Although Consort Zhang was a daughter of the Zhang family, she did not inherit any of her father's intelligence. She did not understand the principle that things should be done in secret and always liked to openly plot evil deeds.
Death was her inevitable end.
Compared to Consort Zhang, the daughters of the Zhang family who were later sent to the palace were much more intelligent.
However, she received a better script than her sister, being made empress right from the start, easily reaching the end that Consort Zhang could never achieve in her entire life.
Then comes the part that shows her vision and character.
At that time, the struggle for the throne was still in its most intense stage. As the unfavored tenth prince, Shen Shi had very little chance of winning, even with the support of Prime Minister Zhang.
Moreover, with the unexpected death of Consort Zhang, the situation has changed dramatically.
Apart from the late emperor and Prime Minister Zhang, who were blinded by their own limited perspective and unable to see the truth, almost everyone knew that Shen Shi was the mastermind behind Consort Zhang's mysterious death.
Even if Prime Minister Zhang did not withdraw his support, without Consort Zhang acting as a bridge, the alliance between Shen Shi and the Zhang family would still be in jeopardy.
Moreover, as time went on, rumors about his murder of Consort Zhang spread like wildfire, with everyone telling their stories in great detail, as if they had witnessed it themselves. This inevitably made Prime Minister Zhang suspicious.
He had more than twenty children in total, so the death of just one daughter was really nothing to him.
But when the prince he so strongly supported ruthlessly murdered his own daughter, it took on a completely different meaning.
A bald prince who hasn't even ascended the throne dares to kill his daughter now. If he becomes emperor, he'll probably bury this old man's bones along with him.
With this distrust in mind, Zhang Zaixiang's support for Chen Shi became merely superficial.
He began to observe the other princes, and even sent another illegitimate daughter to the fourth prince, who had a high chance of winning, as a concubine.
As the support of the Prime Minister's Mansion slipped further and further away from him, which meant the throne was also getting further and further away, Shen Shi, who was in the center of the power vortex, felt passive but had no regrets.
Consort Zhang not only caused the death of her own mother, but also caused her beloved Ying'er to miscarry. The two of them lost their first child inexplicably. Unable to bear the blow, Ji Ying'er cried all day long, and her health also deteriorated.
Seeing this, I felt both heartache and anger.
As a man, if you can't even protect the person you love, what's the point of living?
The reason he wanted to become emperor was so that the people he cared about could be well. If he had to bury even this little thing, what difference would he make from a beast?
Therefore, Consort Zhang was destined to die, and she remained unmoved even after being submerged ten thousand times.
The same applies to the road ahead of him.
The struggle for the throne is always a life-or-death struggle; once it begins, there is no turning back. His nine brothers are all ruthless, and if he fails, death awaits him.
Even without Prime Minister Zhang's support, even with the odds of victory so slim they were practically nonexistent, Chen Shi had no choice but to continue down this dark path.
Fortunately, he did not gamble his entire future on Prime Minister Zhang. After losing the support of the Prime Minister's mansion, Shen Shi was greatly weakened but not crippled.
Roads are made by walking, and Shen Shi firmly believed in this principle. Through his own efforts, he regained the support of several once-prosperous old families.
Most of these people came from families that had enjoyed great prosperity, but by their generation, they had fallen into decline. Shen Shi seized what they wanted most and offered them conditions they could not refuse. With little effort, he brought half of the prominent families in the capital under his control.
Even without the support of the prime minister's mansion, an unfavored prince can still cultivate his own power through his own efforts.
When he was submerged, everyone saw his abilities.
While things were going smoothly for him, the Fourth Prince, who was always considered a promising candidate, was experiencing a series of setbacks.
This story begins during the royal hunting season. Since there were no fixed accommodations for hunting and playing in the mountains, the princes slept in tents.
But for some unknown reason, on a dark and windy night, a frightened horse suddenly broke into the camp and galloped straight toward the fourth prince's tent.
With the horse's charge, the tent made of cloth was overturned, exposing the sizzling scene inside to everyone's eyes.
Even now, Shen Shi still remembers that cringe-worthy scene.
The fourth brother, who was always known for his integrity, was found embracing a pale-faced, beardless eunuch, completely naked.
Even when the horse overturned the tent, the startled two didn't separate, and the pretty young eunuch remained nestled in the Fourth Prince's arms, repeatedly saying, "My lord, I'm so scared~"
Everyone knew what this vibrant scene represented, and everyone present was speechless with astonishment.
Realizing he had made a huge fool of himself, the fourth prince's face turned as black as charcoal at the bottom of a pot. He wanted to push away the person nestled in his arms, but his naked body offered no cover. If he pushed him away, wouldn't he be even more clearly seen by onlookers?
When Shen Li was awakened by the commotion outside, he went to the scene to inspect the situation.
He saw his son, on whom he had placed the most hope, naked and embracing a eunuch. Both of their faces were abnormally flushed, and it was clear at a glance what had happened.
A father naturally cannot tolerate his son associating with these neither-male-nor-female creatures. Enraged, Shen Li ordered that all the eunuchs around the Fourth Prince be executed.
More than thirty people lost their lives, and the fourth prince was confined to his palace. Shen Li clearly disliked this son, and his once promising future was now blocked.
In fact, this was a blessing in disguise. Although the fourth prince was not destined for the throne, he was the only son of the late emperor who survived, apart from Shen Shi.
After Shen Shi ascended the throne, he visited his fourth brother.
Undeterred, he roared, "I am the one Father loves the most! I should be the emperor! You are just lucky."
Unexpectedly, he was still thinking about the throne. "You really won't give up until you're completely convinced of the throne," Shen Shi scoffed.
Shen Yu immediately looked up and retorted, "What do you know! What do you know! Father has so many sons, but from childhood to adulthood, I am the only one who can be close to him, and I am the only one who can dine with him!"
"You don't understand anything! You're just lucky!" Shen Yu had clearly gone mad. He roared incessantly, as if whoever had the loudest voice could become emperor.
Shen Shi watched him go crazy with a cold eye, feeling nothing but amusement.
Upon seeing his appearance, Shen Yu's anger intensified. He roared and charged at him, only to be stopped by a guard.
"Let me go! Let me go! If you don't let go, believe me, I'll chop off your heads!" Shen Yu, who was being held down, continued to shout.
Seeing that the guards couldn't control him, Shen Shi stepped forward and kicked Shen Yu to his knees, then waved his hand to dismiss the attendants.
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