Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Emperor Xingwu issued the imperial decree betrothing the second prince before the Dragon Boat Festival. As they were now in-laws and the prospective mother-in-law had recently passed away, the palace did not host a grand banquet for officials this year, opting instead for a simple family gathering.

Prince Yong, his wife, and their son; Yong Kang, her husband, and their two children; and the seventeen-year-old second prince, Qin Bing, whose marriage had just been arranged, all entered the palace.

It was still early before noon, so the large family first gathered in the imperial garden to enjoy the scenery.

Qin Bing, weary of his aunt and eldest sister’s teasing, pulled Qin Ren and Qingyang to a secluded spot by the waterside pavilion and grumbled in a low voice, "Father is just making a terrible match. Meng Yao is so fierce—whoever marries her will be miserable."

Qin Ren looked puzzled. "You don’t like Miss Meng? You two always seemed to get along well when she visited the palace before, didn’t you?"

Qin Bing retorted, "But we argued a lot too."

Qingyang glanced toward her aunt and eldest sister in the distance and asked, "Were you unhappy when Father issued the betrothal decree, or are you just upset because Aunt and the others teased you just now?"

Qin Bing was taken aback.

Seeing this, Qin Ren understood and reminded his elder brother, "Then it’s your fault, Second Brother. If you’re unhappy with their teasing, you should tell them directly. How can you take it out on Father and Miss Meng?"

Qin Bing had no retort but refused to admit he was wrong. He reached out and poked Qin Ren’s head. "What would you know? Who are you to lecture me!"

Qin Ren, feeling the poke, quickly moved to another seat.

Qingyang glared at her second brother. "Third Brother was just trying to help. If you bully him again, we’ll leave, and you can stay here by yourself."

Qin Bing coaxed his sister, "I was just messing with him."

Qingyang persisted, "Then tell me, do you like Meng Yao or not?"

Qin Bing rubbed his nose and muttered softly, "She’s alright. As long as she doesn’t scold me, I wouldn't mind marrying her."

He hadn’t even truly considered marriage yet. The sudden betrothal decree from his father, coupled with Meng Yao being both familiar and pretty, meant Qin Bing didn't really object to the idea.

Qingyang lectured him, "Since you don’t object to marrying Meng Yao, she is your fiancée. How can you speak ill of her like that? What if these words reach her ears? She would be so hurt. Her mother just passed away—you should be kinder to her."

Qin Bing’s mind pictured Meng Yao sobbing in mourning clothes, which indeed seemed quite pitiful.

"Alright, alright, I won’t say anything bad about her anymore. And no one else is allowed to either. If anyone dares to, I’ll beat them up!"

Qingyang: "..."

After their private conversation, the three siblings returned to the elders.

Prince Yong sat next to Emperor Xingwu. The two brothers chatted about matters outside the palace, never interrupting the banter among the women and children.

Princess Yong glanced at Qin Ren, with his fair skin and handsome features, and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince and the second prince are both betrothed to top noble ladies in the capital. I wonder which noble house’s daughter the third prince will marry in the future."

Consort Li stole a glance at Emperor Xingwu. She had come to realize that the Emperor was too controlling! With the Pure Filial Empress gone, the Emperor had complete control over the marriages of Yong Kang and her siblings. Even though the Noble Consort was alive, dignified, and virtuous, the Emperor hadn’t consulted her in advance. It seemed she wouldn't get a say in the future marriages of her third son or daughter either.

Emperor Xingwu glanced at the third prince and said casually, "He’s still too young. We’ll talk about it later. As for Qin Liang, he’s twenty this year. Have you found anyone for him yet?"

Prince Yong, who was drinking tea, choked. He put down his teacup and looked at his elder brother in disbelief. "Your Majesty is asking me? I was waiting for you to arrange a good marriage for Liang! After all, you were the one who decided my marriage back then. Surely, Your Majesty has a better eye for these things than I."

Princess Yong gently gave her husband a chiding look.

