Chapter 311: Wei Yinlian’s Marriage (3)
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Emperor Xianjia didn’t know that the Empress Dowager had talked about Wei Yinlian’s marriage with the crown prince at this time, so after thinking for a while, he agreed. After all, Grand Princess Daiguo was his sister. His days were numbered and he didn’t want to reject Grand Princess Daiguo’s requests again and again. If he betrothed the crown princess’s sister to Grand Princess Daiguo’s nephew, he would fulfill his sister’s wish and could hint that he still cared about the Ji Family and those who wanted to deal with the Ji Family when the Ji Family was down should think twice before they did that.
After Grand Princess Daiguo left, he went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. After talking for a while, the Empress Dowager said, “I just told the crown prince that I wanted Qiu Zhiyin to marry his wife’s sister. I don’t know whether the crown princess would agree or not.”
Emperor Xianjia was surprised, “I remember that there is only one girl unmarried in the Wei Family.”
“Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s a good girl.” The Empress Dowager nodded, and then noticed his surprised tone, “Well? You’ve made some arrangement for that girl?”
“Daiguo just entered the palace and wanted me to betroth a girl with a strong family background to her nephew. She thought the girl in the Wei Family was the right person.” Emperor Xianjia explained, “I don’t know that you’ve decided to let her marry Qiu Zhiyin, but I have agreed to Daiguo’s proposal!”
“I see…” The Empress Dowager was stumped by this when she heard that it was her youngest daughter’s request, “The Ji Family now only has two male descendents. Zifu is still young but has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, but his elder cousin is still unmarried. It’s indeed inappropriate.”
The Empress Dowager knew the reason why Ji Mingfei was still unmarried so far. It was not because Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband ignored him but that he was a philanderer and wasn’t ready for marriage. He had that special hobby, and it was difficult for him to marry someone whose family was satisfactory to Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband.
At the time, Grand Princess Daiguo had an uncertain future. If she didn’t ask the emperor to betroth a good girl to Ji Mingfei when the emperor was still alive, this matter would only become more tricky. Grand Princess Daiguo didn’t care much about her nephew, but she was affectionate to Ji Weiguan and naturally would spare a thought for their nephew
Otherwise, with her temper, she wouldn’t have entered the palace and asked for grace for Ji Mingfei after Emperor Xianjia openly proposed to demote her to a princess.
“Mingfei is indeed old enough for marriage,” The Empress Dowager actually attached more importance to Qiu Zhiyin. After all, they counted on this adopted son who could carry on the family line. Ji Mingfei wasn’t related to the Empress Dowager by blood, and Qiu Zhiyin was not the biological heir of the Qiu Family. Compared with them, Grand Princess Daiguo was more important to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager thought for a while and said, “Since you have agreed Daiguo’s proposal, I’ll reconsider Qiu Zhiyin’s marriage!”
Grand Princess Daiguo had been at a low ebb these days. She managed to get such favor from Emperor Xianjia. If Emperor Xianjia went back on his words, Grand Princess Daiguo might be more embarrassed.
Although the Empress Dowager was worried about the future of the Qiu Family, she was even more afraid that her youngest daughter would suffer another heavy blow.
Emperor Xianjia felt sorry, “I was reckless and agreed without asking for your opinion.”
He knew that the Empress Dowager loved Grand Princess Daiguo. Since she said that, she would dispel her idea and allow Wei Yinlian to marry Grand Princess Daiguo’s nephew, so he didn’t mention withdraw his promise. He just said, “Although the girl of the Wei Family is good, there should be virtuous ladies in other families who are unmarried.”
The Empress Dowager just smiled, “You are right. I’ll think about it!”
What the Qiu Family needed was a daughter-in-law who could provide political asylum in the future, not just a virtuous daughter-in-law!
However, the Empress Dowager thought that the emperor’s days were numbered. She felt sad and didn’t want to worry him. Therefore, she said something perfunctorily and changed the topic.
However, Emperor Xianjia reminded her, “Mother, Gu Shao has several unmarried granddaughters. Remember?”
“Gu Shao?” The Empress Dowager was stunned when she heard this, and her mind raced. Although Prime Minister Gu and the crown prince were not family like the crown princess and the crown prince, Emperor Xianjia openly sent him to the crown prince’s camp and he was Commandery Prince Zhongling’s official teacher. His status was enough for him to protect the Qiu Family.
However, precisely because Gu Shao was an important courtier, unlike the crown princess who was the daughter-in-law of the royal family and the Wei Family who did something that the crown prince and the crown princess could hold against them, the emperor couldn’t decide the whole thing alone, and they needed Gu Shao’s permission if they wanted to betroth Gu Shao’s daughter to Qiu Zhiyin. The Empress Dowager said with a worried look, “Will he agree?”
“Although Prime Minister Gu is extremely outstanding, his sons are not very successful, and his grandchildren are also very mediocre.” Emperor Xianjia said confidently, “If I hint that I will promote his sons and grandchildren, I think he would agree to her granddaughter’s marriage to Qiu Zhiyin.”
After all, the unpleasantness between Gu Shao and Qiu Shuxia and the Liu Family was only about political views. It was just a small effort for the emperor to spare Qiu Shuxia and Qiu Zhiyin and betroth a girl to Qiu Zhiyin to stop the Qiu Family from vanishing.
Moreover, Qiu Zhiyin was not a worthless philanderer. Seniors wouldn’t think marrying their daughter to him would be a bad choice. If it were Ji Mingfei, Gu Shao wouldn’t agree at all. He was famous and respectable. How could he allow himself to be disgraced like that?
