Now that the new emperor has been chosen, another undercurrent has been stirred up in the court.
Those who previously took sides are now seeking new paths.
Should they change their plans and pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince to gain favor in advance, or should they stick to their original path and support the other princes?
They formed cliques, and eventually got together to discuss it.
They themselves were in charge of arranging the entire court and the selection of the next ruler.
Meanwhile, the people in charge acted as if nothing had happened.
Those who went to their fiefdoms went to their fiefdoms, while those who were walking their dogs and playing with their birds continued walking their dogs and playing with their birds.
They either obediently do what they're doing, without having the slightest thought of vying for the throne.
Having reached this conclusion, the ministers who had been making a huge fuss before also fell silent.
No dynasty in history has ever played this game. Where else would you find a prince who doesn't like being emperor?
The facts are truly ironic.
If you can't achieve the merit of following the emperor, then try to improve your family's status.
Then, all the princes except the crown prince were targeted.
And the only ones they could possibly care about, besides the princes in the capital, were...
Those who were in their fiefdoms or, like Prince Rui, fled to their father-in-law's territory, were simply impossible to catch.
The happiest person these days is the Third Prince, as many ministers want to marry their daughters to him as concubines.
Oh my, this is wonderful! If you're willing to marry, I'll take you in.
We'll take as much as we can; it doesn't cost us any rice or grain.
Not to mention that he was already wealthy, these young ladies also brought large dowries with them.
Some are happy, some are sad. Not all girls are willing to marry a prince as a concubine or a maidservant.
She also has a man she loves.
The daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites was a woman of exceptional beauty. She and her cousin had been in love since childhood and were just waiting for their cousin's family to propose marriage when they grew up.
That day, the young woman, who had originally gone to pay her respects to her parents,
When she overheard her father wanting to marry her off to the Third Prince as a concubine, the little girl burst into tears.
She covered her mouth, not daring to cry out, and tiptoed out of her parents' bedroom.
The young maidservant, seeing her mistress's unusual mood, dared not say anything, but felt a pang of pity seeing her mistress crying so pitifully.
Hua Rong was truly a formidable character; after crying all night, she began preparing to flee.
Even if she doesn't marry her cousin, she definitely won't marry the Third Prince.
The young lady not only found a bodyguard, but also sent people to Jiangnan in advance to prepare a residence.
In just seven days, I arranged everything and sent a message to my cousin before leaving.
"Cousin, we've been childhood sweethearts, and I've always admired Rong'er."
Father intends to send Rong'er to the Third Prince's residence as a concubine. Cousin, would you be willing to propose marriage at the Vice Minister's residence?
That cousin of mine is a complete jerk.
"Cousin, marriage is a major life event, and it is a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's words. Your brother needs to go back home and discuss this with your parents first."
My cousin went home first to wait for my cousin's news.
After her cousin finished speaking, tears streamed down Hua Rong's face.
"Rong'er understands now. In the end, Rong'er was overthinking things."
Here, Rong'er wishes her cousin to find a woman he loves and grow old together. Rong'er has other matters to attend to, so she must take her leave now.
After saying that, Hua Rong turned and left without stopping for a moment. She got into the carriage and headed straight out of the city.
A group of bodyguards were waiting for Hua Rong outside the city.
The two sides met, and with a shout of "Giddy up!", Hua Rong left the capital.
That evening, Hua Rong Niang received a report from the nanny in Hua Rong Courtyard that her young lady had gone missing.
This is terrible! The young lady is missing; we must find her immediately.
The entire household was sent out to look for the young lady. By curfew, those sent out had to return home, but they still hadn't found her.
Madam Hua cried her heart out, but some people managed to get some useful information.
"Madam, I have heard some things about Dongsi Street."
The young lady met with a man today, exchanged a few words, and then left.
Oh, the man was wearing a delicate green jade pendant, very exquisitely crafted. Especially noteworthy was the red dot in the center of the pendant.
Upon hearing this, Madam Hua nearly fainted.
The person wearing the exquisite green jade pendant with a touch of red is not her nephew from her maternal family; Zhou Chang is.
My daughter and my nephew grew up together as childhood sweethearts. She even said when she was little that she wanted to marry her cousin.
My daughter disappeared after meeting my nephew today; it must have been an unpleasant meeting.
It's possible that the daughter was hurt by that circumference.
Madam Hua grew angrier the more she thought about it. Before, she thought her nephew was wonderful in every way, but now she felt that he was nothing but a jinx.
He's so old, and he only passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations, and now he's so arrogant.
Madam Hua grew increasingly agitated, deciding to wait until tomorrow to return to her parents' home and consult her nephew before making any further plans.
The doctor, Hua Qian, who was the biological father, flattered the Third Prince during the day and made a deal with him to bring his daughter to his residence as a concubine.
The Third Prince helped him climb another step.
Having received a satisfactory reply, he was so happy that he stayed overnight at Hongxiu Tianxiang.
The next morning, he went straight to work from Hongxiu Tianxiang.
Madam Hua was exhausted after a whole night, and the fact that her husband did not return home at all made her very angry. But she couldn't very well divorce him, could she?
She didn't only have one daughter, Hua Rong; she also had three sons.
After daybreak, send someone to the main gate of the Ministry of Rites to look for flower fortune slips. Be very careful and make sure no one overhears.
The servants of the Hua family were quite professional when it came to keeping secrets.
Last night, despite sending out all the servants in the mansion, not a single one leaked the news.
Hua Qian, who had been pampered last night, had just stopped her carriage when her own servant blocked her way.
"Who dares to be so bold as to block my carriage?" Hua Qian roared in anger.
The servant quickly said, "Master, please calm down. This servant, Hua Liuer, has something urgent to report to you. It's extremely important."
Hua Liuer really knew their master all too well.
Despite his unreliable nature, he is absolutely punctual and never late or leaves early when on duty, rain or shine.
If I don't say it's extremely urgent right now, not only will they not see me, but they might even beat me up later.
Upon hearing that it was extremely urgent, Hua Qian asked Hua Liuer to get in the carriage and explained the situation to him in detail.
Upon learning that her daughter was missing, Huaqian fell backward.
"Master, Master, you can't faint! The manor is waiting for your approval."
Hua Liuer called for help while pinching Hua Qian's philtrum, finally managing to wake him up, but he was terrified.
If the master doesn't recover, then Hua Liuer will die young.
Huaqian, having recovered, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled; the whole process was quite eerie to watch.
Once he was fully awake, he leaned against the carriage wall and asked, "What you just said is true?"
Hua Liuer nodded, "Master, how could I dare to talk nonsense about this matter?"
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