bayedsolid Chapter 427 The 4th Princess
Chapter 427 The 4th Princess
Chapter 427 The Fourth Princess
After Lu Zhijin returned home, he told his grandparents about the marriage proposal.
The Lu family was very happy about this. They thought highly of Xiao Siyue and immediately agreed.
What seemed like a sure thing turned out to be unexpected.
That day, Lu Zhijin was working when he rescued the Fourth Princess, Xuanyuan Qing, who had come out of the palace to play.
The fourth princess fell in love with Lu Zhijin at first sight, and after returning to the palace, she kept nagging to marry him.
The Fourth Princess was the daughter of Consort De, who was the Empress Dowager's niece. Therefore, the Fourth Princess was very favored, especially by the Empress Dowager.
"Qing'er, do you really want to marry Lu Zhijin?" The Empress Dowager looked at her graceful granddaughter.
"Yes, Grandmother, please grant my request," the Fourth Princess pleaded sweetly.
"But I heard that Lu Zhijin has a woman he likes, and he doesn't like you." Although the Empress Dowager was in the inner palace and didn't interfere much, she knew a bit about Lu Zhijin, this young genius. He was indeed a good candidate, and she thought highly of him. But Lu Zhijin had someone he liked, and she couldn't bring herself to break them up.
"Grandmother, I know. She's just the daughter of a minister. With me, the princess, Lu Zhijin will naturally know how to choose." The Fourth Princess looked down on Xiao Siyue, who was just a minor official's daughter.
“She is not only the daughter of a minister, but also the Princess Zhaoning, personally bestowed by your father, the Emperor.”
“Grandmother! Your granddaughter knows perfectly well that no matter if that woman is a princess or not, her status is far inferior to mine! Think about it, who doesn’t know this? The reason she was made a princess is because she was harassed by the Prince of Dayong! Humph, just one incident has completely ruined her reputation!”
The Fourth Princess's eyes were filled with disdain as she continued maliciously, "In my opinion, a woman like her, who has lost her chastity and is so disgraced, should have shaved her head and become a nun long ago to repent in a temple! But Father Emperor is so kind to her; it's truly incomprehensible! Is it simply because she was slightly disrespected that she deserves such esteemed treatment? I just can't understand it!"
"Shut up! Are you questioning your father's decision?" The Empress Dowager looked at the Fourth Princess who was speaking recklessly and felt for the first time that she had spoiled this granddaughter. Everyone in the capital knew about Princess Zhaoning's affair. What did she do wrong? Why should she go to the temple to repent?
The fourth princess was startled. After realizing what had happened, she immediately started crying and making a scene, saying, "Grandmother, you're scolding me! You actually scolded me for that wretched girl!"
The Empress Dowager's face turned ashen: "Do you even remember you're a princess? Is this how the palace matrons taught you?"
"Grandmother, am I wrong? That Xiao Siyue is nothing but a country girl who has ruined her reputation. What right does she have to compare with me?" The Fourth Princess was very unconvinced.
"You...you're still unrepentant. Go back and reflect on your actions. As for returning Lu Zhijin, forget about it." The Empress Dowager felt a tightness in her chest from anger.
"Grandmother, how could you treat me like this? Are you still my grandmother? I don't like you anymore. I'm going to tell my mother!" The fourth princess cried and ran away.
"She...she..." The Empress Dowager was furious as she looked at the unruly Fourth Princess.
"Your Majesty, don't be angry. The Fourth Princess is still young. She'll understand once she's thought it through." The Empress Dowager's personal nanny quickly tried to soothe her. The Empress Dowager is old, and nothing could be done to her.
"She's still so young. I think I've spoiled her rotten. Listen to what she says, so harsh." The Empress Dowager thought about how she had pampered this granddaughter over the years because of her maternal family, which had made her arrogant and selfish. She regretted not teaching her properly.
The fourth princess ran crying to Consort De's palace.
Consort De looked at her daughter and asked with heartache, "Qing'er, what's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell your mother quickly."
"Waaah... It's the Empress Dowager! The Empress Dowager actually scolded me for the sake of a lowly girl!" the Fourth Princess cried as she complained.
Consort De, who was originally planning to settle scores with someone, was somewhat surprised when she heard that the person was the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager doted on Qing'er, so what could Qing'er have done that would be criticized by the Empress Dowager?
"Qing'er, tell your mother what happened."
After hearing what the Fourth Princess said, Consort De tapped her forehead in exasperation.
"You, didn't I tell you to watch your mouth? Your grandmother values etiquette, and you still dare to say such things. No wonder she's angry."
"Mother, you're blaming me too. Don't you love me anymore?"
"My precious daughter, you are the only one I love in this life! If I don't love you, who else should I love? We are now in the deep palace, all alone and helpless. The only person we can rely on is your noble grandmother. If you accidentally offend her, your future days will not be so easy!"
"You little girl, why are you so oblivious? Your mother has told you so many times that you must always obey your grandmother and never go against her wishes! Quickly wipe away your tears, my dear child, and hurry with your mother to your grandmother to apologize. Perhaps if she is pleased, she will not hold your past mistakes against you."
The reason she was able to remain in the harem for so many years and even become one of the four consorts was because she had a good aunt. Over the years, she had been trying to please the Empress Dowager so that she and her daughter could live a more stable life in the harem. After all, without a prince, she lacked confidence, and her brothers in her maternal family were all incompetent. Over the years, they had only held minor official positions with little real power.
"I'm not going. I did nothing wrong." The fourth princess was still somewhat unconvinced.
"Oh, my little darling, don't make things difficult for your mother. If you don't go, you can forget about marrying Lu Zhijin." Seeing that her daughter was unmoved, Consort De had no choice but to use her trump card. She knew that her daughter liked Lu Zhijin very much and would definitely compromise for him.
These words struck at the Fourth Princess's weak spot. Over the years, she had gotten everything she wanted; anyone would deliver it to her. Now that she had her eye on a man, she was determined to have him, but she failed the Empress Dowager. How could she possibly be happy with that?
Thinking of Lu Zhijin's handsome face, the Fourth Princess gritted her teeth and nodded.
"Ah, that's right. If you appease your Empress Dowager, your wishes will naturally come true." Consort De was also satisfied with Lu Zhijin, whom her daughter had chosen.
Lu Zhijin comes from a good family and is capable himself. He is a favorite of His Majesty and has a bright future ahead of him. He is a perfect match for my daughter.