The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 136

“Sir Wei is the eldest grandson from the fourth shu branch¹ of the Duke of Wei’s House?” Mu Xi Yao was extremely shocked by Wei Zhen’s background.

The Duke of Wei House was the most prosperous among the three Duke Houses. The Duke of An House was already showing signs of decline. The whole Duke of Rong House relied solely on their duke to sustain it. However, the Duke of Wei House was a picture of a tripod cauldron², and its internal struggles were intensive. Although Wei Zhen came from the fourth branch, not the di branch, it was still an exceptionally powerful branch in the household.

According to what Zhao Momo said, among the generation of Wei Zhen’s father, there were two high officers of border provinces and one who held an official position in the cabinet. It appeared that Wei Zhen’s family background was noble.

“Why hasn’t he got engaged yet?” Although he was without a mother, he still had his father and grandfather, didn’t he? Even if the two elders neglected this issue, why would the first branch forget about such a valuable chess piece for a marital alliance?

Without the presence of Sir Wei, Zhao Momo was much more relaxed when replying. To satisfy the Mistress’s curious nature that liked to ask about the root of things, Zhao Momo spoke in-depth.

“Although Sir Wei’s father had a good official reputation, he did some preposterous things in his youth. At the time, he mistreated his legitimate wife for his favorite concubine, causing the greatest stir in Shengjing. Sir Wei’s mother died from the anger caused by the favorite concubine, so father and son become enemies. Over the years, Sir Wei has never voluntarily returned to the duke’s household. His father has many sons and doesn’t care about his first son, who has been rebellious since childhood, so many things have been delayed and there was no way to talk about it.

Think about it, Mistress. If Sir Wei’s family arranged a marriage for him, but the groom was not present during the gift-giving ceremony³, wouldn’t it be self-humiliation and offending the in-laws? This old servant heard that every year the Duke of Wei House sends letters to urge Sir Wei to return home to celebrate the New Year, but usually, he doesn’t respond and instead takes refuge in His Highness’s barracks, citing he’s busy with official matters. There’s nothing these words cannot keep off.”

Zhao Momo spoke with a sigh, but Mu Xi Yao listened with relish.

The Great Wei’s rebellious youth, his temper suited her appetite. Mu Xi Yao decided to take care of this strong-minded subordinate who had integrity and give him the warmth of a big family in the future.

She frowned at the thought of his father who mistreated his wife for the sake of his concubine, having no favorable impression of him.

“According to what you said, can this match still be made?” Rationally speaking, Wei Zhen came from a very influential family and it was clearly not suitable to match him with her two Chief Maidservants. However, his situation was special, so instead of waiting for him to stay single until he was an old man and let others reap benefits, why not grab this meat pie⁴ for her people?

Mu Xi Yao was still inexperienced in this aspect and needed to listen to the opinions of the elders.

Zhao Momo thought quietly and then spoke tentatively. “If His Highness speaks on behalf of the Mistress, and Mistress’s status is more prominent, then perhaps it can be done.”

Hmm? Was her current status not high enough for the Duke’s household to pay attention to her? Mu Xi Yao was puzzled.

“What this servant means is that the Mistress’s status needs to be ‘stable’. Whether it is the high-ranking official’s household or a noble clan, they all seek long-term benefits. Only if His Highness holds Mistress in high esteem will Mistress be able to promote the status of the maidservants around you. Isn’t that so? But this old servant is worried. You and He Lian Principal Consort are not on the same side, and the Duke House is probably not willing to take sides so soon, as it would openly offend He Lian House.”

Mu Xi Yao’s eyes brightened, and her thoughts spun quickly.

Matchmaking her maidservants could even involve the division of interest in the imperial court. Mu Xi Yao didn’t welcome such a troublesome matter. Fortunately, they were all associated with Zong Zheng Lin’s forces. Everyone could negotiate together and eat from the same pot. If the meal served this time was not enough, they could make up for it next time, rather than fighting over food in someone else’s bowl.

She couldn’t handle this matter on her own and had to wait for Lord Boss to return and take charge. It had to be agreed upon by both parties involved, right? This issue couldn’t be rushed. She should let Wei Zhen visit Danruo Courtyard more often to strengthen his and the girls’ communication. That was the most important thing.

Mu Xi Yao privately thought that Sir Wei was a man capable of achieving great things. Since the male party was already decided, the rest was choosing between two orchid flowers.

Being summoned by Mu Xi Yao in hurry, Hui Lan and Mo Lan thought that their Mistress had something important to tell them. They put down their work and quickly came to her to receive orders.

“I’ve been thinking about you two’s major life affair⁵ for some time. Who knew an accident happened halfway and I’m only now asking for your opinions.” Mu Xi Yao explained that as their Mistress, she actually cares a lot about her subordinates and absolutely didn’t have the trait of an abbess Mie Jue⁶.

