Emperor Changwu examined the candidates, and out of over a hundred candidates, about ten caught his eye. While he found them somewhat lacking to be matched with him and Consort Rong's son, they were still far superior to a merchant's daughter.
Besides, they were only to be side consorts, so he couldn't demand too much.
With only a dozen portraits in total, Gu Yanchen quickly flipped to the last one. Emperor Changwu asked expectantly, "Have you chosen one?"
Gu Yanchen scoffed, "None of them are as beautiful as my wife. They wouldn't even be good enough to be decorative vases, wouldn't that be a waste of my son's money!"
Nowadays, keeping a concubine was not cheap.
Even though the court provided a monthly allowance for side consorts registered on the imperial genealogy, their food and clothing had to be provided by the household, and they also had to be provided with maids. A side consort, the title itself sounded more significant than an ordinary concubine, so the expenses couldn't be small, right?
Emperor Changwu glared at him, "Stop talking nonsense. Your wife isn't a celestial being. I think quite a few of these women are more attractive than her."
Gu Yanchen firmly shook his head, "Your son still thinks his own wife is the most beautiful. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If Father Emperor likes them, you can take them in yourself. Your harem hasn't had any new additions in years, so taking in a few more would be just the thing to silence those ministers."
If he wanted to take in new consorts, would he have to wait until now?
Emperor Changwu was so angry he huffed and puffed twice, "Rebellious son, I think you intend to anger me to death."
"Not at all. Your son is too busy being filial to you to anger you."
"Then choose a few from here."
A few more? Gu Yanchen subconsciously reached for the money pouch hanging from his waist, "No."
Emperor Changwu looked at his stingy demeanor and barely managed to restrain himself from covering his eyes.
After half an hour of bickering between father and son, the steadfast Gu Yanchen emerged victorious. He cupped his hands and said he was going to Changning Palace to pick up his wife, then strode away. Emperor Changwu was extremely frustrated. Thinking of his other sons actively trying to build connections, he couldn't help but smash a Duan inkstone, "It's just asking him to marry another wife, why is it like forcing him to drink arsenic? Do I want to harm him?"
Emperor Changwu pondered endlessly, unable to understand.
Yan Furui could only try to comfort him, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is still young, let's take it slow."
"This fellow just doesn't know what's good for him. If I wasn't afraid of him being weak and bullied by his older brothers, I wouldn't bother with these trivial matters."
"One day, the Seventh Prince will understand your good intentions."
"That blockhead, it's a ghost if he understands."
Yan Furui pondered for a moment and suggested, "Why doesn't Your Majesty directly issue an imperial decree for marriage? The Seventh Prince wouldn't dare to defy an imperial decree for a few women, would he?"
Emperor Changwu waved his hand, "He is very resistant to this matter. Directly issuing an imperial decree might displease him."
Having just reconciled with his son, he didn't want to leave an impression of being overbearing and dictatorial in his son's heart, even though he was such a person.
Yan Furui had to sigh that His Majesty was unusually thoughtful of the Seventh Prince.
Unfortunately, Gu Yanchen didn't seem to appreciate it at all. He was still complaining to his wife on the palace road, "Father Emperor is just too idle. If there were many state affairs, do you think he'd have time to meddle in our private family matters?"
Lu Nianfu had been tormented by the Empress for most of the morning. Her mind was buzzing with the words "take a concubine."
She had always been a straightforward person, disliking any procrastination. She couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed a leaf from a nearby tree and squeezed it vigorously, "Gu Yanchen, are you planning to take a concubine?"
Gu Yanchen immediately raised his hands, "False accusation! If I wanted to take one, why would I complain about Father Emperor meddling? Besides, I swore before my father-in-law's grave that I would treat you well for the rest of my life. It's only been a few days. If I really take a concubine, what if he's displeased and comes back in the middle of the night to demand justice?"
What he said was absurd, but Lu Nianfu's lips still curved upwards, and her voice softened with a hint of tenderness as she chided, "...You always talk nonsense."
Didn't he know about the eternal separation?
Gu Yanchen held her hand, "Speaking of which, this is all your fault. If you had given me a fat baby earlier, Father Emperor wouldn't be concerned with such minor matters?"
Lu Nianfu slowly turned her head to look at him, "So, what are you trying to say?"
Gu Yanchen lowered his voice, "So, why don't we hurry back to the mansion and make a baby?"
Lu Nianfu: ...
Scoundrel, he could think of that in any situation.
The topic of taking a concubine ended here.
They had been away from the capital for a full thirty-seven days, and both had accumulated a pile of miscellaneous affairs. Therefore, after leaving the palace, they had to part ways to attend to their respective tasks. Gu Yanchen naturally went to the Dali Temple, while Lu Nianfu, instead of going to her shop, returned home.
Whether it was the shop or the workshop, she was completely at ease with Yan Qing and Wang Shoucheng looking after them. But her home was different; she hadn't found a capable housekeeper. Fortunately, although Qingmiao lacked some skill in management, she was diligent in her work. As soon as Lu Nianfu inquired about social engagements, Qingmiao brought a stack of invitation cards to her.
They were even sorted by closeness of relationship. The top two were from the Marquis of Guangling's mansion and the Earl of Pingning's mansion.