Chapter 66: The Marriage Arrangement

Chapter 66: An Imperial Marriage Decree

It must be said that the Imperial Consort was indeed a woman of action. In less than three days, the imperial marriage decree arrived in Jiang Wan's hands.

Along with the Jiang family's eldest daughter, the eldest daughters of the Wang, Liu, and Song families also received imperial decrees of marriage.

This showed that while the emperor was not of aristocratic birth, he possessed discerning taste. In choosing wives for his first four sons, he selected only the eldest daughters from established families capable of upholding their households.

Xu Shi gazed at the respectfully displayed scroll of bright yellow silk, chatting casually with her daughter.

"The emperor is far-sighted, choosing either established noble families or newly influential ones. Consolidating power through marriage alliances is already a very gentle approach."

Jiang Wan readily agreed.

"It's good he hasn't 'killed the goose that lays the golden eggs.' Given the emperor's shrewdness, I thought he might 'relieve generals of their commands over a cup of wine.'"

"Probably not for now."

Xu Shi frowned, looking out at the flowing clouds.

"I heard from your father that Dongling Prefecture hasn't been reclaimed yet, and those remnants of the previous Daqi dynasty have entrenched themselves around East Lake. Your father will have to lead troops there eventually."

Hearing this, Jiang Wan also furrowed her brow.

"Father is already a Duke. If he were to lead troops and wield military power again, wouldn't that attract even more unwanted attention?"

"What can we do? If the emperor issues an order, your father will have to go, whether he wants to or not."

Xu Shi sighed.

"The Prince of Huai, once he became emperor, was no longer just the Prince of Huai—he is now the Son of Heaven. Even someone with the Imperial Consort's temperament had to make concessions, let alone our family, who are mere subjects.

Serving a ruler is not easy; 'accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger' is never an empty saying. Perhaps in some small, inadvertent moment, the lives of an entire family could be lost.

Wan Jie'er, your status will be different in the future, do you understand? You must know how to navigate this delicate balance."

"I know, Mother, don't worry about me. Although there's this imperial marriage decree, I still have several years before I turn seventeen. There's no hurry."

"I'm not anxious; I just feel guilty."

This was the first time the mother admitted her helplessness in front of her child. She raised her hand to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

Her voice was very soft, husky with a hint of nostalgia.

"I probably haven't told you this, but you look very much like your birth mother. The older you get, the more you resemble her."

"I'd already guessed it."

Jiang Wan smiled with a touch of smugness.

"Second Sister's delicate, pitiful look clearly resembles you. Third Brother isn't ugly either, but compared to Second Sister and me, he's a bit lacking—he must take after Father, right? As for me, being so stunningly beautiful at such a young age, I must take after my own mother, right?"

"You shameless girl! Who goes around boasting like that?"

After affectionately scolding her daughter, Xu Shi took her hand and began reminiscing about the past.

"But you guessed correctly. My elder sister was indeed stunningly beautiful back then! My looks are far inferior to hers.

To be precise, I resemble your maternal grandmother, while your mother resembled your maternal grandfather. My father was famously handsome in Daqi!"

"Really?"

"Why would I lie? I heard that during his palace examination, his looks actually worked against him, which is why he only earned the rank of Tanhua. If he had been even slightly less handsome, he would have been the top scholar!"

Speaking of her father, Xu Shi's face was full of pride.

"In his youth, he aspired to greatness and vowed to be among the best in the world! Your maternal grandfather earned his official rank at nineteen and entered politics, filled with passion to serve his emperor.

If he had encountered a wise monarch, his name would undoubtedly be recorded among the famous ministers in history!"

Thinking about how her family had fallen so tragically, Xu Shi couldn't help but shed tears.

"You don't know why the Xu family fell.

It wasn't because my father committed a crime or was targeted by political enemies. It was because my elder sister's beauty caught the attention of that foolish ruler!

At that time, Jiang Zhiyun, who was equally renowned for her beauty, had already been forcibly taken into the palace by that scoundrel. Then he set his sights on my elder sister. But,"

Even if she didn't want to talk about some things, now that they had returned to the capital, they couldn't avoid many old acquaintances. She also wanted to take the children to pay respects to the Xu family ancestors, so she had to explain the entanglements.

"But at that time, my elder sister was already betrothed, and the wedding was approaching. My father, with the integrity of a scholar, refused to sell his daughter for glory. He directly rejected the foolish ruler's unreasonable demand for my elder sister to enter the palace. That's why he later met his tragic end in the Golden Hall!"

Jiang Wan's eyes flickered. Based on her years of reading melodramatic stories, she felt her mother's words were somewhat evasive, as if not everything had been said.

But she considerately didn't ask.

Since her mother didn't say, there must be a reason.

"Who was my birth mother betrothed to back then?"

A cold light flashed in Xu Shi's eyes.

"A scion of the Longxi Qin family."

Her tone was clearly displeased, suggesting that the old Qin family hadn't done anything honorable back then.

"I'm telling you this not to have you dig into the past, but to let you know that many noble families still remain in the capital.

Given your looks, many people will likely recognize who you resemble.

If anyone with ulterior motives comes to you spouting nonsense, they must be up to no good. You must come back and tell me, understand?"

"I understand. I'm not a child anymore, don't worry."

Regardless of how much truth there was in her mother's words, Jiang Wan was certain she meant her no harm and had no intention of delving into the hidden thoughts of her elders.

After mother and daughter had discussed and advised each other on all necessary matters, Xu Shi allowed her eldest daughter to return to her courtyard. She herself had many odds and ends to handle and couldn't always spend time with the children.

"You may go back now. Tell Second and Third Sisters that after today's rest, they must continue their studies. Especially you and Han Jie'er—you need to follow me and learn how to manage household affairs."

"Very well, Daughter, I take my leave."

Her dignified demeanor was perfected through practice, lifting her skirt and stepping gracefully, fully displaying the bearing of a noble lady. It certainly made the investment in her education worthwhile.

Making her way back to Qiuya Courtyard with Hong Zhu, she found that her two younger siblings, Second and Third Sisters, were already squabbling in the study.

"Jiang Laosan, how dare you hit me! Just wait until I tell Big Sister—you're going to get it!"

"Hmph, tattletale! You hit me too! Why don't I go and tattle on you?"

"I barely hit you! Why're you hitting me so hard?"

"What do you mean, 'lightly'? You've pulled out so much of my hair..."

Two amateurs fiercely going at each other, making Jiang Wan so mad she kicked the door open.

Instant silence.

"Sis."

"Big Sis."

Two well-behaved little ones, with disheveled hair, simultaneously gave Jiang Wan their most charming, suck-up smiles.

"Why did you stop fighting?"

Jiang Wan strolled in slowly and took a seat on the chair.

"Come on, show me what you got."

Every time they heard their elder sister use this icy tone, it made the two mischievous kids shudder.

"Sis, this wasn't my fault! It's that jerk Jiang Laosan—he broke my squeaky toy!"