Chapter 187 To Make a Move or Not

The “magnificent” remarks just now left everyone feeling uneasy. After the morning court session ended, they were still clutching their chests and chattering incessantly. The first victim among them was Lü Jiawenzhong.

"Lord Lü Jia is truly blessed. I hope you can give me some guidance in the future."

Lu Jiawenzhong walked quickly with his head down. Upon hearing this, he smiled and waved his hand, "The Crown Prince is so intelligent and righteous. It is thanks to the Emperor's good teaching that the Qing Dynasty is blessed. Naturally, he will also benefit us. There is no question of any promotion."

He had no intention of saying much to these people, but the group surrounding him was not so easily given up.

"Lord Lü Jia, you are being too polite. You are the Emperor's father-in-law! Your daughter and grandson are both deeply favored by the Emperor. Their future depends entirely on your word."

Lu Jiawenzhong abruptly stopped and turned to look at the speaker. Over the years, he had hardly corresponded with the empresses in the palace, and he had even instructed his wife not to visit the palace frequently, so as not to give anyone cause for gossip and affect the empresses and the crown prince.

They've come this far, seemingly successful, but who knows how much suffering and betrayal they've endured? Their family's current status is thanks to them, and Jiu Si's future is limitless as he serves the Crown Prince. They've already received immense favor; they absolutely cannot let their family drag them down any further.

"My lord, you must be careful with your words. Even I, as your father, have to kneel before Her Majesty once she enters the palace, let alone the Emperor and the Crown Prince. In the end, we are all the Emperor's servants. How dare we claim kinship with him? If there is any future for us, it is because the Emperor values ​​us. Instead of wasting time gossiping here, you should think about how to serve the Emperor and earnestly pray for your own future."

He no longer smiled and laughed as before, but stood firmly on the palace path and raised his voice. Ministers and eunuchs passing by could all hear him clearly, and the few people who had been surrounding him earlier lowered their heads and remained silent with ugly expressions.

Lu Jiawenzhong didn't care what they were thinking. He just threw out his words, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.

A few people were left standing there, looking at each other with resentment in their eyes.

"Did he really say that?" Yinzhen rested his elbows on his hands, palms together, on the table, warming his hands with the wisps of steam rising from the teacup.

“It’s absolutely true, Your Majesty. Everyone passing by could hear it.” Xia Zi bowed as he stood in the hall, reporting to the Emperor what he had seen and heard on the road.

The Thirteenth Prince, who was standing to the side, listened with great interest while holding his teacup. He glanced at his elder brother's expression out of the corner of his eye, put down his teacup, and casually said, "He is indeed a clever man."

Yinzhen chuckled softly, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I like his intelligence."

"I don't need him to have great abilities, to quell any major events for me, or to bring great honor to the Crown Prince and Empress. As long as he obediently serves as his governor, his family will naturally enjoy future honor and status."

Yinzhen straightened up and leaned back, his gaze quite pleased. "I remember that Lü Jia family boy who serves Hongzhao. In two years, he will be of marriageable age. Go tell Lü Jia Wenzhong that he doesn't need to worry about this. I will reward him with a great favor when the time comes."

Su Peisheng turned his gaze and was about to ask when he heard the Thirteenth Prince speak first—"Oh? I wonder which family Your Highness has taken a fancy to?"

After all, the Emperor's arrangements for Lü Jia's family were quite obvious. He gave Lü Jia a high-ranking official position, but did not allow him to hold real power. He gave the Empress's brother, Lü Xingzhi, real power, but did not promote him. This clearly shows that he only wanted this family to be loyal subjects.

Marriage is the most effective way to connect the two sides, and Prince Yi really couldn't guess which family's daughter his elder brother wanted to choose.

Yinzhen raised an eyebrow mysteriously. If Hongzhao were inside, he might have kept it a secret. But Hongzhao had just been lectured by him and then went to the Shouhuang Hall. Now that there were only three people left in the hall, he no longer cared.

"Who else in the world could bestow such a great favor upon you, Thirteenth Brother?"

The biggest in the world...

Prince Yi lowered his head in thought, then suddenly his eyes lit up. Yes, what woman in the world could be more noble than a princess? Moreover, his elder brother only had two princesses so far, and he knew that his elder brother had other plans for Hongjin's marriage, namely... Wenyi.

Yes! That's right. The Emperor doesn't want the Lü family to be entangled with any other family. What he hates most in his life is the entanglement between the imperial court and the harem. Marrying the princess to that boy Jiu Si is naturally the most suitable option.

"Then I, your humble servant, will be waiting for this joyous occasion." After he had figured it out, he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and was about to take his leave after watching the excitement, but the Emperor waved him away.

"Thirteenth Brother, wait a minute." Yinzhen stood up, supporting his waist. After keeping vigil for the Empress Dowager for several days, he felt increasingly powerless, and the fatigue that grew day by day made him anxious.

"I have something I need you to do for me."

Yinzhen spoke with a serious expression and his eyes filled with certainty. However, his words caused Prince Yi and Su Peisheng to lower their eyes to hide their surprise.

"Father Emperor asked Thirteenth Uncle to go find a Taoist priest?" Hongzhao was having Xiao Dezi rub medicated oil on his knees when he heard this, and he paused for a moment before lowering his head to think.

"Who has spent more time with Father Emperor in the past six months?" To verify his idea, Hongzhao leaned forward and asked in a low voice.

Su Peisheng answered almost without hesitation: "If it's not the Empress, then it's naturally Consort Ye. Consort Ye accompanies the Empress for five or six out of ten days."

Hongzhao nodded knowingly. That made sense. It must be because of Prince Guo. This Consort Ye was about to exert her strength and start "slaying the dragon".

If you think about it carefully, his eleventh birthday is just around the corner. It's only been five years since Emperor Yongzheng died in history. He remembers that in the original drama, once you took the so-called "golden elixir" that prolongs life, you couldn't stop taking it.

The medication had drained his health, and coupled with the relentless work in politics, coughing up blood was a common occurrence for him.

He died of heart failure and exhaustion, driven to rage. This was the ending given to him in the original drama.

"Brother Tong, come out for a moment." He didn't speak, but instead mentally summoned the system that caused his upper and lower limbs to become paralyzed.

"Beep—"

"If I intervene, what if..." Even in his mind, Hongzhao found it difficult to voice his thoughts.

If it were up to his own selfish desires, his father had definitely been a good father all these years. Moreover, considering that his father was the emperor, he was exceptionally better than his peers. In his heart, he absolutely did not want his father to suffer this hardship.

But if he were to use something to change the established course of the world... it remains to be seen whether he would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Yinreng.

No one can predict what will happen in the future. After all, even if Yinreng, who was only a teenager, stood there, he couldn't possibly believe that he would be driven to the brink of madness by his beloved father, the Emperor.