Chapter 192.3: Not That High of a Demand

Once the two left and returned to their own rooms, they finally couldn’t help but look to one another in dismay. What the hell was ‘there isn’t a problem’, the problem was big.

Wanting a girl to look for a man on one’s own, and even needing to ‘consummate the marriage’ that night, one can’t joke like this. Master, if you want to have us ‘married off’, just directly point to someone. Listening to master’s orders, that was the ‘heavenly law and the earthly principle’, why make it this awkward. Right now, for them to offer themselves up to a man to sleep with, they rather weren’t worried that they’ll be refused, just they’ll definitely be looked at with a peculiar expression, and even if they will marry in the days after, the other party afraid will still have a knot in their heart.

For a moment, they wished to cry but had no tears.

“Qing Shi, what should we do?” Qing Ge pulled on the handkerchief, a look of worry.

“Don’t you have someone in your heart? Just go look for him. I’ll just randomly find one.” Qing Shi actually appeared quite indifferent.

“But, but………”

“There’s no buts, master always means what he says. He let us look for a man, then we just need to look for one, he let us consummate the marriage tonight, then we just need to consummate the marriage tonight.”

“Is it also the same for Qing Ci and Qing Fu?”

“Most likely. Towards us, master has always been ‘equally benevolent’.”

“At night, I’ll go look for him, if he’s unwilling, then I’ll just randomly find one too.” Qing Ge said, somewhat betting, somewhat helpless. “And you? Do you have a candidate in your heart?”

Qing Shi faintly smiled, but didn’t say anything.

And Eunuch Mu, who for the most part, served at the side at all times, also didn’t know what to say. As expected, their master was just a walking disaster, never mind bringing disaster to outsiders, but even bringing disaster to his own people. For better or worse, the delicate servant girls serve you, and even if there’s no contribution, no hard work, they’re still under your name. Setting aside how the people chosen by the servant girls will think, in the future when they marry, the rumors won’t be pleasant either. Sigh, alright, by that time, it’s wangfei having the people married off. At worst, it was just wangfei shouldering a jealous woman reputation, trivial details……..my ass!

Eunuch Mu carried a blank expression, silently cursing in deadpan. If wangfei were to know about this cause and effect, don’t know what kind of expression she will have. Then, casting a glance at the similarly ‘pretending to be a wood plank’ An Yi, as the head of the shadow guards, and simultaneously also the head of the regular bodyguards, because he was special, he most likely won’t be like the other shadow guards, needing to wait until after retiring to finally be able to marry. However, the four servant girls all only know his identity on the surface, so perhaps this while, he has already been targeted. Eunuch Mu was somewhat looking forward to his ‘misfortune’.

“An Yi……”

“Master.” An Yi immediately knelt down on one knee, waiting for his instructions.

“Send someone to tell Imperial Uncle Zhong, this prince feels he has too few people serving by his side.”

“Yes.”

Thus, not long after Le Cheng Emperor woke up from his afternoon nap, and right as he was preparing to look over memorandums, Zhong Qinwang came looking, “……….Imperial brother, this younger brother heard, there’s eight beauties here that nephew Hong Yuan disdains very much. He may disdain, but this younger brother doesn’t disdain, so have them all bestowed to this younger brother. It just so happens that this time, this younger brother didn’t bring along that many people to serve oneself either.”

Le Cheng Emperor looked to him momentarily. This younger brother was also one that ate anything, not attending to his proper duties all day, the upper beam not straight, so the lower beam was also crooked[1], even causing those sons of his to also be a bunch of wastrels. However, he ultimately owed him, and this younger brother can also be considered to have propriety, not committing major offenses, nothing more than incurring some trivial fights. There was no harm in raising him for a lifetime. Even if he(Le Cheng Emperor) passes away, and his son ascends the throne, he(Zhong Qinwang) was still an elder and hadn’t participated in the faction battles, so naturally won’t be treated harshly either. As for after he(Zhong Qinwang) dies, what those descendants of his will do, that wasn’t something within his consideration. “Go look for noble consort. Also, take it easy a little yourself, don’t damage you body.”

(T/N: The ironic thing is if Zhong Qinwang really were to be ‘outstanding’, Le Cheng Emperor would probably think he wants to overthrow him.)

