"The contents of the secret edict were roughly as follows: If Ni Chengli does anything improper to the Rong Dynasty, the Prince of Pingyang and his bloodline can immediately depose Ni Chengli, and the son of Lingyin Yuyao can immediately ascend the throne, regardless of gender. If there are not enough sons, then the Prince of Pingyang and his bloodline will rule."
At this point, Yin Yuyao seemed to remember something and sighed, "The Emperor and Empress felt very guilty towards Prince Pingyang, which is why they made this arrangement. It also stemmed from their own hearts, hoping that if that day ever came, Prince Pingyang would spare Ni Chengli's life."
Chen Xiao didn't know what the former emperor and empress of the Rong Dynasty were like, but after hearing Yin Yuyao's description, he could picture them in his mind.
This couple is not an ordinary couple, but they still maintained their original intentions and left room for Ni Chengli.
But it was precisely this little bit of parental love that led to the tragedies of so many people later on.
From a modern perspective, Ni Chengli is a thoroughly ruthless person. Perhaps he could have intervened when Ni was young, but it probably wouldn't have been very effective because his views on the outside world were different from those of ordinary people.
He and the emperor and empress had incompatible values and could not get along like family.
Yin Yuyao continued, "He was unaware of the Emperor and Empress's arrangements for him, but the Prince of Pingyang and his wife never imagined how ruthless he could be."
After learning of the 'disagreement' between the Emperor and Empress, Ni Chengli focused on consolidating his position. Even though he was the only prince and the future crown prince, he was not at ease.
Using his personal treasury, he opened a brothel in a prime location with many beautiful women. It quickly gained favor with officials, and he began to collect information on them. If he discovered any misconduct, he would use it to blackmail them and collude with them to suppress the Prince of Pingyang.
He was thirteen years old at the time.
No one dared to underestimate him because of his young age, since most officials had served under two emperors and naturally knew the character of the previous emperor. With a little comparison, they could tell that this eldest prince was just like the previous emperor.
Faced with this sudden impeachment, Prince Pingyang quickly found out the inside story of the brothel and informed the emperor and empress. However, due to the emperor and empress's orders, no matter what ideas he had, he could only hide and return to the frontier with his family.
Ni Chengli was still not satisfied with the Prince of Pingyang's treatment; what he wanted was for the Prince of Pingyang to lose his title.
Three years passed peacefully. When Ni Chengli was sixteen and Yin Yuyao had just come of age, the emperor fell ill, and Ni Chengli was made crown prince. The two were immediately married.
At his wedding ceremony, Ni Chengli met Yin Yuyao's younger sister, Yin Yujie, for the first time. His gaze lingered on her for a long time, so long that all the guests noticed, but he himself did not realize that something was amiss.
It was only after the Prince of Pingyang frowned in displeasure and the Princess of Pingyang gently reminded him that Ni Chengli seemed to wake from his dream.
Yin Yujie and Yin Yulin were only ten years old at the time. They did not realize their parents' true opinion of Ni Chengli. They only thought that their parents were very satisfied with Ni Chengli, but that they disliked him very much.
Naturally, it was because of this prolonged gaze and his indifferent expression towards Yin Yuyao that it was impossible to discern any affection between them as rumored by the outside world.
If that were all, the Prince of Pingyang and his wife could still accept it with their daughter's comfort. It is not uncommon for emperors and empresses to be respectful to each other but estranged in spirit. It is just that Yin Yuyao is suffering, as she will have to endure decades more in the palace.
But Ni Chengli was even more cold and ruthless towards Yin Yuyao than they had imagined.
According to the etiquette of the Rong Dynasty, newlyweds must return to their parents' home for a homecoming banquet three days after the wedding.
That day, the Prince and Princess of Pingyang made preparations early and waited for a long time, but all they received was the message, "The Crown Princess is unwell and the Crown Prince is by her side. She may not be able to attend the homecoming banquet. We hope that the Prince and Princess of Pingyang will understand."
But Yin Yuyao had sent them a letter just a day before, her words filled with joy at the prospect of seeing her family again.
Even knowing that Ni Chengli was lying, they were powerless to do anything about it. Faced with the Emperor and Empress's show of weakness and pleas for mercy, the soft-hearted Prince Pingyang's family no longer clung to the matter of returning home. They stayed in the capital for more than half a month without seeing Yin Yuyao even once.
Due to the border war, Prince Pingyang could not stay in the capital for long, so he had to take his family back to the border to guard the frontier. At the same time, he kept an eye on the situation in the capital and secretly arranged for people to monitor the Crown Prince's residence.
For almost half a year, Yin Yuyao did not leave the Crown Prince's residence, nor did she send a single letter. They understood that Yin Yuyao was being confined to the Crown Prince's residence by Ni Chengli in a disguised way.
Despite the Emperor and Empress's repeated pleas for mercy, the Prince of Pingyang and his wife remained unmoved and instead arranged for more people to monitor the brothel and the palace.
The three members of the royal family were unaware of all this.
During the three years that Yin Yuyao was not seen, the Yin family missed her and worried about her. However, their determination not to rebel remained firm. In addition, the Emperor and Prince Pingyang had a deep relationship, so they did not choose to confront the imperial power head-on.
It was only after their subordinates uncovered a piece of information that the Yin family became truly enraged.
Recalling Ni Chengli's disgusting behavior, Yin Yuyao spat, "During the three years of Ni Chengli's marriage to the original owner, he was constantly drugging her, which caused her infertility. The original owner discovered this, but she couldn't contact the outside world, so the Yin family didn't know about it immediately. It wasn't until Ni Chengli asked the Emperor and Empress for Yuwen Li's hand in marriage that the Yin family found out the truth."
Everyone knows that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have a very deep relationship, and Miss Yuwen has a close relationship with the young master of the Yang family.
But as soon as the imperial decree of marriage was issued, everyone instantly imagined the love and hate between the four. Just then, an even more significant imperial decree of marriage arrived, with the Emperor and Empress bestowing upon Ning Ci the title of Crown Prince's concubine, to enter the palace at the same time as Yuwen Li.
Ning Ci's name is known to all the people in the capital. Yuwen Li's status is also not insignificant. Crown Prince Ni Chengli is not yet twenty years old, yet he enjoys such a blessing of having two wives, which makes some men envious.
Ni Chengli immediately elevated these men to high positions.
Thus, when the Crown Prince is mentioned, most men don't immediately think of him as someone who allegedly broke up a couple, nor as someone who simultaneously sought to marry two women. Rather, they think of him as someone who, despite the pressure, enjoyed the company of three beauties—truly a model of manhood...
Upon hearing this, Xi Xi suddenly commented, "Ni Chengli has used too many brainwashing packages; they've all lost their brains."
Chen Xiao nodded in agreement, but at the same time had some doubts. "Ni Chengli doesn't want Yuan Yin Yuyao to have his bloodline, so he simply wants to eliminate any future troubles and find a woman of noble status to carry on his family line. But why would he target Yuwen Li and Ning Ci?"
Suddenly realizing something, he guessed again, "Not only is Yuwen Li's identity suitable, but the fact that she has a sweetheart satisfies Ni Chengli's morbid desires. He likes lovers to become strangers in the end, so Yuwen Li is extremely satisfying to his psychology."
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