The Emperor did not bestow the marriage immediately.

They needed to take the two people’s birth characters to the National Preceptor for compatibility checking. If there were no problems, they would have the Ministry of Rites select an auspicious date, and then proclaim the imperial edict bestowing the marriage.

Princess Qinghua was completely stunned.

This marriage arrangement was settled just like that, so simply?

A woman who had been married before could still marry into the imperial family as a princess consort?

She grabbed Consort Yin and said in a low voice: “Mother Consort, Yun Chu is unworthy to be Yi’er’s principal wife. If she must enter the household, at most she can only be a concubine…”

“Your Father Emperor has already nodded in agreement to this matter. Where would I have room to interfere?” Consort Yin was also very dissatisfied, but she knew that although she was Yi’er’s birth mother, the Empress was Yi’er’s legitimate mother. The Empress had more say in Yi’er’s marriage matters. With the Empress pushing this matter with full force, plus almost everyone having agreed, even if she was dissatisfied, she could only suppress it.

Furthermore, she had heard that Yun Chu couldn’t bear children. Only someone who couldn’t have their own children would treat Yun’er and Changsheng well.

This should count as the only advantage.

Moreover, in the entire capital, only Yun Chu possessed such an advantage.

She said coldly: “As a married-out daughter, you have even less authority to interfere in Yi’er’s marriage matters.”

Princess Qinghua couldn’t help but choke with anger.

Although those present didn’t hear the conversation among the imperial family members, seeing the two children happily throw themselves into Yun Chu’s embrace, they knew the marriage arrangement was settled.

“What? The Emperor actually agreed to this marriage?”

“Let’s not even mention whether the Yun family committed treason—the eldest daughter of the Yun family is a widow who divorced! Who knows, she might even bring misfortune to husbands. How can such a person marry into the imperial family?”

“Prince Pingxi could refuse the Tan family and refuse the Fang family—why can’t he refuse the Yun family?”

“Just look at the appearance of the Yun family’s eldest daughter. Before marriage, she was already the capital’s number one beauty. After being nourished by a man, her complexion is even more captivating. Food and sex are human nature. At the end of the day, Prince Pingxi is just an ordinary man.”

“No matter how beautiful the Yun family’s eldest daughter is, she’s no longer pure. She doesn’t even deserve to be a concubine…”

“The Emperor agreed, Prince Pingxi agreed, Miss Yun agreed, and the two children also agreed. Is it your place to discuss this?” Du Ling, seated in the crowd, coldly interrupted everyone’s words. “Do you know what crime it is to presumptuously discuss imperial family matters?”

The women present closed their mouths one after another.

The Crown Prince’s concubine, Fang Xinyan, sat among the crowd, nearly grinding her silver teeth to dust.

Back then, Chu Yi had refused the marriage arrangement with her without hesitation. Even when she threatened suicide by hanging, Chu Yi showed no tender mercy whatsoever.

She had thought Chu Yi had truly steeled his heart to never marry for his entire life.

But now, he actually agreed to marry Yun Chu as his wife.

Aside from being slightly inferior to Yun Chu in appearance, in what other aspect was she not superior to Yun Chu?

Why…

The New Year’s Eve palace banquet ended amid widespread disbelief.

Chu Yi wanted to see Yun Chu out.

Yun Chu stopped him with a look.

As long as the marriage wasn’t settled for even one day, they couldn’t be careless for even one day.

Chu Yi could only stand in place and watch her depart into the distance.

“Yi’er!” Princess Qinghua still couldn’t hold back and walked over. “Tell me—did you set your sights on Yun Chu long ago?”

Chu Yi’s eyes flickered, his expression calm: “Of course not.”

“I knew you couldn’t possibly have taken a liking to such a woman!” Princess Qinghua said. “Leave your principal consort position vacant and let her be a concubine.”

Chu Yi pulled at his lips: “I heard the noble ladies of Pingliang Prefecture can’t tolerate you. Instead of spending time pondering my affairs, you’d be better off spending more effort integrating into the circle that belongs to you.”