The Empress Dowager thought it might be a good idea, but she was still a little worried. The daughter who had got married was less important to her family. If Gu Shao easily agreed to marry his granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin, he probably didn’t value this granddaughter very much. So, when the Qiu Family needed Gu Shao’s help in the future, it was hard to say whether Gu Shao was willing to help for the sake of the relation between in-laws!
Fortunately, Emperor Xianjia also understood the Empress Dowager’s concerns. When he summoned Gu Shao the next day, he offered some benefits and even hinted that the crown prince could confer a dukedom on him after he ascended the throne in future. Unlike the time when the country was just founded, hereditary dukedom was rare now. It had been more than 20 years since Emperor Xianjia took the throne, but no dukedom was conferred on anyone. Therefore, dukedom was obviously hard to get at present. No matter whether Gu Shao was tempted or not, the emperor had offered enough benefits. If he still disagreed, Emperor Xianjia would think he was embarrassing him deliberately.
When the six influential families were the most prosperous, the emperor wouldn’t even consider the children of notable families and great clans if he wanted to select husbands or wives for his princes and princesses, let alone he was just acting as a matchmaker for his adoptive nephew.
However, the Gu Family had declined and couldn’t contend with the royal power at all. Gu Shao didn’t want to show the lofty and upright bearing of the Gu Family of Hongzhou by sacrificing the future and lives of his whole family. So, after thinking for a while, he nodded.
The granddaughter he betrothed to Qiu Zhiyin was the legitimate daughter of his eldest son and her maiden name was Tongxu.
In Gu Shao’s words, “I have many granddaughters. In terms of talent, appearance, and character, Tongxu is the best. Her parents love her very much and deliberately keep her around them. That’s why she is still unmarried.”
Both Emperor Xianjia and the Empress Dowager knew that what Gu Shao said might not be true, but since Gu Shao said that, the girl named Gu Tongxu wouldn’t be inferior to common young ladies from respectable families. Anyway, they made this match mainly because they wanted to make use of Gu Shao’s status. As for the girl, as long as her appearance and character weren’t below average, it would be enough.
After the emperor settled the matter with Gu Shao, he talked to the Wei Family. The Wei Family had just been persuaded by the crown princess and was ready to let Wei Yinlian marry into the Qiu Family. Suddenly, they heard that the person who was going to marry Wei Yinlian became Ji Mingfei, who was the most unruly philanderer in the imperial capital, they were all shocked and angry.
Although they were the offspring of the Ruiyu Hall, the Ruiyu Hall had declined a long time ago. Even Gu Shao dare not disobey Emperor Xianjia, let alone them.
However, they didn’t want to accept this decision and marry Wei Yinlian to Ji Mingfei!
“The only choice we have now is to let you talk to His Majesty yourself.” Madam Tian said to her youngest daughter with a sad face, “His Majesty has given the order. Your sister is his daughter-in-law and can’t disobey him. Besides, she’s pregnant now and can’t be too worried!”
Wei Yinlian kept silent for a long time before asking, “Mom, what do you want me to do?”
“I heard that Grand Princess Daiguo asked His Majesty to betroth you to Ji Mingfei in person,” When Madam Tian mentioned Grand Princess Daiguo, her voice became a little ferocious. After taking a deep breath, she calmed her tone and continued, “His Majesty probably didn’t mean to betroth you to Ji Mingfei. Grand Princess Daiguo is doomed to fall now. She knows how overbearing she used to be. So, she tried her best to find backers. Her own son has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, so she can only find another backer by selecting a wife for his nephew!”
Madam Tian hated Grand Princess Daiguo so much, “Even if her nephew is just an ordinary person, our family could accept your marriage to him! In the imperial capital, who doesn’t know what kind of person Ji Mingfei is? He and Grand Princess Jinguo even…”
In the end, she didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her unmarried daughter about such a thing, so she didn’t finish speaking. She sighed, “You and Grand Princess Jinguo’s daughter-in-law, Lady of Yan, are friends, aren’t you? I have prepared a gift for you. You take it to her tomorrow and ask her to persuade Grand Princess Jinguo to help you, and see if she could help you decline the marriage His Majesty arranged for you!”
Wei Yinlian fiddled with the silver bell sewn in the corner of her clothes, and said after a long time, “I see.”
However, after she arrived at Duke of Yan’s mansion the next day, she only chatted with Song Yixiao for most of the day. When it was almost evening, she guessed that Jian Xubai was about to come back from his office, so she said goodbye.
Song Yixiao personally sent her to the second gate. Seeing that she had gathered up her dress and was about to get on the carriage after saying goodbye to her, she couldn’t help asking, “Yinlian, you only came to me for a chat? Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
The outsiders hadn’t known that the emperor was arranging marriages for the children of the Qiu Family and the Ji Family.
However, Song Yixiao was somewhat related to Qiu Zhiyin. The crown prince and the crown princess were afraid that she would have misunderstandings, so the crown princess had privately sent someone to take the message to Song Yixiao after she persuaded Wei Yinlian to marry Qiu Zhiyin two days ago. Later, after the emperor decided to let the young lady of the Gu Family marry Qiu Zhiyin, the crown princess also immediately sent someone to inform Song Yixiao.
So as soon as Wei Yinlian came to Song Yixiao today, Song Yixiao guessed her purpose, and she had prepared an answer.
Unexpectedly, Wei Yinlian didn’t mention the matter about her marriage the whole day. Song Yixiao couldn’t help wonder. After all, marriage was a lifelong commitment. Ji Mingfei’s reputation in the imperial capital was so compromising. Even young girls of common families didn’t want to get involved with him, let alone the Wei Family that had produced a crown princess.
