Chapter 316 - Chapter 316: Covet Her Fiance
Chapter 316: Covet Her Fiance
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Secondary Consort Wen felt uneasy and panicked.
“Your Highness…”
She was still pregnant.
What if she couldn’t give birth to this child?
After she had paid for those silver notes back to Consort Fei, she had very little money left. However, in this huge palace, she had to spend money on everything. She, her son, and her daughter had thought of a better life. How could there be a reality without money? Secondary Consort Xu’s housekeeper was even more demanding. Wenya was used to the luxurious style of spending money. If she didn’t have any silver, she would come to her for it. His Highness had not given her any silver since the beginning of the year. The business of her shops was also dropping. She had already secretly sold off a lot of valuable things.
After the Gong Prince left, Secondary Consort Wen immediately sent someone to call Li Wenya.
When Li Wenya came over, she was crying.
“What’s wrong?” Secondary Consort Wen asked with concern.
“Mother, Li Mi, she…”
Li Wenya never dreamed that Li Mi would bring people to her courtyard and let her old maids restrain her and beat her butt with the soles of their shoes.
Before Li Mi left, she coldly told her that if there was a next time, she would slap her face.
“Mother, 1 want to complain to Father. I want Father to give me justice!”
“Don’t go,” Concubine Wen said coldly.
“Mother…” Li Wenya cried and complained, “Am 1 going to get beaten up for nothing? 1 can’t accept this!”
So what if she was unwilling?
Her mother didn’t come from a powerful family, nor did they have a dowry of ten miles.
“Mother, I want to marry Han Chi.”
“Don’t worry,” Secondary Consort Wen said softly, “Let Mother slowly plan for you.”
When Li Wenya heard this, she held Secondary Consort Wen’s arm, “Mother, you’re not lying are you?”
“When has Mother ever lied to you?”
The mother and daughter had planned a lot, but unfortunately for them, they never knew Han Chi.
Han Chi was smarter than they were.
Back in the Heng manor,
Han Qiao and the Gong Prince’s consort both wanted the two children to get married as soon as possible. The consummation of the marriage would have to wait four or five years.
When Han Chi grew up, he would also wait for Li Mi’s body to become stronger.
At the end of the day, they were still children. After they got married, they would just live together.
Therefore, the betrothal gifts had to be prepared.
Han Qiao asked Han Chi to stay behind and said to him, “Our family doesn’t have much heritage to hand down, so we couldn’t give any rare jewelry like other families. I only managed to pick out a dozen of the ones that your father brought back from the bandits, but it is not suitable to hand down outdated items from them, so I have to get something new outside.”
“Many times, being poor and being perfunctory are two different things. Our family doesn’t have enough resources, so we have to choose carefully. You don’t have to worry about these things. Just focus on your studies. If you have nothing to do, you can also ask your younger sisters to invite Mi’er out for a walk to deepen your relationship.”
“We’ll go to the Imperial Residence to ask for your name on the sixteenth day of the fourth month. It’s just your birth characters… This can be ignored. When the time comes, I’ll go and find a master to do divination. I’ll give you a good birth chart. From now on, your birthday will be on that day.”
Han Chi did not know where his biological parents were, nor did he know when he was born. Even his age was mostly a guess.
Therefore, his birth characters were not that important to him.
All of this could be considered as defying the heavens and changing fate.
All these things needed to be arranged, so Han Qiao would be very busy.
Sun Xiu and Sun Yi were there to take care of the house, and Aunt Zhao and Housekeeper Liu were there to help. Zeng Qin’er and Wenyan were both smart children and could be considered as good helpers.
Thanks to them, his mother got more time to prepare the betrothal gifts.
His family was not short of money now, and he was marrying a princess from a prince’s residence. It was not good to give her a shabby betrothal gift.
Han Qiao didn’t know much about ancient jade and porcelain, but with Feng Xinru as her friend, she had someone who could help her. She would often go to Feng Xinru and ask Madam Feng.
She had received a lot of help.
Heng Yi was going to the military camp again. He was still a leader, and the imperial court hadn’t rewarded him yet.
After the engagement, Han Qiao sent someone to send an invitation to the Prince’s manor on the ninth day of the fourth month, inviting Consort Fei and Li Mi to stay in a manor in the suburbs for two days.
