Yinreng's chopsticks trembled and fell onto the table.
Tong Wanyan swallowed the meat she was biting down on without chewing it.
Facing Shi Xiuzhu, who was filled with murderous intent, Tong Wanyan whispered, "That's my father!"
"If it's fake, then it's a plot to usurp the throne!" Shi Xiuzhu's heart was wild.
Essentially, he was a lawless person who looked down on the royal family. You never saw him disdain Yinreng like that.
Yinreng took a sip of soup to calm his nerves.
He underestimated the Crown Princess's audacity: "Father Emperor has always treated you and Lady Guarjia quite well, hasn't he?"
“That’s because I was competent,” Shi Xiuzhu said matter-of-factly.
She was repeatedly praised by Emperor Kangxi as a good Crown Princess because she truly excelled in everything she did. She wasn't a deeply ingrained servile person; she wouldn't be so easily swayed by a few words to the emperor as to be willing to die for him. If the emperor was displeased, she would simply stab herself in the heart.
"Don't look at me like that, as if I'm cold-hearted. You're his own son. Even if you force the emperor to abdicate, can you kill your father? Look at the Xuanwu Gate Incident of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Although he lost a brother, it didn't affect Emperor Gaozu of Tang becoming the retired emperor."
"Now that the Emperor is getting old, having reigned for over forty years, isn't that enough? When the time comes, you'll work hard to be the Emperor, while he can enjoy his retirement as the Retired Emperor. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Shi Xiuzhu's analysis was so logical and reasonable that it actually made some sense.
"That's not how it's said," Tong Wanyan said, biting her tongue but remaining clear-headed.
"Then we can only wait to be deposed." Shi Xiuzhu shrugged and said, "I heard that the Qing emperors don't kill their sons, so he's probably destined to be imprisoned. We're alright, we're old and have experienced everything we should. It's a pity for the children. If the emperor who ascends the throne in the future is someone they don't get along with, how can the deposed crown prince's offspring fare well?"
“Especially since he is the deposed crown prince, whose abilities are outstanding and who is highly regarded by the court officials. Who wouldn’t be wary of him!” Shi Xiuzhu added.
Yinreng took the serving chopsticks and angrily piled a bunch of food into his bowl.
"Even eating can't shut you up!" Yinreng said angrily.
"Such delicious food, we probably won't have the chance to eat it again. Every time we eat it, it's one less time we'll have to." Shi Xiuzhu pushed the food that Yinreng had picked up aside.
He turned to look at Tong Wanyan, not forgetting to put a piece of chicken into his bowl: "Poor little sister, such a delicate beauty, and now you'll be wearing coarse linen clothes and living in a small courtyard, only able to see a small patch of sky when you look up. Although the Crown Prince certainly won't want you to do rough work, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality."
"Alright, I won't let Xiao Yan and Hong Zhao suffer any injustice." Yinreng couldn't sit still after hearing this.
He would not only refuse to do anything that would cause Tong Wanyan any distress, but he also couldn't bear to hear of it.
"I know what you mean. If I were alone, it would be fine. Whether I give up on myself or die together with others, it's still my own business. You don't need to deliberately provoke me," Yinreng said coldly.
“I’m just worried that the splendor you saw at Yuqing Palace might make you forget that the transition of the throne is always fraught with bloodshed. Besides, none of your brothers are simple-minded; it’s a real disaster that they were all born at the same time,” Shi Xiuzhu said.
After saying that, Shi Xiuzhu glanced at Tong Wanyan and said, "However, my sister has done a lot of good deeds for you and saved you from a lot of trouble. So, maybe you really are the one chosen by heaven."
No matter how much Shi Xiuzhu said, it couldn't compare to her single compliment to Tong Wanyan.
Yinreng raised an eyebrow smugly: "Great minds think alike."
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