Chapter 191: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 191: Concerning the Child’s Name**
Prince Qi, still anxious, sniffed himself cautiously.
As he did so, he thought to himself, “I don’t smell bad, do I? Quite the opposite—there’s a nice scent, just like Qi Wangfei’s fragrance!”
When little Suisui wakes up and smells her father like this, she’s bound to be delighted.
However, thinking of Suisui’s unfortunate past, Prince Qi’s face soon turned cold.
Qi Wangfei couldn’t understand why he might smell bad and soon changed the topic to their conversation with the Empress Dowager in the palace.
Upon hearing that the Emperor was to help with the naming, Prince Qi was displeased. “Why should my brother be the one to name her? He’s so busy—how does he have time for such things? I’ll name her myself. I mean, wouldn’t it be absurd to let someone else name my own child? No need for that, absolutely no need!”
Prince Qi thought, “Now that I finally have my own daughter, how could I let someone else name her? Not a chance!”
Although she isn’t his biological daughter, those eyes… how could they not count as his own? He loves her, and to him, that makes her his.
Of course, the more important thing is that Princess Consort loves her.
Qi Wangfei could read his thoughts. She wanted to say, “A name given by the Emperor and one given by you—are they the same?”
If the Emperor names her, it’s an honor—a bestowed name. If you do, it’s just routine.
But such a comment would be too blunt, and with the Empress Dowager involved, she chose not to say more.
Remembering what the Empress Dowager had said—that Suisui would only gain an official status once she proved her worth—Qi Wangfei sighed softly, feeling a bit aggrieved. “Our Suisui will have to live without an official title for many years.”
For the child to truly prove herself might take another three to five years, at least until she’s eleven or twelve, when she can be said to have “proven” herself.
Now, Suisui is just over five years old, with many years in between.
Qi Wangfei thought, are they really going to allow Suisui to be treated with such disdain?
Without a proper, respectable title, it remains a worry.
Prince Qi, hearing this, grew unhappy. “Mother isn’t being considerate enough with this.”
Qi Wangfei said nothing.
She was hardly in a position to comment on a son criticizing his own mother.
If word of this got out, what would people say?
And besides, his mother was the Empress Dowager.
Prince Qi hadn’t expected her to reply and quickly added, “Tomorrow, I’ll visit the palace and speak with Mother. Our house’s eldest girl shouldn’t endure this kind of slight. If she’s worthy of a title like County Princess, then it should be confirmed soon. I may not be able to choose her name, but I can at least pick her title, can’t I?”
Thinking of a title, Prince Qi chuckled, practically rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “How about County Princess Baoyue? Suisui is like a precious moon sent from the heavens!”
“No, no, the moon carries too much yin energy; it’s not suitable for a young lady. Let’s pick another one.”
“How about Jiaoyang? My little precious is like a blazing sun?”
“Huh? But that overlaps with my elder sister’s title. That might upset Mother, so it won’t work either.”
“How about Baojiao? My precious Jiaojiao—it sounds wonderful.”
…
Qi Wangfei: …
She wasn’t surprised by Prince Qi’s stable literary level over the years.
But she had other things on her mind, so she kept her opinions about the title to herself.
After some thought, she brought up a key point: “Suisui has suffered greatly, with no one to stand up for her. Now, this situation has escalated, which is really inappropriate. Such a good child—how can we let her end up in the Marquis of Jinyang’s household? I’m thinking it’s time to handle things with the Chen family in Qingzhou.”
When Third Lady Chen passed, she left a sizable amount of silver.
The Marquis of Jinyang wasn’t a devoted man, nor was he particularly responsible.
But he was generous.
The people who served him always ended up with a good amount of silver, so long as parting was reasonably amicable.
From what Prince Qing’s men found out, there was at least a thousand taels of silver involved.
In Qi Wangfei’s view, it wasn’t much.
But for a typical farming household, ten taels could support a family for over a year.
A thousand taels could last them a long time.
But to raise a child and still be so heartless?
Thinking of this made Qi Wangfei furious!
Prince Qi, previously absorbed in picking a title for his precious girl, listened with curiosity as Qi Wangfei brought up the issue. “What should we do about it?”
Qi Wangfei wasn’t surprised at his lack of knowledge regarding the situation in Qingzhou.
If he did know, then she’d be worried.
Once he asked, she quickly replied, “Last year, the Emperor considered opening a coal mine in Qingzhou, but plans were delayed for various reasons. I was thinking, if someone were to encourage the Emperor to revisit the idea, they’d likely need extra labor in Qingzhou this year. We could then make arrangements to send the men in Chen Dalang’s family to work in the mines.”
Here, Qi Wangfei snorted, “I’m not looking to send them to their deaths. If they died, it’d be all too convenient for that imposter in the capital. I’m just thinking that a bit of hardship in the mines would do them some good.”
Prince Qi did remember something about this and had, in fact, once mentioned it to Qi Wangfei.
But asking around?
Who could he ask?
He wasn’t exactly gifted with political affairs.
Aside from Prince Qing, there wasn’t anyone else he could rely on.
The problem was…
Prince Qing had recently gone out to inspect the outskirts of the city, and he wouldn’t be back for seven to ten days.
Anxious to avoid the wait, Prince Qi thought if he could find a better candidate, he’d pay them a visit tonight and have them mention it to his elder brother tomorrow!
With that thought, he waved his hand decisively. “No need to ask around; I’ll go directly to Mother.”
Afraid to face his brother, but not his mother?
Aside from his late elder sister, no one was more cherished by the Empress Dowager than him.
Prince Qi was confident!
In the past, Qi Wangfei would have nodded in agreement, smiling.
But remembering what the Protector Marquis had told her about charcoal, she thought…
The situation now seemed simpler.
She quickly explained the matter of charcoal to him.
Upon hearing it, Prince Qi slapped his thigh in excitement. “Ah, my girl really is something special! This child was made for our family!”
He was overjoyed and raised his voice without realizing it, somehow disturbing little Suisui in the next room.
Suisui let out a startled cry.
The sound startled even aunt Xiang, who was watching over her. Qi Wangfei was so alarmed that she rushed over, abandoning Prince Qi in the process.
Prince Qi didn’t hesitate; as soon as he recovered, he hurried after her.
By the time they arrived, aunt Xiang was already holding a sobbing Suisui, comforting her gently.
Qi Wangfei felt heartbroken watching. She sat down, took Suisui into her arms, and gently patted her back, soothing her, “Don’t be scared, Suisui. Mother is here.”
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