As soon as Wei Changying had come back from seeing Mrs. Liu off, she had sent Mrs. Huang over to warn Wei Shengxian. But it was too late.

It was just getting dark when Mrs. Huang came back, looking grim and saying, "When I arrived at the First Madam's house, the First Madam had just got the news that the Liu Family had made a marriage proposal and was about to send someone over to the Second Madam's house to know more about the sixteenth young master of the Liu Family. Having heard what I said, the First Madam immediately burst into tears, saying... it might be too late!"

Wei Changying was shocked, saying, "How come? It's only been a few days. Have they already had their fortunes read? How is this possible?!"

"The Liu Family hasn't given them the bride price, but they did send a letter to ask for her full name and her birth horoscope yesterday." Mrs. Huang sighed and said.

"Since they only got to that stage, it's not impossible to reject the proposal now!" Wei Changying asked suspiciously, "Why is it too late?" The six ceremonies of betrothal and marriage were namely visiting the bride's family, asking for her full name and birth horoscope, having their fortunes read and informing the bride's family, paying a bride price to the bride's family, selecting a wedding date, and performing the marriage at the bride's home. So, only if they had had their fortunes read and the groom's family had informed the bride's family that they were suited to each other, then could it be considered that they were engaged.

They were just at the stage of asking the name. Although they had given their daughter's birth horoscope to the Liu Family, it would not be considered as a withdrawal from the marriage if they rejected them now.

Mrs. Huang said with a wry smile, "Because the Military Officer did not go to the First Madam's house to propose marriage, nor did he go to the governor's house, but to your two cousins' grandfather's house!"

Wei Changying looked slightly worried, saying unthinkingly, "They are, after all, my cousins' grandfather and grandmother. Even though they don't like the fact that my eldest aunt has no sons, why would they harm their lineal granddaughters?"

Mrs. Huang sighed, "Young madam, you don't know what things are like in the family of the First Madam's husband! The First Madam's mother-in-law, the grandmother of your two cousins, passed away long ago, and now they don't have a grandmother, but a grandaunt!"

"A grandaunt?" Wei Changying was stunned, asking, "Is she the aunt of my eldest uncle?"

"Yes." Mrs. Huang said, "Grandaunt Song became a widow when she was very young and returned to her parents' because she had no child. It is said that she took very good care of her parents. There is a monumental archway celebrating her chastity in widowhood and the inscription describing how filial she was outside the Song Family's mansion! With the reputation of being a virtuous and tough woman, the girls of the Song Family have always sought advice from her, with the exception of the First Madam's two daughters. The First Madam left the capital with her husband because of his job and gave birth to her daughters during that period. Grandaunt Song wrote to her, saying she wanted her daughters to come to the capital so that she could personally teach the two girls. But the First Madam could not let go of her daughters and thought that Grandaunt Song was too harsh on the girls of the family, so the First Madam refused her! This greatly offended Grandaunt Song!"

Wei Changying frowned, saying, "Even though the First Madam refused her, I think she must have said it politely, surely? How did she greatly offend her? Besides, my two cousins were very young at that time and it would be a long way to come to the capital. I don't think the elders could be that inconsiderate!"

Mrs. Huang pursed her lips, "Young madam, you are young. You don't know what a tough woman like her thinks. They are incredibly difficult to be pleased but the easiest to be offended... Cough, young madam, forget about them. The reason why the First Madam would rather buy a new house and live separately, refusing to go back home after she has come back to the capital with her husband, is that she can't stand this Grandaunt Song! The Military Officer sent someone over to your two cousins’ grandfather's house to propose marriage, and the grandfather has accepted it. Now even if the First Madam asks the grandfather to reject the Liu Family, Grandaunt Song will definitely stop her!"

"She is only a widow." Wei Changying sniffed, saying, "The one who actually makes the decision is my two cousins' grandfather! They are his lineal granddaughters. How can he be that ruthless?"

"Old Master Song values male children alone. He is displeased by the fact that the First Madam has no sons. Therefore, he doesn't like the two granddaughters." Mrs. Huang sneered, saying, "You have no idea how this Grandaunt Song is... The First Madam said, when she came back from Zezhou, she specially prepared generous gifts for everyone in her husband's family. When it was Grandaunt Song's turn to receive gifts, she took the gifts. But holding her tea, she required these two girls to show what etiquette they had learned, saying in a voice dripping with sarcasm, 'A girl of an eminent family should never go out or even step out of her room. What is this all about? Wandering aimlessly in a strange land with your parents? Let me see if I can still rescue you! If you are really hopeless, don't say you are my grandnieces! I can't afford to lose face!'"