Emperor Xingwu laughed. "The Noble Consort and the others live deep in the palace and aren’t familiar with the noble ladies outside. You’re different. I thought you had already made up your minds."

Princess Yong replied respectfully, "There have been some matchmakers proposing matches, but we couldn’t decide. I’ve urged the prince several times to ask for Your Majesty’s help in choosing, but he always forgets."

Emperor Xingwu became interested. "Which families are they?"

Princess Yong signaled for her husband to speak, but Prince Yong said impatiently, "How would I remember? You tell him."

Princess Yong then listed a few families, all from mid-level officials.

Emperor Xingwu frowned. "Qin Liang is accomplished in both scholarship and martial arts, and he’s my nephew. Haven’t any high-ranking nobles or officials shown interest in having him as a son-in-law?"

Prince Yong said awkwardly, "There have been some, but the princess and I come from humble backgrounds and never learned the etiquette of great families. Your Majesty just criticized me for speaking crudely. If we marry a proper young lady from a good family who surpasses us in speech and manners, wouldn’t we be laughed at by our daughter-in-law? It’s better to marry someone more ordinary so we can still act like we're in charge."

Emperor Xingwu: "...You may be unrefined, but Qin Liang, with his royal nobility, can marry anyone and still command respect. It’s a pity that the Yuan family’s girl and Left Chancellor’s Zhenzhen are too young. Among the young ladies I’ve met, none are perfectly suitable. Then let’s decide on Zhu Jinsi’s daughter. The Zhu family is a scholarly family in the capital. Zhu Jinsi is cultured and well-mannered, so his daughter should be good-looking too."

Zhu Jinsi currently held the position of Senior Fifth Rank Director in the Ministry of Rites and was one of the potential matches Princess Yong had mentioned.

Princess Yong quickly exchanged a look with her husband, then called for their son, Qin Liang, to kneel in gratitude to Emperor Xingwu.

After the family banquet, Yong Kang followed her younger brother, the Crown Prince, to Chongyuan Palace. She dismissed the attendants to speak with him privately.

Yong Kang was quite pleased. "All these years, Qin Liang has been competing with you both openly and behind the scenes, acting as if he’s better than you. Father may praise him, but in the end, he just casually arranged a marriage for him. It shows Father still thinks more highly of you."

Qin Hong didn’t care whom Qin Liang married and wasn’t interested in his sister’s topic.

Yong Kang continued, "You—you’re indifferent to everything. But Qin Liang isn’t worth our attention. What’s worse is Second Brother. Father actually arranged a marriage between him and the Marquis of Weiyuan! Although the Marquis of Weiyuan is just a marquis, with a lower title and military record compared to the Duke of Cheng, he’s in the prime of life while the Duke of Cheng is old. Your father-in-law, Lü Zhang, followed Father and them in helping conquer the realm, but his contributions aren’t particularly outstanding..."

Qin Hong finally lifted his eyelids and said softly, "Elder Sister, what are you thinking? Father arranged this marriage to ensure the Marquis of Weiyuan remains loyal to our family. Second Brother is still young and has never had any intention of competing with me. Don’t always look at things so negatively."

Yong Kang countered, "He was young before, so he didn’t think about competing. But now he’s seventeen. As a prince, he only receives three thousand taels per year, while you, as the Crown Prince, receive ten thousand. Just this real difference in income could make him resentful, let alone the temptation of inheriting the throne."

"Let me tell you, siblings fight all the time, even among commoners. When they’re young, they only know how to play foolishly, and brothers are thick as thieves. But once they grow up, marry, and have their own families, they grow apart. They only care about how much their parents give them, and couldn't care less about being brothers."

"Father and Uncle are a perfect example. One sits high on the dragon throne, while the other has to kneel and bow every day. Uncle respects Father because Father is more capable than him. But Second Brother—he wasn’t afraid of you even when he was little. Will he defer to you in the future? He already has a maternal grandfather who’s the Left Chancellor, and now Father is giving him a father-in-law who commands troops. I really don’t know what Father is thinking."

