Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the east courtyard, Wang Ziteng sipped his tea with relish while observing the layout of Jia Lian's entrance hall.

After two years of patrolling the border, he found that life in the capital was still the most comfortable.

Just as he was listing the key matters he needed to discuss with Jia Lian later, a young man in a python robe walked in with his head held high.

Prince Teng was stunned for a moment, and after looking closely, he realized who it was. He then quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your subject, Prince Teng, pays his respects to the Fourth Prince."

"Yes, Lord Wang, you may dispense with the formalities."

The fourth prince pretended to help Prince Teng up, then plopped down in the head seat and pulled out a covered bowl from the table, pouring himself half a bowl of tea.

It wasn't that he was thirsty, but rather that he hadn't figured out how to complete the task Jia Lian had assigned him.

Wang Ziteng was puzzled. Wasn't this the Jia family mansion? Wasn't he supposed to be seeing Jia Lian? Where did this fourth prince come from?

Having come from a scholarly background, he adhered to the proper etiquette of a subject, and since the Fourth Prince had not spoken, he simply stood to the side.

After the fourth prince had thought about it for a while without coming up with a solution, he turned around and saw Wang Ziteng standing there blankly. He immediately said, "What are you doing standing there? Sit down."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Prince Teng then took his seat.

The fourth prince curled his lip, realizing that his suspicions were indeed correct; dealing with these people was simply too troublesome.

"Ahem, um, you're Lord Wang, right? I heard you're going to join the cabinet as a regent?"

"I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's grace in granting me entry into the cabinet. However, the court has not yet issued an official document regarding this matter. How did Your Highness learn of this?"

"Well, I have my own methods, so you don't need to ask."

Wang Ziteng smiled; he naturally guessed that it was Jia Lian who told the Fourth Prince.

He was puzzled. He came to see Jia Lian, but Jia Lian did not show up. Instead, it was the Fourth Prince who came out. What was the explanation for this?

Something unusual must be going on. Prince Teng was a man who had seen a lot, so he didn't ask any questions rashly. He believed that the Fourth Prince would definitely tell him on his own.

As expected, after waiting for a long time without seeing any response from Wang Ziteng, the Fourth Prince lost his patience and decided to get straight to the point.

Do you know why I have come here, and why I have come to see you?

"This subject does not know, and hopes Your Highness will explain."

"That's right. Jia Lian said that you will soon be entering the cabinet to take charge of government affairs, and you will definitely have a place in the future court."

I'm here today to get you to state your position.

"What stance does Your Highness wish for me to take?"

"It's a choice between Prince Yun and my fifth brother."

"choose?"

Wang Ziteng blinked. If he understood correctly, the Fourth Prince was asking him to choose sides.

Is it really that direct?

Furthermore, why the fifth prince? How old is he?

"Please forgive my dullness, Your Highness, for I have failed to understand your meaning."

The fourth prince was a little unhappy. He felt that he had made his point so clear, how could Prince Teng not understand? Was he just pretending to be stupid?

"That's right. When Prince Yun and my fifth brother compete for the position of crown prince in the future, I hope that you, Lord Wang, will support my fifth brother."

Wang Ziteng frowned deeply. Although he had heard that the Fourth Prince was uneducated and acted recklessly, he never expected it to be like this.

Is this a topic I can discuss directly with him?

They don't even know each other well, so how did it come to the point of "forming cliques for personal gain"?

"Your Highness, you flatter me. The position of Crown Prince is a matter of national importance. Whether it is Prince Yun or the Fifth Prince, it is His Majesty's decision, and it is not something that I, your humble servant, can influence."

"What you say makes sense... but my father sometimes listens to the opinions of you ministers, doesn't he?"

The Fourth Prince sensed Wang Ziteng's attempt to evade responsibility. Remembering that Wang Ziteng had not participated in the Iron Net Mountain Incident and certainly did not know what the Third Prince had done, he added, "Prince Yun appears humble and kind on the surface, but is actually vicious and cunning at heart."

In this incident at Tiewang Mountain, the Crown Prince had already suffered a defeat, and my father had no intention of killing him. He simply ordered his men to capture the Crown Prince and bring him back for questioning.

However, Prince Yun took the initiative to take on the heavy responsibility of arresting the prince under the pretext of sharing the burden of his father and emperor. But behind the scenes, he used a conspiracy to kill the crown prince outside Iron Net Mountain!

How can such a heartless, ruthless, and vicious person be worthy of being the Crown Prince of my Great Wei and the future ruler of all people?

Surely Lord Wang wouldn't want the king he serves in the future to be a treacherous and wicked person?

The fourth prince practically gritted his teeth as he spoke these words. In truth, if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes that day, he wouldn't have believed that his third brother would do such a thing!

As a result, in the days that followed, he wanted to rush to Prince Yun's residence countless times to question and berate the Third Prince.

However, he heard that Emperor Ningkang had whipped him so severely that night that the Third Prince was still unable to get out of bed, so he barely managed to endure it.

The speaker gritted his teeth, but the listener didn't react much.

Although I don't know the full story of what happened that day, even the Fourth Prince said so, so it must be true that the Third Prince killed his brother.

Wang Ziteng simply sighed inwardly, not finding it too strange.

A glance at history books reveals countless stories far more outrageous and insidious than this.