Zhong Qinwang unconcernedly laughed out loud, “Rest assured imperial brother, this younger brother understands.”

Le Cheng Emperor waved his hand, letting him quickly get lost, just annoying to look at.

Zhong Qinwang swiftly got lost, finding Noble Consort Su and asking for the people. Afterwards, fully content with his achievements, had the dispirited eight beauties led away. Even if he encountered those talks and gossips, he was also unconcerned. Face and whatnot, how much money was that thing worth? Obtaining something genuine was real, and everything else was all empty. Don’t think that he didn’t hear the jealousy in certain people’s tone.

That’s why, encountering this kind of person, who didn’t take their face seriously, the one to feel depressed would only be oneself.

However, after Zhong Qinwang returned, the smile on his face just disappeared without a trace. It can be seen, he in reality wasn’t as happy as he appeared to be on the surface. It was true that he’s always been drifting along, but this didn’t mean that he didn’t have any brain at all. It was nothing more than the helplessness of reality, letting him compromise again and again. In the end, he also just got used to it, used to pretending to be a fool, used to lowering his head in front of strong power. Since his arms can’t compete with the other party’s big thighs, then just don’t compete.

“Thoughtlessly eating and waiting for death, wasn’t that also pretty good?” Zhong Qinwang self-mockingly smiled. Afterwards, he grabbed a beauty in each hand and entered the room. Life was short and bitter, so one ought to just enjoy the present.

Because his mood wasn’t good, it was inevitable for him to not be that gentle, and in addition to the beauty’s first time experiencing ‘pleasure’, the result, one can well imagine.

Zhong Wangfei got ‘dismissed[2]‘, but his two side consorts were both present. Thus, seemingly no one realized, the quota for Zhong Qinwang’s side consort position was actually full. Then, what should Ruan Fang Fei do? Promote into a main consort? Or perhaps demote a side consort? Or break convention, letting her become a third side consort? The first option obviously was impossible. Towards Grandmaster Liao Chen’s words, Le Cheng Emperor firmly believed without a doubt and will definitely suppress Ruan Fang Fei. As for the second option, in the beginning, for the sake of compensating Zhong Qinwang, his two side consorts’ birth were all pretty good. Moreover, they both had children, and having not done anything wrong, what reason is there to demote them? Then, the third option, perhaps, was the only choice, but the ancestral laws were placed there, how can they change it for her sake? In the end, perhaps she will just carry a side consort title, but on the imperial family’s jade document, it won’t have her name, the result of this was just not having a place.

Until now, who has realized this bit?

Perhaps even Li Hong Yuan hasn’t realized this yet. After all, Ruan Fang Fei wasn’t worth for him to pay attention this much.

But there were two people that were definitely clear about this, and that’s Zhong Qinwang’s two side consorts. The two of them had similar family background, and without that vulgar and stupid wangfei pressing on top, having one of them promoted was very possible. That’s right, what they saw wasn’t just the threat that Ruan Fang Fei will bring, but also an opportunity. Making space for Ruan Fang Fei, why must one need to demote?

Knowing Zhong Qinwang’s personality, they naturally didn’t count on him either. The two of them very coordinately had the eight women arranged. As for the two that have already been pampered, whether or not it was to promote as a concubine was still pending. After all, there were still six more behind them. They can’t just have them all promoted to a concubine after getting pampered. A qinwang’s concubines also had a fixed number.

After Zhong Qinwang satisfied himself, the gloomy anger in his heart scattered. In any case, he had obtained all the benefits.

“Send an invitation to Miss Ruan, inviting her over to view the flowers and drink tea.” Zhong Qinwang instructed the two side consorts.

The two of them glanced at one another, hooking a similarly angled shallow smile, “Yes, wangye.”

Zhong Qinwang’s side consorts inviting Ruan Fang Fei was nothing more than just wanting to feel her temperament out. Regardless of how many rumors they’ve heard, without crossing paths, everything was all no use. This was precisely the so-called, ‘what one sees is true, and what one hears is false’. And sometimes, seeing might not necessarily be true either. That’s why, wanting to meet her, in regardless of whose eyes, was all very normal.

[1] This idiom means the people below imitate the people above, so if a leader is not proper the people under him won’t be proper either.

[2] The word 黜 means like expelled or dismissed from a position, but I really wanted to write dismissed from life.