Gu Youyou felt it strange and said, "It looks like they have a good relationship; my cousin is one of the Empress’s own people. If she doesn’t become the principal wife, then who will?"
"The Emperor’s concubines, the Prince’s consorts, those are all entangled in complex relationships with the former dynasty. Deciding who becomes the principal wife requires careful consideration. Now your uncle, Lin Xingyi, is a favorite official by the Emperor’s side, but his foundation is rather shallow... to put it plainly, he’s still not as useful as Master Xie."
Gu Youyou gave a wry smile and said, "Does that mean, if Xie Qinyun and Lin Qianqing both enter the Crown Prince Residence, the Empress might choose Xie Qinyun to be the Crown Prince’s principal wife?"
"That’s not necessarily the case," Jin Zijin pondered for a moment before saying. "Unless she gets full support from Master Xie. Of course, given Master Xie’s nature, he probably won’t let his daughter escape the fate of marrying into the Imperial Family, but he won’t let her become the principal wife either."
Jin Zijin laughed and said, "It’s about avoiding suspicion and not being the one to stick one’s head out."
Gu Youyou bit her lip, curled up in Jin Zijin’s arms, and suddenly felt pity for these women.
Especially Lin Qianqing, whose heart wasn’t set on wealth and honour at all.
"It would be great if I could help my oldest cousin lose the selection."
Jin Zijin looked at her with some surprise and said, "You mustn’t do anything foolish. The implications behind the selection of consorts for the two Princes are very extensive. If you cause a mess, no one in this world will be able to protect you."
Gu Youyou gave a wry smile, "I’m just saying, who am I, anyway? How could I mess up such important matters? You’re giving me too much credit."
"Mhm, that’s good that you understand. Born into such a family, your cousin’s life isn’t something she can control. You may escape the monk, but not the temple. No matter what you do, she can’t ignore the safety and wellbeing of the Lin Family."
Yes, that’s why she never thought about rejecting the arrangement of fate; she only hoped to make herself more comfortable before accepting her destiny.
If Jin Zijin acknowledged his lineage, he’d also be a Prince, she wondered if he would marry a bunch of women as well.
Considering he grew up in the Taoist Temple, he should be different from the other Princes, she surmised.
Gu Youyou turned over and asked, "Once you become successful, you won’t forget about me, will you?"
"Successful in what?"
"Aren’t you going to fight for the position of Crown Prince and eventually become the Emperor with the ’Three Palaces and Six Courtyards’?"
Jin Zijin looked at her in surprise and said, "What are you thinking about? There’s no such thing. Go to sleep."
"How can there be no such thing?" Gu Youyou prodded him, unable to sleep once she started thinking about it.
"Aren’t you thinking about it?" He murmured softly, "In any case, the things you’re worried about won’t happen, you have to believe me."
"Believe you, my foot. You said my cousin can’t control her own life, what about you? What if you’re ordered to marry?"
Jin Zijin said, "That’s why I want to be someone who can control his own life."
After saying that, he stopped paying attention to her and simply turned over to sleep with his back to her.
Fine, believe it then.
She wasn’t scared either way. If that day really came, she would do like her aunt and isolate a separate courtyard, locking them all up as if she were keeping a flock of peacocks. After all, without the Youying Pearl, he couldn’t leave me.
In a drowsy haze, Gu Youyou seemed to hear him whisper something behind her.
"What they are fighting over, those were never the things I wanted. The years of cultivation on Qi Mountain made me appreciate the peaceful times even more. I’ve found a place..."
In a sleepy murmur, Gu Youyou said, "I’m so tired, I still have to go to the palace tomorrow, stop bothering me..."