ALL NOVEL Chapter 384
The Emperor smiled, his large hand gently covering her belly once more. "How could that be? As long as it's our child, I will love them. But I've heard that daughters are more considerate from a young age, like a warm coat for their parents. I haven't experienced that yet, so I hope you can fulfill my wish."
He then patted her belly reassuringly. "Your father still loves Xiao Qi very much. Whether it's a prince or a princess, I will give all my love to you. So, Xiao Qi, you must grow healthy and come out smoothly, causing as little trouble as possible for your mother, understood?"
At over five months, there were already slight movements from the baby. But as the saying goes, "The first child is treasured like a jewel, the second like grass." So, these movements no longer startled the Emperor or Jiang Xinyue. Still, the Emperor couldn't resist poking the gently rising and falling belly with his finger.
Yanqing Palace—
Consort Ru's face was dark. "We finally managed to incite that fool Zhang Wanrong, but it still failed. All the pieces my brother spent ten years placing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are now useless."
Her maid, Hui Ai, tensed. "Your Highness, what should we do now? The King's intention is for you to quickly bear an heir to the Great Yan royal family, so that in the future..."
Consort Ru raised her hand, cutting off Hui Ai's words. "As long as the Empress lives and the Crown Prince remains, the Emperor won't step foot in the harem. How can we talk about bearing an heir?"
Without a prince of Great Yan, their Goguryeo bloodline could not infiltrate the Great Yan dynasty, and her brother's ambitions would never be realized.
Hui Ai bit her lip nervously. "But what if they trace it back to us?"
Consort Ru pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "They shouldn't. Those pieces in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were chosen by my brother from the Goguryeo court ten years ago. They are loyal to the royal family, posing as Great Yan citizens, and willingly castrated themselves to enter the palace. They would never betray us."
These people were somewhat like the "dead soldiers" spoken of in the Central Plains.
As long as they didn't expose them, all would be well.
The sunlight outside reached the doorway but couldn't penetrate further. The side chamber was far less bright than the main hall.
Consort Ru grew increasingly impatient. "With Zhang Wanrong gone, there's still the second princess. Isn't she also at odds with the Empress? If she were to harm the sixth prince, it would make sense."
The next scapegoat would be the second princess.
Her brother's imperial ambitions—she was determined to help him achieve them.
The second princess, just released from house arrest, had heard about the Crown Prince's near-fatal allergic reaction. Sitting on the warm kang, she felt a wave of confusion.
Did she really... hate Empress Jiang?
Why did she feel no joy upon hearing of the Crown Prince's misfortune, but instead worry for him?
Was it Empress Jiang she hated, or her own mother? Did she hate her mother for taking the wrong path, abandoning her and her brother? Or did she hate that after her mother's death, her younger brother also left her, choosing to live in the Ancestral Hall?
After hearing about the Crown Prince's allergic reaction, she felt lost.
That day outside her pavilion in Yanqing Palace, she had indeed poured oil. She even knew Empress Jiang wouldn't step on it, but she did it anyway.
Was it to punish Empress Jiang, or to punish herself? Only she knew the answer.
She was conflicted!
If she grew close to Empress Jiang, she would feel guilty toward her grandfather and mother. She could only hate... she could only hate...
"Second Princess, the eldest princess is here."
"I don't want to see anyone! Tell her to leave, make her go!"
Tomorrow was the eldest princess's wedding day. The Emperor had already ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to build a princess residence outside the palace. Even her elder sister was leaving.
Everyone was leaving!
No one cared about her life or death!
Outside the door, the eldest princess sighed. "Ming Zhu, tomorrow I will leave the palace and won't be able to visit you often. I heard from the Emperor that Fusang has been pushed back by the General of Cavalry and is now offering land for peace. The general hasn't agreed yet, but continuing the war would be detrimental to the country. Fusang intends to send their prince for a political marriage, asking the Emperor to marry a suitable princess to the Fusang prince and have him settle in the capital as a son-in-law. Think carefully. If you don't want to marry a Fusang man, you should quickly ask the Emperor for a marriage decree. Third Yan from the General's household is a man of good character and has no sweetheart. If you're interested, you can speak to the Emperor."
The Emperor only had two princesses. With the eldest princess about to marry, naturally, she couldn't be part of the political marriage.
That left only the second princess.
The Emperor hadn't agreed yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't eventually.
Especially since the second princess had been constantly opposing Jiang Xinyue.
The people of Great Yan despised the Fusang people because they often caused trouble at the border, engaging in petty thefts.
Taking advantage of the distance from the Great Yan court, they would claim that this or that part of Great Yan's territory was theirs, detaining fishermen and merchant ships, demanding ransom from their families.
At first, Great Yan merely issued warnings, but after repeated offenses, the Emperor, who was no pushover, sent troops to suppress them.
In the face of overwhelming military force, any distortion of facts was futile. Once the Cavalry Army was deployed, Fusang trembled in fear, offering land for peace and even sending their prince for a political marriage.
But the people of Great Yan, who had lost sons, fathers, and husbands in the war, wanted nothing to do with the stinking Fusang prince.
He would be pelted with rotten vegetables and eggs if he stepped outside.
If the second princess married the Fusang prince, she would likely be despised by the people of Great Yan for the rest of her life.
She didn't want that!
As soon as the eldest princess finished speaking, the second princess pushed open the door. "Is that true?"
The eldest princess's eyes widened. "When have I ever lied to you? It was the Empress who told me, but I suspect she meant for me to pass the message to you."
The second princess flushed. "Don't speak well of her. If she truly cared for me, why didn't she tell me herself?"
"Slap!"
The eldest princess smacked her arm. "How can you say that? I heard from my mother that you poured oil outside your door, trying to make the Empress slip. Do you know that Zhang Wanrong was executed along with her entire family for harming the Crown Prince? How many lives do you think you have to withstand the Emperor's wrath?"
"I..."
"Fortunately, the Empress didn't hold it against you and didn't tell the Emperor. Otherwise, you'd already be promised to Fusang. Do you think the Empress owes it to you to come and tell you herself? What status do you hold? Consort De nearly killed her and the Crown Prince. Why should she treat you as her own? If you know what's good for you, go and apologize, then ask the Emperor for a marriage decree. Otherwise, you'll suffer."
The second princess wasn't inherently bad, but she was introverted and sensitive, lacking a sense of security.
After Consort De was suddenly executed and her younger brother quickly moved to the Ancestral Hall without even saying goodbye, she felt abandoned and began to spiral.
Afraid of being hurt, she lashed out like a porcupine, using her spikes to protect herself.
The eldest princess didn't want her sister to continue down this path of bitterness.