Layered relationships
"Your Highness, why did you summon me here so urgently?" As soon as Shen Qinghang entered the palace, he saw Li Yunrui standing in the courtyard waiting for him. Li Yunrui was pruning bonsai. "Father said that he will hold a family banquet in the Hyuna Hall tomorrow, and all the concubines will be going."
"So what you're worried about is..."
Li Yunrui threw the pruned branches on the ground. "The others don't really matter. Among these princes, some are incompetent, and some aren't truly committed. But Li Yunheng... I have to be constantly on guard against him. I always feel like he's behind the pawnshop incident. With just a few account books, the Ministry of Revenue, with thirty or forty people, couldn't find anything, and the Protectorate just randomly picked someone to use as a scapegoat." Li Yunrui didn't know why, even though he had already ascended to the coveted position of Crown Prince, why did he feel the invisible pressure behind him growing stronger, and why was Li Yunheng's threat to him growing ever greater?
Now that Zhou Ziliang and Tang Feng are both gone, Li Yunrui is suddenly without any capable generals by his side. How to subtly impress the emperor at this family banquet has become Li Yunrui's biggest worry.
Shen Qinghang was at a loss for what to do. He hadn't handled the pawnshop matter well, but he hadn't expected Li Yunheng to take the opportunity to make a move. In the court, although Li Yunrui had become the crown prince, Emperor Yun was now lukewarm towards him.
"I don't care about anything else, but keep a close eye on Li Yunheng. I feel that although he is not moving now, he seems to be secretly planning something." Li Yunrui dared not relax and had to be on the defensive if he did not want to take the initiative to attack.
"Your Majesty, the family banquet in a couple of days has been arranged." Eunuch Feng served tea to Emperor Yun, then stood aside to grind ink. Emperor Yun glanced at the memorials on the table and said, "The Crown Prince has been quite diligent lately, sending memorials one after another."
"The Crown Prince is kind and ambitious, and he is very concerned about the drought in Lichuan, as well as the pawnshops. He lives in the Ministry of Revenue every day, checking the accounts." Emperor Yun turned to look at Eunuch Feng and chuckled, "Eunuch Feng seems to quite like the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, it was unclear whether Emperor Yun was pleased or angry. Eunuch Feng quickly placed the ink stick aside and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down! I've watched all the princes in the palace grow up. Which prince do I not like? It's just that I've noticed the Crown Prince has been working quite hard these days and has lost a lot of weight, which is why I spoke out of turn."
Emperor Yun looked down at him for a long time before saying, "Eunuch Feng, you've been with me for over twenty years, haven't you?"
"Exactly..."
"You've been with me since the founding of the dynasty. You know everything I do. Before, I had at least a dozen eunuchs, big and small, around me. But why have I kept you around all this time?" Emperor Yun picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Mainly because the tea you brewed wasn't bitter or astringent; it suited my taste perfectly. Don't you think so?" Eunuch Feng, kneeling on the ground, was sweating profusely and trembling as he took the tea from Emperor Yun's hand.
"What? You don't even dare to drink the tea you brewed yourself?"
Holding a teacup, Eunuch Feng kowtowed repeatedly to the ground, pleading, "Your Majesty, please spare this servant! How dare this servant overstep his bounds?"
"This tea is cold. If you're not going to drink it, just spill it and bring me a fresh cup." Emperor Yun's voice was flat, but at least there was no anger in it. Eunuch Feng breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"
When Eunuch Feng came out of the main hall, the young eunuch was already waiting at the door. "Master, why did you take so long to go in today? You're all sweaty."
"Ugh! Don't even mention it, I almost lost my life today." Eunuch Feng shook his head, holding his teacup and looking into the hall. He sighed; he had served this Emperor for at least half his life. Half a life? That's enough to know a person's temperament inside and out, but he could never see through Emperor Yun's character. "Be careful on duty in the future! Don't offend that person inside again, or your life will be in danger, and even the Heavenly King himself can't save you." The little eunuch thought Eunuch Feng was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was true that the Emperor was unpredictable, but he himself couldn't get close to him at all!
The family banquet was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. According to custom, family banquets were held on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. The princes were allowed to enter the palace two days in advance to visit their mothers. Li Yunye arrived late; he had arranged to go hiking and compose poetry with a friend in the morning, and didn't enter the palace until nearly evening. Xiao Wan'er stood anxiously at the palace gate, waiting all day before finally seeing Li Yunye arrive belatedly. "Your son, Li Yunye, greets Mother Consort. May Mother Consort be blessed!"
"Get up quickly," Xiao Wan'er gently helped Li Yunye up, slightly scolding him, "Fourth Prince came early this morning, and even the Crown Prince finished his official duties and went to Consort Yan's place at noon. Why is it only you..." Xiao Wan'er pulled Li Yunye into the house, "My son! I heard that the other day, Eunuch Feng spoke well of the Crown Prince and was reprimanded by the Emperor. Sigh! You know, when he was Prince Duan, the Emperor praised him highly, but now that he's the Crown Prince, why does he suddenly stop caring about him?"
