Chapter 59 – Calling Her Future Mother-in-Law

Chapter 59 - Calling Her Future Mother-in-Law

"And what about you, Your Highness Prince Chen? What are your thoughts on this matter?"

"Marriage is decided by our parents' wishes. I don't have any extravagant demands; as long as she's not too unbearable, it's fine. The most important thing is that my mother is satisfied."

The corner of Old Master Zheng's mouth twitched. Do I believe you?

It was truly perplexing. He wondered how his son could have fallen for Jinyu.

With a heavy heart, Old Master Zheng returned home.

Normally, he would have lunch at work and wouldn't come back until later. But today, he returned for lunch.

Coincidentally, as he passed by the artificial mountain, he overheard his two sons conversing behind it.

"Prince Chen has given all the prizes from the other day to Zheng Jinyu. Jinxiu was so distraught that she cried bitterly. She hasn't eaten properly for the past two days. What should we do?"

"I honestly don't know either. I'm at a loss as to how to tell Jinxiu about what Prince Chen said to me on the polo field the other day."

"Sigh! Why is life so hard for our Jinxiu? Why did she have to come back? She's taken everything away since her return."

"No wonder Jinxiu was weeping so bitterly. I wouldn't be able to bear it either, if I were in her shoes."

One of them caught sight of the corner of Old Master Zheng's garment, causing a momentary fright.

"Shh, stop talking. Father's here."

Old Master Zheng's face was dark with displeasure.

The two emerged from behind the artificial hill along a narrow path.

"Father."

"Father, why are you back?"

Old Master Zheng replied, "If I hadn't returned, how would I have had the pleasure of hearing your fascinating conversation?"

"I, we didn't say anything out of line, just spoke the truth."

Seeing that Old Master Zheng wasn't surprised, Zheng Hongqi asked anxiously, "Father, you knew about it too, didn't you?"

Old Master Zheng nodded.

Zheng Hongxu interjected urgently, "Father, no, this can't happen. Absolutely not. If Jinxiu's marriage to Prince Chen falls through, she won't be able to hold her head up in society."

Zheng Hongqi agreed, "Yes, everyone in the capital knows that Jinxiu is betrothed to Prince Chen, set to become the future Princess Chen. If this engagement is suddenly called off, how will outsiders perceive it? Jinxiu's reputation and future would be ruined."

These words were repeated time and again, until Old Master Zheng grew weary of hearing them.

"Would you assume that I am unaware of this? Yet, I just had an audience with Prince Chen, and he made it abundantly clear that Princess Manor will not be accepting Jinxiu."

"How can they do this? Father, don't agree to it."

Old Master Zheng rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Your father has no say in this marriage. The ones with the authority are the Imperial Princess and Prince Chen, do you understand? Don't beg me; if you have the ability, plea to the Imperial Princess and Prince Chen instead."

With a flick of his sleeve, Old Master Zheng left in anger, leaving Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu to exchange glances of bewilderment.

"What are we to do now? Father doesn't care."

"Hmph, Father is truly biased."

It was fortunate that their father had left, or he would have been fuming with anger.

Was this even within his jurisdiction? All his efforts were in vain.

"Second Brother, since Father isn't taking care of it, we must. We have to help Jinxiu; otherwise, no one will care for her."

"How can we help?"

"Let's write a letter to Big Brother. Isn't Prince Chen going to the border region in a few days? Big Brother has a good relationship with Prince Chen. If Big Brother intervenes and speaks to Prince Chen, the issue with Imperial Princess will be resolved on its own."

"That makes sense."

Both believed that as long as they won over Prince Chen, they could handle the Imperial Princess.

With enthusiasm, the two brothers went back to pen a letter to Zheng Hongyan and then hurried to comfort their 'little princess,' Zheng Jinxiu.

Zheng Jinyu had a general idea of their actions, but her maid was quite anxious. However, Zheng Jinyu remained detached and focused on designing jewelry.

In her spare time, she visited the experienced jewelers to discuss their wages and fees.

There was an unused and overgrown courtyard in the West Court. After discussing with Madam Zheng, they decided to renovate it and transform it into a jewelry workshop.

The renovations were already underway.

Once the materials from various regions arrived, her jewelry workshop would commence operations.

As for Madam Zheng, after Old Master Zheng informed her of Prince Chen's intentions, she felt that she could no longer meddle in the matter. On several occasions, she wanted to talk to her younger daughter, but seeing her engrossed in the jewelry workshop, seemingly indifferent to Prince Chen, she held back her words.

The current situation was a result of their failure to properly supervise their child years ago, the Long Princess's excessive emphasis on bloodline, and even Prince Chen's apparent lack of affection. How could they blame Jinyu?

Even she and Old Master Zheng couldn't make decisions, so how could a young girl like Jinyu have any say in who she would marry?

It's actually quite good for her to be occupied like this. A girl of fourteen with too much idle time is prone to romantic daydreams. If it really comes to the point where Prince's residence takes Jinyu as his bride, she wouldn't wish for outsiders to accuse her of stealing her sister's suitor.

"Jinyu, the materials you requested have started arriving. Should we hire more artisans at the repair workshop?"

"So soon?"

"Other than the East Pearl being a bit slower, acquiring the other materials isn't difficult."

"Alright then, let's add two more workers. Mother, thank you."

Madam Zheng smiled. "What are you thanking me for? I'm just doing a small favor for you."

Xie Peiyu had finished his business in the capital and was preparing to leave again for the south.

The Princess's residence sent another invitation, requesting both Zheng Jinyu and Madam Zheng to visit their home.

As the head of the family, Madam Zheng received all invitations, regardless of their origin. Moreover, she was one of the guests of honor mentioned in the invitation.

This new invitation posed another dilemma for Madam Zheng.

"Imperial Princess, you're making things increasingly difficult for me. Taking Jinyu along, how will outsiders perceive this?"

Old Master Zheng rubbed his temples. "My dear, why are you still worrying about this? Didn't we clarify last time that they want Jinyu?"

"I know, but... Oh, I haven't thought of a better solution yet. Maybe I should just go alone."

"Go alone?" Old Master Zheng rubbed his temples again. "It's clear that they're interested in inviting Jinyu. You'd only be an accompaniment."

"Oh, I'll just tell them Jinyu is ill."

"You might as well claim Jinxiu is sick. If Jinyu is unwell, they'll surely want to visit her. How would you explain that?"

Mrs. Zheng: "..."

Sighing in frustration, she said, "Mother has experienced much and is knowledgeable. Perhaps I should consult her."

"Enough, Mother is already in her sixties. Don't burden her with such worries. She's going to Xingyang for the New Year celebrations. Let her have peace and don't trouble her with these matters."

Zheng Ji's father was from the second branch of their family. When he passed the exams to serve in the capital, he brought his elderly mother along with him.

Yet, every other year, she had to return to her hometown, Xingyang, for the New Year celebrations. That was because her husband's grandmother, the matriarch of the family, still lived there – the mother of the old madam.

In the end, Lady Zheng heeded Old Master Zheng's suggestion and spread the word that Jinxiu was unwell. Then, she took Jinyu to visit the Imperial Princess's residence.

To outsiders, it seemed as if she had intended to bring both daughters along but could only take the younger one due to the elder daughter's illness.

The Imperial Princess scoffed at this.

"Tsk, Mother-in-law, aren't you tired of such antics?"

Lady Zheng was taken aback. Mother-in-law?