Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 133

The next day, the An Le Marquis and his wife, along with the Virtuous Consort, visited Emperor Jing in the southern study.

They had come to discuss their daughter’s marriage.

The Virtuous Consort was dressed elegantly and appropriately today. After first greeting the Emperor, she explained the purpose of her sister and brother-in-law’s visit.

Upon hearing that it concerned Yun Ke’s marriage, the Emperor Jing frowned slightly.

“Did I not already betroth that Gu family’s Gu Yu Qi to Ke’er?” the Emperor murmured to the Virtuous Consort, “After all, I must consider the feelings of Ding Yuan Marquis. The marriage was proposed by Princess Ping Hu, and I have to give the Eldest Princess some face.”

According to Princess Ping Hu, Gu Yu Qi was meant to take the position of Yun Ke’s main consort. However, given Gu Yu Qi’s somewhat tarnished reputation, the Emperor’s idea was to marry her off first, then raise her to the status of primary consort once she bore a son. This would give her a legitimate standing and silence some of the conservative scholars in court from talking nonsense.

Thus, when the imperial decree was issued, Gu Yu Qi was granted the title of secondary consort instead.

Who knew that the Virtuous Consort would bring the An Le Marquis here today to request the position of primary consort.

Princess Ping Hu had made it clear that the marriage to Gu Yu Qi was Yun Ke’s own wish. He had his eyes on the girl from the Gu family and wanted no one else.

Emperor Jing understood his son well. After considering it carefully, he realised that although the Ding Yuan Marquis family was newly established in court, even if Yun Ke married Gu Yu Qi, he would not be influenced by the aristocracy. However, the Xia family was different. It was an influential aristocratic family that had produced two Empresses. Their connections were deep and far-reaching, incomparable to the Ding Yuan Marquis.

In recent years, Emperor Jing had grown more impressed with Yun Ke.

This child had always been quiet and unassuming, yet every task assigned to him was handled impeccably. He remained neither servile nor arrogant, showing no resentment even when consistently overshadowed by Yun Yi. Most importantly, he had no entanglements. His mother had died early and his family background was low, meaning there was no influence exerted from his maternal family. His princess consort had also passed away early and the Murong family, to which she belonged, no longer held any sway over him. After years of war between the Qi Dynasty and the Rouran people, the Qi dynasty had become strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Only Emperor Jing knew how deeply he resented being entangled with the powerful aristocratic families, and how much he despised their influence.

Just like the Xia family in front of him, relying on their wide connections and wealth, they indulged their son’s misconduct and tarnished their reputation. Even he, as his uncle, could not escape the implications. Yet, they had the ability to smooth everything over. Since no one dared bring the matter before the Emperor, he could turn a blind eye. For the sake of the Virtuous Consort, he had shown them much leniency.

He was, of course, aware of the incident where Gu Yu Qi had beaten Xia Shuang Cheng in the street. The rumour had already spread far and wide, and some nosy eunuchs had gossiped about it in front of him, trying to curry favour. While he did not say anything at the time, the Emperor’s impression of Gu Yu Qi had changed greatly. This future daughter-in-law certainly was not one to be trifled with, always managing to do something jaw-dropping.

He had grown increasingly fond of her as his future daughter-in-law. Although she had hit her biological father, Princess Ping Hu had explained the whole situation to him. He did not believe that Gu Huai Zhong would favour a concubine over his wife, especially not considering that Liang Huai Yu was the only daughter of General Liang, the war god. Without Liang Huai Yu and General Liang, Gu Huai Zhong would not have his current standing. The affairs between husband and wife were not something outsiders could understand. Just like his own relationship with his Empress, despite making her his Empress, he could not tolerate her constant nagging, while the Virtuous Consort, a mere concubine, had won his heart. Perhaps it was the same with Gu Huai Zhong and Liang Huai Yu. That whatever-she-was-named concubine had won Gu Huai Zhong’s affection and Liang Huai Yu was probably unable to bear it.

