Then he thought, if Yan Nangui hadn't suffered so much back then, perhaps there would have been more than one prince.
But nobody cared about his myriad thoughts.
Yan Jinsi has two children.
Yan Jinfei has been married for many years, and she is no longer young. She doesn't look to be in very good condition.
He had no children whatsoever.
It has been more than three years since the Duke of Gong passed away, and Shu Ke no longer needs to observe mourning. It's not that he has no children; he has two children born out of wedlock, but they are not related to Yan Jinfei.
Since it's Consort Duanyi and the Seventh Princess returning to their maternal home, the banquet will be quite grand. It will include not only family members but also relatives.
Yan has quite a few relatives, but most of them don't live in the capital.
However, quite a few people came today, at least their children and in-laws were there.
The old lady's maternal family, the Wang family, and her second aunt's family.
And also the family of my second sister-in-law, Yang. Although Yang is not in the capital, the Yang family are legitimate relatives and would not be left out.
So the banquet was lively and bustling for most of the day.
We saw off all our relatives and friends at dusk.
Yan Nangui asked the wet nurse and Jiangxiang to watch over the sleepy Seventh Princess and took her inside to sleep for a while.
She spoke with Yan Lingyun and Yan Nanxu in the main hall of the backyard.
“I’ve been so busy these past few days, with so many people coming and going, I haven’t had a chance to ask how things are in the palace. Is Her Majesty well?” Yan Nanxu asked.
"All is well. I've been managing things with Consort Xiangxian for so many years, and everything that needed to be sorted out has been sorted out. Although the Empress Dowager is a bit muddle-headed, she's still quite sharp-tongued." It's not that she won't take action, but when she does, it's just so-so, and Yan Nangui doesn't care.
“We were very worried about what happened some time ago, and now these princes are really going to their deaths. How could they resort to witchcraft? Even when the emperor was fighting so fiercely back then, they didn’t resort to such despicable tactics. It’s fortunate that His Majesty didn’t make a big fuss, otherwise how many people would have died?” Yan Nanxu said.
They naturally learned about this from Yan Nangui's letter.
"They wanted to make a big scene, but the First Prince was clever. He went to His Majesty right away. But then someone stabbed him in the back, so it's hard to investigate now." Yan Nangui shook his head.
"There are daily struggles in the harem, but in the past, everyone was vying for the emperor's favor. Now, they are vying for the position of crown prince. His Majesty originally thought the third prince was quite good, but now, His Majesty is going to send all the princes out to live. Once they are out, they will not be able to enter the harem every day."
"Does Your Majesty have any thoughts?" Yan Lingyun asked.
"I originally thought highly of the Third Prince, but now, seeing his mother like this, I'll wait and see."
“Sister, tell me the truth, do you really… want to support him?” Yan Nanxu asked.
Yan Lingyun glanced at her eldest son but did not interrupt.
“I’ve been tormented by Rong Ning since I was a child. I’ve naturally come to understand one thing: those who aren’t your own children are useless.” Yan Nangui smiled.
Yan Lingyun sighed: "If Your Majesty has any thoughts, please just say them."
"I don't have any specific plans right now, I just hope that my father, elder brothers, and second elder brothers will all be well. As for the crown prince, it ultimately depends on who His Majesty appoints. Whoever it is, whether they can ascend the throne is up to fate. His Majesty favors the person he thinks is suitable to be the crown prince. And the one who will ultimately ascend the throne should be the person I favor, the one who poses no threat. Now that I have a child, I must plan for her for the rest of my life. I won't be at ease if I can't settle her down. And then there's the Yan family. My father will grow old and retire one day. I will grow old too. At that time, with outstanding military achievements, if the new emperor is narrow-minded, I'm afraid there will be a disaster that wipes out our entire family. Therefore, we must make plans."
“To tell Father and Elder Brother the truth, even if I were out of favor, His Majesty might still gradually weaken Father’s power. Because I have been favored all these years, I have never aroused his suspicion. And since I have no son, he is at ease. But no matter who the new emperor is, he will not be at ease unless he is born from my womb. So, something must be done.”
Yan Nangui looked at the father and son and said in a startling voice, "Now, I do nothing, but one day in the future, when I need it, I hope Father and Elder Brother will not care about the title of loyal minister."
These words made Yan Nanxu suddenly stand up.
They're all smart people, what don't they understand?
"Are you sure?" Yan Nanxu asked.
"It will happen. What Consort Duanyi said doesn't count as an imperial edict. What about what the Empress said?" Yan Nangui asked.
"You...you want to be the empress?" Yan Nanxu was shocked.
"Did you ever imagine that I could become a Noble Consort after entering the palace?" Yan Nangui asked.
Yan Nanxu remained silent.
“I will be the Empress. Since I cannot give birth to a new Emperor, I will control him. His Majesty is still young, so there is no need to say so much. If I die young and outlive him, then there is nothing to say. As long as I live, I will not neglect my daughter's sake, nor will I neglect the Yan family’s sake.”
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to say these things. I’ll keep them in my heart. Father already knows about these matters.” Yan Lingyun stood up and patted her eldest son’s shoulder: “Sit down.”
Yan Nanxu was genuinely shocked.
But he couldn't say anything for a long time.
Once someone from the palace comes to fetch her, Yan Nangui will have no choice but to return home.
The wet nurse carried the sleeping seventh princess in her arms, and the two of them got into the car, followed by a group of people kneeling to see them off.
After seeing them off, the father and son sat facing each other in silence in the study.
After an unknown amount of time, Yan Nanxu finally asked, "What she said, is it what I think it means?"
"Hehe, she's bold and decisive. She's just like your grandfather."
"Dad! I'm talking to you about something serious," Yan Nanxu said.
“From the day your sister entered the Crown Prince’s residence, the Yan family could no longer remain loyal subjects. You should be aware of that,” Yan Lingyun said.
“But…” Yan Nanxu sat down: “I really hadn’t thought that much about it.”
Yan Lingyun thought that among the three siblings, the eldest was actually the most honest.
The second brother used to be a scoundrel, but now he's surprisingly ambitious.
As for Gui'er, she was in the harem, where every day was a battlefield.
Other women might just be able to make a living as long as they can maintain their status after going from being favored to gradually losing favor.
But she went from having nothing and even a bad reputation at the beginning to now being the woman His Majesty cares about the most.
Appearance is the least important thing now.
What she possesses is a strong heart.
You have to admit it.
Even if he were her father, she would still have to admire him.
From the moment she entered the Crown Prince's residence, it was a mess, a difficult situation to resolve.
But now, she is clearly in complete control.
"Let her go. Let her go as far as she can," Yan Lingyun said.
Upon returning to the palace, the seventh princess saw her father and began to whine sweetly, her voice still childish: "Father, hug me, Father, Father."
Shu Chengfeng picked up his daughter: "Why are you so sleepy? Didn't you take a nap at noon?"
"I played with my cousin's spinning top and slingshot. I want the spinning top and slingshot too," said the Seventh Princess.
"Alright, have the Imperial Household Department send it over tomorrow. You're interested in boys' toys too?" Shu Chengfeng chuckled.
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