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The death of Prince Qianyuan really caught everyone off guard.
Seeing that the emperor was on the verge of a rage every day, no one dared to be the first to step forward and write a petition to establish a new prince and bring bad luck to the emperor.
It is undeniable that the minds of the adult princes are becoming more active.
But no matter how active he is, no one dares to challenge the emperor these days. Just kidding, whoever dares to show any intention of competing for the throne will have his head chopped off.
Only after the funeral for Crown Prince Qianyuan was complete did the Emperor release everyone from the palace. Prince Xuan and his wife breathed a sigh of relief at the tense yet orderly Prince Xuan residence. They'd heard that several princes' palaces had concubines unable to control their subordinates, leading to chaos and leaving the palace would be another daunting task.
After finally seeing their children, Mrs. Wan and Mrs. Zhao finally relaxed their tense nerves and held their children tightly, refusing to let go.
The Qin Palace was also in chaos, so Prince Xuan simply brought Yu Jin back with him. After a few days of fear and kneeling in mourning, Li Qingping saw that Yu Jin's pregnancy seemed to be a little off, so he quickly sent for the doctor to tidy up Yu Jin's bedroom so she could rest, and he himself went to take care of her.
Concubine Li was originally telling Prince Xuan and his wife about what had happened in the past few days. As she spoke, she felt more and more frightened and wronged, and she burst into tears without caring about her manners. She sobbed so hard that several handkerchiefs were wet.
Prince Xuan was about to praise her for being calm and capable: "..." Sure enough, she still has a childish temper.
But then again, it would be strange if he wasn't frightened by the suddenness of the incident. Didn't he see the chaos in the Prince Su's and Prince Yue's mansions next door? At least his family hadn't lost their composure. Now that he was crying because the two backbones of the mansion had returned, he was not bad at all.
Princess Xuan was very distressed and comforted the man for a long time.
"Fortunately, my sister was there to accompany me and give me advice, otherwise I really don't know what to do. My legs were weak when the imperial guards surrounded the mansion." Concubine Li said pitifully.
Prince Xuan patted her hands and said, "Thank you and Qingping for your hard work. It's just that things are sensitive right now, so it's not easy to reward you openly, but I will remember your contributions."
Concubine Li was still panting from crying, but she didn't care and continued, "I will go see my sister later. She hasn't had a good sleep these past few days. She has been helping me keep an eye on the servants."
Even if she hadn't said it, Prince Xuan would have gone too, and he would have definitely agreed right away.
After finishing the basic chores in the mansion, Concubine Li took her leave, leaving Prince Xuan and his wife to talk behind closed doors.
"Even if they don't talk about it outside now, they will definitely bring it up later. Given the current situation, Your Majesty... you need to be honest with me." In the darkness, Princess Xuan lowered her voice. Even though she knew that the outsiders were guarding it and that it wouldn't spread elsewhere, she was still terrified. "Your Majesty... do you have any ideas?"
Prince Xuan glanced at her, took two deep breaths, and asked, "What do you think, Princess? Husband and wife are one. I want to hear what you think."
Princess Xuanqin smiled. "What answer does Your Highness want to hear? We have been married for seventeen years, and I believe that it is impossible for Your Highness not to be tempted by that position. In the past, with the Crown Prince as the legitimate heir, any attempt to covet it was considered treason. But now that the Crown Prince is gone, anyone can take the throne. Not to mention Your Highness, I, too, have dreamed of sitting on that throne."
Prince Xuan clenched his hands tightly and asked in a cold voice, "Do you know what you are saying?"
Princess Xuan was not afraid at all: "I am speaking from my heart." She looked into her husband's deep, dark eyes and said firmly: "Your Highness, there is ambition in your eyes."
After struggling for a while, Prince Xuan almost whispered, "Do you think my chances of winning are high?"
Chances of winning?