Princess Qinghua’s face turned green: “If you marry such a woman, it won’t just be you—I’ll also be ridiculed by others. You…”

Chu Yi directly swept his sleeves and left.

In the distance, Chu Rui watched this scene, his pale lips revealing a trace of an elusive smile.

“Rui’er, why are you here?”

The Empress Dowager, supported by a nanny, walked to his side and reached out to drape a fox fur cloak over him.

“At today’s banquet, two excellent marriage matches were made, yet you remain alone to this day. It pains this dowager’s heart to see…”

Chu Rui pressed his lips together: “With this broken-down body of mine, I shouldn’t burden others.”

“Rui’er, this dowager knows your thoughts, so I won’t force you to take a wife anymore.” The Empress Dowager sighed deeply. “But your father only has you as his legitimate son. Can you bear to watch your father’s line end without descendants? Rui’er, this dowager promises not to seek a princess consort for you anymore, but you must also promise this dowager to have a child soon. Is that acceptable?”

As she spoke, she waved her hand.

The nanny led over ten palace maids—plump and slender, all varieties.

Chu Rui’s expression changed immediately.

He suddenly understood—the Empress Dowager was giving up on him.

Because he wouldn’t obey, the Empress Dowager wanted to replace him with another chess piece, and the next chess piece would be his child.

He could still refuse marriage matters, but as for having children… as long as the Empress Dowager drugged him, the choice wouldn’t be his to make.

At this moment, he was like standing on a cliff edge—going forward or backward, both were dead ends.

Chu Rui pressed his lips together and said slowly: “Grandmother, I believe these lowly servants are unworthy of bearing my child.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyebrows raised: “Oh? Then what do you mean, Rui’er?”

“I promise Grandmother that I’m willing to take a wife.” Chu Rui said word by word. “Not only a principal consort, but also concubines, secondary consorts, and a group of attendant concubines.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened: “Rui’er, you’re not deceiving this dowager, are you?”

Previously, just getting him to marry one principal wife had caused endless turmoil. Now he actually agreed to marry so many?

“Whatever eldest daughters of the Yu family or second daughters of the Zhou family that Grandmother found before—marrying any of them is fine.” Chu Rui’s lips pulled into a smile. “But I want to decide the principal consort candidate myself.”

The Empress Dowager was led along by him and asked unconsciously: “Who do you want to be the principal consort?”

“The eldest daughter of the Yun family, Yun Chu.” Chu Rui said word by word. “If Grandmother cannot do this, then let this matter drop.”

The Empress Dowager’s face was full of disbelief: “You want to marry Yun Chu—marry her for what?”

If the Yun family still had military authority, naturally she would be eager to marry the Yun family’s eldest daughter. But now the Yun family was nothing.

Most crucially, Yun Chu had been married before and supposedly couldn’t bear children. Marry her back to be enshrined?

“I just want to marry her.” Chu Rui raised his head to look at the distant night sky. “I hope that when I die, it will be the person of my heart who sees me off on my final journey.”

The Empress Dowager’s heart suddenly lurched.

Those three words—”person of my heart”—somewhat pierced her.

Rui’er’s life had been too bitter. Because of his weak and sickly body, he didn’t dare eat the food he wanted to eat, didn’t dare go to the places he wanted to go, didn’t dare do the things he wanted to do… Now he finally had someone he wanted to marry. How could she bear to refuse…

In any case, there would still be concubines, secondary consorts, and attendant concubines… Marrying several more women would surely result in pregnancy.

Rui’er had already refused to continue drinking heart’s blood and truly wouldn’t live long… She just wanted Rui’er to leave behind an heir before he died.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes grew somewhat moist: “Very well, Rui’er. This dowager agrees.”

She knew very clearly that just moments ago, the Emperor had agreed to the marriage between Chu Yi and Yun Chu. But so what?

As long as she hadn’t yet been married into the household, everything could still be changed.