Chapter 47 (Pearl Seeds)

Something happened in the palace.

What happened?

The Xiao family didn't say it at the time, but for safety reasons, they didn't let Yan Qiushu go back to her own yard to rest, but let her rest directly in the main yard, saying that there were many guards here, and if anything happened, she would be taken care of.

This means that something big has happened.

The only thing that could affect the officials in the court and make them so vigilant is... a palace coup.

However, this was no longer something she could get involved in, so she didn't ask any more questions and just followed the arrangements.

Or maybe Yan Qiushu was too carefree. Maybe the emperor was too far away from her and she didn't feel anything real at all. So when everyone was feeling uneasy, she fell asleep quickly.

It's just that some people can't sleep.

The third prince Zhou Zeqi, who had enjoyed great glory a few hours ago, could now only stay in the big prison of the clan house.

He took off his gorgeous clothes, leaving only a white dress soaked with cold sweat. If you look closely, you can still see cuts on the dress, as if they were cut by a sharp blade.

His long hair, which was always well-groomed, was now disheveled due to the broken jade crown. His eyes were bloodshot, and stubble around his lips had appeared in a short period of time. There was still residual fear and disbelief in his eyes.

Too fast!

From the moment he controlled his father and his brothers and sisters, the soldiers he brought had not even taken over half of the palace when reinforcements arrived quickly, as if they had been prepared and were just waiting for him to take action so that they could capture the turtle in secret.

He looked dazed from the failure.

Zhou Zeqi couldn't understand why this happened.

Is he really anxious?

But if he hadn't done this in a hurry, he would really have no hope at all!

After all, he had been planning for a long time, and his advantages had been so obvious over the years. The crown prince had been deposed, and he was the only adult prince who had children. His father was also in poor health. As long as he was made the crown prince, he would definitely treat his brothers well and choose a good place for them as a fiefdom.

But my father believed the sweet words of a woman in bed and was reluctant to appoint a crown prince. He allowed the fifth and sixth sons to get more and more powerful. Now, one of them is in control of the harem, and one of them is a powerful relative by marriage, and he is forming a clique for personal gain.

However, his father-in-law was exposed because of the Xiao family, which led to him being controlled in every way.

How could Zhou Zeqi bear it?

Just as his adviser said, his best days have passed. Now that the Qiao family is in trouble, there is no one around him who can help him as well as the Qiao family. Meanwhile, the Sixth Prince and the Prince of Jin are on good terms, and the Xue family will also be on his side in the future.

The fifth prince has also begun discussing a marriage with Prime Minister Jin's family.

He had already lost his power. Qiao had given birth to a son for him and had done nothing wrong, so he could not divorce her. His father was still eyeing him covetously, and the court officials did not dare to approach him easily. In the past, everyone wanted to be close to him, but now when he invited people to dinner, all those who went were minor officials of the sixth rank who had no power or influence.

When the fifth and sixth brothers become powerful, no one will even look at him anymore and his dream of becoming an emperor will be shattered, so he has no choice but to rebel.

But they seemed to be prepared in advance. When he controlled this group of people, his father was obviously shocked and angry and reprimanded him. Even the usually arrogant Concubine Lu changed her expression at this time, not to mention others.

I almost succeeded, if only...

Reinforcements didn't come that fast!

Zhou Zeqi's mind, which had been numbed by the shock of the previous incident, suddenly had an idea. He stood up abruptly and was about to ask questions when he saw the tightly closed door was opened. His two concubines and several concubines were sent here together. They came to him crying and asked him what had happened.

Zhou Zeqi pushed the door open in annoyance and looked around one by one, finding that all the concubines were there, except Qiao and his son Zhou Zhaoqin.

His heart slowly sank. The fact he didn't want to believe was coming to light. He said anxiously, "Where's Qiao?! Let Qiao come to see me!"

The guard who escorted these people here smiled strangely and made a gesture full of hints.

Zhou Zeqi's forehead was throbbing and he wanted to slap him, but his status was different now. Even though he was disgusted, he could only endure it and hurriedly took off a jade pendant from his neck and handed it over.

The other party took it with a satisfied smile and whispered, "When I went there just now, I happened to see the Third Prince's wife being protected by the imperial guards. She stayed in the mansion and was not offended. However, the little prince was crying non-stop, and they were anxiously sending someone to call for a doctor."

Zhou Zeqi's throat choked, and his ferocious face suddenly froze. He murmured, "It must be her! It must be her!"

