It had been long since new concubines entered the palace, leaving the existing consorts with little to observe. However, the Emperor’s sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters were rarely gathered so completely in a year. He wanted to scrutinize them, lest he fail to recognize them.
There was no help for it; having many children came with its troubles.
This was especially true for the princesses. He had a total of twenty-six, and even the best memory couldn’t keep up with them all.
Emperor Jingming first turned his gaze to the princesses and immediately felt dizzy.
Excluding those who had already married, there were still more than ten unmarried princesses present. On such an occasion, they wore uniform palace attire, styled their hair identically, and even looked quite similar. It was as if they were deliberately trying to confuse him!
Emperor Jingming looked several more times before giving up.
Fortunately, his daughters generally stayed in the inner palace and rarely appeared before him. If he couldn’t recognize them clearly, so be it. It was enough to recognize his sons and daughters-in-law.
Emperor Jingming took a sip of wine to steady himself and looked down at the gathering.
First was the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, then the couple of the First Prince (Prince Qin), Third Prince (Prince Jin), Fourth Prince (Prince Qi), Fifth Prince (Prince Lu), followed by the Sixth Prince (Prince Shu), Eighth Prince (Prince Xiang)… Wait, it seemed someone was missing.
Emperor Jingming silently counted again and suddenly realized: that the Seventh Prince was absent!
He looked around and finally spotted Yu Jin in a corner.
Surrounding him were the laughter of concubines, the whispers of princesses, the occasional glances between princes and their consorts, and the loving gazes of concubines who had borne princes towards their sons. Only that handsome young man with fine eyebrows sat alone in the corner, drinking solemnly by himself.
As Emperor Jingming watched, he suddenly felt a twinge of discomfort.
This was also his son. In terms of appearance and demeanor, even though he had grown up in the countryside, he was no less impressive than the other princes. How had he become so pitiful?
Who was the Seventh Prince’s mother again?
Emperor Jingming thought for a moment and looked towards Consort Xian.
The palace never lacked for beauties, and even after bearing two princes, Consort Xian still looked stunningly beautiful at her age.
At that moment, Princess Qi was whispering something to Consort Xian, who listened with a smile before raising her eyes to give a slight smile to Prince Qi in the distance.
Emperor Jingming couldn’t help but frown.
The Fourth Prince already had a wife, so why was his mother acting like this? Meanwhile, the Seventh Prince sat alone in a corner, with no sign of concern from his mother.
Consort Xian seemed to sense something and looked towards Emperor Jingming.
Emperor Jingming cleared his throat and asked, “What are you and the Fourth Prince’s wife discussing that makes you so happy, my dear?”
Consort Xian was surprised that the Emperor had noticed her among all the people in the hall. She felt both joyful and proud as she replied with a smile, “I was listening to the Fourth Prince’s wife talk about Miss Yuan learning needlework. Look, Your Majesty, this is the handkerchief embroidered by Miss Yuan. For a child of only five or six years old, it’s already quite impressive.”
“Is that so? Let me see,” said the Emperor.
Immediately, a palace maid took the handkerchief from Consort Xian and presented it to Emperor Jingming.
Emperor Jingming glanced at it. The square handkerchief depicted a cluster of orchids with a strange-looking little bird perched on a blooming flower.
“What kind of bird is this?” Emperor Jingming asked casually.
It was embroidered by his little granddaughter, so he had to show some interest regardless of its quality.
Consort Xian’s expression twisted for a moment. Under the Emperor’s inquiring gaze, she gritted her teeth and said, “It’s a butterfly.”
Laughter erupted instantly.
Emperor Jingming rubbed his nose, feeling embarrassed. His mood towards Consort Xian soured further: “Rather than focusing on Miss Yuan’s embroidered butterfly, perhaps you should concern yourself with the Seventh Prince’s marriage prospects.”
As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Consort Xian freeze, but the entire hall fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Jingming grew increasingly displeased.
