12dz Chapter 354
Chapter 354
[How could he not be happy? If it weren't for Master's pregnancy-protecting medicine, the Crown Prince wouldn't have had a child so quickly, let alone such a healthy one.In the original timeline, he didn't have his first son until the eighth year of Yuankang. Because the Crown Princess was frightened during her pregnancy, the child was born prematurely and was sickly.
In the following years, the Crown Prince had no more children. Coupled with the favor shown to Old Nine Xie and his mother, and the manipulation of various factions, the Emperor, tormented by illness and growing increasingly muddled, lost trust in him, which shook his position as the Crown Prince.]
Emperor Mingxi and his son exchanged a glance; the doubts hidden in their hearts were finally somewhat unravelled.
Emperor Mingxi thought to himself that since he cared most about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, how could he have ever entertained the thought of changing the Crown Prince.
It turned out that behind his own muddle-headedness and the favor shown to that mother and son, there was also the reason that the older Crown Prince had been unable to produce a suitable heir.
Thinking of his healthy, adorable son and the Crown Princess's completely unharmed body, the Crown Prince raised his cup to Yue Fuguang and said, "Zhiyan toasts to you, Royal Aunt. If it weren't for the medicine you gifted, your nephew's wife would not have had such a smooth delivery."
Yue Fuguang had been conferred the title of a Prince of the First Rank. She was not of the Crown Prince's generation, but of the same generation as Emperor Mingxi.
Therefore, since then, the royal descendants, from Xie Zhiyan downwards, all addressed her as Royal Aunt or Little Aunt.
Yue Fuguang, who had been elevated by a generation out of nowhere, showed nothing on her face, but she was overjoyed in her heart.
"You flatter me, Crown Prince. It is all the Crown Princess's own good fortune."
As for saying it was what she ought to do as an elder, she would never say such things that would dig a hole for herself.
From the moment Xie Zhiyan called Yue Fuguang Royal Aunt, Fifth Prince Xie frowned imperceptibly, seemingly very resistant to this title.
Anyway, over the past two years, Yue Fuguang rarely saw him address her this way. Every time he saw her, he tried to hide, like a mouse meeting a cat.
After noticing his unusual behavior, Yue Fuguang once suspected that this guy was hiding some treacherous scheme, and even had the system investigate him thoroughly.
Finding that, aside from a few minor issues, he hadn't done anything to harm her, she tossed the matter aside.
Speaking of which, Fifth Prince Xie was already eighteen; why hadn't he taken a wife yet?
The Emperor might have forgotten, but could the Empress and his own biological mother have forgotten too?
Before she could figure out a reason, the system's voice rang in her ears, [Master, Xi Ling and Xi Yuanshan seem to be at odds!]
Yue Fuguang glanced at the two men drinking together. 'They look like they get along quite well. Where do you see them being at odds?'
[Because before they came to attend the banquet, they had a huge argument at the post house.]
'An argument?' Yue Fuguang looked at their harmonious appearance and simply couldn't see any signs that they had just fought not long ago.
She shook her head, 'I really can't tell. As expected, everyone who plays politics is a good actor.'
Yue Fuguang's words made Emperor Mingxi and his officials present blush unconsciously. They all took to drinking tea and eating food to alleviate the awkwardness in their hearts.
Even though they knew perfectly well that the Junior Preceptor wasn't talking about them, they couldn't help but feel guilty!
'Little Zhu, why did these two argue? They are biological brothers with one father as well as cousins. Logically, their relationship should be better than others.'
[Master, biological brothers in the royal family are competitors fighting for the family property. Just look at the princes and princesses of various countries who fight to the death, both openly and in secret, for the throne.
Cousins are people who covet your family property and want to take it for themselves. Just look at Emperor Mingxi and Sima Jing.
What's more, they might not even be aware of this layer of relationship.]