“Shanyao, you know I had a crush on someone else before.” When Wei Yinlian heard Song Yixiao’s words, she smiled and looked around. After Song Yixiao asked the servants around to withdraw, Wei Yinlian said calmly, “Anyway, I can’t marry the person I like, it doesn’t matter whom I would marry. Moreover, although Ji Mingfei has a bad reputation, I have never heard that he was mean or treated someone harshly. As long as he can get along with me and respect me, it would be enough!”
Seeing that Song Yixiao wished to speak but stopped on second thought, she smiled and said, “When I left home today, my mother indeed asked me to come to you for help. I thought about it on the way, and I decided not to mention this matter in the end. Grand Princess Jinguo is just your mother-in-law, not your own mother. Even if she behaves maternally towards you and treats you as her own daughter, Grand Princess Daiguo is also her family, right? So, if I ask you for help, I will put you and Grand Princess Jinguo in an awkward position. What’s the point of doing that? Moreover, Grand Princess Daiguo has personally got His Majesty’s consent. If His Majesty withdrew his promised, I’m afraid it would be unfavorable to the Wei Family and you and your husband.”
After all, everyone knew that Grand Princess Daiguo was no longer awe-inspiring. She managed to get a favor from Emperor Xianjia but was ruined by the Wei Family and Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao. Others probably could accept that, but how could the emperor and the Empress Dowager not be grieved?
In particular, Jian Xubai was raised up by the Empress Dowager herself. Grand Princess Daiguo was not very good to him, but she didn’t treat him harshly like she did to the crown prince. However, if Jian Xubai’s wife helped Wei Yinlian to embarrass Grand Princess Daiguo like that, what would the Empress Dowager think?
Song Yixiao actually intended to help her, but it was hard to say whether she could succeed.
However, after hearing Wei Yinlian’s words, Song Yixiao thought it was unnecessary to mention this matter anymore. After all, Wei Yinlian was right. Even if they did whatever they could to help Wei Yinlian get rid of this marriage, they would certainly leave a bad impression on the Empress Dowager and the emperor, and then affect their family unless Grand Princess Daiguo changed her mind and didn’t want Wei Yinlian to marry his nephew anymore.
Wei Yinlian had made it clear that she intended to compromise for the overall situation. What else could Song Yixiao say? Wei Yinlian was different from her. Wei Yinlian was the descendant of the legitimate son of the six influential families and was a truly beloved daughter for her parents. That was also why Madam Tian stuck up for her after Sikong Yiluo died. Although the Wei Family could give up their daughter and son-in-law at crucial moments, they truly loved them and protected them very well at other times.
When the children were indebted to the family and the family needed help, one of them must step forward and help the family get through the difficulty.
However, Song Yixiao wasn’t in the mood to bother about Wei Yinlian’s marriage.
Holding Jinxun’s hand to support herself, she walked slowly towards the Keshao Hall and thought to herself, “Qiu Zhiyin… This man is lucky. The Liu Family is exterminated. Even if Liu Zhijin had been bought by the Song Family, she became a humble concubine. He just changed his last name, and continued to be the respectable young master of the Qiu Family!”
In her previous life, she had a hard life and died with a grievance, so after rebirth, she retaliated without hesitation.
However, she was having a better and better life now. She got married and was about to have a baby. She was in a tranquil mood, and her resentment naturally dissipated a lot.
Therefore, she wasn’t eager to kill them like before, of course on condition that Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin wouldn’t come to provoke her.
“Now I’m about to put those matters behind, but they can’t?” Song Yixiao raised her hand and gently stroked her lower abdomen. She thought of the news she had just got two days ago, and a sneer hung on her lips. It was not bad. She counted the days in pain and suffering, being revengeful with hatred, but she was unable to do anything about it. In her previous life, she lived such a life under the yoke of Madam Liu!
At the time, fate seemed to have pushed the two children of the Liu Family to the same situation?
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Emperor Xianjia didn’t know that the Empress Dowager had talked about Wei Yinlian’s marriage with the crown prince at this time, so after thinking for a while, he agreed. After all, Grand Princess Daiguo was his sister. His days were numbered and he didn’t want to reject Grand Princess Daiguo’s requests again and again. If he betrothed the crown princess’s sister to Grand Princess Daiguo’s nephew, he would fulfill his sister’s wish and could hint that he still cared about the Ji Family and those who wanted to deal with the Ji Family when the Ji Family was down should think twice before they did that.
After Grand Princess Daiguo left, he went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. After talking for a while, the Empress Dowager said, “I just told the crown prince that I wanted Qiu Zhiyin to marry his wife’s sister. I don’t know whether the crown princess would agree or not.”
Emperor Xianjia was surprised, “I remember that there is only one girl unmarried in the Wei Family.”
“Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s a good girl.” The Empress Dowager nodded, and then noticed his surprised tone, “Well? You’ve made some arrangement for that girl?”
“Daiguo just entered the palace and wanted me to betroth a girl with a strong family background to her nephew. She thought the girl in the Wei Family was the right person.” Emperor Xianjia explained, “I don’t know that you’ve decided to let her marry Qiu Zhiyin, but I have agreed to Daiguo’s proposal!”
“I see…” The Empress Dowager was stumped by this when she heard that it was her youngest daughter’s request, “The Ji Family now only has two male descendents. Zifu is still young but has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, but his elder cousin is still unmarried. It’s indeed inappropriate.”
The Empress Dowager knew the reason why Ji Mingfei was still unmarried so far. It was not because Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband ignored him but that he was a philanderer and wasn’t ready for marriage. He had that special hobby, and it was difficult for him to marry someone whose family was satisfactory to Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband.
