HLnovel Chapter 18 Choosing a Concubine
Chapter 18 Choosing a Concubine
"Xie Bohuai!"
Princess Zhaoyun was so frightened that she sat down on the ground, completely losing her composure.
Xie Bohuai had already run far away and was no longer in sight. Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, the maids anxiously urged Princess Zhaoyun to get into the carriage.
The street was chaotic, so Ye Wanning closed the window.
Yunzhi served hot tea and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, I never thought there were people who liked Commander Xie." She thought to herself that Princess Zhaoyun must have never seen Commander Xie kill anyone, otherwise she would have definitely run away.
"Lord Xie is handsome, so it's normal for someone to have feelings for him." Ye Wanning gave what she considered a fair assessment. When she left, she used the back door to avoid running into anyone else.
She had calculated that, if business was good, the rouge shop could make fifty taels of profit a month, and combined with the clothing shop, she could net over one hundred taels of silver a month. And this was just the beginning; once she built a good reputation, she would be able to take on even more orders.
Having gone through a long period of financial hardship, Ye Wanning now had some money to spare, so she took a detour to a restaurant. Her second sister, who loved to eat, and Xuan'er, who had been craving osmanthus shortbread for a long time, decided to buy some since she had some free time today.
While waiting in a private room at the restaurant, Ye Wanning ordered several plates of dim sum. She and Yunzhi had just taken a few bites when Xie Bohuai suddenly pushed the door open and came in.
"Cough cough!"
Ye Wanning choked and took a big gulp of tea before she could catch her breath.
"What brings Lord Xie here?" Ye Wanning asked, standing up.
"Just a routine check." Xie Bohuai's tall figure blocked the doorway, his thin lips pursed, and he asked, "Was it good just now?"
"What?" Ye Wanning didn't react.
Xie Bohuai entered the private room, and this time Qingshan wisely did not follow him in, even closing the door for his master.
Facing Xie Bohuai, Ye Wanning felt more fear than anything else; she had no intention of currying favor with the powerful.
Xie Bohuai suddenly curled his thin lips, "Lord Xie is good-looking, it's normal for someone to be interested in him. Miss Ye, so in your eyes, I am considered good-looking?"
Ye Wanning's eyes widened. How could Xie Bohuai have overheard her and Yunzhi's conversation?
Does this person have super hearing?
Her heart pounded faster. Ye Wanning didn't understand Xie Bohuai's mood. He didn't seem happy. Was he going to take his anger out on her?
“Princess Zhaoyun comes from a noble family, so to win her favor is actually… a good thing.” Ye Wanning’s voice grew softer as she spoke.
In her past life, she hadn't had much contact with Xie Bohuai and didn't know he was such a difficult person. As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Xie Bohuai suddenly snort coldly, and she thought to herself, "Oh no, this guy is really unhappy."
"Good news?" Xie Bohuai asked in return. "Your second brother isn't engaged yet, and he's quite handsome. Zhaoyun should like him. If you're willing to let Princess Zhaoyun be your sister-in-law, I'd be happy to play matchmaker!"
"The Ye family is of too low a social standing; the Prince will not agree to the Princess marrying into such a family. Thank you for your kindness, sir, but since you are busy with official duties, I will not keep you any longer." Ye Wanning adopted a gesture of seeing her off. She dared not say more, fearing that Xie Bohuai might actually introduce Zhaoyun to her second brother.
Although Princess Zhaoyun could not marry my second brother, being pestered by her would be troublesome and might even offend the prince.
At that moment, Qingshan pushed open a crack in the door and said that he had found the spy.
Xie Bohuai hummed in agreement, then looked at Ye Wanning. "The Emperor intends to select consorts for his grandsons, and all three of your Ye family daughters are on the list. Miss Ye is both beautiful and talented, and her brilliance cannot be easily overshadowed. If you do not wish to marry into the royal family, I advise you to make plans as soon as possible."
After listening to Xie Bohuai finish speaking, Ye Wanning remembered the matter of selecting concubines.
In her previous life, she had already married Zhou Yu, so the selection of concubines had nothing to do with her. Her two younger sisters went to participate in the selection, but her third sister was too timid. Although she was pretty, she would shed tears if the nanny was a little fierce, and she was eliminated in the first selection.
