly once again. He suddenly felt his heart in such a mess that he even didn't know how he sent Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao off. He asked himself repeatedly, What's wrong with me?His cousin, Ji Mingfei, was renowned for ignoring all the ethics. His reputation was only a little bit better than Jiang Mingfei's, but he was still different from his cousin. Ji Mingfei loved other people's wives. No matter how beautiful a woman was, as long as she didn't get married, Ji Mingfei wouldn't have much interest in her. But Ji Zifu couldn't do such ethic-violated things. Moreover, it was obvious that Song Yixiao had no interest in him. Also, his cousin, Jian Xubai, wouldn't let others steal his wife from him at all.Fortunately, I will get married soon. After returning to his own room, Ji Zifu ordered someone to prepare cold water for him. He immersed the handkerchief in cold water and then put it on his face. He signed, After I have my own wife, I wouldn't have time to think about the things I shouldn't think.However, when he thought of the word wife, the image appeared in front of him was what happened in Zhanchun Venue that day. In the blizzard, Song Yixiao was wearing a fox-fur robe. She reached out to put her earlocks aside. Her face was pale because of the coldness, which made her eyes and brows more like the color of the ink. And she was staring at him with half fear and half surprise.Ji Zifu removed the handkerchief from his face and smashed it in the basin. His move splashed a burst of waves, just like his mood at this time.
