Chapter 207: Feigning Compromise
The visiting card written by Xiao Ji himself was delivered to the Princess Zhenguo's Mansion by the personal guards. At that time, my grandmother was chatting with her elder sister, Princess Anyang.
The two sisters were sitting close together. Princess Anyang saw the name of Prince Zhao's Mansion at a glance. She thought her sister would agree immediately, but she saw her sister rubbing the name card with her fingers for a few times and then putting it on the table.
Anyang was immediately puzzled and asked, "Prince Zhao must have returned thanks to you, right? Why don't you want to see him?"
"Of course I am willing, but it's not the right time yet..."
Xiao Yuluan smiled slightly, "The water in the court is becoming increasingly muddy. Prince Wu, Prince Wen, and Prince Ning are all caught in the whirlpool. I hope he can slow down a little."
The defensive tone in these words was obvious, causing Anyang to look at him even more sideways. "This Ji'er is indeed a good person, but after all, you don't know him well. How can you like him so much? You asked my grandson to help you investigate King Wu's affairs in the army, but was it also for him?"
"No, it's for myself, sister. You know my ambition."
However, these words may fool others but not Anyang. She is her elder sister and also a woman. She always feels that her sister is more gentle than before. This kind of gentleness can only be produced for children. But Anyang did not expose it. She just needed to stand on her sister's side.
Princess Anyang had many children, including three sons and two daughters. Her children had children, and there were nearly twenty grandchildren throughout the court and the country. Although none of them were high-ranking officials, they were well-informed because of their large number and diversity.
Originally, Anyang was satisfied with this and enjoyed the happiness of having children and grandchildren around her. But when her sister asked her for help, she also became interested. Who wouldn't want to be a dragon's disciple? If she had this achievement, her family could prosper for another thirty years.
If it were someone else, she would certainly not participate, but this person was her biological sister, the biological daughter of Emperor Yang. For Anyang, whose first half of her life was dominated by Emperor Yang, no one else could be more trustworthy or more capable than these two women.
Anyang did not expose her sister. As the elder sister, it was her duty to give in to her younger sister. She smiled and said, "Okay, my sister will be the emperor in the future. Please give me a more majestic title."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuluan glanced at her and said with a smile, "What title do you want, sister? How about 'Guardian of the Nation'?"
Princess Anyang immediately refused with a smile: "It's not impressive enough. I want to be the Princess Protector of the Nation, so I don't want what's left of you."
The two old ladies with gray hair were picking and choosing between two extremely noble titles. The confidants around them couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, is this the style of a princess who has experienced the presence of Emperor Yang?
The two sisters joked with each other for a while, and Anyang suddenly said seriously: "Yuluan, have you thought it through? Once you set foot on this road..."
"Sister," Xiao Yuluan said, her eyes determined as she gazed at the forty-year-old ginkgo tree in the courtyard. "Thirty years ago, I chose to retreat. It was for the sake of peace in the world, harmony between brothers and sisters, and a peaceful retirement for our mother. Now, the barbarians are invading, the people are suffering, and my mother and brother are both dead. What else do I have to worry about?"
She turned to look at her sister, guilt in her eyes: "It's just...I have to trouble my sister and the children."
Princess Anyang snorted softly, then reached out to smooth her sister's hair, just like she did in her youth. "What nonsense!" she said. "A daughter raised under the Empress's care is not afraid of anything."
Facing her sister's firm and gentle gaze, Xiao Yuluan couldn't help but sigh that it was a blessing for her to still have her sister's love and help at her age.
"Then I'll leave it to you, sister."
Xiao Yuluan rejected the requests of Xiao Ji and Qing Wu, which in the eyes of outsiders, especially the emperor, was seen as drawing a clear line between herself and Prince Zhao's Mansion.
"You said that your aunt has rejected Xue Nu's visiting invitation twice?" The emperor held the teacup and looked at the chief eunuch Bai De'an beside him.
Bai De'an bowed forward and replied softly, "Your Majesty, that's right. I heard that Prince Zhao sent another invitation the day before yesterday, but the Grand Princess's residence still declined, citing the princess's poor health."
"Heh..." The emperor took a sip of tea, the fragrance lingering between his lips and teeth. "My aunt is more sensible than I thought."
Bai De'an rolled his eyes and said carefully, "After all, the Grand Princess has experienced a lot, so she was able to give in to the late emperor. I think she is pleading for Prince Zhao only because of the blood relationship."
When Xiao Yuancheng heard this, he couldn't help but lower his eyes, a complex look flashed across his eyes. He knew much more about what happened back then than this eunuch. He saw it with his own eyes. How could it be summed up with just one word "give in"?
However, he did not explain, and listened to the personal eunuch continue: "The Grand Princess is old, and probably doesn't want to get involved in this mess anymore."
Xiao Yuancheng's fingers slowly drew circles on the edge of the teacup. Thinking that his aunt was ten years older than him, the tension in his heart gradually relaxed.
He himself had been feeling rather exhausted lately, often struggling to review memorials, let alone his aunt, who was already in her sixties. Perhaps the old woman really didn't want to get involved in these court disputes anymore.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yuancheng suddenly said: "Reward the Grand Princess of the State with a pair of coral trees that were sent as tribute from the South China Sea."
He raised his eyes slightly, glanced at Bai De'an, and said meaningfully: "Just say that I heard that my aunt was not feeling well, so I specially gave her this treasure to calm her down. I hope she will take good care of herself."
Xiao Yuancheng knew that the decree of this reward would soon spread throughout the court. His sons, who were secretly preparing to make moves, would understand the deeper meaning: he was very satisfied with his aunt's approach, and others should stop thinking about seeking help from the Princess Zhenguo.
Even after so many years, Xiao Yuancheng would not think that his aunt's influence was gone. Even if she did not have a single soldier under her command, if she was willing to make plans, she would be a great help.
"Your Majesty is wise," Bai De'an bowed in understanding, catching a glimpse of a subtle sneer on the emperor's face from the corner of his eye. He understood. This reward was both a consolation and a warning. After he withdrew, the news would naturally spread through the ears of the various palaces and to the ears of the princes, and of course, most importantly, to the Princess Zhenguo.
After receiving the coral tree, Xiao Yuluan asked the servants to place it in the main hall in front of Bai De'an so that anyone who came could see the bright coral tree at a glance.
Xiao Yuluan sat in the main seat of the main hall, smiling as she watched the palace servants arrange the coral tree. She coughed twice and casually asked, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Steward Bai, is Your Majesty in good health lately?"
Bai De'an smiled slightly and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is in good health."
"Alas..." Xiao Yuluan sighed, "Your Majesty is overworked. I've been dreaming about the late emperor these past few days. He was so busy with government affairs that he died young. I'm thinking of Your Majesty..."
At first, Bai De'an thought it was just an ordinary polite remark, until Xiao Yuluan's voice gradually choked up as she spoke, and she even turned her head away and covered her eyes with her fingertips.
"Your Majesty's health is the most important thing. You are the only one left among my brother's descendants... Now that I think about it, it was because I was too aggressive back then, pushing my brother too hard, which led to his lack of offspring..."
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