20demayo Chapter 158 Concubine
Chapter 158 Concubine
Tang Bing escorted the Northern Rou officials and nobles to Bianjing. The Ming Prince and his family stayed in the newly built Ming Prince's Mansion, while the rest of the family was accommodated in the Wangtai Villa. The Emperor and Empress moved back to the Imperial Palace. This treatment brought a slight sense of relief to the Northern Rou officials and nobles.
In the evening, a banquet was held in the Taiji Hall to entertain Prince Ming and his entourage. In addition to members of the royal family, An Liangchen also selected a group of unmarried young talents from among the sons of officials and Hanlin scholars, making it a very grand occasion.
After several rounds of drinks, Prince Ming had his daughter, Yu Shuxian, lead the unmarried young ladies from various families to perform a dance to express their gratitude to the Emperor and the Crown Prince for their hospitality, which won applause from the audience.
Nan Hua praised, "This dance should only exist in heaven; it is rarely seen on earth. Miss Yu danced it especially well; Prince Ming has indeed taught his daughter well."
Yu Shuxian was the first to kneel down and express her gratitude: "You flatter me, Your Highness."
Prince Ming had been secretly observing An Liangchen and Nan Hua. An Liangchen stared at Yu Shuxian with a smile on his face, his eyes never blinking. Nan Hua was graceful and dignified, exuding elegance.
The Emperor and Empress are practically powerless; the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are the ones who need to be pleased most urgently. Prince Ming immediately said, "If the Crown Princess takes a liking to my daughter, why not let her serve by her side?"
Nan Hua looked at An Liangchen. An Liangchen praised, "Prince Ming is quite sincere..."
Nan Hua sighed inwardly, but replied aloud, "How could the daughter of Prince Ming be reduced to a palace maid? Now that I am heavily pregnant, I have not been able to serve the Crown Prince properly, and I often feel guilty."
"If Prince Ming doesn't mind, and Miss Yu doesn't feel wronged, I will, in front of my parents and all the nobles, request the position of a concubine for Miss Yu."
It's not uncommon for the Crown Prince to appoint a concubine, but it's quite rare for the Crown Princess to voluntarily request such a title. The scene fell silent instantly. Nan Fei, sitting at the head of the left, stared at Nan Hua with some astonishment.
Nan Hua, as if nothing had happened, leaned forward slightly to look at the Emperor and Empress: "Father, Mother, what do you think?"
Zhao Ziyu immediately said, "We haven't been involved in this for a long time, so we should ask Chen'er for his opinion on this matter."
Yu Shuxian, kneeling on the ground, was more nervous than anyone else. Her father had said that with her current status, even becoming a Fengyi (a high-ranking concubine) would be remarkable, and a concubine wouldn't even dare to dream of it.
An Liangchen slowly spoke under the watchful eyes of the entire audience: "The Crown Princess's intentions are very kind. If I were not to accept them, it would seem rather unkind. Father, since you have the authority to speak, please issue an oral decree in public. There is no need to draft an imperial edict."
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, even Prince Ming seemed somewhat surprised. No one knew whether An Liangchen valued the matter or not.
An Ran picked up her wine glass and stood up: "Your Highness, from this moment on, Miss Yu is the Crown Prince's concubine, and we are now in-laws. Liangchen is still young, so please take good care of him in the future. If he does anything wrong or inconsiderate, just teach him a lesson without hesitation."
Prince Ming stood up and raised a toast across the distance: "Your Majesty is too kind."
Everyone raised their glasses, and the hall was filled with congratulations. Nanfei, holding an empty glass, watched as Chunhua helped Nanhua to Yu Shuxian's side, intending to help her up.
Nan Hua's belly was too big, making it difficult for her to bend over. Chun Hua was very quick-witted and immediately let go of Nan Hua to help Yu Shuxian up: "Consort Yu, please rise."
Yu Xianshu stood meekly beside Nan Hua: "Thank you, sister."
