After leaving the imperial study, Zhang Yu suddenly said, "Duke of Wei, wait a moment."
Wei Junyan paused, then said with a smile, "Your Highness has something to discuss?"
Zhang Yu said in a deep voice, "Now that we're all in the same boat, I think we should all be more honest with each other."
Wei Junyan raised an eyebrow and asked, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Zhang Yu said coldly, "Why doesn't the Duke of Wei send the Crown Prince to the Northwest? In fact, the Crown Prince is far more skilled in military affairs than my son."
Wei Junyan slowly spoke, "However, the Wei family and the Murong family have some grudges. After all, the Murong family has controlled the Northwest for many years. If Bai Chuan goes there, I am worried that they will kill him directly, and he will not have the opportunity to be taken hostage."
Zhang Yu sneered, "I've never heard of any connection between the Wei family and the Murong family. Just how deep is your grudge that they would leave such a good hostage unused?"
The second young master of the Wei family is useless; the only one we can use is Wei Baichuan. If it were him, we would definitely make good use of Wei Baichuan to hinder the Northern Army…
Wei Junyan's eyes darkened. "It's just some old news, but there are still grudges involved. I'm just taking precautions."
Now that the late emperor is dead, he naturally won't mention the things he did for him; if those things were revealed, his reputation would be ruined...
As for how much the Murong family knew, he wasn't sure. After all, the Murong family hadn't made any major moves in all these years, but it was always better to be cautious. He wasn't going to be foolish enough to hand his son over to them...
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Zhang Yu could only turn and leave...
Not long after the late emperor's death, Chu Tianling could not hold a grand selection of concubines, but it was not inappropriate for him to secretly bring several daughters of important officials into the palace. Besides, he had no intention of observing mourning for the late emperor, and his harem was already quite full of concubines...
That night, Chu Tianling did not summon any of his concubines, but instead lay lazily on the soft couch in Longqing Palace with his eyes closed...
He did not reside in the Zichen Palace, the emperor's proper residence, but instead ordered a palace to be renovated. In the Zichen Palace, he would often think of Emperor Wenxuan.
Although he did not kill Emperor Wenxuan directly, he was the one who, together with Chu Wenzheng, forced the emperor to abdicate. In the dead of night, he would always think of the late emperor and the crown prince who he had killed. Was it right for him to do anything for the throne?
However, recalling Emperor Wenxuan's dying edict stripping him of his title and reducing him to commoner status, he suppressed his guilt. He had done the right thing; Emperor Wenxuan was wholeheartedly supporting the crown prince, but why should he submit to a mediocre crown prince...?
Now, only the King of Yan and the King of Xiang remain; he will surely be the final victor…
Lost in thought, a woman in elegant white robes and a veil suddenly stepped forward and knelt before the bed, saying in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty."
Chu Tianling opened his eyes, looked at the woman before him with a faint smile, and ripped off her veil.
The veil fell away, revealing the woman's stunning beauty. Anyone present would surely be astonished to see Bai Chuwan, the late Crown Prince's concubine and one of the two beauties of the capital, here...
Bai Chuwan raised her eyes and smiled charmingly, "Your Majesty, would you like to retire for the night?"
Chu Tianling grabbed her chin and sneered, "You're all looks, but unfortunately, you can't even compare to one of your sister's fingers."
A surge of hatred welled up in Bai Chuwan's heart. Why? Why could Bai Chuxiao be the high and mighty Princess Consort of Yan, while she had to be subservient just to survive? Even the concubine's daughter she used to look down on had entered the palace as a Zhaoyi, but she couldn't even show her face and could only be a maid in Longqing Palace...
Suppressing the hatred in her heart, Bai Chuwan said softly, "Wan'er dares not compare herself to her sister, she only wants to serve His Majesty with all her heart..."
Chu Tianling said calmly, "You do have some self-awareness, but the harem is never short of beauties. What makes you think I would take a fancy to a woman who was with the Crown Prince?"
Bai Chuwan smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling, and said sweetly, "His Majesty has his reasons for wanting to keep Wan'er."
Seeing her alluring appearance, Chu Tianling's eyes darkened. He had to admit that the woman before him was indeed very beautiful. As for Consort Bai, her looks were so plain that he rarely favored her. However, the Left Prime Minister was not someone he could touch, so he would just keep her around for now...
Chu Tianling pulled her into his arms, teasingly saying, "So obedient? You're not going to make a living in Longqing Palace. How about I send you to Consort Bai's palace?"
Bai Chuwan's heart tightened. Now that her identity had changed, who knew how Bai Chudie would torment her? She couldn't go.
Thinking of this, Bai Chuwan pressed herself closer to him and said in a seductive voice, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, so naturally whatever you say goes. But if I go to my sister's place, it won't be convenient for me to serve Your Majesty in place of my sister."
As the woman's face gradually merged with Bai Chuxiao's, Chu Tianling's eyes narrowed, a flicker of lust rising within them. He roughly tore off her clothes, flipped her over, and pinned her to the bed.
"Then you should really learn from your sister."
Seeing the man's somewhat irrational eyes, Bai Chuwan climbed onto his shoulder and obediently replied, "Yes."
A fierce glint flashed in Chu Tianling's eyes. He no longer showed any tenderness towards the woman beneath him. Bai Chuxiao, huh? One day, you too will be like your sister, serving me...
"Bai Chuxiao..."
"Bai Chuxiao..."
Hearing the man on top of her passionately calling out the name of the person she hated most, Bai Chuwan felt humiliated, yet she had no choice but to enthusiastically respond to him. She would rather stay here than be sent to her half-sister's palace to be humiliated…
In Yongkang Palace, the former Consort Wei, now Empress Dowager Wei, sneered, "Sister, the Prince of Xiang still refuses to come to the capital, completely disregarding you as his mother. Tell me, what should we do?"
The Empress Dowager, sitting below, said indifferently, "According to the rules, after His Majesty's passing, concubines with children should go to their fiefdoms with their sons. I wonder when Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and His Majesty will allow me to leave the palace?"
Empress Dowager Wei smiled and said, "Even the Prince of Xiang refuses to come to the capital to pay homage to His Majesty according to regulations, so how can I let my sister go?"
The Empress Dowager remained unfazed. The victor is king, the loser is villain; having fallen into their hands, she had nothing to say. After all, there weren't many daughters-in-law like Bai Chuxiao who dared to storm the palace.
Empress Dowager Wei looked at the still unperturbed woman and said with a half-smile, "My sister is quite calm, but I wonder if he will be just as indifferent when I chop off her fingers and send them to Prince Xiang."
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly, "Kill me or torture me, it's entirely up to you."
Empress Dowager Wei sneered, "Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily. There aren't many old friends left in this palace."
The Empress Dowager rose slowly and said, "Has Her Majesty the Empress Dowager finished giving her instructions? If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Empress Dowager Wei sneered, "If you want the Liu family to prosper, sister, don't forget the rules. Remember to come to my side every day and serve me well..."
The Empress Dowager paused, lowered her eyes, and said, "Of course, my sister won't forget..."
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