Apart from her, no one else could know what he was going to do in such detail.

It must be her!!!

But what if you know it’s her?

He has failed!

When Yan Qiushu woke up the next day, everything was done.

Some of the more vigilant citizens of Kyoto who lived closer to the prince's palace could hear the commotion there. Plus, there were always gossipers who were well-informed, so the incident had spread throughout the streets of Kyoto before the royal family had time to deal with it thoroughly.

I heard that the third prince launched a palace coup on the thirteenth day, hoping to usurp the throne directly from the emperor!

Everyone was amazed, but soon someone said, "But he failed!"

Although the incident happened suddenly, the palace seemed to be prepared. Although they arrived a little late, they still quickly and efficiently suppressed everything.

And all this is thanks to the former Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Chang!

The people exclaimed: "As expected of His Royal Highness Prince Chang, he is so amazing!"

"The first coup was resolved so quickly. My grandfather said he also encountered a coup when he was a child. During those days, the blood at the entrance of the palace could not be washed away for a long time!"

"Your Highness Prince Chang is not too sorry. It's a pity that he was the crown prince before. Why did Your Majesty depose him and imprison him five years ago? If not, he would have been even more powerful in five years!"

"Who knows about the royal family's affairs? Even between father and son, there are so many conflicts..."

Yan Qiushu bought a sweet white sugar pancake and while drinking tea in the teahouse with Shui Yan and two servants, she heard many scholars talking about this.

As I said before, nowadays people value literature over military affairs. No one will say anything if scholars discuss political affairs or even the secrets of the imperial palace. As long as they don't use an insulting tone, they cannot be convicted.

Such rules led to scholars in teahouses talking freely and without restraint, even drowning out the voice of the storyteller.

Yan Qiushu was eating a steamed bun. The bun was hot. After biting it open, she could taste the melted sugar inside. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the taste was very good. When she got tired of it, she took a sip of tea, which made her mouth feel better. She listened with even more relish.

The Third Prince...

The plot doesn't involve much about the Xiao family, but Yan Qiushu still remembers the Third Prince clearly, because he played a very important role and contributed control of the imperial guards to the male protagonist, Prince Zhou Zejing of Jin.

What was supposed to be revealed a year later has now happened a year earlier, and the Third Prince has once again embarked on the old path of rebellion.

The only difference is...

He chose the 13th for the family dinner.

The Lantern Festival falls on the 13th and 15th. The 13th is the emperor's family banquet with no outsiders present, and the 15th is a state banquet at which all civil and military officials above the fifth rank can attend.

A year later, the third prince chose a state banquet.

There were many people that time, and he had many soldiers, and the heroine Yan Qiuyuan had already married Zhou Zejing. When the Third Prince controlled the female relatives, he controlled her as well.

It was at this time that she desperately rushed to the emperor to protect him and win his favor, which made the emperor relax his vigilance and reuse Zhou Zejing.

Zhou Zejing just couldn't get in for this family dinner, and the Third Prince made trouble. It was Prince Chang who solved the problem. Prince Chang, who had been forgotten and whose performance was so low-key that it seemed as if he had never come out, did this.

If nothing unexpected happens, the relationship between the royal father and son will improve, and Prince Chang may gain some real power.

But the greater advantage is that those who once supported the deposed crown prince five years ago are likely to turn around and support Prince Chang now!

Yan Qiushu was just thinking about it when someone came into the teahouse to sell melon seeds.

She perked up, but before she could wave, someone spoke up first: "Here, here."

"Boss, give me half a pound!"

The middle-aged man selling melon seeds came forward cheerfully and took out the amount they wanted. After selling them one by one, Yan Qiushu quickly said, "I want two kilograms, too."

"Two kilograms is a bit too much. Melon seeds can easily cause internal heat, so it's better to eat less." The middle-aged man smiled and reminded.

Yan Qiushu said: "It's okay, I can take it home to eat."

When the man saw this, he said nothing more and did the business with a smile.

Yan Qiushu paid the money, and a figure appeared beside her. Xue Jiahe's surprised voice said, "Miss Xiao? It's you!"

Yan Qiushu raised her eyes and smiled: "Mr. Xue."

Xue Jiahe smiled shyly and said, "What a coincidence, you're here too, but did you hear what I said last time?"

"Master Xue, please take a seat." Yan Qiushu nodded. "I just happened to have some free time, so I went out for a walk. I came here when I got close to here. You said before that around 3 p.m. every day, there would be a man selling delicious melon seeds, so I'll wait here."

