Chapter 167 Nothing Better Than This (Two Chapters in One)

Among Master Zhen’s latest batch of goods, there is a mirror with a mechanism. The outside of the mirror is an enamel shell, decorated with flowers inlaid with pearls and gems. Pressing the core of one of the flowers will make it spread its wings like a butterfly, revealing the mirror made of Western glass inside. Pressing the core of another flower will pop out a comb inlaid with gold and jade.

In addition to this mirror, there is also a round fan. The fan is exquisitely crafted and extremely delicate. However, what is even more unique is the pattern on the fan. When you look at it from the front, you can see hundreds of flowers blooming, while when you look at it from the side, it is the moonlight on the lotus pond.

The Third Prince only took a quick look and knew that if these two items were given to Concubine Qiao, she would definitely like them.

Although Eunuch Jin stayed in the prison of the Ministry of Justice for a few days, everyone in the Ministry was polite to him. Although he was not treated as well as Zhu Yu in the prison during those days, he did not suffer any hardship. When he came out, his body was clean. Therefore, when he returned to the Prince's Mansion, he only rested for one night and then went back to serve the Third Prince.

Seeing these two items, he smiled and said, "The Imperial Concubine will definitely like them. Such rare items can only be obtained from Master Zhen."

The third prince nodded. Zhen Gui was a capable man. The shipping business was very profitable. Although this was his first time to invest in it, the profit he had earned had far exceeded his expectations. No wonder the Baoqing Marquisate was clamoring to split up. The brothers Zhu Qing and Zhu Xin had been doing business with Zhen Gui since he first arrived in the capital. Although they could not make much money with a small capital, after several businesses, they now had the confidence to split up.

When the third prince thought of the Zhu brothers, he thought of the fifth prince, and felt a little dissatisfied.

It was not until later that he accidentally heard that after Zhen Gui came to the capital, the first person he met was Deng Zheng, the prince of Dingguo, the second was Zhu Qing, who served as Deng Zheng's follower, and the third was Eunuch Wang who was beside the fifth brother!

Long before the noble children in the capital knew who Zhen Gui was, Eunuch Wang had already invested in the shipping business. Although it was only a medium-sized ship and Eunuch Wang was only testing the waters with a small stake, that time, Lao Wu made tens of thousands of taels of silver.

But Lao Wu didn't say a word to anyone, not even to him.

The reason why he knew about Zhen Gui was that he heard it from Deng Zheng. At that time, it had been several months since Lao Wu invested in the company. During these months, Lao Wu made 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver with Zhen Gui.

What the Third Prince could not tolerate the most was that the first time the Fifth Prince did business with Zhen Gui was when he was out of the capital reviewing the troops on behalf of his father.

In fact, he left some people behind when he left, but the fifth brother did it too secretly. Although the people in the Third Prince's Mansion found out that Eunuch Wang went to Ruyixuan alone to meet someone, they also checked later, but found nothing.

But he was too busy at that time, and after hearing the report, he didn't take it seriously.

Among the nine princes, not to mention the younger ones, among the adult princes, the ones who are most in need of money are the crown prince and the third prince.

The Crown Prince occupied the title of Eastern Palace, and the resources he received were originally greater than those of all his brothers. The Third Prince had to recruit talents, which cost the most. Although he had the Feng family as his father-in-law, the Feng family was a famous family but not wealthy. Therefore, over the years, the Third Prince had used Concubine Qiao's private money a lot, so he was the one who needed money the most.

And what does Lao Wu need so much money for?

Thinking of the things that the fifth brother had done behind his back, the third prince felt a surge of anger in his heart. He felt that the fifth brother was no longer the younger brother who followed him.

He ordered his men to put the two items into a brocade box and then went into the palace.

Ever since the incident with Eunuch Jin, Concubine Qiao has not seen the Third Prince. The mother and son both understood each other and knew that they absolutely could not meet at that time. They could not let the emperor think that they were discussing countermeasures. Only by remaining calm could they avoid falling into the vortex of self-affirmation.

Sure enough, the case was soon concluded and the third prince escaped unscathed.

But even so, Concubine Qiao was still feeling uneasy.

Although the fourth son was punished, the emperor's punishment of the fourth son made Concubine Qiao feel disheartened.

One year of house arrest?

What kind of punishment is this?

The fourth child is a cripple and won't go out unless he is under house arrest.

The emperor is clearly showing favoritism!

You must know that if the fourth prince succeeds, both the crown prince and the third prince will face a catastrophe.

The fourth child was about to make a big fuss, but was only confined to his room?

