novelraw Chapter 668 - 657: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 668 - 657: The Cuckolded Prince
"There’s no need for further words today, Your Highness. This humble official has never thought of taking Your Highness’s silver, not even as a loan. On the twentieth of August, there will be a feast at my residence, and you need not send too extravagant a gift. This is all I have to say; I shall take my leave now." Lin Xueyuan felt that continuing the entanglement with Ye Qiu would only result in losing his own dignity, thus after dropping these words, he hurriedly left.
Ye Qiu did not go after him, but instead looked puzzled: "What is all this about?"
The surrounding ministers looked at him and sighed, not knowing whether to sigh over someone being foolish with too much money or to sigh at his profound affection for the Princess Consort. Lin Xueyuan might not know about the borrowing, but Lin Xueyuan’s wife and the Fifth Prince’s Princess Consort definitely had this intention; otherwise, why would the Fifth Prince deliberately ask Lin Xueyuan to go exchange silver with him today?
Clicking his tongue, it looks like Dean Lin’s family is in a worrying state!
"What did you say? You say it’s being spread outside that I, the Princess Consort, am using His Highness’s silver to help my family? That my mother came to our Prince Mansion to seek benefits?" Lin Jingxian nearly fainted when she heard this news. How did such a rumor get out?
"What exactly is going on?" she demanded sternly from the servants.
Furong replied tremblingly and in a low voice: "It is said that yesterday His Highness went to greet the Empress, and on the way out of the palace, he happened to meet the master. I don’t know what was said, but then these rumors spread. I have already sent someone to inquire at the mansion, they only mentioned that the Lady has been confined by the master, and all other details were not allowed to be discussed by the servants. He also said that you should reflect on yourself, saying that since you married into the royal family, you should consider everything for His Highness and must not damage both your father’s and His Highness’s reputation."
Lin Jingxian’s face darkened: "Did my father really say that?"
"Yes."
With a bang, she swept off the Ru ware white porcelain cups and saucers in front of her. "Where is His Highness now?"
"He has taken the Eldest Young Master out for a stroll, saying he will return after Prince X’s birthday celebration."
This completely enraged Lin Jingxian, who without any reservations, swept down two other official kiln vases nearby.
Not only Lin Jingxian was furious, but when Marquis Zhengyuan’s Mansion heard what Lin Xueyuan had said that day, they too were displeased. It wasn’t about the money in Lin Xueyuan’s household; does their Marquis Mansion care about his family’s wealth? The entire Lin Mansion is not even equivalent to their fortune for one young master or miss!
Lin Xueyuan’s wife borrowing money for wedding preparations was one thing, but creating such a public spectacle, and those last words, how could they say? Saying Marquis Zhengyuan’s Mansion, if interested in vulgar gold and silver, shouldn’t arrange their children’s marriage into such family?
These are surely not words befitting for a dean of the Hanlin Academy to say; clearly, they are too pedantic!
Yes, if Lin Mansion is so discerning, is our Marquis Zhengyuan Mansion mediocre?
Despite their anger, Marquis Zhengyuan’s Mansion could not call off the marriage at this time, as both children had already passed the first five rituals, needing only the final one. At this time, calling off the wedding, what would happen to the children’s reputation? And at their age, they could not find better matches again; was Lin Mansion taking advantage of Marquis Zhengyuan’s Mansion?
The Marchioness could not hold her anger back and said to her daughter that night, "My child, Lin Mansion is pushing too far. The marriage cannot be canceled now, but I must warn you here, no matter how poor Lin Mansion’s lifestyle is, you must not use your dowry to support them, understand? You can be nicer to your husband, after all, you are the ones who will spend a lifetime together, but as for your father-in-law and mother-in-law, just maintain the necessary formalities on the surface and do not be too close to them."
"Daughter understands, I won’t be foolish."
"And your sister-in-law who married into the Fifth Prince Mansion, she seems to have a good reputation, but from this incident, she doesn’t seem like a simple person either; you must be careful dealing with her."
"Daughter understands."
Lin Xueyuan over there still does not know that his future daughter-in-law already harbors grudges against his family. After finishing this matter, Ye Qiu retired successfully and was carefree at the hot spring manor in the suburbs.
"Fifth Brother, you didn’t do this on purpose, did you?" Seventh Prince Ye Kai scratched his head while occasionally turning the rabbit roasting in his hands.
"What did I do on purpose?" Ye Qiu pulled out some roasted sweet potatoes from the fire, blowing on them before peeling and feeding them to Little Ye Heng.
"Did Fifth Sister-in-law really ask you for money? Tens of thousands of taels of silver, and you just gave it to her like that? You’re really generous!" Ye Kai said enviously, "When will you give a hand to your little brother too?"
Ye Qiu snorted at him, "What, you also want to borrow money to get a wife, huh? See if Seventh Sister-in-law will break your legs."
Upon hearing Xia Yixiao, Ye Kai almost jumped up again and nervously looked around: "Fifth Brother, please spare me, I don’t want to get scratched again."
"If you don’t want to get scratched, just treat your wife better, like when we go out to hunt and play, maybe you can roast a chicken for her yourself, she will surely like it."
Ye Kai’s eyes widened, then he self-deprecated: "My roasted chicken that looks like charcoal? You sure she would like it?"
Ye Qiu looked at the rabbit and the chicken, realizing they indeed didn’t look appetizing and was also unsure: "How about we hunt a deer or a fox instead, and you can take that back to your Princess Consort?"
Ye Kai thought about it and felt this idea was slightly more reliable. Just as they were about to act, dust flew up in the distance.
"Such a grand entrance! Who is it?"
"That’s a battle flag, it looks like Eldest Brother is coming back with the army." Ye Qiu had sharp eyes and recognized the leader’s face from afar.
Ye Kai suddenly realized: "It seems there was such a matter, Eldest Brother has been at the Northwest Dragon Tiger Pass for three years, it’s about time he returned to the capital to report duty. I heard the border is bitterly cold, I wonder how Eldest Brother has been."
"Even with all the arrangements, it definitely can’t be as comfortable as the days in the capital, but now that he has returned from the border, the Empress Mother should be relieved."
"Mother told me that the place Empress Mother has spent most time in the last three years is the small Buddhist hall. But indeed, the border is dangerous, and it’s normal for the Empress Mother to worry. Fifth Brother, do you think Father Emperor will cut down his military power when Eldest Brother comes back?" Seventh was not completely ignorant or naively sweet, he felt that there would definitely be conflict between Eldest Brother and Second Brother.
Second Brother is the only son of the late Empress, born as a legitimate son, while the current Empress was promoted after the late Empress’s demise. Eldest brother also changed from an illegitimate son to a legitimate eldest son, and it is uncertain whose status between Eldest Brother and Second Brother is more honored.
But the late Empress is gone, with the current Empress still present. Eldest Brother has military merits which may provoke ambitions, but Father Emperor solely favours Second Brother. Even though Second Brother’s maternal family is weak, he married the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister as the Crown Princess Consort and the niece of the Grand Commandant as a concubine, the future is really unclear.
"Why should we bother so much? It’s not within our control anyway, be careful not to bring disaster upon us." Ye Qiu advised Ye Kai, but only he himself knew his true thoughts.
He watched his elder brother approaching and revealed a slight smile.