Second Prince?
The gentle and graceful Consort Xiao lowered her head slightly, and the emperor could only see her thick black hair and her long, fair swan neck.
What the sage didn't see was that when Consort Xiao heard the words "second son," her pupils suddenly contracted.
It was him?
The second prince's birth mother was Consort Mu, a Xianbei. Her original surname was Qiu Muling, but she changed it to "Mu" when the late emperor promoted Sinicization.
Qiu Muling was one of the eight great noble families of the Xianbei. Relying on her privileged family background, Consort Mu married the emperor as a concubine.
As for Consort Xiao, at that time she was just a captured prisoner of war and a lowly concubine.
Subsequently, the emperor ascended the throne, and Consort Mu was granted the title of Zhaoyi, second only to the imperial concubine.
Consort Xiao was only granted the title of concubine after she sent Helian Jue to be raised by the Empress.
Then, when the third prince was born, the emperor promoted her to the rank of Zhaoyi for her "meritorious birth".
Consort Xiao and Consort Mu were of similar age and served the emperor for a similar period of time.
The two became pregnant one after the other for the first time.
Helian Jue was only one year older than the Second Prince.
However, Helian Jue was the empress's adopted son and was made crown prince as soon as he turned one year old.
The second prince could only be an ordinary prince.
Consort Mu was very indignant, and the eight noble families she represented were also very dissatisfied.
At that time, the Turks were strong and powerful, and the sage wanted a stable north so that he could devote his energy to fighting against the south. Therefore, he had to show great respect and love to Empress Ashina.
If even saints are like this, then it goes without saying that nobles are too.
The nobles were alright; they didn't take their anger out on others indiscriminately.
Consort Mu harbored a grudge against Consort Xiao—she was Helian Jue's birth mother, and she was also the one who proposed giving her son to the Empress!
It's all the fault of the Xiao family, causing my son to lose his position as crown prince.
Harboring resentment, Consort Mu targeted Consort Xiao at every turn.
In the early years, Consort Xiao suffered a lot of humiliation.
However, Consort Xiao was highly skilled in palace intrigue. Even when she was beaten, scolded, and humiliated by Consort Mu, she never complained to the Emperor.
She would just hide away and secretly wipe away her tears.
At most, she chose the timing very cleverly, always managing to make sure the emperor saw her crying with tears streaming down her face.
The sage originally favored the gentleness and softness of women from the Southern Dynasties and disliked the fierceness and arrogance of women from the Northern Dynasties.
Consort Mu had no chance to bully Consort Xiao, but she just happened to walk right into the line of fire.
The emperor could not strip Consort Mu of her title, but he could reprimand her, confine her to her quarters, or ignore her.
As expected, Consort Mu lost favor.
She had been married to the emperor for over twenty years, and had only given birth to one child, the second prince.
Consort Mu hated Consort Xiao even more.
But in the palace, the emperor's favor is everything.
It was only because Consort Mu had a son and a family that she could live a life worse than death; otherwise, the mere fact that she had fallen out of favor would have been enough to make her miserable.
Even though she could retain the dignity of "Zhaoyi" thanks to her son and the eight noble families, Mu Zhaoyi lived a cold and lonely life.
Compared to her mortal enemy, Consort Xiao, she was exceptionally miserable.
You can tell if someone is having a hard time.
Both Consort Mu and Consort Xiao were approaching fifty, but Consort Mu looked exceptionally old.
Standing next to Consort Xiao, they looked like they were from two different generations.
Consort Mu hated Consort Xiao to the core.
The mothers were mortal enemies, and Helian Jue and the Second Prince were also natural adversaries.
The two were so close in age, only one year apart, yet they became "ruler and subject".
How could the second prince accept this?
When Helian Jue was deposed, the Second Prince and the eight noble families behind him were the most excited.
After Helian Jue left the capital, the eight noble families would urge the emperor to "establish an heir" from time to time.
The choice for the new crown prince is naturally the second prince, who represents the interests of the old Xianbei nobles.
saint:……
I must be crazy to make my second son the crown prince.
Not to mention that his most beloved and valued son was his third son, the fact that his second son colluded with the eight noble families made the emperor very dissatisfied.
The sage aspired to be the supreme ruler of the entire world, while the eight noble families were always thinking of "restoration."
In recent years, some people have even proposed restoring the old system of "killing the mother upon establishing the son as heir".
The sage knew that those people probably wanted to drive Empress Ashina away.
However, Empress Ashina was no ordinary noblewoman; she had the entire Turkic Khaganate behind her.
Besides, the act of killing the mother after establishing the son means killing the birth mother.
Helian Jue was merely the adopted son of Empress Ashina.
Or rather, those former nobles originally targeted Consort Xiao.
Consort Mu was jealous of Consort Xiao and wanted to kill her at all costs.
If the old system of killing the mother upon establishing the heir were reinstated, Consort Xiao might really die.
Even a sage would find it even more intolerable.
Ah Miao was the woman he loved most.
Having supported each other for so many years, the two have become an inseparable whole.
Furthermore, those former nobles knew that he favored Consort Xiao the most, yet they still wanted to harm her. This clearly showed that they did not respect him as the emperor.
Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner.
They weren't killing the Xiao family; they were clearly slapping Helian Gui in the face!
The emperor's majesty must not be desecrated.
The old systems abolished by the Northern Dynasties cannot be revived.
To ensure the stability of the realm, the sage knew very well that the future emperor could never be the second prince, who represented the interests of the old nobles.
Helian Jue was deposed for three years, and the matter of establishing a crown prince was also delayed for three years.
The eight noble families probably knew what the emperor was thinking. Instead of submitting memorials or making suggestions, they began to secretly support the second prince's ascension to the throne.
Cleanse the court of corrupt officials and punish the treacherous ministers!
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