12dz Chapter 355
Chapter 355
[Among all the brothers, apart from the eldest prince who had military merits, he was the second to be granted the title of King.Therefore, Xie Zhiyao naturally assumed that this Prince Yi was favored and had hope of inheriting the throne in the future.
So when she heard that someone was scheming against Xi Yuanshan's marriage, she thought it was because his favor had attracted competitors who didn't want him to have a powerful wife's family as support.
But she didn't know that Xi Yuanshan was just an add-on; the real mastermind behind the scenes had always wanted to scheme against her marriage.]
"With Xie Zhiyao's temper, knowing she married someone with no hope for the throne, wouldn't she raise hell?"
[At first, she endured it. After giving birth to her eldest son with Xi Yuanshan in Western Qiang and establishing her foothold, she naturally wasn't content to stop there.
Upon learning that Xi Yuanshan was actually Xi Yan's biological son, she felt her husband still had a fighting chance for the throne.
Thus, the first person she wanted to ally with was Xi Yuanshan's biological brother and cousin, Xi Ling.
The two communicated frequently in private. When this was exploited by those with ulterior motives, it reached Xi Yuanshan's ears that not only did Xi Ling have an affair with his princess consort, but the conspiracy back then was also orchestrated by the two of them.]
"That logic doesn't quite hold up. Did Xi Yuanshan actually believe it? Xie Zhiyao really makes me look at her in a new light; the strong never complain about their circumstances.
In this battle for the throne, she fights when she has the conditions, and when she doesn't, she creates them to fight anyway. Her dedication to her goals is truly admirable!"
The sovereign and ministers of Great Yan exchanged glances. The Junior Preceptor was at it again; her focus was always different from theirs. After so many times, this group of shrewd veterans who had played politics for years couldn't help but wonder: was this the difference between mortals and gods?
[Exactly. In just over a year, even without knowing the deeper relationship between Xi Ling and Xi Yuanshan, relying on her intuition and sharpness, she could see that while Xi Ling appeared favored, Xi Yan actually seemed guarded against him. His chances of being named the heir in the future were actually quite slim, which was why she sought him out for an alliance.
She wasn't the only one who noticed; Xi Ling himself had sensed it long ago.
So when Xie Zhiyao approached Xi Ling to collaborate, the two hit it off immediately.
Master, are you going to ask why it wasn't Xi Ling and Xi Yuanshan collaborating, but rather Xie Zhiyao, the Princess Consort, working with him?]
Yue Fuguang nodded. She did indeed have that question, along with another: "Does Xie Zhiyao really have that much power? Can a mere princess consort represent the entire Prince Yi's estate?"
[Master, there is only one reason. In the eyes of outsiders, Xi Yuanshan is hopelessly love-struck! Exactly the kind of hopelessly romantic fool you're thinking of.
After being schemed against by various parties into marrying Xie Zhiyao, he turned around wanting to marry his childhood sweetheart as a secondary consort, only to find that she had already married someone else in Nanzhao.
Heartbroken, Xi Yuanshan always had a strained relationship with Xie Zhiyao, the official princess consort who was also a victim of the 'scheming'.
Later, he consecutively took in many concubines who resembled his childhood sweetheart.]
Good heavens! Yue Fuguang practically shouted "good heavens." Classic, this was just too classic!
Having time-traveled for so many years, she never expected to be lucky enough to see the protagonist of a switched-marriage and substitute-lover trope in real life.
She glanced down at Xi Yuanshan. His appearance was indeed not bad. Although he didn't have the classic male lead look, in one's own story, who isn't a protagonist?
Seeing his measured speech and polite demeanor, she hadn't expected him to be a love-struck fool straight out of a substitute-lover novel. She just didn't know if he was genuinely love-struck or if it was just a persona!
According to the usual plot development, wouldn't this Xi Yuanshan eventually stage a sudden realization of regret, where the pure white moonlight becomes a smeared mosquito blood stain?