"After they accepted the proposal, shouldn't they have sent someone over to tell the First Madam? It is said that Grandaunt Song said, 'The fourth daughter-in-law has ruined these two girls of the fourth branch. Having taken them everywhere, she has totally failed in educating them! They are so lucky that they can still marry their daughter into a family of gentlefolks. Our ancestors must have been blessing us. We must tell the fourth daughter-in-law to discipline the girls now and stop spoiling them in case they are so useless and unfilial that they disgrace our Song Family in Jiangnan.' Young madam, you think this person..."

Wei Changying said in disgust, "What an evil-tongued old woman!" And then she asked, "So, my eldest aunt was just listening to her?"

"What else could she do if she didn't listen?" Mrs. Huang said, "Our Old Madam has gone back to Fengzhou! If our Old Madam was here, she would never dare to embarrass the First Madam who was brought up by the Old Madam personally like this. However, now we have no elders from Ruiyu Hall in the capital to help. She is more senior than the First Madam, thinking she can bully her as she wants. Even if it were the Second Madam, she couldn't do anything. After all, the First Madam married into the Song Family. The aunt there was just criticizing the wife of her nephew and her grandnieces. If the young people in the First Madam's old family interfered, in the end, our own Ruiyu Hall would suffer."

Wei Changying asked quickly, "How about writing to my grandmother now?"

"It's too late!" Mrs. Huang said awkwardly, "Even if we use pigeons to send letters, it won't work. You know your two cousins' surnames are Song, not Wei. Their grandfather has made the decision. Even their father can't change it, let alone their maternal grandmother!"

"..." Wei Changying thought for a long time before saying, "It's late today. Tomorrow you go..." Having thought for a while, she sighed, "My husband is not here. It's difficult to ask my brother-in-law to come over. I had wanted to send someone to talk to Liu Xixun and to ask him to figure a way out. If they married, this marriage would do no good to the two families. I believe he also knows it."

Mrs. Huang mused, "Young madam, I think the sixteenth young master also realized what you are worrying about. He must have been trying to figure out what to do."

"Since Duke Weiyuan has kept Liu Xixun and Liu Youzhao in the capital for many years... He must have a plan for them?" Wei Changying frowned, murmuring.

She could only console herself with this thought for now.

However, two days later, things did not go as expected once again.

On the pretext of being fully pleased that the Crown Princess, Liu Ruoyu, was gentle, virtuous, filial, and understanding, Empress Gu decided to personally approve the marriage for the Crown Princess's younger cousin, Liu Xixun.

When he heard the news, the Crown Prince, Shen Xun, was leaning against a brocaded bed, holding two beautiful concubines. None of them were properly dressed, occasionally letting slip a glimpse of something intimate.

Not far from him, the Crown Princess Liu Ruoyu, holding a silver plate, sat calmly on a lower bed. By her hand, there was a variety of pastries and the first layers of each of them had already been consumed. She fully consciously turned a blind eye to what was happening in front of her.

Shen Xun was running his hand into his concubine's clothes. The concubine seemingly felt threatened by Liu Ruoyu and peeped at her while dodging his hand and pouting. But each time she dodged away, she happened to put some other part of her into Shen Xun's palm...

No matter how intoxicated they looked and how happily they groaned, Liu Ruoyu's mind was at ease. She even said, "It's getting cold now. The servants haven't commenced the underfloor heating. Your Royal Highness, please be careful. Don't catch a cold."

"It is said that girls from gentlefolks are virtuous and generous." Shen Xun lazily raised his head, looking at his Crown Princess with a faint smile and saying, "You are so considerate! We have not been married for one month and I am doing these things with my concubines in front of you, but you are not jealous at all, are you?"

As he said that, in a panic, the two concubines immediately said, "I am guilty! I beg your mercy, Your Royal Highness!"

Their voices pleading their guilt sounded as agreeable as if they had been yellow warblers coming out of the valley. They looked so delicate that Shen Xun couldn't help but kiss one of the concubines on the cheek. Liu Ruoyu didn't even blink and said with a gentle smile, "I'm not that pretty or very smart. I have all the blessing of the world that I could marry you, Your Royal Highness. However, I feel I'm not worthy of you. Since there are lovely girls by your side, I am very happy. Why would I be jealous?"