If Gu Yu Qi had clashed with her father for her mother’s sake, it would not be unreasonable. However, the fact remained that she had acted. This was why Emperor Jing had only given Gu Yu Qi the title of secondary consort to Prince An. On the one hand, it was a minor punishment but a big warning to her, and on the other, it was to silence the censor officials.

These censors, with nothing better to do, loved to harp on trivial matters and make endless accusations which were endlessly vexing.

Hearing what Emperor Jing said, the Virtuous Consort had already guessed that he was not inclined to betroth Xia Ying to Yun Ke. She had communicated everything with the Xia family couple in advance that morning.

“Has Your Majesty forgotten? Back when Ying’er had her zhuazhou ceremony, Your Majesty personally attended,” the Virtuous Consort said with a smile, “Ying’er grabbed a key, and Your Majesty remarked that she was destined to be a mistress of the household, which was why she immediately reached for the key.”

“That does sound familiar,” the Emperor strained to recall. There was a faint memory. At the time, he had indeed attended Ying’er’s zhuazhou ceremony. However, because of the ongoing war, the soldiers on the front lines were waiting for winter clothing, and the state treasury was empty. He had no choice but to borrow money from the Xia family, which was why he had attended the ceremony.

Thinking of this now left the Emperor feeling uneasy.

“But what does this have to do with Ke’er?” the Emperor asked, confused.

“Has Your Majesty forgotten? You were so pleased at the time that, in addition to rewarding Ying’er with many gifts, you personally made a promise,” the Virtuous Consort reminded him with a smile.

“Huh? What did I say?” Emperor Jing was truly bewildered this time, unable to recall anything at all.

He only remembered that after the zhuazhou ceremony, he had pulled the An Le Marquis aside to discuss borrowing money.

“Your Majesty said, if in the future Ying’er took a liking to someone, Your Majesty would personally decree her betrothal,” the Virtuous Consort reminded him again.

“Did I say that?” Emperor Jing asked confusedly. It had been over a decade, how could he remember something like that?

“Your Majesty, it’s true,” An Le Marquis took the opportunity to bow and presented a jade pendant to the Emperor, “This is the jade pendant Your Majesty personally bestowed upon me, with the promise that if I ever had a request, I could bring it forward using this pendant.”

Damn it! Emperor Jing could not help but curse inwardly. This was indeed true and he remembered it. Damn, he had been in desperate need of borrowing money back then, which was why he made such a promise.

So many years had passed. If the An Le Marquis had not brought it up, he would have completely forgotten about it.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Emperor Jing raised his hand to his mouth, coughing lightly, “So, An Le Marquis, you have brought this jade pendant today to ask for a marriage arrangement for Ying’er?”

“Your Majesty, I only have this one legitimate daughter. Naturally, I hope for her to marry the man she loves,” An Le Marquis said, “Ying’er had a chance encounter with Prince An at the Huguo Temple, and since then, she has been lovesick, thinking about him all the time. It pains me to see her this way. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of our past bond, to grant her the position of Prince An’s primary consort.”

In truth, the An Le Marquis had been reluctant to bring out this precious jade pendant for his daughter’s marriage, but he could not resist the persistent persuasion of the Virtuous Consort and his wife. Moreover, he had come to understand that for his Xia family’s continued wealth and prosperity, they needed to align with the Virtuous Consort. Even for the sake of supporting Yun Yi, it was crucial that his daughter marry Yun Ke. It would also give him a means to control Yun Ke. Besides, that wild girl from the Gu family had beaten his son so severely, he needed revenge. If that wild girl was to marry Yun Ke, then he would do whatever it took to ensure his daughter became the primary consort. He could not believe that he would not be able to put that wild girl in her place!

Emperor Jing looked at the jade pendant and then at the kneeling An Le Marquis and his wife. He sighed inwardly. Son, it is not that your father does not want to help you, but this promise from years ago must be fulfilled today. No matter what, all they are asking for is to appoint a primary consort for you. If they had brought the jade pendant to ask for something worse, it would be much more troublesome. For the sake of your father’s past promise, son, you will have to sacrifice a little.

