good season

Chapter 167 Nothing Could Be Better (Two Chapters Combined)

Among the latest batch of goods from Master Zhen is a mirror with a mechanism. The mirror has an enamel shell, adorned with flowers inlaid with pearls and gemstones. Pressing the core of one of the flowers will cause it to unfold like a butterfly's wings, revealing a mirror made of Western glass inside. Pressing the core of another flower will cause a comb inlaid with gold and jade to pop out.

Besides the mirror, there was also a round fan. The fan was exquisitely crafted and extremely delicate. However, what was even more unique was the pattern on the fan surface. When viewed from the front, it showed a hundred flowers in full bloom, but when viewed from the side, it showed a lotus pond under the moonlight.

The Third Prince glanced at them briefly, but he knew that Consort Qiao would definitely like them if they were presented to her.

Although Eunuch Jin spent several days in the Ministry of Justice's prison, everyone in the Ministry treated him with great courtesy. During those days in prison, although he did not receive the same preferential treatment as Zhu Yu, he did not suffer any hardship either. When he came out, he was clean and tidy. Therefore, after returning to the Prince's residence, he only rested for one night before returning to serve the Third Prince.

Upon seeing these two items, he smiled and said, "The Imperial Noble Consort will surely like them. Only Young Master Zhen could obtain such rare items."

The Third Prince nodded. Zhen Gui was a capable man. This shipping business was extremely profitable. Although it was his first time investing, the profits he had made far exceeded his expectations. No wonder the Marquis of Baoqing's mansion was making a fuss about splitting up the family business. The Zhu brothers, Zhu Qing and Zhu Xin, had been doing business with Zhen Gui since he first arrived in the capital. Although they didn't have much capital and couldn't earn much, after a few deals, they now had the confidence to split up the family business.

Thinking of the Zhu brothers, the Third Prince thought of the Fifth Prince, and felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction.

He only learned later by chance that the first person Zhen Gui met after arriving in the capital was Deng Zheng, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo; the second was Zhu Qing, who served as Deng Zheng's attendant; and the third was Eunuch Wang, who served the fifth prince!

Long before the noble sons of the capital knew who Zhen Gui was, Eunuch Wang had already invested in the shipping business. Although it was only a medium-sized ship, and Eunuch Wang was just testing the waters with a small stake, the fifth son earned tens of thousands of taels of silver that time.

However, the fifth brother did not utter a single word about it to anyone else, not even to him.

He learned about Zhen Gui from Deng Zheng, and by then it had been several months since Lao Wu had invested. During those months, Lao Wu had earned seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver with Zhen Gui.

What the third prince found most intolerable was that the fifth prince did business with Zhen Gui for the first time when he was out of the capital to review the troops on behalf of his father.

Actually, he left people behind when he left, but the Fifth Prince did it too secretly. Although the people from the Third Prince's residence found out that Eunuch Wang had gone to Ruyi Pavilion alone to see someone, they investigated later but found nothing.

He was too busy at the time and didn't take the report to heart after hearing it.

Of the nine princes, leaving aside the younger ones, the princes who are most in need of money are the crown prince and the third prince.

The Crown Prince, holding the title of the Eastern Palace, already received more resources than all his brothers. The Third Prince, on the other hand, had to recruit talent, incurring the greatest expenses. Although he had the Feng family as his in-laws, the Feng family, while prestigious, was not wealthy. Therefore, over the years, the Third Prince had frequently used Consort Qiao's private funds, making him the one most in need of money.

What does the fifth brother need so much silver for?
Thinking about what the fifth prince had done behind his back, the third prince felt a surge of anger. He felt that the fifth prince was no longer the younger brother who followed him around.

He ordered his men to put the two items into a brocade box and then went to the palace.

Since Eunuch Jin's incident, Consort Qiao has not seen the Third Prince. The mother and son are of one mind and both know that they absolutely cannot meet at that time, so as not to let the emperor think that they are discussing countermeasures. Only by remaining calm can they avoid falling into the vortex of self-justification.

Sure enough, the case was quickly resolved, and the Third Prince escaped unscathed.

Even so, Consort Qiao was still very uneasy.

Although the fourth prince was punished, the emperor's punishment chilled Consort Qiao's heart.

A year-long lockdown?
What kind of punishment is this?

The fourth brother is disabled; he won't go out even if he's not confined to his home.

The emperor is clearly showing favoritism!

It should be understood that if the fourth prince succeeds, both the crown prince and the third prince will face a catastrophe.

The fourth brother was practically causing a huge uproar, but he was only grounded?
Although Consort Qiao was angry, she was more gentle and considerate than ever before when facing Emperor Yongjia. She made no mention of the grievances suffered by the Third Prince, but her eyes were full of pity for the emperor.