After a long period of companionship and entanglement, he would finally realize he had already fallen in love with his Princess Consort, Xie Zhiyao, right?
So Yue Fuguang couldn't help but ask her question: "Little Zhu, could it be that Xi Yuanshan later realized he had fallen in love with Xie Zhiyao, and then upon hearing she was close to his brother, got jealous and deliberately caused trouble for Xi Ling?"
[Uh... Master, according to the information Little Zhu has obtained so far, the one Xi Ling currently favors the most is his Concubine Pang.
And Xi Yuanshan still doesn't know that this beloved concubine of his, who looks seventy to eighty percent like his childhood sweetheart, is actually Xie Zhiyao's person.]
Yue Fuguang's jaw almost dropped. This plot twist was too unexpected. "Xie Zhiyao's person? Isn't she afraid that this woman who resembles her husband's white moonlight will rely on his favor to establish a foothold and seize her power?
Rearing a tiger to invite calamity is not an uncommon occurrence."
Just how strong Xie Zhiyao's desire for power and control was, the sovereign and ministers of Great Yan knew all too well.
When many noble ladies were still studying food, clothing, and jewelry, she had already participated in her father's grand rebellion.
When other young ladies were planning their marriages, she had already become the core strength of the rebel army, even wanting to use her own marriage to serve the grand cause of the rebellion.
Would such a woman allow someone to challenge her position as the mistress of the prince's estate?
After all, in this society, a husband's favor could still affect the vital interests of herself and her children.
[Does Master think that someone as smart as Xie Zhiyao wouldn't have a backup plan?
Long before Xie Zhiyao personally sent this Concubine Pang to her husband's bed, she had already secretly given her a sterilizing potion.
[Although this drug isn't the exact same kind used by the Xue brothers and Ling Yuanhang, it's enough to ensure Concubine Pang will never bear a child.]
"Does Concubine Pang know she's been given a sterility drug?"
It could only be said that Xie Zhiyao still couldn't grasp the main point. If you have a sterility drug, you should just give it to Xi Yuanshan!
As long as Xi Yuanshan, the source, was around, even if Concubine Pang couldn't give birth, weren't there other secondary consorts and concubines?
She really ought to learn from the Xue brothers and Gan Tang.
Thinking of Gan Tang, Yue Fuguang happened to see her raising a cup to offer a toast. Yue Fuguang smiled in response.
[Naturally, she doesn't know. Otherwise, why would she willingly act as Xie Zhiyao's pawn?
Because in her heart, she still hopes to give birth to a child and rely on the child and the Prince's favor to rise in status!
So the current situation in Prince Yi's estate is that Xi Yuanshan enjoys life while Princess Consort Xie Zhiyao is responsible for 'conquering the world.'
Xie Zhiyao did indeed use a little honey trap during her cooperation with Xi Ling, but the two of them are completely innocent.
However, the mastermind behind the scenes deliberately misled Xi Yuanshan, allowing his people to find 'evidence' intentionally left behind to trick him into believing the two had a long-standing illicit affair. They made him think that for the sake of the throne, they didn't hesitate to scheme against his marriage. After all, Xi Ling had visited Great Yan long ago, so it wasn't surprising that they knew each other. All of this was done to sabotage the cooperation between the two parties.]
The ruler and ministers of Great Yan nodded secretly. In the struggle for power, there had always been open plots and hidden schemes. Although doing this was a bit underhanded, they would have chosen to do the same if it were them.
After all, spreading rumors was the lowest-cost and easiest-to-operate tactic in a game of strategy. Sometimes, you didn't even need evidence.
Yue Fuguang was obviously well-prepared for this kind of thing. She asked, "Little Zhu, is the mastermind you mentioned the same person who schemed against their marriage?"
[Master, you should ask if it's the same group of people.]
Yue Fuguang raised an eyebrow. "You mean this is a group crime?"
Seeing Yue Fuguang take the bait, the system chuckled and said, [Master, it's not one group, it's two groups! There's an outer layer and an inner layer.]