“You two should be 17-18 years old this year. At this age, women should already be married and settled with someone. Well, I, your Mistress, have a very good impression of Sir Wei, Wei Zhen, who serves His Highness. Is there anyone among you who thinks he’s not bad and could spend their life with him?”

Mu Xi Yao truly didn’t have matchmaker skills. How were two unmarried maidens supposed to respond to her question?

Zhao Momo sighed while smoothing things over. If the questions continued like this, these two girls will never find a suitable match with the help of Cefei. This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it’s been stolen!

“What Mistress means is that you are of age now. Rather than choosing a person with an unknown background, why not pick someone with a good character who serves His Highness? Sir Wei is young and capable, very disciplined in private, and has never engaged in inappropriate actions. He is mature and dependable in character, down-to-earth, and doesn’t have the impulsiveness possessed by young people. He is also frugal in his daily life and should be a good choice for someone to spend the rest of life with.”

Mo Lan and Hui Lan’s faces flushed in embarrassment and their hearts raced upon hearing this. The words spoken by the Mistress earlier made them so ashamed that they were almost unable to maintain their composure.

Seeing the two fidget awkwardly without being able to say anything for a long time, Mu Xi Yao furrowed her brows and took a moment to contemplate.

“If you feel you’re not compatible, there’s still Imperial Bodyguard Ye, Ye Kai. Although Commander Yan is a bit older, he should also know how to pamper a spouse.” Mu Xi Yao included several of the most capable people under Zong Zheng Lin’s command without being polite to the Sixth Highness.

“If they don’t work out, there are plenty of Military Commanders serving His Highness. Your Mistress, I, will pay attention to them. There will surely be someone to suit your tastes.”

Zhao Momo finally understood. Her Mistress wasn’t arranging anyone for them but instead letting them choose a person who suited their liking. The selection of a spouse for a maidservant has always been decided by their Master, but when it came to their Cefei, the selection was even more carefully done than that of a young lady from an ordinary family, hoping for the match to come with mutual love and affection!

This was because Mu Xi Yao’s concept of marriage was deeply rooted, and there was no way to adjust it. If she blindly married off her maidservants⁷ and the marriage was unhappy, causing constant fights and talks of divorce, she would be consumed by guilt, wouldn’t she?

“Mistress, these servants will follow your orders. The person Mistress chooses will definitely be good. Mo Lan only wishes to be a Head Gugu in this household and follow you for the rest of this servant’s life.” Seeing that her Mistress wouldn’t give up until she got to the bottom of things, Mo Lan mustered her courage and expressed her stance.

“Same with Hui Lan.” Hui Lan, who was half a year younger than Mo Lan, was more easily embarrassed.

They’re blessed without realizing it! Mu Xi Yao thought.

If someone had asked her this question before, she would have stood her ground until the very end. Now that such a good opportunity was presented to them, the two of them dared not boldly pursue a good husband. Although the education of women in Great Wei has become more enlightened, they still abide by outdated rules in their minds.

“Never mind, you two are in the prime of your youth, there’s no rush. There will be more opportunities to get to know Sir Wei. If you’re willing in your hearts, don’t miss it. I, your Mistress, don’t want you to miss an opportunity because of trivial modesty.”

Mu Xi Yao spoke bluntly with a hint of distaste, holding in low regard women who stuck to outdated traditions of unmarried women. This made it difficult for Zhao Momo and the others to respond.

Cefei’s boldness, nurtured by His Highness, had grown too big. They had no powerful backing to rely on, so they naturally had to follow the rules. In the minds of the three, all of Cefei’s unconventional behavior was the fault of the Sixth Highness’ excessive spoiling.

Translation notes:

[1] The fourth shu branch here means that Wei Zhen’s father is the fourth shu son of the Duke of Wei. He is the first son of his father hence the eldest grandson of the duke from this branch. For more information about dishu system, click here.

[2] Tripod cauldron is a Chinese idiomatic expression, which literally means “standing on three legs.” In this context, it is used to describe a state of balance and stability, often in the sense of a situation where three parties or forces are evenly matched and coexist.

[3] Gift-giving ceremony refers to a traditional Chinese wedding custom where the groom’s family presents betrothal gifts to the bride’s family. It is a formal expression of the groom’s intention to marry the bride and to ask for her hand in marriage.

[4] Meat pie here is referred to Wei Zhen. It is a Chinese idiom that literally translates to “big filling cake”. It’s used to refer to a big and attractive opportunity or reward that one wants to grab hold of.

[5] Major life affairs in China could refer to major events in life like marriage.

[6] Abess Mie Jue is a character from Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber’s novel. She was a radically dogmatic leader of the Emei (all-woman sect) with extreme views which led her to commit ethically and morally vicious deeds.

[7] Blind marriage or arranged marriage, where the couple has not met or has limited interaction before the wedding, and have not developed feelings for each other.

Relationship Diagram  (by Sith Kazar)

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