At the time, Grand Princess Daiguo had an uncertain future. If she didn’t ask the emperor to betroth a good girl to Ji Mingfei when the emperor was still alive, this matter would only become more tricky. Grand Princess Daiguo didn’t care much about her nephew, but she was affectionate to Ji Weiguan and naturally would spare a thought for their nephew
Otherwise, with her temper, she wouldn’t have entered the palace and asked for grace for Ji Mingfei after Emperor Xianjia openly proposed to demote her to a princess.
“Mingfei is indeed old enough for marriage,” The Empress Dowager actually attached more importance to Qiu Zhiyin. After all, they counted on this adopted son who could carry on the family line. Ji Mingfei wasn’t related to the Empress Dowager by blood, and Qiu Zhiyin was not the biological heir of the Qiu Family. Compared with them, Grand Princess Daiguo was more important to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager thought for a while and said, “Since you have agreed Daiguo’s proposal, I’ll reconsider Qiu Zhiyin’s marriage!”
Grand Princess Daiguo had been at a low ebb these days. She managed to get such favor from Emperor Xianjia. If Emperor Xianjia went back on his words, Grand Princess Daiguo might be more embarrassed.
Although the Empress Dowager was worried about the future of the Qiu Family, she was even more afraid that her youngest daughter would suffer another heavy blow.
Emperor Xianjia felt sorry, “I was reckless and agreed without asking for your opinion.”
He knew that the Empress Dowager loved Grand Princess Daiguo. Since she said that, she would dispel her idea and allow Wei Yinlian to marry Grand Princess Daiguo’s nephew, so he didn’t mention withdraw his promise. He just said, “Although the girl of the Wei Family is good, there should be virtuous ladies in other families who are unmarried.”
The Empress Dowager just smiled, “You are right. I’ll think about it!”
What the Qiu Family needed was a daughter-in-law who could provide political asylum in the future, not just a virtuous daughter-in-law!
However, the Empress Dowager thought that the emperor’s days were numbered. She felt sad and didn’t want to worry him. Therefore, she said something perfunctorily and changed the topic.
However, Emperor Xianjia reminded her, “Mother, Gu Shao has several unmarried granddaughters. Remember?”
“Gu Shao?” The Empress Dowager was stunned when she heard this, and her mind raced. Although Prime Minister Gu and the crown prince were not family like the crown princess and the crown prince, Emperor Xianjia openly sent him to the crown prince’s camp and he was Commandery Prince Zhongling’s official teacher. His status was enough for him to protect the Qiu Family.
However, precisely because Gu Shao was an important courtier, unlike the crown princess who was the daughter-in-law of the royal family and the Wei Family who did something that the crown prince and the crown princess could hold against them, the emperor couldn’t decide the whole thing alone, and they needed Gu Shao’s permission if they wanted to betroth Gu Shao’s daughter to Qiu Zhiyin. The Empress Dowager said with a worried look, “Will he agree?”
“Although Prime Minister Gu is extremely outstanding, his sons are not very successful, and his grandchildren are also very mediocre.” Emperor Xianjia said confidently, “If I hint that I will promote his sons and grandchildren, I think he would agree to her granddaughter’s marriage to Qiu Zhiyin.”
After all, the unpleasantness between Gu Shao and Qiu Shuxia and the Liu Family was only about political views. It was just a small effort for the emperor to spare Qiu Shuxia and Qiu Zhiyin and betroth a girl to Qiu Zhiyin to stop the Qiu Family from vanishing.
Moreover, Qiu Zhiyin was not a worthless philanderer. Seniors wouldn’t think marrying their daughter to him would be a bad choice. If it were Ji Mingfei, Gu Shao wouldn’t agree at all. He was famous and respectable. How could he allow himself to be disgraced like that?
The Empress Dowager thought it might be a good idea, but she was still a little worried. The daughter who had got married was less important to her family. If Gu Shao easily agreed to marry his granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin, he probably didn’t value this granddaughter very much. So, when the Qiu Family needed Gu Shao’s help in the future, it was hard to say whether Gu Shao was willing to help for the sake of the relation between in-laws!
Fortunately, Emperor Xianjia also understood the Empress Dowager’s concerns. When he summoned Gu Shao the next day, he offered some benefits and even hinted that the crown prince could confer a dukedom on him after he ascended the throne in future. Unlike the time when the country was just founded, hereditary dukedom was rare now. It had been more than 20 years since Emperor Xianjia took the throne, but no dukedom was conferred on anyone. Therefore, dukedom was obviously hard to get at present. No matter whether Gu Shao was tempted or not, the emperor had offered enough benefits. If he still disagreed, Emperor Xianjia would think he was embarrassing him deliberately.
When the six influential families were the most prosperous, the emperor wouldn’t even consider the children of notable families and great clans if he wanted to select husbands or wives for his princes and princesses, let alone he was just acting as a matchmaker for his adoptive nephew.
However, the Gu Family had declined and couldn’t contend with the royal power at all. Gu Shao didn’t want to show the lofty and upright bearing of the Gu Family of Hongzhou by sacrificing the future and lives of his whole family. So, after thinking for a while, he nodded.
The granddaughter he betrothed to Qiu Zhiyin was the legitimate daughter of his eldest son and her maiden name was Tongxu.
In Gu Shao’s words, “I have many granddaughters. In terms of talent, appearance, and character, Tongxu is the best. Her parents love her very much and deliberately keep her around them. That’s why she is still unmarried.”
