Phi-Fic Chapter 211: The bait has been put out, and it has been hooked
Chapter 211: The bait has been put out, and it has been hooked
"Mother, what's the reason?" Ji Chuhe asked softly.
"Back then, after I broke off the engagement with the Luo family, I had two choices. One was to marry your father, who did not have a fiefdom or a throne at the time, and the other was to enter the palace as a concubine."
Ji Chuhe looked surprised.
There is actually such a thing!
"Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. I have always longed for freedom, and entering the palace as a concubine will only make me more helpless. In the future, if I get pregnant with a prince, my father and brothers will have to fight and rob me. If you are born in the royal family and cannot sit in a high position, few will have a good ending."
Ji Chuhe nodded in agreement.
Just like the Luo family now.
"My father, mother, and brothers love me and hope that I can be happy. They don't want me to be trapped in the palace for the rest of my life. They don't want to fight for the imperial power either. They just want to be a minister in peace. That's why they entrusted me to your father."
"Strictly speaking, my marriage to your father should be considered a transaction. The emperor had just ascended the throne, and it was the time to consolidate the imperial power and favor old ministers. In addition, the Duke of Rong's Mansion had the merit of following the emperor. If your father married me, he could use the power of the Duke's Mansion to obtain the fiefdom and title and leave the imperial capital safely."
"And all I want is some freedom. Away from the imperial capital, away from the disputes with the Luo family, I live a comfortable life in Huaiyang."
"Mother, I understand." Ji Chuhe nodded.
"For so many years, the Rongguo Mansion has always been well-behaved. Your four uncles are even unwilling to take important positions, and are only willing to take some nominal positions. In fact, it is also for me who is far away in Huaiyang. If they hold too much power, the emperor will worry that one day they will collude with the King of Huaiyang."
Ji Chuhe was moved.
This is the true bond of family where blood is thicker than water.
Instead of disregarding family members and being cold-blooded and ruthless for one's own benefit.
The relationship in the Duke's Mansion was better than she had imagined.
"He'er, don't worry. Although your uncles don't have any real power in the court, they are not at the mercy of others. You don't have to worry about the Duke's Mansion."
How can I not worry?
In a few years, the emperor's knife will be placed on the neck of the Rongguo Mansion.
However, it is too early to say that the emperor wants to take action against the Rongguo Mansion.
"He'er, what you said makes sense. We also have to make plans for ourselves. We can't always let others bully us. Even when facing the imperial power, we must have the ability to protect ourselves. What do you think of the Queen and the Third Prince?"
"Did mother deliberately say that today to test the queen's attitude?"
"When I said those words, I was just putting out a bait, not sure if I could catch a big fish. If the queen didn't speak, I would have to finish the show myself. However, the queen did speak."
"The Queen gives me the impression that she is very secretive. She is the Emperor's first wife. At that time, the Emperor was just an unpopular prince, and his mother's family had no power. After he ascended the throne, he filled the harem with many daughters of powerful and noble families, but no one could shake the Queen's position. This shows that the Queen is not as indifferent as she appears to be."
"Where is the third prince?" the princess asked again.
"He is just like the emperor back then. His mother's family has no power to rely on. He has not yet discussed marriage, and there is no clear news about which family he is going to marry. So now he can only be a filial son and win the emperor's heart. I think that among all these princes, he is the most promising one."
The princess nodded appreciatively, "I thought so too."
"The Queen and the Third Prince have always been hiding their true identities. No matter how hard you try, you can't find anything suspicious in what they said today. No one can see the connection between Mother and the Queen. What I'm worried about is that even if Mother has given her a hint, she may not respond."
"Don't worry. This kind of thing can't be accomplished overnight. As long as we let the Queen know our attitude, she will naturally show some support when she needs us in the future."
Ji Chuhe nodded, "Mother, I understand."
Forming an alliance with the Queen is indeed a good idea.
"Mother, even if you have a plan to deal with it, you still have to be prepared for both situations. Judging from the emperor's attitude today, he seems very dissatisfied with the nobles. The Duke's Mansion is also a noble family. If the emperor wants to touch the nobles, he will never be particularly lenient to any of them."
"You are right. The Duke's Mansion must also make some changes. Your father is no longer the useless prince that the emperor could dispose of at will."
Ji Chuhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she keeps a close eye on changes in the situation and reminds her mother from time to time, and with her mother's vigilance and intelligence, and makes arrangements early, the Duke's Mansion will definitely be able to resolve this crisis.
……
The queen returned to the palace, still pondering what the princess had said today.
She deliberately stated that she had not properly trained the prince, showed her loyalty to the emperor, and deliberately displayed the excellence of the children of the powerful and nobles in the court. Today, she let Princess Huaiyang do what she had wanted to do for a long time.
She had long seen that the emperor wanted to move against the aristocratic families that had been entrenched in the court for many years.
This time we still have to wait for news from the northern border.
If the war with Northern Xinjiang is a great victory and Northern Xinjiang is willing to sign a treaty, then the next group to be moved will be the aristocratic families.
In fact, she didn't need to say anything today, she could just stand by and watch as if it had nothing to do with her.
But she still continued with the sentence.
Prince Huaiyang, if the Duke Rong's Mansion can become an aid to her and the Third Prince, Concubine Luo and the Fourth Prince will have no chance of winning!
……
When Concubine Luo returned to the palace, she couldn't help but lose her temper again.
"It was obviously Jixun who won, but the emperor gave all the good things to Xiao Yan'an! If this matter gets out, wouldn't it be even more embarrassing for the Luo family!"
"Your Majesty, today's incident is really strange. Let's wait for news from the Marquis. Maybe there are some changes in the court." Lichun reminded in a low voice.
Concubine Luo's expression suddenly changed, "You are right, let's wait for news from father!"
……
Zhenyuan Hou Mansion.
Luo Jixun came to the main courtyard with the emperor's reward.
Marquis Zhenyuan and Mr. Luo were already waiting for him in the house.
"Grandfather, father." Luo Jixun stepped forward and saluted.
"How was today's game?"
"Father, I won the first prize today! Xiao Yan'an is a waste! He didn't even have the strength to withstand ten arrows!"
"Your strength is so weak?" Zhenyuan Hou asked in surprise, "Could it be that you are hiding your weakness on purpose?"
"Grandfather, I paid special attention to Xiao Yan'an's palms. There are no calluses on his palms from years of training. His skin is delicate and tender. After pulling the bow and arrow ten times, his palms have been worn out."
"In that case, you are really a waste!"