Chapter 200 Backstab
The third prince Jin Zexuan was ordinary in all aspects except for his good looks.
My maternal grandparents' power was mediocre, my mother's favor was mediocre, and even my own qualifications were just mediocre.
When it comes to appointing a crown prince, either the legitimate son, the eldest son, the most virtuous son, or the one you love most should be the crown prince.
It can be said that Jinzexuan is completely uncompetitive.
However, the old emperor's frequent actions tortured the prince, who was highly expected of him, into a state of being neither human nor ghost, making the ambition suppressed in his heart even stronger.
Crown Prince Jin Zexi was the first surviving son of the old emperor. As for why none of the previous sons survived, it was naturally because the crown prince had a good mother.
The Crown Prince is born to the Empress Dowager, so he is both the legitimate son and the eldest son, which makes him legitimate.
The old emperor certainly understood this, but for the sake of the stability of his country he could only turn a blind eye.
However, as his time on the throne grew longer and his power became more secure, the old emperor became more and more impatient.
The arrogant and domineering queen finally paid the price, and the once-prominent Cheng'en Mansion gradually fell into decline.
The old emperor only used the empress and had little affection for her, but he still had high hopes for his eldest son. At least before the prince was 25 years old, he never thought of changing the heir.
It's just that he has no idea, but others do.
The second prince's mother, Concubine Xian Gui, was deeply favored by the old emperor and her maternal family was very powerful, so it was inevitable that she had ideas about the throne.
The crown prince is the eldest son and has already been appointed as the crown prince. He has a group of old ministers who follow tradition and support him, so he is not so easy to shake.
The second prince Jin Zexu and his mother were both favored and had the support of a military family. For a time, they fought against the crown prince on equal terms.
The old emperor seemed to have found a balance. Instead of stopping the fight between his two sons, he deliberately provoked trouble.
If the prince's party becomes powerful, they will be suppressed; if the second prince has the upper hand, they will be demoted.
This gave hope to the third prince, who had always been overshadowed by his two older brothers.
The third prince was born to Concubine Shu. His mother was gentle, virtuous and even a little cowardly. She had a beautiful appearance but was ultimately no match for the glamorous Concubine Xiangui.
If the Empress had not promoted the younger concubines under Consort Xian Gui in order to suppress them in those years, she would never have had the chance to give birth to a son.
Since his mother and grandparents were of no help to him, Jin Zexuan had to find another way.
With his outstanding appearance, he won the favor of the eldest daughter of the British prince, which gave him a great boost.
But this is not enough. In order to have a chance to compete, he can only work hard to manage his own image.
Gentle, generous and virtuous, the Third Prince's approachable and courteous attitude indeed attracted some minor officials to praise him.
Later, it attracted the attention of the left prime minister Zhang Zhongyi. After the two of them had several rounds of probing, Zhang Zhongyi made a judgment.
This is a person whose ability and ambition do not match his ambition.
The Third Prince’s little cleverness was only enough to fool minor officials of humble origins and low status.
The real aristocratic families would not act until they saw the rabbit. It was impossible for someone like him who had nothing behind him to expect others to invest fully.
But Zhang Zhongyi just noticed this point, and finally gave up his son-in-law, the Second Prince, and extended an olive branch to the Third Prince.
The reason given was reasonable. It was said that Concubine Xian Gui had secretly given his daughter a sterilization drug in order to allow her niece to succeed to the throne.
The Second Prince's wife was unable to give birth to an heir, so it was understandable that the Left Prime Minister was unwilling to support other people's children.
But in reality, it was only because the Second Prince's maternal family was powerful and difficult to control, and the Second Prince was not obedient enough.
He has served the autocratic old emperor for so many years, and he doesn't want to serve the second prince who is exactly the same as the old emperor.
As for whether he is a son-in-law or not, haha, he has many daughters.
As long as he could put the third prince on the throne, he could just send a daughter into the palace.
Relying on his power and connections in the Prime Minister's Office, the next crown prince will definitely be his grandson.
After the Third Prince received the assistance of Zhang Zhongyi, he was completely transformed.
