Chapter 103.1: A Concubine’s Fate, World Shocking Betrothal Gift

However, there were also those that lamented, this Jin Qinwang’s movement was sure fast. The person was still in the Grand Elder Princess Manor, yet already had someone report to Le Cheng Emperor on the other side. As expected, he must have really disdained Sun Yi Jia deep down, else there was no need to be this eager.

Because it was his own younger sister’s birthday, Le Cheng Emperor specially gave all the officials a day off. With them all off to have fun, he himself can also relax for a day. That’s why, Le Cheng Emperor letting his younger sister grandly celebrate her birthday wasn’t necessarily without his intentions of borrowing this opportunity to laze around. All year round, aside from sealing the brush at the end of the year on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth of the next year, this period of time, still for the most part idle, there wasn’t any other day where he wasn’t busy. Speaking of these officials, they still had days off from time to time, but he as the Emperor, instead, needed to labor away every day. Even if he didn’t attend court, he still needed to look over memorandums and handle governmental affairs.

Originally, he thought that he could laze around and be idle for half a day, but in the end, something still happened. This yet to marry in daughter-in-law was gone again. However, what’s done is done, just like with Li Hong Yuan, Le Cheng Emperor was also long accustomed to it. Fortunately, this soon-to-be daughter-in-law wasn’t like the previous few that miserable. If she can smoothly marry, then it can also be considered a good omen. That’s why, it’s best not to change the date of the wedding. In reality, if possible, Le Cheng Emperor rather wished for Sun Yi Jia to immediately marry tomorrow. Unfortunately, even if he’s the Emperor, he still can’t do something like this.

Le Cheng Emperor held Noble Consort Su in his arms and let out a long sigh. When will he finally be able to meet old six’s wife.

Noble Consort Su consoled him, wasn’t there still a side consort that was about to enter the manor?

“Side consort, even if recorded into the imperial family’s jade plate[1], in the end, still just a concubine, how can that be counted as a wife?”

Speaking of which, this one line that was harsh but without ill-intent, ruthlessly stabbed straight into Noble Consort Su’s heart. If a qinwang’s side consort wasn’t considered the qinwang’s wife, then the Emperor’s consorts, aside from the Empress, naturally can’t be considered the Emperor’s wives either. No matter how nice it sounded, and flattered by all the people in the realm, in actuality, they were still just concubines. The only difference was probably just that they had ranks, split into three, six, and nine levels.

“Then how about Yuan’er directly marry the Ruan family girl as the main consort, Cabinet Minister Ruan perhaps will be even happier inside as well.”

Le Cheng Emperor slightly hesitated, but then still told Noble Consort Su the truth, “That girl’s fate has problems. If to enter the imperial family, it can’t be as the di wife, else there will inevitably be disaster. Based on age, old nine and old ten can actually both pick her as the main consort. At the time, when you all mentioned it, I’d rejected the idea because of this reason.”

Noble Consort Su was greatly alarmed, “Your Majesty, are these words true? Which grandmaster said this?”

“Grandmaster Liao Chen. As for specifically which year, already don’t remember. In any case, it was when we’d gone to the White Dragon Temple to offer incense, and picked beloved minister Ruan to accompany. He’d brought along his youngest di daughter, and at that time, Grandmaster Liao Chen had told this emperor. Have to say, a few days ago, this emperor was indeed muddled in the head, else, no matter what, wouldn’t have let her enter the imperial family. If the one that got into trouble today was that girl, then this emperor might really be happy.”

Have to say, Le Cheng Emperor that day, aside from remembering a dead person, what else can he remember?

Noble Consort Su even had the urge to vomit blood. Having concealed and hidden it for this long, then the various strategies they’ve made in order to rope in Cabinet Minister Ruan in the past few years were actually all futile from the start. Scheming for Ruan Fang Fei’s marriage, was it just once or twice? Definitely not, but every time they were all defeated under Le Cheng Emperor’s hand in the end. They all angrily gnashed their teeth every time, thinking that it was some other opponent ruining their plans again. But in reality, this wasn’t the case at all! “Why didn’t your Majesty say so earlier?” Purposefully messing around with them for fun?

“Because Grandmaster Liao Chen said, before that girl’s marriage is determined, it’s not wise to announce it, fearing it would cause trouble. Actually, according to Grandmaster Liao Chen’s suggestion, keeping her far away from the imperial family was even better. Speaking of which, right now, she still hasn’t entered old six’s manor yet, and with old six having that kind of a fate, this emperor worries that something will still happen to her.”

