The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

The title of Duke Dingguo was obtained by the old Duke following the founding of the empire with the late Emperor. Following the old Duke’s death, his son grew up, and after mourning, he claimed to be too old and frail to pursue reinstatement, merely letting his son take over, attending court meetings sporadically, and leading an extremely low-key life, meeting friends and playing with birds at home.

Although Duke Dingguo appears uninvolved in affairs, he is in fact never relaxed about the family’s destiny. As a Family Head, the most important quality is the strategic vision to make decisions about the family’s future. If truly uninvolved, the hard-earned ducal title would be taken away.

In the current Great Qing, there are only three Dukes: himself, Duke Yingguo, and the truly low-key Duke Dingguowen.

Speaking of Duke Dingguowen, that is a truly tragic case. Due to a flood, the family now only has a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, designated as a ”kitchen guardian girl,” and Duke Dingguowen is merely holding on, waiting for his granddaughter to grow up and marry, then closing his eyes for the final time.

The Duke of Yingguo has a vast family and many disputes, making his mansion very lively.

As for my own family.

Duke Dingguo thinks of his sons and the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

The eldest son was early established as the Princely Heir, now a second-class Eastern General, decisive and courageous, marrying into a prominent family. His daughter-in-law is virtuous and capable, though the couple is often apart and only has one son and one daughter, with few children.

As for the second son, he also joined the army early, serving alongside his elder brother in a civilian role. The brothers complement each other well. His wife is not unlike the eldest daughter-in-law, coming from a military family, accompanied the second son in the army, and bore two sons and a daughter.

As for the youngest son, Duke Dingguo’s smile fades, and his temples begin to throb.

Well, every family has its wastrel, and mine is no exception.

The youngest son, Guan Chongyi, is a rebellious child who neither excels in arts nor skills, spending his days stirring trouble and hiding in flower fields. Thankfully, I stated clearly beforehand that if he ever engaged in crimes like rape, looting, or bullying, he would be expelled from the Guan Family, or else he would become uncontrollable.

Duke Dingguo intervened in the marriages of his children; the eldest daughter was married into a family origin from Shandong, while the second daughter wedded his personal guard, causing Madam Guan to resent momentarily.

Yet seeing the second daughter find happiness in marriage with both son and daughter, it was settled. Now it comes to the precious youngest daughter.

Duke Dingguo considered the families in the capital and which could match his precious gem; reviewing his options, the Song Family indeed seemed suitable. What troubled him was that while the Guan Family is a martial one, the Song Family is purely civil servants, and he was wary of the Emperor’s perception.

Should the two families marry, the alliance would be too conspicuous. He feared the Emperor might suspect the two families, so when Prime Minister Song extended an invitation, he felt hesitant and uneasy.

Yet Madam Guan was delighted, saying: ”Lord, you are overthinking now. If the Emperor is to suspect anyone, it would concern the Crown Prince. But consider, does either the Song or Guan families have girls serving as Imperial Concubines or Princesses? Not even as Concubines; why would there be suspicion?”

Her words awakened him from his concerns.

Duke Dingguo thought deeply and agreed that Madam’s words were reasonable; both the Duke Dingguo Mansion and the Song Family are loyal Royalists, neither having females in the palace nor marrying into the Imperial Family should not cause the Emperor’s concern. As for the future...

The matters of the future are for future calculations.