After drinking two bowls of light tea, Consort Li felt her whole body relax.
She reclined lazily in the wicker chair, her gaze drifting across her son and daughter, who looked like a pair of jade children.
She thought to herself, this was the real way to enjoy life.
Sure, Emperor Xingwu could give her another kind of pleasure, but too much of it at once was simply more than she could bear.
Qingyang had kicked off her shoes and lay sprawled in her mother’s lap, asking in a sulky voice, “Mother Consort, why did you sleep with Father for so long?”
She’d woken up and couldn’t find her mother, she’d missed her terribly!
Consort Li: “…Mother didn’t sleep. Your father drank too much and vomited several times. I was taking care of him the whole time.”
Qingyang had also thrown up back in early spring.
She furrowed her little brow and asked, “Is Father sick?”
Consort Li replied, “No, he just drank too much. People tend to throw up when they get drunk.”
Qingyang was relieved.
After clinging for a while longer, she remembered a new word she’d heard at the banquet.
“Mother Consort, what kind of official is a son-in-law?”
Consort Li straightened in shock and confusion.
Qin Ren, who had also been at the banquet, helpfully answered for his sister, “A son-in-law isn’t an official. What Father meant was that the second son of the Marquis of the South is going to be Big Sister’s husband, the imperial son-in-law… Actually, in the past, son-in-law was considered a type of official title. But now it just means the husband of a princess, the emperor’s son-in-law.”
Qingyang still didn’t quite understand.
Qin Ren continued, “Once Big Sister has a husband, they’ll become a married couple, live together, and their children will call them Father and Mother.”
Beside them, Consort Li was still reeling from the news.
The marriage of the eldest princess, his Majesty had settled it during one meal?
True, the Pure and Filial Empress was no longer around, and the Noble Consort was only the foster mother of the eldest princess and her brother.
But what about the princess’s own wishes?
Did the emperor not even ask?
Then came the sound of her daughter’s innocent voice: “When Third Brother grows up, will he have a son-in-law too?”
Qin Ren laughed.
“A princess’s husband is called a son-in-law. A prince’s wife is called a princess consort.”
Qingyang nodded.
But then, remembering that Big Sister’s imperial son-in-law wasn’t all that handsome, she suddenly said loudly, “Mother Consort, I want to choose my own son-in-law in the future. Father doesn’t pick well…”
Consort Li quickly covered her daughter’s mouth, her heart pounding.
She glanced around at the palace maids and eunuchs nearby, though they’d been by her side for years, who knew if one of them might secretly report this to the emperor.
Forcing a light tone, she scolded gently, “What do you know? Choosing a son-in-law or a princess consort isn’t just about looks. He has to be good in every aspect. Anyway, whoever your father chooses is definitely the best, got it?”
She glared at her daughter, clearly not planning to let go until she got an obedient answer.
Qingyang had no choice but to nod obediently.
Qin Ren said softly, “Actually, the second son of the Fu family has a very dignified appearance. He just has darker skin, that’s all.”
Consort Li let out a sigh of relief.
If Emperor Xingwu dared pick someone ugly for Yongkang, it meant he might just as easily choose an ugly husband for Qingyang one day too.
Once her complexion returned to normal, Consort Li finally brought the two siblings to the middle hall of Qianyuan Hall.
By then, the Noble Consort and her sons, Yongkang and her brother, and Prince Yong’s entire family had all arrived.
After the proper greetings, Consort Li went to sit beside the Noble Consort, while Qingyang saw her father beckoning and obediently walked over.
Emperor Xingwu lifted her into his lap.
Prince Yong teased, “Truly a father-daughter bond. I had to coax Lin’er for half the day during Dragon Boat Festival just to get a hug. But with Elder Brother, she’s not shy at all.”
Emperor Xingwu was pleased by this and asked his daughter with a grin, “Why didn’t you want Uncle Yong to hold you?”
Qingyang glanced at her uncle, then turned her head away. “Uncle scolded me.”
Prince Yong: “……”
Emperor Xingwu stopped Consort Li from stepping in to explain and let the child speak for herself.