He was not unaware of An Le Marquis’s ulterior motives. Emperor Jing silently sighed to himself. If that Xia Ying girl had truly been interested in Yun Ke for a long time, why had they not asked for marriage sooner? Why wait until after the incident with Gu Yu Qi beating Xia Shuang Cheng had occurred just yesterday? Their timing was too convenient.

Gu Yu Qi, that girl, could only rely on her own luck now. As for Yun Ke, he could only hope his son would not blame him as a father, he had no choice.

“Very well then, out of respect for Ying’er’s affection,” Emperor Jing clasped his hands behind his back and walked over, then took the jade pendant, “Summon someone to draft an imperial edict. Appoint An Le Marquis’s legitimate daughter, Xia Ying, as the primary consort of Prince An,” After a moment of thought, he bent down to help the An Le Marquis up. “My dear Qing, when do you think the wedding should be held?”

“Your Majesty, there is no need to delay. Let it take place on the same day as the secondary consort’s wedding,” An Le Marquis replied with a smile, “On that day, Prince An will have a double blessing descend on his house, could it be more perfect?”

He was determined to publicly humiliate Gu Yu Qi, so naturally, he would not miss the chance to use the same day as Gu Yu Qi’s. He wanted to see which family’s ceremony would be more grand, the one for the primary consort from An Le Marquis’s family or the one for the secondary consort from Ding Yuan Marquis’s family.

Gu Yu Qi, this is what happens when you offend An Le Marquis’s household. You are doomed to pay for your recklessness in the next life.

The same day. Emperor Jing felt distressed for his son.

However, having already made the promise, he had no choice but to comply with An Le Marquis’s wishes. After all, it would not be proper for a secondary consort to enter the household before the primary consort.

He instructed the eunuch to record everything and send it to the Ministry of Rites to draft the imperial decree.

This was not something that could be delayed. If Yun Ke found out and voiced his disapproval, causing a scene in the study, the Emperor would have no peace. Once the imperial edict was issued, the matter would be settled, and even if Yun Ke were to object, it would be tantamount to defying imperial orders.

Moreover, Yun Ke had already left for the War Cavalry Camp early in the morning. By the time the imperial decree reached the An Prince’s residence, it would be considered that Yun Ke had received the decree, leaving him with no grounds to return to the palace to protest in the future.

Emperor Jing felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. There was no other way, he had to sacrifice his son for the sake of an old promise.

After An Le Marquis and his wife thanked him and departed, Emperor Jing told the Virtuous Consort to halt.

“My beloved consort, I will let today’s matter pass,” Emperor Jing said with a stern expression, “but I do not wish for there to be a next time.”

The Virtuous Consort felt a chill in her heart, though she maintained a warm smile on her face. “This concubine does not know what she has done wrong. Your Majesty, please tell me clearly.”

“You truly do not know?” Emperor Jing let out a cold huff, “Ke’er was practically raised under your care. If you truly cared for him, you would stay out of these messy affairs. I will leave it at that. You have been with me for many years, I trust you will not disappoint me.”

At this, the Virtuous Consort began to feel a slight cold sweat. She hurriedly knelt on the carpet, “This concubine understands, Your Majesty. Thank you for your guidance. This concubine was only thinking for Ke’er and wished to find a proper wife for Ke’er since he has been widowed for so long.”

“Haha,” Emperor Jing laughed coldly. “Alright, you may leave.” He did not spare the Virtuous Consort another glance.

Feeling both fear and resentment as she exited the study, the Virtuous Consort felt a wave of hatred. That old man, had he truly started to care about Yun Ke? He was actually considering Yun Ke’s position now! Where, then, did that leave her son, Yi’er?

Yun Ke and Gu Yu Qi, those two could not be allowed to remain!