Chapter 103.2: A Concubine’s Fate, World Shocking Betrothal Gift
Chapter 103.2: A Concubine’s Fate, World Shocking Betrothal Gift
Half a year later, Noble Consort Su chose for him the second person. That was someone who had nothing to do with him in his past life. In reality, in his past life, she’d married quite well, and lived pretty well too. Li Hong Yuan had her fall off a cliff to her death, but in reality, it was just ‘the golden cicada shedding its shell’[1], having her sent away in secret.
Another year later, he turned eighteen. Noble Consort Su chose for him a third person. This time, just when he was preparing to act, someone had gone a step ahead of him. It was a young girl, innocent and kindhearted, only twelve years of age, disregarding his increasingly terrible reputation, and repeatedly appearing before him.
And he, who’d gone through one lifetime already, finally realized that this little girl absolutely must not be underestimated.
With already three fiancees having met with mishap, his wife cursing reputation, for the most part, was already set.
Noble Consort Su heartached for him, and continuously worried about him not having someone appropriate to take care of him. She pestered and coaxed Le Cheng Emperor, this time, directly bestowing a marriage for him, similarly a woman with an impressive family background.
In less than a month, an incident occurred once again. Didn’t die, but was seriously crippled.
The fifth one had their purity ruined, and committed suicide by hanging.
The sixth, went out on a rainy day, slipped and fell into a pond, drowning to death.
The seventh, Sun Yi Jia………..
If for each and every one, he had to personally make arrangements to eliminate, never mind being exhausted, perhaps in a moment of carelessness, might even let someone detect something. But with someone helping him act, it was different. He would just need to stretch his hands at certain times, and it would be more than enough, for instance, before Sun Yi Jia gets tricked into the small building, take away Ruan Fang Fei’s ‘knockout medicine’, then have Luo Jing Bo, who simply wouldn’t have appeared there, drawn over. How relaxing.
And why have Ruan Fang Fei become his ‘soon-to-be side consort’? She already wasn’t young anymore, and rather than having her make the first move and scheme against him, it was better for him control the situation from the start. Knowing that she would act against Sun Yi Jia, if she didn’t have this title of ‘soon-to-be side consort’, then after ‘eliminating’ Sun Yi Jia, she would naturally aim for the position of ‘soon-to-be wangfei’. And since his imperial father won’t allow it, then don’t know what she will do. Rather than having it like this, it was better to have her be a little more ‘tamed’. Once he finishes securing the arrangements on Wan Wan’s side, and have the unstable elements all eliminated, then it will be time to take care of Ruan Fang Fei, because he no longer needed an eighth meaningless fiancee.
Have to say, if not for Wan Wan’s status being a little too low, he naturally wouldn’t need to go through this much trouble. However, Wan Wan’s current social standing was actually getting increasingly high, and her backing increasingly ample. Of course, these were all things that were additionally attached to her, that’s why some things still needed to be done. He has already cursed wives to the point where there was none to marry, so now, just need to wait for her………..
“Your Majesty, then how about letting Yuan’er have the person carried back to the manor earlier, so as to avoid ‘long nights, many dreams’[1].”
“This emperor also wants to, but that bastard is unwilling. Previously, the thing he had someone pass on to this emperor along with the rest was precisely his demands for wanting to push back the time in which Ruan Fang Fei enters the manor. He said, even if he really is unable to marry a wife for his entire life, he still doesn’t want to have it look like ‘having finally caught one and not letting go’, too unsightly. He said it’s not like he doesn’t have anyone to warm his bed and serve him, so to let you, this consort mother, need not worry for him.”
Which of the other princes needed for them to stress over this much, everything was decided by the parents, and as the son, just need to obediently do as told. Who would dare to not listen? Li Hong Yuan, however, was different. If he doesn’t nod his head, and you act on your own without permission, he will immediately go cause trouble for you! On Sun Yi Jia’s matter, Le Cheng Emperor had already suffered once, if he were to do it again, that bastard won’t take things lying down that easily again. It was better to just listen to him, so as to find less trouble for oneself.
Noble Consort Su sighed.
“Enough, don’t fret over that bastard anymore, just let nature take its course. If nothing else works, then in the future, send a son over for him to adopt[1].” In any case, he was already mentally prepared for that bastard to be single his entire life. As for why even a son needs to be given as well, Li Hong Yuan was also very bold and self-righteous in his reasoning, he himself didn’t mind what status the women that warmed his bed were, but his son’s mother, can’t have that kind of birth. They at least need to be proper and legitimate in title, and their status, at the very least, still needs to be a proper daughter of an official’s family. Situations similar to Zhong Wangfei, don’t need to do anything, he will have the person strangled to death first.
