"Sister Hui, she..." Song Xiyan was so enraged by Song Shihuan that a coppery, bloody taste began to spread in her mouth. She never knew Gu Mingzhu could be so sharp-tongued before.
Seeing this, Gu Mingzhu made a face. "Even if a consort is taken, the Princess is still the legitimate eldest daughter. And until a consort bears a child, the Princess remains the Crown Prince's only child."
"Not like you, Princess, who gets to enjoy the fortune of having elder brothers' care."
These words almost directly stabbed Song Xiyan in her sore spot.
After all, everyone knew how coldly Song Yanzheng and the other two brothers later treated Song Xiyan.
Song Xiyan ran off in a huff. Song Hui said a few polite words and hurriedly chased after her.
Seeing this, Gu Mingzhu scoffed. "Looks like a good person, but her heart is actually black."
Her elder sister had already told her: anyone who wants His Highness to take a wife now is just trying to climb the social ladder and doesn't have the Princess's best interests at heart!
"Don't be angry, Mingzhu. Come on, let's get you some treats first, then go look at the shops." Song Shihuan pinched Gu Mingzhu's little cheek.
Hooray!
Gu Mingzhu's gloomy expression vanished instantly, and she skipped along happily after Song Shihuan.
In all the world, the Princess and food matter most!
On the other side.
"Xiyan, don't cry. Your makeup will be ruined."
"Sister Hui, she clearly looks down on both of us. Aren't you angry at all?" Song Xiyan looked at Song Hui with tearful eyes. Having been confined in the Ping Manor for so long, her disposition had unconsciously become much more timid.
"The Princess is the Princess. How would I dare to be angry?"
Song Hui's willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. "His Highness entrusted this task to my father. I only hope nothing goes wrong."
Seeing this, Song Xiyan hated Song Shihuan even more.
Sister Hui treated her like a real sister, sharing everything with her, while Song Shihuan utterly despised her...
Noticing the hatred in Song Xiyan's eyes, the corner of Song Hui's mouth unconsciously lifted.
What a fool.
......
King Heng was utterly aggrieved, yet he had no choice but to run himself ragged selecting suitable candidates for Song Yu's consort. After several sleepless days and nights, King Heng finally settled on three noble ladies.
Zichen Palace.
"Your Majesty, His Highness's requirements were truly demanding. Your nephew practically scoured all the suitable families in the capital and consulted many court officials before selecting these three."
Not only had things not gone according to his plan, but he had also exhausted himself and offended many people in the process.
The only silver lining was that the fathers and brothers of these three ladies were now exceedingly attentive to him.
Emperor Yuanyou looked at the portraits of the three women on the register, his expression shockingly stern.
After a long while, Emperor Yuanyou finally spoke. "Have the Crown Prince come and take a look."
A quarter of an hour later, Zichen Palace welcomed not only the Crown Prince, but also Shen Qingping, and... Cheng Guang.
The last person King Heng ever wished to see.
"I heard King Heng has already selected consorts for me?"
Song Yu spoke cheerfully, reaching out to take the register. But in the next second, his expression changed, and he handed it to Shen Qingping.
After reading it, Shen Qingping also looked astonished and passed it to Cheng Guang.
"Wh-what's wrong?" King Heng suddenly had a foreboding feeling.
"Your Highness, King Heng, even if you don't wish for His Highness the Crown Prince to take a consort, you needn't resort to such a foolish scheme to harm him, right?"
Cheng Guang, like a master of facial transformations, knelt down. "Your Majesty, Junior Minister Shen has recently been discreetly investigating the personal conduct of officials. This investigation uncovered several with moral failings. Coincidentally, the families of these three ladies are all... unclean."
"With improper family morals, if they became consorts of the Eastern Palace, they would surely bring chaos."
Shen Qingping promptly presented the evidence as well. Their coordinated performance was seamless, catching King Heng completely off guard.
"King Heng."
Emperor Yuanyou's voice carried clear traces of anger.
"Your Majesty, your nephew truly knew nothing of this."
King Heng was both shocked and terrified. "Your nephew had limited contact with these people and failed to detect their moral shortcomings in such a short time. It was negligence on my part, but I absolutely harbor no intent to harm the Crown Prince."
