Chapter 475 This is our royal family, we owe the Empress
After leaving the Duke of Chu's residence, Prince Rui went straight to Prince An's residence. Unlike Jiang Yu, who had doubts about Prince An, Prince Rui had no doubts about Prince An from beginning to end.
Although they were uncle and nephew, they had grown up together since childhood, their relationship as close as that of brothers. He knew Prince An's character better than anyone. And no one understood Prince An's deepest, most hidden pain better than him.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Prince An's residence, the gatekeepers, upon recognizing it as the carriage of Prince Rui, immediately bowed and stepped forward to greet him, while the other turned and quickly went inside to announce his arrival. Prince Rui was as familiar with Prince An's residence as he was with his own, and upon alighting from the carriage, he walked effortlessly toward Prince An's study.
They had only gone halfway when Prince An hurriedly approached. As he drew near, Prince An asked with concern, "What has happened?"
With the Empress Dowager seriously ill, Prince Rui has been staying at Cining Palace almost every step of the way. His sudden visit late at night made Prince An's heart jump.
Seeing the worry in his eyes, Prince Rui patted his arm and said, "Don't worry, the Empress is fine."
Prince An breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize he had been too tense. If something had truly happened to the Empress Dowager, his uncle would have had no time to come to him. The two walked side by side to the study, and as they sat down at the tea table, Prince Rui noticed a letter on it. The handwriting on the envelope was clearly Jiang Yu's.
“I had only read half of the letter sent by the Duke of Chu when I heard you had arrived.” Prince An naturally picked up the letter, about to continue reading, when he heard Prince Rui say, “I just came from her place.”
Prince An's expression froze, and his hand holding the letter tightened involuntarily, the thin and brittle paper making a slight creaking sound as it was squeezed.
Prince Rui lowered his eyes, pretending not to notice his strangeness, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "She told me about Prince Rui's behavior in the Imperial Study today."
Prince An's expression gradually returned to normal. He quickly read through Jiang Yu's letter, casually set it aside, poured himself a cup of tea, and quietly sipped it with his eyes lowered. However, the white knuckles of his fingers gripping the teacup betrayed his turbulent state of mind. Prince Rui sat opposite him, also silent, and the silence in the study grew increasingly oppressive.
After a moment, Prince An suddenly raised his eyes, staring directly at Prince Rui, and asked in a deep voice, "Uncle, are you here to investigate how I will choose?"
With a loud bang, Prince Rui slammed his teacup down on the tea table, splashing tea that soaked his sleeves.
"So now you even consider me an opponent?" His voice was stern, but also tinged with disappointment.
Prince An withdrew his gaze, his lips pressed into a tight, straight line, looking like a wronged child. Seeing him like this, Prince Rui's anger gradually faded, and his heart softened.
He raised his hand to straighten his sleeves, which were soaked with tea, and his tone softened: "I know you have a grudge against your brother, but I know even better that you would never stand idly by knowing he is in danger."
These words eased the tension on Prince An's face somewhat, but he still let out a soft hum, tinged with a hint of defiance. Prince Rui curled his lips into a smile, making no attempt to hide his mockery of his childish behavior. Prince An realized his actions were inappropriate, so he simply gave up, leaning back in his chair and adopting an attitude of resignation to his fate.
Prince Rui glanced at him with some disdain, then poured himself another cup of tea and said, "The situation is treacherous now, you must pay extra attention to your brother's safety. He's a man who cares a lot about his reputation and always wants to do things perfectly, but in terms of ability..." he ultimately falls short.
He didn't finish his sentence; after all, he was the emperor, and further judgment was inappropriate. He paused, then added, "But deep down, he values family the most, and he's always less wary of his own family."
Prince An lowered his head and stroked the jade pendant at his waist, giving a soft "hmm" in acknowledgment, indicating that he had listened. Prince Rui didn't mind, took a sip of tea, and asked, "How is things going with Marquis Cheng'en?"
Prince An immediately sat up straight, his previous casual demeanor vanishing, and said in a deep voice, "I have reached a cooperation agreement with him."
Prince Rui gave a reassuring "hmm," lowered his eyes, and ran his fingertips along the edge of the teacup. After a moment's thought, he said, "Once the matter in Lingnan is completely resolved and the overall situation is stable, I will have the Empress Dowager propose that you be registered under the Empress's name. What do you think?"
Prince An frowned slightly, which Prince Rui noticed. He then said, "Regarding the matter concerning the former Crown Prince, the Empress and the Marquis of Chengen's residence actually suffered quite a bit of injustice. But we have both seen the Marquis of Chengen's loyalty, and I imagine that Your Majesty has long since regretted it. This is something our royal family owes the Empress."
Prince An remained silent with a furrowed brow. Prince Rui, knowing he had many concerns, did not try to persuade him further. He stood up: "I was just suggesting an idea. The final decision is entirely up to you. It's getting late; I need to hurry back to the palace."
As he spoke, he strode out, and Prince An also rose to see him off to the gate of the mansion. Before getting into the carriage, Prince Rui turned back and looked at Prince An through the night, saying, "Recently, the Prince of Lingnan may use my affair with the Duke of Chu to make trouble, but there is no need to worry, we have already prepared a countermeasure."
As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down and got into the carriage. The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage rolled over the bluestone road, making a rumbling sound, and gradually disappeared into the distance.
But Prince An seemed to be frozen in place, not moving for a long time. It wasn't until the gatekeeper whispered "Your Highness" twice that he came to his senses and staggered back.
The night was still, and even the sound of his own heartbeat was exceptionally clear. The throne he had schemed for so long and yearned for so intensely was getting closer and closer, yet his heart felt terrifyingly empty. Even the throne he had plotted for so many years now seemed utterly tasteless and meaningless.
No matter how life unfolds with its joys and sorrows, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west as usual.
Madam Yan got up before dawn today, and her maids and servants busied themselves helping her with her dressing and grooming—she was going to the palace today to attend the Empress's invitation, so she couldn't be careless in the slightest.
"Is Xi'er awake yet?" Madam Yan asked, sitting in front of her dressing table and looking at herself in the mirror.
"Reporting to Madam, the eldest young lady has been up for quite some time," the nanny who was tidying her clothes replied immediately. "At this hour, the eldest young lady should already be dressed and ready."
"Mother." As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Fengxi walked in, dressed in a scarlet robe.
Upon seeing this, Madam Yan frowned instantly and said in a deep voice, "Go back and change your clothes."
Yan Fengxi looked down at her crimson and gold-embroidered dress, her face full of confusion. Madam Yan patiently explained, "The Empress Dowager is still ill. Are you trying to kill yourself by wearing such bright red to the palace?"
Yan Fengxi's expression changed drastically, and she turned and went back to her room with a sullen face. Madam Yan, seeing her extremely unwilling appearance, frowned even more.
Seeing this, the nanny whispered, "Miss is still young. You can teach her slowly. She'll get better eventually."
"She's getting married soon, and to a place outside the capital. How much time do I have left to teach her?" Madam Yan's tone was full of disappointment. "From a young age, we've always given her the best things and catered to her every whim. How did we raise her to be like this?"
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