Both Emperor Xianjia and the Empress Dowager knew that what Gu Shao said might not be true, but since Gu Shao said that, the girl named Gu Tongxu wouldn’t be inferior to common young ladies from respectable families. Anyway, they made this match mainly because they wanted to make use of Gu Shao’s status. As for the girl, as long as her appearance and character weren’t below average, it would be enough.
After the emperor settled the matter with Gu Shao, he talked to the Wei Family. The Wei Family had just been persuaded by the crown princess and was ready to let Wei Yinlian marry into the Qiu Family. Suddenly, they heard that the person who was going to marry Wei Yinlian became Ji Mingfei, who was the most unruly philanderer in the imperial capital, they were all shocked and angry.
Although they were the offspring of the Ruiyu Hall, the Ruiyu Hall had declined a long time ago. Even Gu Shao dare not disobey Emperor Xianjia, let alone them.
However, they didn’t want to accept this decision and marry Wei Yinlian to Ji Mingfei!
“The only choice we have now is to let you talk to His Majesty yourself.” Madam Tian said to her youngest daughter with a sad face, “His Majesty has given the order. Your sister is his daughter-in-law and can’t disobey him. Besides, she’s pregnant now and can’t be too worried!”
Wei Yinlian kept silent for a long time before asking, “Mom, what do you want me to do?”
“I heard that Grand Princess Daiguo asked His Majesty to betroth you to Ji Mingfei in person,” When Madam Tian mentioned Grand Princess Daiguo, her voice became a little ferocious. After taking a deep breath, she calmed her tone and continued, “His Majesty probably didn’t mean to betroth you to Ji Mingfei. Grand Princess Daiguo is doomed to fall now. She knows how overbearing she used to be. So, she tried her best to find backers. Her own son has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, so she can only find another backer by selecting a wife for his nephew!”
Madam Tian hated Grand Princess Daiguo so much, “Even if her nephew is just an ordinary person, our family could accept your marriage to him! In the imperial capital, who doesn’t know what kind of person Ji Mingfei is? He and Grand Princess Jinguo even…”
In the end, she didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her unmarried daughter about such a thing, so she didn’t finish speaking. She sighed, “You and Grand Princess Jinguo’s daughter-in-law, Lady of Yan, are friends, aren’t you? I have prepared a gift for you. You take it to her tomorrow and ask her to persuade Grand Princess Jinguo to help you, and see if she could help you decline the marriage His Majesty arranged for you!”
Wei Yinlian fiddled with the silver bell sewn in the corner of her clothes, and said after a long time, “I see.”
However, after she arrived at Duke of Yan’s mansion the next day, she only chatted with Song Yixiao for most of the day. When it was almost evening, she guessed that Jian Xubai was about to come back from his office, so she said goodbye.
Song Yixiao personally sent her to the second gate. Seeing that she had gathered up her dress and was about to get on the carriage after saying goodbye to her, she couldn’t help asking, “Yinlian, you only came to me for a chat? Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
The outsiders hadn’t known that the emperor was arranging marriages for the children of the Qiu Family and the Ji Family.
However, Song Yixiao was somewhat related to Qiu Zhiyin. The crown prince and the crown princess were afraid that she would have misunderstandings, so the crown princess had privately sent someone to take the message to Song Yixiao after she persuaded Wei Yinlian to marry Qiu Zhiyin two days ago. Later, after the emperor decided to let the young lady of the Gu Family marry Qiu Zhiyin, the crown princess also immediately sent someone to inform Song Yixiao.
So as soon as Wei Yinlian came to Song Yixiao today, Song Yixiao guessed her purpose, and she had prepared an answer.
Unexpectedly, Wei Yinlian didn’t mention the matter about her marriage the whole day. Song Yixiao couldn’t help wonder. After all, marriage was a lifelong commitment. Ji Mingfei’s reputation in the imperial capital was so compromising. Even young girls of common families didn’t want to get involved with him, let alone the Wei Family that had produced a crown princess.
“Shanyao, you know I had a crush on someone else before.” When Wei Yinlian heard Song Yixiao’s words, she smiled and looked around. After Song Yixiao asked the servants around to withdraw, Wei Yinlian said calmly, “Anyway, I can’t marry the person I like, it doesn’t matter whom I would marry. Moreover, although Ji Mingfei has a bad reputation, I have never heard that he was mean or treated someone harshly. As long as he can get along with me and respect me, it would be enough!”
Seeing that Song Yixiao wished to speak but stopped on second thought, she smiled and said, “When I left home today, my mother indeed asked me to come to you for help. I thought about it on the way, and I decided not to mention this matter in the end. Grand Princess Jinguo is just your mother-in-law, not your own mother. Even if she behaves maternally towards you and treats you as her own daughter, Grand Princess Daiguo is also her family, right? So, if I ask you for help, I will put you and Grand Princess Jinguo in an awkward position. What’s the point of doing that? Moreover, Grand Princess Daiguo has personally got His Majesty’s consent. If His Majesty withdrew his promised, I’m afraid it would be unfavorable to the Wei Family and you and your husband.”
After all, everyone knew that Grand Princess Daiguo was no longer awe-inspiring. She managed to get a favor from Emperor Xianjia but was ruined by the Wei Family and Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao. Others probably could accept that, but how could the emperor and the Empress Dowager not be grieved?
In particular, Jian Xubai was raised up by the Empress Dowager herself. Grand Princess Daiguo was not very good to him, but she didn’t treat him harshly like she did to the crown prince. However, if Jian Xubai’s wife helped Wei Yinlian to embarrass Grand Princess Daiguo like that, what would the Empress Dowager think?
Song Yixiao actually intended to help her, but it was hard to say whether she could succeed.
