Consort of Virtue looked at the gifts on the table below, picked up the teacup at hand casually, wiped away the tea foam on it with the teacup lid, took a sip, and said, “First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion was once good, but now… she is not very good.”

As soon as Shao Yanru’s maid had left, the curtain behind Consort of Virtue was lifted, and Chu Liuyue came out and sat down on the chair next to her, ignoring the gifts.

“What do you think, mother?” Chu Liuyue said with a cold face.

“Yue’er, there are many benefits to marry her, especially when she is very guilty now. If you can marry her, Duke Xing’s Mansion will not say anything even if you pick a few other high-ranking consorts!” Consort of Virtue thought for a moment and said smilingly to her son. In fact, it was acceptable to make Shao Yanru the princess!

Although this was a little unfair to her son, it would not be a problem when he got that high position. If Duke Xing’s Mansion was useful, they should show it high respect; if it was not useful, they could abandon it. By then, she and her son would have the final say on the choice of the empress.

“Mother…” Chu Liuyue said with a darkened face as if he had swallowed a fly.

It was not only he but also Chu Liuzhou who had witnessed Shao Yanru fall into the water and tangle with Chu Qing. Remembering this, he felt so uncomfortable.

“Yue’er, you feel wronged, right? A man of great ambition does not stick to small details. Actually, it’s easier to control Shao Yanru when she is now in this situation. The ancient military general Han Xin could bear the shame of crawling through between a hooligan’s legs, so what’s the trouble for you to bear the small grievance today?” Consort of Virtue persuaded with a smile. Her voice was soft, but it was powerful.

The family of Consort of Virtue’s parents was also a great force, enough to compete with the empress. What she lacked was that her son didn’t have the lineal son’s title. If she had been the empress at that time, her child would be the eldest lineal son. If Chu Liuyue were the eldest lineal son, she would not have to face the chaos now.

But she just thought about it. In fact, she had not been involved in the fight after she joined the imperial harem back then. She should have never had a chance to go there, and her presence in it was just an unexpected case.

“Mother, I… can only marry her?” Chu Liuyue had not given up yet. As a man, he had the self-esteem of a man. Marrying Shao Yanru meant that he would be a cuckold, and his rival Chu Liuzhou would know it. Such embarrassment did make him restless.

But he was wise after all. He gritted his teeth, then he calmed down and said, “Mother, you’re right. I will marry her, but it would be better if she could marry into my mansion as a consort, wouldn’t it?”

Although he had calmed down, he was still unwilling to give up.

“Will the eldest lineal daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion be willing to go to your mansion as a consort?” Consort of Virtue glanced at her son and gently reminded him.

Shao Yanru had noble status. Except for a few princesses and infantas of the royal family, few could compare with her. This was also an important reason why Consort of Virtue had hoped to let her be her daughter-in-law earlier.

“What if she is willing? If she is willing, all the problems will be solved, right? She is the eldest lineal daughter of Duke Xing, so how could the duke not support me? And I can leave the princess’s position to another noble lady. She is already impure, so she can’t say anything even if I just let her be a consort!”

Chu Liuyue suggested.

He was irritated inwardly. He had thought that he had reached an agreement with Shao Yanru. He had hinted this when he was in her place yesterday, and she seemed to have understood and also accepted it. But how could she suddenly go back on her word after only one day? What did she mean by deliberately bringing gifts to fawn on his mother? She obviously wanted to win his mother’s heart, so he felt that he had been trapped.

“It’s best if you can let her willingly be your consort!” Consort of Virtue pondered for a moment and said. She did not want her son to suffer unfair treatment, but she did not have any other choice.

But if Shao Yanru was willing to be a consort, they would have it both ways. Then, the princess candidates she had selected for her son could be used.

“Mother, don’t worry. I will talk to her again!” Chu Liuyue promised.

Seeing that her son was not angry or annoyed but looked calm, Consort of Virtue nodded secretly. It was indeed best if her son could deal with this problem calmly. She would be even more satisfied if Shao Yanru could be a consort.

When he spoke of First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion earlier, her son, who always had a cold face, had put a small smile on his face. In fact, she was very dissatisfied. She needed a strong helper, and it was best to have a daughter-in-law with a capable family. Her son was hers, so she didn’t want him to snub her when he had a wife.

More importantly, her daughter-in-law might be the empress of the country. If Shao Yanru did not listen to her in the harem in the future, how could she like her?

Now she didn’t have to worry about this. Shao Yanru was just so so in her son’s heart. Duke Xing’s Mansion was a helping hand. If it was good to use, they would use it. If not, his son would ignore Shao Yanru.

The mother and her son talked for another while. Seeing that his mother looked tired, Chu Liuyue stood up and left.

When he got out of the palace where his mother lived, he thought for a while and strode to the Chuxiu Palace. He wanted to give Shao Yanru another chance. If she continued to be stubborn and insisted on being his princess, he would not show her mercy.

In order to make her his woman, he had given up a lot of things. Inexplicably, he remembered Shao Wanru’s face and frowned even more coldly.

