Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 134

The news of both marquis households marrying off their daughters on the same day sent shockwaves throughout the capital. Both marriages had been decreed by the Emperor, both were legitimate daughters, and both were marrying into Prince An’s household. One was to be the primary consort and the other was to be the secondary consort. It was clear at a glance who was superior and who was inferior. Gu Huai Zhong could not sit still any longer. Although the An Le Marquis’s household was an aristocratic family, they were both a marquis appointed by His Majesty, so why should his daughter marry as a concubine? He was not complaining for Gu Yu Qi, but for himself.

He had no issue with becoming in-laws with the An Le Marquis’s family. After all, their noble standing made a match between a concubine-born daughter and his son a reasonable one. Yet now, the legitimate daughter of An Le Marquis was set to overshadow his own legitimate daughter? This was not merely a slight against Gu Yu Qi but an insult to his own dignity!

Furious, he flung his sleeves and went into the palace.

Emperor Jing had anticipated Gu Huai Zhong’s arrival. So, when the palace eunuch reported that the Ding Yuan Marquis had come to see him, he was not surprised and summoned him to the southern study.

An Le Marquis’ actions were indeed a slap in the face. Even Emperor Jing felt uncomfortable with the arrangement, but the promise he had made in his haste to borrow money years ago bound him. In terms of both sentiment and propriety, he was caught in a dilemma.

As the Ding Yuan Marquis came, so did Princess Ping Hu. The Eldest Princess had heard the news immediately and wasted no time, taking a sedan chair out of her princess’ palace and heading straight to the southern study. With her privilege to bypass formalities, she entered the southern study unannounced, her accessories jingling as she moved briskly.

By the time Princess Ping Hu arrived, Gu Huai Zhong was already kneeling before the Emperor.

Initially, Gu Huai Zhong had worried that his lone presence might not be strong enough, but when he saw Princess Ping Hu also because of Gu Yu Qi’s situation, his confidence surged and he straightened his posture a little.

“Your Majesty, although my daughter’s reputation may have been damaged, she is still my legitimate child. While Your Majesty’s decree for her marriage came first, she is only to be a secondary consort, but now the An Le Marquis’ legitimate daughter is appointed as the title of primary consort. Your Majesty, both I and the An Le Marquis are marquises, why is there such a big difference?” In the end, it was because he felt inferior to others.

When Eldest Princess Ping Hu heard this, she thought to herself that perhaps Gu Huai Zhong was not entirely hopeless. He at least knew to fight for his daughter’s dignity.

She only thought that Gu Huai Zhong was doing this for Gu Yu Qi, and had no idea what Gu Huai Zhong was thinking.

“Your Majesty, Ke’er made it clear to me, his aunt, from the beginning,” she said, curtseying, “Aside from Gu Yu Qi, he wants no other. This arrangement Your Majesty has made will truly break Ke’er’s heart.”

She was well aware of the incident where Gu Yu Qi had beaten Xia Shuang Cheng in public. The matter was clear as day. It was obviously a trap set by An Le Marquis to trip Gu Yu Qi. It was also apparent that the Virtuous Consort had played a part in it.

As the Eldest Princess, she had always restrained herself from getting involved in the fight for imperial succession. The Eldest Princess was a person who understood things clearly. By remaining impartial, no matter who became the future emperor, they would still respect her as their imperial aunt. Her lifetime of wealth and glory was already secured, and since she had no descendants of her own, there was no need to plan too far ahead. Everything could proceed as naturally as it would. That was why she disapproved of the imperial concubines meddling in these affairs. Lately, the Virtuous Consort had been overreaching more and more, and Yun Yi’s arrogance had grown flamboyant as well. In contrast, Yun Ke had always been respectful and dutiful, greeting her in the morning and evening whenever he was free, which greatly pleased her.

Even if there was a fight for the throne, it was between the brothers, what did it have to do with her as their aunt? The fact that Yun Ke had always maintained a close relationship with her comforted the Eldest Princess greatly, so she naturally paid attention to Yun Ke’s affairs.

Gu Yu Qi had already publicly fallen out with the Xia family. If the two families’ daughters were married into Prince An’s household, it would only lead to chaos.

Originally, marrying a wife was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but for Prince An, it was a disaster to have both these families involved.

The imperial edict had already been issued, and the Eldest Princess knew there was no way to reverse it. However, she could at least fight to secure something else for Gu Yu Qi. If the two consorts, one as the primary and one as the secondary, were to clash in the household, and if the primary consort used underhanded means to get rid of Gu Yu Qi, it would only leave Yun Ke heartbroken. Turning a marriage into a grudge was never a good thing.

“Alright, both of you, stand up,” Emperor Jing also felt a headache coming on and breathed heavily through his nose. He had people bring them seats and began to explain the whole situation, grumbling as he went through the events.

The Eldest Princess understood immediately after hearing this. She silently cursed An Le Marquis. If he wanted to save face, he should have found another way. To drag her nephew into this mess, she was not happy! Besides, what kind of person was Xia Shuang Cheng? The Eldest Princess could only think that Gu Yu Qi had done well by beating him up! That boy deserved a beating.

The Ding Yuan Marquis, after hearing everything, could do nothing either. Who told the Xia family to have once helped the Emperor in a time of need? Back then, when he was still a low-ranking officer on the frontier, the Emperor had borrowed money from An Le Marquis to keep the soldiers clothed and fed, and he had also benefited from that aid.

However, he detected from the Emperor’s tone that His Majesty was not pleased with An Le Marquis’ actions, which was good enough. He quickly changed his approach, expressing his loyalty. His show of “understanding the bigger picture” allowed the Emperor to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, he had saved him twice. If he had insisted on fighting over this matter of their children, it would have been a real headache for the Emperor.

