Mother, I Want to Marry Zhao Zhiwei

Zhao Ruxi answered readily, "Yes."

Kang Shilin nodded, remaining silent for a moment.

He needs to think about what to do.

After a while, he said, "I will go to the palace this evening and speak with the Emperor."

He then comforted Zhao Ruxi, saying, "Don't worry. The Emperor values talent. Placing you in the Hanlin Academy would damage your reputation, but he won't do that if I remind him."

Zhao Ruxi nodded. "Alright, then I'll leave this matter to Master."

After Zhao Ruxi left the Kang Residence and boarded her carriage, Qingfeng asked, "Miss, why didn't you tell the Fifth Prince about this matter...?" She held up a hand, indicating to him, "Tell me."

Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "It's not appropriate for him to get involved in this matter; only my master is the most suitable."

If Xiao Lingyan found out, he would be extremely anxious. But he is her son; unless their relationship is made public, what reason is there to stop Xiao Ge from placing her in the Hanlin Academy? And their relationship cannot be made public.

Noble Consort Cen's position in the palace had always been awkward, and her relationship with Xiao Ge was extremely cold, so it was even less likely that she would stop this matter.

Kang Shilin was Xiao Ge's elder, and they had a close relationship. As Kang Shilin's junior apprentice, it was perfectly reasonable for him to plead with Xiao Ge for his apprentice's reputation. Even if Xiao Ge refused, he wouldn't blame Kang Shilin.

In the palace, Noble Consort Cen was about to take her afternoon nap when a palace maid came to report that His Highness Prince of Qi requested an audience.

"What is he doing here at this hour?" Noble Consort Cen asked, signaling a palace maid to Xiao Lingyan.

As soon as Xiao Lingyan entered, he said, "Mother, I have something to tell you."

Generally speaking, when Xiao Lingyan said this, he meant that Noble Consort Cen so that he could tell her something that should not be overheard by others.

Seeing her son's serious expression, Noble Consort Cen waved her hand, and the palace maids in the hall withdrew.

"I'd like to speak with you privately." Xiao Lingyan glanced at the head palace maid beside Noble Consort Cen.

These people were servants who entered the palace with Noble Consort Cen. Their parents and relatives were still in the Cen Family, and they were Noble Consort Cen's confidants. However, the matter was of great importance, and he did not want anyone other than Noble Consort Cen to know about it.

Noble Consort Cen then instructed the palace maids, "You all stay outside." With that, she led Xiao Lingyan into the inner room.

The power struggles within the palace are fierce, involving life and death. Noble Consort Cen has been in charge of the inner palace for many years, and her palace is specially arranged so that even if outsiders stand at the door, they cannot hear clearly when she speaks in the inner room.

Seeing that the head palace maid had automatically stood guard outside the door, Xiao Lingyan whispered, "Mother, I want to marry Zhao Zhiwei."

Noble Consort Cen looked at him in surprise, but after thinking about it, she immediately felt it was only natural.

She liked Zhao Zhiwei very much when she first met her. Now that she has become the top scholar in the imperial examination, she is exceptionally talented, so it's not surprising that her son is interested in her.

Her youngest son is already seventeen years old, but he hasn't considered marriage at all, which worries her greatly. Now that he has taken the initiative to propose, and has even chosen an excellent girl, Noble Consort Cen was overjoyed.

She said, "Alright, I'll go and ask your father for permission right away." As she spoke, she tried to stand up.

Xiao Lingyan grabbed her arm, saying, "Please let me finish what I have to say."

Noble Consort Cen had no choice but to sit down.

"Zhao Zhiwei's master is Mister Kumu, and her senior brothers are Wu Huaisi and others, and she is also highly regarded by Peng Guoan and others. It can be said that everyone around her is a royalist. If I were to get engaged to her, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince would definitely feel threatened and try to sabotage the relationship."

"Zhao Zhiwei is different from other daughters of noble families. The Earl of Suiping's Residence is weak, and she has no family power to protect her; moreover, she has to go out to serve as an official and cannot stay at home all day, which increases the danger. If the Crown Prince and my third brother want to deal with her, they have too many opportunities to do so. But I married her because I admire her talents, not to confine her to the inner quarters. Therefore, I do not want to expose her too early before the marriage."

Noble Consort Cen frowned upon hearing this. "But we need to make preparations for your marriage, right? It certainly won't work if the choice of Consort of the Prince of Qi isn't finalized."

"My second brother didn't get married until he was nineteen, so I'm not in a hurry. It's not too late to get married next year or the year after. There's not much to prepare for the wedding. I already have a mansion. If they need anything, I can just arrange it under the guise of furnishing the new house."

"Silly son, if you don't get engaged, why will the girl wait for you? Zhao Zhiwei is sixteen years old this year, isn't she? At this time, her family must be looking for someone." Noble Consort Cen thought her son didn't understand and looked at Xiao Lingyan as if he were a fool.

"I will secretly confess my feelings to Zhao Zhiwei and ask her to wait for me. You don't need to worry about it. The problem now is that Father Emperor has appointed her as the top scholar, so she will be entering the Hanlin Academy. Given her status, do you think it's appropriate for her to stay by Father Emperor's side and work?"

Noble Consort Cen, who had initially been teasing, immediately became serious upon hearing these words.

She knew her son was proud and arrogant; in the past two years, she had proposed to countless daughters of prominent families, but he had rejected them all. Now that he had finally taken a liking to Zhao Zhiwei, Zhao Zhiwei would be her daughter-in-law. How could she let her future daughter-in-law work for her father-in-law?

Regardless of whether Xiao Ge has feelings for Zhao Zhiwei, his reputation is already tarnished. What kind of talk is it for a son to marry a woman close to his father? It will inevitably become the first obstacle to his son's marriage.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked. "How can I help you?"

"Is Father Emperor going to spend the night in your palace tonight? You can mention it to him then and ask him to grant Zhao Zhiwei's request to be sent to a post outside the capital. As for the reason, you can start from a woman's perspective and say that you don't want such a talented woman to end up with such a tragic fate. Just because of the imperial examination, Consort Jin and her daughter have been targeting Zhao Zhiwei repeatedly; if Zhao Zhiwei stays by Father Emperor's side, I'm afraid she won't live to see next year."

As a time traveler, Xiao Lingyan really wanted to complain about the rule that Xiao Ge had to spend the night at Noble Consort Cen's place on the fifteenth of every month.

In ancient times, the husband's first wife was well protected. On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, the husband would spend the night at his first wife's house.

Although Noble Consort Cen was not the empress's principal wife, she was in charge of the inner palace since the empress had passed away many years ago. If Xiao Ge didn't come to her place to spend the night, the concubines in the palace would certainly not obey her. Therefore, Xiao Ge established an unwritten rule that he would come to Noble Consort Cen's place on the fifteenth of every month.

However, when he favored Consort Jin, he would simply sleep under a blanket when he stayed overnight at Noble Consort Cen.

From Xiao Lingyan's modern perspective, it would have been better if Xiao Ge hadn't come at all. What did he take Noble Consort Cen for?

However, this has now given Noble Consort Cen an opportunity to speak up.

If she were to specifically go to Xiao Ge and say those words, Xiao Ge and the people around him would definitely overthink it, and the news would quickly reach Consort Jin's ears.

But if she casually brings it up during a casual chat at night, there will be no flaws.