Yes, the most heartbreaking thing for a father is his brother who has been widowed for so long. Who can truly understand him?

Therefore, if there is anyone in the palace who cares about the Emperor, it is Consort Qiao, not the Empress, and certainly not Consort Li, his birth mother.

Consort Qiao's understanding nature made Emperor Yongjia feel guilty, so he sent many things over. When the Third Prince entered, he was greeted by a dazzling array of jewels.

"Mother, Father has sent you something again." Everyone in the palace is trustworthy, so the Third Prince can call her Mother without any hesitation.

A hint of mockery flashed in Consort Qiao's eyes: "This is all he can give me."

The emperor couldn't give her the position of empress, nor could he simply give her the position of crown prince. All he could offer her were these gold and silver treasures.

For the emperor, gold and silver jewelry were the cheapest and simplest things to give compared to other things he could offer.

Consort Qiao was well aware of this. At her level, the measure of whether the emperor favored her was not whether he stayed overnight or how many gifts he sent.

At her age, she no longer wanted to have any more children. The emperor's hospitality was worthless to her, and gold and silver jewelry were equally worthless to the emperor.

Just like a simple girl from an ordinary family, before getting married, you can be attracted to a man who is rich and powerful, talented, handsome, virtuous, hardworking and brave, but you shouldn't be attracted to him because he is good to you. Because he can be good to you, he can also be good to others. Goodness is the least valuable thing, so people are most willing to give.

It's easy to say, but how many girls are asked: What's so good about him? What do you want from him?
The girl would blush, but her face would be stubborn: I don't want anything, I just want him to be good to me.

From a young age, Consort Qiao knew clearly what she wanted and what she could have. She also knew that pleasing the emperor was easy, but consistently pleasing him was very difficult.

Therefore, over the years, no matter how many young beauties were in the harem, she was always the most unique one in the emperor's heart.

But for her, this is still a very, very long way off.

She was willing to forgo being empress for the sake of her son, but her son was determined to become emperor.

Looking into Consort Qiao's eyes, at the weariness and anxiety that she only showed in front of him, the Third Prince hurriedly opened the two brocade boxes as if he had found a treasure.

"Mother, please look what your son has brought you!" He patiently showed Consort Qiao the wonders of the two items, and Consort Qiao finally smiled.

These two small items were far more valuable to her than the gold and jewels the emperor had sent her.

She fiddled with the two items, clearly fond of them, but her words were full of helplessness.

"I know why you're in such a hurry to go to the palace. Sigh, not to mention you, even Mother is so angry that she can't sleep all night."

The third prince said, looking aggrieved, "Mother, what do you think Father really means? The fourth prince did something that harmed his own siblings, yet he let it go so easily. Could it be that he still has high hopes for the fourth prince?"

Consort Qiao sneered: "High expectations? How could that be? There is one thing that I was not sure about at first, but I am sure about now."

The third prince hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

Consort Qiao said sarcastically, "Xiao Zhen's death and the fourth prince's leg injury were both caused by him. He feels guilty towards the fourth prince."

The Third Prince's lips twitched. Even a man like his father felt guilty towards his son.
However, his attention quickly shifted to another matter: "Why did Father Emperor do this to Xiao Zhen? Was it because of the Xiao family? But the Xiao family members are crippled and old and about to die, and none of their nephews and nieces are capable of taking on important responsibilities. The Xiao family has long been a mere shell of its former self. Why would Father Emperor need to take action against them?"

Consort Qiao felt a pang of sorrow. Her son was still too young and naive. Alas, if it weren't for Feng Ke's advice, he would have been tricked long ago.

"The Xiao family is nothing to fear, but the Liang region where the Xiao family resides is a major concern for your father."

The reason why the Third Prince was favored by Emperor Yongjia was partly because of Consort Qiao, and partly because he was the most intelligent and quick-witted among all the princes since childhood.

Therefore, when Consort Qiao said this, the Third Prince understood.

The Eighth Prince has always been a thorn in the Emperor's side.

The Emperor originally intended for the Liang Prince's Mansion and the Xiao Family to fight each other, so he could reap the benefits. Unfortunately, the Liang Prince died, and Xiao Zhen also died. The two families failed to fight, and instead, the Emperor had to let Zhao Tinghan go back.

"Mother, if I can reclaim Liang for Father, he will surely be overjoyed."

If Liangdi had been recovered from him, not only would the emperor be overjoyed, but he would have been able to completely crush the crown prince under his feet.

