good season

Chapter 188 Preventing Him from Becoming Emperor (Two Chapters Combined)

The Fifth Prince's wife, who was disliked by the Fifth Prince, was still feeling aggrieved. Her ancestors were also military generals who followed the founding emperor in conquering the country. Unfortunately, her family's title only lasted for three generations. By her father's generation, there was only a fourth-rank military position granted by imperial grace.

The family members fought tooth and nail over this favor, almost resulting in a death. In the end, the military post fell to her father, who also secured a good marriage by marrying the eldest daughter of the Earl of Yan'an.

However, her father was not a good man. Her mother had a generous dowry, so her father simply gave up and drifted along in his fourth-rank military post. At first, the Earl of Yan'an had high hopes for this son-in-law and secured two jobs for him, but he failed to do well in either one. In a fit of anger, the Earl of Yan'an stopped caring about him.

However, Lady Yan'an still cared about her daughter and took her to the spring banquet at Princess Jianing's residence.

At that spring banquet, no one took a liking to her. Just when she was feeling disappointed, the emperor actually betrothed her to the fifth prince.

When they received the imperial edict, her whole family, as well as the relatives they didn't usually keep in touch with, were all stunned. Her appearance was only above average, and she was unknown in the circle of young ladies in the capital. Her background was also ordinary. Although she had the Yan'an Marquis's family as her maternal family, she was only a granddaughter of the maternal family, not the legitimate granddaughter of the Yan'an Marquis's family.

It wasn't until later, when she entered the palace and met Consort Shu, the birth mother of the Fifth Prince, that she learned some of the details.

Consort Shu originally had her eye on Deng Minmin, the niece of the Duke of Dingguo's family, who was Deng Zheng's cousin.

However, Emperor Yongjia did not agree to the marriage, and the Duke of Dingguo's family hurriedly arranged a marriage for Deng Minmin.

After a tearful outburst, Consort Shu had no choice but to accept it in the end.

She was chosen because of her "calm and gentle" demeanor at the spring banquet that day.

Actually, it's just that she looks very well-behaved and obedient, making her easy to manipulate.

Of course, she gradually came to understand the latter part of the sentence after getting married, but she didn't know it at the time. She was even complacent because of the words "calm and gentle" and thought that she was really someone who had been carefully chosen.

After her wedding, she met her maternal grandmother, the Earl of Yan'an, twice.

Lady Yan'an sighed as she looked at her and said, "Fortunately, Fifth Master doesn't seem to be able to sit in that position. In that case, your life will be good. Like the Princess Consort of Fu, it is a blessing accumulated over several lifetimes."

The words of the Lady of Yan'an were said to be expressions of emotion, but in reality, they were meant to awaken her.

After much thought, she finally understood that as long as the Fifth Prince did not become emperor, she would still be the Fifth Prince's wife. If the Fifth Prince were to be enfeoffed as a king in the future, she would become a princess. As long as the Fifth Prince did not act recklessly, she would become an extremely wealthy and noble old lady, just like the Princess Consort of Fu.

But if the Fifth Prince becomes emperor, the position of empress will not be hers.

She is the first wife, and there's no way she'll be divorced, but she can die.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, a powerful in-law family becomes his support. This in-law family can either be like the maternal family of the retired emperor's empress, a leader in the literary world; or like the current chief minister Feng, the head of the court; or like the maternal family of the founding emperor's empress Gao, who helped the founding emperor expand his territory and establish his career.

Even Consort Qiao, who enjoyed the emperor's favor, could not attain the position of Empress despite her lifelong struggle.

When the emperor was young, he needed a wife's family that could help him secure his throne. Since Consort Qiao's background was not prominent, he made a woman from a high-ranking family the empress.
Later, the empress died, and the emperor already had several sons. He needed an empress who could stabilize the harem and would not covet the throne. Consort Qiao had given birth to a son, so the emperor chose a successor empress who had no children.

The Fifth Prince's Consort knew in her heart that, in terms of family background, her family was not qualified, and she herself had neither a reputation for virtue nor a reputation for beauty. Apart from the empty title of Fifth Prince's Consort, she had nothing.

She was far inferior to Consort Qiao, who enjoyed the Emperor's favor, while the Fifth Prince never gave her a kind look.

The Fifth Prince's wife lacked foresight and political acumen. She firmly remembered her maternal grandmother's words: as long as the Fifth Prince did not become emperor, she would have a good life.

But if the Fifth Prince becomes emperor, there will only be one word waiting for her—death!

She didn't want to die. She had never enjoyed any happiness in her life. Before she married into the royal family, she couldn't even afford a complete set of headdresses. The only silk dress she owned came from her mother's dowry.

Now, she has five or six sets of expensive jewelry. During festivals, the silver workshop will send her new jewelry to choose from. Her clothes are made in batches. Once a new dress is worn to a banquet, it will not be worn again. She never dared to dream of such a life before.

