Chapter 1502: Shameless
Chapter 1502: Chapter 1502: Shameless
Madam Lu was practically stunned by her own man’s grand ambition. No matter how big her own ideas got, at most she had once fantasized about a Prince Consort title—just once, and then she dropped it. As for those Princess or Concubine positions later on, she never even bothered to think about them again.
If you let her choose, she still felt Duke Cheng’en was the most ideal. His parents were both gone, he grew up under the Empress Dowager’s eye, and he ran his own household. Marrying over, she’d be the Duchess, with no mother-in-law pressing down on her—she couldn’t imagine anything more comfortable.
And now he was even more in demand: Duke Cheng’en was also the Crown Prince’s Study Companion, and in future he’d be one of the core confidants of the future emperor.
This was practically the perfect golden son-in-law in any mother-in-law’s heart.
But just listen to this—how wild Song Zhiqing’s ambitions were. His target was actually the Crown Princess Consort!
Madam Lu burst out laughing on the spot and, without even thinking, said, "Crown Princess Consort? And you can actually say that with a straight face? What’s going on in that head of yours, that you think Wei’er could be chosen as Crown Princess Consort? On the strength of your Fifth Rank post, and her birth as a concubine’s daughter, even if she’s legitimately born?"
Song Zhiqing’s face flushed dark purple under the scolding, and he ground out between his teeth, "Is there a mother who trashes her own daughter like she’s worth nothing? Wei’er is a girl of the Prime Minister’s Mansion. How is her odds so small?"
Madam Lu gave a cold laugh. "She’s a girl of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, yes, but you said it yourself—Prime Minister’s Mansion. Whose mansion is that, you can’t possibly not know, right? She may bear the surname Song, but she isn’t the Prime Minister’s own daughter—she’s his niece."
Song Zhiqing’s face sank. "You don’t understand the saying ’when one prospers, all prosper; when one loses, all lose’?"
Madam Lu said, "Of course I understand. But I understand even more that the position of Crown Princess Consort is as noble as they come, with how many Noble Ladies scrambling for it. Just as a niece of the Prime Minister, how could she possibly outcompete them? I may be ambitious, but I’m also practical."
Song Zhiqing said, "Fine, let’s say we don’t fight for the main seat of Crown Princess Consort. What about the position of Concubine, or Liangdi?"
Madam Lu’s face turned green.
Song Zhiqing looked at her and said, "Don’t tell me that just because it’s not the Official Wife it’s the same as some lowly Concubine. A concubine of the Crown Prince—can that be compared to ordinary people?" He ground his back teeth and said, "If the Crown Prince’s Concubines and Concubine give birth to children, they’ll still have a chance to compete in future. That’s a fortune crashing from the sky—just like the Earl Anle Mansion today."
"That still depends on living long enough to enjoy it."
Truly a blockhead; there was no way to talk sense into him.
Song Zhiqing’s face darkened. "In any case, I’m her father too, and I’m doing this for the good of our branch. You’re not allowed to settle Wei’er’s marriage on your own. We’ll talk about it later. I reckon in another two or three years, it should be decided."
After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Madam Lu really was so angry her chest was heaving up and down nonstop.
"Just look at that, listen to that—where does he get such grand ideas? Absolutely shameless. Even I feel embarrassed for him. Why doesn’t he just fly up to heaven while he’s at it!"
Nanny Zhou came over to persuade her. "Don’t blame Master too much. Now that the Crown Prince has been named, I’m sure there are plenty in the Capital with the very same idea as Master."
Madam Lu choked and said, "That still depends on one’s own circumstances. Just as I said—what rank of official is he? He’s still just a concubine-born son. Wei’er doesn’t have some peerless beauty either, and she’s a legitimately born daughter of a concubine-born son. It’s impossible even to think about it."
"But she is, after all, a girl of the Song Family. If the Prime Minister were willing, he could always push her up. Like Master said—if she can’t reach the Official Wife, what about one of the four concubines?" Nanny Zhou said softly.
Madam Lu’s heart stirred, then she shook her head and said, "No need to think about that. If Eldest Brother had such an idea, Qian’er and her sister wouldn’t have just married into old aristocratic families. Those two sisters, noble in status and bona fide daughters of the Prime Minister—who among them couldn’t match with a Prince? Yet they both only married sons of aristocratic houses. That shows Eldest Brother never even considered this route."
Nanny Zhou didn’t respond further, only offered a few more words of comfort and instructed the maids to serve the meal.
Just as she had said, on the night the Crown Prince was appointed, countless Family Heads picked out girls to be kept "on hold" and not betrothed. Even those in the middle of discussing a match quietly dropped the topic, all waiting for the future.