Secondary Wife

The moment he spoke, the entire hall fell silent.

An Ziran took a deep breath and gently tried to pull his hands away. When he failed, he said patiently, "Old Prince Fu, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am not your grandson."

Your real grandson is standing right beside you, watching you with a blank expression.

Old Prince Fu did not take in his words. Instead, he pouted and said dejectedly, "Grandson, do you not like Grandfather anymore? Tell me, and Grandfather will definitely change."

An Ziran immediately felt a headache coming on. It seemed Old Prince Fu had something wrong with his mind; he could even mistake his own grandson for someone else. Could An Ziran really expect him to remember something from ten years ago? No wonder Fu Wutian had someone bring his grandfather here—he had calculated that Old Prince Fu would be unable to say anything. An Ziran did not think Old Prince Fu was pretending, because there was no need for him to.

An Ziran looked at Fu Wutian and asked carefully, "Your Highness, does Old Prince Fu have trouble remembering things?"

Fu Wutian stared at his face. "He fell seriously ill six years ago. After waking up, he became like this. His memory comes and goes, and his eyesight is terribly poor. He often mistakes people for someone else."

Intermittent amnesia!

An Ziran immediately reached that conclusion. This condition could also be called forgetfulness. Elderly people were especially prone to it, and it was nearly impossible to cure. If he wanted Old Prince Fu to remember his agreement with Old Master An from ten years ago, he could only rely on luck.

Fu Wutian watched him leisurely, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. He wanted to see how An Ziran intended to prove it.

After considering it, An Ziran decided to give it a try. He held the jade pendant before Old Prince Fu. "Old Prince Fu, do you remember this jade pendant? Ten years ago, you gave it to my grandfather as the betrothal token for the agreement that our two families would become joined by marriage. My grandfather was your confidant; the two of you were sworn brothers. Do you remember?"

Old Prince Fu tilted his head and looked at it for a while. Then he suddenly snatched the jade pendant up in delight and said with certainty, "I remember!"

An Ziran was overjoyed.

Old Prince Fu continued, "It is Shan Xue's jade pendant. Why is there only one?"

An Ziran's expression froze.

Who was Shan Xue?

Seeing the embarrassment on his face as though he had discovered something amusing, Fu Wutian's eyes flashed. "Shan Xue was this prince's grandmother."

Judging by Old Prince Fu's condition, he probably did not remember Steward Su either. It seemed there was no hope of making him recall the agreement from ten years ago. But An Ziran could not simply leave like this. He had finally come all this way; no matter what, he could not return empty-handed.

Steward Su had once told him that Old Prince Fu was a very forthright man. He was talented, yet unlike a scholar, he possessed the temperament of a military commander. He was decisive and valued loyalty deeply. His insistence on becoming related to the An Family by marriage back then could not have been a momentary impulse. Originally, An Ziran had thought that even if Fu Wutian refused to acknowledge the marriage agreement, he could still use Old Prince Fu to achieve his goal. Yet this was the one thing he had failed to account for.

The entire plan had been disrupted, making the next move on the board much harder to play.

An Ziran frowned. His gaze fell on Old Prince Fu, who was caressing the jade pendant as if he could not bear to put it down. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He paused slightly. He had actually gotten himself stuck in a dead end and failed to notice something so obvious.

"Your Highness, you already knew about the marriage agreement, didn't you?"

Seeing his sudden air of certainty and the unwavering way he looked directly into his eyes—nothing like the evasive glances others gave him—Fu Wutian answered without hesitation, "Yes."

An Ziran's breathing grew heavier. He should have guessed it long ago.

Old Prince Fu had only fallen ill six years ago. During the four years before that, there was no way he could have kept it from his grandson. Besides, ordinary people would surely tell their families about a marriage agreement as soon as they returned home. Old Prince Fu was so serious about keeping his word that he was even less likely to have concealed it.

"Your Highness should be able to guess why I came here. The betrothal token cannot be fake. I ask that Your Highness fulfill the agreement Old Prince Fu and my grandfather made back then." An Ziran discovered that when dealing with someone like Fu Wutian, the more he considered things, the easier it was for the other party to toy with him.

Fu Wutian stared at him, his expression unchanged. "How do you want me to fulfill it?"

An Ziran said, "Marry my younger sister."

"A secondary wife?"

"The principal wife."

The An Family was merely a landowning family from a small county. If Fu Wutian married again in the future, his sister would certainly be looked down upon for being a merchant's daughter after entering his household. Only the position of Princess Consort could ensure that she would not be bullied. This was the only thing he could fight for on An Yuzhi's behalf.

The hall sank into silence.

Steward Su looked anxiously at the two of them. Although he also hoped Third Miss could marry the Prince as his Princess Consort, it still seemed like wishful thinking. Considering the disparity between the two families' status, the An Family truly was reaching above its station.

Fu Wutian said calmly, "If your sister wishes to marry into the Prince's residence, she can only be a secondary wife."

An Ziran's expression immediately turned uncertain. Although Fu Wutian had not said it plainly, An Ziran understood the deeper meaning behind his words. The royal family could not marry a landowner's daughter as Princess Consort, or they would be ridiculed by the world? Though he found it absurd, people of this era seemed to care greatly about appearances.

Fu Wutian's words had already made his stance clear. An Ziran knew that continuing to insist would yield no result. It would have been different if Old Prince Fu had not fallen ill, but fate was simply not on his side.

An Ziran took the jade pendant back from Old Prince Fu and left the Prince's residence with Steward Su.