An Chenghuan could tell that Fu Wanying's words of magnanimity were actually an implication and a notification to him that even if he were to win Yue Jiang back and bring her back to his side, he would never be allowed to surpass her.
He showed no sign of surprise, but was deeply gratified: "Wanying is truly considerate; I am very fortunate."
"It is my great fortune to marry Your Highness," Fu Wanying said, as the pastries were already laid out. She picked up a plum blossom-shaped pastry and offered it to An Chenghuan to taste.
"Your Highness, please try the pastries I made by hand and see if they are delicious."
An Chenghuan gladly accepted the pastry handed to him by Fu Wanying. He took a small bite and chewed it, then immediately praised it.
"Wanying's cooking is excellent!"
Fu Wanying smiled even more happily: "I'm glad Your Highness likes it."
She stood up, curtsied to An Chenghuan, and prepared to take her leave.
“Your Highness, it’s getting late. Wanying will go home now. I will convey your words to my father. He will definitely support you and work together to make Anguo better and better.”
"Thank you for your hard work, Wanying," An Chenghuan nodded.
Fu Wanying gave another curtsy and then withdrew.
Once the person had walked out of the hall and disappeared from sight, An Chenghuan's gentle expression suddenly turned cold, and he casually tossed the pastries he was holding onto the plate.
He said coldly, "Throw them all away."
The attendant, hearing the Crown Prince suddenly become angry, hurriedly gathered up a pile of dishes on the table and rushed out of the palace.
Jin Xu then stepped forward, looked at the hurriedly departing eunuchs, and, recalling the words His Highness and Fu Wanying had just spoken, bowed deeply.
"Your Highness has worked hard. I believe Your Highness will be able to turn this predicament around."
An Chenghuan closed his eyes and remained silent, but his chest heaved so much that anyone who saw him could tell he was in a very bad mood.
"Is it just a moment? It feels like it's been going on for over forty years. I think these old guards of Anguo are only happy when they've brought down Anguo. What good will come of that?"
Upon hearing His Highness's complaints, Jin Xu, having served the late emperor and being considerably older than His Highness, knew some of the events of that time.
In the past, the late emperor was not the first choice to succeed Anguo, and the competition was fierce. In order to win the opportunity to ascend the throne, the late emperor made extensive connections with the old nobles of Anguo and gained their trust.
After ascending the throne, he devised a plan to capture the ruler of Jing, which won him the hearts of many ministers and the people.
Of course, winning the hearts of the old elites must have required making enormous promises to them.
However, over time, these people, because of their merit in supporting the emperor, received high-ranking positions and generous salaries, and continued to amass wealth, making them a hidden danger to the country.
After the late emperor secured his throne, he wanted to eliminate these people. Unfortunately, their status in Anguo was becoming increasingly important, and they recruited allies, including members of the Anguo royal family. Even the late emperor found it difficult to shake them.
The late emperor then conceived of implementing reforms in Anguo, intending to gradually abolish the rights and interests of the old nobles. While the late emperor was alive, the reforms were still visible and foreseeable.
However, when Emperor An Yunrui ascended the throne, the ruler was weak and indecisive. Taking advantage of the late emperor's death, the old nobles launched a fierce counterattack. Out of fear, An Yunrui had no choice but to give in to the old nobles.
As a result, most of the reforms left by the late emperor, as well as the talents who proposed these reforms, perished at the hands of the old nobles.
When An Chenghuan was able to take full charge of deeper political affairs in Anguo, he resolutely picked up the reforms of the late emperor and went against the interests of the old nobles.
An Chenghuan was, after all, the Crown Prince of Anguo, and the late emperor's favorite grandson. He was made the Crown Prince at a young age.
The old guard could not easily shake Ahn Seung-hwan's power, but it was also extremely difficult for Ahn Seung-hwan to implement his reform policies.
Otherwise, considering that Fengguo is a bulwark between Anguo and Jingguo, it should help Anguo for its own safety.
Unfortunately, the old nobles often paid lip service to the law but were actually difficult to control, and they were not of one mind on the matter of Fengguo.
In order to resolve his predicament, An Chenghuan thought of the Yue Kingdom, where the former nobles were only seeking power and wealth.
The Moon Kingdom is wealthy. If one marries a princess from the Moon Kingdom and establishes a close relationship with the Moon Kingdom, one can use the Moon Kingdom's wealth to temporarily satisfy the appetites of the old nobles and to address the deficit in the An Kingdom's treasury over the years.
Unfortunately, Jing Yan ruined the plan halfway through.
Not only did he lose the Yue Kingdom, but he also made the Yue Kingdom and the Jing Kingdom related by marriage. An Kingdom was in chaos, and it was difficult for An Chenghuan to continue to oppose the old nobles.
The only option is to reconcile with the old elites, abolish the reform policies, marry Fu Wanying, and win back their hearts first.
"Prime Minister Jin, do you know that when I failed to exchange for Yue Jiang last time, I sent Chu Lu to ambush and kill Jing Yan and the others along the way?"
"Later, when the bodies of Chu Lu and the others were recovered, it was found that their wounds were very clean and deep, especially the arrow in Chu Lu's heart. That arrow was shot by Jing Yan himself, and it took Chu Lu's life with one shot."
"Chu Lu is, after all, my personal bodyguard. If Jing State can kill enemies like this, how can it not be a great threat?"
"Think about how Jing Kingdom, under forty years of pressure, raised funds while simultaneously strengthening its military, while our An Kingdom was engaged in internal strife and wasting each other's resources. How ironic," An Chenghuan said thoughtfully.
Jin Xu was well aware of the current situation and was waiting for an opportunity to ease relations with the old nobles so that they could work together to protect Anguo and prevent Jingguo from launching a counterattack.
“In the past, Jing Kingdom paid a considerable amount of silver to our An Kingdom, and it has just destroyed Feng Kingdom. The country must need to recuperate and rebuild. Your Highness, please put your mind at ease.”
“Our envoys are already in Jing. When they return, they will give us a detailed account of the situation in Jing, which may be just as good as ours.”
An Chenghuan retorted, "Wouldn't the Yue Kingdom help them? The Jing Kingdom has already formed a marriage alliance with the Yu Kingdom."
Jin Xu hesitated for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Your Highness, although Jing Kingdom has marriage ties with Yue Kingdom and Yu Kingdom, Yue Kingdom is the weakest of all the kingdoms and still dares not turn against An Kingdom."
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