Favoring Qie Over Wife (9)

Song Jia was surprised at the grand fanfare her family gave to Zhao Cheng. She was certain that he would turn so red he would look like a cooked shrimp.

But when she glanced at him, his expression did not even flicker once before he waved his hand and permitted them to rise. His bearing was noble and composed.

Song Jia furrowed her brows. So this man was only awkward in front of her? Very quickly, she found what she thought was the answer. The reason for his behavior towards her could only be because she was the demoness who taught him the pleasures of the flesh. Thus, he was always sensitive to her presence.

After standing up, Prime Minister Li immediately approached Song Jia with the intention of asking her about her health. But Matriarch Li was one step ahead of him. Directly grabbing her granddaughter's arm, she barked at Da furen, "What are you waiting for? Let's go to the inner court and start Hua'er's age of coming ceremony!"

Prime Minister Li could only watch with eyes full of grievances as the three women exited the main hall and disappeared from his sight. After letting out a sigh, he invited Zhao Cheng into his study.

The guests to the pinning ceremony were nearly all women, so it was understandable that Prime Minister Li and Zhao Cheng would rather use the time to discuss top-secret matters.

...

On the other side, Song Jia watched as her third sister, Li Hua, knelt on a woven prayer mat with a solemn expression.

The honored guest that Prime Minister Li invited washed her hands on a nearby basin and picked up a sandalwood comb. She braided Li Hua's straight hair into a long plait before pulling it to the top of her head and securing it with a jade hairpin. Da furen went forward to support Li Hua's elbow as she rose up.

With that, the hair-pinning ceremony finally ended.

Li Hua joined her other sisters with her new cloud bun hairstyle and smiled when she caught sight of Song Jia. Sending her a wink, she proclaimed, "I will definitely marry an outstanding man like our dajie's [1] third prince!"

Li Hua had actually been crushing on Zhao Cheng since she was little. He frequently visited the Prime Minister's residence, so not only Li Jia, Li Hua fell in love with him as well. It would be not far from the truth to say that nearly all of Prime Minister Li's daughters had a crush on Zhao Cheng. He was handsome and had a high status, not to mention an impressive reputation and a rear court that lacked a single concubine. How could they not fantasize about him!

But Li Hua was fully aware of her own status. Even if she somehow made Zhao Cheng take a fancy to her, she could only ever become his concubine. Li Hua was very fond of reading. She especially liked romantic stories where a weak beauty and a strong handsome man would fall madly in love with each other, pledging lifelong devotion. Although Zhao Cheng was a perfect candidate in her eyes, and would likely become the Emperor in the future, she could never be his Empress.

How could it be a perfect love story if every time they received important guests in the palace, he would have to take another woman with him while she was shut alone in the rear court?

Li Hua could only swallow her disappointment and give her best to her eldest sister. At least her dajie was the official wife. If Zhao Cheng continued not to take any concubines, Li Hua would have a perfect love story play out before her very eyes. It was a good enough compromise!

The four sisters chatted and joked with one another until Da furen called out the other yiniangs and told them to come to the private garden to drink tea. Matriarch Li once again got ahold of Song Jia and interrogated her about her life in the wangfu. Song Jia gave out standard answers and avoided embarrassing ones, like Zhao Cheng's skills in the bedroom.

Remembering the original host's humiliation of having to let a concubine enter into the wangfu just three months after their wedding, Song Jia changed her mind and remarked, "Actually, san danxia finishes rather early!"

Her statement swept her sisters into a titter as even Da furen covered her unexpected giggle with a brocade handkerchief. Wu yiniang, Li Jing's birth mother, even had to wipe a few tears from laughing too much. Matriarch Li's lips twitched.

The women were having too much fun to notice that two figures only a short distance away from them abruptly froze. Prime Minister Li looked at Zhao Cheng's blackened face that could grind ink and gulped.

His daughter was just too outspoken!

Zhao Cheng remembered their wedding night that lasted until fourth geng [2] and wondered where this baseless accusation came from. He wanted to stomp forward and remind this little woman that it was her who complained the very next day that her waist felt like it was going break in half! How could she lie to her sisters with such a straight face?

However, in the end, Zhao Cheng reined in his impulse. This slight loss of face could be overlooked considering that it was he who slighted her first. Maybe this was her way of letting out her anger. He really did thought that his wang fei behaved a little too well when she reacted to his news of taking in a concubine.

Seeing her insult now as her way of letting out her dissatisfaction with him, the third prince Zhao Cheng actually felt slightly relieved.

Regarding the agreement between him and Li Jia to mutually divorce, Zhao Cheng naturally did not tell Prime Minister Li.

He still had a year to prepare. If Bai Mei Lien could bear him sons, he would then be able to raise her rank from shufei to cefei. After his mutual divorce with Li Jia, making Bai Mei Lien become his second wife would not be difficult to achieve at all.

[1] Eldest sister

[2] 01:00 - 03:00 AM