Reborn Lady - Chapter 448

Prince Jing’s Mansion.

In the evening, when Da Lang returned from the Ministry of War, he first greeted his mother Xu Qingwan. Knowing it was significant that his third uncle refused to accept a concubine, Da Lang mentioned the early court incident to his mother.

Xu Qingwan smiled and said to her son, “The Emperor was not close to women when he was young, and now that the state affairs are many, he will not indulge in women and neglect his duties.”

Some men were lustful and had no choice but to remain faithful to one wife when they had neither wealth nor power. However, once they became rich and powerful, they readily pursued multiple partners without hesitation.

Her deceased husband, Wei Yang, was similar, except that it was not the power of gold and silver that restricted Wei Yang before, but the eyes of the late Emperor. Wei Yang was afraid of being scolded by the late Emperor for being romantic and incompetent, so he restrained his lust as much as possible. If Wei Yang hadn’t died on Concubine Meng’s bed, and if it was Wei Yang sitting on the dragon chair, there was no need to wait for the ministers to persuade him; Wei Yang himself would have started the draft.

“Da Lang, you have to learn more from your third uncle on this point. Beauty is just skin, and one or two people by your side are enough. Greed is useless.” Xu Qingwan said earnestly.

Da Lang rubbed his nose, lowered his eyes and said, “Mother, I think that if I’m lustful, Third Uncle will be more at ease.”

He was the son of the former Crown Prince and the grandson of the former Emperor. No matter whether he had such thoughts himself or not, no matter whether his third uncle suspected him or not, there would always be people who were afraid of him. If they were afraid, they would find an opportunity to speak in front of his third uncle.

What could he do to reduce the vigilance of others?

Da Lang thought of his second and third uncles.

His second uncle was flirtatious and mediocre, and his third uncle was pure and dedicated to sharing the worries of the former Emperor. When his father was alive, his third uncle was the most feared.

If he became like his second uncle, his third uncle sitting high on the dragon chair would feel at ease.

After listening to her son’s words, Xu Qingwan was silent for a long time, then nodded.

In the Chu Palace, Wei Yan knew very well what reaction he would get after telling Ji Xianxian, so he didn’t say anything at all.

But the next day, Ji Xianxian’s daughter, Wei Zhuang, came home from the Princess Mansion next door to visit, and the mother and daughter discussed this matter while chatting.

“Mother, didn’t you know?” Wei Zhuang turned around belatedly, and immediately felt anxious for her father.

Ji Xianxian began to grit her teeth, saying, “Your father is too ashamed to tell me that he’s better than him in every way and still loves his wife. Your father is a pig!”

Wei Zhuang coughed and tried to comfort her mother, “Mother, don’t say that. Father has changed a lot in the past two years and has released a lot of concubines.”

Ji Xianxian said, “The ones he let go are all old and decrepit, while the young and beautiful ones stayed at home!”

Wei Zhuang knew that her mother was angry, and the more she spoke in defense of her father, the angrier her mother would become. So, she hurriedly found an excuse and returned to the Princess Mansion.

Wei Yan, unaware of his daughter’s actions, returned home happily in the evening. However, before he could even settle on the couch, Ji Xianxian emerged from the backyard.

After years of marriage, Wei Yan suspected his wife had heard the news.

Wei Yan sat up awkwardly.

Since the first Emperor passed away, he didn’t have to report to him anymore. Over the past two years, Wei Yan had gained weight, and his stomach resembled that of a woman six or seven months pregnant.

“Why didn’t you tell me about such a significant event as the Emperor’s rejection of the draft?” Ji Xianxian said sarcastically, “Are you afraid I’ll ridicule you?”

Wei Yan bravely said, “What am I afraid of? I’m used to your daily mockery. It’s not unusual for him to refuse the draft, so I didn’t pay much attention to it and even forgot about it as soon as I came to you.”

Ji Xianxian sneered and said, “Nothing unusual? Although there are few examples of princes not accepting concubines, it is not uncommon. It is rare in history for emperors not to accept concubines. Hey, I really envy my third sister-in-law. I used to ridicule her when she had just married into the Yan Palace, always feeling that my own man is better than hers in everything, and the result, look at it now, I lost nine out of ten!”

Wei Yan’s heart stirred, and he asked curiously, “If you lose nine out of ten, then there is one thing I am better than my third brother in, right?”

Ji Xianxian snorted as if unwilling to admit it.

Wei Yan was excited and leaned over to hug her. “Then tell me, how do you think I am better than my third brother?”

He knew that his wife still liked him and could see his strengths.

Ji Xianxian glanced at him affectionately, then pinched Wei Yan’s face forcefully. “Of course you have more flesh than the Emperor, and it’s very easy to pinch you!”

It was really easy to pinch the fleshy meat; Ji Xianxian was very happy, but Wei Yan was screaming in pain.

The young maids standing in the yard, listening to Princess Chu’s sarcasm from inside, lowered their heads and snickered.

At Xiang Mansion, Wei Xuan teased Fu Shan, “Isn’t my third brother so kind to my third sister-in-law? Don’t you envy her?”

Fu Shan peeled off a hot chestnut fried in sugar and cast a glance at him, saying, “Are you beating around the bush and asking me to praise you?”

Back then, although Wei Xuan accepted the marriage bestowed by the first Emperor and took the two side concubines back to the mansion, he did not consummate the marriage with them. Fu Shan was grateful to the two side concubines for teaching her children homework and took the initiative to persuade Wei Xuan several times. But the more she persuaded him, the more he would stay in her room, which left Fu Shan feeling helpless.

Wei Xuan smiled, grabbed Fu Shan’s hand, snatched the freshly peeled chestnut kernel, and chewed it himself.

The couple shared, each taking a bite, until they were both half full. Wei Xuan thought for a while and said, “When Father was here, I dared not mess around. Now… I want to release those two side concubines. They haven’t reached their thirties yet, and it’s better for them to marry and have children at this age than to continue to delay in our mansion.”

Fu Shan was no longer the Fu Shan who had just arrived in the Central Plains. She knew that the prominent ladies were afraid of remarrying, let alone a lady who was nearly thirty years old. What kind of good family could she marry into?