“Ah Nian, please take good care of her.” Consort An sighed with a helpless expression. Children were always a burden, and no matter how high one’s status, this burden arrived without fail.
“I watched Jinrong grow up, and naturally, I wish for her to have a good match. The Yan family has a good reputation, and they are loyal to your uncle. If this marriage can be arranged, it would also benefit my elder cousin.”
Consort An knew this very well. Originally, she had strongly desired for her son to marry a daughter of the Yan family. The Yan family had only one daughter, whom they doted on. If he married her, the entire Yan family would become his support.
However, her son had said that the Emperor was still in his prime, and as his sons, they should not be too ostentatious. The Yan family were military generals. He already had the Gu family behind him; with the Yan family added, how could the Emperor not be wary?
Therefore, this matter could only be discussed privately between mother and son.
For a daughter to marry into the Yan family, it would not be as conspicuous.
Thus, privately, if the Yan family’s sixth son was a good man, Consort An would very much like to facilitate this marriage.
She had heard about Madam Yan in previous years; she had an excellent temperament, and coupled with the Yan family’s upright traditions, concubines could only be taken after the age of forty with no sons.
“Was your trip to the border smooth?” Consort An asked.
“Overall, it was quite smooth. We encountered a few unexpected issues, but because of Zhenzhen, my brother-in-law and Physician Luo were able to resolve them.” Gu Sinian attributed the credit to Qi Zhenzhen.
“Your wife is a good woman. It is your good fortune to have married her.” Consort An already liked Qi Zhenzhen, and now that her nephew specifically praised her, how could she not agree?
Gu Sinian’s eyes curved with a smile. “My aunt speaks the truth; your nephew is fortunate.”
“Putting aside other things, ever since you married Zhenzhen, you’ve become so much more lively. In the past, you were never this talkative with me. I was truly worried that you were oblivious to matters of romance, but it turns out it was simply because you hadn’t met Zhenzhen yet.” Consort An found it increasingly amusing. “Look, when you marry the right person, even you, this big block of ice, melts. By the way, how is Zhenzhen’s health now? Is she doing well after becoming pregnant?”
“Everything is fine.”
“I had considered asking her to stay in the palace for a while, but thinking about the hidden dangers within the palace, it’s not a good place for nurturing a pregnancy, so I dropped the idea. As for tonics and such, your aunt feels it’s better for the people around her to arrange it personally.” Consort An said, “However, now that she’s pregnant, I, as her aunt, cannot be without a gesture. The gifts were prepared long ago, and you can take them to her.”
A sandalwood box, one foot square, was neatly stacked with small gold ingots.
Gu Sinian’s smile deepened. Although Zhenzhen had never explicitly stated how much she liked gold and silver, he knew that compared to famous paintings or calligraphy, gold and silver were more to her taste.
“Your nephew thanks my aunt on Zhenzhen’s behalf. She will definitely like this gift very much.”
“It’s good that she likes it,” Consort An said happily.
After chatting for a while longer, Gu Sinian mentioned he had other matters to attend to and needed to leave.
“I’ll leave with my cousin and see him off,” Jinrong said, following Gu Sinian’s footsteps.
After leaving Consort An’s chambers, Gu Sinian stopped. “Speak, what do you need to tell me?”
“I don’t think he’s that kind of person. There must be a misunderstanding. Cousin, my future happiness is at stake, so please, please investigate thoroughly.” Jinrong pleaded pitifully.
“You don’t need to tell me; I would do it anyway. However, I’ll say this beforehand: there’s no certainty in such matters. You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Don’t place all your hopes solely on the Yan family’s sixth son,” Gu Sinian advised.