diskusbooks Chapter 287 Shangguan Rui and Shen Xue's Marriage 2
Chapter 287 Shangguan Rui and Shen Xue's Marriage 2
The news of Shen Xue and Shangguan Rui's marriage spread throughout the palace in an instant, and some concubines in the harem were happy while others were worried.
Concubine Hui smiled upon hearing the news. "Xiaoxue can marry the Third Prince. They are finally together. It can be said that the clouds have cleared and the moon has appeared. I wish them all the best."
Chunlan quickly said, "In the harem, only the Empress blessed the Third Prince and the Princess of Ya'an's marriage. The other concubines were filled with hatred. Especially Empress Qi. Seeing that the position of the Third Prince's consort was in her niece's pocket, she suddenly changed her attitude and gnashed her teeth in anger."
"Everyone knows what Concubine Qi is planning. Seeing that the Third Prince has no mother, she wants to use her niece's marriage and her brother's marriage to bind the Third Prince to her and the Second Princess."
"But what they don't know is that the Third Prince and the Lady of Ya'an County are in love. Forcing them to separate will only make things worse. Even if he marries Miss Zhuang, it will likely backfire given the Third Prince's personality, making him even more disgusted with the Zhuang family, Concubine Qi, and his mother's family, the Ruan family."
"Your Highness is the only one who sees things clearly. Others, blinded by the facts, mistakenly believe that forcing the Third Prince to marry Miss Zhuang will grant their wish. This could be the beginning of a nightmare."
"Chunlan, you are absolutely right."
"Your Majesty, it would be a good thing for you if the Princess of Ya'an married the Third Prince. She would be able to help you in the future."
"I am not in the emperor's favor right now. I just want to see Yu'er and Yao'er grow up. I don't dare to hope for anything else."
"The Fourth Prince loves the Fifth Princess and the Empress, and will be the Empress and the Fifth Princess's support in the future."
Concubine Hui smiled happily, "Yu'er, although he is not my biological prince, he has a kind heart and is a good child. The future of me and the Fifth Princess can only be pinned on him."
"Your Majesty is right."
When Concubine Rong learned that the emperor had granted marriage to Shangguan Rui and Shen Xue, a ferocious expression appeared on her flawless face, which was chilling to look at.
"The Shen sisters are so lucky. Shen Rou and Shangguan Yunting, who were originally buried at sea, not only survived but also gave birth to twins. Shen Xue was also given to the Third Prince by the Emperor. My enemy has returned to his original position. How can I bear this?"
"Your Majesty, you are pregnant with a prince. Don't get angry. It would be disastrous if you get pregnant."
"Yutong, send a hundred assassins to Pingzhou. This time, we must kill Prince Mu no matter what. Otherwise, they won't be able to come back to see me."
Yutong looked embarrassed and tried to persuade him, "Your Majesty, Prince Mu is enjoying the emperor's grace and is surrounded by many experts. It would be difficult for the assassins to succeed. If the matter is exposed, the emperor will definitely hold those responsible accountable."
"Besides, you are pregnant with the royal heir, so it is inappropriate for you to see blood. It is better to wait until the prince is born before you can start to remember."
Rong Fei refused to listen and said sternly, "As long as Prince Mu is not dead and his revenge is not avenged, I cannot sleep at night and cannot eat or sleep peacefully."
Yutong had no choice but to agree.
The most angry concubine in the harem was none other than Concubine Qi. She had been planning for a long time, and it seemed like she was about to succeed, only to be beaten to the punch by Shen Xue. Her heart was filled with resentment and anger, and a hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes.
"I've been planning for so long, but now I'm just letting someone else do the wedding dress. I'm not happy about that."
Nanny quickly stepped forward to comfort her: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's not good for your health if you get angry. Princess Mu came back to support Shen Xue, and when the Pingzhou disaster struck, Shen Xue donated 500,000 taels of silver, which caused the emperor to change his mind."
"If I had known this would happen, I would have ordered my father to pay this amount of money, and the position of the Third Prince's Consort would not have disappeared."
"Your Majesty, the master is the Minister of War. If the mansion can come up with so much silver, the memorial impeaching the master will be presented to the emperor soon."
"She, Shen Xue, openly donated so much silver and was praised by the emperor and the ministers, but my family dared not openly donate silver to the people affected by the disaster. This is truly unacceptable."
