RPAGF Chapter 394 Prince Ning is still alive
Chapter 394 Prince Ning is still alive
The emperor felt much less tired. He had so many busy things to do, but there was still her, who loved him wholeheartedly and thought of him.
He kissed her forehead: "Wan'er... if I had other sons... alas, it's a pity I only have this one son left."
The younger sister didn't say anything, but she knew her worries had come true.
Since the Emperor cannot have children, the Second and Third Princes are useless; only the Crown Prince holds absolute power. She used to think that as long as she was favored, the Marquis's mansion would remain prosperous for twenty years until the Crown Prince ascended the throne.
However, the second sister's actions have now offended the crown prince to the death.
future……
The younger sister closed her eyes, thinking that once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Si family would be doomed.
But if the crown prince isn't allowed to succeed to the throne, then who else can?
What if she can get pregnant? Didn't Consort Rong get pregnant last year?
Consort Rong was raised like a thin horse from childhood, so her health was poor, and she was unable to give birth to her child. She was different; she was healthy.
What if you were to conceive your own child and find ways to support it?
It may be difficult, but it's not impossible.
Although the Emperor did not reprimand the Crown Prince, it was tantamount to temporarily stripping him of his power. Of course, he had entered the court at the age of fifteen and spent the past seven years cultivating his own power base. With the assistance of the Zuo family, his strength should not be underestimated.
Even if they don't hold power openly, they still wield considerable power in private.
He left the palace and went to the Crown Prince's residence outside the palace. The Crown Prince summoned his advisors to meet him and told them about what had happened.
The aide was heartbroken: "It's such a pity. If Lord Zhou can't be saved, then this annual income of more than 500,000 taels will definitely be lost."
There is no business that can generate more revenue than privately levying taxes on grain transport. The Crown Prince's power has grown so rapidly in such a short time, and this is inextricably linked to these sums of money.
Another aide shook his head: "No, we cannot protect Lord Zhou. If we do, the Emperor will surely think that this is His Highness's intention. His Highness must extricate himself from this matter."
“Father is still young, he can live for at least another twenty years.” The Crown Prince did not want to offend the Emperor at this time, so he said, “However, Father only has me as his son. As long as I do not make any big mistakes, the other two will not be able to get out. The world will eventually belong to me.”
After pondering for a moment, the advisor said, "Your Highness, have we really just let this go after suffering such a great loss?"
The Crown Prince didn't care: "The biggest troublemaker was Prince Ning. He's dead now, so why should I bother with him?"
The advisor said, "The Feng and Si families... if it weren't for their assistance, Lord Zhou might not have perished."
“Zhou acted too recklessly. I warned him before. Even if he doesn’t get into trouble this time, he might not be able to protect himself next time.” The Crown Prince waved his hand and said, “Feng Ziheng is the best at judging the situation. His younger brother is reckless and foolish, and he won’t amount to anything. There’s no need to worry about him. As for the Si family, they’re just a bunch of old people, women and children. Only Si Muwan is new and has won the Emperor’s favor. What is there to fear?”
The advisor said, "The Feng family is very powerful. It would be best to win them over if possible, but we don't need to confront them unless absolutely necessary. As for the Si family, they are weak. Should we make our move sooner rather than later?"
"No need. I don't want to cause trouble at this critical juncture. Although Si Muwan is just a woman, she is vindictive and vengeful. There's no need to create discord with her now."
Therefore, the advisors stopped trying to persuade him.
"Your Highness will be getting married in a little over a month. It would be good if you could have children soon."
When the topic of the wedding came up, the Crown Prince didn't seem to have any particular feelings.
The aide added, "Once the Empress Consort enters the Eastern Palace, the concubines can also be selected. The position of Empress is currently vacant. Should Your Highness handle these matters yourself, or wait until the Empress Consort enters the palace…?"
The Crown Prince's face darkened at the thought of those noble families who were eager to send their people into the Eastern Palace.
After his birth mother's death, he lost his father's favor and had to be subservient to his maternal uncle in order to maintain his position in court. He never wanted to live like that again. What nonsense about maternal relatives! He would be the ruler of the world in the future. What right did maternal relatives have to control him?
Women should always be subordinate, as long as they are beautiful, obedient, and well-behaved. Or at least, they should be sensible and able to help him.
He had the beloved Song Yin, the capable but unassuming Gui Shan, and as for his concubines…
"We'll talk about it after the Crown Princess enters the palace."
Just then, a servant rushed in, shouting, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
The crown prince was displeased: "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry about?"
The servant whispered, "Your Highness, there are rumors outside that... Prince Ning is still alive and will be entering the capital soon."
Prince Ning is still alive!
The Prince of Ning survived, and the first thing he did was to send messages to the palace and to his second sister.
The second sister was overjoyed and wept upon seeing the letter.
The younger brother laughed when he saw this: "It's so good that my brother-in-law came back alive."
The second sister's face darkened: "What nonsense are you talking about? He is His Highness Prince Ning, not your brother-in-law!"
The younger brother said, "But I don't know who it was that, upon learning of Prince Ning's death, lost their appetite and cried all night long until their eyes were swollen like a ghost."
The second sister quickly asked someone to bring a mirror. She looked at herself from left to right and found that her face was indeed swollen and looked very ugly.
Zhiyuan instructed the maid to bring ice, which she wrapped in a handkerchief and applied to her second sister's face.
The second sister said to her younger brother, "There is absolutely no possibility between us, but he is a good person, and I naturally hope that he is alive."
The Prince of Ning entered the capital the next day. He was supposed to return to his residence to pack up before going to the palace to pay his respects, but he went directly to the Marquis's residence. Upon learning that his second sister was on duty at the Dali Temple, he went back to the Dali Temple instead.
He had somehow found ordinary commoners' clothes, which were patched and torn. His hair was casually tied up with a hair tie, lacking the usual dashing air of someone with his hair tied up with a jade crown.
His beard was neatly trimmed, so he didn't look unkempt.
The second sister came down the steps carrying the case files and saw him at a glance.
He doesn't seem like Prince Ning; he seems like the former Third Prince.
The second sister almost called out to Sanlang; she was standing on the steps, momentarily distracted.
Prince Ning stood there smiling at her: "My lady, I'm back."
My wife, I'm back.
The second sister's eyes reddened, but she quickly looked away and turned to head back to the files room.
The surrounding officials were all astonished.
They usually had a good relationship with their second sister. Although they always felt that Prince Ning took special care of her, their second sister's aloof demeanor prevented them from thinking too much about it.
At most, it's just that Prince Ning is fond of beautiful women, but the women are indifferent to him.
It seems that... that's not the case now.
The person in charge coughed once, signaling everyone not to speak carelessly, before stepping forward: "Sir, you're finally back! Everyone in the department was very worried and had no energy to work for the past few days."
Prince Ning remained standing there, neither following his second sister nor leaving. His expression was gentle as he gazed at the door of the records room.
The official in charge had no choice but to remind him again: "Sir, you haven't entered the palace yet, have you? You should hurry up and enter the palace. I heard that His Majesty is very worried about you."