If it had not been for Yun Ke’s earlier hints, Princess Ping Hu might have believed Gu Huai Zhong to be a loyal and upright official. However, Yun Ke had mentioned certain matters about Liang Huai Yu, including how she had mysteriously fallen into a coma in Kuizhou. Like Yun Ke, she had always suspected that Gu Huai Zhong had a hand in it. Everything seemed too coincidental. The mother and daughter had been fine in Kuizhou, but why was it that as soon as Gu Huai Zhong went there, one of them suddenly took a fall and almost died? Furthermore, Gu Huai Zhong had previously spread the rumour that Liang Huai Yu had gone missing and had most likely burned to death.

Considering these factors, it was clear that Gu Huai Zhong had been involved.

She felt pity for Gu Yu Qi. The poor girl had already suffered from unjust accusations that had damaged her reputation, and now she was being overshadowed by Xia Ying from An Le Marquis’ family, even in marriage.

While the Eldest Princess sympathised with Gu Yu Qi, the Emperor was filled with guilt towards Gu Huai Zhong. Look at his understanding compared with what the An Le Marquis has done.

“My dear Gu, do not worry,” Emperor Jing thought for a moment, “I will not let your daughter suffer too much. The imperial edict has already been issued and I cannot change it, but I can grant a title to the secondary consort.”

A titled secondary consort in the imperial family! This would be a first in all of Qi dynasty.

Gu Huai Zhong was pleased inwardly, but his expression still carried a trace of grievance.

“How about this, Gu Yu Qi is a strong-willed girl. I will bestow upon her the title ‘Rou,’ symbolising gentleness, in the hope that she may temper her fiery nature,” Emperor Jing said after thinking for a moment. He then turned to the Eldest Princess. “What does Imperial Sister think of this?”

What else could Princess Ping Hu say? She had come seeking a secure status for Gu Yu Qi, so that she would not be mistreated too badly at Prince An’s palace. Before she could even raise the issue, the Emperor had already taken the initiative, and it was exactly what she had hoped for.

Princess Ping Hu sighed inwardly, hoping that Yun Ke would not take things too seriously. The fact that the Emperor was willing to break precedent and grant a title to a secondary consort was already a great honour. No other imperial household, not even the Crown Prince’s residence, had extended such a privilege to their secondary consorts. With this title, Xia Ying would have to be more cautious in her treatment of Gu Yu Qi.

She knew that managing the inner affairs of the harem was not something an old woman like her could oversee. Gu Yu Qi was clever enough and likely would not suffer too much.

Princess Ping Hu still remembered the time Gu Yu Qi had handled herself gracefully during the plum blossom festival at her estate. The girl had acted with poise even then. Now that she was older and skilled in martial arts, she would probably be able to hold her own.

“This is a wise decision, Your Majesty,” Princess Ping Hu said, rising from her seat. “Yun Ke has gone to the War Cavalry Camp today, so on his behalf, I thank Your Majesty for your grace.”

“Very well,” Emperor Jing nodded. “Let it be done.” With a wave of his hand, he instructed the eunuch to draft the decree and have it sent to the Ministry of Rites for proclamation.

He then turned his attention to Gu Huai Zhong, the Ding Yuan Marquis, “I hear you have a son born of a concubine, and also a daughter?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Gu Huai Zhong’s heart raced. Was this a sign of an imperial favour?

“My sixth son has been in seclusion at the Huguo Temple, engaged in spiritual cultivation, and he has long lacked someone to attend to him,” the Emperor mused, “How old is your daughter this year?”

“Your Majesty, she will turn 14 after the new year,” Gu Huai Zhong replied, now certain that the Emperor was preparing to arrange a marriage for Gu Si Yu.

A daughter born of a concubine receiving an imperial marriage arrangement was an extraordinary honour, and from the Emperor’s words, it seemed she was being considered for Prince Fu.

“She’s old enough,” Emperor Jing nodded, “However, my sixth son has always been frail with poor health. I wonder…”

“Your Majesty,” Gu Huai Zhong immediately reaffirmed his loyalty, “it would be Si Yu’s greatest honour and fortune to serve His Highness Prince Fu.”

“Since you said this, my dear, then I am reassured,” Emperor Jing nodded once more. Prince Fu was a gentle and docile person, but he was plagued by illness. Many of the noble families in the capital were unwilling to marry their legitimate daughters to him, and the prince’s seclusion in the Buddhist temple meant he had adopted a calm, indifferent attitude toward life, showing no desire for competition or contention. This had always given the Emperor mixed feelings, both relief and concern for his son. Now Gu Huaizhong had solved another major issue for him.

Though Gu Si Yu was of concubine birth and her status was a little low, given the frail health of his son, the Emperor was no longer overly concerned with such distinctions. What was rare was that Gu Huai Zhong did not seem to dislike Prince Fu at all.

Then it made things easy.

The Emperor issued another decree, officially arranging for Gu Si Yu, daughter of the Ding Yuan Marquis, to marry Prince Fu as his primary consort.

Gu Huai Zhong could not have been more pleased! This visit to the palace had certainly been worthwhile!

He immediately thanked the Emperor and left the southern study. On his way back, he felt as though he was floating on air.

With two daughters now marrying into the imperial family, how could any other family in the capital rival the Ding Yuan Marquis’ household?

Even though the An Le Marquis’ family had secured a primary consort, Gu Yu Qi had still been granted a title as “Consort Rou” of Prince An’s residence. In the future, there would be no distinction between the primary and secondary consorts. The title bestowed by the Emperor would become her official designation, an honorific title.