Chapter 223: I Suppose... They’re On Par.

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: I Suppose... They’re On Par.

In Cui Lingyao’s opinion, her parents’ worries were completely unnecessary.

However, upon hearing this, the Changping Marquis gently shook his head. "My dissatisfaction with Ms. Xie doesn’t stem from the incident at the Prince Ping Mansion. Rather, as a consort of the Imperial Family, your sister-in-law is simply unfit for the role."

Eight years of marriage, and still no children. And she refuses to take the initiative to find concubines for her husband.

Her mother-in-law, unable to bear it any longer, gifted them several beautiful maids, only for her to send them all to the kitchens.

This was jealousy, a lack of virtue.

Over the years, Xie Anning’s reputation for jealousy had become known throughout the Capital City.

Had she been the wife of any other prominent family, her mother-in-law would have disciplined her long ago. But she was a Commandery Princess of the Imperial Family, so Lady Zheng never said a word.

But the old couple only had one son, Cui Mingrui, and they were desperate for a grandchild.

How could they not hold it against her?

And now, with the Prince Ping Mansion in turmoil...

The fact that they hadn’t kicked her while she was down, and were even taking the trouble to find doctors and medicine for her, was already an act of mercy.

In terms of virtue and character, Xie Anning had never possessed either.

As for noble status, she could no longer boast of it.

She frequently threw fits and ran back to her family home, shutting the door in her husband’s face several times before she would deign to return.

What kind of consort of the Imperial Family behaves like that?

Most importantly, she had trouble with childbearing.

One pregnancy in eight years, and it looked as if she was about to lose this one, too.

If she miscarried, who knew how many years it would be before she conceived again.

She could afford to wait; the Cui Family could not.

The Changping Marquis said, "Your brother is nearly thirty and doesn’t have a single child to his name. My health has been declining these past two years. I long to enjoy the blessing of grandchildren playing at my knees. If we rely on Ms. Xie, I fear I won’t see that wish fulfilled even on the day I die."

Lady Zheng was equally filled with sorrow.

Other ladies her age in the Capital City were already starting to hold their great-grandchildren.

But them...

If they had known, they never would have married a Commandery Princess into the family.

"If she had given our family even one child, your father and I wouldn’t be this dissatisfied."

This daughter-in-law, aside from her title as a Commandery Princess, was utterly useless in every other regard!

Disobedience to her in-laws, childlessness, jealousy... Of the Seven Grounds for Divorce, she was guilty of at least three.

Only the Cui Family would still tolerate such a woman!

Cui Lingyao’s expression shifted.

’She understood now. The root of all their problems was still the lack of an heir.’

’If there had been a grandson, her parents wouldn’t be this unhappy.’

’The so-called jealousy wouldn’t even be an issue.’

She asked, "This pregnancy... is there really no hope for my sister-in-law?"

"Doctor Chen said it’s a difficult pregnancy."

She was only two months along, and it was already this hard. Ten months of carrying the child, then the day of labor...

Lady Zheng sighed faintly. "It’s not that your brother doesn’t understand all this. What he said just now... he was making a point for my benefit."

’He married a wife and forgot his own mother.’

’He doesn’t even care about having children anymore.’

’Count them up in the entire Capital City—what young master approaching thirty doesn’t have a single child to his name?’

’Well, only one other person could compare...’

’And this fate had to befall both of her children.’

At this thought, Lady Zheng’s expression grew even more sorrowful.

She looked toward her daughter’s stomach. "You’ve always been so healthy. Why haven’t we heard any good news yet!"

"..." Cui Lingyao, who had been worrying about her brother and sister-in-law, was suddenly at a loss for words.

’Truthfully, she was no longer so resistant to the idea of leaving a part of herself—her own bloodline—behind in Great Yue.’

’But the system was completely offline. Even if she changed her mind, she couldn’t get the medicine anymore.’

’If she couldn’t get pregnant, she couldn’t get pregnant. There was nothing she could do about it.’

On this subject, the Changping Marquis, who had been silent for some time, looked at his daughter and said, "His Highness holds a position of immense importance, and his ascension is only a matter of time. The issue of an heir cannot be delayed. You must make plans soon."

