The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant-Chapter 733: Realization

Song Zi returned to her own mansion and asked about the whereabouts of Lin Guangxiong. Coincidentally, he was in the main courtyard as well.

Lin Guangxiong was reclining on a chaise longue with his legs crossed, engrossed in reading a book of unofficial history. By his hand was a long-handled teapot and a plate of peeled melon seeds, which he occasionally grabbed to munch on, occasionally taking a swig from the teapot, thoroughly enjoying his leisure.

Seeing Song Zi come in, he immediately sat up straight, put down the book, and asked, "Wasn’t it agreed that you would stay at the Prime Minister’s Mansion for the night? Why have you returned now? I was planning to pick you and the children up tomorrow."

"I was supposed to stay, but I came back out of anger." Song Zi’s expression was rather displeased as she sat down abruptly.

Lin Guangxiong was surprised, "Who made you so angry?"

"Who else if not my dear brother? He’s really made some calculations. I..." Song Zi got agitated, and her eyes immediately turned red, tears rolling down.

Lin Guangxiong was taken aback, quickly moved closer, and said, "We were speaking well, why are you suddenly crying? Take your time to speak, don’t rush."

Song Zi took the handkerchief he handed over, dabbed her eyes, and took a deep breath, "It’s Zhihui. He said that Prince Xiao has taken a fancy to our Zhihui and wants to take her as a concubine." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Lin Guangxiong’s expression subtly changed, "This, this..."

"He wants us to cancel the engagement with the Shen Family and agree to the one with Prince Xiao. What kind of uncle is this, pushing his niece to become a concubine?" As Song Zi spoke, tears fell again, "He swore that being a concubine of Prince Xiao was a great honor, being part of the Royal Family, so noble. I just don’t understand, what good comes of being a concubine? Always under someone else’s eye, living under the Lady’s nose, what use is nobility then?"

"You’re getting ahead of yourself. He only mentioned it. Ultimately, he can’t make decisions for us. Why are you so anxious? If we don’t consent, can he force us to marry off our daughter?"

Song Zi wiped away her tears, her expression serious, "He cannot make decisions for us, but my lord, it isn’t my third brother I am worried about, but Prince Xiao."

Lin Guangxiong frowned.

"Prince Xiao is the Emperor’s eldest son, of noble status. Although the Heavenly Family hasn’t established a crown prince yet, isn’t there a tradition of installing the firstborn? I fear that if we don’t appreciate the gesture, you’ll be resented by Prince Xiao. If he becomes the Crown Prince, your situation will be even more difficult."

Song Zi was by no means foolish; she had some political awareness.

Prince Xiao was part of the Royal Family, and what was the Lin Family in comparison? Barely of the Fifth Rank, the family wasn’t strong. If resented, they’d face setbacks, and prospects would be bleak.

"No worries, even if he’s a prince, he can’t overshadow the Emperor and have everything his way. At worst, I’ll be reassigned to some distant post," Lin Guangxiong chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I know my own worth. I was only a mere Scholar back in the day; with luck, I could climb another rank. If wildly fortunate, reaching the Fourth Rank would be the peak, so there’s nothing to fear if I’m resented."

Song Zi looked at him, "Tell me the truth, do you want to become father-in-law to a prince?"

Lin Guangxiong laughed at himself, "Being the father of a concubine counts as what proper in-law? Most respectable families only recognize legitimate in-laws, not to mention the Royal Family?"

Song Zi sighed with relief, "Then we should quickly finalize things for Hui’er to prevent any complications."

"You’re being silly. Even if we’re in a hurry, we can’t hastily arrange for the engagement ourselves—that would be quite undignified."

Song Zi blushed; she was just truly frightened.