(T/N: Zhong Wangfei was a daughter of a merchant, her family was ‘risen’ in status to an official’s family so that she can marry as a wangfei. See chapter 100 for details.)
In these past years, many women came and went by his side, yet there wasn’t the slightest news.
This time, Noble Consort Su was instead unusually silent, and also didn’t say anything like ‘just directly pick two women from official families, regardless whether the officials will agree or not, and directly have them lifted into Jin Qinwang Manor’.
Although in the imperial family, there’s a rule in which ‘if the legal wife doesn’t enter, then the side consorts and concubines can’t enter either’, but special circumstances can also be handled in a special way. With Li Hong Yuan cursing wives to this degree, naturally it should be considered a special circumstance. In the beginning few years, Noble Consort Su stubbornly refused to admit that her son was ‘special’. Afterwards, she eventually thought things through, but as soon as she let out a bit of news, daughters of official families in the capital that got engaged immediately in the following few days were like the tides. Showing such obvious disdain, as a parent, which one wouldn’t be angry, which one’s heart wouldn’t turn cold? Rather, there were a few that voluntarily put themselves forward, but Noble Consort Su felt that with them being that eager, exactly what for, everyone was all well aware inside. These types of people, this consort doesn’t care for, all get lost!
(T/N: Even if a man sleeps with 100 different women, if the women aren’t given official titles or status, they aren’t considered his concubines. This is even more strict for nobles and people of the imperial family.)
With many reasons all mixed together, the matter of preparing concubines never came to be. However, based on Li Hong Yuan’s temper, if you really were to do something like this, then he will make for you a ‘cursing all wives and concubines’ reputation. Only those that let him casually play with won’t get cursed. Heavens, this can also be considered the world’s greatest oddity.
In any case, in order to put an end to any women with status appearing at his side, Li Hong Yuan can be said to have been completely unscrupulous.
(T/N: It must be pretty tiring for him to constantly have to make up lies and BS to play into his fake public persona.)
This kind of thing, every time he thought of it, he would record a stroke on Jing Wan’s head, definitely need to compensate it back from her.
As a result, under circumstances completely unbeknownst to her, Jing Wan was already riddled debt on her head. If someday in the future, she were to find out, wonder what kind of expression she will make.
The imperial decree had already arrived, and the banquet was also almost ready. Speaking of which, the couple of old officials that still haven’t achieved their goal, this while, they could only slightly wring their wrist. It wasn’t appropriate to have Jing Wan called over again after all. Just, once the eighteenth scholar is brought to the Grand Elder Princess Manor, they need to seize the opportunity to have a good look. Heard Head Magistrate Diwu say, its grade is exceptionally good, the other few ones in the capital all can’t compare to it. Then, after hearing him endlessly describe the the other flowers, their hearts became terribly itchy. Afterwards, they just saw Luo Pei Shan looking especially pleased with himself, letting one only want to violently beat him up.
What was he looking smug for?! Before his granddaughter entered the capital, he had nothing in his hands that he could show off to them with. Just a rotten old man, needing to borrow his granddaughter’s light, yet he still had the nerve to be smug?!
However, Head Minister Luo, Luo Pei Shan, will just pat his chest and tell you, he’s indeed pleased with himself, what about it? Just like Head Magistrate Diwu previously said, that girl’s surname was Luo, from his family, even if other families wanted one, there was none.
Head Minister Luo expressed, his mood was especially good, clasping his hands behind his back, as he hummed a little tune, just one step away from skipping. Today, he can be considered to have gotten his revenge. In the past, it was always him envying their things, but now, and in the future, hehehe……….
Other than Luo Pei Shan, it was probably just Cabinet Minister Jiang that was also in high spirits. Compared to his solemn aloofness on normal days, his brows right now carried a smile, even having a bit of impatience. His mouth was even humming nonstop, having the impressiveness of ‘playing different tunes with equal skill’ with Sir Luo. If not for considering that this was the Grand Elder Princess’s birthday banquet, perhaps this while, he would’ve already returned home, off to meticulously study his music score. However, from the looks of it, after the banquet feast, he most likely won’t continue to stay either.
The other few didn’t have any ‘conflict of interest’ with him, so it didn’t really matter.
Jing Wan didn’t see either. If she saw, she probably would’ve just helplessly laughed. These old officials really were especially cute.
[1] Idiom figuratively means to vanish leaving behind an empty shell; basically faking her death and letting her escape.
[2] I really should make a page for idiom references because it’s kinda tiring to explain ones that appear often. This one means that when things are drawn out or procrastinated on, change can occur.
[3] This is a very specific type of adoption, basically it’s adopting within the family.