Although Concubine Qiao was angry, she was more gentle and considerate than before when facing Emperor Yongjia. She never mentioned the grievances suffered by the third prince, and her eyes were full of pity for the emperor.

Yes, the one who is most heartbroken when brothers kill each other is his father, but he has been alone for a long time, so who can truly understand him?

Therefore, if there is still one person in the palace who cares about the emperor, it is Concubine Qiao, not the queen, and certainly not his biological mother, Concubine Li.

Concubine Qiao's consideration made Emperor Yongjia feel guilty. He asked people to send a lot of things, and when the third prince came in, his eyes were full of jewels and treasures.

"Mother, the emperor has sent you something again." Everyone in the bedroom is trustworthy, and the third prince can call her mother without any hesitation.

A hint of mockery flashed in Concubine Qiao's eyes: "This is all he can give me."

The position of empress cannot be given to her, nor can the position of crown prince be given to her just like that. All the emperor can give her are these gold, silver and jewels.

For the emperor, gold, silver and jewelry were the cheapest and simplest compared to other things he could give.

Concubine Qiao knew this very well. At her position, the measure of whether the emperor favored her was not whether the emperor stayed overnight or how many things the emperor sent her.

At her age, she no longer wanted to have another child. The emperor's stay was worthless to her, and gold, silver and jewelry were also worthless to the emperor.

Just like a simple girl from an ordinary family, before getting married, you can hope that he is rich and powerful, talented, handsome, has noble character, is hardworking and brave, but you must not hope that he is good to you, because if he can be good to you, he can also be good to others. Being good is the least valuable, so people are most willing to pay for it.

It sounds simple, but how many girls have been asked: What's so good about him? What do you want from him?

The girl often blushes but looks stubborn: I don’t want anything, I just want him to be nice to me.

......

Since she was young, Concubine Qiao knew clearly what she wanted and what she could have. She also knew that it was easy to please the emperor, but it was difficult to please him all the time.

Therefore, over the years, no matter how many young beauties there were in the harem, she would always be the most different one in the emperor's heart.

But for her, this is still too far away.

For the sake of her son, she could give up being the queen, but her son must become the emperor.

Looking at Concubine Qiao's eyes, which showed fatigue and anxiety only in front of him, the Third Prince hurriedly opened the two brocade boxes as if they were finding treasures.

"Mother, please look at what your son has brought you."

He patiently showed Concubine Qiao the wonders of the two things, and Concubine Qiao finally smiled.

To her, these two little things were far more valuable than the gold, silver and jewelry sent by the emperor.

She fiddled with the two objects, unable to let go, but her words were full of helplessness.

"I know why you're so anxious to enter the palace. Alas, not to mention you, even my mother would be so angry that she couldn't sleep all night."

The Third Prince complained, "Mother, what do you think Father meant? The Fourth Prince harmed his brothers, yet he let it go so easily. Could it be that he still has high hopes for him?"

Concubine Qiao snorted coldly: "High hopes? How is that possible? There is one thing I was unsure of at first, but now I am certain of it."

The Third Prince asked hurriedly, "What's the matter?"

Concubine Qiao said sarcastically, "Xiao Zhen's death and the fourth brother's leg were all caused by him. He feels guilty towards the fourth brother."

The corner of the Third Prince's mouth twitched. Would a man like his father feel guilty towards his son?

However, his attention quickly shifted to another matter: "Xiao Zhen's death is due to father... Why did father do this? Is it because of the Xiao family? But the disabled members of the Xiao family are old and dying, and none of their sons and nephews are capable of taking on important responsibilities. The Xiao family has long been dead in name only. Why would father need to take action against them?"

Concubine Qiao felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Her son was still too young and too naive. Alas, if it weren't for Feng Ke's advice, he would have been plotted against long ago.

"The Xiao family is nothing to be feared, but the Liang land where the Xiao family is located is a major concern for your father."

The reason why the Third Prince was favored by Emperor Yongjia was partly because of Concubine Qiao, and partly because he was the smartest among all the princes since he was a child.

So when Concubine Qiao said this, the Third Prince understood.

The Eighth King has always been a thorn in my father's heart.

My father originally wanted to let the Prince of Liang's Mansion and the Xiao family fight each other, and he would reap the benefits. Unfortunately, Prince of Liang died, and Xiao Zhen also died, so the two families did not fight. Instead, my father had to let Zhao Tinghan go back.

"Mother, if I take back Liangdi for my father, he will surely be very pleased."

If Liangdi was taken back from him, not only would the emperor be delighted, he would also be able to completely crush the prince under his feet.