"Your Majesty, Princess Mu was a businesswoman before she married Prince Mu, so it's understandable that her sister could come up with so much silver. And the master is the Minister of War, and has always been an example of integrity and honesty. If he suddenly came up with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, even if the emperor wouldn't be suspicious, would the civil servants in the Censorate be able to hold back?"
Concubine Qi took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She knew that being angry would not help, so she had to calm down and think about what to do next.
When Zhuang Shiwan learned that Shen Xue had taken the position of the prince's consort before her, she was furious and smashed the decorations at hand.
"Shen Xue, you stole my position as the Third Prince's consort. We are sworn enemies."
She thought she could become the third prince's consort with her family background and beauty, but she didn't expect that even the position of concubine would be difficult to obtain, which made her feel resentful and unwilling.
She lay on the bed crying bitterly. The servant hurriedly called Madam Zhuang over. Seeing her daughter crying so hard, Madam Zhuang anxiously comforted her: "Wan'er, don't cry. Being the daughter-in-law of the royal family is not as easy as you think.
"Look at the first and second prince's wives. They look so glamorous on the surface, and they have countless concubines and maids in their mansions, yet they dare not have any opinions."
"When the battle for the throne begins, life becomes even more thrilling. If you're not careful, you could lose your head. How can it be more real than marrying a nobleman from an official's house? Although there's a difference between the monarch and his subjects, life is stable and solid."
"Mother, didn't you agree with me marrying the Third Prince at the beginning? How could you change your mind so suddenly?"
"My dear, the times are different now. At that time, the Emperor also wanted you to be the Third Prince's consort. All he needed was an imperial decree to make his wish come true.
"But the situation is different now. The Emperor has already granted them their marriage. This is a done deal. There's no point in saying more."
"Mother, I am unwilling to see my position as the Crown Prince's Consort disappear like this."
"At that time, my grandfather and aunt said they were absolutely certain that I would marry the Third Prince and become the future Empress of Great Qi. Now all the nobles know about this. How can I face people in the future with such a sudden change of heart? No good man would be willing to marry me."
"My daughter is so beautiful, and she's proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Why would she worry about not finding a good husband?"
"Mother has already sent people to inquire and find a good husband for you among the nobles. When the time comes, marry him off in style and let everyone see that a girl from the Zhuang family has found a good home. Let them be envious and jealous!"
"Mother, please help your daughter! You will be proud of your daughter's success in the future."
Madam Zhuang sighed and gently stroked Zhuang Shiwan's back. "Wan'er, the Shen family is now in full swing. We must not confront them head-on, otherwise it will bring trouble to your grandfather and father."
Zhuang Shiwan bit her lip, a trace of resentment flashed in her eyes, "Mom, if you don't want to help me, forget it. You go out and I want to rest."
Madam Zhuang sighed helplessly, "Think about it carefully! Mother, go out first. Send someone to call me if you need anything."
After Mrs. Zhuang left, Zhuang Shiwan clenched her fists and looked out the window with a cold look in her eyes.
"Fanghua, send someone to quietly tell Song Lan and Lin Xiya that Shen Xue has taken their positions as the Third Prince's consort. I want to see if they can tolerate this."
"Miss, I heard that Miss Lin has a good relationship with the Princess of Ya'an. Princess Mu is back now. Even if they are unwilling, they dare not do anything to the Princess of Ya'an. It is better to listen to Madam and let it go, so as not to cause trouble for the Master and the Young Master."
"Whose slave are you, you stupid girl? You always protect others. If you dare to say another word, I will sell you to a brothel."
The servant was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Miss, I won't dare to do it again, please spare my life."
"Go quickly."
Fanghua had no choice but to go and deliver the message as Zhuang Shiwan instructed.
When Song Lan heard about this, he was furious. Although Lin Xiya was good friends with Shen Xue, she couldn't help but feel resentful when she thought about the opportunity that originally belonged to her being taken away.
When Concubine Lin and the eldest prince learned about this, they were jealous to the point of going crazy, but they were not in the mood to think about it. After all, the matter of Xiping Mountain in Pingzhou was the most important.
Moreover, the eldest prince sent someone to pass a message to Concubine Rong, but she ignored him, which made him angry and even more suspicious about the child, but he could not find a suitable opportunity to meet with Concubine Rong.