Zhu Dan frowned slightly: "Your young lady? Who?"
The maidservant kept her head down, not looking at Zhu Dan, and said only, "Your Highness will know when you see it."
"How dare you! You don't even say who your young lady is, yet you dare to invite the Fifth Prince!" Zuo Xiu shouted coldly.
Zhu Dan glanced at the maid indifferently, unwilling to say anything more to her, and turned to leave.
The maid suddenly said, "Fifth Prince, do you no longer want the position of Crown Prince? Miss Lu, do you not want it either?"
Zhu Dan was startled and turned around to look at the maid. He saw that the maid had her hands folded in front of her waist and abdomen, and her head was lowered, just like her expression before.
Not many people know about his relationship with Yun'er.
"Lead the way," Zhu Dan said coldly.
The maid led Zhu Dan to the backyard.
Zuo Xiu was about to follow, but the maid stopped him, saying, "My young lady only invited the Fifth Prince. Please wait here for a moment, Lord Zuo."
Zhu Dan then said, "Zuo Xiu, wait for me here."
Zuo Xiu had no choice but to obey.
Upon seeing the young lady the maid had mentioned, Zhu Dan's lips curled into a smile: "So it's Miss Ren Yong'an."
Ren Yong'an was heavily pregnant, and because it was twins, her belly was much larger than other women who were about to give birth.
She sat down at the table with some difficulty, supporting her back. When she saw Zhu Dan arrive, she personally poured a cup of tea and pushed it to the opposite side: "Fifth Prince, are you afraid I will poison you if you don't sit down?"
Zhu Dan chuckled lightly, lifted his robe, and sat down opposite Ren Yong'an.
"Miss Ren, please feel free to speak your mind. However, if you want me to save your life, I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Ren Yong'an chuckled lightly: "I just enjoy dealing with smart people."
Zhu Dan ignored her and didn't drink the water Ren Yong'an poured for him; he just watched her quietly.
"Does Your Highness think that the position of Crown Prince is already within your grasp? As long as the Imperial Grandson dies, the Emperor will surely issue an edict to appoint you as Crown Prince?"
Zhu Dan remained silent, and Ren Yong'an, unconcerned, said calmly, "However, Your Highness, don't forget that you have been away from Shengjing for many years, and your foundation is too weak. Even if the Emperor can defy public opinion and appoint you as the Crown Prince, it will not be so easy for you to hold onto that position."
She picked up her teacup and took a small sip: "Now that Zhu Zhi has fallen, that brat Zhu Zixuan doesn't have many days left to live. Although Zhu Chen is in Mu City, it is an indisputable fact that more than half of the court officials are under his command."
"In addition, Zhu Chen has made meritorious contributions to disaster relief. If the epidemic in Mu City can be controlled under his command, then your merit in saving the emperor some time ago will be insignificant."
Zhu Dan watched coldly.
"Furthermore, even though the Duke of Yingguo and his 120,000 Yan troops have been exiled to the Northwest, they still hold military power, which is better than you, the Fifth Prince, who has nothing. Although you are talented, you have not been in court for the past few years, so it won't be so easy for the Emperor to make you the Crown Prince."
"What does Miss Ren want to say?" Zhu Dan's face remained indifferent, showing no reaction to Ren Yong'an's words.
Ren Yong'an's eyes sharpened, and he placed his hand on his large belly, his face contorting into a ferocious expression: "Fifth Prince saved my life, I guarantee that Fifth Prince will ascend to the position of Crown Prince!"
"They want me to bear these two children for the royal family, but they won't leave me a way out! They've gone too far!"
"Heh." Zhu Dan put away his faint smile. "Miss Ren, if it weren't for the fact that you are carrying the imperial heir, your Ren family would have been executed long ago for daring to raise an army with Zhu Heng in rebellion."
Ren Yong'an closed her eyes tightly. She knew that she might not be Zhu Dan's match in terms of intellect. Without keeping her in suspense any longer, she said, "I killed the Crown Prince Zhu Zixuan for the Fifth Prince and framed Zhu Chen. Anyway, Zhu Zixuan is already dying, so it doesn't matter if he dies a few days earlier."
She held her back and looked directly into Zhu Dan's eyes: "In this way, there is absolutely no way Zhu Chen can ascend to the position of Crown Prince again! Who else but you can take the position of Crown Prince!"
Zhu Dan flicked his sleeve and stood up.
Ren Yong'an was anxious: "Fifth Prince, everyone knows that Zhu Chen is infected with the plague. If we take one or two of his belongings and put them next to Zhu Zixuan, we can definitely take his life."
Zhu Dan glanced at her coldly, then turned and left. He thought this woman must be crazy.
"Don't you want the position of Crown Prince anymore?! Don't you want Lu Xiaoyun?!" Ren Yong'an shouted at Zhu Dan's back.
Zhu Dan turned around and looked at Ren Yong'an, saying each word clearly: "I, Zhu Dan, am upright and honest. What I want, I will strive for through my own abilities. As for you, you are too vicious. I disdain to associate with you!"
After saying that, he left without looking back.
Ren Yong'an slumped back into his chair; his last option was now blocked.
"Miss, what should we do? The Fifth Prince refuses. Should we go and see Prince An? Prince An can't possibly not want the position of Crown Prince, and he also wants Lu Xiaoyun."
The two women, mistress and servant, couldn't understand why everyone wanted Lu Xiaoyun. What was so great about this stupid woman?
Ren Yong'an slapped the maid across the face: "What do you know! Even Zhu Dan wouldn't agree, how could Zhu Yu agree!"
The maid covered her face, her eyes reddening. Everyone said that Prince An was the "number one demon king of Shengjing," killing people like flies and treating human life like dirt. How could she possibly refuse?
The conversation between Zhu Dan and Ren Yong'an reached Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu's ears in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Zhu Yu's eyes deepened. Although Ren Yong'an's plan was vicious, it was still a good way to bring Zhu Chen down. It was just a matter of slightly changing the strategy.
The next day, the imperial physician who had treated Zhu Zixuan was brought before Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu by Feng Yan.
Zhu Yu asked directly, "How is the Crown Prince's condition?"
The imperial physician glanced at the silent "Prince An," wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and honestly replied, "His illness is too serious; we can only prolong it day by day."
How many more days can we hold on?
"At most, one month."
Zhu Yu ordered someone to take the imperial physician away.
Lu Xiaoyun raised an eyebrow at him: "Are you really going to frame Zhu Chen for Zhu Zixuan's death?"
"why not?"
Lu Xiaoyun pursed her lips and remained silent. She knew that Zhu Yu would never kill a child who could only live for a month at most.
Zhu Yu personally wrote a letter and had it delivered to Lu Yuyan.
...
Upon receiving the letter, Lu Yuyan smiled. How could Zhu Yu be called the Demon King?
Mu Cheng, Ruoling is already able to get up. The pustules on her body have gradually subsided. Apart from being a little weak and coughing occasionally, she is fine.
Lu Yuyan finally developed a special medicine for severe illness. Without time to test it, he prepared it and gave it to Ruoling.
At that time, Lu Yuyan fed Ruoling the medicine, but she had almost lost the ability to swallow on her own.
But Ah Yan told her, "You have to try hard, you have to try really hard, don't spit out the medicine."
Ruoling listened carefully, gritted her teeth, and swallowed the medicine bit by bit.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