The second younger sister made it all the way to the palace selection. Her aunt, Cheng, prayed to the gods every day, hoping her sister could marry into the royal family. But Cheng couldn't see clearly that with the Ye family's social standing, whether it was the crown prince or any other prince, the second younger sister had no chance of becoming the principal wife. Fortunately, the second younger sister herself had no desire to climb the social ladder; she deliberately darkened her appearance, successfully avoiding the selection.
Ye Wanning was unaware of the details of her sisters' selection of concubines, but the results were all good, just what her sisters wanted.
But she forgot that she was currently unmarried and on the shortlist.
Wait, why is Xie Bohuai telling her this?
When they went to look for him again, Xie Bohuai had already left.
Yunzhi, who was left stunned, asked, "Miss, you...you're also going to participate in the imperial concubine selection?"
"Let's go home first." With the packed food in hand, Ye Wanning hurried home.
She summoned everyone to her grandmother's courtyard, leaving none of the maids or servants behind, before discussing the selection of a concubine.
As she listened, Madam Ye frowned, gazing at her three beautiful granddaughters, unsure of what to think.
If the granddaughter can be favored by the royal family, it might bring prosperity to the Ye family again. But what use is a concubine of an ordinary royal grandson?
As for the Crown Prince, who can guarantee that he will definitely be favored?
As the eldest sister-in-law, Lin wanted to hear her younger sisters' thoughts first.
Ye Wanhua was the first to shake her head, "As my sister-in-law knows, I'm timid and incompetent, not suitable to marry into the royal family."
Ye Wanyu's focus, however, was off. "Big sister, when did you and Commander Xie become so close that he actually told you this?"
The selection of concubines has not yet been decided, and many people are unaware that Xie Bohuai is someone close to the emperor, but he is willing to take the risk to tell Ye Wanning.
Ye Wanning was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered. "I just happened to run into him. He's been on good terms with my second brother lately, so I suppose he's asking our family to make preparations in advance because of him. I don't want to go to the palace. What about you, Wanyu?"
Having been given a second chance at life, she sees things more clearly than anyone else.
All that talk about high-ranking families and imperial consorts is just empty talk.
The most important thing is to live a happy and carefree life.
Before Ye Wanyu could answer, Aunt Cheng interrupted with a smile, "Second Miss is both talented and beautiful. I was just worried about her marriage. With such a good opportunity, of course we should give it a try." If her daughter marries into the royal family, she will have a higher status in the household, and her son may have a better future.
Before the selection of concubines even began, Concubine Cheng was already indulging in daydreams. Ye Wanyu, however, delivered a scathing rebuke: "I'm not going to the palace to be someone's concubine. I'd rather marry someone of equal social standing and become their principal wife. Living a life beholden to the mistress of the house—is that easy?"
When the original mistress was alive, she was considered to have a good temper, and concubines didn't have to pay their respects and serve her every day. But being a concubine meant that besides serving the husband, one still had to carefully try to please the mistress. Ye Wanyu had seen what Concubine Cheng had been like before, and she had no desire to become a concubine.
Unexpectedly, these words struck a nerve with Aunt Cheng, and tears instantly streamed down her face. "Is the Second Miss looking down on me?"
"I...I didn't." Ye Wanyu pursed her lips, unsure how to comfort the person.
Ye Wanning pulled Aunt Cheng to sit down. "Second sister didn't mean that, Aunt, please don't take it to heart. Our family isn't of high status. Even if we marry into the royal family, even if our husbands dote on us, how can we possibly handle the intricacies of the royal court? Competing for favor, having children, comparing family backgrounds... How can life be peaceful when a group of women, each with their own family backing, are all together?"
Aunt Cheng still wanted her daughter to marry into a high-ranking family, saying, "If she is favored by the Crown Prince, her future will be limitless."
"Can you guarantee, Aunt, that the Crown Prince has taken a liking to her?" Ye Wanning retorted.
Aunt Cheng was speechless, but after returning home, she still went to Ye Wanyu's room, where the mother and daughter got into an argument and parted on bad terms.
Upon hearing this, Ye Wanning sighed helplessly. With no parents and a sickly grandmother, there was no progress in the marriage arrangements for her second brother and the rest of the family. No wonder Aunt Cheng was tempted.
However, the matter of choosing a concubine was indeed a headache for her.
Xie Bohuai said to make plans early. She can't just rush into arranging a marriage for herself in the next day or two, can she?