“If one were to marry a woman like Meng Er, I fear it would bring unrest to the household in the future. If it were you, Your Highness, you wouldn’t want to marry her either.”
Xie Yunye and the Crown Prince had grown up together since childhood, sharing an extremely close relationship and a deep understanding of each other.
The Crown Prince could tell at a glance that Xie Yunye had not answered truthfully.
But the Crown Prince merely chuckled and asked in return, “If marrying Meng Er would benefit me, why would I be unwilling?”
Seeing Xie Yunye remain silent, the Crown Prince cut straight to the point:
“Speak up. If Meng Er’s temperament is undesirable, then whose temperament do you find agreeable? And who do you think would bring peace to your household in the future?”
Xie Yunye remained silent.
“There is no such woman.”
“I don’t believe in baseless rumors. Is it that the woman you like is not presentable? Or would you rather I investigate this myself?”
Xie Yunye frowned deeply. “It’s not a matter of liking her. I simply find her pleasing to the eye. She is Meng Er’s younger sister.”
The Crown Prince lowered his head in thought. “Meng Er has a younger sister?”
“A concubine-born sister?”
Xie Yunye nodded.
“A concubine-born status is too lowly for you. Do not dwell on her,” the Crown Prince declared decisively.
“I am also concubine-born, Your Highness. Have you forgotten?”
Xie Yunye’s words made the Crown Prince look up again, staring directly at him.
“You are not now.”
Too many members of the Xie family had died in battle, leaving the family line sparse, especially by Xie Yunye’s generation.
For over a decade, he was the only male heir, so Xie Yunye was taken under the care of Lady Xie and registered as a legitimate son.
However, last year, Lady Xie gave birth to her own son.
The Xie household was no longer peaceful.
“You know I meant no harm. Whether you are concubine-born or legitimate, I do not care.”
“What I value is you as a person.”
Xie Yunye replied, “I know, Your Highness. But I do not believe concubine-born individuals are inferior.”
The Crown Prince sighed. He should not have discussed legitimacy and concubine-born status in front of Xie Yunye today.
As a child, Xie Yunye and his younger sister suffered greatly due to his concubine-born status.
His mother’s background was too lowly, making her disliked by the Xie family, who even doubted Xie Yunye’s parentage.
It was only later, when the Xie family failed to produce another male heir and Xie Yunye grew to resemble the old Duke more and more, that he gained the family’s recognition.
“Yunye, I am not looking down on concubine-born individuals. I simply disapprove of marrying someone who offers you no advantage, whereas marrying Meng Er would be different.”
“An alliance with Meng Er may appear to be with the Meng household, but in reality, it involves the Chen Duke’s residence. Meng Er’s mother is the youngest and most beloved daughter of Duke Chen.”
“Duke Chen is His Majesty’s maternal uncle.”
“Your mother gave birth to a son last year. One is her own young child, and the other is an adopted concubine-born son. If it were you, would you willingly let a child who is not your own inherit the title of heir?”
The Crown Prince directly pointed out Xie Yunye’s predicament.
“You and I have been friends for over a decade. You are my most trusted brother. I wish you well, and I hope it is you who inherits the title of heir.”
Xie Yunye remained silent for a long time. How could he not know what the Crown Prince was saying?
His younger sister had been deliberately mistreated as a child, nearly fell victim to a scheme today, and his concubine mother had been bedridden for years. All these incidents involved his legitimate mother.
On the surface, they were mother and son, but in reality, they had long become enemies.
He had no choice but to secure the title of heir.
“Your Highness, I was impulsive.”
Xie Yunye had already made his decision.
Yet, for some reason, he felt a sense of loss deep within.
The Crown Prince nodded and offered words of comfort. “Yunye, given our positions, we often have no choice. You are no exception, and neither am I.”
“Now I am beset by enemies on all sides. If in the future I can… then whatever you wish to do, I will do my utmost to help you.”
Xie Yunye: “Your Highness, I understand.”
Crown Prince: “Soon will be the six-yearly Qinghe Autumn Hunt. Meng Jinrong is fond of you. If you truly wish to be in harmony with your future wife, that would be a good time to cultivate your relationship.”
The Qinghe Autumn Hunt was a tradition of the dynasty, held once every six years for two months, serving as both an imperial hunt and military review.
