The path he had paved for Little Tuantuan was already smooth enough for him to ascend the throne without a hitch.
As for how to deal with the ministers and reject the triennial selection of concubines, that would be up to Little Tuantuan himself.
If he succeeded, he could spend his life with his beloved Crown Princess, devoted to her alone. If he failed, he would have no choice but to proceed with the selection—there was no room for negotiation.
Back in the day, he had laid the groundwork for a long time, telling the court officials that he was incapable, and even arranged for guards to seduce the concubines before he could extricate himself.
Ah, such is the nature of people!
When one hasn’t fallen in love, anyone will do.
But once love takes hold, there’s no one else—neither the heart nor the body can tolerate another. How could he possibly go through with a selection of concubines?
The Crown Prince had been raised under the influence of his mother, the Empress, firmly believing that a monogamous system was beneficial for both family harmony and the development of Great Yan. From a young age, he had loved and only loved Meng Yixuan.
Otherwise, with so many noble ladies entering the palace, why would he ignore them all and only play with Meng Yixuan?
Childhood sweethearts…
Everyone had the chance to grow up with the Crown Prince, but Meng Yixuan was the one he had chosen for himself.
He was still young, with a long road ahead of him.
Learning how to protect his relationship with the Crown Princess was a lesson he would have to master and uphold throughout his life.
A worthy emperor should only make decisions that benefit the people.
The Yan Family—
At Yan Qingqing’s insistence, the Fifth Prince eventually accompanied her to the Yan Family.
“Father, could you speak to the Emperor? I’d like to be an exception, just like the Crown Prince. I want to get married after the New Year too.”
The Crown Prince and Meng Yixuan’s wedding was set for next spring. By then, the Crown Prince would only be seventeen, far from the usual age for marriage.
As for Meng Yixuan, she was the same age as Yan Qingqing, and would only be fourteen next year.
However, since Shen Mingsheng was the Crown Prince, the court officials and the people were eager for him and the Crown Princess to produce a royal heir as soon as possible. Thus, public sentiment urged an early marriage.
Only Yan Qingqing’s maid, Hong Guo, knew what she was really thinking.
The young lady was hoping that once the Fifth Prince married, he would be granted a fiefdom, and he could take her away from the capital.
Once they left the capital and the Governor’s residence, her parents would no longer be able to control her.
She could then roam freely like a wild monkey in the mountains, going wherever her heart desired.
She was getting closer and closer to her dream of wandering the martial world.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
For the first time, Third Yan did not side with his daughter. “He’s the Crown Prince. How can you compare yourself to him? Does your family have a throne to inherit? If an exception is made for you today, someone else will go to Her Majesty the Empress tomorrow, and soon everyone will want an exception. What would be the point of having rules then? Do you really want people to say that Her Majesty favors her own family?”
His words left Yan Qingqing stunned, and she could only shake her head vigorously.
If her request would cause trouble for her aunt, the Empress, she would never dare bring it up again.
Hong Guo thought to herself that the older generation always had the upper hand.
After all, laws are not above human sentiment. Even if Her Majesty the Empress showed favoritism toward her own family, so what?
She was the Empress—shouldn’t she have the privilege to show a little bias? What was the point of being the Empress if she couldn’t?
Her father, the Governor, had seen through her plans and wanted to keep her at home for a few more years.
“Or is it that the Fifth Prince is in a hurry to get married?”
“No… that’s not it…”
“You don’t want to marry our Qingqing?”
“No, no, no… that’s not it either…”
The Fifth Prince was sweating profusely. “What I mean is, I really like Qingqing. If you and Aunt Jiang agree to let us be together, I will do my utmost to make her happy. As for when we get married, I’ll leave that up to Qingqing.”
He showed respect to Third Yan and Jiang Xinyan, but the last sentence was the most important: “I’ll listen to my wife.”
This pleased Third Yan.
He cleared his throat. “What if I don’t agree?”
“I… I haven’t thought about that.”
The Fifth Prince answered honestly. “I have no vices, and I promise to treat Qingqing well. She likes me, and I like her. After marriage, I won’t take concubines, nor will I pressure Qingqing to have children. I can’t think of any reason you would refuse.”
“I will prove myself through my actions to ease your concerns. But if you try to force Qingqing to marry someone she doesn’t love, I will ask my father and mother to grant us an imperial decree for marriage.”
In other words, he was determined to become the Yan Family’s son-in-law.
Shen Mingsheng was that kind of person—if he didn’t want to do something, no one could force him. He simply wouldn’t do it.
For example, when the Zhu Family pressured him to seduce Yan Qingqing and then plot a rebellion, he would rather reject Yan Qingqing and remain unmarried for life than act against his will.
Now that he had decided to marry Yan Qingqing, he made it clear to Third Yan: if you agree, everyone is happy; if you don’t, I will still become your son-in-law.
He was confident that he could make Yan Qingqing happy.
Third Yan coughed twice. The Fifth Prince was indeed as stubborn as the rumors said.
Even when facing his future father-in-law, he showed no mercy.
It was good for a young man to have such determination, but he hoped that in ten years, when the Fifth Prince looked back on his attitude toward his father-in-law, he wouldn’t cringe in embarrassment.
Jiang Xinyue often felt that time passed too slowly. No matter how hard she worked, she still hadn’t reached the point where she could laze around as the Empress Dowager.
Consort Shu had already left the palace to become a master perfumer at the women’s academy in the capital. Every year, she would send some of her exquisite fragrances to the palace for Jiang Xinyue to use.
Now, Consort Shu was thoroughly enjoying herself, surrounded by young girls at the academy who called her “Master.” She spent her days doing what she loved.
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According to the Jiang Family’s merchant caravans, several of Consort Shu’s perfumes were highly sought after by noblewomen in the vassal states. She was making a fortune and had no desire to return to the palace.
The eldest princess had become Consort Shu’s most accomplished disciple, inheriting her master’s exceptional skills in perfumery. Consort Shu no longer had to worry about her craft being lost to time.
In the palace, Jiang Xinyue could no longer gather enough people for a game of cards.
Ah…
She couldn’t help but reminisce about the days when Consort Liang and Noble Consort Ye were still around. Back then, they would play cards, gossip, and curse the Emperor—those were truly carefree times.
As the autumn winds blew, the leaves turned from green to yellow. Surprisingly, the capital had not seen any snow this year.
Only the biting cold wind continued to howl through the night, sounding almost like a scene from a ghost story.
The Emperor tightened his embrace around the woman in his arms. “Xinyue, once Little Tuantuan and Meng Yixuan are married, I plan to abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the cherry blossoms of Xiangshan, the snow lotuses of Hanchi, the flower fields of Dream Valley, and the hot springs of Cangshan? I can take you to all those places.”
Not just those places, but many others the Emperor himself had never visited. In his lifetime, he wanted to experience them all with Xinyue.
Only then would he feel that he had made the most of every moment with the one he loved.