It was the orchard where Feng Xinru gave Ah-Yao a gift, the March plums were ripe.
The Gong Prince’s consort gladly accepted the invitation.
So many people were going to the manor. Han Qiao had already sent people to clean up the place. They were going to stay there for two days. Everyone knew what it meant.
1 Ian Qiao was already trying her best to get used to the fact that she was about to become a mother-in-law.
Her thirteen-year-old son was about to get married…
It was a strange feeling.
However, it did not stop her from being happy. She was also willing to let Li Mi marry Han Chi as soon as possible.
Early in the morning of the 10th day of the fourth month, ten carriages gathered at the city gate.
They were accompanied by the guards of the manor, and Heng Yi had asked for leave to accompany her.
Han Qiao, the Gong Prince’s consort, and Feng Xinru were discussing the date of the betrothal gifts.
“Naturally, the faster the better.”
“As for the betrothal gifts, you don’t have to spend too much effort on them. Just be casual.”
Han Qiao didn’t believe the Gong Prince’s consort’s words.
If she really believed it, it would only make people think that she had underestimated Li Mi.
“Aiya, this is the man’s business. Your Highness, don’t worry about it. Let Ah-Qiao be busy, the busier the better. You know how many daughters she has.” Feng Xinru laughed.
Han Qiao also laughed.
She didn’t have another child in her stomach.
After giving birth to Yao, she didn’t have any birth control, and she had sex with Heng Yi quite often, but she didn’t get pregnant.
She also thought that if she could give birth, she would be willing to give birth to another child. Either a son or a daughter was good for her, she didn’t mind either way.
The Gong Prince’s consort smiled.
She only had one daughter, so she naturally hoped to be valued by her in-laws.
If Han Qiao treated this whole process casually, she would not be happy either.
Therefore, those words were just words.
There were fewer and fewer people walking in the countryside. The children did not want to stay in the carriage, so they went out to ride horses.
Today, the heavens had blessed them with a cloudy day. It was the perfect weather to ride on the horse’s back with the soft breeze blowing against their skin.
Han Chi was jeered at to bring Li Mi along.
He was okay with the request, but Li Mi’s face was red with embarrassment.
Especially when the two of them were riding on the same horse.
Li Mi’s face turned even redder.
Li Zhao laughed on his horse.
His sister was not good at many things, but she was extremely good at riding horses.
She could no longer pretend that she didn’t know how to ride one.
The laughter from outside reached the carriage. Feng Xinru laughed, “It’s nice to be young.”
“You’re not old, so why do you have to sigh like this?” Han Qiao teased.
“This madam is already in her forties…” Feng Xinru sighed.
The Gong Prince’s consort said, “So what if you are in your forties? We can live up to our fifties, then continue to our later in our sixties, seventies, eighties, and even when we’re a hundred years old.”
“You’re still waiting for your birthday? You’re already an old monster if you can live to an old age,” Feng Xinru laughed.
She had long fawned over the Gong Prince’s consort and thought that she was a very difficult person to get along with.
Now, she realized that the Gong Prince’s consort was also a wonderful person.
A person with so much knowledge in her mind, and a complicated soul.
She was different from a half-baked person like her.
They could hear the children’s laughter from outside again. It was unknown who had suggested a horse riding competition. If they won, they would get a prize.
Han Qiao smiled and said to the children, “Then you have to work hard. I’ll reward the first place with ten taels of silver.”
The Gong Prince’s consort and Feng Xinru also took ten taels each.
It was just a lottery.
Han Dacheng and the others were the first to withdraw.
Han Qiao sighed.
These children were a little reserved.
Zeng Bao’er and Zeng Qin’er were already rubbing their fists together, ready to fight for thirty taels of silver.
Li Zhao and I Ian Chi looked at each other with a competitive look in their eyes.
Sun Xiu, Sun Yi, and Wenyan’s riding skills were average, so they didn’t dare to risk it.
Luo Yi’an was also a talented man, he rode his horse forward to express that he would do his best.
The two sisters of the Luo family also knew how to ride horses, but they were only willing to ride with Sun Xiu and the others.
Han Chi let Li Mi get off the horse first, “1’11 buy you a silk flower to wear after I win the prize.”
Li Mi smiled and agreed.
However, she did not dare to tell Han Chi that she was also very good at horsemanship..