Chapter 89 The Storm is Coming
Emperor Sheng Yuan was over forty years old, and his eldest son was already twenty-six years old. Now, some people in the court began to request that he be crowned a crown prince.
But Emperor Sheng Yuan didn't respond.
The political opinions in the court gradually formed two factions: one was the imperial concubine faction led by the left prime minister, and the other was the queen faction led by the right prime minister.
Right Prime Minister Hua Shulan and Empress Hua were from the same family. Although they were not close, he was a staunch orthodox and believed that the crown prince should be the empress's son.
In addition, the Queen has a half-sister who married the great general Jiang Lie. Now the 100,000-strong army in the northern border is in the hands of her son Jiang Ming'an. This Jiang Ming'an is the General Yuheng who came to the aid of Yanbei and defeated Di Rong at the age of sixteen.
Since the Queen has such a powerful military backer, there are many people in the court who would like to ask her to make the eldest or second prince the heir apparent.
As for the Left Prime Minister and the Imperial Concubine, they are blood siblings. In addition, the Left Prime Minister's wife Chen has a husband who is the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards, Lu Zhixiao. The Minister of War also seems to be close to the Left Prime Minister's faction. These people are on the same boat.
Qin Shangyu told Jiang Yuyan all this after he had checked it out. The two of them often met secretly at the Cangshang Restaurant when they were out of the palace.
"Who do you think will win?" Qin Shangyu asked Jiang Yuyan who came in disguise again.
"I'm not sure, but I want the Queen to win. Even though I don't like her, I can't let the Royal Concubine and the Princess take the throne. Otherwise, will I still have a chance to return to the Jiang Mansion openly?" Jiang Yuyan said honestly.
"Okay." Qin Shangyu smiled dotingly, "Where Wanwan stands, I'll stand there."
"Yeah." Jiang Yuyan was a little shy. This man was getting better and better at saying nice things.
"The ministers in the court are all waiting and watching..." Qin Shangyu said, "Who do you think is more suitable to sit in that position?"
Jiang Yuyan recalled her impressions of the princes in the imperial study, "The eldest prince is good at fighting but not at politics, so he can only be a general... The second prince..."
Jiang Yuyan pondered for a moment. She had a very good impression of him when she was in the Prince of Wu's mansion. "He is willing to do things for the people on weekdays. He may be a benevolent king in the future. But he is a little soft-hearted. If he is held hostage by capable ministers, he may be in great trouble. But he can be trained.
As for the fourth and fifth princes… the fourth prince is quite popular with the emperor, and His Majesty has praised the fourth prince for being the most like him several times. He is ambitious and strategic, and the emperor’s vision is correct. It’s just a pity that these two are the sons of the imperial concubine, and they are our rivals…”
She didn't want to get involved in the court affairs, but unexpectedly suffered a great loss. Now that she is already involved, she might as well face the storm and take the initiative into her own hands.
Qin Shangyu and she were in tune with each other, and they slowly drew two horizontal lines on the table with tea...
Not long after this secret meeting, a major event occurred in the court.
Someone in the northern border anonymously reported that General Yuheng's tiger talisman was lost.
This matter is neither big nor small. The commander can ask the emperor to forge a new tiger talisman.
But coincidentally, within a month, Di Rong, who had been dormant for several years, launched more than a dozen wars on the pretext of something. General Yu Heng personally led his soldiers to meet the enemy and drove Di Rong back hundreds of miles. He was so busy that he completely forgot about the letter of apology.
Later, rumors began to spread in the army, saying that the Northern Border Army only recognized General Yuheng and not the Tiger Tally.
Emperor Sheng Yuan was furious and ordered General Yuheng Jiang Ming'an to return to the capital immediately. The matter would be discussed later after the tiger talisman was found. The northern border was temporarily under the charge of Deputy General Sun Ji, with the other deputy generals to assist.
When Jiang Yuyan learned about this, she was overwhelmed by a strong sense of conspiracy.
Why did the emperor insist on getting the original tiger talisman back without mentioning the matter of remaking it?
In all dynasties, the power of the imperial relatives was too great, and the emperors could not sleep well. She guessed that the emperor was suspicious of the Jiang family. Now he was just looking for an excuse to recall Jiang Mingan.
She remembered that Xiao Yuanyan once said that it was the imperial court that sent General Yuheng, who was only sixteen years old, to save Yanbei City.
"Jiang Mingan is a talented person..." Jiang Yuyan sighed, "It's a pity that he can't escape the intrigues of the court..." For a moment, she even felt a sense of appreciation for his talent.
Besides, the generals in the northern border have been replaced, the general's mansion is suspected by His Majesty, and the queen's biggest backer has fallen. I am afraid that the position of the East Palace is in jeopardy...
…………
Queen Hua was a little surprised when she met Jiang Yuyan in the Imperial Garden.
Usually at this time of year she was with the emperor in the imperial study. The emperor seemed to be possessed and could not live without this female doctor for the whole day.
But her informants said that the two of them had always observed courtesy and had never crossed the line, which puzzled Empress Hua.
Your Majesty is in the prime of his life and he is in love with this saint. It doesn't make sense for him to be polite to such a beautiful woman. This saint does have some skills...
Jiang Yuyan was naturally waiting for the queen on purpose. She smiled gently and saluted the queen.
