The glory and honor of the royal family might be invaluable to others, but to Wei Ling, it meant nothing. If Yining married the Third Prince, the Emperor would trust him more. Should Yining gain favor and bear a royal grandson, her elevation to the position of primary consort wouldn’t be impossible. For an ordinary concubine’s daughter, such a fate would be beyond her wildest dreams.
However, since bringing Meimei back from Baoding, Wei Ling has showered her with affection. To him, this only daughter was the apple of his eye. He didn’t care about the distinction between primary and secondary wives’ children; she was the sole young lady of the Marquis of Ying’s household. How could he let her marry into the royal family, especially as a secondary consort?
The Third Prince, adopted by the Empress, might inherit the throne. How could Wei Ling allow Yining to compete for favor with over a dozen women in the depths of the palace?
The thought made Wei Ling break out in a cold sweat. He firmly decided against it.
The palace was a den of dragons and tigers. Its apparent splendor concealed countless festering wounds. Yining hadn’t even come of age; how could she enter such a place?
As these thoughts raced through Wei Ling’s mind, he watched his daughter slowly rise and approach the Emperor, kneeling in respect. The jade ornaments on her body chimed delicately. She raised her head, her clear apricot eyes reminiscent of apricot blossoms in spring – delicate and fragrant. Her appearance was spirited, yet with an unconscious allure. Her every move, unintentional as it was, evoked subtle, romantic thoughts in onlookers.
Such beauty was dangerous. If not for the Marquis of Ying’s protection, who knows what might have happened as she grew up…
The Emperor paused, then coughed. “I didn’t know you had a daughter, my loyal subject.”
Yining kept her eyes lowered, silent. This was not the time to appear provocative. She could sense the numerous eyes upon her, even noticing Cheng Lang’s anxiety and Xie Yun’s appraising gaze.
She inwardly sighed. The Third Prince!
Rumor had it that the Third Prince had died unexpectedly, but those in the know were aware that he’d fallen at the hands of the Crown Prince. Later, when the Empress failed to produce a son, the Crown Prince became the heir apparent…
When the Emperor was still a prince, the previous Emperor favored the eldest prince, intending to make him the heir. However, the court custom of favoring legitimate sons over those born to concubines led to opposition from officials. Later, Lu Jiaxue shot and killed the eldest prince on behalf of the current Emperor, then confined the old Emperor and staged a coup, allowing the current Emperor to inherit the throne. Now, he favored the eldest prince born to his favored consort, Shu Fei, while largely ignoring the Third Prince who had been adopted by the Empress.
It seemed men’s flaws were hard to change, regardless of the era.
The Empress must have known her position was weak, unable to compare with the Empress Dowager. At least the Empress Dowager had given birth to the Emperor, while she remained childless. Thus, she sought Lu Jiaxue’s support. But who was Lu Jiaxue? Without absolute certainty, would he casually support any prince’s claim to the throne? He lacked nothing – power, wealth, beauty – what could tempt him?
The Empress must have truly considered this plan after learning of her status as Lu Jiaxue’s adopted daughter.
Lu Jiaxue also supported the principle of favoring legitimate heirs. Between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, he would lean towards the latter. If a closer relationship could be established between their families now, his support could be secured.
Yining instinctively looked towards Lu Jiaxue.
Lu Jiaxue sat in the first position among the nobles, sipping his tea with lowered eyes. He seemed neither supportive nor opposed.
Lu Jiaxue, of course, knew the Empress’s intentions, but she had misjudged his relationship with Wei Ling. Wei Ling had achieved military success, prompting the Emperor to host this celebratory banquet, yet Lu Jiaxue arrived late, clearly indicating their estranged relationship. Who Yining married was of no concern to him now. Even her status as his adopted daughter held little significance. Moreover, the Empress’s ignorance of Wei Ling’s deep affection for his daughter revealed her lack of shrewdness.
This made Lu Jiaxue even less inclined to support the Third Prince. With such an inept adoptive mother, the Third Prince likely had little future.
As for this murky situation, Lu Jiaxue had no desire to intervene. He had already acted once due to Yining’s inadvertent mention of “loyal bones buried in green mountains,” and consequently owed the Empress a favor. To involve himself again would be foolish.
Yining observed his hands holding the teacup, steady with slightly protruding knuckles. She recalled countless times when she had examined those hands for calluses and scars, and he had indulged her curiosity. She also remembered the many nightmares where those same hands had coldly gripped her throat. Closing her eyes briefly, she suddenly felt as if she were in a small boat, tossed by wind and waves, helpless against the forces that sought to manipulate her.
“Your Majesty, my daughter is only fourteen this year,” Wei Ling knelt beside his daughter and said. “This humble servant wishes to keep her by his side for a few more years.”
“I was just thinking of how to reward you!” The Emperor smiled, descending the velvet-carpeted steps to approach Yining. “I see your daughter is indeed outstanding, kneeling before me with poise, graceful, and composed. Given your great service to me, why not bestow upon her the title of Xiangjun?”