However, after hearing Wei Yinlian’s words, Song Yixiao thought it was unnecessary to mention this matter anymore. After all, Wei Yinlian was right. Even if they did whatever they could to help Wei Yinlian get rid of this marriage, they would certainly leave a bad impression on the Empress Dowager and the emperor, and then affect their family unless Grand Princess Daiguo changed her mind and didn’t want Wei Yinlian to marry his nephew anymore.
Wei Yinlian had made it clear that she intended to compromise for the overall situation. What else could Song Yixiao say? Wei Yinlian was different from her. Wei Yinlian was the descendant of the legitimate son of the six influential families and was a truly beloved daughter for her parents. That was also why Madam Tian stuck up for her after Sikong Yiluo died. Although the Wei Family could give up their daughter and son-in-law at crucial moments, they truly loved them and protected them very well at other times.
When the children were indebted to the family and the family needed help, one of them must step forward and help the family get through the difficulty.
However, Song Yixiao wasn’t in the mood to bother about Wei Yinlian’s marriage.
Holding Jinxun’s hand to support herself, she walked slowly towards the Keshao Hall and thought to herself, “Qiu Zhiyin… This man is lucky. The Liu Family is exterminated. Even if Liu Zhijin had been bought by the Song Family, she became a humble concubine. He just changed his last name, and continued to be the respectable young master of the Qiu Family!”
In her previous life, she had a hard life and died with a grievance, so after rebirth, she retaliated without hesitation.
However, she was having a better and better life now. She got married and was about to have a baby. She was in a tranquil mood, and her resentment naturally dissipated a lot.
Therefore, she wasn’t eager to kill them like before, of course on condition that Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin wouldn’t come to provoke her.
“Now I’m about to put those matters behind, but they can’t?” Song Yixiao raised her hand and gently stroked her lower abdomen. She thought of the news she had just got two days ago, and a sneer hung on her lips. It was not bad. She counted the days in pain and suffering, being revengeful with hatred, but she was unable to do anything about it. In her previous life, she lived such a life under the yoke of Madam Liu!
At the time, fate seemed to have pushed the two children of the Liu Family to the same situation?
Emperor Xianjia didn't know that the Empress Dowager had talked about Wei Yinlian's marriage with the crown prince at this time, so after thinking for a while, he agreed. After all, Grand Princess Daiguo was his sister. His days were numbered and he didn't want to reject Grand Princess Daiguo's requests again and again. If he betrothed the crown princess's sister to Grand Princess Daiguo's nephew, he would fulfill his sister's wish and could hint that he still cared about the Ji Family and those who wanted to deal with the Ji Family when the Ji Family was down should think twice before they did that.After Grand Princess Daiguo left, he went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. After talking for a while, the Empress Dowager said, I just told the crown prince that I wanted Qiu Zhiyin to marry his wife's sister. I don't know whether the crown princess would agree or not.Emperor Xianjia was surprised, I remember that there is only one girl unmarried in the Wei Family.Yes, I've seen her. She's a good girl. The Empress Dowager nodded, and then noticed his surprised tone, Well? You've made some arrangement for that girl?Daiguo just entered the palace and wanted me to betroth a girl with a strong family background to her nephew. She thought the girl in the Wei Family was the right person. Emperor Xianjia explained, I don't know that you've decided to let her marry Qiu Zhiyin, but I have agreed to Daiguo's proposal!I see The Empress Dowager was stumped by this when she heard that it was her youngest daughter's request, The Ji Family now only has two male descendents. Zifu is still young but has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, but his elder cousin is still unmarried. It's indeed inappropriate.The Empress Dowager knew the reason why Ji Mingfei was still unmarried so far. It was not because Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband ignored him but that he was a philanderer and wasn't ready for marriage. He had that special hobby, and it was difficult for him to marry someone whose family was satisfactory to Grand Prince Daiguo and her husband.At the time, Grand Princess Daiguo had an uncertain future. If she didn't ask the emperor to betroth a good girl to Ji Mingfei when the emperor was still alive, this matter would only become more tricky. Grand Princess Daiguo didn't care much about her nephew, but she was affectionate to Ji Weiguan and naturally would spare a thought for their nephewOtherwise, with her temper, she wouldn't have entered the palace and asked for grace for Ji Mingfei after Emperor Xianjia openly proposed to demote her to a princess.Mingfei is indeed old enough for marriage, The Empress Dowager actually attached more importance to Qiu Zhiyin. After all, they counted on this adopted son who could carry on the family line. Ji Mingfei wasn't related to the Empress Dowager by blood, and Qiu Zhiyin was not the biological heir of the Qiu Family. Compared with them, Grand Princess Daiguo was more important to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager thought for a while and said, Since you have agreed Daiguo's proposal, I'll reconsider Qiu Zhiyin's marriage!Grand Princess Daiguo had been at a low ebb these days. She managed to get such favor from Emperor Xianjia. If Emperor Xianjia went back on his words, Grand Princess Daiguo might be more embarrassed.Although the Empress Dowager was worried about the future of the Qiu Family, she was even more afraid that her youngest daughter would suffer another heavy blow.Emperor Xianjia felt sorry, I was reckless and agreed without asking for your opinion.He knew that the Empress Dowager loved Grand Princess Daiguo. Since she said that, she would dispel her idea and allow Wei Yinlian to marry Grand Princess Daiguo's nephew, so he didn't mention withdraw his promise. He just said, Although the girl of the Wei Family is good, there should be virtuous ladies in other families who are