Chapter 15: Choosing Between Widowhood and Remarriage

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“In the prince’s manor, you should address me as sister-in-law,” Yu Yuanzheng corrected.

“All right, sister-in-law, please accept these two maids. They’re very diligent and can take excellent care of the heir, so you won’t have to worry at all,” Yu Chaoyang said, still hoping these two maids would end up on the wrong path.

In her previous life, even though the heir never woke up, he was still her husband. Yet these two little vixens had been coveting him all along.

Well then, she would shatter their beautiful dreams.

They might as well continue to live as widows.

Now Yu Yuanzheng understood.

These two maids were waiting for the heir to wake up, hoping to become his women.

Seriously? The man was in such a state, and yet some women were willing to wait? That’s true love.

No, it was a craving for wealth and status. If it weren’t the prince’s manor, they would have had other plans.

“How do you know?” Yu Yuanzheng asked with a teasing smile.

“Uh, I heard it from my husband,” Yu Chaoyang regretted having let it slip.

“Mother-in-law, what is your stance on this?” Yu Yuanzheng ignored Yu Chaoyang and turned to the princess consort.

“I originally wanted to find matches for them, but they absolutely refused. This is the third time already,” the princess consort sighed helplessly.

These two maids had served the heir for many years and would normally be concubine maids, but since the heir had been unconscious for half a year, they had been waiting.

Now that the daughter-in-law had arrived, she tried again to have them marry off, but they just wouldn’t agree.

Yu Yuanzheng glanced at the two maids with tears in their eyes and felt a wave of contempt.

But in this era, such behavior was normal.

“Second sister-in-law, weren’t you going to pay respects to the secondary consort and the second madam? What’s this? Want to stay for dinner?” Yu Yuanzheng saw the gleeful expression on Yu Chaoyang’s face and guessed she was eager for gossip.

At the same time, from her reaction, Yu Yuanzheng guessed these two maids definitely didn’t truly love the heir or vow to marry no one else.

At the mention of dinner, Yu Chaoyang froze for a moment. The second madam had specifically instructed her not to eat in the princess consort’s quarters.

“Mother-in-law, your daughter-in-law takes her leave,” Yu Chaoyang pouted and left without witnessing any drama, leaving one maid behind to keep tabs on further developments.

“There were originally two senior maids in the heir’s quarters. Before you married in, mother-in-law had already arranged their marriages. These two are stubborn, so they’ve stayed until now,” the princess consort explained further.

That explained why Yu Yuanzheng had only seen a few maids tidying up or doing chores in the chess pavilion over the past three days; besides Nurse Ye, only she and the two maids she brought could enter the inner chambers.

The princess consort was truly a good mother-in-law, causing no trouble for her daughter-in-law.

“You two want to serve me and the heir?” Yu Yuanzheng despised women who were so eager to become concubines, utterly lacking any self-respect.

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“Madam of the heir, I have served him for nearly ten years and would never abandon him. Please allow me to stay in the chess pavilion. I will not marry; I want to see the heir recover.” The maid named Ruyue clung to Yu Yuanzheng’s leg, showing her determination.

“Madam of the heir, I have served the heir for nearly eight years. Being with him day and night, he likes the tea I brew best. When he wakes up, if he can’t drink my tea, he will feel uncomfortable,” Rushuang added with a more interesting tone.

As if the heir would have no tea if not for her.

They truly took themselves too seriously.

Typical servants thinking they can fool their master—or rather, fool her.

These two maids looked down on her, a daughter of a concubine born in the Bo family. If the heir had married a princess or a noble lady, would they dare make such demands?

“You only want to serve the heir and me, even if it means being maids for life and never marrying?” Yu Yuanzheng looked down at the two women’s eager faces and emphasized the word “serve.”

It was truly pitiful—young girls in the prime of their youth, and yet they didn’t want their own households.

“Yes,” both replied in unison.

“Even if the heir ultimately dies, you’re willing to remain widows with me? Think carefully before answering, and don’t act on impulse.

Also, I must tell you clearly: the imperial doctors have given a definitive diagnosis. The heir is almost impossible to wake up, unless a deity descends.

I have the prince’s manor to rely on while I remain a widow, but you are merely maids. Without the heir’s support and following me, a widow, what kind of future do you expect? You don’t need me to say more—the consequences are clear.

Once you make your choice today, there’s no turning back. I will not marry you off midway.

If you break the decision, I will send you directly to become nuns. I mean what I say.”

Yu Yuanzheng spoke sternly.

If even this couldn’t deter their desire to become concubines, she would never allow them into the heir’s quarters.

If they changed their minds, she could still take care of them, after all, they had served the heir.

Both hesitated.

“Princess consort, is there truly no hope for the heir’s recovery?” Ruyue still wanted to hear a definite answer from the princess consort.

“Yes. The prince has ceased treatment for the heir and is letting nature take its course. Soon, the heir’s position will likely be transferred to Zishu,” the princess consort said with some pity for the two maids, not wanting them to waste themselves on a hopeless wait. The daughter-in-law could adopt an heir, but they were just maids.

They truly did take good care of the heir’s daily needs.

The heir spent most of his time resting in the study and rarely returned to his own quarters at night, so the two maids in the chess pavilion served him less, while these two served more.

Upon hearing this, the two maids’ bodies went limp.

They had waited so long, only to end up empty-handed.

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“Wuwu…” Both began to weep sorrowfully.

“What, can’t make up your minds?” Yu Yuanzheng was exasperated. She really couldn’t understand women so eager to be concubines—no, not even concubines, just secondary maids.

They cried without answering.

Everyone knew their intentions, but the truth had yet to be openly acknowledged.

Yu Yuanzheng felt sorrow for women living in ancient times, willing to be secondary maids rather than marry as principal wives.

Was it a failure of education or a society that forced them to lose all ambition?

She did not understand.

“Stop crying!” Yu Yuanzheng shouted angrily.

It was such a disgrace to womanhood.

“What you truly want to serve is not me, but the heir—and this ‘serving’ means climbing into his bed. Am I wrong?” Yu Yuanzheng was frustrated.

“How can you have such little ambition? Isn’t it better to marry as a principal wife? Why stoop so low? Even if the heir fancied you, fine, but he has no feelings for you. Why do such shameful things?”

Yu Yuanzheng’s words hit their sore spot.

“How do you know the heir has no feelings for us?” Ruyue stifled her sobs and retorted.

For their own futures, they had no pride left to lose.

“If he were interested, he would have taken you into his chambers long ago. Why would you have to beg the princess consort today?”

Neither could answer.

Indeed, the heir had never shown the slightest sign of wanting them as concubines.

Yet everyone in the manor knew these two were the heir’s closest maids—destined to be secondary maids.

They had long regarded themselves as such.

But half a year ago, when the heir suddenly fell ill, their hearts sank.

Now that the princess consort had entered the manor, their status was unclear, and the princess consort had sent someone to inquire of their intentions yesterday.

They came early this morning to declare their decision.

“Well? Can’t answer? Fine. Now tell me your decision: will you remain widows with me, or marry as principal wives?”