The persona he initially created as a courteous, virtuous and approachable official was transformed and sublimated, and within a few years his reputation as a wise king spread.
Even this benefit is not free. Even if the Third Prince is not that smart, he can feel that he is being constrained by Zhang Zhongyi in every way.
But who made him powerless? In order to retain his greatest helper, he could only listen to Zuo Xiang's words.
For example, this time the school framed Xiao Yuan, and the left prime minister asked him to do it personally, so he had to do it personally, even if he was extremely angry, he dared not disobey.
Zhang Zhongyi knew that the testimony of the maids and servants alone would not be enough to kill Xiao Yuan, so his eyes naturally turned to the three special people living in the Governor's Mansion.
Ye Xiao is Xiao Yuan's godson and has been adopted by Xiao Yuan since he was young. It is almost impossible to get him to turn against him.
He Zhang is Xiao Yuan's confidant. Not only is it unlikely that he will betray him, but he also dares not detain him easily.
Who made He Zhang have a good grandmother even though both his parents are dead? He should try not to offend her if possible.
In the end, only Xu Qinglan was left.
After reading her information, Zhang Zhongyi's eyes suddenly lit up. Within half an hour, he came up with a professional speech targeting Xu Qinglan.
In order to ensure that everything went smoothly, Zhang Zhongyi even gave the task to Jin Zexuan.
Although Xu Qinglan was born a palace maid, she has very high standards and insights. Ordinary people may not be able to impress her.
The main reason is that they have limited time and have no time to coax her. If they want to win her over within a day or two, they must use some powerful information.
Ever since Xu Qinglan was struck by He Zhang, she has become a little decadent and even too lazy to repair her relationship with Ye Xiao and plan other things.
She resented everyone in the family equally.
But she knew that she had nothing except her friendship with Xiao Yuan and Ye Xiao, and for the sake of her future affluent life she did not dare to make trouble.
After Xiao Yuan left the mansion, she became even quieter, and even worried for a few days that Jiang Xinyu would cause trouble for her.
As a result, after a few days of silence, she let the matter go and spent her boring time reading books and embroidering flowers every day.
Unexpectedly, after a while, Xiao Yuan still hadn't returned to the mansion and something happened. She panicked when she saw the maids and servants around her being taken away and the soldiers besieging the entire governor's mansion.
She told the imperial guards that she was just a guest here and asked them to let her go, but no one paid any attention.
She also said that she was Xiao Ling's stepsister and asked them to pass a message but no one would pay attention to her.
From childhood to adulthood, Xu Qinglan relied on the power of Old Supervisor Xiao and had never suffered any setbacks.
Even though Old Supervisor Xiao and her aunt passed away later, the brothers Xiao Ling and Xiao Yuan protected her very well.
Now, hearing that Xiao Yuan had fallen, Xiao Ling might also be implicated, and even Ye Xiao had been thrown into jail, Xu Qinglan immediately panicked. She was confused, frightened, and worried all day long, like a frightened bird.
It was at this time that she met her hero. The Third Prince was noble and handsome, like a god from heaven, and he saved her uneasy heart.
He said she was beautiful and gentle and shouldn't waste her years and youth.
He said that Xiao Yuan was blind and didn't see her good side and was ungrateful.
He said how lucky he was to have her by his side.
The third prince's affectionate gaze and touching love words immediately captured Xu Qinglan's heart.
She is like the heroine in "The Boss Falls in Love with the Housekeeper" with no regard for logic and rationality at all.
She plunged headfirst into the beautiful dream that Jin Zexuan had woven for her and refused to wake up.
Xu Qinglan is a typical feudal native with deep-rooted concepts of superiority and inferiority.
Not to mention that Jin Zexuan is handsome and young, even if he is not good-looking, his royal bloodline alone is enough to make Xu Qinglan fall.
She wants to be the concubine of the Third Prince, and when the Third Prince ascends the throne in the future she can also become the master's wife.
No one can stand in her way of success, and she wants to clear all obstacles for the Third Prince.
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