Qin Hong: "..." One rebuttal had earned him such a long lecture from his sister.

Yong Kang glanced at her brother, who kept his head down and said nothing. She walked over and patted his shoulder. "In-laws are ultimately external support. What matters is that you prove yourself. You’re already the Crown Prince. As long as you make your mark in front of Father and let him see your strengths, the throne will surely be yours."

Qin Hong looked at the gold-edged sleeve of his sister’s dress and murmured in agreement.

Yong Kang continued, "Also, since you’re now involved in court affairs, you need to gradually cultivate a group of loyal ministers. They can help carry your burdens when you encounter difficulties and take the fall if something goes wrong. There’s a vacancy for the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, right? Recently, a Director Fang from the Ministry of Revenue came to me..."

Qin Hong looked up in shock. "Elder Sister, did you accept bribes from him?"

Yong Kang lightly slapped the top of her brother’s head. "What bribes? That sounds terrible! Director Fang is truly talented. He saw other directors maneuvering for the position and was afraid he’d miss the opportunity if he didn’t compete. So he came to me, asking me to recommend him to you."

Qin Hong took a few steps back from his sister, frowning worriedly. "What good would recommending him to me do? Official appointments are handled by the Ministry of Personnel. I’m just working there temporarily—I don’t have real authority."

Yong Kang retorted, "You may not have authority, but the Minister of Personnel does. You’re the Crown Prince. If you mention it to him, wouldn’t he do you this favor?"

Qin Hong wanted to refuse further, but Yong Kang sternly said, "Anyway, I’ve already accepted his ‘token of appreciation.’ If you don’t help me, you’ll make me go back on my word and lose face. Who am I doing all this for? It’s because you’re always so timid and keep angering Father. If you had half the courage of Second Brother and made Father think highly of you, why would I bother to find helpers for you? It’s a pain, and I don’t even get thanked for it!"

After saying this, Yong Kang slumped over the table and began to cry.

Qin Hong wanted to comfort his sister, but couldn't bring himself to. After hesitating for a long while, he finally walked over and said with difficulty, "Okay, this time I promise you, but you also have to promise me that you won't do this kind of thing again. If it happens too often, and Father finds out, both of us will be scolded."

Yong Kang feigned wiping her eyes with a handkerchief and said softly, "Don't worry, Sister knows what she's doing. I won't just randomly push people on you."

.

Qingyang followed her mother back to Xianfu Palace.

Consort Li personally helped her daughter wipe her face and hands. Looking at her daughter's gradually maturing beautiful face, she worried, "What kind of husband will our Lin'er get when she grows up?"

The third son's situation is simpler—no matter which noble family's daughter he marries, as a prince, he wouldn't be bullied even by someone like Princess Yong. But it’s different for a daughter. No matter how noble her status, she might not match the physical strength of an imperial son-in-law. What if she encounters someone who dares to act recklessly and even gets physical with the princess? Even if the emperor later stands up for her, she would still have suffered hardships she shouldn’t have to endure!

The little princess guiltily avoided her mother’s gaze. The older she grew, the more she understood. Qingyang worried that if she told her mother today that she had her eye on Zhang Su, her mother and the emperor might suspect Zhang Su of seducing her and expel him from the palace by tomorrow.

"Mother, does Uncle have concubines?" Qingyang changed the subject.

Consort Li: "...Yes, why do you ask all of a sudden?"

Qingyang: "Father has five of us children, while Uncle only has one. The difference was especially noticeable today when we were all together, so it got me thinking."

Consort Li’s expression shifted slightly, and she replied vaguely, "They’re all concubines of low status, not qualified to bear children for your uncle."

Qingyang didn’t understand: "Adults have children when they sleep together. What qualifications are needed?"

Consort Li: "...If your uncle doesn’t want them to have children, he can have them take medicine that prevents pregnancy."

Princess Yong is the sister of the Duke of Ding, Deng Chong. Given Deng Chong’s lifelong friendship with the emperor since childhood, even Prince Yong has to give her some leeway!