CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR

"Your Highness, holding onto this so tightly will only make you..." Qiu Sang consoled Consort Li, "Your Highness, the Prince is becoming more distinguished. In another two years, he’ll be given a fief and will marry. Once he’s married, he’ll give you plenty of grandchildren. At that time, let him send the little princes and princesses to you to raise, and you’ll enjoy the pleasures of family."

Upon hearing this, Consort Li couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

"Yes, in just two or three more years, I’ll be a grandmother."

"Your Highness, with the Prince being granted a fief in two years, shouldn’t we start thinking of ways to handle this?" Qiu Sang suggested. "Ideally, his fief should be near the capital."

"Regarding the fief, I asked Xiao Si, and he doesn’t wish to be close to the capital," Consort Li said with some concern, "He wants to go far away."

"Ah?" Qiu Sang was stunned. "Why does the Prince want to go far from the capital?"

"He says that to be far from the capital is to be far from the disputes, which allows him to focus on managing the land and improving the lives of its people."

"Could he be thinking of going to Liangzhou?"

"If he could truly go to Liangzhou, that wouldn’t be bad either," Consort Li remarked. "Liangzhou is a critical region, but the Emperor may not let Xiao Si go there."

"Would the Emperor let the Third Prince go then?" Qiu Sang pondered, doubting the possibility. "The Third Prince is backed by the Wang Family, so the Emperor is unlikely to let him take over Liangzhou. I think it’s very likely for the Prince to be given Liangzhou."

"The Emperor might not let any of the Princes take over Liangzhou either." Consort Li was worried about the Fourth Prince managing a fief once he comes of age in two years. She had subtly probed the Emperor’s thoughts, but he had said nothing. "I just hope Xiao Si won’t be sent to Qingzhou."

Qingzhou was a coastal area, not only small but also very poor.

"Your Highness, it’s also time for you to decide on the Prince’s marriage," Qiu Sang reminded her, "If you haven’t arranged his marriage before he comes of age, there might be issues."

"My father and brother hope Xiao Si can marry Xiao Ci," Consort Li said, referring to her niece, her brother’s daughter, Li Houci.

Hearing this, Qiu Sang was surprised: "Your Highness, don’t you want the Prince to marry Miss Houci?"

"Xiao Ci is a good girl, excellent in both temperament and talent, but..." Consort Li was very content and fond of her niece, who would make a wonderful daughter-in-law. "Marrying Xiao Ci won’t bring any advantage to Xiao Si."

Qiu Sang immediately understood Consort Li’s implication.

"Your Highness, do you wish for the Prince to marry the daughter of a military officer as Princess?"

Consort Li nodded slightly, "Exactly. What Xiao Si lacks most now is the support of military officers." With the Li family still supporting him, Xiao Si doesn’t need to marry Xiao Ci as Princess.

"But Your Highness, most of the military officers in court support Prince Dai," Qiu Sang pointed out. "The remaining ones don’t have much influence."

"I know."

"Yet you still want the Fourth Prince to marry the daughter of a military officer as Princess?" Qiu Sang, suddenly realizing something, exclaimed in shock, "Your Highness, could it be that you want the Prince to marry the daughter of one of the Four Great Generals?"

"I would like that, but the Emperor definitely won’t agree."

"Then you?"

"I want Xiao Si to marry the daughter of one of the subordinate officers of the Four Great Generals as Princess."

"Your Highness, even that isn’t possible," Qiu Sang said, "The subordinates of the Four Great Generals only pledge allegiance to the Emperor. The Emperor won’t agree to it."

Consort Li knew this, yet she remained undeterred.

"I want to give it a try."

"Your Highness, are you not afraid of angering the Emperor?" Qiu Sang thought that if Consort Li truly requested such a marriage from the Emperor, it would surely provoke his anger.

"No matter what, I want to give it a try," Consort Li said indifferently, "Even if it angers the Emperor." For her son’s future, she, as a mother, was willing to do anything.

"Your Highness, are you not worried that after angering the Emperor, he might take his anger out on the Prince?" Qiu Sang continued, "Are you not afraid the Emperor might think the Prince is ambitious? Are you not afraid the Emperor might dislike the Prince because of this?"

"The Emperor would never doubt Xiao Si," Consort Li said with conviction.

"Your Highness..."

Consort Li interrupted Qiu Sang, stating firmly, "I’ve made up my mind on this matter, so there’s no need to persuade me further."

Seeing Consort Li’s determination, Qiu Sang found it difficult to continue persuading her. She decided to inform the Fourth Prince about this matter.

The Fourth Prince was in his tent reading a book.

Wei Mian entered with hot tea, "Your Highness, have some tea and take a break."

The Fourth Prince set down his book and accepted the tea Wei Mian handed him.

"Your Highness, Qin Xiulian just woke up."

The Fourth Prince paused briefly while drinking tea, then continued before speaking, "Did Father let her leave?"

"The Emperor had a tent set up next to his own in the sleeping quarters for Qin Xiulian to stay," Wei Mian reported. "Your Highness, it seems the Emperor intends to bring Qin Xiulian into the palace."

"Not surprising."

"Your Highness, do you think this Qin Xiulian can truly surpass Noble Princess Consort Rong in favor?"

The Fourth Prince replied indifferently, "That’s not something for us to be concerned about." To the Fourth Prince, whether Noble Princess Consort Rong remained favored or Qin Xiulian did, it was irrelevant to him.

"Indeed, the ones most anxious now are Noble Princess Consort Rong and Prince Dai."

Ever since learning that Qin Xiulian resembled Si Youying, Marquis Xuanping had been unsettled.

Years ago, Marquis Xuanping was aware of the Emperor’s intention to marry Si Youying, and he was quite upset, feeling the Emperor had wronged his sister.

Prince Dai, though unaware of the details about Si Youying, felt uneasy after hearing from Marquis Xuanping.

"Damn it, where did Duke Zhen find someone who looks exactly like Si Youying?" Marquis Xuanping said angrily, "Duke Zhen kept this hidden for so long, only now revealing Qin Xiulian. It’s quite the tactic."

"Uncle, was Si Youying truly more important to Father than Mother?"

"If Si Youying hadn’t died back then, she would have married the Emperor before your mother. Possibly..." Marquis Xuanping trailed off.

"Uncle, are you suggesting Father loved Si Youying more?"

"Si Youying was the woman the Emperor loved most."

Prince Dai couldn’t accept this. He said in disbelief, "How can that be?"