Xue Jiahe sat down and Yan Qiushu poured him a cup of tea.

After pouring the tea, she began to taste the melon seeds.

I found that the fried melon seeds were really good. The quality was very good, each seed was full and fried just right. As soon as I applied force with my fingers, the melon seeds broke open, revealing the fragrant melon kernels inside.

The melon seeds have a slightly salty taste and a pleasant aroma, and you can taste a hint of sweetness when chewing them.

She ate with great satisfaction.

The boy, who was feeling a little restless, stole a glance at her expression, and seeing that she didn't pull down her veil when she was outside, leaving only her beautiful eyes exposed, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it tasted good, it was fine.

His eyes rolled around and he suddenly heard someone calling him, but the voice was too soft and unreal.

When Xue Jiahe turned around, he realized that he had just come here with his friends and had forgotten about Zhao Qi's existence.

He apologized with an apologetic smile, and the other party shook his head helplessly, said nothing, and continued to eat.

Xue Jiahe took a sip of tea and racked his brains to find a topic to talk about: "Did the girl go to the other places I mentioned?"

Yan Qiushu kept her hands busy and shook her head, "No, what's wrong?"

Xue Jiahe straightened his back and said, "I thought if you have nothing to do these days, I would like to visit those old shops and take you there. I wonder if you can use me?"

Yan Qiushu was silent and shook her head: "No need, I can go by myself."

When she was a corporate slave, she was busy with overtime and had no time to hang out with friends. She was used to going out alone, not to mention that Shui Xuan was with her now. There was no need for her to go out with someone she didn't know and make things awkward for each other.

Last time she was willing to go with us because she happened to want to eat at that restaurant and it would be bad to reject her and go there alone.

However, her refusal dimmed the eyes of the young man in front of him, but he still said: "Then I won't bother you, young lady. If you are bored one day, you can call me to accompany you."

After these words were spoken, Yan Qiushu's face stiffened slightly, and the melon seed shell in her hand bounced a little far away due to the force.

The people of Da Zhou were open-minded, and it was common for unmarried men and women to go out together, but they were only men and women who were interested in each other or were on blind dates.

So what is he?

She turned her head and was about to politely reject the other party, but just as she showed a polite smile, Xue Jiahe's expression changed, and his handsome face showed a forced smile. He even stood up and bowed, saying: "Miss Xiao, I have something else to do, so I won't disturb you for now."

Yan Qiushu: “…”

This person ran away, and ran quite fast.

Yan Qiushu shrugged, packed up the melon seeds, and said to Shui Yu, "Let's go too. We've been out for so long, it's time to go back."

"yes."

They leave.

Just before leaving, Yan Qiushu felt two pairs of eyes staring at her, as if they were real.

She looked where her feeling led her.

She saw two women standing in the window facing the lobby on the second floor of the teahouse, looking down at her.

And these two people...

Yan Qiushu just happened to know one of them, and that was her half-sister Yan Qiuyuan. She didn't know the other one, but she looked like she was not wearing a veil. She was pretty and her clothes exuded nobility. And judging from the quality of the hairpins on her head, they were only used by the royal family.

Judging from the expression on their faces, they are definitely not from an ordinary family.

The two men looked at her in an unfriendly manner.

But Yan Qiushu shouldn't recognize them in her current status, so how could this happen? It's inexplicable.

She took a quick glance, confirmed her feeling was correct, and continued walking out.

At this moment, a woman's angry snort rang out from the window on the second floor: "What does she mean? She doesn't even come to greet the county lord when she sees him?!"

Yan Qiuyuan hurriedly comforted her, "She may not know us."

"Does this county lord look so hard to recognize?" The woman was still angry and frowned, but the person had already walked far away, and she couldn't possibly pull him back to salute her.

The Xiao family still has to be cautious.

Yan Qiuyuan sneered in her heart, she really thought that everyone knew her. If Zhou Zejing had not risen in recent years and gained some face in front of the emperor, who would care about a prince with an empty title?

But she also disliked the Xiao family, and clearly remembered that she had met this woman when the Xiao family held a birthday party for their grandson. This woman was very rude, so she said softly, "You know, the Xiao family has always been like this, so don't bother with them."