Consort Qiao chuckled: "Take back Liang? It's not that easy. Do you think you can take back Liang just by sending people to kill Zhao Tinghan? If that were the case, Liang would have been taken back when the old King of Liang died. Why has it been delayed until now? The Liang royal family is deeply entrenched. It's not something that can be resolved by the death of one or two people."

The Third Prince scoffed, "Zhao Tinghan is a sickly man, and Zhao Tingxuan is just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to indulge in romance. What's there to fear?"

Consort Qiao recalled the recent incident and felt it would be best to let the Third Prince know.

"The true power holder in the Liang Prince's Mansion now is not Zhao Tinghan, but Zhao Yunnuan, who unfortunately has a terrible relationship with her mother."

The third prince's eyes lit up as he listened; he had found a way to gain respect and prestige in front of his father.

"Isn't it just about marrying Zhao Yunnuan to the capital? That's easy. Come to think of it, why did you all think of Zhu Yu? And after Zhu Yu was castrated, no wonder Father was angry."

Consort Qiao sneered: "I brought this up a long time ago, but Consort Li wanted to take advantage of the situation and kept dragging it out. After dragging it out, Zhu Yu became a cripple, and only then did she bring up this marriage proposal. Ha, she's more trouble than she's worth."

The Third Prince said, "It's a pity that Zhao Yunnuan is a member of the imperial family. If it were Bei Yan or Nan Gui, this marriage would be much easier. However, it's not difficult now either. We can give the imperial family face, force Zhao Tinghan to agree, and prevent the censors from making any mistakes. We can't just focus on that good-for-nothing playboy, Zhu Yu."

Consort Qiao said, "Your father already has someone in his heart, but he hasn't made a decision yet."

The third prince hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"

"Yan Xia, the heir of the Duke of Wei." Consort Qiao's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The Third Prince paused, realizing that Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Tinghan were twins and must be quite old. Yan Xia was also unmarried, and the two families were distant relatives.

The Third Prince quickly analyzed the potential advantages and disadvantages of the marriage if it went through, and finally nodded: "This is a good marriage."

Consort Qiao looked at him: "How do you know?"

The Third Prince smiled and said, "Although the Yan family of the Duke of Wei's mansion may seem like rough men, they actually have very strict family rules. Although the descendants of the Yan family are only loyal to the emperor, they respect the founding emperor even more. The fiefdoms of the Eighth Prince were all bestowed by the founding emperor. If Father wants to take back Liang, the Yan family will definitely not agree. If they do not agree, a large number of people in the court will support them. However, if Zhao Yunnuan becomes the daughter-in-law of the Yan family, then in the future, whenever it concerns Liang, the Yan family will remain silent, and can only remain silent."

At this point, the Third Prince paused: "Father wanted Zhao Yunnuan to marry into the capital so that she would die here. But to get the Yan family to kill their daughter-in-law would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."

But what if we could find a way to make the Yan family believe that Zhao Yunnuan died at our hands?

Consort Qiao paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, clapped her hands and laughed, "Brilliant! At that time, the Yan family will have something on us. What kind of loyal minister is he? Just the crime of plotting against the royal bloodline will bring disgrace to the Yan family and their ancestors. At that time, my son, whether it is the Duke of Wei, Yan Xia, or those who follow the Yan family, they can all be used by you. What's more, the Yan family also has the Jingwei Camp in their hands."

The 50,000-strong Imperial Guard was the last line of defense for the Great Yong Dynasty, and the person who created the Imperial Guard camp was the first Duke of Wei.

For decades afterward, the Duke of Wei's mansion controlled the capital's guards until more than ten years ago, when the old Duke of Wei was on his deathbed, he returned the tiger tally of the capital's guards to the retired emperor.

Although the Imperial Guard Camp is no longer in the hands of the Yan family, the Yan family's influence remains. Although the officers in the Imperial Guard Camp have changed twice, the young generals trained by the old Duke of Wei are now in their prime. They are not only active in the Imperial Guard Camp, but can also be seen in other guard posts.

And this is the source of the confidence that the Duke of Wei, who pretends to be stupid all day long, and those brats of the Yan family had to go up to the roof of the Marquis of Baoqing's mansion and tear down the tiles.

The Third Prince's heart raced with excitement. He had tried to win them over before, but neither the Duke of Wei nor Yan Xia had taken the bait.

But if we can find something to hold against them, then things will be different.

Once the Duke of Wei's mansion is put to use by this prince, with the Feng family in civil affairs and the Yan family in military affairs, then who will be qualified to compete with him for the throne?
"Mother, please whisper in Father's ear. I will do everything I can to make this marriage happen, even while I'm outside the palace. Hahaha, this marriage is wonderful, there's nothing better than this!"

　It's done! It's almost done! My sister is going to the capital!
　　(End of this chapter)