"Stand on my side?" Concubine Li was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Fendai did not answer her question immediately, but asked Concubine Li instead: "Come to think of it, Your Majesty had no grudges against Princess Ji'an in the past or in the present, so why did you suddenly attack her?"
"I..." Concubine Li paused and looked at Feng Fendai warily, not knowing how to answer. She even felt that Feng Fendai's face was full of conspiracy, and she didn't know which sentence had led her to fall into it. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "You have severed your sisterly relationship with her. Whether I harm her or not is none of your business."
Fendai covered her mouth and chuckled, "Your Majesty is right. I don't have any feelings for her. Let alone you secretly harming her, even if you hire someone to kill her, I can't do anything about it. The reason I asked you this is mainly to confirm whether we can stand on the same front."
"What battle line? What are you going to do?" Concubine Li was panicked and scared. This was due to her character. She was cowardly by nature. If she hadn't been pregnant with the Sixth Prince, how could she have survived to this day? Feng Fendai's words frightened her. Suddenly, she felt as if she had fallen into a vortex of conspiracy, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get out.
Feng Fendai smiled and said, "Of course, this is a battle line that benefits both you and me, and it is also the path that Your Majesty is happy to take. As far as I know, Your Majesty and Concubine Yuan are sisters, right? Your Majesty, please don't tell me that you are doing this just to vent your anger for Concubine Yuan and to help His Highness the Eighth Prince behind the scenes."
"No! No!" Concubine Li denied it very readily. She was still in panic, but in her panic, there was a hint of resentment. "Although she is my sister, I haven't had much contact with her for so many years. During the years when I was bullied everywhere in the harem, she didn't show any sympathy for me. Since my sister doesn't recognize me as her elder sister, why should I recognize her as her younger sister? She has a son, and I also have a son. She will plan for her son, and I don't want my Feng'er to fall behind. Miss Feng, this is the answer you want."
Feng Fendai stared at Concubine Li, but she was laughing in her heart. As expected, all the concubines in the palace were planning for their sons, even the most timid and powerless Concubine Li was no exception. But the Sixth Prince... "The Sixth Prince has no outstanding achievements. Although he has a small amount of military power, he is a scholar and does not know how to fight in the battlefield, nor does he know how to deploy troops. Your Majesty also knows that my father used to be the left prime minister, so I can more or less hear about what happened in the court. The Sixth Prince is stationed outside with that small amount of military power, but whenever there is danger, whenever there is a riot in the northeast, it is his deputy general who leads the soldiers to fight the enemy. When they encounter an enemy force that they cannot deal with, they have to ask for help from other garrisons. Your Majesty, you know all this, right?"
Concubine Li sat in a chair absentmindedly, with a bitter smile on her face. She knew, of course, that her son was not the material for making achievements. He preferred to sit in a library and edit books, to give lectures in a school, and to debate right and wrong with a group of scholars. The reason why the Sixth Prince Xuan Tianfeng went to the northeast to garrison was because of her. She was always unwilling to accept it, and always wanted her son to turn over and vent her anger. In her opinion, as long as her son became successful in the future, her status would never be the same as it is today.
Unfortunately, Feng Er was not cut out for that, not for leading troops, and certainly not for being an emperor. Even though she had known this in her heart for a long time, she still couldn't quit willingly over the years. Especially when she saw other concubines planning for their sons, especially when she saw her own sister constantly planning for the Eighth Prince, she became even more psychologically unbalanced, which led to so many incidents. She then heard rumors that the Ninth Prince Xuan Tianming would definitely be the successor to the throne in the future, and that he had Princess Ji'an to help him, so she gradually developed hatred for Feng Yuheng, so much so that during this winter hunt, she tried every means to make things difficult for Feng Yuheng.
"What do you want to say?" Concubine Li asked Feng Fendai, "I know my own son well, but what does this have to do with you?"
Fendai leaned forward and squinted her eyes as she said, "If the Sixth Prince is not successful, there are other princes. Your Majesty, don't you want to choose one to cooperate with? This way, at least the new king can succeed to the throne in the future, and the Sixth Prince and you can have a good life."
"Cooperation?" Concubine Li looked at Feng Fendai and smiled. "You want me to cooperate with Old Five? Miss Feng, I think you are confused. Even if I want to cooperate, I will choose my sister's son. It won't be your turn!"
"But you have no choice." Feng Fendai shrugged. "First of all, I have the evidence against you. I can tell others at any time. Your Majesty, you should know that once you are betrayed, it will directly affect the Sixth Prince!"
"Are you threatening me?"
"No." Fendai shook her head, "I'm just telling you something. I know that the Eighth Prince is your relative, but now Concubine Yuan Shu has become Lady Yuan, and the Eighth Prince will be granted a marriage by the Emperor during the New Year to marry a young lady from the Lu family. You must understand the situation of the Lu family. Although he has the title of Left Prime Minister, his family's wealth has been emptied out. What good is such a marriage for the Eighth Prince? How far he can go in the end is for everyone to see, but you still stubbornly believe that it is a road to heaven."
