Chapter 550 A Sea of Mysteries
The Imperial Study.
Not long after the second prince left, the eunuchs around Emperor Jingwen came and asked the two brothers to go to the imperial study.
On the way to the Imperial Study, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince knew perfectly well why their father had asked them to go there—it was nothing more than the matter of the Seventh Princess of Anguo.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
The third and fourth princes, speaking in unison, bowed to Emperor Jingwen.
Emperor Jingwen said gently, "Rise, all of you."
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
The two brothers stood up and stood quietly, waiting for Emperor Jingwen to speak first.
Emperor Jingwen looked at his two sons and said kindly, "Princess Anguo is fluent in the Zhao language, knows poetry and songs, is as beautiful as a flower, and has a straightforward personality. She is a good girl. You brothers are also of marriageable age. If I were to let one of you marry the Seventh Princess, what would you say?"
Upon hearing this, the two brothers knew that their father was not discussing this with them, but rather informing them that one of them would have to marry the Seventh Princess.
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Emperor Jingwen was not in a hurry for an answer. He stared intently at his two sons, not missing any subtle expressions on their faces.
After a moment, the fourth prince spoke first: "Father, I also think that the seventh princess is a very good girl, but there is an order of seniority. My third brother is older than me, so he should marry first. Moreover, I am weak and sickly, and I don't even know if I will live to adulthood, so I can't delay the seventh princess's marriage."
Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Emperor Jingwen frowned almost imperceptibly, his gaze towards the Fourth Prince becoming somewhat inquisitive. However, upon hearing the second half of the Fourth Prince's sentence, his gaze softened, and he turned to the Third Prince, asking, "Third Prince, what do you think?"
The Third Prince replied, "Father, I have met the Seventh Princess today and found her to be very genuine and innocent. I like her very much. If Father wishes to bestow a marriage upon me and the Seventh Princess, then I thank you in advance."
Emperor Jingwen stared at him for a long time before making his final decision: "In that case, it's you."
The third prince quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
Emperor Jingwen said gently, "Alright, get up." As he spoke, he looked at the pale-faced and sickly-looking fourth prince and said meaningfully, "Fourth prince, you are weak and seem to be in poor spirits. If you can't handle taking the third prince and the seventh princess on their trip, don't push yourself."
The fourth prince understood perfectly. He was absolutely not allowed to participate in the trip to the capital with the third prince and the seventh princess. He would then feign illness and decline, replying, "Father, I understand."
Emperor Jingwen was already somewhat tired, and rubbed his temples: "Alright, you can all go back now."
The two brothers acknowledged and withdrew.
As Emperor Jingwen watched his two sons' departing figures, his expression turned serious again. Who secretly passed on the truth about the Crown Prince's assassination to Minister Yu, asking Minister Yu and Minister Gu to investigate?
Previously, he had suspected the third and fourth sons, especially the fourth son. Although the boy was in poor health, he was clever and quick-witted, and might have some ulterior motives. But now he hadn't seen anything. The third son had even directly agreed to marry Princess Anguo, completely losing his right to inherit the throne, so he couldn't possibly be the third son.
So who exactly is it?
The fifth prince is still young, and his birth mother is timid and fearful. His maternal grandparents are also law-abiding and loyal officials. If they knew that the second prince was plotting to harm the crown prince, they would certainly not keep quiet and let the second prince's scheme succeed.
The sixth prince is a child, born of the same mother as the crown prince, so he can be ruled out.
The seventh prince is only three years old. His birth mother, Consort Tao, comes from a powerful family. Even if the crown prince is gone, the second prince is ineligible for the position of heir apparent due to the evidence against him. The mediocre third prince and the physically weak fourth prince are excluded. According to the order of seniority, it shouldn't be the turn of the three-year-old seventh prince. There are still the fifth and sixth princes. Moreover, the sixth prince is the legitimate son. The Tao family would not have kept quiet about this from the beginning, since the crown prince is virtuous and will be a wise ruler in the future.
Emperor Jingwen's head was spinning with worry. He couldn't figure out who was watching all this happen and then presenting evidence to destroy his second son.
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Meanwhile, the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess had just returned to their residence. When no one was around, the Third Prince's face darkened, and he glared at the Seventh Princess with a accusatory look in his eyes.
The seventh princess was not afraid at all and met her brother's gaze.
In an instant, the brother and sister stared at each other with tense expressions, as if they could start fighting at any moment.
The third prince lowered his voice and angrily questioned, "Seventh sister, we agreed that you would become the emperor's concubine. What's wrong with you today? On a day like today, if you just said you admired the emperor, there was a 90% chance you would be able to enter the harem."
The Seventh Princess snorted coldly: "Although the Emperor of Zhao is good-looking, how old is he? His son is older than me. You want me to be his concubine? Do you think I'm a fool? I am your own sister, born of the same mother. You want to marry your beautiful sister to an old geezer for power? Are you even my brother?"
The third prince was furious with her: "What time is it now? Why are you still arguing about these things? Do you think you'll be better off when you return to Anguo just because I'm not doing well? The assassination attempts we encountered on the way to Zhao were all orchestrated by my eldest brother. Without strong supporters, I might not be able to defeat him when we return to Anguo."
After saying that, the third prince glanced at her and softened his tone: "Seventh sister, we can't afford to gamble. If I lose, as my own sister who has never had a good relationship with him since childhood, you won't have a good ending either."
The Seventh Princess remained silent for a long time before saying, "Then you have to find me someone young. How about choosing from among the sons of the Emperor of Zhao? If I marry his son, I will be his daughter-in-law. You and I are siblings from the same mother, and I believe he would prefer you to take the throne in the end, as long as you promise some benefits."
The third prince seemed to be deep in thought. The third prince of Zhao was like a transparent person, with little presence. The fourth prince was not bad, but he was physically weak and could die of an illness at any time. But apart from that, he was better than the third prince in every other aspect.
He made the final decision: "The Fourth Prince. As long as you give birth to a legitimate son before he dies, you'll have a child to rely on, and there will be hope for the future."
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess's eyes widened in disbelief. What a good brother of hers! He wanted her to be a widow at such a young age. She was a princess from a foreign land, married into the Zhao Kingdom. If she lost her husband, who would support her? And it would take a long time for the children to grow up.
The third prince, however, had his own considerations. He said, "The emperor favors the fourth prince more than the third prince, and the fourth prince's maternal family is also much stronger than the third prince's. Even if the fourth prince is frail and dies young, at least his maternal family can help you."
The seventh princess responded absentmindedly, not really happy about it. She had already been treated like merchandise by her brother, who was now giving her a husband who was weak and sickly, even though the other one was healthy.
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