The two concubines were silent for a moment as if their necks had been grasped, but Shen Xun laughed and said meaningfully, "I have seen more women than the woman friends you have. I have seen all of this, hoping to win by losing and playing hard to get."

Liu Ruoyu paused, and then she couldn't help laughing and saying, "Your Royal Highness, if you don't believe that I'm not jealous, I cannot do anything about it." She was indeed not interested in Shen Xun, neither did she hope to live with him for the rest of her life. She only wanted to use her status as the Crown Princess to take revenge on Zhang Shaoguang and her children. She was surprised that he thought her being generous and tolerant was her trying to play hard to get with him and get his attention!

"If you want to be a virtuous Crown Princess, it also works for me!" Shen Xun pondered for a moment, suddenly remembering the news he had heard just. He had a thought, saying, "Empress Mother wants to approve a marriage for your cousin because of you, right? In the Imperial Edict, it says that this Miss of the Song Family is a beauty, isn’t she? She will become your cousin's wife in the future. If you get her to me, then I will believe you. How about that?"

Shen Xun said these incestuous words so naturally, which made Liu Ruoyu seem to have frozen for a moment. She then came back to her senses, smiling and saying, "The Imperial Edict for marriage is just another version of Four-Six Prose with flowery language. No matter who is described in it, they are all proclaimed as being talented and virtuous, aren't they? The Imperial Edict for marrying me to you was the same. But Your Royal Highness, do you think I'm worthy of all that praise? It was just a kind gesture from the Royal Family."

"If you don't want to get the person for me, just say so." Shen Xun said sarcastically, "See. I knew it. I said you were pretending." The two concubines jeered at her weakly, agreeing with the Crown Prince.

"I have seen the Miss of the Song Family with my own eyes." Liu Ruoyu said calmly, "To be honest, although she is beautiful, she is nothing special. My mother is now nearly forty years old, which is one generation older than the Miss of the Song Family! However, if this Miss of the Song Family stood with my mother, she would not look as beautiful as my mother! As for my sister Ruoye, she could easily eclipse her!"

She was mocking, "I mean no disrespect to the Empress, but I think that a so-called beauty is created from comparisons. Comparing her to an ugly woman, even if she looks average, she will be considered as being good-looking. Comparing her to a real beauty, like my mother, she really is nothing, let alone comparing her with the Empress!"

The Crown Prince of the Great Vi also had to go through the six ceremonies of betrothal and marriage to get married, but he hadn't gone to the bride's family for the wedding, so Shen Xun had not seen Zhang Shaoguang, nor Liu Ruoye. He was a womanizer. Having heard her words, he was very excited. He subconsciously pushed away his two concubines, approaching her and asking, "Are my mother-in-law and sister-in-law really that beautiful?"

Liu Ruoyu seemed to be nervous and immediately got up, saying, "Your Royal Highness, I have ordered my servant to stew some chicken soup for you in the kitchen. It is probably done by now. Let me go check on it!"

It was so obvious that she was trying to avoid answering him, which made what she had said seemingly true. Shen Xun, who didn't care about chicken soup at all, immediately said impatiently, "I do not want the soup!" Then noticing the two concubines at his side, he thought that it would be outrageous to tell his Crown Princess to introduce her mother and her sister to him in front of the concubines and servants. Sulking, he kicked the concubine, who he had kissed earlier, off the bed, reproaching her, "Stupid thing. Don't you see that I want to talk to the Crown Princess alone? Get lost now!"

His concubines had long been accustomed to the Crown Prince's temperament. When he liked them, he would give them whatever they wanted. But when he didn't, he would treat them like worn-out shoes, showing without mercy. At this moment, no one was shocked. They all curtsied timidly and left obediently.

When they were at the door, Shen Xun shouted again, "You can never say a word of what I said just now. If anyone dares to talk about it in private, I will skin her to make drums. Do you understand?"

"I will not! I will do as I'm told!" The servants and concubines felt a shiver ran down their spines. At the same time, they recalled a rumor about the Eastern Palace, saying that somewhere there was a room filled with a mountain of drums...

Having ordered them to leave, Shen Xun squinted, beckoning Liu Ruoyu to get her closer to him, "My lovely Ruoyu, come and tell me... How beautiful are your mother and sister? What are they like, in comparison to you?"