Empress Hua hurriedly helped him up, "Saint girl, there is no need to be so polite. Even His Majesty has exempted you from the formalities, so how dare I accept them?"
Jiang Yuyan replied respectfully: "Your Majesty is unparalleled in beauty. I respect you from the bottom of my heart. This is my whole heart for you."
Empress Hua was very pleased with what she said, and smiled at the palace maids around her, "Look, the Saint is not only talented and beautiful, but also so polite and courteous. She is such a wonderful person! I like her very much."
The palace maids naturally responded in unison.
Jiang Yuyan said innocently, "Your Majesty, you are so kind to me. I am very happy. The sun is getting hot. How about going to your palace and telling you some funny stories?"
Empress Hua was stunned. It was just a casual exchange of greetings. But the saint seemed to be well prepared. So she said calmly, "In that case, my dear sister, please come back to the palace with me and chat."
Jiang Yuyan naturally nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, let me tell you a story..." Jiang Yuyan sat down and spoke with a smile, as if she was really preparing to tell a story.
"Once upon a time there was an ancient country in the Central Plains called Zhao. The Queen Mother of Zhao had a younger brother whom she loved very much. Not only did she make him a prince, she also gave him the surname of the country.
When the Emperor of Zhao was in his forties, the Queen Mother cried and hoped that the Emperor would make her younger brother the Crown Prince. The Emperor was unwilling, but the Queen Mother threatened to die. The State of Zhao ruled the country with filial piety, so the Emperor had no choice but to agree to make her younger uncle the Crown Prince.
Do you think this is absurd?"
Jiang Yuyan looked at Queen Hua nonchalantly.
Empress Hua's face darkened. She waved away her attendants, stared at Jiang Yuyan and asked, "What exactly does the Saint want to say?"
Jiang Yuyan stood up and bowed, whispering, "Madam, do you know where the human heart is?"
Queen Hua was puzzled.
"Here." Jiang Yuyan pointed at the left chest of Empress Hua. "You see, people are biased. My brother and grandson are biased to the extreme. So what's the big deal if I'm biased among my sons?"
Empress Hua frowned, her face cold, and after a long while she spoke, "According to Saint Lady's opinion, what should I do?"
Jiang Yuyan said sternly, "Your Majesty, you can't just sit there and wait for death. Although the eldest prince and the second prince are the legitimate children of the empress, who will be the winner in the end is just a matter of an imperial decree. Besides, they have already started to act, right?"
Empress Hua narrowed her eyes, her gaze suddenly sharp. "The Saint is saying this today not just to remind me, right?"
"Of course." Jiang Yuyan's beautiful eyes were full of energy. She half-knelt on the ground and said solemnly: "I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."
"You?" Empress Hua looked Jiang Yuyan up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, "Why are you helping me?"
"Your Majesty, just think that I have a grudge against Concubine Jia and the Third Princess." Jiang Yuyan met her gaze and smiled. "Your Majesty, don't be suspicious. I will help investigate the disappearance of General Yuheng's tiger talisman. It can be regarded as a token of my loyalty to Your Majesty. If I succeed, I will ask for Your Majesty's trust."
Empress Hua was surprised. She thought for a moment and seemed to believe it. Then she smiled and said, "Okay, very good! What do you need me to do?"
"His Majesty has sent the Dali Temple to investigate this matter... Your Majesty, there is no need to intervene to avoid His Majesty's suspicion. If we find the tiger talisman, we can find a way to reveal it to Lord Zheng."
"Okay." Queen Hua nodded.
"It's just..." Jiang Yuyan hesitated for a moment, "Even if the tiger talisman is found, I'm afraid His Majesty will not let Jiang Mingan return to the Northern Territory. Your Majesty should be prepared."
"What should we do then?" asked Queen Hua.
"If what I guessed is correct, then Lieutenant General Sun should be the Imperial Concubine's man, otherwise they would have no reason to play such a big game. After we get the tiger talisman back, we will make a long-term plan. Even if the Northern Border Army is not in our hands, it cannot be in the Imperial Concubine's hands." Jiang Yuyan said.
"That makes sense." Empress Hua took Jiang Yuyan's hand, and seemed to have found her backbone. "The Saint is really a remarkable woman. She thinks so clearly."
Jiang Yuyan slowly withdrew her hand and asked hesitantly, "Which prince does your majesty have your heart set on?"
Empress Hua was stunned for a moment and answered irrelevantly: "Logically, the eldest son should be the heir... "
Seeing this, Jiang Yuyan did not beat around the bush. "My queen, I think the Second Prince is very good. He is also kind. If he ascends to the throne in the future, he will definitely treat his brothers well."
Empress Hua's eyes widened as she scolded, "How dare you! You are so bold to say anything!"
From a personal point of view, Empress Hua likes her youngest son the most, but the youngest son is still young and cannot shoulder this heavy responsibility. If the second son is allowed to take over... it is not impossible...
Seeing that she didn't look really angry, Jiang Yuyan said with a twinkle in her beautiful eyes: "Time waits for no one, Your Majesty should have made plans earlier. I'll be in the Imperial Study every day, and I can help the Second Prince a little bit..."
Empress Hua nodded heavily and acquiesced, "I will give Prime Minister Hua some advice to cooperate with you."
Jiang Yuyan smiled slightly.
The two had a secret conversation in the Pepper Palace for a long time before Jiang Yuyan returned to Changle Palace.
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