Otherwise, why would it be said that there are no kinship ties in the imperial family?

Wang Ziteng began to understand why the Fourth Prince was there and why he was saying those things.

"This matter is of great importance. Does Your Highness have any evidence to support your claim?"

"What, you don't believe me? You think I would lie to you?"

"No, no, no, this old minister simply feels that since this matter concerns Prince Yun's reputation, it is better to be cautious. Before the court has investigated the matter thoroughly and His Majesty has issued an edict, Your Highness should refrain from speaking."

"you!"

The fourth prince slammed his hand on the tea table, glared at Prince Teng, and was about to storm off.

Finally remembering that she still had a mission to complete, and too lazy to argue with Wang Ziteng, she sat down again and snorted, "Whether you believe it or not, what I said is true."

My elder sister, Jia Lian, and I all felt that Prince Yun was unworthy of being the crown prince.

We have discussed and decided to work together to help my fifth brother ascend the throne.

You are Jia Lian's brother-in-law, and your Wang family and the Jia family are known as the four great families of the old capital. We will not treat you as an outsider.

Give me a straight answer today: are you joining us or not?

Wang Ziteng immediately found the sound grating and felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

He truly couldn't understand the Fourth Prince.

After hesitating for a moment, he swiftly stood up, walked to the hall door, and peeked outside.

The area outside the hall was eerily quiet; there was no one within ten steps, not even his two attendants.

The entire front courtyard was eerily quiet, with only a few Jia family guards standing watch at a distance.

Wang Ziteng breathed a sigh of relief. He had really thought that he had just escaped one storm only to be immediately drawn into another, his life hanging in the balance.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Wang Ziteng thought to himself.

Given the Fourth Prince's dim-witted nature, he certainly wouldn't make these arrangements. It must have been Jia Lian's doing to prevent outsiders from overhearing the Fourth Prince's treasonous words.

Therefore, it must have been Jia Lian who arranged the meeting between the Fourth Prince and him, and the Fourth Prince's statement that they would work together to support the Fifth Prince to ascend the throne may not be entirely untrue.

He began to ponder Jia Lian's true intentions.

Regardless of whether the Third Prince's murder of his brother is true or not, even if it is true, as long as Emperor Ningkang does not punish him or depose him, he is the only choice for Crown Prince!

It wasn't just because the third prince was the eldest in his family.

Since Emperor Ningkang ascended the throne, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince have been engaged in open and covert struggles, each building up their own faction.

In the eyes of all the court officials, the one who will sit on that position in the future will either be the Crown Prince or the Third Prince.

Now that the Crown Prince is dead, the Third Prince has become the only candidate.

This is also why Feng Sheng dared not accept the Tian family's petition that day; he was unwilling to offend the Third Prince under such circumstances.

Now, how difficult it is for Jia Lian and others to use the fifth prince, who is not yet ten years old, to oppose the third prince.

and many more.

I've only ever heard that Jia Lian and the Fourth Prince are close friends, but I've never heard of any interaction between Jia Lian and the Fifth Prince.

The age difference between them also meant that Jia Lian was unlikely to have any connection with the Fifth Prince.

Why would Jia Lian take such a huge risk to abandon the Third Prince and side with the Fifth Prince?

Could it be that he wants to become like Yi Yin and Huo Guang, supporting the young emperor and seizing power for himself?

Wang Ziteng shook his head.

Although Jia Lian seems to be favored by Emperor Ningkang, and has even become the only non-royal duke in the dynasty at a young age, he is still far from becoming a Yi Yin or Huo Guang!

The system of the dynasty also determined that it was unlikely that such a person would appear again.

Therefore, Jia Lian's choice doesn't make sense, unless...

Wang Ziteng's gaze fell on the fourth prince, whose eyes were filled with eager anticipation.

Seeing no sign of the Fourth Prince feigning anything, Prince Teng pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Your Highness's meaning is clear to me."

However, this matter is of great importance, and I am not able to make up my mind for the time being. I beg Your Highness to give me some time to consider it further.

Although he didn't receive a satisfactory answer, the Fourth Prince understood that it was good that the other party hadn't rejected him. As he said, after all, the matter was quite significant.

If he were to agree to join them in undertaking such a significant undertaking without a second thought, he would doubt whether they were truly so honest. After all, he knew that most people in the world were scoundrels, and those as purely righteous as him and Jia Lian were few and far between.

His mission is now complete; he has represented the Fifth Prince in expressing his high regard for Prince Teng. Whether he can completely win over Prince Teng is now up to Jia Lian.

"Alright, I won't force you. After you return to the capital, you can inquire further and you'll know whether I lied to you or not."

I'm confident you'll make the right choice then, and won't let a villain steal the imperial artifact!

"Yes, Your Highness, this old minister will heed your teachings..."

"..."

They looked at each other in silence. The fourth prince stood up and said, "You sit here. I'll go out for a walk."

Seeing the Fourth Prince leave impatiently and awkwardly, Wang Ziteng hadn't even had time to process the shock the Fourth Prince had given him when he heard the Fourth Prince's angry voice ring out from the doorway: "Where are they? Where have they all gone? Well, it was just a few words, and you're all shirking your duties, huh? Just wait and see how I deal with you all later..."

Wang Ziteng's expression froze, and he rejected Jia Lian's guess that the person he truly wanted to support was the Fourth Prince.