Nan Hua led Yu Shuxian to An Liangchen's side. She held her belly with one hand and her waist with the other, and yawned rather inelegantly: "Father, Mother, Your Highness, and all the ministers, I am not feeling well, so I will take my leave first. Your Highness, please let Sister Yu stay here with you."
Nan Hua pressed Yu Shuxian down to sit in her seat. Yu Shuxian sat upright with her head bowed, showing no signs of being reserved or petty despite her privileged background.
Zhao Ziyu quickly said, "The Crown Princess's health is of utmost importance. Chunhua and Qiuyue, please help the Crown Princess to rest. Please take good care of her and do not neglect her."
An Liangchen suddenly turned to look to his left: "Nanfei, help your sister to rest."
Nanfei responded, hid the golden cup in his sleeve, and helped Nanhua back down.
After leaving the Taiji Hall, Nanhua said, "Chunhua and Qiuyue, I won't be staying at the East Palace tonight. You two go to Fanghua Tower and set out some dishes; I haven't eaten enough yet."
Chunhua and Qiuyue accepted the order and left. Nanfei, supporting Nanhua, walked slowly: "Fanghua Tower? A new building has been built in the palace?"
Nan Hua said, "I have renamed the former Xie Fang Xuan to Fang Hua Lou."
Nanfei asked, "What is the intended meaning?"
Nan Hua laughed: "There's no special meaning to it, I just think it sounds nice."
Nanfei complained: "Tacky."
Nan Hua patted his hand: "I know what you want to say. You reminded me that he would take a concubine when Prince Ming didn't come. I might as well go with the flow and do him a favor. It's a win-win situation for everyone."
Nan Fei said, "...It's my style to plan for the worst. Maybe my brother-in-law doesn't want to take a concubine. It would be fine if Prince Ming's daughter could be a concubine."
Nan Hua laughed: "What's the difference between a Fengyi (a high-ranking concubine) and a Concubine?"
Nanfei said, "The difference is huge. There is a vast distance between Fengyi and the Crown Princess, while there is only one step between a Concubine and the Empress."
Nan Hua sighed softly: "These are all empty words; it all comes down to a single word from the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Since we're all serving the Crown Prince anyway, let's just give him face. Surely the Crown Prince and Yu Shuxian won't have any other ideas?"
Nanfei reminded her, "Why can't we have that? The new Ming Prince's Mansion, the Crown Prince's concubine... people's ambitions are nurtured step by step. Miss Yu, you're sitting in your seat, so proper."
Nan Hua said, "Little brother, I know you're worried about me, thank you."
Nan Fei's nose tingled, but her voice was tinged with laughter: "You're my sister, why are you being so formal with me? If you really want to thank me, I should... give you some money."
Nan Hua ignored his teasing and said to himself, "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."
Nanfei stopped laughing: "...Sister, I'm afraid you'll feel wronged."
Nan Hua looked up slightly at the night sky, her voice soft and ethereal: "I'm not wronged. From the day we got married, we were more than just lovers."
Nanfei frowned: "What do you mean? Then who are you?"
Nan Hua said, "Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together. We are now family, comrades, ruler and subject, grasshoppers in the same boat... In the very end, we are lovers."
Nanfei was somewhat shocked: "Sister..."
Nan Hua took his arm and led him into Fanghua Tower: "Little brother, don't be prejudiced against him. He's a very good crown prince, and he'll be a very good emperor in the future..."
I'm glad he got what he wanted. If one day I really encounter something bad, don't blame him; it will definitely be my own choice, just like today…”
Chunhua came over to help Nanhua: "Crown Princess, Young Master Nan, everything is ready."
Nan Hua gestured for Nan Fei to sit down: "I didn't eat much at the banquet, I'm so hungry, the baby keeps kicking me. Little brother, it's been a long time since we ate together, let's have a good meal today."
He hasn't eaten much; he must be struggling internally. Nanfei said, "You can eat, but you can't drink."
Nan Hua smiled and placed a lion's head meatball in his bowl, her tone light and cheerful: "I'm not a three-year-old, I know what I'm doing, don't worry."