Chapter 89 Bloodline on the Eve of the Chain Storm
The flowers and trees in the Eastern Palace's rear garden seemed to sense something unusual, blooming with a quiet yet poised-to-emerge posture as summer transitioned into early autumn. The harem, which had been rife with undercurrents and even occasional friction due to the influx of various forces, suddenly became "harmonious" within just a few months.
Consort Li of Zhao County, Consort Li of Longxi, and Consort Cui of Qinghe... three newly appointed imperial concubines from different noble families were diagnosed with pregnancy by the imperial physicians. The news spread like wildfire, like pebbles thrown into a seemingly calm lake, quickly spreading to the entire power center of Chang'an.
Inside the Eastern Palace, the pregnant concubines almost immediately concealed all their sharp edges. Their families had sent them to the palace primarily to secure favor and arrange marriages, but their deeper expectation was undoubtedly to establish a more direct and solid connection with the future imperial power—a bloodline connection. Now, this expectation had taken its most crucial first step. They understood better than anyone that the child in their wombs was not merely their own child, but the potential foundation for their families' future prosperity and wealth for decades, even centuries. Any mishap was unbearable. Competing for favor? Scheming? Before confirming the safe birth of the prince and gaining as much attention as possible from the Crown Prince, these seemed secondary and dangerous. They strictly followed the doctor's orders, rarely venturing out, scrutinizing their maids and servants with near-obsessive scrutiny; even their daily food and utensils underwent multiple inspections. For a time, the Eastern Palace's inner garden exhibited a rare unified atmosphere centered on "preserving the pregnancy."
On the surface, Crown Prince Li Chengqian maintained a degree of joy and concern befitting his status as heir apparent. The rewards were doubled as usual, the imperial physicians were on standby, and they would occasionally visit him during the day to inquire about his well-being and urge him to rest and recuperate. However, his inner calculations were far more complex than they appeared.
The bond of blood has been initially forged. The existence of these children (regardless of gender) will be one of the most important assets in his next plan. He is waiting, waiting for the time to come, for the gender to be confirmed. A prince is naturally the best outcome, as it will maximize the commitment and loyalty of his maternal family. Even a princess is not entirely useless; at least it proves the power of "results," and a princess can also be used for future political marriages to solidify relations with other forces.
His gaze had already passed over the expectant concubines and landed on the Prince of Wei's residence. The successive arrivals of offspring would greatly enhance his "credibility" and "expectations" among the powerful families. That would be the perfect opportunity for him to launch a full-scale attack on Li Tai. He wanted to use the "momentum" brought by these newborn imperial heirs to force those powerful families who were still observing or had lingering ties with the Prince of Wei to make a final choice. At the same time, he also wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly settle accounts with Li Tai for his disgraceful role before and after the Empress's death, as well as his continued threat to his position as heir apparent. The plan had been repeatedly rehearsed in his mind; he was just waiting for the right opportunity.
In the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin paused in reviewing memorials, his gaze falling on a secret report presented by a eunuch regarding the current situation of the pregnant concubines in the Eastern Palace. His face revealed little emotion, only a complex glint flashed deep within his eyes.
Empress Zhangsun's passing did indeed take away a vital part of the warmth and support in his life, making him less cautious and more like a cold, hard ruler when handling certain matters. But he was not entirely immersed in grief. He continued to observe, observing his chosen successor.
Chengqian had observed Chengqian's practice of using daughters of powerful families to balance the power of these families and thus solidify his own position. To some extent, he even tacitly approved of or secretly promoted this practice. This aligned with his consistent approach to checks and balances, and was a feasible path to stabilize the court while gradually weakening the influence of powerful clans. It wasn't a bad thing that a young person possessed such shrewdness and skill.
But he also had concerns. He worried that Chengqian was acting too hastily, that he would be backfired by his exploitation of the powerful families, and even more so… that he would prioritize his fratricidal hatred towards Li Tai over considerations of national stability. Therefore, he was also quietly adding some "stabilizers" to this game in his own way. When the Crown Prince launched an attack on the Prince of Wei, as long as he didn't cross the line (such as directly accusing him of treason), he often turned a blind eye, and even occasionally fueled the flames to suppress the Prince of Wei's overly arrogant arrogance. But when the Prince of Wei and his cronies attempted to retaliate against the Crown Prince, especially when it might shake the very foundation of his succession, he would not hesitate to intervene, either openly or covertly, to uphold the Crown Prince's authority.
This subtle "bias" was palpable to all discerning officials in the court. The emperor was using his actions to delineate a safe zone for the crown prince's "trials," while simultaneously sending a clear signal: the crown prince's position remained secure.