Therefore, she dreamed of living such a life forever.

She didn't have a powerful maternal family, nor did she have the ability to help the Fifth Prince ascend the throne. However, she firmly believed that as long as she was cautious and hardworking enough, she could definitely prevent the Fifth Prince from sitting on the dragon throne!
The unfamiliar servant boy that Changming brought today caught the attention of the Fifth Prince's wife.

Although she had a maid who climbed into her bed, she also had several others who were loyal to her. These were all prepared for her by her maternal grandmother. Even the maid who climbed into her bed was carefully trained by her maternal grandmother to secure her favor.

Rather than letting the Fifth Prince sleep with those vixens, she'd rather he sleep with her own maid. She can't control the vixens, but she can control the maid's whole family.

The Fifth Prince's Consort returned to her courtyard and immediately sent someone to inquire about the unfamiliar servant.

The servant's name was quickly found out. After all, although the servant had entered through the back door, the Fifth Prince's residence was not a place where just anyone could enter.

The servant's name was Fan Shun'er; he was from the Fan family in the west of the city.

The Fifth Prince's Consort hurriedly instructed her maid to inform her servants outside the mansion. Although her dowry was not lavish, she still had three servant families, all of whom had young, strong, and clever men.

The information the caregiver found was quickly delivered to her.

The Fan family, the Fan family from the Wu region.

The Fifth Prince's wife thought of someone: among the young ladies who accompanied the Third Prince's wife at the Spring Banquet, there was one surnamed Fan.

Fan Qiuyun!
The Fifth Prince's wife paced around in the room, thinking, "That damned woman, besides Feng Yalan, she's also hooked up with Fan Qiuyun!"
Both of them were people serving the Third Prince's Consort, Feng Jiahe.

What is that bastard thinking? She may not be smart, but even a fool could figure it out.

No, we can't let him succeed!
She had heard that the Fan family was wealthy, and that they also had a prestigious connection with the Liang Prince's Mansion.

The eldest princess of the Liang Prince's Mansion is about to marry into the capital. Whose family will she be marrying into? It's the Duke of Wei's Mansion!

The Duke of Wei's mansion held a far greater position in the eyes of the emperor than her maternal family, the Marquis of Yan'an.

Zhao Yunnuan only had one younger sister, who was said to be a female Taoist priestess who had been a nun since childhood. She lived far away in Liang. When Zhao Yunnuan became the heir apparent of the Duke of Wei's mansion, she had no relatives or friends. Her closest relative was her distant cousin, Fan Qiuyun.

So Fan Qiuyun doesn't just have a wealthy maternal family; she also has Yan Xia, her brother-in-law!

In this way, Yan Xia and the Duke of Wei's mansion would become the Fifth Prince's people.

The Fifth Prince's wife's simple head suddenly had a few more wrinkles.

She understood one thing: Feng Yalan becoming a concubine was a fact. If Fan Qiuyun also became the Fifth Prince's concubine, then the Fifth Prince would not only have Chief Minister Feng as his father-in-law, but also Yan Xia as his brother-in-law. Not only Yan Xia, but also the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Prince of Liang's mansion!
Good heavens, even the Third Prince is no match for him!
The Fifth Prince's wife trembled with fear at the thought. Would she even be able to eat dumplings for the New Year?

No way, she's not far from death.

No, we must stop him, we absolutely must!
The Fifth Prince's wife sobbed for a while, then wiped away her tears. She didn't have time to cry anymore; she had to think of a way to shatter that damned bastard's dream!
Why become the crown prince? Which of the previous two crown princes had a good ending?
One grave is overgrown with weeds, and the other has become the Prince of Jing, never to return to the capital in this lifetime.

She should just be a prince and live a life of leisure and wealth. The last time she saw the Princess Consort of Fu, she was fair-skinned and plump, and the emerald pendant she wore around her neck was so big it could kill someone.

Waaaaa, this is the life she wants!
The Fifth Prince was swinging his toes, in a great mood, completely unaware that someone under the same roof was racking their brains for his future.

At this moment, the Feng residence was solemn. The maids walked carefully, afraid of making the slightest sound and displeasing their masters.

The two cats jumped onto the roof one after the other and dug and dug between the tiles. In no time, they had dug out a hole about the width of a finger.

"How exactly did you fall into the water?" The question came from a bearded man; his voice was calm yet authoritative.

After a long silence, the pale-faced young woman said softly, "It was undoubtedly Lang Yuyu who hit my daughter, and the person who pushed her must have been Fan Qiuyun. My daughter has thought about it carefully, and it must have been her."

The man stood up. All he wanted was an answer, and now that he had it, nothing else mattered.

"You should focus on recovering and wait to become a concubine in the Fifth Prince's residence. Don't be discouraged. This position as a concubine is not a disgrace to you."

