"What do you mean by this, Fourth Brother? You yourself said that Eighth Sister-in-law has ill intentions towards Heyue. After all, we have known each other for a while, so how can we really ignore it?" The Thirteenth Prince changed the word "I" he was about to say to "we" and looked a little uncomfortable.
A hint of a smile flashed across the Fourth Prince's eyes, gone in an instant: "In the end, this can't be considered a bad thing, so you don't need to rush."
Seeing that he wasn't going to speak, the Thirteenth Prince became anxious: "Fourth Brother, what kind of riddle are you playing? What do you mean by 'not a bad thing'?!"
In fact, the Fourth Prince himself was also somewhat confused. He believed that Lady Guoluo was not simple-minded, but her actions did not benefit the Eighth Prince and the others. If the goal was to win over Marhan, the Tenth Prince would be the best choice, but Lady Guoluo chose an insignificant one.
This made the Fourth Prince wonder if the Twelfth Prince had secretly joined forces with the Eighth Prince and the others.
That old man's abilities are indeed not to be underestimated.
As I just said, I have already given my advice. Whether he listens or not is up to me. However, since this matter involves other things, I have to be more careful.
If we want to continue investigating, we need to start from somewhere else. Xiao Shisan and Heyue have always been close, so they are the best choice. However, there are some things that must be made clear.
Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince no longer hid it from the Thirteenth Prince and gestured for the Thirteenth Prince to sit down again.
"Now that Marhan has taken over the Ministry of War, the ministers and vice ministers of the other ministries have either gone to the Crown Prince or to his elder brother. Only Marhan has always been upright and incorruptible. Although he is Yisang'a's brother-in-law, he has never submitted to the Crown Prince or to any side. This is why it took him so many years to rise to the position of minister, and it is also why he is highly valued by the Emperor. But the more he does this, the more people want to take advantage of him. The Emperor doesn't know why he puts Marhan in such a difficult position, always showing him unexpected favor. Marhan, on the other hand, pretends not to notice and ignores the goodwill or attempts to win him over. When he can't avoid it anymore, he doesn't hesitate to offend people with his words. Even with Songgotu, he dares to publicly humiliate him in front of all the officials. Songgotu was so angry that he couldn't vent his anger and could only leave in a huff."
The fourth prince paused, unsure whether to laugh or feel helpless at Marhan's stubborn and obnoxious personality.
If it were a young person, one could use the phrase "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger," but Marhan, being so old, doesn't know what to say.
It is indeed rare for an official to achieve such a high rank and still remain in the court, even rising to the rank of a first-grade official.
I wonder what kind of feelings Ethana has towards his brother-in-law.
The Thirteenth Prince had little contact with Marhan. On the few occasions he visited Marhan's residence, he found Marhan to be a very talkative and gentle old man, which was hard to reconcile with the person his Fourth Brother had described.
However, he didn't dwell on it, but was utterly puzzled: "Fourth Brother, why are you bringing this up? What does this have to do with Heyue?"
The Fourth Prince took a sip of tea and said in a calm voice, "Now that Marhan's youngest daughter is close to Guo Luoluo, this gives the Eighth Prince and his group an opportunity. If the Ninth or Tenth Prince marries Heyue in the future, given Marhan's reputation for spoiling his daughter, wouldn't she end up on the Eighth Prince's side?"
The Fourth Prince glanced at him, and that glance made the Thirteenth Prince open his mouth slightly, but he was speechless.
After a while, the Thirteenth Prince seemed to remember something and disapprovingly curled his lip: "Heyue doesn't like the Tenth Prince at all! And the Ninth Prince is like that, so why would Marhan marry his daughter to him?" As he spoke, he showed considerable disdain for the Ninth Prince.
"That's true. The Eighth Prince does indeed intend to let the Tenth Prince get closer to Heyue, but Guo Luoluo disagrees."
"Huh? Why?" The Thirteenth Prince was puzzled. "Could it be that Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law are only superficially harmonious, and not as loving as rumored?" The Thirteenth Prince could only think of this possibility. Otherwise, how could he explain Eighth Sister-in-law dragging Eighth Brother down?
"Whether the Eighth Prince and Lady Guoluo are truly in love is something we cannot be certain of, but their intentions are certainly the same. As husband and wife are enemies, Lady Guoluo will undoubtedly support the Eighth Prince. His background is his weakness. Although Prince An, Yue Le, is no longer here, the connections of Prince An's mansion still serve as Lady Guoluo's backing. All of this supports the Eighth Prince, and such a status undoubtedly elevates his position. As far as I know, Lady Guoluo is a shrewd person and would never do anything detrimental to the Eighth Prince. However, the spies I placed by the Eighth Prince's side overheard their conversation. Lady Guoluo does indeed have this intention, and this has caused a disagreement between her and the Eighth Prince."
"Then what is her purpose?!" The Thirteenth Prince was increasingly puzzled. If she didn't choose the Tenth Prince, who was close to the Eighth Prince, then what was she trying to do?
"Two months ago, the Eighth Prince summoned the Twelfth Prince to his residence. It just so happened that Lady Guoluo had arranged to meet Heyue. At that time, Heyue and the Twelfth Prince met by chance. Although they didn't exchange many words, Lady Guoluo's thoughts were completely exposed. However, I still don't understand why Lady Guoluo chose the Twelfth Prince."
Why choose the twelfth brother, who was not well-liked by the eighth brother, instead of the tenth brother? This was something that not only the fourth prince couldn't understand, but the thirteenth prince also couldn't figure out.
Could it be that Eighth Sister-in-law's way of thinking is different from others?
"Over the years, the Eighth Prince has become increasingly favored by the Emperor. Now he has even married a woman from the Guo Luo Luo clan. Although it may not be a case of adding wings to a tiger, it has certainly made up for his shortcomings. With the support of Marhan, it can be considered as a way to divide the Crown Prince's future power. My elder brother is so smug, but little does he know that someone as ambitious as the Eighth Prince would never be willing to be subordinate to someone else?" Although his words were light, he did not hide his disdain for Prince Zhi.
"What does Fourth Brother mean?"
"As far as the Crown Prince is concerned, his eldest brother is not a threat, but the eighth brother is the one he needs to be wary of."
The thirteenth prince was startled and suddenly stood up again, his eyes wide and his face full of astonishment: "Fourth brother, you..."
"Don't tell me you'd rather be an unknown, idle prince like your fifth and seventh brothers, bullied as before." For the first time, the Fourth Prince revealed thoughts and ambitions that contradicted his indifferent appearance. His dark eyes were as deep as a pool, his brows were resolute, and he looked at the Thirteenth Prince calmly, yet the Thirteenth Prince trembled with fear.
“I…” the Thirteenth Prince stammered, at a loss for what to do.
Of course he didn't want to be bullied, but he also had no desire to. As long as he could get the Emperor's attention and be cared for by the Crown Prince and his fourth brother, he would be content with a carefree life. Little did he know that his fourth brother would get involved in these matters.
In his heart, his fourth brother had always been dedicated to serving his father and the crown prince. The crown prince was good to him and his fourth brother, and his fourth brother was so devoted. The thirteenth prince never thought much of it, but he didn't know when his fourth brother had developed such thoughts.
"The Crown Prince was personally appointed by Father Emperor. He is the one chosen by Heaven and the one to whom all of us princes will serve in the future. I do not wish to be bullied by others, nor do I wish to be subordinate to anyone. I can only choose to be second only to the Emperor. The Crown Prince is benevolent and virtuous. It is our duty as brothers to assist him."
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