unmarried.The Empress Dowager just smiled, You are right. I'll think about it!What the Qiu Family needed was a daughter-in-law who could provide political asylum in the future, not just a virtuous daughter-in-law!However, the Empress Dowager thought that the emperor's days were numbered. She felt sad and didn't want to worry him. Therefore, she said something perfunctorily and changed the topic.However, Emperor Xianjia reminded her, Mother, Gu Shao has several unmarried granddaughters. Remember?Gu Shao? The Empress Dowager was stunned when she heard this, and her mind raced. Although Prime Minister Gu and the crown prince were not family like the crown princess and the crown prince, Emperor Xianjia openly sent him to the crown prince's camp and he was Commandery Prince Zhongling's official teacher. His status was enough for him to protect the Qiu Family.However, precisely because Gu Shao was an important courtier, unlike the crown princess who was the daughter-in-law of the royal family and the Wei Family who did something that the crown prince and the crown princess could hold against them, the emperor couldn't decide the whole thing alone, and they needed Gu Shao's permission if they wanted to betroth Gu Shao's daughter to Qiu Zhiyin. The Empress Dowager said with a worried look, Will he agree?Although Prime Minister Gu is extremely outstanding, his sons are not very successful, and his grandchildren are also very mediocre. Emperor Xianjia said confidently, If I hint that I will promote his sons and grandchildren, I think he would agree to her granddaughter's marriage to Qiu Zhiyin.After all, the unpleasantness between Gu Shao and Qiu Shuxia and the Liu Family was only about political views. It was just a small effort for the emperor to spare Qiu Shuxia and Qiu Zhiyin and betroth a girl to Qiu Zhiyin to stop the Qiu Family from vanishing.Moreover, Qiu Zhiyin was not a worthless philanderer. Seniors wouldn't think marrying their daughter to him would be a bad choice. If it were Ji Mingfei, Gu Shao wouldn't agree at all. He was famous and respectable. How could he allow himself to be disgraced like that?The Empress Dowager thought it might be a good idea, but she was still a little worried. The daughter who had got married was less important to her family. If Gu Shao easily agreed to marry his granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin, he probably didn't value this granddaughter very much. So, when the Qiu Family needed Gu Shao's help in the future, it was hard to say whether Gu Shao was willing to help for the sake of the relation between in-laws!Fortunately, Emperor Xianjia also understood the Empress Dowager's concerns. When he summoned Gu Shao the next day, he offered some benefits and even hinted that the crown prince could confer a dukedom on him after he ascended the throne in future. Unlike the time when the country was just founded, hereditary dukedom was rare now. It had been more than 20 years since Emperor Xianjia took the throne, but no dukedom was conferred on anyone. Therefore, dukedom was obviously hard to get at present. No matter whether Gu Shao was tempted or not, the emperor had offered enough benefits. If he still disagreed, Emperor Xianjia would think he was embarrassing him deliberately.When the six influential families were the most prosperous, the emperor wouldn't even consider the children of notable families and great clans if he wanted to select husbands or wives for his princes and princesses, let alone he was just acting as a matchmaker for his adoptive nephew.However, the Gu Family had declined and couldn't contend with the royal power at all. Gu Shao didn't want to show the lofty and upright bearing of the Gu Family of Hongzhou by sacrificing the future and lives of his whole family. So, after thinking for a while, he nodded.The granddaughter he betrothed to Qiu Zhiyin was the legitimate daughter of his eldest son and her maiden name was Tongxu.In Gu Shao's words, I have many granddaughters. In terms of talent, appearance, and character, Tongxu is the best. Her parents love her very much and deliberately keep her around them. That's why she is still unmarried.Both Emperor Xianjia and the Empress Dowager knew that what Gu Shao said might not be true, but since Gu Shao said that, the girl named Gu Tongxu wouldn't be inferior to common young ladies from respectable families. Anyway, they made this match mainly because they wanted to make use of Gu Shao's status. As for the girl, as long as her appearance and character weren't below average, it would be enough.After the emperor settled the matter with Gu Shao, he talked to the Wei Family. The Wei Family had just been persuaded by the crown princess and was ready to let Wei Yinlian marry into the Qiu Family. Suddenly, they heard that the person who was going to marry Wei Yinlian became Ji Mingfei, who was the most unruly philanderer in the imperial capital, they were all shocked and angry.Although they were the offspring of the Ruiyu Hall, the Ruiyu Hall had declined a long time ago. Even Gu Shao dare not disobey Emperor Xianjia, let alone them.However, they didn't want to accept this decision and marry Wei Yinlian to Ji Mingfei!The only choice we have now is to let you talk to His Majesty yourself. Madam Tian said to her youngest daughter with a sad face, His Majesty has given the order. Your sister is his daughter-in-law and can't disobey him. Besides, she's pregnant now and can't be too worried!Wei Yinlian kept silent for a long time before asking, Mom, what do you want me to do?I heard that Grand Princess Daiguo asked His Majesty to betroth you to Ji Mingfei in person, When Madam Tian mentioned Grand Princess Daiguo, her voice became a little ferocious. After taking a deep breath, she calmed her tone and continued, His Majesty probably didn't mean to betroth you to Ji Mingfei. Grand Princess Daiguo is doomed to fall now. She knows how overbearing she used to be. So, she tried her best to find backers. Her own son has been engaged to the young lady of the Su Family, so she can only find another backer by selecting a wife for his nephew!Madam Tian hated Grand Princess Daiguo so much, Even if her nephew is just an ordinary person, our family could accept your marriage to him! In the imperial capital, who doesn't know what kind of person Ji Mingfei is? He and Grand Princess Jinguo evenIn the end, she didn't think it was a good idea to tell her unmarried daughter about such a thing, so she