ebookland Chapter 230: Is the Crown Prince to be given a concubine?
Chapter 230: Is the Crown Prince to be given a concubine?
Madam Lin's expression was solemn; she was not joking.
"His daughter was born in poor health. A Taoist priest divined that she would not live past the age of eight. To save her life, she had to be sent to the mountains to be raised until she turned eighteen. Now, eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. I heard that Zhu Kui has brought her back. The procession was very grand. It's normal that you two in the palace haven't heard of it."
"Is there still this?"
Consort Liang and Consort Zhen looked at her with disbelief.
"How come we've never heard of this before?"
“This happened eighteen years ago, and at that time Zhu Kui was just a minor sixth-rank official in the capital. How could anyone have noticed this matter in his family?”
Consort Liang pressed on with great interest,
"What does this girl look like? What's her personality like?"
Madam Lin frowned slightly and shook her head, saying:
"No one has ever seen her, so naturally no one knows what she looks like. However, Madam Zhu is beautiful, and Lord Zhu is also quite good-looking, so their child should be good. As for her personality, she has lived in the mountains for a long time, so even if she is not shrewish, she must be someone not to be trifled with."
Consort Zhen listened with great interest. As soon as Madam Lin finished speaking, she clapped her hands eagerly and exclaimed:
“This girl grew up in the mountains, she must be quite wild, I think she’s perfect for the job.”
However, she then asked in confusion:
"But...would Zhu Kui willingly agree to let his daughter only be a concubine?"
Consort Liang immediately made up her mind, then let out a cold laugh.
"Zhu Kui has big ambitions. If we make his daughter a concubine... he won't refuse. It's her."
Zhu Kui was determined to wield absolute power, but Wei Jian'an proved unreliable and died halfway through his ambition.
If given the opportunity to climb the social ladder through Wei Jianning's connections, he would definitely help his daughter become the Crown Princess and eventually the Empress.
But how to control Zhu Kui was a real problem for Consort Liang.
She probably wished her son could be held in Zhu Kui's hands!
It seems she still needs to think about it carefully.
Having made up her mind, she decided to inform the Emperor first. Once the Emperor issued the imperial decree to grant the marriage, even if Wei Jianning and Lan Zhi disagreed, they would have no other choice.
So, after bidding farewell to Madam Lin in a hurry, she returned to the palace with Consort Zhen and a group of servants.
……
Upon receiving the news from the palace, Lady Cui immediately packed her things and prepared to enter the palace.
Ling was both happy and anxious. Just before Cui was about to get into the car, he went up and grabbed her.
"Honey, what am I going to do now that you're gone? I'm penniless."
Madam Cui turned around and glared at him, then pulled out a few pieces of silver from her pocket and disdainfully stuffed them into his hand.
"This amount of silver is enough for you to eat for ten days or half a month. Remember, don't gamble, or you'll starve to death."
Boss Ling weighed the few pieces of silver in his hand, and snorted with considerable dissatisfaction.
“My daughter is an imperial concubine, after all. Tell her to get me more money, otherwise, as her father, I’ll be starving and poorly clothed. If word gets out, it will be a disgrace to her.”
"Shut up."
Cui glared at him fiercely.
"Boss Ling, let me remind you, don't forget what I just told you. You can't mention your relationship with her to outsiders. Don't ruin our daughter's plans, or I'll chop you up with one knife."
Boss Ling raised his hand to rub his eyes, feigning indifference as he pursed his lips and waved his hand to urge them on:
"You should leave quickly. I know what I should do. Think about it and have her send someone to give me some silver."
Cui glared at him through gritted teeth, then took another bag out of her pocket and threw it to him.
"Take the flowers and stay put."
Boss Ling immediately beamed and bowed.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will stay put and won't cause any trouble. But don't forget to have her send me the money!"
Cui rolled her eyes at him again and stepped into the carriage.
She had already made up her mind that her son, Ling Jiawei, and Lan Zhi were of one mind, and she couldn't rely on them. She would rely on Ling Lanhua to take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days.
Therefore, she decided that this time when she entered the palace, she must ensure that her daughter would be in a position second only to the emperor, and she would fight for it even if it cost her her life.
……
imperial study room
The first thing Consort Liang did upon returning to the palace was to go see the Emperor.
Although she hadn't seen the Emperor for several months, he still gave her face when she came and allowed her to enter the hall to speak.
She stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor, then, looking at him as he reviewed memorials behind his desk, asked in a somewhat affected manner:
"Your Majesty, it has been many days since we last met. Have you thought of me?"
The Emperor put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at her, and
"I've been quite busy lately and haven't had time to visit you at Fangcao Zhai. My beloved concubine, are you perhaps finding fault with me?"
"Your Majesty, before I moved into Fangcao Zhai, you would visit it every few days. Why is it that now that I'm here, you don't like going anymore? Is it because you no longer like the quiet of Fangcao Zhai? Or is it because you don't want to see me?"
Seeing the bitterness in her voice, the Emperor quickly waved his hand to explain.
"My dear consort, you are overthinking it. I am indeed very busy with official duties, but I do have some free time tonight. I will stay at Fangcao Zhai for the night!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Liang's face lit up with joy. "Then I will wait for Your Majesty at Fangcao Zhai."
The Emperor picked up the memorial again, flipping through it as he pressed for answers:
"My beloved concubine, you came just for this matter?"
Consort Liang hurriedly shook her head and explained.
"Your Majesty, I have come today with another matter to ask for your permission."
"Say it!"
"I went to the Crown Prince's residence today. Lan Zhi is pregnant, so it's inconvenient for her to serve Ning'er. I was thinking that we should arrange for Ning'er to take a concubine..."
The Emperor looked up at her.
"Does Ning'er agree?"
“Ning’er is a person who values loyalty and righteousness. He is bound by the fact that Lan Zhi saved his life. Even if he thinks this way, he cannot do it on the surface. Why don’t you just issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage? This way, it will be a smooth process and save him from being in a difficult position.”
“What you say makes sense. Ning’er is now very obedient to Lan Zhi’s words. This cannot continue. How can the future ruler of a country be controlled by a woman? Since you have brought it up, I also think it is feasible. However, do you have a suitable candidate?”
Consort Liang twisted the handkerchief in her hands, seemingly lost in thought, and said:
"I've heard that Lord Zhu Kui has a daughter, eighteen years old, beautiful, and with a cheerful personality, perhaps..."
"My dear consort, you are quite well-informed. A few days ago, Lord Zhu came to me to ask for leave, saying that he was going to bring his daughter back to the capital. I thought she was born to a concubine, but I didn't expect that he sent her to the mountains many years ago. He has really hidden his daughter well. However, she has only just arrived in the capital, and you have already set your sights on her, even wanting her to be a concubine. I'm afraid this will make Zhu Kui somewhat dissatisfied, won't it?"
"Your Majesty, Zhu Kui's ambition is obvious. Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity to restrain him?"
The Emperor put down the memorial in his hand and looked at her suspiciously.
"What if Zhu Kui doesn't agree to his daughter becoming a concubine?"