The Seventh Prince was his son, already eighteen years old, yet at this reunion banquet, he sat alone drinking sullenly. What was wrong with him, as a father, asking about it?
Yu Jin looked at Emperor Jingming with eyes full of joy, though his heart remained calm.
It wasn’t in vain that he had pretended to be pitiful for so long. The old Emperor was quite perceptive. Before he could even deliver his prepared speech, the Emperor had already brought up the topic on his own.
Yu Jin’s undisguised joy made Emperor Jingming feel even more sympathetic: Look how happy the Seventh Prince is, he must have been wanting to get married for a long time, but no one had arranged it for him.
This poor child.
Emperor Jingming felt a pang in his heart. He glanced at Consort Xian, then turned to Consort Zhuang: “The Sixth Prince is even older than the Seventh Prince, his marriage shouldn’t be delayed either.”
Aside from the Crown Prince, he didn’t intend to interfere with the choice of consorts for his other sons. As usual, he would leave it to their mothers to arrange, and he would review the candidates once they were chosen. As long as there were no major issues, he would approve.
Consort Zhuang was slightly taken aback but quickly smiled and said, “I was just thinking of mentioning this to Your Majesty. After the New Year, we could hold a plum blossom viewing party and invite young ladies from various families. If there are suitable candidates, we could arrange the Sixth Prince’s marriage then…”
Emperor Jingming nodded as he listened: “You are thoughtful, my dear.”
Consort Xian nearly exploded with anger as she listened.
What did he mean by “You are thoughtful”? Was he implying that she wasn’t attentive enough to the Seventh Prince?
The Seventh Prince had just returned to the capital, and she had called for him several times, but he hadn’t paid his respects to her. Even if she wanted to be attentive, she couldn’t!
Consort Xian didn’t want to admit her neglect of Yu Jin.
In her view, for a son with an uncertain future, what was the point of arranging a marriage so early? It would be more beneficial to wait and gauge the Emperor’s attitude.
She never imagined that on such an occasion, the Emperor would confront her about the Seventh Prince.
Thinking of this, Consort Xian felt a sudden alarm.
Perhaps the Emperor wasn’t as indifferent towards the Seventh Prince as she had thought…
Pondering these thoughts, Consort Xian quickly smiled and said, “I was thinking the same thing. It seems Sister Zhuang and I had the same idea. Let’s arrange it together after the New Year.”
Seeing Consort Xian’s response, Emperor Jingming naturally wouldn’t embarrass her and nodded.
Consort Xian breathed a slight sigh of relief.
This matter was temporarily settled. There was still some time before the New Year, giving her ample opportunity to carefully consider suitable candidates for the position of Princess Yan.
The candidate’s background couldn’t be too low, or she wouldn’t be able to support the Seventh Prince, and he wouldn’t be able to help the Fourth Prince effectively. But it also couldn’t be too prestigious, overshadowing the Fourth Prince’s wife and causing him to lose face.
In terms of personality, the more docile, the better.
For the wife of an idle prince, a strong personality would be of no use and would only cause her trouble.
Which family’s daughter would be suitable for the Seventh Prince?
Consort Xian glanced at Yu Jin and began to ponder.
Yu Jin set his wine cup down on the table and stood up: “Thank you, Father Emperor, for your concern about your son. I shall entrust my lifelong happiness to you, Father.”
Emperor Jingming was about to nod when he suddenly paused.
Wait, what did he mean by entrusting his lifelong happiness to him? He had only intended to find a wife for the Seventh Prince out of concern, not to guarantee a perfectly satisfying marriage.
Hmph, young people were so naive. A perfectly satisfying marriage wasn’t easy to come by; he hadn’t achieved such a thing yet.
Despite these internal grumblings, when faced with his son’s bright and clear eyes, Emperor Jingming couldn’t bring himself to say more. He simply nodded with a stern face.
Yu Jin sat down with a smile.
With his father’s nod of approval, he could finally rest easy.