strictlysupreme Chapter 177: Conflict
Chapter 177: Conflict
When Prince Duan returned home, he confronted Consort Qin: "Mother, I love Zisu, and I want to marry her. Please agree and stop interfering, or you'll never have a grandson in this lifetime!"
Consort Qin sighed deeply: "I just want to ask you one question: is it that you can't live without Princess Yulin?"
Prince Duan: "I can still live without her, but there will be no more joy, laughter, or hope in my life! Life will become very difficult and painful, and I will feel like I am in an endless sea of suffering!"
Consort Qin burst into tears: "You unfilial son! How can you torment your mother like this? You're forcing me to this point! Oh my God, why is my life so miserable!"
His mother cried, and Prince Duan, somewhat at a loss, remained silent for a moment before turning and leaving. When he was little, his mother would silently weep whenever he misbehaved or disobeyed. However, this was the first time she had cried so loudly, tears streaming down her face, as she did today.
Sigh, why is life so hard?
He didn't know how to face it, nor could he. He couldn't understand why his mother disliked Zisu so much. Zisu was clearly the best girl in the world!
Her son was gone, his departing figure so lonely, so sorrowful. For a fleeting moment, Consort Qin felt her heart go empty, as if pierced by needles, aching terribly.
It's said that children are a debt to their parents. She couldn't understand what was so special about this girl who had been exiled before? She had completely bewitched her precious son, and for that girl, her son had repeatedly disobeyed and been unfilial to her.
How is she supposed to go on like this? What if her son really insists on marrying Zisu? Her son is getting on in years; she can't let him stay single forever, can she? Fine, maybe she should just agree to let Zisu marry into the family?
However, Shangguan Zisu's unwillingness to marry a man who would take concubines is a real problem. What if she tries to force women into her son's life in the future? Would Shangguan Zisu cause a huge uproar?
Consort Qin was incredibly troubled, yet even so, she had no choice but to submit to her son; otherwise, she didn't know when she would ever be able to hold her grandson. Perhaps, it would never be possible in her lifetime? She was terrified that all of this would become a reality.
After much agonizing reflection, she said to the commander of the guards in the mansion, "Go and bring the prince back. Tell him I have something very important to tell him and that he must come back!"
Upon receiving the report from his guards, Prince Duan quickly returned to his palace.
This was the first time his mother had ever invited him home so solemnly; what she wanted to say must be extremely important. He couldn't guess what it was, so he could only hurry back and find out in person.
Consort Qin waited in the hall of Rongfu Hall.
Prince Duan went inside: "Mother, what brings you here?"
Consort Qin patted the chair next to her: "Sit down and let me explain slowly."
Prince Duan obediently sat down beside her: "Mother, please speak."
Consort Qin: "Are you determined to marry Princess Yulin as your principal wife? You don't want anyone else but her? And you won't take any more concubines or secondary wives in the future?"
Prince Duan: "Mother, you must be joking. I won't take concubines or secondary wives, and she hasn't agreed to that. So, in this life, I only wish to marry her, and there will be no other woman besides her!"
"Alas, it's all because I owed you in my past life!" Empress Dowager Qin couldn't help but sigh deeply. "Since that's the case, then I can't insist any longer! How about this, I'll send someone to the General's Mansion to propose marriage in a few days, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan jumped for joy, saying happily, "Mother, you've thought it through! That's wonderful! Thank you, Mother. I love it! I can't wait for you to send someone to propose marriage tomorrow!"
Consort Qin: "Look at what you're saying, going tomorrow? To propose marriage, we need to hire a top-notch matchmaker from the capital, right? Who knows if they'll even have time tomorrow? Besides, we need to prepare some gifts to bring with us. Our family is a prestigious Prince's mansion; we can't afford to be looked down upon!"
Prince Duan: "Mother, I have already prepared the gifts for the marriage proposal!"
Consort Qin: "What you prepared is not substantial enough. You should know that our family is the only princely mansion in the Western Liang Kingdom. The betrothal gifts should be reduced by 30% compared to the gifts given to the future Crown Princess back then!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan was taken aback by his mother's words: "Really? A gift comparable to that of the Crown Princess? Isn't this far too extravagant?"
The Crown Prince's fiancée, Xie Ruyi, the niece of the Left Prime Minister, is twelve years old this year, a year older than the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, Xiao Qingtian, is only eleven. The two were betrothed last year, and the wedding will take place after Xie Ruyi turns thirteen.
Xie Ruyi was personally chosen by the Emperor. The reason he chose a girl older than the Crown Prince was because the Emperor felt that his days were numbered, so he specifically wanted to choose a more mature woman so that she would have enough ability to manage the harem and not cause the Crown Prince any trouble later.
Consort Qin insisted, "What do you mean it's too valuable? It doesn't exceed the Crown Princess's betrothal gifts, so wasn't it reduced by 30%? Besides, don't worry, the Prince's mansion's storeroom is full of treasures. I only have one son, so there's no need to worry about the storeroom being empty!"
Prince Duan was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Mother, what are you thinking? I was just worried that this might be too conspicuous?"
Consort Qin: "Why make a scene? I'm doing this because I previously disagreed with your marriage to Princess Yulin, and I was worried she would have a bad opinion of me. A larger dowry should make her feel more at ease!"
Prince Duan said helplessly, "Mother, I think we should reduce it by 40%. 60% of the betrothal gifts for the Crown Princess is already quite considerable! Princess Yulin is not a ostentatious person. She has always been very low-key. She doesn't have many maids around her and does many things herself!"
