Consort Hua dared not utter any more of this nonsense about the past, and hurriedly said...
"Your Majesty, I request that Xun'er marry Qiao Zhen, the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion, as his concubine."
That's the truth.
If she hadn't coveted the military power of the general's mansion, why would she have wronged her own son?
Her own son is the Third Prince, a dragon among men. If it weren't for the military power General Qiao holds, she wouldn't have lowered herself for nothing.
"You wish," the Emperor sneered.
The General's Mansion has served the Shang Kingdom for generations, and every prince in history has coveted the military power of the General's Mansion. Who has ever succeeded?
Which of the women from the General's Mansion married a prince?
This is absolutely a huge joke.
Consort Hua knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
She knew her own thoughts, and the Emperor had already seen through them. What she had to do was to act clearly without revealing them.
Further cover-up would only lead to her death, and she wouldn't seek her own demise.
My thoughts are bold, which is what a normal person should think, unlike some people who openly get along well with the General's Mansion, but do those shady things behind the scenes.
......
The Third Prince was extremely anxious when he heard the news.
But he could only wait anxiously in the Third Prince's residence.
He had always been aware of the Third Prince's machinations in the capital for so many years.
He was shocked when he learned of his mother's actions, but he did not do anything rash.
When he first found out, he was annoyed by his mother's presumptuous decision, but afterwards he felt that it was not entirely unacceptable.
We can't just watch the Seventh Prince dominate.
Even he was envious of the rewards bestowed upon the General's Mansion upon this triumphant return, but he couldn't say anything, simply because Qiao Yuchen was now a favorite of the Emperor, and saying anything at this time would not bring him any benefits.
Whether his own mother was short-sighted or truly audacious, it was worth taking a gamble on this matter.
If he wins the bet, everyone is happy; if he loses, he has ways to salvage the situation.
Now he can only wait.
Tao Yifan received a letter from the Third Prince and rushed over. To avoid suspicion, he came to the Third Prince's residence through a secret passage.
They went straight to the study and saw the Third Prince with his back to the window.
He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Third Prince."
The Third Prince slowly turned around. "What do you think?"
Tao Yifan stood up and said without further ado, "It's a risky move, but it's not impossible."
It's impossible for someone to be the Third Prince's strategist without some brains; upon hearing the news, he immediately knew what Consort Hua was planning.
It can only be said that Consort Hua was too bold. Such boldness cannot be judged as good or bad before the outcome is known.
"How confident are you?" The Third Prince was getting anxious as his younger brothers who had gone to seal the bottom had all returned.
This birthday celebration for the old emperor is destined to be anything but peaceful.
He didn't want to see any prince other than himself continuously increasing his stakes.
"It all depends on His Majesty's decision." Tao Yifan glanced at the Third Prince, then stared intently out the window.
Night fell over everything, but there was always light in the darkness. As for what the sun would shine tomorrow, that was a gamble.
If they win the bet, everyone is happy; if they lose, they are completely ruined.
Just like the fourth prince's fate.
They were slaughtered; not a single one survived.
Even a dog in the Fourth Prince's residence died a violent death.
He knows who did it, but he can't say it.
He used such a foolish method to protect the people he wanted to protect.
The Third Prince understood what Tao Yifan meant.
The two stood quietly in the night, without even turning on the study lights.
As time goes by, it tests their mindset.
After a long time, Tao Yifan took a bold step and spoke based on his own judgment without any confirmation.
"Third Prince, do you still remember that eunuch who served Consort Hua?"
The Third Prince actually looked at Tao Yifan. This was a scandal. He tried to pretend he didn't care, but he couldn't deny that he was really angry.
His carefully laid plans were disrupted, and seeing all the advantages being pushed in favor of the Seventh Prince, how could he not be furious?
"The Third Prince handled it very well."
"What do you mean?" the Third Prince asked through gritted teeth.
In many matters, the Third Prince is indeed quite composed; however, there are some things he simply cannot suppress.
For example, Consort Hua, Lady Liu, and Shang Zizhen—the Third Prince never remained calm around these three people.
Throughout his journey, Tao Yifan has demonstrated that the Third Prince is loyal and righteous, but this is precisely his weakness.
Being too sentimental often leads to making irrational judgments.
Just like now.
It wasn't the Third Prince who intervened, but he was the one who lost his composure first.
"I've been wondering, I heard it's just a lowly eunuch by my side, could he really have such abilities?" Tao Yifan looked at the Third Prince and asked in return.
At this moment, Tao Yifan is a Confucian scholar who has seen through everything, seemingly detached from worldly affairs, yet revealing the troubles that ordinary people should have.
"Even if such a thing were discovered, it wouldn't have escalated so quickly. People around Consort Hua wouldn't have had a chance to spread it. So why did things happen so big?" Tao Yifan learned about these major events after returning. At first, he didn't think much of it because he was assisting the Third Prince, and he needed to know about anything related to the Third Prince, whether it was in the past or not.
What he didn't expect was that the eunuch who suddenly appeared next to Consort Hua was actually Chen Fan.
The thought of this filled him with fear.
Good riddance, a very good death.
It's too dangerous for Chen Fan to be by Consort Hua's side. And with what happened in Nancheng, Chen Fan has become Consort Hua's first-class eunuch. If this goes on for a while, it will be very disadvantageous for Chen Siyuan.
Fortunately, now that he's dead, he can rest easy and handle things rationally.
"The Emperor's attitude toward the Imperial Concubine is also very strange."
The Third Prince seemed to understand what Tao Yifan was talking about. He glanced at him and looked outside again.
"Your Majesty has always felt that all these things that happened to Consort Hua were part of His Majesty's deliberate observation of the Third Prince."
This statement is both an affirmation and a test.
“You passed the test. Some people do so much, but it’s no use. You failed the test…” Tao Yifan said as he knelt on the ground.
The Third Prince understood Tao Yifan's meaning, and he burst into laughter.
After he explained it to me, I finally understood.
Many things happened too quickly for him to keep up with, and he always made decisions with utmost care. After hearing Tao Yifan's words, he seemed to understand what the Emperor really meant.
After laughing, the two remained silent for a long time.
The Third Prince stood gazing at the night sky, while Tao Yifan remained kneeling on the ground.
In the middle of the night, news came from outside.
The Third Prince was pleased and invited Tao Yifan to drink together that night.
Originally, the Third Prince was somewhat dissatisfied with Tao Yifan because of this expedition, but now it seems that he can't do without this strategist.
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