Princess Xuan smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, calmly saying, "My master is the eldest son of the Emperor, and his mother is one of the four consorts. Since ancient times, the eldest son of the legitimate wife has always been the heir. Now, except for the three sons of the Empress Dowager, the others are naturally inferior to my master in terms of birth. But what if the Empress Dowager has many sons? My master is the eldest son, and a prince with many military achievements. He has participated in government affairs since early on. Apart from the two young men of the Fifth Prince, who are still inexperienced, you are not in a position to compete for the throne."
Prince Xuan breathed heavily and closed his eyes.
Princess Xuan did not disturb him either.
The Eastern Palace! The Crown Prince! The throne of heir apparent, a step closer to becoming the Emperor! Who wouldn't be tempted? If Prince Xuan hadn't thought about it, Princess Xuan would have called him a coward.
Furthermore, given the current situation, Prince Xuan had no choice but to fight for it. As the only prince who held military power and was the first to participate in government affairs, no one would believe him if he said he had no interest in the throne.
Princess Xuan said that their master still had a good chance of winning, but everything still needed to be planned slowly.
Among the emperor's adult sons, the second oldest, Prince Su, was born to Concubine De. Concubine De came from a prominent family, but unfortunately, since the death of her father and brother, her branch had no one capable of taking on the responsibility of ruling the country. Prince Su was only good at writing, and his literary spirit was too strong to be a good ruler.
The third brother is the late Crown Prince Qianyuan.
The fourth son, Prince Yue, and the seventh son, Prince Chun, were both born to Concubine Qing. Despite being close friends with Concubine Qing and the Princess of Yue, and her eldest daughter also having a good relationship with the Eleventh Princess, Princess Xuan couldn't deny that these two were formidable rivals in a real fight. Concubine Qing had raised her children exceptionally well. The fourth son served in the Ministry of Works, and the seventh in the Ministry of Rites. They both performed their duties with flying colors, earning praise from the Emperor on every festival.
The fifth son, Prince Ling, the sixth son, Prince Zhao, and the eighth son, Prince E, were all born to the empress dowager. Speaking of which, the fifth son was in an awkward position. He was initially given the title of Prince upon leaving the palace, and even after more than a decade, he was still a Prince even as he approached thirty. His older brothers were all given the title of Prince early on, not to mention his mother was the empress. He didn't have a proper job, spending one day at the Ministry of Personnel and the next at the Ministry of Revenue, with the emperor never giving him a fixed number. It would have been fine if his younger brothers were like that, but the seventh son, however, had already settled down in the Ministry of Rites two years ago. The sixth and eighth sons only started working at the court in recent years, and their newfound impatience was a bit noticeable.
The ninth prince, Prince Tao, was crowned king only last year. Among the adult princes, he possessed the lowest social status, his birth mother being only Concubine Xiang, the last of the six imperial concubines. Concubine Xiang held a low profile within the palace, remaining a low-key and dutiful person. Prince Tao, like his mother, quietly adhered to his duties. But that was in the past; it's hard to say whether his temperament remains the same in today's situation.
The ones after that, from the tenth to the thirteenth, are still young, so we won’t talk about them for now.
Among the four concubines, only Concubine Ying, who had the best family background and was the emperor's cousin, did not have a son. Fortunately, otherwise, given Concubine Ying's special family background, the emperor might have favored her son more. After all, the emperor's only child, Princess De'en, was favored by everyone.
In the silence, Princess Xuan's thoughts turned again and again, and finally she waited for Prince Xuan's answer.
"Yes, I am the eldest prince."
Princess Xuan's lips curled up into a smile, and the couple exchanged glances, both understanding each other's meaning.
"By the way, Your Majesty, let this incident today serve as a reminder to me. This backyard..." Princess Xuan thought for a moment and spoke again.
Over there, the court physician said that Yu Jin had been too tired and frightened these days and had a miscarriage. Pregnancy is already difficult, and the imperial physician cannot be called in during special times. Li Qingping was extremely worried and wanted to personally supervise his subordinates while they were making the medicine.
"Aunt, are you worried that Yunzao is watching you? I feel bored staying alone, so come and talk to me, aunt." Yu Jin pretended to be dissatisfied through the window.