The young woman's voice was calm and indifferent, as if she were talking about something else entirely.

“My daughter knows, and she’s not suicidal.”

Feng Ke walked out of Feng Yalan's courtyard expressionlessly. The autumn wind brought a chill, and Feng Ke let out a long breath.

Things had gotten out of his control, but that didn't matter; it was just a pity for his daughter, Feng Yalan.

He still liked this daughter very much. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was gentle, dignified, and sensible. If she married Yang Shengqiu, she would definitely be able to contribute to the family in the future.

But now
If the Fifth Prince were to give up and stop making progress, that would be fine. But if he harbored such intentions, then this daughter would be nothing more than a useless son.

In fact, it would only take him a word to kill Feng Yalan right now, but Feng Yalan cannot die or be deposed, otherwise what would the emperor think?
"Master, Scholar Yang is here!" A servant boy of seven or eight years old ran into the inner courtyard.

Feng Ke was not surprised. He said calmly, "He should be here soon."

The news of Feng Yalan falling into the water and the news of Feng Yalan becoming the fifth prince's concubine reached Yang Shengqiu's ears at the same time.

He was first taken aback, and then an overwhelming hatred welled up in his heart.

He wouldn't believe that falling into the water was an accident, nor would he believe that Feng Yalan deliberately fell into the water.

Someone is plotting this!
The person who plotted against him was definitely not him, but the Third Prince.

However, this scheme also planted a seed of enmity on his head.

He was the top scholar in the imperial examination, a flawless scholar, but now, he has a flaw, and Feng Yalan is that flaw!
After his initial shock and anger subsided, Yang Shengqiu calmed down. He straightened his clothes, walked to the mirror, thought for a moment, dipped his finger in the inkstone, applied a dot to his eyes, and then carefully blended it out.

The person in the mirror looked more haggard, and even their eyes were filled with helplessness and melancholy.

Yang Shengqiu was very satisfied with his reflection in the mirror. Western mirrors are really great; they reflect every detail of a person.

He bought this mirror at a high price; he has very high standards for himself, both inside and out.

At this moment, Yang Shengqiu, standing in front of Feng Ke, was no longer the gentle and refined man she once was. She looked haggard and disheveled, with unyielding sorrow in her eyes.

Feng Ke sighed. He didn't believe that Yang Shengqiu truly had feelings for Feng Yalan, but he was sure that Yang Shengqiu was uncomfortable. Anyone would feel the same way. A woman who was about to be married suddenly became someone else's concubine. This was more than just a blow; for a man, it was a humiliation.

Unfortunately, the person who stole his wife was someone he couldn't afford to offend, which amplified the humiliation tenfold or a hundredfold.

Feng Ke: "Have you heard about it?"

After a long pause, Yang Shengqiu finally managed to squeeze out three words: "I've heard about it."

Her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, a stark contrast to her usual gentle and refined manner.

Feng Ke shook his head. He was still too young; the slightest setback had made him react like this.

However, this made Yang Shengqiu even more reassuring to him.

If the twenty-year-old Yang Shengqiu displayed the composure of a thirty-year-old and the experience of a forty-year-old, he would not dare to use him with confidence.

"After the New Year, you can go to the Ministry of Revenue. I've made room for you there. It will be a bit tough, but you'll also learn a lot."

Yang Shengqiu was overjoyed. He had just received news a couple of days ago that the Third Prince would be going to the Ministry of Revenue to observe government affairs after the New Year.

Don't underestimate the Ministry of Revenue. It is indeed a very demanding job, but it is the emperor's purse. The emperor would not easily send someone to the Ministry of Revenue to observe government affairs unless they are a trusted prince.

The former Crown Prince, now Prince Jing, only stayed in the Ministry of Revenue for a month. As for the Third Prince, he went to the Ministry of Revenue but was sent to other places in less than ten days. This time, the Emperor wants the Third Prince to stay in the Ministry of Revenue for at least half a year.

Now, Chief Minister Feng is sending him to the Ministry of Revenue, which means he wants him to stay by the side of the Third Prince.

However, Yang Shengqiu knew that the vacancy in the Ministry of Revenue was not something that had just appeared in the last two days. Feng Ke had already decided to send him to the Ministry of Revenue to work with the Third Prince. Even without the incident of Feng Yalan falling into the water, the position would have been his.

Now that he has lost a marriage, all he has gained in return is this opportunity, which Yang Shengqiu finds somewhat laughable.

He bowed deeply to the ground: "I will certainly do my job diligently and live up to my teacher's kindness in guiding me."

Feng Ke smiled and said, "As for your marriage, there's no need to rush. I'll keep it in mind."

Yang Shengqiu thanked him again, but Feng Ke stopped him, saying, "Before the Emperor, I will speak well of you."