Inside the Prince of Wei's residence, the atmosphere was completely different. When news of a pregnancy came one after another from the Crown Prince's palace, Li Tai was initially furious, smashing most of the porcelain in his study, before falling into deep anxiety and panic.
Offspring! Li Chengqian actually used this tactic! This almost struck at Li Tai's greatest weakness. Although he had a princess and children, his offspring had no direct blood relation to those top-tier aristocratic families with their thousand-year-old lineages. Li Chengqian was different. Once those aristocratic women gave birth to princes, even if they were only illegitimate sons, it meant that the future of those families and the Crown Prince would be truly tied together. At that time, his promise of "sharing wealth and honor in the future" would become pale and powerless in the face of the tangible benefits offered by Li Chengqian: "blood ties in the present, and the possibility of reaching the top in the future."
"Your Highness, we must stop it!" a trusted advisor cried urgently. "At the very least... we cannot allow those children to be born safely, especially not princes!"
A fierce glint flashed in Li Tai's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. With the Eastern Palace heavily guarded and the Emperor clearly favoring the Crown Prince, would he directly target the heir apparent? The risk was too high; failure or being discovered would have unimaginable consequences. That wouldn't be a struggle, it would be suicide.
"What's the panic!" Li Tai forced himself to calm down, gritting his teeth as he said, "Giving birth is easy, raising a child is difficult, and whether they can become successful is another matter entirely! Even if a prince is born, so what? Father Emperor is in his prime, and the Crown Prince... may not always have a smooth ride!" Despite his words, he knew in his heart that the Crown Prince's move had greatly shaken the foundation upon which he relied to compete for the throne—the support of some aristocratic families was becoming ambiguous, and more originally neutral parties were beginning to lean towards "investing" in the Crown Prince, who was clearly more favored by the Emperor and had already produced "real output."
What he can do now is, on the one hand, to intensify his efforts to win over those noble families who are not yet "bound" to the Crown Prince or who have grudges against the families of the newly acquired concubines, promising them greater benefits; on the other hand, he must do everything in his power to find fault with the Crown Prince, ideally enough to shake his position as heir apparent in one fell swoop. The Crown Prince's inner palace seems peaceful on the surface, but with more children, there are more variables and weaknesses to exploit. He must wait patiently, or... actively create opportunities.
As for the aristocratic families, undercurrents were running high. The families of the pregnant concubines were naturally overjoyed, while simultaneously sending midwives, wet nurses, and various pregnancy-supporting supplements to the palace (although most of them were strictly screened by the Crown Prince's palace). At the same time, they were building momentum for the Crown Prince in the court and among the people, while closely monitoring the movements of other pregnant concubines. They hoped that their own family would be the first to give birth to a prince, while also being wary of the underhanded tactics that their rivals might use.
Meanwhile, the rival families couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness, secretly praying for the birth of a daughter, or even... some kind of "accident." Although they dared not act openly, they would certainly spread rumors that "this pregnancy is unstable" or "it may be an ominous sign," or cause trouble for their rival families in some trivial matters.
Many other powerful families, who had not yet clearly chosen sides, adopted a more cautious wait-and-see approach. The successive pregnancies of the Crown Prince indicated that he was not only secure in his position but also highly proactive, willing and able to share the most crucial interests (the future right to the throne) with these families. This was far more appealing than the empty promises of the Prince of Wei. But they were still waiting: waiting for the children to be born, to see if they were boys or girls; waiting for the Crown Prince's next moves, to see how he treated these pregnant concubines and their families; and even more so, waiting for the Emperor's attitude, to see whether His Majesty would ultimately approve or be wary of the Crown Prince's actions.
The balance of power in Chang'an was subtly and decisively shifted because of these unborn children in the Eastern Palace's inner courtyard. Bloodlines became the strongest and most expensive political chain, tightly binding the Eastern Palace and certain aristocratic families together.
As autumn deepened, preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations began in the palace. However, everyone knew that the real "grand show" would likely not begin until the first batch of "achievements" from the Eastern Palace were completed. Li Chengqian waited, Li Shimin observed, Li Tai was anxious, and the powerful families were scheming.
In Qixia Garden, upon hearing the series of joyous news from the Eastern Palace, Wang Yi merely sighed softly and continued perusing the agricultural book in her hands, as if the news, which was enough to shake the court and the country, was no different from the fallen leaves in her courtyard. She knew that the chain reaction triggered by her letter was gradually leading to a more complex and dangerous situation. She had fulfilled part of her promise to Empress Zhangsun, temporarily stabilizing Li Chengqian, but what the future held, no one could predict.
A storm is brewing. And this time, connected to the eye of the storm are several unborn, yet already captivating, young bloodlines.
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