Besides the royal family, nobles, ministers, and some of their family members could also attend.
Xie Yunye: “Your Highness is concerned about my marriage, but does Your Highness have a favored candidate for Crown Princess?”
The Crown Prince chuckled lightly: “We shall see during the Qinghe Autumn Hunt.”
Xie Yunye: “If in the future Your Highness meets a woman you like, but her status is low…”
Before Xie Yunye could finish, the Crown Prince waved his hand to interrupt him.
The Crown Prince sounded somewhat exasperated: “Ah Ye, I will not like any woman. What I like is only power.”
“Things like love and affection—I will never touch them in this lifetime.”
“Li Zhong!”
The eunuch bowed carefully: “Your Highness, your servant is here.”
“Send someone to investigate that Meng family concubine-born daughter.” The Crown Prince’s eyes were icy, his deep, sculpted features strikingly intimidating.
Xie Yunye was the same type of person as him—usually never paying attention to women, let alone finding any woman pleasing.
The Crown Prince wanted to know what methods this woman had used to make Xie Yunye take an interest in her.
“Yes, your servant will investigate immediately.”
“Miss must have been frightened today. In the future, this servant must stay by your side at all times.”
Meng Jinyue gently shook her head, instead comforting Qiu Ning,
“Qiu Ning, don’t worry, I’m fine.”
In her past life, she had been timid and afraid of everything.
She was also weak-willed, always wanting to hide herself away, as if only by hiding could she survive.
This lifetime, she would not be like that.
“Qiu Ning, go prepare water. I wish to bathe.”
“Alright, this servant will go right away.”
“Miss, you are truly beautiful.”
Qiu Ning held a cloth, meticulously wringing out her hair.
Meng Jinyue had just finished bathing, her dark hair loosely cascading down like mist. Her plain white collar was slightly open, revealing fair, pink-tinged collarbones.
Qiu Ning: “If this servant were a man, I would surely be captivated by you.”
“Move aside!”
“Second Miss, our miss is bathing…”
Before the maid outside could finish speaking, Meng Jinrong had already barged in.
As soon as she entered the room, her attention was drawn to Meng Jinyue on the soft couch by the window.
Perhaps because she had just bathed, Meng Jinyue wore only a light yellow gauze robe, which made her skin appear as white as snow, glowing brightly.
Meng Jinrong felt increasingly uncomfortable. She shouldn’t keep looking—the more she looked, the more jealous she became.
Yet her eyes seemed to torment her, fixed intently on Meng Jinyue.
She scanned inch by inch over Meng Jinyue’s enchanting, peerless face, her slender waist…
Heaven was truly unfair. Her mother was the emperor’s own cousin, her maternal grandfather the emperor’s own uncle.
While Meng Jinyue’s mother was merely a lowly merchant’s daughter, her maternal family all insignificant, base merchants.
But Meng Jinyue was more beautiful than her in every way—her shoulders delicate, her waist slender. Fine, her waist was slender, but her chest was also larger than hers.
Her complexion was even more lustrous and fair than hers. Meng Jinrong was usually very careful, never exposing herself to the sun, and never missing a day of applying fragrant ointments to her body, yet she still fell far short of Meng Jinyue.
“Second Sister, did you need something from me?”
Meng Jinrong sneered, “What do you think? Are you trying to seduce someone again? Before, when I liked Su Lie, you seduced him. Now that I like Brother Xie, you deliberately get close to Xie Qingzhi. Are you doing this on purpose to oppose me?”
“Are you really this cheap, this fond of seducing men?”
Meng Jinrong knew that Xie Yunye was indifferent to worldly desires, just like the Crown Prince, he kept his distance from women.
But with Meng Jinyue’s looks and figure, she was a living, breathing temptress.
That alone would have been bad enough, but Meng Jinyue was also timid and weak, her nature as pure and simple as a blank sheet of paper.
Meng Jinrong knew all too well that no man in the world could resist such a woman. She truly wanted to destroy her!
“Second Sister, I really didn’t.”
Meng Jinyue’s eyes were misty with tears, her watery gaze tinged with red, appearing innocent and pure.
This look, on the verge of tears, made her appear even more delicate and charming, which only deepened Meng Jinrong’s jealousy and resentment.