Chapter 71 The Eighth Prince's Mansion, a place of great political maneuvering and strategic maneuvering, was bustling all day long...
The lively atmosphere at the Eighth Prince's mansion finally subsided after a day of bustling activity. The Eighth Prince's wife helped the tipsy Eighth Prince to sit down on the kang (heated brick bed), loosened his collar, and then used a hot towel to wipe his face.
Eighth Master said softly, "You've really had a hard time these past few days."
It was indeed hard work. Before the New Year, there were all sorts of big occasions, and after the New Year, there were social obligations and obligations. Finally, after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there was a banquet to celebrate the Eighth Prince's investiture as a Prince. For the past two or three months, the Eighth Prince's wife had been so exhausted that she couldn't even have a proper dream at night. But with the Eighth Prince's words now, she felt that all her hard work was worthwhile.
The Eighth Prince's wife laughed and said, "Your Highness is now a powerful Prince, so it's perfectly fine to hold a large banquet. I'm so happy, I don't feel tired at all."
Hearing her say that, the Eighth Prince was also somewhat pleased with himself. It was truly worth all his hard work; the Emperor had finally taken him seriously. He said in a deep voice, "You've made a good start, but you can't let your guard down now." After closing his eyes for a while, he added, "There are still too few people here today."
The Eighth Prince's wife said knowingly, "Yes, none of the princes and dukes in front came; they only sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts. But the lower-ranking gentlemen all came."
Eighth Prince sighed. Princes with titles naturally wielded power. For example, his third brother, Prince Cheng, although the Emperor hadn't appointed him to a position, had given him the task of compiling books, thus Prince Cheng had a group of Hanlin Academy officials under his command. Prince Yong was even more so; when he was conferred the title of prince, nearly half of the banner's military commanders were allocated to him, clearly indicating the Emperor's intention to support him as a prince with real power. The remaining princes with titles, while not as numerous as their two elder brothers, still had a large number of servants serving them.
It's a pity that while they might not all be part of the Crown Prince's faction, they would never dare to oppose him. The Eighth Prince himself has little left besides the remnants of his former subordinates from the time of the Prince of Zhi. He had previously tried to win over the Tong family, but after a member of their family became the Commander of the Nine Gates, they gradually distanced themselves from him.
Eighth Prince believed that in order to bring down the Crown Prince, his faction needed to have a power level comparable to the Crown Prince's. To put it bluntly, he either needed to strengthen himself or sow discord among external enemies.
Only by skillfully maneuvering and strategically maneuvering can one remain invincible.
The Eighth Prince pondered, his thoughts slowly turning to his younger brothers. He had cultivated many good relationships with them during his time as the Grand Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and now it was time to put those relationships to good use.
As he thought this, his breathing gradually became long and deep, and he seemed to be falling asleep.
The Eighth Prince's wife sat to the side, smiling as she watched him ponder. Seeing his fingers slowly stop on the table and he close his eyes to rest, she gestured for everyone to leave. But as soon as she looked up, her personal maid gave her a wink. Looking outside, she saw a figure moving about by the window.
The Eighth Prince's wife lowered her eyes and tiptoed out. When she reached the door, she frowned and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
The maid replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, it was the nanny and maidservant from Consort Zhang's side who came to say that Consort Zhang is suffering from severe morning sickness and is vomiting everything she eats."
The Eighth Prince's wife was furious upon hearing this. Ever since Zhang was diagnosed with pregnancy, she had kept a close eye on her, not only moving Zhang to a separate courtyard to be watched over, but also assigning a doctor to examine her day and night. Needless to say, her food, clothing, and daily necessities were also plentiful, with sea cucumbers and bird's nest served to her every day. With all this, what could Zhang possibly be dissatisfied with?
She sneered and said, "It doesn't matter if she vomits, she can just eat another bowl after she finishes one! Tell her to listen to me, it doesn't matter if she lives or dies, what's precious is her stomach. If the little prince inside is sick, her whole family will suffer."
The maid hesitated for a moment, then said with a pained expression, "Madam...this..."
The Eighth Prince's wife glared at her coldly: "Why aren't you going yet?"
