Upon receiving Old Prince Ning's promise, the Princess Ning did not delay in spreading the word.
She was seeking a consort for the heir of Prince Ning's mansion.
To this end, she hosted a tea party at Prince Ning's mansion.
To demonstrate her sincerity, she invited envoys from other countries.
Several countries had already rushed back upon the summons of their rulers.
However, Southern Yue and Northern Chu remained.
The officials of the Great Liang Dynasty were accustomed to such matters.
In the Nine Continents, the Great Liang Dynasty was known for its vast territory and abundant resources.
Consequently, many smaller nations bowed their heads in submission to the Great Liang Dynasty.
They paid tribute annually on schedule.
Of course, these nations did not suffer losses.
They would occasionally send delegations to the Great Liang Dynasty.
Then they would reside in the capital of the Great Liang Dynasty for half a year to a year.
During this period, all expenses for food, clothing, housing, and transportation were reimbursed by the Great Liang Dynasty.
This was the responsibility of a great nation.
Therefore, many envoys from smaller nations enjoyed being dispatched to the Great Liang.
Upon arrival, they were not only respected but also well-fed and clothed, and they would depart with many gifts.
As these gifts were for foreign envoys, they could not be subpar, and only the best were chosen.
Moreover, the Great Liang Imperial Dynasty followed suit from the top down.
The Emperor above treated the envoys well and valued them.
How could the officials below dare to be negligent?
Thus, whenever a family hosted an event like a flower viewing party, tea party, or poetry gathering, they would usually send invitations to them.
Princess Ning was no exception.
With the intention of selecting a consort for Shen Yun, she invited many unmarried young ladies.
To avoid suspicion, she also invited some young gentlemen.
To prevent her intentions from being exposed, she initially only observed.
Later, she invited them to sit and chat with her.
By conversing with each of them, she identified three most likely candidates.
The first was the youngest daughter of Li Hui, a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. She was fifteen this year and would soon come of age, meaning marriage could be arranged as soon as a match was decided.
The second was Wang Ning'er.
The reason for selecting her was that Princess Ning felt that although Wang Ning'er's maternal family, the Wus, were on the rise, her paternal family, the Lius, had unfortunately backed the wrong side in the matter of Prince Ping, leading to the Liu family's decline.
If Liu Song Sheng had not happened to marry the sister of Wang Cheng Yi, the Liu family might not have even held a place in court.
The third was Princess Yi Jiang of Southern Yue.
In Princess Ning's opinion, she was unwilling to share someone so favored by the Emperor with Shen Yun as his consort.
After all, the princess's maternal family was powerful, being the Great Liang Imperial family.
Her paternal family was also the royal family of Southern Yue.
How could Princess Ning bear to pair such a capable daughter-in-law with Shen Yun?
But there was no alternative.
After so many days, it was common knowledge that Princess Yi Jiang of Southern Yue was fond of Shen Yun.
If she did not include her in planning his marriage, wouldn't that be making an enemy of her?
Yi Jiang was a formidable force, and the intelligent Princess Ning naturally did not wish to offend her.
Moreover, Princess Ning had another concern.
She had witnessed firsthand the excellent relationship between Shen Yun and Su Xiao Qi as a couple.
If she wanted to forcibly separate them, those two girls from ordinary backgrounds would not suffice.
They needed someone as formidable as Yi Jiang to make a move.
At worst, Yi Jiang could be the main wife, and the other two could be secondary consorts.
"Mother, why are you worrying about his marriage? Just let him marry that country bumpkin; grandfather would never agree anyway."
Princess Qionghua had been thoroughly dealt with by Shen Yun and Su Xiao Qi, to the point that the mere mention of their names made her feel stifled.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, she did not wish to mention them again.
Nor did she want her mother to worry about his marriage.
"Hmph, if I don't concern myself with them, then they will be happy," Princess Ning snorted angrily.
No matter what, she was his nominal stepmother.
In the future, when his newly married consort had children, she would take them to raise as her own. She could no longer control the heir of Prince Ning's mansion.
Only by targeting the children born to the heir could she secure her position as Princess Ning.
Otherwise, her position as Princess Ning would likely be unstable.
Thinking of this, Princess Ning recalled the reports from the spies she had sent out investigating Prince Ning's relationship with that commoner woman.
If she hadn't heard it with her own ears, she would never have known that Prince Ning could go to such lengths for a woman.
