The Emperor pointed at him with a face full of smiles and said to Lord Wu, "Look, what he’s saying is really quite nice. His being a widower is all for me."

Lord Wu concurred, "Lord Han’s loyalty is unmatched. In my humble view, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to arrange a marriage for him with a suitable young lady from a respectable family. She doesn’t have to be exceedingly talented but should be gentle and virtuous, capable of managing Lord Han’s household affairs well, allowing him to serve Your Majesty without distractions. It would fulfill his loyalty, and besides," he stroked his beard and looked towards Han Cheng, "it could also lead to a delightful match and become a lovely tale of romance, wouldn’t that be perfect!"

"Good, good! Very good!" The Emperor clapped his hands and laughed, then pointed to Lord Wu and Qian Zhong, saying, "I think I will leave this matter to you two. Present me with a list in three days, and I will personally choose a beautiful bride for Old Han."

Han Cheng could no longer refuse, thus he clasped his fists and accepted the favor with gratitude, but his expression was somewhat sullen.

The next day, Qian Zhong and Lord Wu selected the names and birth dates of seven or eight suitable young ladies and presented them. The Emperor browsed through them, just about to start making notes, when the Empress gently walked in from outside the hall, carrying a bowl with a red glaze: "Your Majesty, I heard from Chief Chang that you didn’t eat this morning, so I specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a snow frog and bird’s nest soup for you. It’s perfectly cooked, please have some!"

The Emperor put down his brush, smiled at the Empress, and nodded, "The Empress is very considerate." The Empress walked over, took the bowl handed by Chief Chang, served a bowlful, and fed the Emperor with a spoon: "Try it, see if it tastes good."

"Good!" The Emperor sipped a bit and nodded, "Not bad." The Empress smiled, "Then have a bit more." She continued to feed the Emperor until he finished half of the bowl, then took a cloth to wipe his mouth. Her eyes then fell on the list of young ladies’ names on the Dragon Case, curious: "What are these?"

The Emperor replied casually, "Selecting a second wife for Han Cheng, considering which family’s daughter would be suitable."

The Empress’s eyes lit up, and she hid her face with a laugh: "So the Emperor is playing matchmaker for Lord Han. Could I also enjoy some of this good fortune and join in on the celebration?"

The Emperor asked with a smile, "Oh? Which family’s young lady do you have in mind?"

The Empress replied, "Not anyone in particular. Just a distant aunt who recently visited my house to complain about her younger sister, who is sixteen and struggling to find a suitable match. She asked my mother to help find one, but my mother hasn’t been very social these past years and hasn’t found a good family. Seeing that His Majesty is doing this good deed, I thought of my cousin who could use some luck."

The Emperor paused for a moment, but still smiled and said, "Alright, then why don’t you add your cousin’s name to the list, and when Old Han gets here, she can be considered."

The Empress froze for a moment, then smiled without changing her expression, picked up a brush, and added her distant cousin’s name to the list.

"My cousin is a truly beautiful young lady, if this matches well, Lord Han ought to thank me." She laughed lightly.

The Emperor looked at the additional name of Shen on the paper and thought of another Shen in Xiao Yanyi’s backyard, but said nothing. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After the Empress left, Le Xiu, supported by the nanny from the female officials, stood outside the door. The Emperor personally went out to greet her and asked, "Why aren’t you resting well? What brings you here?" Looking around and not seeing the Jade Carriage, he asked, "Why not use the Jade Carriage? It wouldn’t be good if you got tired."

Le Xiu’s rosy face was even more radiant than two years ago, and she shyly lowered her head: "I rest all day and just wanted to take a walk..." Glancing up at the Emperor quickly, her face turned even redder: "Not seeing Your Majesty all morning, I felt empty and just wanted to catch a glimpse from afar. I didn’t mean to disturb you, it’s my fault!"

Her words brought a smile to the Emperor’s face, and he guided her inside: "You, always like this! Please, have a seat." Le Xiu smiled and said, "What is Your Majesty working on? I hope I’m not disturbing you."

"Just some small matters," the Emperor replied, sitting behind the Dragon Case, "choosing a suitable second wife for Han Cheng."

Le Xiu laughed, "Your Majesty truly is an enlightened monarch, even bothers about officials’ marriages." Giggling, she said, "But Your Majesty has always been accurate in judgment, being chosen by you is a blessing for Lord Han."

The Emperor laughed as well. Le Xiu walked over and said, "I’ll have a look, which family’s daughters are listed." As she approached and looked closely, the list contained only birth dates of the young ladies without much introduction; Le Xiu glanced over them casually.

The Emperor watched her and asked, "Oh? Then tell me, who do you think is suitable here?"

Le Xiu’s eyes shifted, and she randomly pointed to a Miss Fang, "I think she’s alright. Being a legitimate daughter, though I do not know which family she belongs to, she seems a good match for Lord Han."

The Empress added her cousin’s name, while Le Xiu just randomly pointed without much concern... His gaze paused as he took Le Xiu’s hand: "Alright, we’ll go with your choice, Miss from the Fang family!"

Xiqiu sent off Fourth Master Xiao and Min, then instructed Qingshan and Qingyuan to escort Zhi to fish by the Qing River. Upon returning, she checked on Chunliu, who was embroidering dowry in the room, then retired to her own room where Nanny Cen brought a letter, smiling: "Madam, just now Su Quansheng brought a letter for you from Shandong, sent by Su Da’s."

Xiqiu took the letter, returned to her rose bed, opened it, and after reading thoroughly, smiled. It turned out she hadn’t misjudged Su Dazhuang, and after only two months, he had already exchanged several letters secretly with the steward at Baoding Manor of the Tong Mansion. He mentioned he was just waiting for an opportunity, ready for Xiqiu to make a move, then Zou Bochang would just leave on his own.

Xiqiu chuckled softly, put the letter away with a smile: "How is Su Quansheng in the outer court?" Nanny Cen nodded, "He’s a decent child, sincere and diligent in his tasks. Even Lian Tiancheng says there’s nothing he can’t handle well."

"That’s good." Xiqiu nodded slightly and stood up: "Help me rearrange my hair into a hairstyle that was popular recently, the peony bun."

Nanny Cen hesitated and asked, "Is Madam going out?"

Xiqiu nodded with a smile, "Yes, it’s been some time since I’ve seen Madam Ruan, and now having the time today, I’ll go visit." Nanny Cen paused in thought, noticing that the Madam rarely visited these regular families, wondering why she suddenly chose to go out today?

Despite her thoughts, she only smiled and said, "Alright!" Xiqiu sat down at the dressing table again and instructed Bihuai: "Go to the outer court and inform Mr. Ji that I’ll be taking the two children out this afternoon and ask for a leave on my behalf."

Bihuai acknowledged and went to the outer court.

Xiqiu sat down smilingly as Nanny Cen arranged her hair into a neat bun.