The maid had no choice but to go out and deliver the message. A short while later, the old woman who served Zhang Shi left with Zhang Shi's maid, who was wiping away tears. The Eighth Princess finally let out a slow breath, thinking to herself, "What a shameless wretch who's never had a decent meal and only knows how to cause trouble!"
She flicked her sleeve and entered the inner room from the outer room, just in time to see the Eighth Prince looking at her with his eyes half-closed. The Eighth Princess's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly relaxed because the Eighth Prince smiled gently at her.
Some time later, at the most famous Yuchun Pavilion in Beijing, the Tenth Master was eagerly invited by a servant to a private room on the second floor. The Ninth Master had been waiting for quite some time.
After entering, Tenth Master cupped his hands in greeting to Ninth Master and said, "Ninth Brother."
Ninth Master responded, glancing at the waiter beside him with an eyebrow: "Hurry up with the kitchen to serve the dishes." Then he called Tenth Master to sit down and said: "Today, I'm hosting a dinner to congratulate you on the birth of your son."
In mid-February this year, the Tenth Prince's household welcomed a new baby boy. However, it is said that because the child was born with a weak constitution, the baby's third-day celebration was not a grand affair. The Tenth Prince himself set up two tables at his residence to celebrate.
After the dishes were served, Ninth Master picked up a peanut, tossed it into his mouth, and said with a half-smile, "My little nephew is really precious. He's never even seen anyone in your household since he was born."
Tenth Master picked up the wine pot and poured wine for Ninth Brother himself, saying in a low voice, "I was just afraid of disturbing the child." After pouring wine for Ninth Brother, he poured wine for himself, poured three cups in a row, and then drank them all in one gulp: "Come, come, consider this my apology to you."
Ninth Master rolled his eyes at him, but still picked up his wine glass and drank it. Then both of them fell silent. After a while, Ninth Master, seeing Tenth Master engrossed in eating, couldn't help but put down his chopsticks and ask, "Tenth Brother, what are you thinking?"
Upon hearing this, Tenth Master paused in his chopsticks, then slowly replied, "What do you mean, what are you thinking?"
"Hey!" If Ninth Master hadn't known that Tenth Master was like this, he would have lost his temper on the spot. He said in a low voice, "Fine, so you're learning to make excuses for me too, huh?"
The Tenth Prince was a man of few words; the more you beat around the bush with him, the less likely you were to get a straight answer. However, he and the Ninth Prince had been friends since childhood. They were the same age and had been together whether they moved to the Princes' Residence or studied in the Imperial Study. Not to mention, after the Tenth Prince's mother, Consort Wenxi, passed away, the Ninth Prince spent the most time with him. Therefore, the two were extremely close.
Tenth Master stiffened his neck and said, "Ninth Brother, just say what you want to say, why are you beating around the bush?" He rolled his eyes, "You just want to know what I think of Eighth Brother, don't you?"
Ninth Master could not say whether or not this was true.
From last year until now, the Eighth Prince has been incredibly popular. The Emperor has bestowed upon him the title of Prince of the Second Rank and appointed him to manage the Ministry of Revenue. Everyone can see that the Eighth Prince is about to rise to prominence. However, the Ninth Prince is neither envious nor jealous. No sooner had Tuo Heqi and the Crown Prince fallen from grace than the Eighth Prince rose to prominence like a mountain. It would be strange if there wasn't something fishy going on!
It's true that Ninth Master wanted to eat meat, but he was also afraid of being beaten.
But lately, the Eighth Prince has been showing them favor frequently. Whether it's the Ninth Prince promoting a concubine or the Tenth Prince having a son, the Eighth Prince has sent them generous gifts. The gifts are so lavish, almost as generous as those sent by the Crown Prince!
This blatant show of goodwill left Ninth Master unsure of what to do. He pondered it at home, but ultimately decided that figuring it out alone was pointless, so he called Tenth Master over to discuss it together.
Tenth Master wiped his face. "I only have one thing to say: just wait and see."
Ninth Master chuckled at his nonchalant attitude and said, "Look at what you're saying, you sound like a big turtle. Are you trying to hide or shrink back?"
"If not this way, then what do you want to do?" The Tenth Prince took a sip of wine and clicked his tongue. "Whether it's the Crown Prince or the Eighth Prince, I'll repay whoever treats me well. In short, I won't offend either side."
