Chapter 1446 - 265, Refuse (7)
Lady Jiang could not help but ask, "Old Sister, what is wrong with you? Why have you suddenly started sighing? Is there some difficulty with this matter?"
Upon hearing that there might be a complication, Chen Leyao’s face also filled with worry. Her dream of becoming an Imperial Concubine was almost within reach—she could not let it be ruined!
After persistent questioning by the mother and daughter, Tao Hua finally slapped her thigh and mustered her courage, saying, "Well, since I’m already here, I might as well tell you. The Third Prince means that he hasn’t married his Main Consort yet, and it would be against the rules to welcome a concubine into the mansion too early. Moreover, a Prince’s Consort is personally conferred by Your Majesty; even if he does not like the lady, he must obey the decree if Your Majesty finds it suitable."
Both Lady Jiang and Chen Leyao were aware of these matters concerning the palace, yet it was clear that Tao Hua had not finished speaking.
Indeed, Tao Hua continued, "Actually, the Third Prince truly likes Yaoyao, but he cannot disregard the ancestral rules, and he is still a young prince. I believe you both know about the conflict between the Third Prince and the Second Prince... ahem, I digress. In short, according to the Third Prince, he hopes that Yaoyao can enter the mansion without an official title for now, and once the Main Consort is in place, he will beseech His Majesty to officially bestow Yaoyao as a concubine."
After finishing, Tao Hua looked cautiously at the two women, "What do you think about this..."
"I refuse! I do not agree!" Chen Leyao was the first to object. Although she could date and have outings with the Third Prince, it did not mean she was a frivolous woman. To enter without an official title? Wouldn’t that make her the same as a Serving maid?
She suddenly recalled the nursery rhyme that had been widely circulated on the streets recently, which was said to reflect the household matters of the Wu family of Jiangnan, including a line about Young Master Wu sending his sister as a gift to the Prince for the sake of his career. Regardless of whether or not the rhyme was about the Wu family, she had not heard any news of the Wu brothers sending Wu Hanyu to the Second Prince Mansion.