Hu Maoshen suddenly thought of Prince Jing’s marriage. He wanted Prince Jing to marry a legitimate daughter of an aristocratic family, which would be more advantageous for Prince Jing.
But if he really married such a young lady, he feared the Emperor might beco suspicious. It was truly a dilemma!
"You need not worry about that. I already have a suitable candidate in mind,"
Prince Jing’s lips curled up, and his eyes were filled with ambition that would stop at nothing.
"May I ask which lady the prince has in mind?"
Hu Maoshen was a bit surprised; he hadn’t expected the prince to already have a candidate in mind.
He went through all the aristocratic daughters in the Capital in his mind but couldn’t figure out which family the prince had chosen.
"Naturally, it’s the legitimate daughter of the main branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion."
Prince Jing’s smile was sowhat enigmatic, which greatly surprised Hu Maoshen.
He suddenly realized—no wonder the prince could enlist the heir’s wife of Duke Zhen’s Mansion to be the matchmaker for his daughter. Could it be that the prince and Duke Zhen’s Mansion had long been colluding in secret?
"Are you referring to the granddaughter of the forr Grand Secretary Liang Zhirui?"
Hu Maoshen was sowhat surprised by this choice, so he had to confirm it.
"Are there many legitimate daughters in the main branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion?"
Prince Jing was a bit displeased. Why was Hu Maoshen so surprised? Did he think that even he could not reach so high?
Hu Maoshen noticed Prince Jing’s expression darkening, and he quickly collected himself, replying, "That lady’s status is indeed a good match for you, but she is living under the thumb of her stepmother. Might her upbringing be sowhat lacking?"
Prince Jing’s displeasure startled Hu Maoshen. Actually, he thought the Emperor might not agree to this.
After all, Duke Zhen’s Mansion’s influence in the court is undoubtedly lesser than during the late Emperor’s ti, though it is still a well-established noble family in the Capital.
Let’s not even talk about the influence of Mrs. Yao’s family in the court; just the complex network of marital connections would make the Emperor unlikely to agree.
As for the reason he ntioned earlier, it was rely a minor flaw. The marriage was for the marital connection with Duke Zhen’s Mansion and its influence in the court.
For Prince Jing, this was undoubtedly a very good choice.
Even for the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince, the legitimate daughter of the main branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion would be a suitable match.
If upbringing is lacking, then find soone to educate her. As long as she can manage the inner court, it’s sufficient.
If she’s not good at socializing with the won of aristocratic families, others will still give you face because of your status and won’t embarrass you, right?
Finally, if Prince Jing were to ascend the throne, the Empress who will rule the world doesn’t necessarily have to be the Princess Consort!
Hu Maoshen’s explanation eased Prince Jing’s expression sowhat; he actually understood what Hu Maoshen ant.
He simply thought that the Emperor was unlikely to agree, hence his question.
"If her upbringing is lacking, find an old nanny from the palace to teach her. These are not issues. My requirents for a Princess Consort are not high; her status is compatible enough."
"As for Father, I will personally speak to him. I have never asked Father for anything before, so I believe he won’t turn down too harshly this ti."
Having his true thoughts revealed by Prince Jing, Hu Maoshen couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.
However, is Prince Jing really certain that if he asks the Emperor, the Emperor will agree? Why does he feel it’s not that optimistic?
"If that’s the case, then it couldn’t be better." Hu Maoshen couldn’t dampen Prince Jing’s enthusiasm right now, so he had to let Prince Jing give it a try first.
Early the next morning, Gu Chengyu got up to practice calligraphy.
Since he had returned to the Capital, he had to report to the Hanlin Academy today anyway because the Emperor was sure to summon him.
Actually, Lu Chen must have entered the palace yesterday, and the Emperor should know the rough details about the Hejian Prefecture. Plus, with the previous report to the Emperor by his senior brother, he wouldn’t be able to ddle in the affairs of Hejian Prefecture anymore.
The main purpose of his visit today was to submit the treasure map and the remaining evidence, and to see if there was still hope for a promotion.
As early winter arrived, daylight ca late, and it was still pitch black outside the window.
Gu Chengyu put down the brush, calculating that it should be ti for breakfast.
"Sir! Breakfast is ready; would you like to have it now?"
Lichun hurried into the room, taking a deep look at Gu Chengyu before asking respectfully.
"Bring it in." Gu Chengyu washed his hands in the copper basin brought by wintergreen.
Lichun instructed the maid to serve breakfast on the table, and when Gu Chengyu sat down, she stood by, hesitant to speak.
"Is sothing the matter?" Gu Chengyu was a little puzzled. Lichun hadn’t said anything unusual when she was on duty yesterday, but today she seed to have sothing she found difficult to discuss.
"Sir, during the days you weren’t ho, the old madam often went out to the temple for incense and shopping."
Lichun paused after saying this.
Gu Chengyu was a bit displeased; he put down his chopsticks.
What was Lichun up to? His mother being able to go out for a walk was a good thing, better than being cooped up at ho all day.
As long as there were enough guards, who would bother a woman, after all?
Besides, this was clearly sothing the inner court steward and the outer court steward should report, not her—a big maid managing the courtyard—overstepping her bounds.
"Oh? The old madam going out is fine; just take more guards. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Lichun saw Gu Chengyu’s expression darken slightly; it seed that Gu Chengyu misunderstood.
"Nothing wrong at all. I just wanted to report to you, sir. The old madam t the Commandery Princess from the Eldest Princess’s house during her outings, and the two have been quite close these days. The Commandery Princess often cos to visit. I noticed that the old madam’s mood has improved significantly and gets along very well with the Commandery Princess!" Lichun hurriedly explained.
"Who? Princess Rong Jia?" Gu Chengyu was taken aback. Wasn’t the Commandery Princess from the Eldest Princess’s household Princess Rong Jia?
Wasn’t it said that the Commandery Princess was proud and sowhat unapproachable?
He wasn’t belittling his mother, but after all, his mother was once a maid, and their family was just a farming household.
Even though she is now an official’s wife, there are always those snobbish people who look down on the Gu Family with no background.
After all, that’s the way this dynasty works, with those aristocratic families accustod to holding themselves high.
It seems he made the sa mistake as Zhu Pang! Next ti, he shouldn’t judge soone’s character based on hearsay.
Maybe the Commandery Princess wasn’t like that at all and her inherent nobility made her seem unapproachable!
"Yes! That’s Princess Rong Jia. The Commandery Princess even invited the old madam to Bao En Temple for incense yesterday!"
Lichun noticed Gu Chengyu’s expression was contemplative, and her hands were tightly clasped, her heart practically in her throat.
At the ntion of Bao En Temple, Gu Chengyu suddenly thought of the Eldest Princess. Last ti, when he took his mother to offer incense at Bao En Temple, the Eldest Princess had openly and subtly belittled them.
Now that the Princess’s daughter and his mother are frequently associating, the Eldest Princess might think that their family is trying to curry favor with them!
If she sent soone to warn him and his mother again, it would hurt their dignity.
After so thought, Gu Chengyu decided he should advise his mother to keep her distance from Princess Rong Jia. The Eldest Princess is not soone to be trifled with, and he doesn’t want any misunderstandings.
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