The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Muqing Marquis's Mansion

When Lord He returned home in the evening, he learned about Hua Sirong's marriage to Jiang Huaiji from Aunt Shui.

He stormed to Yimei Garden and questioned Madam Shen, "We can maintain a casual relationship with the Jiang family, but why didn't you tell me beforehand about the marriage alliance with the Jiang family?"

Shen had long known that Marquis He's anger was caused by that vile woman, Shui, stirring things up behind the scenes.

She suppressed her anger and said, "Rong'er is my niece, so she also calls you uncle."

"But you, Lord Marquis, have said that Rong'er has been living in our household for almost a year. When have you ever seen her or shown her any care?"

Lord He was speechless. He rarely even saw his own daughter, let alone a niece from his wife's side who was not related to him by blood and had no use to him.

Madam Shen rolled her eyes discreetly and continued, "I know the Marquis doesn't approve of this marriage, but he's worried that His Majesty might think our Marquis's mansion will side with the Second Prince."

"The young master of the Jiang family that Ke Rong married was not from the main branch of the Jiang family, and his family background was also clean and honest."

Although she was assigned a position by the Second Prince's side, she would definitely be sent to serve as an official after the marriage.

Even if something were to happen, it wouldn't involve our Marquis's residence.

Seeing that Lord He remained silent, Madam Shen pretended to be open and honest, saying, "Lord He is very busy every day, and he doesn't even tell his wife, whom he has married many years ago, what he needs to do."

In the eyes of the Marquis, although I am not as capable as Consort Shui in sharing your burdens, my heart is always with the Marquis's mansion.

My lord, think about it. Who gets that position in the end is not something we can decide.

I have no objection to your decision to favor the Sixth Miss; ultimately, it will benefit our Marquis's mansion.

I am just a woman, unlike you men who like to gamble everything.

I like to hide gold and silver in several places, so that I'll have a way out if something happens.

The reason I agreed to marry Rong'er to a collateral branch of the Jiang family was precisely because of this plan.

“What if…” Madam Shen made a “two” gesture with her left hand. Lord He immediately understood. Madam Shen continued, “What if this person goes up? We’ll have a distant relative relationship with the Jiang family. In a critical moment, it might come in very handy.”

Lord He looked Shen up and down. "This must have been Zhang'er's idea!"

Shen fell silent. Lord He thought he had guessed everything correctly. "Don't think that your little tricks in private can hide from me."

It's no secret to me that Brother Zhang has been secretly contacting people from the Jiang family lately.

The reason I didn't intervene was simply because I wanted to see just how far Zhang-ge'er could go.

Shen's shocked expression was half genuine and half acted.

In his heart, however, he was slandering him, thinking that the man surnamed He would wholeheartedly support the fourth prince favored by Aunt Shui.

Unexpectedly, he was also plotting to have his cake and eat it too.

"However, I also need to give an explanation to the Fourth Prince."

These days I haven't come to the main courtyard, so outsiders will know that I've had a disagreement with Zhang Ge'er and his son, and that's why we're going our separate ways."

This time, Madam Shen could no longer maintain her composure; her hands, clutching the handkerchief, trembled slightly. "What does Your Excellency mean by this?"

Lord He stood up. "I will discuss this matter with Zhang-ge'er in more detail. You just need to do your job well."

Shen was left there to speculate in her own mind. Although Lord He's words sounded nice, they were just for show.

But Shen hadn't been living in a wealthy family for nothing all these years, and she was afraid that Lord He might take the act seriously.

If the fourth prince were to ascend the throne, her husband, the Marquis, might very well use her and her two children as a pledge of loyalty to help the concubine and her children gain power.

Madam Shen secretly prayed that the Second Prince would definitely ascend to that position. Even if she didn't gain anything from it, she didn't want Aunt Shui and her children to be so smug.

As soon as Lord He left Yimei Garden, he encountered He Zhizhu, who was already waiting there.

"Father."

The girl's sweet voice stopped Lord He in his tracks as he headed towards the outer courtyard.

Lord He paused for a moment before calling out, "Seventh girl?"

He Zhizhu stepped forward and bowed, "Father, your daughter has something to discuss with you."

Lord He frowned. "You're not young anymore. If you need anything, go find your mother."

Lord He did not intend to linger, but He Zhizhu quickly stepped forward and blocked his way, "Father, this concerns the future of the Marquis's manor."

Lord He's face showed signs of anger. "Nonsense! You're a young lady from a respectable family. Who taught you these things?"

He Zhizhu already knew what kind of person her father was, so she pulled out her trump card, "Father wants Sixth Sister to be the Fourth Prince's consort, but can Sixth Sister really do as you wish?"

Lord He glared at him angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? This is utterly disgraceful!"

As he spoke, he turned to head towards Yimei Garden, intending to have Madam Shen properly discipline her legitimate daughter.

However, He Zhizhu stopped Lord He, saying, "I only want to discuss this matter with my father and do not want others to know about it."

Does Father really not want to know whether Sixth Sister will become a prince's consort?

Lord He exuded an imposing aura, staring intently at He Zhizhu for a long while before finally speaking, "Alright, come with me to the outer study."

Outer study

Lord He looked at He Zhizhu with indifferent eyes, "What exactly do you want to say?"

He Zhizhu composed herself, pondered for a moment, and then mustered her courage to tell Lord He about the prophetic dreams she had had.

Lord He was stunned for a long time, and finally only managed to utter one sentence: "Absurd!"

"Do you think I'll believe you just because you've compiled so much?"

“Zhu’er, even if you did get a few things right, those things can be easily investigated, there’s nothing to be surprised about.”

He Zhizhu really didn't expect that her father wouldn't believe her.

What will it take for you to believe me?

Lord He's eyes flickered slightly. "Unless you tell me who the next emperor will be?"

He Zhizhu's eyes flickered slightly. "Didn't I say, Fourth Prince? But the Fourth Prince did not make Sixth Sister his principal wife, as Father and Aunt Shui wished."

Lord He's eyes darkened. "You're lying!"

He Zhizhu loudly retorted, "No, Sixth Sister was only made a concubine in her past life."

Disappointment flashed in Lord He's eyes. He said to He Zhizhu, "I wasn't talking about your sixth sister. I was talking about the new emperor."

In your dream, it wasn't the fourth prince ascending the throne at all.

He Zhizhu was so shocked that she forgot to speak. Under the imposing presence of Lord He, she slowly opened her mouth and asked, "How did Father know?"

How do I know she's lying?

Lord He stroked his beard, a hint of smugness on his face. "I see ambition in your eyes. If the Fourth Prince succeeds, you should try to win the position of the principal wife."

But I see that you only look down on your sixth sister for only getting the position of concubine, yet you have no desire for the fourth prince whatsoever.

He Zhizhu's little scheme was exposed by her own father, and her expression immediately turned sour.