"How so?" Yan Nangui asked, curious about her question.

“I won’t lie to my sister either.” Consort Jia bit her lip. “In my heart, I see my sister as someone to rely on. If I were capable enough to give birth to a prince, I would definitely serve my sister. But I feel I don’t have that blessing. So, I will stay with my sister. My sister’s good deeds are my good deeds.”

"Although the eldest prince seems kind, easy to talk to, sensible and well-mannered, his mother, Consort Ning, is, in my opinion, not a simple person at all."

"If I need your help now, or even just for a short time, I wouldn't dare offend you. But if things really come to that, I'm afraid things will change. Just look at the Empress Dowager; she was suppressed by the late Emperor back then. I didn't know exactly what she was like because I entered the palace late. But I'm sure you do, sister."

"Once someone becomes Empress Dowager, they all change. Let alone someone like Consort Ning?"

"When the late Empress was alive, she was also quite suppressed. Since she accompanied His Majesty to his wedding, she was probably not favored by her own family. Such a person might be gentle and easy to get along with once she holds power. But I'm more afraid that she might turn the tables and seek revenge. At that time, the Seventh Princess will still be young, wouldn't she suffer from her temper?"

“My sister’s idea is truly for my sake. However, His Majesty must not hear it. It is good for the sisters in the harem to get along harmoniously, but if they still stick together when it comes to such an important matter as the selection of the crown prince, it will inevitably raise suspicions of forming a faction,” Yan Nan Gui said.

"Sister is absolutely right. Fortunately, neither of us has a prince." It would surely be laughable to others if two people without princes were to be thinking about this.

"Sister, you seem to know the princes quite well? Then tell me, which prince is outstanding in talent and kind-hearted?"

"I don't know who is better, but they must genuinely respect their elder sister and love their brothers and sisters. Perhaps the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince are both good choices." One is close to the Seventh Princess, and the other is gentle and sensible.

The wild geese nodded as they returned south.

She wouldn't say these things too much to Consort Jia. But in her heart, she had never thought of making the eldest prince the crown prince.

Or rather... being the crown prince is acceptable. Being the emperor, however, is not.

The Ning family is different from the Murong family.

Even with a good reputation, the Murong family were still scholars. As the saying goes, a scholar's rebellion will never succeed in three years.

Even after the death of the Duke of Ning, the Ning family remained a respected and admired family among civil officials.

If a family of this caliber were to produce another crown prince, it would be something that the Yan family, with its military power but lacking any literary talent, could not contend with.

After all, she wanted to do things her own way, but she didn't want to ruin the Great Yan Empire.

“Sister, there’s no need to worry. His Majesty is still young. We’ll see what happens in time. I heard from the imperial physician that Consort Li’s pregnancy is also going to be a prince,” Yan Nangui said.

"That would be excellent." Consort Jia had expressed her feelings and left it at that.

Back at Linhua Palace, Zhaji asked Consort Jia, "Did Your Highness listen to what I said?"

"With your kind heart, how could you not have listened?" Consort Jia chuckled.

“But Her Majesty didn’t respond to you much. Does that mean she didn’t take it seriously? Or does that mean she doesn’t believe you?” Zhaji asked again.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not, it's pointless anyway. That's just how my sister is, it's better than her saying one thing and doing another, right? All these years, if it weren't for my sister, would I be living such a comfortable life? Whether I'm favored or not is one thing, but I've genuinely lived a comfortable life. Whether you believe me or not, I know how to be loyal."

"Being loyal is the right thing to do, but Your Majesty... don't you plan to fight for it? At least give birth to a son or daughter. They'll be there for you in the future." Zhaji sighed.

"It's not up to me. But it's okay, look at my mother. She had a bunch of daughters. In the end, she still had to rely on her stepson to make a living. As long as you can let go of your worries, you can live a good life."

Zaji nodded, "That's true. The old princess is indeed living a comfortable life with the prince taking care of her."

The wild geese flew south, and he returned to his room, reclining on the couch, listening to the servants below talking about trivial matters.

He listened and gave instructions simultaneously, and also took the opportunity to rest for a while.

"Another reward? This is the second time this month, isn't it?" Yan Nangui asked.

“Yes, the Empress Dowager has bestowed food and tonics this time. However, Li Lingyi is very careful and does not take the tonics indiscriminately,” Bai Wei said.

"I feel like the Empress Dowager is just venting her frustrations. What's the point of her supporting Li Lingyi? In my opinion, Li Lingyi doesn't really care," Yan Nangui said.

“Li Lingyi doesn’t say anything on the surface, but I wonder what she’s thinking inside,” Bai Wei said.

Yan Nangui sat up: "It doesn't matter. We can't control what she thinks, just don't do anything. Now that she has given birth to a prince, she will definitely want to support him."

"But now I think I've figured out what kind of person the Empress Dowager is." Yan Nangui shook his head.

"She has absolutely no foresight. Once she can't see any short-term benefits, she immediately discards her like a used tool. How highly she regarded Zhuang Meiren in the first place? And now? She doesn't take Zhuang Meiren seriously at all."

"Yes, Consort Zhuang herself never goes out of her way to curry favor. Even with support, how can it be effective overnight? Even Consort Sun, who was chosen by the Empress Dowager to enter the palace, was sidelined by her. She only favored the pregnant Consort Li. Besides, things can't always be kept secret in the palace. Everyone saw Consort He and knew that following the Empress Dowager wouldn't end well. Who would still be loyal?"

"She holds a high position and wields great power, yet she has absolutely no cunning. Consort Jing can be said to have inherited her mother-in-law's traits," Yan Nangui said.

"What a pity for Duke Ye. A hero of his generation, yet his children are so incompetent. Is his wife just like that?" Yan Nangui asked.

Bai Wei was unaware.

Jiang Xiang said, "The Duchess of Ye is indeed... rather naive."

simple.

This phrase doesn't sound like a compliment. So, is it this old lady who corrupted the Ye family's genes?

"These members of the Ye family are no match for the Ning family."

Although the empress became impatient in the following years, it was because she had suffered repeated miscarriages and lost favor as empress.

Those who lack mental fortitude will eventually meet their end.

It's not fair to say the Empress was incompetent. It's just that her actions became increasingly worse later on, due to repeated failures.

He has also been burdened quite a bit by his family members.

As for Consort Ning, she has remained inconspicuous and unassuming for many years, yet she has stood firm.

That's just how people are sometimes; when everything's going smoothly, you seem brilliant. Everything you do seems right.

When things are going against you, it's easy to make the wrong choices. And your judgments can be flawed too.

After making a few mistakes, you get discouraged and are eager to do better, so it's easy to get impatient.

The Empress was like this, and so was Murong Wanqing.

Therefore, too much success is bad for people, as it can easily make them lose their heads. Too much adversity is also bad, as it can make them impatient and lose their heads.