"Why not take another look at the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is the rightful heir, and the cause of action is justified." Jiang Chengli did not choose any of the previous princes, but instead mentioned the neglected Crown Prince.
Jiang Chengxiao couldn't help but frown and immediately retorted, "Although the Crown Prince is the rightful heir, he has always been in poor health and often misses the morning court sessions due to illness. In addition, the late Empress passed away early, and his maternal family has dwindled in number and cannot provide any assistance. The Crown Prince is isolated and helpless, and the court has mentioned several times the possibility of establishing another Crown Prince."
It wasn't that the Jiang family harbored rebellious intentions and refused to support the Crown Prince; rather, compared to the other prominent princes, this Crown Prince was far too inconspicuous. His most striking feature was his poor health, making him seem destined to die young and never live to see the moment of succession.
"The Emperor and Empress were young lovers with a deep affection for each other. Although the late Empress died young, she died at the height of her love. The fact that she did not have a powerful family background proves that she was not hindered by powerful clans. The Imperial Noble Consort has a lot of power behind her. Her family is known as the Xue family, which is said to be half of the court. Although the Emperor does not say it, he may not be happy about it. He may even have a lot of annoyance in his heart."
"If the Sixth Prince really ascends to the throne, will the throne actually go to the Sixth Prince or to the Xue family? Don't be fooled by the current prosperity of the Sixth Prince's lineage; he will be the first to be ousted."
Jiang Chengli patiently explained, and the others were all somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
"Is the Sixth Prince the first to be eliminated?" Marquis Zhongyi couldn't help but ask.
The Xue family behind the Imperial Noble Consort wields immense power, not because they are fond of political maneuvering, but because their family has produced outstanding talents for three generations, excelling in both literature and martial arts. The Duke of Xue has served as an examiner for several terms, and he himself enjoys teaching and nurturing students, who are now pillars of the court.
This is why the saying "Xue half the court" came about. Although the emperor certainly didn't like this kind of constraint, the Xue family was so powerful and deeply rooted that it was impossible for them to be the first to fall.
Jiang Chengli nodded: "Just wait and see, the Xue family doesn't have much of a future."
"Can the Crown Prince's health be restored?" The Marquis of Zhongyi felt a surge of hope.
Jiang Chengli shook his head again: "As far as I know, he has never been cured. In fact, several times he even received the imperial edict to ascend the throne, only to die again."
Throughout those hundred lifetimes, he made countless efforts and even secretly supported the crown prince and other princes to ascend the throne. He even succeeded several times, but in the end, he always fell short at the last step, which made him even more devastated.
"Alas." Marquis Zhongyi sighed deeply.
Jiang Chengxiao couldn't help but mutter, "Looking at it from all angles, nobody seems reliable. If God wants to help someone, then no matter how hard others try, it's all for nothing. It's all in vain to choose."
His words immediately sombered the atmosphere around him. After all, it was hard to be enthusiastic about doing something that was destined to fail.
"Tsk, what a coward. You usually pride yourselves on being upright men, but when it comes to the crucial moment, you start to cower like cowards. Xing Xiaoya has really given you a lot of psychological trauma, but no matter how powerful she is, she's not as powerful as the system said. It said that all the men in the Jiang family would become her devoted followers, but you've seen the reality. Such a big change, isn't that enough for you to take a gamble?"
Cen Ying, who hadn't said much, spoke up, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of displeasure on her face.
“What you say is true, Madam,” Marquis Zhongyi immediately agreed.
Cen Ying rolled her eyes at him. He agreed quite quickly, even though they were silent just now.
“Even if the situation has changed, we cannot let our guard down. Xing Xiaoya is still very much favored by the heavens. She has already entered the palace and will probably meet the Third Prince soon and fall in love with him. In order to maintain control of the situation, we must select a candidate as soon as possible and start making arrangements,” Cen Ying urged.
The four Jiang brothers exchanged glances, discussed the matter in hushed tones, and finally chose the crown prince.
"The Crown Prince is currently recuperating at a hot spring resort in the suburbs of the capital. Fourth Prince, go there first and try to make his acquaintance if you can seize the opportunity. Second Prince, you have a sinecure, so you can also visit during your days off. There's no need for the eldest and third princes to contact the Crown Prince. The eldest prince should remain inactive for now and focus on managing his own troops. As for the third prince, he should deal with the affairs of the palace first."
Soon, Marquis Zhongyi had made arrangements for everyone.
Jiang Chengli couldn't help but frown when the palace made things difficult for him.
“There seems to be some change in the palace. We’ve never encountered such a troublesome situation before. I wonder if it’s because of Xu Wanying’s appearance that things have taken a turn for the better, and that God has given Xing Xiaoya another boost.” He expressed his concerns.
Cen Ying stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "As long as we don't become Xing Xiaoya's slave, we can always solve other difficulties as a family."
Jiang Chengli nodded. He was always afraid that this situation, where he was not under Xing Xiaoya's control, was just a pipe dream. What if he woke up tomorrow morning and all the men in the Jiang family had changed their ways and become Xing Xiaoya's devoted followers again?
After the discussion that night, the entire Jiang family sprang into action.
The men began to secretly contact the princelings and reactivate the spies they had previously planted in the harem.
Families of power and influence like theirs would send people into the palace, but while other families would send their daughters to become concubines and bribe the eunuchs and maids in the palace, the Jiang family did not want to send Jiang Jinyu to suffer, so most of their spies in the palace were palace servants.
Previously, the Jiang family had no other intentions; the placement of spies was merely a precaution and they had not transmitted any information.
Now, everyone has been mobilized to relay a series of messages from Xing Xiaoya.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
