bayedsolid Chapter 351 Reminding the Crown Prince!
Chapter 351 Reminding the Crown Prince!
Wang Xinyan hesitated for a moment, then, seeing her mother nod slightly at her, she took a graceful step, accepted the small box he handed her, and curtsied slightly, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
“Cousin Xinyan, why be so formal? You should call me cousin.”
Wang Xinyan's face flushed even more, her eyes swirling with emotion, and her bright eyes shone even brighter. "Thank you, cousin."
After this incident, Madam Wang knew that the palace gate was a place where the court nobles came and went, and that it would probably be a topic of conversation in the capital within a few days.
After seeing off the Duke of England and his family, Duanmu Chen's smile gradually faded, and his narrow eyes narrowed slightly, a dark color suggesting the presence of some unknown emotion.
"Your Highness, shall we return to the Eastern Palace now, or go for a stroll elsewhere?"
"Let's go to Taihe Restaurant."
"Yes, Your Highness." The palace servant behind him responded, but rolled his eyes. Lately, the master seemed to have a great fondness for dining at Taihe Restaurant. Although the cooking there was indeed good, it was still not as good as the food in the palace, right? Why did the master fall in love with that place?
On the way, Duanmu Chen sent someone to invite the brothers Li Haoran and Li Haozheng, and then sent someone to summon Xu Kaixuan, the heir of the Marquis of Anyang and husband of Li Wanyue.
Duanmu Chen's actions at the palace gate quickly spread throughout the entire harem, which seemed to be exactly the result he wanted. The thought that his grandmother might be discussing his marriage to Wang Xinyan with others made Duanmu Chen feel a tightness in his chest.
The drinking was also a bit too intense.
The others, unsure of what was wrong with him, dared not offer any advice. They could only be extra careful, ensuring that His Highness the Grandson didn't get drunk or angered him.
Inside Kunning Palace, the Crown Prince sat upright in the main hall. After listening quietly to the palace servants' report with the Empress, the Crown Prince seemed to pause for a moment.
"Yes, go down. Also, have someone select a few brightly colored bolts of Shu brocade from this year's newly presented tribute and send them to the Duke of Ying's mansion, saying that they are a gift from me to that girl Xinyan. The child is so young, and her clothes are too plain."
"Yes, ma'am."
The Empress's attitude was so clear that if the Crown Prince still didn't know why she had summoned him here, he would truly be confused.
"Mother, did you summon me here for Chen'er's marriage?"
"Hmm. Wasn't your wife busy arranging Chen'er's marriage? I asked Chen'er about it, and he didn't dare to tell the Crown Princess directly. He could only tell me that he didn't like it. Especially the Crown Princess's cousin. Chen'er said that when he saw her, he felt nothing but disgust. But he didn't dare to say it to you directly, for fear of hurting the Crown Princess's feelings."
The Crown Prince was slightly taken aback. Although Duanmu Chen had not explicitly said these words before, he had indeed mentioned them to him.
The Crown Prince frowned slightly. Could it be that this child still harbored feelings for Mu Xin Nuan? Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Then, recalling the palace servant's report, could it be that he had fallen for Wang Xin Yan?
He had seen that child a few times; she was exceptionally beautiful, possessing a refined and ethereal气质 that set her apart from ordinary women. However, he always felt she resembled someone, though he couldn't quite place them.
"He mentioned this to me before. However, he never said it so bluntly."
"I met your wife today, and she wanted her niece to be Chen'er's principal wife. But Chen'er doesn't like it. You are the Crown Prince, but you are also a father. Chen'er is a person with his own opinions. When you parents choose a wife for him, shouldn't you let the child be happy with his choice? If you force someone into the marriage, aren't you afraid that it will only annoy Chen'er?"
The Empress's tone was full of reproach.
"I know what the Crown Princess means. She wants her family to be able to enter the Eastern Palace like her in the future. But she doesn't even consider that Chen'er himself is unwilling. Even if he becomes the principal wife now, what good will it do? Sooner or later he will be deposed! On the contrary, it will only worsen the relationship between the two families."
"That's what the Queen Mother said."
"I originally had my eye on the girl Xinyan from the Wang family, but I also knew that I had to ask Chen'er's opinion first. Unfortunately, the two of them met in the Imperial Garden today. You didn't see how excited the child was when he mentioned Xinyan. I was thinking that if Chen'er didn't like her, I wouldn't force him. You can't force a relationship. I may be old, but I understand that principle."
"Mother, judging from the current situation, it seems that girl has won Chen'er's heart."
"Yes. However, your cousin doesn't seem too willing. After all, Xinyan is still young. Moreover, the Crown Princess's attitude is the key."
The Crown Prince frowned. "Please enlighten me, Mother."
"The Crown Princess is a clever woman. If she can't be the principal wife, she'll naturally try to make her a concubine. Alas! I said that if Chen'er likes it, whether it's principal or concubine, it's up to him. But Chen'er just doesn't like it! How can this child possibly smile when he's facing a woman he despises in the future?"
The Crown Prince understood the Empress's meaning: she wouldn't even reserve a position as a concubine, or even a secondary consort, for the Crown Princess's family. But why was his mother, who rarely worried about such matters, acting this way today?
"The Crown Princess's family is powerful, but in recent years, some corrupt officials have inevitably emerged." Seeing the Crown Prince deep in thought, the Empress decided to offer another word of advice.
The Crown Prince suddenly realized that his father had been furious about the Ministry of Revenue's previous embezzlement during the morning court session. Could it be that someone from the Crown Princess's family was involved?
"You've held the position of Crown Prince for many years. You should know which is more important and which is less important. She's not even Empress yet, and her family is already so audacious. If you become Emperor and she becomes Empress, won't they become even more arrogant and domineering?"
The Empress sighed again, "The Crown Princess is a good person, but that doesn't mean her entire family is good. Especially at this critical juncture, her family has unfortunately been dragged into this. You must handle this matter quickly and properly, lest your second brother find another way to use it against you."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. I will return to the Eastern Palace immediately and deal with it promptly."
The Crown Prince could no longer remain seated and hurriedly returned to the Eastern Palace.
Seeing his hurried movements, the Empress shook her head. "You're such a grown man, how can you still act so irrationally? Sigh! You're not even as good as the Fourth Prince. The Second Prince, on the other hand, is quite shrewd and has done a lot for the Great Yong over the years. No wonder the Emperor has been so hesitant all these years."