Early the next morning, the princess, beaming with joy, returned to her natal home with her maid and nanny.
Mrs. He had been scolded by her husband because of He Wenbo's misdeeds. For several days, her husband ignored her and instead doted on his new concubine. She had been so upset that she couldn't sleep well for several nights. But now, she had to receive her sister - in - law with dark circles under her eyes.
The princess brought a lot of tonics. "I heard that Second Brother punished Wenbo and Nanfeng. I've been feeling so bad. After all, they're still kids. They're a bit immature since they're not married yet. Sister - in - law, you should have persuaded Brother more. How could you let him get so angry?"
Mrs. He was seething with anger. Persuade more? Didn't the princess know her brother's temper? But she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she wiped her tears and sighed as she grabbed the princess's hand. "Now the He family has made such a big laughingstock. We don't know what the outsiders are saying... Even I was severely punished by my husband. He even wants to hand over the household management to that bitch. I..."
The princess feigned surprise. "How could Second Brother do this? A concubine can never be in charge of the household. Where does he put you? And where does he put Wenhao and Wenbo?"
Mrs. He had been feeling aggrieved for days. Now, hearing such comforting words, she couldn't hold back her tears. She held the princess's hand and complained at length. She didn't dare to speak ill of He Nanfeng but only mentioned how capable Lu Yingshuang was and how she had led He Wenbo astray.
The princess sighed. "Well, apart from the injury on her face, Miss Lu is fine. The Lu family has a good family background and reputation. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have them as in - laws. If necessary, after Wenbo has a legitimate son, we can find him a couple of beautiful concubines to his liking."
Mrs. He nodded. "This is the only thing we can do now. But offending the Jiang family has really upset your brother. These days, Wenbo doesn't even dare to step out of his courtyard."
"Those who make mistakes must be punished. It'll get better after a while." The princess comforted her casually and then changed the topic. "By the way, Wenbo is only half a year older than Nanfeng. His marriage has been arranged, but Nanfeng's is still up in the air. Although Father said before he passed away that Nanfeng could decide his own marriage, you're the mistress of the He family after all. If you don't care about your nephew, people will talk."
Mrs. He had been worried about this for a long time. It was a dilemma for her. She had hoped to marry her niece from her natal family to Nanfeng so that she could have more control. But because of Han'er in the mansion, she was afraid Han'er would think too much, so she gave up the idea.
"Does the princess have any ideas?"
The princess nodded cheerfully. "Actually, I came here today because someone asked me to pass on a message. A few days ago, on your birthday, several ladies saw Nanfeng. They were all satisfied with his appearance. But you were so busy that day, so they asked me about him indirectly. Among them are the wife of Minister of Works, the Cao family, and the wife of the Grand Secretary, the Xia family."
Alarm bells rang in Mrs. He's mind. The Grand Secretary was in the emperor's favor, and the Xia family's daughter was quite famous. If she married Nanfeng, it would be a great help to him. As for the Cao family, they were a noble family. Their eldest daughter was already her eldest daughter - in - law, which was a good match. But Minister Cao had remarried after his first wife's death. The eldest daughter was from the first wife, and the other children were from the current wife. She couldn't let Nanfeng marry their youngest daughter. Otherwise, after Minister Cao passed away, the head of the Cao family might favor Nanfeng more. It was not a good idea.
The princess whispered mysteriously, "Do you know who I met yesterday?"
Mrs. He's eyelids twitched. "Who?"
The princess patted her hand. "The Liu family from Maoming came to the capital to do business and asked me for help."
The Liu family from Maoming was a small family and couldn't be on par with the Lu and He families. But a girl from the Liu family once entered the palace as a maid and was accidentally favored by the emperor... She was the biological mother of Princess Qin. The Liu family's visit couldn't be for arranging a marriage for their own daughter. They must be worried about Princess Qin's future.
Mrs. He was in a complete mess and didn't think that as a princess, Princess Qin's marriage couldn't be arranged by the Liu family.
The princess continued, "I thought that Princess Qin, without her biological mother and out of favor, is a poor girl. In the future, she'll probably be casually married off. If she marries Nanfeng, it would be a perfect match."
Mrs. He widened her eyes and shook her head. "No..."
The princess asked in confusion, "Why not?"
Mrs. He naturally thought it was not a good idea. No matter how out of favor Princess Qin was, she was still a princess. After marrying a princess, the husband would be granted a marquis or earl title to pass on to his descendants. Then Nanfeng, as the princess's husband, would be more noble than them. She couldn't stand it.
"Princess Qin is too introverted, and Nanfeng is also a quiet person. They're not a good match."
The princess frowned and leaned back in her chair without saying a word, but her displeasure was obvious on her face.
Mrs. He felt her excuse was too perfunctory, so she added, "Well, I'll talk to Nanfeng later. If he's willing, we'll do it this way."
The princess nodded and reminded her, "You should also tell Nanfeng about the characters of Princess Qin and the daughters of the Cao and Xia families. He should be able to choose one of them."
Mrs. He lowered her eyes. Since the princess had said so much, she couldn't refuse. She had to choose one for Nanfeng. But she didn't like any of them.
The princess lowered her head slightly. Ning'er was right. Her sister - in - law really had no genuine affection for Nanfeng.
She changed the topic. "By the way, has Brother gone to the Jiang family? Has he solved the problem?"
Mrs. He looked even more worried. "On the day when Wenbo was supposed to be engaged to the Jiang family, he was ill and didn't attend, which really upset the Jiang family. It was Nanfeng who went to smooth things over. Now that we're breaking off the engagement, the Jiang family has said some harsh words, which has really embarrassed my husband."
The princess sighed. "After all, it was Father who arranged this marriage and specifically pointed out that Shishi should marry into our He family. Now that this has happened, no one will be happy. When Wenbo gets better, let him go and apologize in person... Oh no, it's not appropriate. Wenbo is going to marry the Lu family's daughter. What should we do? You just said who? Nanfeng went to smooth things over? That's right. Nanfeng grew up in front of Father and has a lot of contacts with the Jiang family. It would be good if Nanfeng could go and apologize on behalf of his brother."
On behalf of his brother?
A light dawned in Mrs. He's eyes. Yes, Nanfeng had always been on good terms with the Jiang family. If he could go and apologize on behalf of his brother, he could also take over the marriage. Jiang Shishi was a sickly girl. Anyway, she would be easier to control than other girls. If the marriage could be arranged, it could also solve the problem of her husband going against their late father - in - law's last words.
She rolled her eyes. Afraid that the princess would be unhappy, she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she happily sent the princess off and began to think about how to talk to He Nanfeng about this.