Emperor Mingxi, having just taken a sip of wine, nearly choked when he heard the name of Sima Jing, whose grave grass was already growing tall.
Eunuch Qian, standing two steps behind him, was ready to pound his master's back at any moment, but he didn't expect Emperor Mingxi to forcefully hold it in.
It was just that holding it back made his face a little red, and his throat and nose hurt a bit!
[As for the issue of having the same father, they actually both have their suspicions. It's just that their mothers are very tight-lipped and haven't changed a single word of their story from back then.
As for why they had a huge argument, it has to do with Princess Consort Yi.]
'Xie Zhiyao? What kind of trouble has she stirred up now?'
Over the past two years, the people assigned to watch her had frequently sent back news. For the first year or so after she got married, she was quite well-behaved.
Her marriage was plotted by the Western Qiang royal family. Knowing she had no one behind her to rely on, she went along with it, pretending not to know, and married Xi Yuanshan according to the Western Qiang royal family's arrangements.
During this process, she relied on her beautiful appearance to fully play the role of a timid and fragile victim.
If Yue Fuguang could have seen her makeup at that time, she would definitely have found it familiar, because every day she painted a look full of vulnerability, which certainly drew a lot of sympathetic gazes.
The only thing she didn't win over was the true heart of her husband, Xi Yuanshan.
[Does Master remember that Xie Zhiyao's original marriage alliance target was the Fourth Prince of Western Qiang, Xi Xiang?]
'I remember. Didn't you say that Xi Yuanshan and Xie Zhiyao were set up by someone, which was why they had to change the marriage alliance target?
Does this have anything to do with their argument?'
[Xi Yuanshan suspects that Xi Ling was involved in that conspiracy. Xi Ling naturally cried foul, but Xi Yuanshan seems to have found evidence. Xi Ling firmly denied it, so as they kept talking, they started arguing.]
'So did Xi Ling actually meddle in Xi Yuanshan's marriage or not? They've been married for three or four years now, and according to the intelligence reports, Xi Yuanshan's feelings for Xie Zhiyao aren't even as deep as Xi Ling's feelings for her. What's going on?'
[There is something Master doesn't know. Before Xi Yuanshan acknowledged his royal ancestry, he had a childhood sweetheart with whom he was about to discuss marriage.
Originally, Xi Yuanshan had agreed with that girl that he would return to marry her after acknowledging his family.
As a result of the power struggles within Western Qiang, Xi Yuanshan was recognized as an adopted son. To compensate him, the old Emperor conferred upon him the title of Prince.
This move naturally attracted the jealousy of Emperor Xi Yan's other sons, which led to that conspiracy.
And before the convoy even reached Western Qiang, Xie Zhiyao had used money to bribe a few people in the border welcoming party.
She learned that Xi Xiang, the man she was supposed to marry, was the least favored among Emperor Xi Yan's many sons. Xi Xiang himself was rather cowardly and had no ambitions.
Although his biological mother held the rank of one of the four principal consorts, she was in poor health year-round, rarely left her quarters, and the Emperor's favor towards her was only average.
Therefore, when Xie Zhiyao accidentally found out that someone was plotting against her and Xi Yuanshan, she decisively went along with the flow, and afterwards pretended to be a victim.]
'Since she knew someone was plotting, why didn't she avoid it? Didn't she know that although Xi Yuanshan holds the title of a Prince, his status as an adopted son makes it even harder for him to inherit the throne than Xi Xiang, an unfavored prince?'
Lacking a proper title and legitimate status perfectly describes Xi Yuanshan's current awkward position. Everyone knows he is Emperor Xi Yan's biological son, but he just lacks a legitimate identity.
Given Xie Zhiyao's intelligence and her years of royal education, she shouldn't be unaware of the stakes involved.
[When she first entered Western Qiang, her movements were restricted. The information she received was all what people with ulterior motives wanted her to know, mostly about how much Xi Yuanshan was favored by the Western Emperor.]