“How can that be?” Noble Consort Su was in somewhat disbelief, “Such a good young lady, yet why does she have such a strange fate?” Because it was said by Grandmaster Liao Chen, Noble Consort Su never doubted the truthfulness of this matter.

“This matter, beloved consort best keep it a secret for now. If she can safely enter the manor, then naturally it’s for the best. But if something else were to happen, then it is also inevitable.”

“Your Majesty, don’t worry.”

Did Li Hong Yuan know about Ruan Fang Fei’s strange fate? Naturally he knew. The reason why it was like this was most likely also related to him. In reality, this fate was pointed out by Grandmaster Liao Chen during that year when Ruan Fang Fei met Li Hong Yuan for the first time.

Because of her obsession towards Li Hong Yuan, if she were to marry anyone else in the imperial family, well, between the members of the imperial family, interactions were still relatively frequent, you think she will be content with her own lot? It’s best not to dream. Then, it was inevitable for something to happen. Normally in the imperial family, a side consort will never appear prior to the main consort marrying in, and as the side consort, without a summoning, they can’t enter the palace. And normally when entering the palace, they also need to follow by the main consort’s side. That way, the chances to cause trouble will be much less. Of course, letting her thoroughly distance herself from the imperial family, or perhaps should say, be kept far away from Li Hong Yuan, was actually the most appropriate.

And when she is far until she’s truly unable to reach her hand out, then thing will probably be able to calm down.

Li Hong Yuan clearly knew this, yet why still keep her around? Because at certain times, this person really was very useful.

Li Hong Yuan’s goals this lifetime around were very clear. Regarding power, it was either to become the Emperor, or if he doesn’t become the Emperor, still be that crown-less ruler.

Regarding his wife, his goal has always only been one, and that is Jing Wan. Aside from her, he won’t let anyone else sit on that position, even if just as a decoration and will give way to Jing Wan in the future, that all won’t do.

He was very clear that Jing Wan was unwilling to be a concubine, and also unwilling to be a second wife (of a widower). Moreover, it goes without saying that the second wife was a head lower than the original wife. How could he let another woman climb on top of Wan Wan’s head, even if just in name. He won’t allow it.

But he had an eight years gap in age with Jing Wan, she at least needed to be fourteen before she can marry[2] him. And based on the circumstances in his past life, Jing Wan had just entered the capital around this time. Previously, Li Hong Yuan didn’t consider that Jing Wan might have a special origin, so he didn’t want to interfere with her life, because changing her environment would cause her to grow into a person he wasn’t familiar with. That’s why, for him to be able to marry her, no matter what, she would still need to be at least fifteen sixteen.

When he got bestowed his wang title and opened his own residence at sixteen, he was already able to take a wife and get married. During this seven to eight years period, it was impossible for his marriage to be continuously delayed. Noble Consort Su won’t allow it, and Le Cheng Emperor further won’t allow it. If he were to go great lengths to come up with excuses, and hold off for seven eight years, but then suddenly want to marry someone with a relatively low status and family background one day, anyone would all feel there was something wrong, and that would cause trouble for Jing Wan.

The most feasible method was when they choose for him, or bestow a marriage, just accept it all, and then afterwards, let them all disappear one by one. Don’t say that those women were innocent, there were too many innocent women in the world. And for those that were truly innocent, it wasn’t necessarily impossible for him to not give them a path to survive. Not because he was truly kindhearted, but merely for the sake of amassing good fortune for Jing Wan. After all, their misfortune, he may be the main culprit, but Jing Wan was actually the real cause. He didn’t care whether or not retribution fell on him, but he was unwilling to let Jing Wan bear these unspeakable grievances.

Not long after Li Hong Yuan opened his residence, he received his first fiancee. It was someone Noble Consort Su picked, someone from Noble Consort Su’s maiden family.

This woman was precisely the wangfei of his previous life. He’d said before, aside from those one or two things, there weren’t any other places where Noble Consort Su wasn’t good to him. Picking this woman was also the same. In his past life, he’d married her at eighteen. This woman had always been wholeheartedly loyal to him, all the way until he turned twenty-four, when certain cruel truths were uncovered, and he was forced to leave the capital for a year. The things he experienced during this period truly were hard to describe, but all the suffering, he was all indifferent to, because he met, and also truly came to realize, the greatest woman in the world, Jing Wan.

After he returned to the capital, the first thing he did was strangle his wangfei to death.

This lifetime around, three months after he got engaged with that woman, during the lantern festival, she suddenly died in a dark alleyway. She’d gotten tortured to death, her death quite gruesome. From head to toe, there seemingly wasn’t a single piece of intact flesh.

[1] The imperial family’s genealogical record.

[2] Technically the term would be ‘form an official marriage connection’.