After hearing the whole story of how Prince Yong had scolded her, Emperor Xingwu naturally took his daughter’s side.
“Your uncle just has no patience, hot temper, too.”
Qin Bing chimed in, “Right! Last time Uncle almost kicked me in front of the tutor!”
Prince Yong: “…There were only two students in the lecture hall, you and your study companion, and you still dared to sleep. Wasn’t I supposed to kick you?”
Emperor Xingwu gave his second son a cool glance.
Qin Bing immediately drooped his head.
The Noble Consort shook her head too.
She’d lectured him countless times without effect, she didn’t even want to waste more words.
Emperor Xingwu thought to himself, the Noble Consort was well-read, and the Yan family was known for its scholarly tradition.
It must’ve been because he wasn’t present when his second son was born, and his younger brother happened to be visiting at the time, that the boy ended up taking after Prince Yong’s love for combat over books.
A family banquet was still a family banquet.
Emperor Xingwu only talked about household matters.
Tonight, the topic that came up the most was Princess Yongkang’s marriage to the Marquis of the South’s household.
When he was conquering the empire, Emperor Xingwu relied on loyal generals to share his burdens.
Now that he held the throne, besides rewarding them with wealth and rank, he also had to ease their fears about being discarded after their use, just like the idioms said, “the birds are gone, the bow is put away; the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked.”
Arranged marriages were the simplest and most effective method.
If I marry your family, how could I ever turn against you?
Only when the merit families felt secure would they stay loyal, instead of plotting ways to guard against the emperor or stir up unrest again.
Now that Emperor Xingwu had declared the engagement publicly, there was no changing it.
The Noble Consort, Prince Yong, and Princess Yong all followed with praise for the talents and character of the Marquis of the South and his sons.
Only Consort Li stayed quiet, knowing her own position was weak.
Whether it was matters of the Qin family or the state, she rarely interfered.
Yongkang, blushing with embarrassment, said, “Alright, I never said I didn’t want to marry. Father just returned, shouldn’t we focus more on him? Has Father been hurt at all on this campaign?”
Emperor Xingwu felt deeply content.
“Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine.”
Qingyang, after all, was only three years old.
She couldn’t follow the adults’ conversation and simply focused on eating her meal.
As night began to fall, with Prince Yong’s family taking their leave first, the family banquet finally came to an end.
Emperor Xingwu sat at the head seat, holding his youngest daughter.
“You all go rest early. I’ll stay and play with Lin’er for a while.”
The Noble Consort and the others bowed and departed.
Only Consort Li was left behind, since the emperor had taken her daughter into his arms, she had no choice but to stay, ready to take her back to the Western Palace once he’d had enough.
But Emperor Xingwu kept playing with the little princess all the way until the first watch of the night.
When she began yawning, he finally had the nursemaid carry her to the side chamber to sleep, and then took Consort Li with him to the bathhouse.
As the water rippled around them, Consort Li grew uneasy.
“Your Majesty already favored me this afternoon. Tonight, in both reason and sentiment, it really should be…”
Emperor Xingwu, staring at the beauty in his arms, her hair soaked and clinging to her cheeks, pressed a finger to her lips and asked, “What reason, what sentiment? Who dares dictate to an emperor whom he may or may not favor?”
With the Noble Consort, they could talk about matters of state or the children, but little else.
He never knew what to say beyond that, and the Noble Consort never forced conversation either.
Two people with such dry, lifeless interactions had already drifted apart long before he ever met Consort Li.
And ever since Consort Li appeared, Emperor Xingwu had no reason to force himself anymore.
The Noble Consort, too, seemed perfectly content with the current arrangement, handling court affairs during the day, while he favored Consort Li by night.
So be it.
One consort with status and power to manage the palace; the other, the exclusive object of his nightly affection.
The dignified scholar didn’t stoop to jealousy over the delicate beauty.
And the delicate beauty never used her favor to provoke the dignified one.
A peaceful, simple harem, just the way he liked it.