Prince Shun didn't want to believe that his father, who had always doted on him, was just treating him as a chess piece to compete with Prince An.
My father has been delaying the appointment of a crown prince for so many years, and the court has been arguing endlessly over the position of crown prince, with the two factions attacking each other. It turns out that he was planning to wait for my sixth brother to grow up.
A sneer appeared on Prince Shun's lips. No matter whether his father was taking advantage of the situation to teach the Wang family a lesson or he really loved Concubine Zhonglai and her son, as long as there was a slight possibility, he would not give the Sixth Prince a chance to develop.
As the eldest son of Emperor Jian'an, Prince Shun's mother's family was powerful. He had fought diligently with Prince An for many years and was already well versed in the ways of the court.
At night, after discussing with his subordinates, he decided to use the same trick again and try to reveal the news to the Queen and Prince An.
"Your Highness has leverage over Prince An and Concubine Min. If you want to get rid of him, all you need to do is make a scene at the right occasion. But if the information Your Highness has received is true, you must not show any trace in dealing with Concubine Lai and the Sixth Prince. Otherwise, if the emperor loses his favor, everything else will be in vain."
How could Prince Shun not understand what his staff meant? His father had been able to protect Concubine Lai for so many years, and Concubine Lai had lived quietly and steadily in the palace, which was enough to show the position of Concubine Lai in his father's heart.
If all these speculations were true, he must not let his father detect any trace of him.
"After Prince Duan entered the court, my father often praised him in court. With the influence of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion behind him, he should not be underestimated in the future."
Prince Shun counted his brothers. Except for his fourth brother who was born with a leg disease and the fifth prince who was born with large purple spots on his face, and his other younger brothers who were still young, Prince An was the queen's legitimate son, Prince Duan was also registered under the name of Concubine Wan, and his sixth brother was also made a king. It was very likely that the emperor was standing behind him.
These younger brothers are really troublesome.
After he entered the court, he had been fighting with Prince An for so many years, but the winner was still undecided. Now, Prince Duan had also joined the battle, as well as his sixth brother.
Prince Shun sneered in his heart. He had been striving to improve himself for so many years, but looking back, it seemed that he had not gained anything.
"Your Highness, there's no need to worry too much about Prince Duan. You're the elder and have a reputation for being virtuous. Prince Duan hasn't yet established a firm foothold in the court. Furthermore, in my humble opinion, the relationship between the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Concubine Wan, and Prince Duan isn't particularly close. At least, the Duke of Zhenguo has never done anything for Prince Duan while at court. Furthermore, they're only mother and son, so if they want to sow discord, they'll have plenty of opportunities."
Prince Shun was ambitious. After calculating all the potential threats, he began to issue orders with confidence, preparing to set a trap for Concubine Lai and her son, as well as Queen An and Prince An.
On the other side, Xiao Minghuan, the yellow bird, learned about Wang Quan's punishment result and made some judgments about what he wanted to confirm.
He thought he had hidden the secret quite well, but he revealed the news to Prince Shun, who then took decisive action. His sixth brother was beaten up by Wang Quan, which made him see the emperor's attitude clearly.
Wan Qiuyu was wearing a crabapple-colored dress. She did not restrict herself in the palace. Her figure was plump and attractive, and she had a kind of youthful innocence. Xiao Minghuan liked such a concubine very much.
At this moment, Wan Qiuyu leaned against his chest, her eyes flickering as she said, "If the Wang family member were to die in the Rui Palace while pouring incense at night, Your Highness, do you think the Wang family would fight to the death with the Rui Prince?"
Xiao Minghuan's eyes lit up, "You are really smart. I am blessed by God to have you."
Wan Qiuyu smiled sweetly.
Look, everything is going so smoothly. After her rebirth, everything is going according to her plan. One day, she will become a noble lady second only to the emperor and above all others. The mansion will have to rely on her for survival, and she will also have to severely punish her vicious younger sister to avenge the pain she and Feng'er suffered when they were sentenced to death.
Several forces vying for the throne are secretly plotting because of the variable Wan Qiuyu, and beneath the ups and downs in the palace are brewing turbulent waves.
Meanwhile, Wan Jinlan, who was outside the vortex, did not have such an ups and downs in his life. Instead, he felt a sense of peace and tranquility.
The Queen Mother often summoned her into the palace. It seemed like things were turbulent recently, and every time she entered the palace, something happened.
A few days ago, because Prince Rui was beaten, Lai Zhaoyi, who was the victim, was recently demoted to a noble lady, fined her monthly salary and confined to her house.
Anyang said that Concubine Min, who was pregnant, had an argument with Concubine Lai, and Concubine Lai angered Concubine Min so much that she had a miscarriage.
She forgot about what happened in the palace after hearing about it. It had nothing to do with her anyway, so she didn't need to worry too much about it.
At the end of May, Princess Anyang asked Emperor Jian'an for permission to go to the imperial farm outside the capital to escape the summer heat. The eighth princess also accompanied her.
The weather in the capital was getting hotter by the day. Wan Jinyu had also married, marrying into the family of her third aunt, Gu. The man was her cousin, and they had a childhood sweetheart relationship. There were no other girls her age in the manor, and her mother always asked her to do needlework and embroider things to add to her beauty.
She can do needlework, but she doesn't enjoy it. When she first started learning, her fingers would always be pricked with blood.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief when Anyang sent a palace maid to invite her to go to the outskirts of Beijing to escape the summer heat.
The old master and the old lady are old, and this summer is particularly hot. When Wan Jinlan mentioned it, the two decided to go to a farm in the suburbs of Beijing to escape the summer heat.
Wan Zhijing has been quite busy recently. The new scholars are about to take up their posts. In recent times, there have been banquets from time to time. They are said to be exchanging knowledge and talking about poetry and lyrics, but in fact they are taking the opportunity to make connections and lay the foundation for their future careers.
Wan Jinlan heard from his brother that Xiao Minghuan had been in close contact with the newly-appointed Jinshi scholars recently, and had participated in many of those gatherings. He even donated some money to the Jinshi scholars whose families were poor. His respectful and gentle attitude earned him a good reputation among the newly-appointed Jinshi scholars.
Wan Jinlan felt a little uncomfortable. Xiao Minghuan had plotted against her in the past, but due to the delicate relationship between him and the Duke's Mansion, she couldn't do anything in return. Seeing him getting better and better, she felt really unhappy.
The manor in the suburbs of Beijing was built in imitation of the manor in Yangzhou. It has pavilions and waterside terraces, and is located at the foot of a mountain, shaded by green trees. It is extremely cool in the summer, and it is so comfortable when the breeze blows in the evening.
After Princess Anyang and the Eighth Princess left the palace, they became free birds and would come to the manor house almost every day to talk to Wan Jinlan.
The old lady couldn't see her daughter often, so she loved her granddaughter very much. Every day she would ask the chef in the house to make different snacks for her granddaughter.
Today, when the three girls were sitting in the waterside pavilion eating chilled fruits and feeding fish, Xiao Minghuan came with Wan Qiuyu.
She is charming and graceful, with a soft and delicate face that is so tempting.
This was the feeling Wan Jinlan had when he saw Wan Qiuyu again after more than a month.
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