Chapter 199 A Tale of Two Beginnings
Tan Jieyu has delicate, arched eyebrows and wears a gorgeous robe; time has left few traces on her face.
She nestled in the man's arms, her eyes fervent. "Guanlan, but His Majesty is growing increasingly dissatisfied with Qin'er. I'm really worried that things might get complicated if we wait too long."
The man kissed her affectionately. “There’s no need to worry. There are only three princes in the dynasty. The mother of Prince Duan is just a palace maid. She has no power to compete. Pei Siyan has been too radical lately. The granary case has affected the interests of too many powerful people. He has offended the aristocratic families. He can forget about sitting on the throne.”
Tan Jieyu frowned, feeling extremely wronged.
When she first entered the palace, it was at the time when Empress Wen was the most favored concubine, and Emperor Muzong would occasionally stay at her place, just to spite Empress Wen.
In the palace, everyone fawns over the powerful and bullies the weak. The Tan family has a low status in the court and can't help her at all. Her situation is extremely difficult, and the only way to stabilize her position is to conceive the emperor's child.
Having no other choice, she sought the Buddha's help. As fate would have it, she indeed became pregnant with the emperor's child.
This child is naturally not Emperor Muzong's, but the man in front of us.
It's just that she was young and naive back then, and easily gave herself to him... He knew Emperor Muzong's preferences very well, and with his guidance, Consort Tan rose step by step, even reaching the high position of Imperial Concubine.
Over the years, although the two have maintained a close relationship, they rarely meet, because she is worried that their affair will be exposed.
She dared not imagine what would happen if Pei Shaoqin's true identity were discovered.
Tan Jieyu's eyes flickered slightly. "Guanlan, Dou Mingyan is a jinx. She's ruined our plans twice already. Why are you still keeping her around?"
The man seemed to be reminiscing about the past, "She truly deserved to die. Emperor Muzong couldn't determine the father of the child in her womb, so he spared her life until now. She's insignificant, why do you care?"
"After all, her father had followed me for many years and was loyal to me. Even when he died, he didn't expose my affairs. There was still some affection between us."
A hint of sarcasm crossed Tan Jieyu's face. How could she not mind? He had secretly cultivated Dou Mingyan for so many years, and she didn't even know if he had ever touched her!
They thought she could be a puppet crown princess, eliminating Pei Siyan for them, and that she could forgive and forget those things. But it turns out she's completely useless.
Tan Jieyu looked up at him intently, "Is that really all there is to it?"
The man lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, his expression suddenly freezing. "So what do you think?"
Normally, whenever he was slightly displeased, Tan Yu'er would do everything she could to please him, acting subservient and obsequious. In bed, she would go to great lengths to flatter him. He had to admit that Emperor Muzong had the same taste in women as he did, and she was indeed a very good substitute.
Especially her eyes, which looked just like Wen Wan's.
However, they were originally in the same boat. He had his reasons for keeping Dou Mingyan around. If she wanted to use the same jealous and competitive tactics that women in the inner quarters use on herself, she would be incredibly foolish and ignorant.
Thinking of this, Pei Guanlan frowned and said in a cold voice, "Yu'er, don't cause trouble. I know what I'm doing."
Tan Jieyu looked up at the man in front of her and felt that he was utterly unfamiliar and cold-blooded.
Once a nobleman of unparalleled beauty, he fell into the abyss and had to hide his identity and show his true face. Over the years, he has been trying to please Emperor Muzong at all times, hoping to deliver a fatal blow to him.
She navigated between the two royal brothers with utmost caution and trepidation, for he and Emperor Muzong were essentially the same, and neither of them took her seriously.
It was only because she gave birth to Pei Shaoqin, giving him hope of reclaiming the throne, that he treated her differently.
In their eyes, she was nothing but a worthless piece of trash.
Tan Jieyu, always adept at knowing when to advance and retreat, softened her tone, "Guanlan, that's enough. You just said that the Northern Di will send a delegation to negotiate. What are you planning to do?"
Pei Guanlan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her fair face and then over her lips. "A while ago, the Xuanjia Army captured quite a few Northern Di spies on the border. That kid from the Zhang family seems to have precognitive abilities; he even managed to control the supervising officer, Du Siren."
"Ethically, he was an insubordination, but the Northern Barbarian spies have revealed that Du Siren was the inside man. The military has already reported this to Emperor Muzong. Doesn't Du Siren have someone behind him? We only need to get the Northern Barbarians to identify Pei Siyan as the mastermind. Once he is convicted of treason, no matter how outstanding he is, he will not be worthy of being the crown prince, and dealing with Prince Duan will be much easier. All our problems will be solved."
Tan Jieyu's eyes lit up, but then she seemed to remember something. "But the Northern Di people wouldn't help us for no reason, would they? What do they want?"
Pei Guanlan's expression was complicated, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. If Emperor Muzong had not seized the throne by despicable means back then, how could he have fallen to this state today?
What else do the Northern Di people want?
Isn't the point to throw the Great Zhou into chaos?
For his grand ambitions, for revenge, and for tearing down the hypocrite Emperor Muzong, even if it meant betraying his ancestors and the people, plunging them into misery, and leaving a lasting stain on his reputation, he had no other choice.
Only this method can restore order. Emperor Muzong usurped the throne; he was a usurper!
"Yu'er, these matters are not for you to concern yourself with. I will arrange everything myself. Just wait to become your Empress Dowager."
——
After being tormented by Pei Siyan for several days in a row, Dou Wenyi felt like her bones were falling apart, which caused her to often not get out of bed until late in the morning.
She was quite surprised to hear that Princess Fu'an had come to visit.
The palace maids of Wutong Garden hurriedly helped her tidy up before she appeared weakly before Princess Fu'an.
Princess Fu'an saw that she was like a delicate and beautiful peony, with an exquisite appearance and radiant beauty, even more beautiful than before.
She was genuinely curious, "...What did you do last night?"
Dou Wenyi's eyes flickered slightly, and she hurriedly changed the subject, "You rarely come here, so try the Longtuan Shengxue."
Princess Fu'an picked up her teacup, took a sip, and suddenly realized, "Is the Crown Prince very skilled in bed?"
Dou Wenyi was so ashamed she wanted to disappear. "Fu'an!"
"Alright, alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I really have something I want to tell you today, and I hope you won't blame me." Princess Fu'an hesitated.
Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat; she had a bad feeling. "What is it?"
Princess Fu'an said softly, "I don't know what my mother was thinking, but she pleaded with the Emperor to pardon Xie Guidu's crime... and even wanted to take him as her son-in-law."
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