Concubine Qiao laughed. "Reclaim Liang? How could that be so easy? Do you think you can reclaim Liang by sending people to Liang and chopping off Zhao Tinghan's head? If that were the case, Liang would have been reclaimed long before the old Prince of Liang died. Why did it take so long until now? The Prince of Liang's mansion is deeply entrenched. It's impossible to eliminate it with just one or two deaths."

The Third Prince sneered: "Zhao Tinghan is a sickly person, and Zhao Tingxuan is just a coward who only knows how to indulge in romantic affairs. Why should we be afraid of them?"

Concubine Qiao thought about the recent incident and thought it would be better to let the Third Prince know.

"The real person in charge of the Liang Palace now is not Zhao Tinghan, but Zhao Yunnuan. Unfortunately, Zhao Yunnuan has a bad relationship with his mother..."

The third prince's eyes brightened the more he listened. He had found a way to show off in front of his father.

"Isn't it just about getting Zhao Yunnuan married in the capital? That's easy. Come to think of it, why did you think of Zhu Yu? And after Zhu Yu was castrated, no wonder father was angry."

Imperial Concubine Qiao sneered, "I brought this up a long time ago, but Concubine Li wanted to manipulate her and kept dragging it out. Zhu Yu has become a cripple, and only now is she bringing up this marriage. Ha, she's done more harm than good."

The Third Prince said, "It's a pity that Zhao Yunnuan is a daughter of the imperial clan. If it were Northern Yan or Southern Gui, this marriage would be easy. However, it's not difficult now. It will give the royal family face, force Zhao Tinghan to agree, and prevent the imperial censors from slandering her. They can't just focus on an uneducated playboy like Zhu Yu."

Concubine Qiao said, "Your father already has someone in mind, but he hasn't decided yet."

The Third Prince hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"

"Yan Xia, the prince of the Duke of Wei." Concubine Qiao's voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard.

The third prince was stunned. Yes, Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Tinghan are twins. They must be quite old. Yan Xia is not married yet, and the two families are originally distant relatives.

The Third Prince quickly analyzed the pros and cons of this marriage, and finally nodded, "This is a good match."

Concubine Qiao looked at him and asked, "Why do you think so?"

The Third Prince smiled. "Although the Yan family of the Duke of Wei may seem rough, they actually have very strict family rules. Although the descendants of the Yan family are loyal only to the emperor, they respect Taizu even more. The eight princes' fiefs were all granted by Taizu. If my father wants to reclaim Liangdi, the Yan family will definitely not agree. If they don't agree, a large number of people in the court will support them. However, if Zhao Yunnuan becomes the Yan family's daughter-in-law, then in the future, all matters concerning Liangdi will remain silent. They can only remain silent."

At this point, the Third Prince paused and said, "Father wants Zhao Yunnuan to marry in the capital because he wants her to die here. But if the Yan family takes the initiative to kill their daughter-in-law, it will be extremely difficult.

But what if I could find a way to make the Yan family think that Zhao Yunnuan died at my hands?"

Imperial Concubine Qiao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something. She clapped her hands and laughed, "Great! By then, we'll have the Yan family in our hands. What lone minister? Just the crime of murdering the royal bloodline will bring disgrace to the Yan family and all their ancestors. By then, my son, whether it's the Duke of Wei, the Yan Xia, or anyone else who follows the Yan family, they can all be used by you. Not to mention, the Yan family also has the Beijing Guards."

The 50,000 Beijing guards were the last line of defense for the Great Yong Dynasty, and the person who founded the Beijing guard camp was the first Duke of Wei.

After that, the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion was in charge of the Beijing Guards for decades. It was not until more than ten years ago, when the old Duke of Weiguo was dying, that he returned the tiger talisman of the Beijing Guards camp to the retired emperor.

Although the Beijing Guard Camp is no longer in the hands of the Yan family, the Yan family's influence still remains. Although the commanders in the Beijing Guard Camp have changed twice, the group of young generals trained by the old Duke of Wei are now in their prime. They are not only active in the Beijing Guard Camp, but can also be seen in other guards.

And these are the reasons why the Duke of Wei, who pretends to be stupid all day long, and those bastards of the Yan family have the confidence to run to the Marquis of Baoqing's house and tear off the tiles.

The Third Prince's heart was beating fast with excitement. He had tried to win them over before, but neither the Duke of Weiguo himself nor Yan Xia were willing to listen.

But if we catch them, then things will be different.

Once the Duke of Wei's Mansion is used by this prince, with the Feng family as the civil servant and the Yan family as the military servant, who will be qualified to compete with him for the throne?

"Mother, please persuade the emperor with some advice. Even outside the palace, I will do everything I can to make this marriage happen. Hahaha, this marriage is truly wonderful! There's nothing better than this!"