Let's start with the royal family. His Majesty has seven sons. The three older ones, Prince Duan, Prince Kang, and Prince Ping, along with His Majesty's youngest brother, Prince An, all reside in their fiefdoms and generally do not enter the capital without an imperial edict. Moreover, Prince An is technically a legitimate son, but he was too young at the time, and he was the only remaining brother from the previous royal family. His Majesty, out of benevolence, bestowed upon Prince An the privilege of being well-fed and clothed.
"There's no need to worry about the first three princes; they are indeed idle princes, with no interest in the power and wealth of the capital. Although Prince An has no children and has remained well-behaved for many years, we should still be more cautious if we encounter him in the future."
Bai Chuxiao nodded. Given his status as the youngest legitimate son, it was possible he might develop some inappropriate thoughts.
"His Majesty also has a younger sister, Princess Zhaoyang, whose fief is in Yingzhou. You've already met her daughter, Princess Changyun, who is with her husband Zhang Jinlun. His Majesty dotes on this sister, so he's spoiled her in the palace since she was little. Generally, a princess's husband doesn't have real power, but Zhang Jinlun is different. He's the Provincial Governor of Yingzhou, a high-ranking official with real power. So it's not unreasonable for Princess Changyun to be so arrogant. You'll have to be careful if you cross paths with her in the future."
So, it seems like none of them are people she can afford to offend. Bai Chuxiao shook her head inwardly. At this rate, her family probably wouldn't even make it to the capital. But the feud was still there. Who knows what the main lord of Changyun County might do if he found out she was tricked by Chu Tianze into marrying the Prince of Qi?
"Then there are His Majesty's two daughters. The eldest princess, Chu Fengke, was raised under the late Empress's name and was granted the title of Princess Yonghe. She resides in the capital most of the year. The second princess, Chu Fengle, is the daughter of Empress Li and was granted the title of Princess Yongcheng. However, for some reason, His Majesty has not yet chosen a husband for her, so she lives in the palace most of the year. As for the princes, I'm sure you already know them, so I won't go into details."
"In the imperial court, there are six ministries: Revenue, Personnel, Rites, Works, War, and Justice, each headed by a Right Chancellor and a Left Chancellor. Therefore, the Liu and Bai families in the capital are extremely powerful. In addition, there are four other prominent families in the capital: Yu, Zhu, Qian, and Fan. Back then, there were ten prominent families in the capital. His Majesty eliminated six of them, so these four families, which have survived, are naturally not to be underestimated."
"As for the relationships between families like the Li family, the Zhenguo family, and the Liu family, are you aware of them? Do you understand the meaning behind Liu Shuyao's recommendation to the Crown Prince?"
Bai Chuxiao pondered for a moment, "Everyone says that His Majesty is currently observing the situation, which is why he is intentionally supporting Prince Xiang and Prince Qi to fight against the Crown Prince. But I think His Majesty has always favored the Crown Prince. His Majesty wants to firmly tie the Right Chancellor to the Crown Prince's side. I just don't know if the Crown Prince and the Liu family will do as His Majesty wishes."
Murong Cheng smiled with relief, "You're not so stupid after all. Your second uncle really thought you knew nothing. We, as bystanders, can see things clearly, but the Crown Prince and the Liu family, being in the thick of it, might be blinded. What do you think of Empress Li?"
"I've only met Xiaoxiao twice, so I don't know her very well. But she must be a smart person to have become the Empress."
"You're right. For so many years, the Li family has only held the title of Duke, but has no real power. If Empress Li and the Crown Prince had just talked casually, things wouldn't have come to this. However, Empress Li saw through it all and didn't make any changes. So, His Majesty probably trusts the Crown Prince the most."
On the contrary, Prince Qi seems to be at the height of his power, but the future is uncertain. Wei Junyan was promoted by His Majesty and should have been His Majesty's most trusted advisor. However, in recent years, relying on Consort Wei in the palace and his control of the military, he has become too arrogant, and Prince Qi has also become disdainful of others. I'm afraid His Majesty has long been displeased with him. What do you think of Prince Yan's situation?"
"If the Liu family is willing to wholeheartedly help the Crown Prince, and I, as the eldest daughter of the Bai family, marry the Prince of Yan, who is the least likely to ascend the throne, the Crown Prince will have nothing to fear. He only needs to maintain good relations with us, and he will have the support of both the Bai family and the Prince of Yan. Xiao Xiao thinks that His Majesty is probably thinking that after the Crown Prince ascends the throne and sits in the capital, the Prince of Yan will guard the borders, and the Great Xia Empire will be safe. From this perspective, the Prince of Yan's situation is not bad, and His Majesty will only give him an important position."
Bai Chuxiao voiced her suspicions, but reality often differs from imagination. His Majesty's plan was likely to fall through. Compared to supporting the Crown Prince, the Liu family naturally trusted the Prince of Xiang, who was related to them by blood. As for winning over the Prince of Yan, the Crown Prince was clearly not that interested...
However, she had misunderstood. The Crown Prince did indeed care; it was just that she and the Prince of Yan hadn't reciprocated. But if the Crown Prince still insisted on Bai Chuwan and Bai Linan's support as before, she truly couldn't accept his kindness. After all, she and the Bai family members were separated by a life.
Murong Cheng smiled and said, "You're right, but I'm afraid no one will do as His Majesty wishes. However, the Prince of Yan is generally safe, which is why we can feel at ease letting you marry him."
"However, the feud with Prince Qi is now firmly established. If he gains power, I'm afraid he won't let us off the hook..." Bai Chuxiao wasn't so optimistic. In the royal family, there was no such thing as absolute safety. Today's friend could be tomorrow's enemy; the situation could change in an instant.
Murong Cheng snorted coldly, "Then we won't let him gain power. Our Murong family isn't easy to bully. That Wei Junyan is nothing but a petty person with no real talent or ability. In terms of military prestige, he can't compare to your maternal grandfather in any way."
Character doesn't equate to ability, but no matter how strong one's ability, a flawed character will prevent one from going far, especially since Wei Junyan doesn't possess any real ability...
"Xiaoxiao understands, thank you very much, Second Uncle..."
After listening to her second uncle's words today, Bai Chuxiao felt much clearer-headed. Many things seemed to have answers, and she was no longer completely clueless like before.
Seeing that they had finally finished talking, the second aunt came in and ordered someone to serve some tea.
"Xiaoxiao, your coming-of-age ceremony is almost here. Do you have any plans?" her second aunt asked anxiously.
"Grandma and Father said they would make a good impression this time."
My second aunt nodded and snorted, "That's more like it. Your father has finally done something."
"However, Xiaoxiao is worried that the Xie family will be truly sincere in organizing this; who knows what kind of trouble they might cause?"
After thinking for a moment, my second aunt said, "How about I help you then? Besides, your wedding date needs to be set after your coming-of-age ceremony, and we also need to start preparing your dowry in advance."
"I just don't know what my mother left behind back then. I'm afraid those things have long since ended up in the Xie family's pockets."
"Don't worry, I'll make a list for you later. The Xie family even dared to embezzle the first wife's dowry; they'll never be able to hold their heads high in the capital again."
"Then thank you very much, Second Aunt," Bai Chuxiao said with a faint smile.
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