However, the very next day, His Majesty issued an edict, bestowing upon Princess Sangluo of Baiye Kingdom the title of Consort Wan. The investiture ceremony was held in the palace three days later.
At the post station, Sangluo received the imperial edict and rose to his feet.
After seeing the eunuch off, she looked at her younger brother, Sang Qi: "Is the little prince satisfied?"
"Congratulations, Consort Wan." Sang Qi smiled. "Isn't this what my sister wanted? A position of great power and influence."
"Heh, high position and great power." Sangluo shook his head slightly: "Have you ever thought about how much I hate you?"
"So what if you hate me? I am the next king of Baiye. And you... oh, you are now the esteemed Consort Wan. Just like everyone else in the harem." Sang Qi had an angelic face, but his mind was anything but angelic.
Sangluo's mother was the most favored concubine because of her beauty, but in the end, she blocked the way for others.
Once you lose in a struggle, it ends in a dismal failure.
Her son died not long after her death.
The only daughter, Sangluo, was beautiful and naturally could not die.
Having lost her father's favor, she lived a very unhappy life. Just before she left, she learned everything. Her brother had been killed by this angelic younger brother standing before her.
He also threatened her with her mother's clan, saying he would kill them if she didn't agree to a proper marriage alliance.
Sangluo's hatred was boundless. But fate was unfair, and she was helpless.
She truly envied those queens of the Western Regions. When they were princesses, they were able to fight with all their might for everything.
The women of Baiye, however, could only be sent to marry foreign rulers or generals to consolidate their power.
She was really not convinced.
But now that things have come to this, there's no way to deny it.
But she wouldn't give up so easily; there was still time, and she would have a chance to take revenge.
At the very least, she needs to gain His Majesty's favor. She can't allow Sang Qi to become the King of Baiye.
She has so many brothers, not just this one viper.
Sang Qi didn't care; she was just a woman.
In the Longevity Palace, Princess Jiang knelt and wept, "Aunt...we were both in the capital, yet we couldn't see each other even once a year..."
"Get up, why are you crying?" Empress Dowager Jiang helped her up. She still had some genuine feelings for her niece from her own family.
"Are you feeling better?" Empress Dowager Jiang asked.
"There was nothing wrong, she just said she was sick because she didn't want to come out," Princess Jiang said, wiping away her tears.
"That's good. Now that everyone has arrived and is paying their respects to me, you can come in and see me while you're at it. I was really afraid of implicating you," Empress Dowager Jiang sighed.
“If my cousin were here, we wouldn’t be in this situation…” Princess Jiang started crying again.
The cousin in question was naturally the son of Empress Dowager Jiang, the crown prince who died young.
"Yes, if your cousin were still alive, you and I would be noble women in this world, and we wouldn't be where we are today. But... he's gone. We must take good care of ourselves," said Empress Dowager Jiang.
“The Prince of Nan’an’s return this time is clearly calculated. I know he has some dealings with you, but you must be careful, he is also ruthless. Now he said those things at the banquet, seemingly trying to curry favor with the Empress, but who knows what’s really going on?” said Princess Jiang.
"Yes, you've put your heart into this. Of course I know." Empress Dowager Jiang was naturally impeccable.
My niece is my niece, but she has her own family.
There is family affection involved, but it's impossible for her to do much for me.
She couldn't possibly rely on her niece to avenge her son.
Princess Jiang stayed there for a while before quickly leaving the palace.
It might be because they're afraid His Majesty will mind.
To put it bluntly, if it weren't for her own family and children, she wouldn't have dared to enter the palace so casually for so many years.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Jiang felt both heartache and disheartened.
After she left, Pei Lan draped an outer garment over the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't overthink it. The Princess Consort still thinks of you after all."
"Being born into an imperial family, this is the fate that follows once you lose. I was the late emperor's empress, and this is how it is. What about the concubines who have no children?" Empress Dowager Jiang said with a bitter smile.
"Your Majesty, things have come to this, there's no point in dwelling on it. We still have a long road ahead," Pei Lan sighed.
"Yes. He must leave. My son cannot die without knowing why. I am not reconciled. My Jiang family cannot be defeated like this." Empress Dowager Jiang took a deep breath.
“The Prince of Nan’an is ambitious; he can do whatever he wants. I’ll help him.”
She herself lost her own child, and the Emperor treated her...
Heh, let's not talk about it. He's been targeting the Jiang family all these years.
Even if His Majesty's son ascends the throne, so what?
Besides, this empire should have belonged to her son and grandson. But her son died in battle, and both of her grandsons died of illness within a year.
The daughter-in-law also committed suicide.
How could she possibly believe these things were just coincidences? She had been investigating for all these years.
Her son's death was too suspicious.
At least her grandsons all died under mysterious circumstances.
How could she not hate? She wished Shu Zhongjing and his sons were dead. Every single one of them.
So what if the Prince of Nan'an wants to usurp the throne? She'd love for him! As long as Shu Zhongjing suffers, she'll be fine.
"Tell the Prince of Nan'an that the seventh prince's face is ruined, but his mind is not. Although a flawed appearance may preclude him from the throne, things can be done with effort. It's not absolute," Empress Dowager Jiang said calmly.
"Yes, I understand. You should rest now," Pei Lan said.
The Empress Dowager had lost sons and grandsons one after another; how could she possibly be in good health? All these years, she had only been sustained by hatred.
I get tired easily these days.
The Nan'an Prince's Mansion is the smallest of the several princely mansions.
He left Beijing too early and rarely returned, so he seldom stayed here. The place isn't very well maintained either.
However, he clearly didn't care; his vision wasn't limited to this small area.
Upon hearing Empress Dowager Jiang's message, the Prince of Nan'an responded with a smile.
She thought to herself, "As expected of the late emperor's empress, her magnanimity is truly exceptional."
"Call Fu'er here."
A moment later, Wang Fu came in: "Grandpa, Fu'er is here."
"Come here, good boy." The Prince of Nan'an chuckled, "Have you taken a fancy to any of the princes lately?"
“Grandpa, you’re joking. Fu’er is well aware of her mission. Whoever you say Fu’er will marry, that’s who Fu’er will marry. Fu’er’s ambitions don’t lie there,” Wang Fu said.
"Hahaha! Your grandfather knows Fu'er's heart best. Since that's the case, then your grandfather will make the arrangements." The Prince of Nan'an had his own ideas.
It was common knowledge in the capital that the Seventh Prince doted on his concubine, Cheng Yuluo.
Why should Fu'er go in to compete for favor? It would be better to find someone else.
The princes all felt they could replace the crown prince, so they decided to choose a smarter person.
He's getting old, so he's just leaving himself a way out.
Wang Fu smiled and said, "Fu'er will wait for another day."
"Good, good child. Your grandfather's love for you has not been in vain." The Prince of Nan'an truly loved Wang Fu, mainly because the child was so intelligent. He wished he were his grandson.
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