Ninth Master scoffed.
"What?" Tenth Master stared at him with wide eyes. "Then Ninth Brother, what do you want to do? Follow Eighth Brother?" He thought for a moment and immediately slammed his hand on the table. "Fine, if that's really your idea, then I'll listen to you. After all, we've been friends since childhood."
Ninth Master was stumped by his initial words, secretly thinking, "If I had a plan, would I be asking you?" However, after hearing Tenth Master's next words, his frustration dissipated considerably. But it was precisely because Tenth Master was so loyal that he couldn't act recklessly and impulsively. It wouldn't matter if he fell into a pit himself, but if he dragged Tenth Master down with him, then he would be letting his brother down.
After thinking for a long time, Ninth Master could only say, "Let me think about it some more." He urged Tenth Master to eat, and then considered whether he should ask his own brother.
The next day, Ninth Master rode his tall horse to Fifth Master's residence. After entering, he chatted with Fifth Master about this and that, and finally told him about how Eighth Master seemed to want to win him over.
Fifth Master was startled and, unusually, put on a serious face: "Little Ninth, if you dare to meddle, believe me, I'll tell Mother Consort!"
The Ninth Prince wanted to shrink back at the thought of Consort Yi's upturned phoenix eyes. His mother had a fiery temper; once she wanted to scold someone, she could talk nonstop. In his younger days, he was mischievous and often received Consort Yi's nagging. Later, when he opened his own household and focused on business, he was summoned to the palace by Consort Yi and scolded several times. He still felt traumatized by it.
However, Ninth Master didn't want to lose face in front of his older brother, so he twisted his neck and muttered in a low voice, "How did it become that I was meddling?"
Fifth Master lowered his voice and asked him, "What are you after? Do you think the Emperor would be willing to promote a new Crown Prince?" He took a deep breath and continued, "What happened to the last one who dared to do this openly? Little Ninth, don't be foolish."
After his brother said that, Ninth Master couldn't help but have second thoughts, but he still said, "Let me think about it some more." With that, he ran off with his hands behind his back.
Fifth Prince, not expecting to fail to wake the boy, hurriedly followed behind, only to trip on flat ground in his haste. When he looked up again, Ninth Prince was nowhere to be seen. Fifth Prince was furious, slapping his thigh repeatedly, thinking that he couldn't watch his own brother jump into a pit, and decided to submit a memorial to Consort Yi to pay his respects the next day.
Ninth Master stormed back to his residence and started pondering again. After Fifth Master's reminder, Ninth Master seemed to have an epiphany.
Throughout history, how many crown princes have been deposed and reinstated? Just think about how the emperor has treated the crown prince all these years. Even if the father and son have some disagreements, they're sure to make up in a few days.
The thought of the Emperor and the Crown Prince's past intimacy filled Ninth Prince with a pang of jealousy. But then he remembered the imprisoned Prince Zhi, and he felt his current situation was quite good. However, thinking of his elder brother, also imprisoned, Ninth Prince pondered that the Emperor's promotion of Eighth Prince might be an attempt to emulate the promotion of Prince Zhi, primarily to find a whetstone for the Crown Prince. The last one had worn out, hadn't he? So he wanted to find another.
Ninth Master sighed unconsciously. Alas, even if he wanted to be like Lü Buwei, he'd have to find the right person, Qin Yiren.
Actually, if it weren't the Crown Prince sitting on the throne but someone else, like the third or fourth prince, or even his own brother, the fifth prince, the Ninth Prince would have confidently declared he'd go along with the Eighth Prince. But who could resist the fact that the one on the throne was the Crown Prince, whom the Emperor had favored for many years?
Moreover, it would be one thing if the Crown Prince treated them badly, but the problem is that the Crown Prince doesn't seem to do anything to them; at most, he just doesn't take them seriously.
Ninth Master thought and thought for a long time, and finally slapped his forehead.
Hey, the Tenth Prince was right. The best thing to do now is to wait. Wait and see how the Crown Prince treats his men, and then decide whether to side with the Eighth Prince!
"Damn, it's really become a case of stupid people having stupid solutions."
Ninth Master would never admit that he was cunning and scheming, so he could only mutter about Tenth Master like that.
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