didn't finish speaking. She sighed, You and Grand Princess Jinguo's daughter-in-law, Lady of Yan, are friends, aren't you? I have prepared a gift for you. You take it to her tomorrow and ask her to persuade Grand Princess Jinguo to help you, and see if she could help you decline the marriage His Majesty arranged for you!Wei Yinlian fiddled with the silver bell sewn in the corner of her clothes, and said after a long time, I see.However, after she arrived at Duke of Yan's mansion the next day, she only chatted with Song Yixiao for most of the day. When it was almost evening, she guessed that Jian Xubai was about to come back from his office, so she said goodbye.Song Yixiao personally sent her to the second gate. Seeing that she had gathered up her dress and was about to get on the carriage after saying goodbye to her, she couldn't help asking, Yinlian, you only came to me for a chat? Is there anything else you want to tell me?The outsiders hadn't known that the emperor was arranging marriages for the children of the Qiu Family and the Ji Family.However, Song Yixiao was somewhat related to Qiu Zhiyin. The crown prince and the crown princess were afraid that she would have misunderstandings, so the crown princess had privately sent someone to take the message to Song Yixiao after she persuaded Wei Yinlian to marry Qiu Zhiyin two days ago. Later, after the emperor decided to let the young lady of the Gu Family marry Qiu Zhiyin, the crown princess also immediately sent someone to inform Song Yixiao.So as soon as Wei Yinlian came to Song Yixiao today, Song Yixiao guessed her purpose, and she had prepared an answer.Unexpectedly, Wei Yinlian didn't mention the matter about her marriage the whole day. Song Yixiao couldn't help wonder. After all, marriage was a lifelong commitment. Ji Mingfei's reputation in the imperial capital was so compromising. Even young girls of common families didn't want to get involved with him, let alone the Wei Family that had produced a crown princess.Shanyao, you know I had a crush on someone else before. When Wei Yinlian heard Song Yixiao's words, she smiled and looked around. After Song Yixiao asked the servants around to withdraw, Wei Yinlian said calmly, Anyway, I can't marry the person I like, it doesn't matter whom I would marry. Moreover, although Ji Mingfei has a bad reputation, I have never heard that he was mean or treated someone harshly. As long as he can get along with me and respect me, it would be enough!Seeing that Song Yixiao wished to speak but stopped on second thought, she smiled and said, When I left home today, my mother indeed asked me to come to you for help. I thought about it on the way, and I decided not to mention this matter in the end. Grand Princess Jinguo is just your mother-in-law, not your own mother. Even if she behaves maternally towards you and treats you as her own daughter, Grand Princess Daiguo is also her family, right? So, if I ask you for help, I will put you and Grand Princess Jinguo in an awkward position. What's the point of doing that? Moreover, Grand Princess Daiguo has personally got His Majesty's consent. If His Majesty withdrew his promised, I'm afraid it would be unfavorable to the Wei Family and you and your husband.After all, everyone knew that Grand Princess Daiguo was no longer awe-inspiring. She managed to get a favor from Emperor Xianjia but was ruined by the Wei Family and Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao. Others probably could accept that, but how could the emperor and the Empress Dowager not be grieved?In particular, Jian Xubai was raised up by the Empress Dowager herself. Grand Princess Daiguo was not very good to him, but she didn't treat him harshly like she did to the crown prince. However, if Jian Xubai's wife helped Wei Yinlian to embarrass Grand Princess Daiguo like that, what would the Empress Dowager think?Song Yixiao actually intended to help her, but it was hard to say whether she could succeed.However, after hearing Wei Yinlian's words, Song Yixiao thought it was unnecessary to mention this matter anymore. After all, Wei Yinlian was right. Even if they did whatever they could to help Wei Yinlian get rid of this marriage, they would certainly leave a bad impression on the Empress Dowager and the emperor, and then affect their family unless Grand Princess Daiguo changed her mind and didn't want Wei Yinlian to marry his nephew anymore.Wei Yinlian had made it clear that she intended to compromise for the overall situation. What else could Song Yixiao say? Wei Yinlian was different from her. Wei Yinlian was the descendant of the legitimate son of the six influential families and was a truly beloved daughter for her parents. That was also why Madam Tian stuck up for her after Sikong Yiluo died. Although the Wei Family could give up their daughter and son-in-law at crucial moments, they truly loved them and protected them very well at other times.When the children were indebted to the family and the family needed help, one of them must step forward and help the family get through the difficulty.However, Song Yixiao wasn't in the mood to bother about Wei Yinlian's marriage.Holding Jinxun's hand to support herself, she walked slowly towards the Keshao Hall and thought to herself, Qiu Zhiyin This man is lucky. The Liu Family is exterminated. Even if Liu Zhijin had been bought by the Song Family, she became a humble concubine. He just changed his last name, and continued to be the respectable young master of the Qiu Family!In her previous life, she had a hard life and died with a grievance, so after rebirth, she retaliated without hesitation.However, she was having a better and better life now. She got married and was about to have a baby. She was in a tranquil mood, and her resentment naturally dissipated a lot.Therefore, she wasn't eager to kill them like before, of course on condition that Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin wouldn't come to provoke her.Now I'm about to put those matters behind, but they can't? Song Yixiao raised her hand and gently stroked her lower abdomen. She thought of the news she had just got two days ago, and a sneer hung on her lips. It was not bad. She counted the days in pain and suffering, being revengeful with hatred, but she was unable to do anything about it. In her previous life, she lived such a life under the yoke of Madam Liu!At the time, fate seemed to have pushed the two children of the Liu Family to the same situation?