Concubine Li frowned and stared at Feng Fendai. Before she could speak, she heard Feng Fendai continue, "Don't worry, madam. I haven't finished yet. In addition to the Eighth Prince, there are of course several other princes, but now, the First Prince and the Second Prince have no intention of competing for the throne, the Third Prince is dead, the Fourth Prince is a commoner, and the Seventh Prince is in league with the Ninth Prince. So, apart from the Fifth Prince, who else do you think you can count on?"
Concubine Li finally understood what trap she had fallen into. Feng Fendai was beating around the bush, and it turned out that she was looking for help for the Fifth Prince, but... "You said before that our Feng'er was of no value, just a scholar, why is it that now..."
"It's always good to have a helper. We are all brothers, so we should help each other!" Fendai said with a smile, "This is a deal. If it works out, it will be good for you, me and everyone else. If it doesn't work out, it won't be bad for us, but it will be bad for you, Your Majesty..."
Feng Fendai entered Li Fei's tent. She had danced six dances at the banquet but she hadn't come out yet. At this time, Ban Zou also entered Feng Yuheng's tent. When he saw Xuan Feiyu was still asleep, he whispered to Feng Yuheng, "It is confirmed that Li Fei did it. Including the heater you received, it was sent by someone arranged by Li Fei. But Li Fei is weak. She doesn't dare to really harm anyone, let alone the little grandson. She just wanted to steal the little white tiger to make you anxious. It's like... teaching you a lesson."
"Teach me a lesson?" Feng Yuheng snorted, but immediately sighed: "The emperor is getting older every year, and his health is also declining. Those concubines who gave birth to princes can no longer hold back."
Ban Zou didn't say anything, but Wang Chuan spoke up. She said, "It's always like this. Every generation of emperors will see the most undesirable fratricide when they reach old age. Those originally quiet princes will choose a time they think is most appropriate to explode, and once they explode, it's unstoppable. They won't stop until they fight to the death. After all, the temptation of the throne is too great."
Feng Yuheng nodded, "Yes, power, power is more important than anything else in the hearts of those men. Brothers, fathers and sons, in front of power, can all become stepping stones to help them reach higher peaks."
Ban Zou really couldn't bear to listen any longer and said impatiently: "I don't understand all those big truths you are talking about. There is nothing to monitor on Concubine Li's side anymore. I think I should stay here to protect you, otherwise I will always feel uneasy." After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.
Feng Yuheng had long been accustomed to Ban Zou's temper, so she didn't say anything. She just asked Wang Chuan, "What kind of person is the Sixth Prince? I've only met him once or twice, so I don't have much impression of him."
Wangchuan sat down on the small stool beside her, sighed and said, "Speaking of which, the Sixth Prince is also a pitiful person. Although his biological mother, Concubine Li, was a concubine, she was given the title because she gave birth to a prince. Otherwise, because of the incident of stabbing a witch, she might have been executed. But the title of concubine was given, and the Sixth Prince was influenced by her. Concubine Li was not favored and had no power, and even the Sixth Prince was not welcomed after he was born. Oh, yes, at that time, Concubine Yun had not entered the palace yet, and the concubines in the palace were still vying for it."
"What is the current situation of the Sixth Prince?"
"He has a small force, not many, only 30,000 soldiers stationed in the northeast. But the Sixth Prince doesn't like fighting, nor is he good at it, but he has been stationed outside for so many years and rarely returns to Beijing. To be honest, the Sixth Prince is a good person. He doesn't look like a prince, but more like a scholar. In his eyes, calligraphy and painting are the most important. A few years ago, he had a fight with the Third Prince over a piece of calligraphy and painting, and was beaten up by the Third Prince. For this, Concubine Li made a big fuss. Oh, yes, the catalogs in the Dashun Library were all compiled by him and a group of literati in those years. Even the Ninth Prince said that the Emperor thinks highly of him in this regard."
Feng Yuheng frowned when he heard this, "Even with such a prince, Concubine Li is still trying to cause trouble. Such a mother will kill her own son sooner or later."
"Yes! I heard that all the princes will return to Beijing to celebrate the New Year this year. If you are interested, you can meet the Sixth Prince during the New Year's Palace Banquet. I think that the Sixth Prince must not know what Concubine Li did, and if he knew, he would probably quarrel with Concubine Li!"
Feng Yuheng smiled and asked Wang Chuan: "Do you have a good impression of the Sixth Prince?"
Wang Chuan did not deny it, but said: "In fact, those who know the Sixth Prince will have a good impression of him."
Feng Yuheng nodded, "It's just a pity that he has such a mother. I don't know if this incident will implicate him. If the Sixth Prince is really a scholar as you said, then I will help him."
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