"Mother!" Li Yunye tugged at Xiao Wan'er's sleeve. "Don't keep asking about the affairs of the previous dynasty; you might get yourself into trouble. Father has always had high expectations for my elder brother, and now that he's the Crown Prince, he'll definitely be even stricter. So please don't speculate." Li Yunye picked up her teacup and took a sip. Ever since Li Yunrui and Li Yunheng began vying for the position of Crown Prince a few years ago, Li Yunye knew this day would come, so she usually avoided such matters whenever possible and never got involved.
But Xiao Wan'er didn't think that way. She hoped her son could become the Crown Prince, so she could rise to the position of Empress Dowager and never be bullied or at the mercy of others again. "My son! I know you have no interest in this, but I still want to say, this position of Crown Prince... it's not necessarily going to be his forever, is it? As long as the Emperor hasn't... who knows who will win?"
Li Yunye looked helplessly at Xiao Wan'er and sighed, "This matter...we'll talk about it later! Mother, I won't be dining here today." With that, Li Yunye turned to leave.
Xiao Wan'er stood up and took two steps to follow, but Li Yunye walked too fast. "Yunye! Ye'er! Stop! Mother is doing this for your own good, for your own good!" Watching Li Yunye's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Xiao Wan'er slowly stopped at the palace gate. Behind her, A-Xing stood to the side, comforting her, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much... The Third Prince is grown up now, perhaps he has his own ideas."
"What's the use of having his own ideas! He's obsessed with poetry and songs every day, how can he become the crown prince? How can he enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory?" Xiao Wan'er stomped her foot hard, looking utterly disappointed.
"Your Majesty, please keep your voice down! Be careful what you say! The walls may hear you."
After Li Yunye left, he went to Li Wuyou's place. Li Wuyou comforted him, saying, "I'm afraid Consort Xiao just hopes her son will become a dragon among men. What mother in the world doesn't feel that way? Besides, if the concubines don't fight and scheme among themselves, what hope is there?" Li Wuyou pushed the dishes towards Li Yunye.
"Who said that? I think Consort Yun doesn't fight or scheme," Li Yunye was still somewhat resentful, feeling that vying for the throne was a very unwise choice, yet his mother kept pressuring him.
"Are you out of your mind? Why do you have to bring up Consort Yun? Is it because she doesn't fight or struggle? What does she have to fight for? Ninth Prince, you know she's a hopeless case, stubborn and inflexible. Her mother was of lowly birth, and if she doesn't try to curry favor with him, does she expect the Emperor to come looking for her?" The Consort Yun the Princess was referring to was Yun Lan, a palace maid in the late Empress's palace. After the Empress's death, she was assigned to Emperor Yun's side as a tea-serving maid. One rainy night, Emperor Yun, in a drunken stupor, had sex with her, and Yun Lan became pregnant. However, Yun Lan was a cold and aloof woman. She could have risen to prominence because of the Ninth Prince, but she ignored Emperor Yun. In the end, Emperor Yun, in a fit of anger, sent Yun Lan to the farthest Misty Forest Garden and never inquired about her and her child again.
"I just believe everyone has their own destiny! My eldest brother and fourth brother are destined to be emperors and generals, while I'm destined to live a life of leisure." Actually, sometimes Li Yunye envied the ninth brother. Nameless and unappreciated, he wouldn't be taken seriously no matter who became emperor. He could do what he liked and marry whoever he wanted. What was wrong with that?
Li Yunye gazed at the brightly lit palace outside, from which the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air. "What is this all about?"
"The fourth brother hired some dancers from outside, saying he researched the music himself," Li Wuyou said, chin in hand, gazing at the brightly lit Hall of Longevity. "It's been several days already."
"Aren't they tired? Even a family dinner has to be like this."
"Like you said... everyone has their own destiny!"
As the music from the Hall of Longevity lingered in his ears, Li Yunye stood up and said, "Elder sister, the palace is about to enter curfew, so I won't stay any longer." He glanced under the table behind him and whispered, "Sister, shouldn't he be leaving too?" Seeing Li Wuyou flinch, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, elder sister. You've watched me grow up. I won't reveal this. But if he doesn't leave now, and is discovered, it's a capital offense." Then he turned and left.
Seeing Li Yunye walk away, Li Wuyou quickly walked to the table and squatted down. "A-Tang, come out quickly, you must be feeling suffocated!"
“Our relationship was never accepted to begin with, so it’s already a blessing that Huaitang can still secretly meet with the princess in this way.” Looking at Huaitang’s slightly disheveled hair, Li Wuyou tidied it up for him and said with some heartache, “I’m fine, because Father has always doted on me because of Mother’s situation, but it’s you who have suffered.”
Huai Tang shook his head. He was currently just a minor sixth-rank Imperial Academy Doctor, not even qualified to attend court, let alone... Marry the princess. "Princess, please rest assured, I, Huai Tang, will definitely... I will definitely rise in rank and eventually marry you." Li Wuyou looked at Huai Tang, then turned and went back to the bedroom, taking out a purse and tying it to Huai Tang's waist. "Even if I am a high and mighty princess, with you, I am not afraid to retire to the mountains. If one day Father Emperor really does not agree to our marriage, I will elope with you. People in the palace say that my mother was also a maidservant of my father in the past, and in the end, the two of them lived in harmony for so many years. Why can't you and I?"
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