A cold sneer rang out. Cheng Guang stared at King Heng, detesting such hypocrites the most.
"Nowadays, everyone knows His Highness is selecting a consort. You took on the task but botched it. What were your intentions? Acting like this, how could His Majesty ever dare to entrust important state affairs to you in the future?"
"And if something were to happen to the Eastern Palace because of this, the one who stands to gain the most would be you, Your Highness, wouldn't it?"
Even Shen Qingping couldn't help but glance at Cheng Guang. How could this man's words be so venomous?
King Heng kowtowed, begging for mercy, repeatedly pleading his innocence.
Emperor Yuanyou stared at King Heng for a moment before his voice sounded again. "In that case, you shall continue to familiarize yourself with the court affairs for now."
King Heng's kowtowing halted abruptly.
He had exhausted all his efforts to grasp a bit of real power, finally seeing a glimmer of hope, only to have it brutally crushed. Moreover, he had almost thoroughly offended everyone.
The Crown Prince was satisfied.
Junior Minister Shen was also satisfied.
Minister Cheng was even more satisfied.
The three left Zichen Palace wearing expressions of grief and shock. It wasn't until they returned to the Eastern Palace that they laughed heartily without restraint. Song Yu reclined lazily in his chair, laughing with wild abandon.
Shen Qingping leaned against a pillar, chuckling with his head lowered.
As for Cheng Guang... his fox-like eyes fixed on Shen Qingping. Could it be that this Junior Minister Shen has already secured the position of Chancellor?
The next day.
News spread that King Heng had been reprimanded by Emperor Yuanyou. The families of the three selected consort candidates were also dealt with one after another.
In an instant, King Heng lost all face and credibility.
......
Before the officials could enjoy peace for a few days, they began proposing to hold a consort selection banquet.
As expected, Song Yu naturally agreed immediately.
It was a perfect opportunity handed to him on a silver platter to help Zheng Fang and the others settle their lifelong affairs. He was almost grateful to these court officials.
Song Yu even showed a bit of enthusiasm, which delighted the officials to no end.
Only Zheng Fang and his group wore worried expressions.
"Brother Zheng, I actually think it's a good thing for you and Brother Ling," Feng Kuizhi said, fanning himself. "Otherwise, with so many demons and monsters eyeing your households, you'd be schemed against sooner or later."
"His Highness has excellent taste. He's sure to pick ideal wives for both of you."
Zheng Fang's mouth twitched. Thanks, but no thanks—he had only ever heard of an "ideal husband."
"Feng Kuizhi, if you think it's such a good thing, you join in too."
"No, no, no." Feng Kuizhi shook his head like a rattle-drum. "I'm almost at the stage of discussing marriage with the Coroner. I can't mess around at this critical juncture."
This was a marriage alliance he had worked so hard to obtain.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fang and Ling Ming rolled their eyes in unison. Men with wives really don't fit in.
In mid-September, the consort selection banquet, held under the guise of a Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet, commenced grandly.
Zheng Fang and Ling Ming were dressed up like handsome young gentlemen, following behind Song Yu, though both wore rather unnatural expressions.
"Keep your eyes wide open. If you see a young lady from any family you like, just speak up and tell me."
Song Yu adopted a tone of earnest persuasion. "If you dawdle, you'll never get a wife."
He said this as if he already had a family of his own.
"It's a rare opportunity. Choose someone you truly fancy."
Shen Qingping also chimed in from the side, only to be met with a glare from Song Yu the next second. "Shen San, you too. Open your eyes and look carefully."
Thus, Song Yu cooperated exceptionally well throughout this consort selection banquet, strolling through the imperial gardens for several rounds.
The noble ladies were all bashful and demure, outshining the very flowers meant for admiration.
The day after the banquet, Song Yu had already settled on two candidates.
"You wish to take these two as your consorts?" Emperor Yuanyou looked up several times. These two choices had rather divergent styles.
Could it be that this scoundrel's tastes were quite eclectic?
"It's not for me to marry."
Song Yu spoke mysteriously. "It's for Zheng Fang and Ling Ming to marry."
A few moments later, heart-wrenching cries echoed through the Zichen Hall.
"Your son is already the Crown Prince, and you're still hitting him with your shoe sole?"
"I'm hitting precisely you, you wretched scoundrel!"