After thinking for a moment, Consort Qin agreed: "Alright, lest she feel it's too ostentatious and become unhappy, then things won't be good! Sixty percent, sixty percent, sixty percent, sixty also means smooth sailing, and it's even more auspicious! Sixty percent is indeed quite a lot, at least fifty percent more than the betrothal gifts your father gave me back then!"
Prince Duan's father had another love interest back then, and his marriage to Consort Qin was out of necessity. Because she wasn't his beloved, the betrothal gifts weren't much; they were simply prepared according to the standard betrothal gifts for a typical royal family.
Notably, the betrothal gifts for the future Crown Princess were exceptionally generous. This was because the Emperor needed something from the Xie family. Knowing his days were numbered, the Emperor hoped the Xie family would treat the Crown Prince well, genuinely assist him, and remain loyal to him. Therefore, the Emperor specifically instructed the Minister of Rites to prepare an exceptionally lavish betrothal gift for the future Crown Princess.
Prince Duan: "Alright, Mother, let's reduce it by forty percent! No more than that, or it will have a bad influence! However, I still want to thank you, Mother, for accepting Zisu and for giving her such dignity! Mother, rest assured, Zisu will be a very qualified princess and daughter-in-law! On behalf of Zisu, I thank you for your kindness to me!"
Consort Qin: "Oh dear, is a simple thank you enough? That's far too insincere!"
Prince Duan: "Mother, what do you want? Please tell me. If it is reasonable, I will accept it on behalf of Zisu!"
Consort Qin: "I won't intentionally make things difficult for her. I just hope that after she marries into the family, she can help me get rid of Lady Lu and her children!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan was greatly surprised: "What? Resolve it? How can that be? I can't agree to this condition! Mother, let's change the condition! Zisu is a kind person; she would never do something that harms others!"
Consort Qin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Who said I wanted her to harm people? I just said that I wanted her to help resolve the trouble and drive Lu Shi and her children out of the Prince's Mansion, so that they wouldn't be seen in front of me anymore and would annoy me!"
"Oh, I see. In that case, there's no problem! With Zisu's ability and courage, she'll definitely satisfy Mother!" Prince Duan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as no one's life was harmed! After all, the children of the Lu family were his brothers and sisters, weren't they?
Consort Qin: "Besides driving that family out of the mansion, I will make them suffer terribly, and make them pay back all the grievances and hardships I have endured over the decades!"
Prince Duan: "Alright, no problem! I can agree to this on behalf of Zisu! The prerequisite is that she has feelings for me and is willing to marry me!"
At this point, Prince Duan couldn't help but feel saddened.
Consort Qin: "Oh dear, look at you, so utterly spineless! If you ask me, you're just a shameless wretch. You look down on every woman who likes you, yet you're head over heels for those who don't. You're just asking for trouble, shooting yourself in the foot!"
Prince Duan gave a helpless, bitter smile: "Oh, Mother, please don't make fun of me! When it comes to matters of the heart, there's nothing you can do about it!"
Consort Qin said with dissatisfaction, "That Shangguan Zisu, I don't know what's wrong with her. My son is so good, how could she not like him? Where can she find such a handsome and dashing prince? Her taste is really bad. I heard she likes that so-called third-ranked scholar?"
Prince Duan nodded: "Yes, that's right, she used to like him!"
Consort Qin asked curiously, "She used to like him? Could it be that she doesn't like him anymore? Oh dear, that won't do! Liking this one today and that one tomorrow, isn't that fickle? A woman like that is not qualified to be a royal wife!"
Prince Duan quickly defended Zisu, saying, "Mother, what are you thinking? Zisu isn't fickle. The reason she doesn't like Lord Fang now is because his mother came to cause trouble, crossing Zisu's bottom line. That's why Zisu decided to give up on Lord Fang! Besides, maybe in Zisu's heart, she still likes Lord Fang. Otherwise, why would she be so indifferent to me?"
Prince Duan then recounted the events of Ying's trip to Wuliping to find Zisu. He was doing this as a reminder to his mother, urging her not to say anything untoward when she saw Zisu in the future. If she scared Zisu away, he wouldn't even have a place to cry!
Consort Qin: "Oh, I see. In that case, it makes sense! Oh dear, that Ying Shi, really, what right does she have to cause trouble at the door? She is the dignified Princess Yulin, and she is just a titled Marquis's wife. What right does she have to point fingers at the Princess Yulin? They haven't even married into the family yet, what is she doing? How foolish!"
Princess Yulin is talented, beautiful, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and kind-hearted. There are at least a thousand, if not ten thousand, good men in the Western Liang Kingdom who want to marry her! She should be grateful that Princess Yulin has taken a liking to her son; how dare she come to her door and say such crazy things! No wonder Princess Yulin is angry!
Prince Duan couldn't help but smile secretly.
Oh dear, Mother is actually speaking up for Zisu now! Good, that's a good sign. It means Mother really intends to accept Zisu!
The first step was a success! Now, all that's left is for Zisu to accept his marriage proposal!
Prince Duan and Consort Qin were preparing the betrothal gifts when Zisu returned to the capital from Wuliping. She stayed in Zhangshu County for a day to conduct market research and see if it was worthwhile to open a specialty store for vegetables and fruits in Zhangshu County.
The weather was fine and sunny that day.
She strolled along the quaint streets with Camellia, Red Leaf, and Shen Laihui. The streets were much quieter than those in the capital, and she was in a very pleasant mood.