"Grandfather, Grandmother, regarding that Fifth Prince Xie's proposal to our family, what exactly is going on? What are your thoughts, and what do Father and Mother think?"
Hearing her own matters being discussed, Yu Ningxin felt only a momentary shyness before calmly waiting for her grandparents and parents to respond.
In another household, when matters of marriage were brought up, not only the person involved but even the unmarried younger members would actively or passively avoid the conversation.
But in the Yu family, this was not necessary. As Yue Fuguang put it, listening more and seeing more would benefit their future dealings and judgment of people.
Yu Chongshan said, "Your grandmother, parents, and I are all of the mind that we should follow Little Four’s own wishes. But Little Four said she wanted to wait for you to return."
Yu Chongshan understood that Sister Xin wanted to hear Fuguang’s opinion. As the grandfather, he had also noticed that the children at home—not just Sister Xin, but also Xuan Jie’er and the other sisters—were different from the daughters of other households.
When it came to their own future marriages, they showed less shyness and more careful consideration. With this kind of foresight, and with their younger sister as their backbone, the girls of their family would not have a bad future.
Yue Fuguang smiled and waved Yu Ningxin over. When she came closer, she warmly pulled her to sit down. "Fourth Sister, what are your own thoughts on Fifth Prince Xie? Just talk about what you like and dislike—there’s no need to consider anything else."
She added with a smile, "With me here, no one can force our family to do something we don’t want to do!"
Hearing this, everyone in the Yu family smiled. It was precisely because of this confidence that they had the nerve to refuse the marriage proposal from the Fifth Prince that day.
Afterward, Yu Chongshan even rushed to the palace to see Emperor Mingxi. Although his words were tactful, the main point was to tell the Emperor to keep his son in check.
Even if you are a prince, bypassing the parents to go directly to a subject’s home and ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage was against the rules.
Xie Zhiquan thought: It’s not that I didn’t want to tell my parents first—I didn’t dare to! If I had told them, this whole thing probably would have fallen through!
Emperor Mingxi thought: The Fifth Prince was right to act first and ask later. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to bring it up either!
Anyone with eyes could see that Yue Fuguang did not want her sisters to marry into the royal family.
Yu Ningxin also laughed. "Seventh Sister, I don’t know much about the Fifth Prince, and I don’t have many thoughts on it. So whether this marriage happens or not, I’ll follow your lead."
Yue Fuguang thought to herself: Oh no, don’t do that! I’ve been single for two lifetimes—following my lead on this is a terrible idea.
She could stand up for her sisters, but she didn’t want to interfere in their marriages. If she were some wise older sister with rich romantic experience, that would be one thing. But the problem was that she wasn’t. In her previous life, from middle school on, she had received plenty of love letters but never actually been in a relationship. All her knowledge came from novels and TV shows—fine for armchair theorizing.
If she actually tried to apply what she’d read or watched, the Yu girls would probably all end up single!
The system noticed its host’s lack of confidence and jumped in to save her. [Master, you can’t interfere too much in others’ romantic fate.]
"I know that. But at least I can check their character and background—I won’t let anyone with bad intentions or a despicable nature ruin the Yu family’s girls."
[Don’t worry, Master. I’ve investigated Fifth Prince Xie thoroughly—from his birth to adulthood. I know how many times he wet the bed, whose milk he drank, and which palace maids he was closest to.]
"So, does this guy have any issues?" Actually, this was a flawed question—everyone has issues, big or small.
[The risk assessment is medium-low. His compatibility with Yu Ningxin is about eighty percent. He can be kept as a backup candidate.]
The system’s use of “backup candidate” left the Yu family momentarily speechless.
True, their family had some confidence—they dared to refuse a prince’s marriage proposal. But they had never actually considered treating the Emperor’s son as a backup.
If the censors got wind of this… well, the most powerful censor in Dayan was Feng Tang, one of their granddaughter’s biggest fans. So it was probably fine.
Emperor Mingxi: What about me?
"Perfect. Investigate thoroughly every eligible, unmarried young man in the capital. Besides Fourth Sister, Second Sister and Third Sister are also of marriageable age."
The elders nodded mentally. Even those who had reached marriageable age—Yu Ningxuan, Yu Ningzi, and Yu Ningxuan—and the younger ones like Yu Ninglin, Yu Ningrong, and Yu Ningjin, all showed joy on their faces.
As long as Fuguang was willing to put some thought into their marriage prospects, their futures would be bright, and the risk of marrying badly would drop significantly.
Sitting quietly in the corner, the father and sons of the third branch of the Yu family all breathed a silent sigh of relief. Yue Fuguang still refused to acknowledge them.
But if she was willing to involve herself in the marriage arrangements of the two illegitimate daughters of the third branch, it meant she hadn’t completely given up on them yet. Could the father-daughter and sibling relationships still be salvaged?
Yue Fuguang: Keep dreaming (insert meme emoji).
"Fourth Sister, take a good look around. If you find a young man who catches your eye—no matter his status—as long as he’s not engaged and has no one he loves, I can get him for you!"
"Fuguang is right. Fourth Girl, your own marriage is your own business. You must be clear about what kind of man you want to marry."
Several elders of the Yu family had been frightened by the failed marriages of several future grandchildren and had now become both open-minded and cautious about the younger generation’s marriages.
After Yu Laofuren finished speaking, Yu Chongshan added for the younger ones: "The same goes for the rest of you. When the Yu family arranges marriages, we don’t care about family status or wealth, only character and ability."
Even if the granddaughters fell in love with a poor scholar, they would simply give them a larger dowry and offer more support.
As the Yu family discussed Yu Ningxin’s and the younger generation’s marriage prospects, the royal family in the palace was also talking about the same matter.
The Empress Dowager glanced at the Fifth Prince kneeling on the ground and asked Emperor Mingxi, "The Emperor, what are your thoughts on the Fifth Prince’s marriage proposal to that Yu girl?"
"Empress Dowager, it’s not about what I think. It’s about what the Yu family—or rather, Fuguang—thinks." He glanced at the silent Xie Zhiquan. "If Fuguang says no, then I can only blame my son for not being fortunate enough."
He had heard from his nephew Shen Jian that on the day Fuguang received the Yu family’s letter and learned what the Fifth Prince had done, she was so angry that she rested for half a day, and her expression was gloomy for several days.
Just now at the Shili Pavillion, he had also noticed how little Fuguang liked anyone trying to carry off her family’s cabbage.
The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly at Emperor Mingxi’s words. "My thought is, now that Fuguang is back, as the father, shouldn’t you apologize for your son’s recklessness?"
"The Empress Dowager is right. And I, as the lawful wife, have also been negligent. I’ve already prepared gifts of apology, just waiting for Empress Dowager and His Majesty to give the order to send them over!"
Empress Xu and the Crown Prince exchanged a glance. Finding excuses to give gifts openly and legitimately to Fuguang—they had become quite skilled at it.
The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction. "The Empress is very thoughtful. But the Fifth Prince’s behavior is far too reckless! Even if you had feelings for the Yu family’s Fourth Girl, you shouldn’t have gone to propose while Fuguang wasn’t at home!"
She sighed. She knew why the Fifth Prince had done that, but some things still needed to be said.
"Your grandson was reckless. Please forgive me, Imperial Grandmother, Imperial Father, and Empress Dowager!"
Xie Zhiquan’s attitude of admitting his fault was sincere, but his relentless pursuit of Yu Ningxin remained unchanged. “Imperial Father, your son’s heart belongs to the Fourth Girl. I implore you to grant your blessing!”