"Oh, this county lord has noticed that the Xiao family is really ignorant of etiquette. The third lady of the Xiao family whipped her fiancé in the street and then broke off the engagement and found a son-in-law. She set a good example!" The woman, Zhou Lanyi, Zhou Zejing's sister, sneered, and with her other hand on the window, she exerted force, and with a "click", the window was closed.

Then she sat back in her chair and said sarcastically, "Today, you are so close to the young master of the Xue family. I'm afraid there have been some signs. The Xue family doesn't take this county master seriously!"

Yan Qiuyuan's eyes sparkled, and she said casually, "The Xue family's son has been away for three years to train and is now back for this year's imperial examination. He is very popular. It is normal for someone to want to be his son-in-law. However, it seems that the two of them don't have any deeper ties. They are just acquaintances saying hello. If you are interested, why not seize the opportunity?"

Zhou Lanyi pursed her lips, somewhat understanding what he said. However, she puffed up her cheeks with a bit of shame and said angrily, "Why? Do you want me to beg him?"

"Of course not!" Yan Qiuyuan denied with a smile, and said tactfully: "But it would be a pity to miss this marriage. I heard that the eldest son of the Xue family will be in Jinzhou soon. The Xue family is already very popular, and now it is even more popular. With such an elder brother, Mr. Xue will definitely achieve great success in the future, and he can even win an imperial decree for his wife..."

Zhou Lanyi, with a look of disgust on her face, felt a slight stir in her heart, and she twisted her handkerchief without refutation.

Yan Qiuyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but complain in her heart, "Idiot!"

The two of them just went out for a walk today. After all, Zhou Lanyi was Zhou Zejing's biological sister and her future sister-in-law, so it was not easy to offend her, so she had to risk her life to accompany her. It was really a coincidence that they met the woman from the Xiao family and Xue Jiahe, the young master of the Xue family.

It's just that this coincidence is good for her.

The eldest son of the Xue family is now thirty years old. There happened to be a vacancy in Jinzhou, and the Xue family is keeping an eye on him. Others may not know, but as a reborn person, Yan Qiuyuan knows it.

The Xue family naturally became successful, and although Jinzhou was prosperous, the Qiao family had committed evil and everything was in ruins. The eldest son of the Xue family had a lot to do, and later he made great contributions to the Mengyin family. It was also this year that Xue Jiahe became the top scorer in high school.

The two families were originally discussing an engagement, but it didn't work out in the end because Miss Zhou Lanyi was arrogant and believed everything she heard. She thought he had a confidante and looked down on a nerd. She went to her and spoke nonsense in front of her, causing a quarrel between the two families.

Who would have thought that after he passed the imperial examination, he would be favored by the Eighth Princess. That confidante also disappeared, and the Xue family became the Sixth Prince's helper.

You know, the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince are now evenly matched in strength, and there's also Prince Chang who seems to be on the rise. She's afraid that if the Sixth Prince becomes even more powerful, she'll be the one to reap the benefits.

After all, many things in this life happened in advance, and Yan Qiuyuan was also very anxious and did not want to miss the Xue family's strong attention, so she gave such advice.

Besides, she was just a confidante who would bring no results and posed no threat. She was doing this entirely for Zhou Lanyi's own good.

Yan Qiuyuan remembered that this girl was not a real member of the Xiao family, but a relative who was begging for money. In order to please the Xiao family, she worked as a cook there.

As for Madam Xue, what she cared most about was family background. No wonder after she got engaged to the Eighth Princess in her previous life, she had no news of her confidante at all.

She sneered, full of sympathy for the girl who worked as a 'cook' in the Xiao family, but soon she frowned in annoyance.

According to the plan, the Third Prince would definitely rebel when the most people were gathered, and all his accumulated manpower would be used. By then, the Emperor would be in danger and would need protection.

However, due to Thirteen's rebellion and the emperor's family banquet, they were unable to intervene. By the time Zhou Zejing led his troops there, the situation had already been settled, and the credit for the rescue was taken away by Prince Chang!

Not in the plan again!

The situation is really tricky now. Without accumulating enough power, if one of the princes does not participate in these struggles and preserves his strength, Zhou Zejing cannot become the emperor.

Can I only be a prince?

Yan Qiuyuan was unwilling to accept this. She had been scheming so much not just to become a prince's consort, especially since it was possible that when Zhou Zejing inherited the throne, her title would be lowered a bit, and her status would be greatly reduced by then.

Now we can only hope that this fool is smarter. The Xue family is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. If they can pull it together, there is a greater possibility that they can drag all the princes into the water.