freenovelworld Chapter 787 Posthumously conferred the title of Secondary Wife!
Chapter 787 Posthumously conferred the title of Secondary Wife!
Fu Hongzhang arrived in the capital soon, and Mu Xinnuan specially arranged a flower viewing party at the East Palace.
There were only a few people who came.
Li brought Liu Tingting, and Jin brought Mu Xinyi. Wang Zhao and Fu Hongyang were also present.
Two days later, Fu Hongzhang specially brought gifts and visited Mu Chang'an.
Mu Chang'an already knew about their arrangements beforehand. After meeting him in person, he kept nodding. Then, they went together to meet the old master.
Liu Tingting hid in the backyard, and when she learned that the Second Young Master Fu had actually come to her door in person, her face turned as red as the clouds on the horizon.
Half a month later, the Fu family sent someone to propose marriage, and the marriage between the Mu family's cousin and the second young master of the Fu family from Yanzhou was arranged.
Immediately afterwards, the Crown Prince's Palace also sent someone to propose marriage, and the object of the proposal was Mu Xinyi.
Because Wang Zhao was originally a member of the Wang family, but he refused to return to the Wang family after being persecuted by his stepmother. Based solely on his status as a son of a concubine from the Duke of Lu's mansion, it was Mu Xinyi who was climbing the social ladder.
Without Mu Xin Nuan and Mu Xin Yi, they would be nothing, and how could they have married such a handsome young man?
When the people from the Crown Prince's palace came to propose marriage, the Duke of Lu couldn't sit still and went with them. Under his pressure, the people from the Crown Prince's palace had no choice but to go back first.
After all, this Duke of Lu is the maternal uncle of the current crown prince.
Duke Lu and Mu Chang'an sat together in the study for a full half hour before Mu Chang'an finally understood the whole story.
"Well, I'll have someone ask Your Highness and Anuan later to see what's going on. If this Chief Secretary Wang is indeed the son of your Duke of Lu's family, then it's alright to call off this marriage. After all, Xinyi's status is not good enough for your son."
"Lord Mu, please don't say that. I rushed here to stop this, not because he is my illegitimate son and I want to call off the marriage. It's just that at the time, I thought he was no longer alive. Who would have thought he had been following the Crown Prince all along? Alas! Speaking of which, it's also my fault for managing the household poorly. His aunt suffered grievances, and the child harbors resentment. Before the engagement, I must first sort out this family matter, don't you think?"
This means that they have no objection to the marriage.
"Very well, then I will await good news."
"Alright, I'll trouble Lord Mu to mediate this."
"You're too kind, Your Excellency Duke, please."
Next, Duanmu Chuze and Wang Zhao will be in trouble.
Mu Xin Nuan acted as if nothing was wrong, not taking it seriously at all.
"Hey, Nuan, do you have any conscience at all? If it weren't for arranging a marriage for your cousin, would you have made such a mess of things?"
Mu Xin Nuan rolled her eyes at him. "Don't try to pin this on me. Let me tell you, it was clearly when Wang Zhaoyi entered the Eastern Palace that people recognized him. They contacted him privately several times, but he refused to admit it. What does it have to do with me?"
Duanmu Chuze rubbed his forehead in exasperation. How could he have married such a heartless wife? Now that he's worked so hard, she doesn't even bother to help him. Instead, she's preoccupied with tending to flowers and plants.
"Ah Nuan, are you really going to stand by and watch someone die?"
Mu Xin Nuan rolled her eyes rather inelegantly. So what if the Duke of Lu kept blocking her way to talk? Was it really that big of a deal?
"Alright, isn't the final decision about this still with Wang Zhao? By the way, his previous name was Wang Zixiao, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"We can't interfere in this matter. Let Wang Zhao make his own decision. No matter how badly the Duke of Lu did before, he is still his biological father. Back then, he was saved by you under those circumstances, so naturally he harbors a lot of hatred towards the Wang family. But now that things have changed, and the Duke of Lu is willing to seek an explanation for what happened back then, it can be considered that he has done right by his aunt."
"Well, to be honest, the practice of wives oppressing concubines has existed since ancient times. If such a thing is brought to the forefront, it is indeed quite unsightly."
"I heard that Wang Ziyu has been in a very bad mood lately, and I also heard that Madam Wang has fallen ill. As for whether it is a real illness or a fake one, I don't know."
"Ah Nuan, do you think we should go and visit them?"
Mu Xin Nuan glared at him fiercely, "Don't you have enough trouble already? Are you trying to cause more trouble for yourself?"
Duanmu Chuze obediently shut his mouth. How could he forget that even if he didn't go to the Duke of Lu's mansion, his uncle would still be blocking him everywhere. If he went, he was afraid...
After much thought, I decided that I should let my father and mother know about this.
After all, in terms of blood relations, Wang Zhao was also the Empress Dowager's nephew.
When the Emperor and Empress learned of this, they were both taken aback. Neither of them had expected that Wang Zhao was actually Prince Xiao.
Coincidentally, the Duke of Lu arrived just as the Crown Prince finished speaking about this matter.
After that, Duanmu Chuze had no say in the matter, and had no choice but to order Wang Zhao to be summoned.
"Wang Zhao, I don't care what you're called, it doesn't change the fact that you're a member of the Wang family. Even if you don't want to acknowledge him, where did all this flesh and blood come from? Besides, it wasn't your father who attacked you back then, so why are you acting like this?"
Wang Zhao remained silent. In front of the emperor, anything he said would likely be wrong.
The Empress looked at her nephew, who had been to the palace when he was a child.
"Zixiao? If you don't like this name, then change it if you want. But do you really want to leave the Wang family forever?"
Wang Zhao pursed his lips, his face pale. At this moment, his father was kneeling beside him, just like him. What could he say?
"Your Majesty, I have come to the palace today with another request."
"Duke of Lu, please speak."
"Your Majesty, what happened back then was due to my carelessness, which almost led to a grave mistake. Now that Xiao'er's birth mother has passed away, I think that she should be given a proper title. Therefore, I would like to request Your Majesty to issue an edict to grant her the title of my concubine and to have her enshrined in my Wang family ancestral hall."
The Emperor was taken aback. "Have you thought this through? If so, then Wang Zhao is the legitimate son of your Duke of Lu's mansion!"
“Your Majesty, I understand. I feel guilty towards this child, and even if he doesn’t acknowledge me, I have nothing to say. However, I am thinking of trying my best to make amends. I beg Your Majesty’s permission.”
"Hmm, Wang Zhao, you have served the Crown Prince for a long time and have made many outstanding contributions. Today, I will reward your birth mother for your merits. She will be posthumously granted the title of Lady of the Third Rank and made the concubine of the Duke of Lu."
Seeing this, Wang Zhao knew that he had no choice but to agree, whether he wanted to or not.
After all, this was a reward for his birth mother.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
"As for you, Wang Zhao, the fourth prince, do you intend to let him stay in the Eastern Palace indefinitely?"