On his way, he suddenly saw Chu Liuchen walking slowly at the intersection ahead. He hurriedly strode over and asked, “Are you feeling better, Liuchen?”

Chu Liuchen stopped and waited for him to come over. “Where are you going, brother?”

“I went to see my mother just now. Now I’m going there to have a rest.” Chu Liuyue pointed to an area ahead, a place for him to rest in the palace. It occupied the area outside the Chuxiu Palace.

“I came from the imperial study…” Chu Liuchen said as he tilted his head and had a light cough.

Chu Liuyue couldn’t help staring at the side of his face. His snow-white fox fur overall made him look even paler, but he seemed to look better than before. Chu Liuyue inevitably had suspicions, but he thought that he was wrong when seeing him coughing with a clenched fist. “How could Chu Liuchen look better?” he thought.

But his father seemed to have summoned Chu Liuchen more frequently these days, and Chu Liuchen was not as weak as the rumors claimed that he could not even climb out of bed. Chu Liuyue had been confused about one thing: why was his father so nice to Chu Liuchen?

He was the eldest lineal son of the former emperor, so his father should care about him so much that he wanted him to die. However, after several observations, Chu Liuyue thought that his father truly cared about and loved him. He loved him even more than he loved his own sons. People could not only see this kind of love but also feel it.

How could his father hide his true feelings so well? He had even made those who saw it think that he was sincere to Chu Liuchen, eh?

Since his father held such an attitude, he certainly could not have a poor show. He became gentle. When Chu Liuchen turned around, he asked with concern, “Are you all right? Do you need an imperial physician to come and take a diagnosis? Please go to my place and take a rest first!”

“Thank you, brother. I’m fine. It’s an old problem. It can’t be healed!” Chu Liuchen said with a smile. But his voice was softer than it had been earlier. He looked at the Chuxiu Palace in the distance and suddenly asked, “What do you think of First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion?”

Chu Liuyue’s heart had a violent shake. He scrutinized Chu Liuchen but didn’t find anything unusual, and then he asked, “Why do you speak of this?”

“In fact, it’s just a casual question. I saw First Miss Shao’s portrait at your place in the past. Later, I also painted one and wanted to exchange it with yours!”

Chu Liuchen’s voice sounded gentle, without the usual moody hostility. Now it was even harder to see him through.

“You must be joking, Liuchen. It’s just a casual piece. Not comparable to yours!” Chu Liuyue smiled and calmly observed Chu Liuchen.

These words were straightforward without showing enough respect. Initially, he had wanted to marry Shao Yanru, so he naturally couldn’t let others look down upon her. Now it was different from the past. He didn’t care about her so much. Shao Yanru had a bad reputation, but that was not bad for him.

“My painting is good? What will happen if I take it to Emperor Uncle?” Chu Liuchen said with a faint smile.

Chu Liuyue’s face darkened, and his eyes glistened with fierceness. He would not give Shao Yanru to another man even if he only took Duke Xing’s Mansion behind her into account. He would not even if the man was the dying patient, Chu Liuchen.

“Don’t make fun of me, Liuchen. First Miss Shao is the eldest lineal daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion. If you take this painting to my father, you are sure to be scolded by him. We are all descendants of the royal family, and we can’t treat our senior official so improperly. Otherwise, how will the other officials think of us if they find it out!” Chu Liuyue reprimanded with a serious face.

But Chu Liuchen waved his hand gently and said with a smile, “You’re right, brother. This is not what I want to do. I have poor health. No matter how beautiful a woman is, I can’t enjoy her, let alone the most beautiful woman in the capital. I’m afraid that many people like her, so I won’t go and try my luck. In fact, I’d rather let a woman without ambition take the princess’s position!”

After saying that, Chu Liuchen smiled and presented a fist palm salute to Chu Liuyue, saying, “Brother, I’m leaving now. My lodge is also near here, but I’m very tired now, so I won’t invite you to go there!”

“Please!” Chu Liuyue stepped aside and waved his hand gently.

Chu Liuchen walked past him with a smile and went farther and farther away.

Behind him, Chu Liuyue seemed to be thinking about something, and his face turned cold. There were obviously hints in Chu Liuchen’s words. What did he mean by saying that?

He looked in the direction Chu Liuchen had come. It was indeed the place where his father’s imperial study was located. Did anything happen in his father’s study? Or did someone also take a fancy to Shao Yanru and say anything to his father?

And what did Chu Liuchen mean by “the princess’s position” and “a woman without ambition”? Did Shao Yanru also like Chu Liuchen and want to get that princess’s position? If he couldn’t provide her with the princess’s position, would she want to be Prince Chen’s princess? His heart pounded involuntarily. Surprisingly, he even thought this was possible.

Once he saw Shao Yanru accidentally bump into Chu Liuchen when she was going to the palace. Chu Liuchen didn’t support her. But he always felt that the scene was a bit abnormal whenever he thought of it. And he often met ladies from noble families who threw themselves into his arms with the help of tricks.

“Go!” Chu Liuyue’s face turned cold and his eyes were full of anger. And he strode forward. If Shao Yanru really dared to sit on the fence, he would not even be willing to let her be a consort!