He Zhuo smiled and said, "From today onwards, we are no longer Eighth Sister-in-law, but Eighth Prince Consort. If we count from her maternal side, I am her aunt; if we count from her husband's side, I am her elder sister-in-law. It's alright to give her a few words of advice."

"But you can't say these words in public, Madam!"

"Your Majesty, there are advantages to saying this in public. Do you remember what your Imperial Uncle Fuquan said when he passed away?"

"The Eighth Prince is exceptionally talented and capable of shouldering great responsibilities," Yinzhi murmured, quoting the words Fuquan had spoken to his son Baotai on his deathbed.

"Everyone says that the Eighth Prince's wife comes from the Prince An's mansion, is of noble birth, and has royal blood. She also has the support of the Guo Luo Luo clan. But what's the truth?" He Zhuo scoffed.

"snort!"

Yinzhi wasn't stupid: "The Eighth Prince's wife was born into the direct line of the Guo Luo Luo family. Her father was Ming Shang, the second son of San Guan Bao, and the younger brother of Consort Yi in the palace. Her mother was a princess and Yue Le's beloved daughter."

“Yes,” He Zhuo said calmly. “Father is Ming Shang. Who is Ming Shang? He is a criminal. Eighth Prince Consort only gave birth to her. Ming Shang did not even leave behind a son.”

"A descendant of a disgraced official, without father, mother, brothers, or nephews, she is what people call a woman without offspring," Yinzhi straightened up abruptly and uttered these words quickly and softly.

The couple looked at each other and understood the Emperor's intention in bestowing the marriage upon them.

As expected of the Emperor, this seemingly glamorous Eighth Prince's Consort is actually just an orphan, and the descendant of a disgraced official. Ordinary families wouldn't marry an orphan.

Ordinary official families wouldn't marry the daughter of a disgraced official, but these brothers couldn't see that, and thought the emperor favored the eighth prince.

Looking at the Eighth Prince's wife with Guo Luoluo and Prince An behind her, neither of them are actually reliable. Guo Luoluo had long harbored resentment towards the Eighth Prince's wife and her daughter because of Ming Shang's death, but she didn't want to break ties with Prince An's family. Prince An's family was even worse. Back then, when the Eighth Prince's wife's mother was granted the title of Princess, she was given a reputation for being a jinx after marriage, which implicated all the girls in the Prince's mansion.

Later, Prince An brought his Eighth Princess Consort home and doted on her greatly. A granddaughter from the outside was treated better than a biological granddaughter. How could people not have some thoughts about her?

That's impossible.

However, Yinzhi once again experienced the cunning of an emperor, who could scheme and be ruthless in everything.

Yinzhi held Hezhuo tightly, and Hezhuo patted his back comfortingly. The two did not speak, but the atmosphere was one that no one else could break into.

Yinzhi was not a man of many schemes. After he gave up his ambition to seize the throne, he abandoned some of his plans and stopped trying to win over officials.

He also had a sincere talk with Mingzhu, clearly stating his position. Mingzhu didn't believe him at first, but gradually came to believe him. She was disappointed in him and couldn't do anything about her nephew. In addition, she was getting old and her energy was not up to par. Later, seeing the fate of Suo'etu, she began to feel fortunate that she had withdrawn in time.

I've already submitted a proposal for retirement, but it's been rejected.

Since losing his ambition to seize the throne, Yinzhi's mind has become clearer than ever before. He has come to understand many things that he couldn't understand before. Now, his father sees him and his sons primarily as the emperor.

The father figure rarely appears.

He also saw ambition in the eyes of the third, fourth, and eighth princes. The fourth prince hid it well, but he couldn't hide it from him. It's not that he didn't want to compete, but what the fourth prince really wanted was the emperor's heart and the emperor's favor.