Learning About the Situation
Although becoming a prince consort grants one the privilege of holding an official position, it guarantees a lifetime of freedom from the core of power and the attainment of true authority. This is naturally something no one with lofty political ambitions would desire.
But such people are ultimately a minority.
The vast majority of people were still ordinary people, and they were quite willing to marry the king, after all, they could enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory. They also did not have the courage to refuse the royal family, fearing that they would be beheaded or never be given important positions.
Consort Jin was well aware of these people's psychology.
This year marks Xiao Ruoyu's coming-of-age ceremony, and Consort Jin has made up her mind to choose a consort for her daughter from among the newly appointed scholars.
Even before the list of successful candidates for the imperial examination was released, she had people study the more than one hundred successful candidates and select those who ranked in the top 30, were unmarried, and were good-looking. She then sent people to their hometowns to investigate them, so as not to make a big joke of them if they already had wives and children at home.
The top choice is Duan Chen, the top scholar in the imperial examination.
"Mother, I don't want to marry a poor man." Xiao Ruoyu shouted as she walked in.
She had just learned that her mother planned to choose a husband for her from among the successful candidates in this year's imperial examinations, so she rushed over.
Consort Jin glanced at her slowly and deliberately, then turned to the young eunuch and continued, "Speak, what have you found out?"
The young eunuch had gathered the information and was about to report it to Consort Jin when he saw Princess Xiangyang enter. He hesitated, looking at Consort Jin without speaking immediately.
In the past, Consort Jin might have considered her daughter's feelings and slowly analyzed the situation for her, telling her that the person she had chosen for her was the best candidate.
However, thanks to Xiangyang, she finally managed to Gao Xing the emperor and get him to visit her more often. Just when things seemed to be returning to normal, Xiangyang targeted Zhao Zhiwei, ruining everything.
She resented her daughter, yet had no choice but to arrange her marriage. Furious, she simply ignored her and said to the young eunuch, "Speak! What? Do you want me to slap you before you'll talk?"
The young eunuch shuddered and quickly said, "Duan Huiyuan is indeed unmarried. He is exceptionally intelligent and has been known as a Duan Family prodigy since childhood, receiving much love from his teachers and elders, which has fostered his extremely arrogant nature. The Yu Clan of Jiangnan once took a liking to him and wanted to marry their daughter to him, but he refused to do so. As a result, the Yu Clan has significantly impacted the Duan family's business."
"However, the Duan Family was optimistic about his future and believed that with his looks and talent, he would have a better marriage after passing the imperial examination. Therefore, they did not force him due to pressure from the Yu Clan, but instead used other grandchildren to arrange marriages to gain external support, and managed to get through it."
Hearing this, Consort Jin was extremely pleased.
She had inquired about Duan Chen's family background from the beginning. They were a middle-class family in Jiangnan, with some members holding official positions and others engaged in business. Their power was not great, which perfectly matched the emperor's requirements for the family background of a consort.
People from such backgrounds are far better off than those from purely poor families; at least their lifestyles, habits, and ways of thinking are more similar to theirs. If Xiangyang were to live with peasants, they'd probably go crazy.
Although she was dissatisfied with Xiangyang, she still loved her daughter and hoped that she could live a good life.
"What is his character like? Does he have any bad habits?" she asked.
This question actually put the young eunuch in a difficult position. In just a few days, he could only glean some superficial information. As for Duan Chen's personality, how could he possibly know without having truly lived and spent time with him?
Upon arriving, Duan Chen stayed at the Duan Family's residence in the capital. Even when he occasionally attended literary gatherings, he rarely chatted with others due to his arrogant nature. He even visited his uncle's house, where he was a fifth-rank official in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, only two or three times, using the excuse of needing to concentrate on his studies.
It's really hard to find out about someone like that, what kind of person they are or what their personality is like.
However, one cannot say "no" or "cannot do it" in front of one's master.
He said, "Because Duan Huiyuan has been focusing on the imperial examinations lately, he has been living a secluded life, rarely interacting with others, and not participating in literary gatherings. The information I have gathered is limited. Duan Huiyuan should be a rather simple-minded person. Although he has high standards, he will treat those he approves of wholeheartedly well."
Consort Jin nodded.
She was about to turn and speak to her daughter when she noticed that the young eunuch seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
She said, "If there's anything else you want to say, say it all. Don't hold back."
The young eunuch could only reply, "Duan Huiyuan rarely goes out, but he did yesterday, personally delivering a visiting card to the gatekeeper of the Earl of Suiping's Residence. Later, the Earl of Suiping's Residence sent him another card. As for what kind of card it was, this servant couldn't find out."
"In addition, Lu Shanchu ranked fifth in the provincial examination, also sent a letter to the Earl of Suiping's Residence, and received a reply from the Marquis of Earl of Suiping's Residence shortly after Duan Huiyuan."
Consort Jin's face darkened, and before she could speak, Xiao Ruoyu exclaimed, "It's her again! It's her again! Why is this woman like a flea, always jumping around in front of me? Mother, can't we just let her die?"
Consort Jin slammed her hand on the table, furious. "I think you haven't punished him enough, have you? What do you mean by death? He's a dignified scholar who passed the imperial examination; do you think you can just kill him off like that?"
Because of the incident of drugging Zhao Ruxi, Xiao Ge only ignored the mother and her two children and did not directly punish Xiao Ruoyu. However, Consort Jin could not remain silent, otherwise it would be seen as her indulging and spoiling her child and not knowing how to educate him.
So she confined Xiao Ruoyu to her quarters for half a month and punished her by making her copy several volumes of Buddhist scriptures.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Ruoyu suffered such a loss, and only after being released from confinement did she say such things.
If these words were to reach the Emperor's ears, the mother and her two children would never be able to escape this predicament.
Xiao Ruoyu realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly said, "Mother, I was wrong. I didn't mean it that way. I was just too angry, so I said those things in anger."
As she spoke, she glanced into the hall, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the hall was full of her mother's confidants.
Consort Jin also knew that in the past, she was favored by the emperor, and Xiao Ruoyu was also greatly favored by him, which led to her developing a spoiled and willful personality. It was impossible to change her all at once; it would take time.
She sighed and said earnestly, "Ruoyu, don't you even know your place? Is it really necessary for you to compete with the daughter of a minor noble family who has been living in exile? No matter how good you are at arithmetic, can you go to the Ministry of Revenue to do accounting? No matter how much she tries to cause trouble, can she threaten your position like other princesses? Why do you have to pick a fight with her?"
Xiao Ruoyu knew that she had lost her father's favor and could not disappoint her mother.
She sat down, pouting and saying aggrievedly, "Wasn't it because Mother suffered at her hands that I wanted to make amends? It was just out of filial piety. It's just that this person is too wicked. Despite being far removed from us in status and position, like a tiny ant, we've suffered quite a bit at her hands."