Chapter 174 Lively (1)

"He can't marry."

Gao Yang followed Xie Jingxing's gaze and saw that among the flowers, Chen Miao's personal maid was telling the young eunuch something. The young eunuch agreed. It was probably the first time he received such a large amount of silver, so he was very happy. He said something respectfully to the maid before leaving.

After the young eunuch left, Jingzhe stood there with a hint of suspicion on his face. Shen Miao had specifically instructed her to hand the item over to this young eunuch, but this young eunuch was clearly new to the palace and had no connection with Shen Miao, so why did she have to give him such instructions?

Unable to figure out the reason, Jingzhe shook his head. Anyway, his goal had been achieved, so he turned and left.

“This young lady from the Shen family is very courageous.” Gao Yang commented: “She even dares to play tricks in the palace, and it seems that Shen Xin is unaware of it.”

Xie Jingxing remained silent. He never considered someone who dared to burn down his own ancestral hall to ashes to be cowardly. As for where the action took place, it probably made no difference to Shen Miao.

"Let's go." A strange smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "We should go see a play too."

"I won't go." Gao Yang blinked. "It's better to be cautious now. Moreover, if there is a change of plan, we must be more cautious."

"Whatever you want." Xie Jingxing said lazily. Suddenly he remembered something and said casually, "If I have time, I can go to the old guys in the Imperial Hospital and ask if they have anything."

"Yes, sir." Gao Yang bowed and then walked slowly towards the other end.

…

Time passed slowly, and the return banquet was finally about to begin.

The female members of the family sat at the lower level of the main hall, while the male members sat at the upper level. The princes sat on the far left, near the high seat in the center. King Zhou, King Jing, and King Ding had already arrived. Following them came King Li, King Xiang, and King Cheng.

Prince Zhou and Prince Jing were brothers, so naturally they were on the same side. Prince Xiang and Prince Cheng, led by Prince Li, formed their own faction. As for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who had yet to arrive, he had the support of Prince Xuan and Prince Chu. As for the Ninth Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi, he didn't belong to a faction and was the weakest and most neutral faction.

With the appearance of the three kings, the noise in the hall gradually died down.

Emperor Wenhui was also an eccentric figure. He fathered nine sons, each of them exceptionally talented. An ordinary family would have been overjoyed to have so many exceptional sons, but among the aristocracy, the more talented sons there were, the more intense the competition became. Even more unfortunate, these nine exceptional sons were born into the most ruthless imperial family in the world. This meant that their excellence would become a thorn in the eyes of their respective rivals, each eager to eliminate them.

Now that the nine sons have grown up and a crown prince has been appointed, the various forces have not yet subsided. Emperor Wenhui is currently maintaining a balance, but one day this entrenched dragon will grow old. When that happens, the Mingqi royal family, which has long been restless, will likely unleash another bloody storm.

Of the factions of the Zhou brothers, the Li prince, and the crown prince, the crown prince appeared to be the most powerful, but he was frail. Emperor Wenhui would not allow a weak son to sit on the throne, so the crown prince's power was more of a figment than a legitimate supporter. Any physical discomfort would only benefit his subordinates, the Xuan prince and the Chu prince. The Li prince faction, with its large numbers and immense influence, had many officials secretly siding with it. While the Zhou prince and the Jing prince brothers lacked the crown prince's legitimacy or power, they had a mother, Consort Xu, who was beloved by the emperor, and the Xu family provided strong support.