Chapter 694 - 472: Marriage Alliance

Chapter 694: Chapter 472: Marriage Alliance

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "I don’t know the inner workings of this matter, so I’m not in a position to decide for my uncle and aunt. Besides, although my second cousin is an illegitimate son, my aunt raised him as if he were legitimate and has invested a great deal in him."

Hearing this, Xie Linlang understood. The matter required a nod from Ning’an Bo and his wife before Yun Zhao would give her consent.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to make a trip to the Uncle Mansion. Look at me, so young, yet already playing matchmaker. If it weren’t for the County Princess, I wouldn’t be caught dead doing this."

Song Yunzhao burst out laughing. It was true—playing matchmaker was usually the domain of older ladies.

Xie Linlang told Yun Zhao about Ding Wei to give her a better picture. "I’ve met Miss Ding once. The County Princess brought her along when she came to see me. She isn’t stunningly beautiful, but she has a certain quality about her—the air of a well-read woman. She might not speak in eloquent prose, but her words have substance. However, she struck me as a bit introverted, perhaps because she lost her mother at a young age."

A motherless child must always tread carefully, no matter how kind their stepmother is.

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly. "Being introverted isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, my eldest cousin-in-law is a County Princess. It wouldn’t do for the younger sisters-in-law to have overly assertive personalities."

Otherwise, there would be no peace in the family.

"That’s also true." Now that Xie Linlang knew Yun Zhao’s stance, she said no more. She would simply pay a visit to the Ning’an Bo Mansion herself.

If this were for anyone else, she wouldn’t have bothered, but for He Lan Yun, she was willing to play the matchmaker this once.

When Xie Linlang gave birth, Yun Zhao had sent a congratulatory gift. Now, as she was leaving the palace, Yun Zhao had Xiangxue bring out a collection of items. "They aren’t anything precious. Just some little toys the Inner Workshop made for the Eldest Prince a while back. They’re perfect for a child to play with. I had them make a few more, so you can take them home."

Xie Linlang accepted them without a second thought. "You sent some over to Ye Xi, and the County Princess got some as well. I was so envious! It just slipped my mind to ask. In that case, I thank you for your grace, Your Highness."

Song Yunzhao cheerfully saw her to the door. Their stations in life were different now; she lived deep within the palace, making it difficult for them to meet. She felt a pang of reluctance to see her go.

Xie Linlang looked back at Yun Zhao, who was standing under the eaves, and smiled. "Don’t look so sad to see me go. Perhaps Ming An will come to the palace to see you in a day or two."

Song Yunzhao waved her hand. "Hurry back now. Tell Lord Ji to keep working hard. Once he achieves a higher rank, it will be much easier for us to meet."

Ji Yunting’s current rank was not high enough for Xie Linlang to easily enter the palace to visit her. She had used Madam Ji’s calling card; it wouldn’t have been easy to get in otherwise.

Xie Linlang smiled in agreement and finally turned to leave.

Yun Zhao stood under the eaves, lost in thought. ’Back then, their little group hadn’t been particularly close, but they weren’t exactly distant either. Shared interests had bound them together. After all these years, however, a genuine friendship had truly blossomed.’

Yun Zhao didn’t send a letter to the First Madam. Since Xie Linlang had said she would pay a personal visit, Yun Zhao decided to simply wait for news from her aunt. Regarding her second cousin’s marriage, her aunt was certain to inform her one way or another.

Song Yunzhao returned to her hall to rest. Just as the sky began to darken, her son returned from his studies.

After the new year, Feng Yi had arranged for Feng Ze to officially begin his schooling. Yue Guanlan and Yang Weiqing were studying alongside him. The plan was to select a few more companions, but the candidates had yet to be finalized, so the matter was still pending.

Yun Zhao knew countless people were vying for the companion spots, and Feng Yi was being extremely cautious with his selections. She knew he was weighing all the factors and had no intention of interfering. As long as the chosen children were of decent character, other matters like family background and political loyalties were for Feng Yi to consider.

「In the blink of an eye, the Flower Festival arrived.」

The Emperor’s days were spent moving in a straight line between Yaohua Palace and Taixi Hall, so there was little point in holding a festival. No one would get to see him anyway.

But Consort Shu, with little else to occupy her time, thought it would be a good idea. The incident with Qin Xiyue and Xu Mingying last year had left everyone on edge, and the recent New Year’s celebrations had been subdued due to the implementation of new policies. She figured a Flower Festival would liven things up.

Yun Zhao had no objections, and Princess Consort Wan was indifferent, so Consort Shu went to ask the Empress Dowager for her approval.

The Empress Dowager readily agreed. Her health had been gradually improving since the new year, but after her illness, she was clearly not as robust as she had been upon her return to the palace.

Due to her pregnancy and her strained relationship with the Empress Dowager, Yun Zhao did not visit in person. Instead, she sent Nanny Yu with some fine restorative tonics from the Emperor’s inner treasury.

Yun Zhao had no plans to attend the palace’s Flower Festival. ’It’s best to avoid crowds,’ she thought. ’The Empress Dowager still hasn’t given up on getting An Shutong into the Emperor’s favor. I shouldn’t go out and make myself a target or look for trouble.’

While preparations for the palace’s Flower Festival proceeded smoothly under Consort Shu’s direction, the celebrations outside the palace walls were far more lively.

Just before the Flower Festival, as expected, Yun Zhao received messages from the First Madam and He Lan Yun, one after the other.

She saw the First Madam first, and the topic of discussion was Song Buchang’s marriage.

The First Madam’s expression was grave as she spoke to Yun Zhao. "Regarding Buchang’s marriage, I’ve actually had plans for some time. I was going to bring it up after he passed the imperial examinations, but I didn’t expect the Ding family to show interest and send an intermediary to broach the subject."

Song Yunzhao knew her aunt well; for her to speak this way, there had to be more to the story. "Aunt," she asked, "is there something wrong with this match?"

The First Madam sighed. "Buyue is in the south implementing the new policies and has run into one problem after another. A little further south lies Governor Ding’s territory. Word has reached them, and your uncle is afraid Governor Ding has ulterior motives. That’s why this marriage must be considered very carefully."

Song Yunzhao hadn’t realized it was connected to her eldest cousin’s work. She asked directly, "Is Governor Ding against the new policies?"

’If Ding Xian were to collude with the great local clans and then use a marriage alliance to tie the Song Family’s hands, my eldest cousin would be severely constrained.’

"We don’t yet know Governor Ding’s mind. So far, it seems only Lady Ding is interested in the match; nothing has been said about the governor’s attitude. Your uncle is afraid it’s a trap." The First Madam’s expression was grave. "Linlang told me she had mentioned this matter to you, but at the time, Lady Ding hadn’t made her intentions clear, merely asking Linlang to pass on a message. That’s why I didn’t come to the palace to discuss it with you, Your Highness. Now that they are showing a clear intent to form an alliance, I can’t delay any longer."

Song Yunzhao understood what her aunt was getting at. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Aunt, has Lady Ding paid a formal visit to the mansion?"

The First Madam nodded. "She did. But this Lady Ding is a strange one. She was very vague, speaking as if she had some reservations."

Song Yunzhao was displeased. "It seems the Ding family’s stance is indeed problematic. If that’s the case, then it’s better to call off the match."

She was friends with He Lan Yun, but she had no connection to the Ding family or Lady Ding.

If the Ding family clearly had an agenda, she certainly couldn’t let the Song Family be dragged into it.