Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1098 Matters of the heart are like drinking water; only the person experiencing it knows whe

"Mother, look at my brother, the Crown Prince! He actually stole my wife!" Her good little helper had been taken by the Crown Prince to become a concubine, and she had lost a capable person.

"Besides, the Crown Prince likes her, but he doesn't marry her as his principal wife. Isn't that unfair to her?" He Yinuo said indignantly, "Su Xing is the same. With her abilities, she could find a good family to marry into and become their principal wife. It would be better than... being locked up in this deep palace."

Once you enter the palace, you'll never have the freedom to go out again. And with the Crown Princess above you, it's no wonder your life is so difficult.

After all, they had been together for several years. He Yinuo wanted to advise them to break up, but she didn't dare to act rashly. After all, one was her own brother, and the other was a friend she considered her best friend. The two were in love, and it wouldn't be right for her to interfere.

Tao Yanyan looked at her daughter and smiled, "Nuo'er, matters of the heart are like drinking water; only the person experiencing it knows whether it's hot or cold. You are her sister and also her friend. If you get involved, you'll only end up blaming others. In your eyes, Su Xing is being treated unfairly by becoming your brother's concubine, but in her eyes, becoming the Crown Prince's concubine is the best marriage she could have. You should be glad that your brother isn't love-struck and didn't insist on marrying her as the Crown Princess. He still has some sense."

He Yinuo bit her lip. She understood all these reasons, but she still felt uncomfortable.

"Alright, they have feelings for each other. This is their life. Stop worrying about it and just live your own life, okay?"

He Yinuo could only nod: "Then... can I still have Su Xing accompany me on errands in the future?"

Tao Yanyan pinched her cheek: "Su Xing may not be able to make it, but you can try getting along with the future Crown Princess. If it works out, you can go out with her on business, and you can even give her some of the work related to the royal property."

"Crown Princess?" He Yinuo frowned. "Is there a candidate for Empress Dowager? Is it from the Duan family?"

The rumors about the Duan family were rampant for a while, but then faded away after three years. Later, rumors about the Zhou family and the Shen family also came to light, but nothing came of that either.

"Empress Dowager doesn't know who it will be, but since your brother wants to take Su Xing as his concubine, he must first decide on the Crown Princess. There is no reason for a concubine to enter the palace before the principal wife does."

At this moment, He Yucheng was standing in front of He Linzhang, looking at the list of candidates He Linzhang had chosen for him.

"I heard from your mother that you want to marry a woman from the Su family as a concubine. Like your mother, I don't object to you marrying someone you like. However, the principal wife must be chosen first. The Crown Prince's wedding is a major event and cannot be taken lightly. These families are the best candidates in my opinion, which will be beneficial to your stability after you ascend the throne. I have carefully considered each of them in terms of character, appearance, family background, and education. They are all suitable for the position of Crown Princess. As for the rest, you can also take them as concubines if you like them."

He Yucheng thought for a moment and said, "Father, I do not wish for too many people to enter the Eastern Palace. One wife and one concubine are enough."

With Su Xing already chosen as his concubine, He Yucheng's finger finally landed on the name card of the eldest daughter of the Duan family as his principal wife. This was someone his father and second elder brother had chosen three years ago; she was a virtuous and capable assistant to him. Rather than choosing someone else, he decided to follow his father and brother's wishes.

The Duan family waited calmly for three years until the imperial decree of marriage was finally issued, betrothing the eldest daughter, Duan Chaopei, to the Crown Prince as his consort. The entire Duan family wept with joy. Duan Mengting felt a moment of disappointment, but since her sister had found a good match, it would also help her marriage. She stepped forward, hugged her sister, and whispered, "Congratulations."

Some were happy, some were sad. After all the scrambling, other families had no chance and were only thinking about getting the position of the Crown Prince's concubine. But no one expected that in the end, the Crown Prince would only take one concubine, and she was an unknown girl.

Su Xing was surprised that His Majesty and the Empress agreed to the Crown Prince's request without any objection. Things went so smoothly that she was somewhat taken aback.

She had prepared herself for the Empress's reprimand, but the Empress said nothing. She simply sent betrothal gifts and a tutor to teach her court etiquette. She also arranged for the Ningyuan Marquis's residence to provide her and her son with new accommodations and arranged for Su Xing to recognize General Gu as her godfather. When she got married, the Gu family would escort her off.

After all this maneuvering, Su Xing's status was raised several notches, and the powerful and influential people in the capital who had been gossiping about it had nothing to say. However, some people were talking privately that the Empress and the Emperor had a disagreement over the Crown Prince's marriage. One had decided on the Crown Princess, while the other had decided on the Consort, and both were arranging their own power bases.

The Duan family was busy preparing their daughter's dowry, and the imperial betrothal gift list was also delivered to the Duan family. Duan Chaopei and her mother, Madam Duan, were almost shocked when they saw the three-meter-long betrothal gift list.

"This...this...how can there be so much? I heard my mother mention the dowry list when His Majesty married the eldest daughter of the Duke of the Kingdom back then. Compared to this, the one sent by Her Majesty the Empress today is a complete victory!"

Duan Chaopei took a deep breath: "Mother, isn't the dowry our family gave us... too meager?" The dowry, which was originally very luxurious, suddenly lost its luster.

Madam Duan rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath: "Don't worry, I'll take out one or two items from these betrothal gifts to give your sister some face in the future, and you can take the rest back with you. That way, it won't be considered stingy. My goodness, Her Majesty the Empress is so generous! My son, you must be filial to His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress from now on, treat them as your own father and mother, pamper the Fifth Princess as your own sister, take care of the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince as your own brothers, and serve the Crown Prince well, understand?"

Duan Chaopei nodded, her face flushed, then said with a hint of sadness, "But I've heard that the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Su, has a very close relationship with the Fifth Princess, and was even personally chosen by the Crown Prince. Mother, what if... what if the Crown Prince doesn't like me?"

Mother Duan said solemnly, "Just because he doesn't like you now doesn't mean he won't like you in the future. You are obedient, intelligent, virtuous, well-read, and beautiful. How could you not win your husband's heart? Even if you end up as a respectful couple, so what? You will be the Crown Princess. Do you know what that means? It's the first step towards becoming Empress. My child, regardless of whether the Crown Prince likes you or not, you must be good to his family. Don't try to win over the woman he loves. Focus only on yourself, understand?"

Duan Chaopei nodded: "I understand. I am responsible for the whole family and I will not do anything reckless."

Madam Duan smiled with satisfaction: "Our Duan family is a family of military merit. Your grandfather devoted himself to the Great Zhou, your father was upright and honest in the court and made great achievements, and your brother is also promising. In the future, when you enter the Eastern Palace, as long as you act uprightly and stand straight, your position will not be shaken. Let the Crown Prince favor whomever he wants, as long as you are given enough respect."

Her mother's words were like a wake-up call, and Duan Chaopei silently kept them in mind. She felt both anticipation and trepidation about her future life in the Crown Prince's palace.