Of Li Qingping's two older maids, Yunsu still stayed with him, having no plans to marry. Yunlian went home to get married two years ago, and will return to serve as Li Qingping's nanny in a few years. However, the position of eldest maid was still vacant, so a younger maid, Yunzao, was appointed. After a year of being mentored by Yunsu, she was now a capable and independent maid.
Yun Zao smiled and said, "My Lady is right. I will keep an eye on them while they are boiling the medicine. Don't worry, my Lady."
Li Qingping then came in and sat next to Yujin. He took a closer look at her pale face and sighed, "You've lost a lot of weight. Is it because the child has been too stressful for you?"
Things in the palace cannot be discussed, and Prince Qianyuan is now a taboo, so Li Qingping can only talk about the child with Yu Jin.
Although Yu Jin's face didn't look good, her expression was gentle and emotional. "Since I became pregnant, I realized how hard it was for my mother and aunt to carry me. I'm only four months pregnant and I already feel uncomfortable all over. My husband always says that I'm going to give my mother a good beating after this baby is born."
"Did my son-in-law really say that?" Li Qingping was amused.
In her impression, wasn't her eldest brother-in-law Zhao Fengming a quiet and honest child? How could he say such a thing?
Yu Jin said angrily, "No, he's a bit of a taciturn person, but his eyes are easy to understand, and that's what he's thinking. Last time I asked him directly, he hesitantly admitted it."
Li Qingping: "..." She smiled helplessly, "You two are really something. It seems I don't have to worry anymore."
"Although Qishan is taciturn, I have always been an extrovert. We can discuss all matters big and small with each other, which is a perfect complement. Plus, my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are easy to get along with, so we live a good life." Yu Jin's face was sweet, more emotional than when they first got married. It seemed that she was more satisfied with the marriage than before.
Yu Jin became melancholy as she spoke: "I don't know what's going on at the mansion now. The incident happened too suddenly, and there's no one really in charge of the mansion..."
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Qin prince and his wife naturally entered the palace. Of the Qin prince's five sons, the Crown Prince and his wife were also to enter the palace. The Second and Fourth Princes were transferred to other places this year due to official duties. The Third Prince, always ill, was recuperating at the farm. The remaining Yu Jin and his wife were even less likely to enter the palace. The Qin prince's only concubine had died several years earlier. As a result, the Qin prince's mansion was left without a legitimate master. Without a leader, the Qin prince's mansion was in utter chaos.
Li Qingping comforted him, "Don't worry too much. Just stay home and take good care of your baby. As long as someone capable of taking care of things returns home, everything will be solved."
Li Qingping called Yuxi and Hexuan, brother and sister, over to talk to Yujin. After the medicine was boiled and brought over, Li Qingping watched Yujin finish drinking it, stuffed some candied fruit into her mouth to reduce the taste, and Prince Xuan also came over.
Prince Xuan first showed concern for his eldest daughter and asked her to take good care of her pregnancy. He said that Zhao Fengming would come to take Yu Jin back after the Qin Palace was settled.
After all, even though she was my biological daughter, it wasn't easy for her to stay in the mansion for long after she got married. The world was like this, there was really nothing we could do about it.
Yu Jin felt a little sleepy after taking the medicine, so the two elders didn't disturb her. They told her to have a good rest and quietly left with the two children.
After coaxing Yuxi and Xuan away, Prince Xuan first praised Li Qingping's calm handling of the situation, then paused and said, "How about I ask you to help the princess with the affairs of the backyard?"
Li Qingping looked up in surprise: "Prince?"
She didn't have to worry about any rift between her and Princess Xuan. On the contrary, when they were still at home, their grandmother had let the three sisters manage the affairs together. But it was really a bit sudden now.
"After all, the princess cannot support this backyard alone. Qingyan is still childish, not to mention Yang. Wan is easily emotional and that's not good either. So you are the only one left. What do you think?" Prince Xuan sighed.
Li Qingping said thoughtfully, "I will do my best to help the prince and princess. Everything is at your disposal."
Prince Xuan then made the decision: "I'll have Liang Pei'an bring you the matching cards later."
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