Xie Jinbai married at eighteen and is now twenty-four. If he still has no heir, I fear even the Emperor himself will begin to inquire.

When it came to her own daughter, Lady Zheng could no longer be bothered with talk of wifely virtues. "What plans?" she asked anxiously. "Don’t you dare pressure Yaoyao!"

The Changping Marquis and his wife had a good relationship, so he didn’t argue with her. Instead, he simply advised his daughter, "Select a few concubines of lower status for His Highness. Have one of them give birth to the eldest son, and raise him as your own. That is the path to long-term security."

This was his admonishment, both as a father and as the current head of the Cui Family.

Even a Marquis Mansion like theirs could not tolerate a jealous consort from the Imperial Family.

Let alone the Royal Family itself?

Especially for someone like Xie Jinbai, whose appointment as Crown Prince was practically a foregone conclusion.

How could he possibly remain without an heir!

Cui Lingyao remained silent.

Lady Zheng had already exhausted every possible solution for her two children, from seeking out doctors and remedies to praying to every god and buddha she could think of.

She had lost count of the donations she’d made to the Childbirth Goddess Temple over the years.

All for naught.

She fretted, "Could something be wrong with our ancestral tombs?"

The Changping Marquis was about to dismiss it as nonsense, but the words died on his lips. He relented. "Mingyu happens to be free right now. I’ll have him go back and take a look."

With something like this, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Perhaps someone really had tampered with the ancestral tombs. Otherwise, the Cui Family’s luck was just too rotten.

Cui Lingyao: "..."

The corner of her mouth twitched. Just as she was about to say something, a flurry of urgent footsteps sounded from outside.

The noise was so loud it was seldom heard in the strictly-run Marquis Mansion.

The few people in the hall turned in unison to look.

The Changping Marquis’s personal attendant appeared at the door, dropping to his knees with a THUD. His voice trembled with excitement as he announced, "Great news! Great news, my Lord Marquis! The Crown Prince has been named! During this morning’s court session, His Majesty issued an imperial edict, officially appointing Prince Yu as the Crown Prince!"

As his words fell, the courtyard went silent for a moment.

Then, the Changping Marquis shot to his feet and burst out laughing. "Excellent! This is truly joyous news!"

Even though it had been a near certainty, the official confirmation brought a wave of ecstatic relief, as if a great weight had finally been lifted.

This was especially true given the recent tensions between the imperial father and son over the matter of the Hundred Diseases Pill.

Now that his position as Crown Prince was solidified, it was the reassurance they all needed.

It would be enough to quell the political undercurrents that had been surging through the Heavenly Capital City.

None of the other Princes would dare to harbor any further ambitions.

To do so would be to court death.

For the Cui Family, there could be no greater news.

The joy on the faces of the Changping Marquis and Lady Zheng was impossible to hide.

Seeing their masters so overjoyed, the servants below began to pour forth a stream of congratulations and auspicious phrases.

The entire courtyard filled with joyous laughter.

Only Cui Lingyao was surprised.

’She remembered the system saying that Xie Jinbai was made a prince at twenty, appointed Crown Prince at twenty-five, and would ascend the throne as Emperor at twenty-six.’

’It was only the end of the year, and he was just twenty-four. How could it be...?’

’Perhaps the historical records only noted the date of the formal investiture ceremony.’

Cui Lingyao found an explanation for herself. She rose and helped support her father. "Extreme joy can be taxing, Father. You must take care of your health."

The Changping Marquis laughed and waved his hand. "Today is a day for celebration! We should be happy!"

’His Cui Family was about to produce an Empress.’

’It was just a shame about the difficulty with heirs...’

’Otherwise, the future Emperor would carry half of the Cui Family’s blood in his veins.’

Much of his boundless joy subsided. The Changping Marquis calmed himself and returned to the previous topic. "Now that His Highness is the Crown Prince, you must be even more diligent about the matter of him taking concubines."

"..." Cui Lingyao lowered her gaze, saying nothing.

In front of the servants, the Changping Marquis said no more. He knew that with his daughter’s intelligence, she would eventually figure things out.

He turned to the attendant. "What of the Prince Ping Mansion? Did His Majesty issue any edicts regarding them?"

The attendant bowed. "He did."