Yining’s heart sank. Why was the Emperor suddenly offering her a title instead of discussing marriage? She couldn’t help but speak up, “Father is a military commander; protecting the country is his duty. He defeated the Oirat tribe, and I am very proud of him. However, I have no merit of my own and truly cannot accept Your Majesty’s reward…”
“Listen to her awareness,” the Emperor’s eyes brightened as he looked at Yining, his smile becoming somewhat gentle. “I believe you are indeed worthy of the title of Xiangjun! If all the military commanders had the awareness of this young lady, I would have no worries about the stability of my empire.”
The Empress, hearing these words, could barely conceal her shock, her hand gripping the armrest of her gold-carved chair. The Emperor’s attitude seemed slightly off… He had never been particularly fond of women, favoring only Shu Fei among his consorts! If he truly had such intentions, wouldn’t she be shooting herself in the foot? The Empress forced a smile, “I feel the same way, which is why I thought she would be suitable for the Third Prince. The Third Prince only has his wet nurse and palace maids; he could use someone to help manage his affairs.”
“In my opinion—” the Emperor seemed not to have heard the Empress’s words, pausing as he gave Yining a meaningful look.
Wei Ling could no longer remain silent. The Emperor’s words indicated his interest in Yining.
While he could understand the Empress’s desire to arrange a marriage with the Third Prince, the idea of taking her into the palace was absurd! Disregarding the consequences of contradicting the Emperor, he quickly said, “Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for the Empress’s intention to arrange a marriage for Yining. However, Yining has been betrothed since childhood, and tokens have been exchanged. Breaking this engagement would be dishonorable… This humble servant dares not commit such a breach of faith!”
Yining understood her father was trying to protect her, but knowing he was blatantly lying made her heart skip a beat. To shield her, he was willing to risk the crime of deceiving the Emperor!
She softly called out, “Father…”
Given Wei Ling’s recent military achievements, even interrupting the Emperor didn’t seem to displease him greatly. He slowly ascended the steps and sat back on the dragon throne. “My loyal subject, are you perhaps deceiving me? Just as we speak of bestowing a marriage, your daughter suddenly has a long-standing engagement?”
“There truly is such an engagement,” Wei Ling, emboldened by his military accomplishments, began to fabricate, “My daughter and he have been in love since childhood…”
Yining lowered her head in compliance, thinking to herself that her father’s lies were flowing too smoothly. The more he said now, the more likely they were to make mistakes! Yet she couldn’t speak up at this moment, tense as a drawn bowstring—
“There is indeed such an engagement.”
Suddenly, someone spoke up.
He set down his teacup and glanced at Yining. Standing up, he cupped his hands towards the Emperor: “Your Majesty, this humble servant has adopted Yining as my daughter. I am aware of some matters from her childhood.”
If anyone else had interrupted at this moment, the Emperor would have been displeased.
But this person was Lu Jiaxue, who commanded important frontier troops and was a pillar of the court. Even the Emperor held him in high regard.
“This Emperor naturally does not doubt Lord Lu’s words,” the Emperor said, raising his wine cup. But seeing Yining’s lowered head and her exceptional beauty, he couldn’t help but smile, “It’s truly a pity then…”
The Empress, seated beside him, was already drenched in cold sweat. The Emperor’s tone of regret was clear to all who heard it, and it filled them with unease. Her attempt to play matchmaker had nearly caused a disaster. If Lu Jiaxue hadn’t intervened, the situation might have been unsalvageable.
The rest of the palace banquet proceeded, but no matter how delicious the food, it was tasteless to most.
After the banquet, upon returning to the Marquis of Ying’s mansion by carriage, Wei Ling, still in his court robes, entered the inner chamber with Old Madam Wei to discuss the matter. Yining sat on the large kang by the window in the western side room, picking a few dates from an opened six-compartment box to eat, barely able to hear the conversation from inside.
In the inner chamber, Old Madam Wei leaned against a pillow, fingering her old sandalwood prayer beads. Having weathered many storms in her lifetime, she remained remarkably calm. “I think we need to find a marriage match for Yining immediately,” she said. “You know how stubborn the Emperor can be. He endured for years before seizing the throne from the Crown Prince. When his archery and horsemanship were poor and the previous Emperor was dissatisfied, he practiced tirelessly for years to win the hunting competition. He clearly won’t rest until he achieves his goal.”
Wei Ling spoke gravely, “Moreover, I’ve already mentioned that Yining has been betrothed since childhood. We should arrange her marriage now, or even have her wed immediately… to prevent any future troubles.”
Old Madam Wei sighed, “You make it sound so simple! Marriage requires multiple meetings, matching birth charts, and exchanging betrothal gifts. If we rush into a marriage, how can we be sure of the groom’s character?”
“We have no other choice now,” Wei Ling said, sitting in the armchair. “Let’s forget about the formal marriage process. I’ll just find a suitable man. We’ll consider them married, but Yining will continue to live in our mansion. The Marquis of Ying’s household will support her for life. With her brother here, she’ll eventually become the mistress of this household.”
Old Madam Wei felt her son was grasping at straws. “What are you saying?” she exclaimed.