Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 14.1

Chapter 14.1

When Li Zhi picked up the second princess and went away, Shen Qingqing secretly touched the object in her right hand. She felt it was like a leaf.

While Shen Jiarong and Shen Jiayi were talking about Li Zhi and the second princess, Shen Qingqing pretended to look at the lotus flowers in the pond and then briefly opened her hand behind the two girls. When she looked down, she saw that it was actually a leaf from a rose plant.

However, there were words on the rose-leaf that looked like they were scratched out with a sharp object, like a needle.

The sentence was: If I knew you were here, I would have brought peonies.

Shen Qingqing: “...”

Peonies were embroidered on her shoes, so Shen Qingqing knew he was talking about her shoes. ‘But today is the celebration in the Han mansion, so Li Zhi knew I was coming. This bad guy! He doesn’t want to give my shoe back and only wants to play with me.’

She ripped the leaf and angrily threw it in the water.

 ****

After staying in the Han Mansion for a while, Li Zhi took the second princess back to Yichun Palace, where the Noble Concubine lived. 

“Mom,” the second princess, happily ran into her mother’s arms with her little legs.

The Noble Concubine was favoured in the harem, but in her own territory, she dressed very simply: a pink-coloured double-breasted jacket and an apricot blossom hairpin in her jet-black bun. But even with simple makeup, she looked gorgeous. Additionally, she was a kind lady who could make people feel happy with just her expressions.

“Where did Uncle take Wanwan to have fun?” The Nobel Concubine asked with a smile while holding her daughter.

“My uncle took me to the Han Mansion. Mrs. Han’s child took a bath today, but I didn’t see him. I saw only three pretty sisters,” the little princess replied, pointing at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi, who was drinking tea, almost choked upon hearing the second princess’s words.

The Noble Concubine glanced at her brother with a curious smile, but Li Zhi ignored it and kept drinking tea.

“Then do you know who those pretty sisters are?” The Noble Concubine asked her daughter because she knew she wouldn’t get an answer from his brother. 

The second princess nodded her head and said, “Two of them are the Queen’s nieces. I saw them at the palace. Oh, the other is also the Queen’s niece. I…I forgot her name, but Sister Shen is very beautiful.”

The Noble Concubine knew a lot about the Shen family; therefore, she figured out that the girl her daughter thought was the prettiest was Shen Qingqing, the youngest granddaughter of the Shen Mansion. When she first came to the place, she had seen the little girl a few times. ‘She was a beautiful girl at that time. Now many years have passed, so the little beauty must have grown into a stunning beauty.’

The Noble Concubine looked at her brother with doubt. ‘Although Han Yan works for the elder brother, he doesn’t go to celebrations because he is usually busy. But today, not only did he go there, but he also took my little girl on purpose. What’s his plan?’

“Where did you see them?” The Noble Concubine looked at her brother and asked her daughter.

Li Zhi looked at his sister.

The second princess pouted and said, “Uncle said there are lots of flowers in the Han family garden. He wanted to show it to me, but my uncle lied. There are only roses and lotus flowers there.” After talking about it, the second princess felt very upset.

Hearing that, Noble Concubine figured out something and told the wet nurse to take her daughter to rest. She walked to her brother and waved a fan in a circular motion. “Why is my brother very polite, and why did he go to someone else’s backyard today?”

Li Zhi didn’t say anything; he just laughed. 

Noble Concubine looked excited and said her guess out loud, “Has Brother fallen in love with the seventh girl from the Shen family?”

Sisters Shen Jiarong and Shen Jiayi were living in the capital, but her brother didn’t pay any attention to them, so the Noble Concubine’s guess was not strange.

Li Zhi held the teacup and said, “The little girl is beautiful.”

‘This is a confession.’ The Noble Concubine was happy at first, but realising it was not possible, she felt sad. “Brother, but the Shen family would not agree.”

 ‘Empress Shen and the Crown Prince He hates me a lot. Therefore, how could Shen Ge agree to marry his granddaughter to my brother?‘ The Noble Concubine didn’t think this marriage would work out well.

Upon hearing his sister’s words, Li Zhi sighed and said, “You are worrying too much.” Then he put down his teacup and shook his head. “I think she is attractive, but I don’t want to marry her.”

What Li Zhi said was true. Since coming to the capital, Li Zhi had seen too many glamorous ladies, but he cared for no one. Li Zhi dared to tease the little girl because he accidentally saw the cute side of her, and he just wanted to tease her. 

There was a good impression, but they were still far from talking about marriage.

The Noble Concubine knew what kind of person was her brother. So she believed Li Zhi’s words.

But after thinking about it for a few seconds, she felt a little disappointed. Just as she was about to urge her brother to get married as soon as possible, Noble Concubine suddenly remembered something and said hurriedly, “Brother, don’t blame me for not reminding you. The Emperor said last night that he would draft a talent show for the prince soon. At that time, the young ladies of the right age in the capital will be called into the palace. The three sisters of the Shen family are beautiful and related to the East Palace, so they are very likely to be selected. It’s okay if you don’t like the seventh girl. I’m afraid that if you figure out your feelings later, she will become someone else’s wife.”

‘Draft?’ Li Zhi was a little surprised. “So soon?”

The Noble Concubine said mercilessly, “The prince is already eighteen; do you think everyone is as unattractive to women as you are?”

Li Zhi smiled bitterly.

In other families, mothers urge their sons to marry quickly, but he was forced to marry by his sister again and again.

“I have something else to do, so I’ll leave first.” Li Zhi stood up and strode away.

The Noble Concubine looked at her brother’s slender and straight back and sighed softly. ‘What kind of sister-in-law do I want to find for him?’

The Noble Concubine did not lie to her brother. A few days later, Emperor Qingde announced in the morning that he would draw a draft for the prince and ordered the Ministry of Rites to handle it immediately.

Have a nice day!