It turned out that it wasn't that Prince Ning couldn't do it before; he just didn't want to, or he felt she wasn't worth it.
Anger churned within Princess Ning's heart.
She wished she could immediately rush to Zhao Shi and slap her soundly, to teach her how to behave.
But she could only imagine it. She dared not!
Princess Qionghua, hearing her father mentioned, casually asked where he had gone.
"Hmph, where else could he be but with that old harridan?" Princess Ning's temper could no longer be suppressed.
Yet Princess Qionghua insisted on knowing clearly.
This made her even more furious.
Princess Qionghua ignored her mother's anger.
She asked Princess Ning when those unruly people would enter the mansion.
"After the Dragon Boat Festival," Princess Ning replied irritably.
"There will likely be another banquet then," Princess Qionghua's eyes flickered as she thought of something.
She leaned in and whispered something to Princess Ning.
Princess Ning looked at her with surprise.
"Why bring him up specifically? Do you have something with him… Let me tell you, he is only the nephew of the ruler of Northern Chu, not his own son.
When he returns to Northern Chu, he will only be an ordinary prince, and following him has no future.
Furthermore, I have seen that person; his eyes are narrow and squinting, a clear sign of lust.
He is not a good match."
Princess Ning critically assessed Chu Le Ge, the Northern Chu envoy, whom Princess Qionghua had mentioned, with a look of disdain.
"If he is so unworthy, then that's perfect!" Princess Qionghua's eyes rolled again, brimming with ideas.
In the first year of the late Emperor's mourning, the Dragon Boat Festival could not be celebrated ostentatiously.
The newly enthroned Emperor Yongxing was a thrifty ruler.
He disliked ostentatious displays.
It was rare for the Ministry of Rites to voluntarily suggest not holding grand dragon boat races, which pleased him.
However, private family gatherings were still held by various households.
For example, the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Su Xiao Qi was invited by the Grand Princess to attend their family banquet.
At the banquet, there was no one else except the Grand Princess and her two children, along with Su Xiao Qi and Shen Yun.
And later, Ji Chenggang, the commander of the Imperial Guard.
Although Su Xiao Qi had met Ji Chenggang before, it was always in solemn occasions where they had not even exchanged words.
But this time was different; not only did they have to speak, but they also had to eat at the same table.
Su Xiao Qi felt a certain pressure.
But strangely, Ji Chenggang was as docile as a puppy in front of the Grand Princess.
Throughout the meal, he only served food to the Grand Princess and peeled shrimp for Princess Hui'an and Prince Bao.
He served the mother and daughters impeccably.
Su Xiao Qi and Shen Yun exchanged glances, feeling as if they were witnessing a public display of affection.
But the Grand Princess did not find anything amiss.
Su Xiao Qi thought that perhaps she had become accustomed to Ji Chenggang's care.
Princess Hui'an, on the other hand, seemed somewhat uncomfortable. She subtly looked up at Su Xiao Qi and smiled at her sheepishly.
She even whispered an explanation: "Uncle Ji often acts like this when he dines at our house. Sister Xiao Qi, please don't mind."
As soon as her voice fell, Ji Chenggang's sharp gaze swept over.
Su Xiao Qi chuckled, lowered her head, took a bite of rice, and then peeled a large shrimp to give to Shen Yun.
Shen Yun chuckled, knowing she liked shrimp, and peeled one back for her.
Thus, the couple also slowly relaxed.
As they would at home, they began to serve each other dishes.
Their affection was displayed so naturally.
This time, the Grand Princess saw it and smiled gently, giving Su Xiao Qi a thumbs-up.
Only Hui'an's bright eyes darted between the others.
The Grand Princess took the opportunity to instruct her.
She said that when marrying, one should marry someone like this, who dares to serve dishes and peel shrimp for his wife at the dining table.
Not someone who acts like a lord all day, waiting for his wife to serve him.
Princess Hui'an felt a little flustered and couldn't help but look at Su Xiao Qi.
She saw Su Xiao Qi nodding with a smile, saying that the Grand Princess's words were absolutely right.
Seeing this, Shen Yun could only smile indulgently.
His goal was to spoil his wife to an unparalleled degree.
This way, no matter how many secrets his wife had that he didn't know, he wouldn't be afraid, as she was already completely inseparable from him!