Having been pointed out by the old emperor, and with the final battle upon them, Yuan Bai could no longer pretend and simply revealed his true strength.
Although the Second Prince Yuan Feng's strength was diminished in the previous struggle for the throne, he was still not to be underestimated. Naturally, the ministers did not have high hopes for Yuan Bai, who did not have the support of a powerful maternal family.
When the two actually faced off, they were surprised to find that Yuan Bai was not at a disadvantage.
Over the years, the Second Prince has shown his true colors and revealed all his secrets, while Yuan Bai has been hiding in his shadow, using his cover to develop his own power.
Using the Second Prince's power and wealth to recruit soldiers and horses, he perfectly exemplifies the saying "a barking dog doesn't bite."
The Empress never dreamed that after killing the palace maid, cornering Yuan Bai, and then saving him, she thought she had found a loyal dog for her son, but it turned out to be a vicious wolf.
Her son, on the contrary, became Yuan Bai's shield, secretly developing his own power and eliminating other competitors with the help of Yuan Feng, without losing a single drop of blood himself.
The Empress was so angry she vomited blood, and she was also terrified by the man's deep scheming.
If this son is not eliminated, when he ascends to that position in the future, not only will he and his mother face annihilation, but their entire maternal family will also suffer a devastating blow.
The two were completely matched, and in other aspects they were evenly matched for the time being, so they both set their sights on their marriages.
In ancient times, marriage was the fastest way to build relationships. Once a marriage alliance was established, it was as if people were tied to the same boat.
The Cheng dynasty valued civil affairs over military matters, and with no war for many years, military officers were merely figureheads in the court, receiving salaries but having no real military power.
Therefore, both of them turned their attention to the head of all officials—Prime Minister Yun Zhihong.
It just so happens that I heard his eldest daughter, Yun Jinxiu, came of age last year but is still not engaged.
Yun Zhihong, this old fox, prided himself on being a staunch royalist and never took sides in the struggle for the throne, which is why he was highly regarded by Emperor Yuan.
Whoever can gain Yun Zhihong's support will undoubtedly have a huge chance of winning.
Aside from that, Yuan Bai himself had special feelings for Yun Jinxiu.
When Yuan Bai was twelve years old, in order to gain the Empress's complete trust, he shielded Yuan Feng from an assassination attempt and drew away the assassins.
During his escape, he would have died if a little girl hadn't hidden him and bandaged his wounds.
He was critically injured and on the verge of death, and only had time to ask the little girl her name.
“My surname is Yun, and I come from the Yun family. You are badly injured. I will go and distract the bad guys chasing you.”
After saying that, the girl ran out, leaving him with only a blurry silhouette.
As far as he knew, the Yun family, which is now the Prime Minister's residence, had only ever had one young lady, Yun Jinxiu.
He had also secretly observed Yun Jinxiu, whose features were very similar to those in his memory.
She was the only person besides his mother who had been kind to him in his childhood and asked for nothing in return. He vowed then and there that he would make Yun Jinxiu the most honored woman in the Dacheng Dynasty.
Hearing this, Qi An and Fu Gui exchanged a glance and interrupted Yun Yan: "Wait..."
Fu Gui understood and tentatively asked, "The one who truly saved Yuan Bai was actually you, wasn't it?"
Yunyan's eyes widened suddenly: "How did you know?"
Fu Gui smiled slyly: "Because that's how it's written in storybooks. Nine and a half out of ten men who are saved will be blind and mistake one for another, and in the end, they repay kindness with enmity and harm their own saviors."
Qi An nodded and added, "Don't save men casually, or you'll have terrible luck."
"Sigh, you're absolutely right." Yunyan let out a long sigh: "If I had known this would happen, I should have smashed him to death with a brick back then."
"It's okay, we'll film it for you then, you can continue talking."
Yunyan nodded and continued her story.
Soon, Yuan Feng and Yuan Bai visited Yun Jinxiu's home on the same day to propose marriage.
Looking at the two princes sitting on either side of his living room, Yun Zhihong was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
His previous refusal to take sides was not because he was particularly loyal to the emperor, but because he did not want to take any risks.
If you bet on the wrong horse, it's no laughing matter.
But now, it's obvious that the next emperor will be one of these two.
Now that they've all come knocking and extended olive branches, if we continue to act nonchalant, we'll truly offend the next emperor.
After all, a new emperor brings a new court. He is currently the head of all officials, but things may change once the new emperor ascends the throne.
The key issue is that agreeing to one means offending the other, and he has to make a choice.
After a moment of contemplation, Yun Zhihong cupped his hands and said, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown by the two princes. However, although this marriage is a matter of parental arrangement, I feel sorry for my daughter and would like to hear her opinion. I will reply to the two princes in a few days. What do you think?"
"Of course, but Yun Xiang should consider this carefully."
Yun Zhihong saw the two off with a wry smile, then immediately turned around and went to discuss countermeasures with Han Shi and her two children.
"That's how it is. This concerns the future prosperity of the Yun family for decades to come. Whether the Yun family can rise to a higher level depends entirely on Jinxiu."
“That’s wonderful, Father. If my sister becomes Empress, then we will be royalty. You will be the new Emperor’s father-in-law, and I will be his brother-in-law. In this Great Cheng Dynasty, our Yun family will be second only to the Emperor.”
Yun Jincheng said excitedly, his face full of excitement.
"Not only that, if Jinxiu gives birth to a crown prince with Yun family blood, then our Yun family will truly rise to the top in one step, and will stand at the top for hundreds of years."
Yun Zhihong stroked his beard, lost in thought.
Although Han was also stunned by the scene the father and son were imagining, she still asked the most crucial question.
"That's assuming you choose the right person. If you choose the wrong one, the consequences..."
The father and son suddenly realized, "Yes, if you choose the right path, you'll rise rapidly, but if you choose the wrong one..."
After weighing the pros and cons and thinking for a long time, Yun Zhihong finally said, "Although the Hidden King seems to be quite strong now, his foundation is still too shallow. In my opinion, the Feng King is more likely to ascend to the throne in the end."
The implication is that Yuanfeng should be chosen.
“I think so too,” the woman’s soft voice suddenly broke in.
The three of them turned their gazes to Yun Jinxiu, who had suddenly interrupted.
Madam Han asked, "Jinxiu, what did you say?"
"Father, Mother..." Yun Jinxiu's beautiful face flushed red: "I have long had feelings for Prince Feng. She said I would be his only empress."
The three were shocked, never expecting that the two had already secretly exchanged gifts.
"When did you first come into contact with the Second Prince...?" Madam Han asked hurriedly.
“Last year, the palace held a spring banquet, and Her Majesty the Empress summoned me to her palace, and that’s when I met him.”
"No wonder..." Madam Han said reproachfully, "I was wondering why you were always running around last year. I introduced you to so many young men, but you weren't satisfied. It turns out you already had someone you liked."
"Oh, Mother, I dare not say it," Yun Jinxiu said coquettishly.
"Besides, he also told me to stay home and wait for him to come and propose marriage, and here he is."
Yun Zhihong was already more inclined towards Yuanfeng, so he was happy to see Yun Jinxiu and Yuanfeng get together, feeling that fate had already chosen the best for him.
“Alright, I will give Prince Feng an answer in a few days,” Yun Zhihong decided.
However, this matter is not without risk. As the saying goes, no one can guarantee success until the very last moment in the struggle for the throne.
The saying "fortune favors the bold" perfectly describes this situation.
Yun Zhihong sighed, "I wish I had another daughter."
After he finished speaking, the group of people froze, and at the same time, one person came to mind.
It seems that the Prime Minister's residence does indeed have another daughter.
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