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Chapter 260: The Emperor's Thoughts
Chapter 260: The Emperor's Thoughts
At this moment, the Emperor was left speechless.
He looked at his younger brother, who was standing close by with a flattering smile on his face, and felt a mix of anger and helplessness. After a long pause, he sighed softly, "You..."
The Prince of Qi still remembered what had happened when Sui had fallen ill previously.
Back then, he had been determined to make sure Chen Dalang and the Marquis of Jinyang pay a price!
As for Chen Dalang, there was no need to worry about him anymore.
The coal mine in Qingzhou would soon be in operation, and the corresponding message should also reach the Qingzhou Prefecture soon.
The Chen family, those ungrateful traitors, would soon be put to work in the mines.
"May they break their backs!" the Prince of Qi thought bitterly.
Now, only the Marquis of Jinyang remained.
The Prince of Qi didn't want to deal with that despicable man personally.
If he got too close to the Marquis, it might create an opportunity for the Marquis to frame him or try to take Sui away from him. So, it was better to find someone else for the job.
There were some unscrupulous members of the imperial clan who would do anything for money.
The Prince of Qi was about to ask the Emperor about this matter.
However, the Emperor, upon hearing the question, became even more exasperated. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" he replied, refusing his brother's request instinctively to maintain his dignity and authority.
And then, he saw the Prince of Qi, who looked like he was about to shatter into pieces right there and then.
Emperor: ...!
This is frustrating!
The Emperor wanted to say something but hesitated, and then hesitated to say something again. After much deliberation, he finally sighed and said, "It seems like there's been some unrest in the Duke of Anyang's manor lately. I wonder how the situation is with the young masters of his household."
Hearing his royal brother mention the Duke of Anyang's manor, the Prince of Qi's eyes lit up.
Yes!
Why hadn't he thought of that?
With the decline of the Duke of Anyang's household, his sons had developed a strong sense of crisis and had started scrambling for the family fortune.
Even while the Duke was still alive, his sons were already fighting over the division of the estate.
Due to their fallen status, the young masters were also less restrained in their behavior, which made it easier to bribe them.
However, the problem was...
The manor had countless able-bodied men. If they weren't afraid of the imperial power, they could truly act with impunity in the capital!
While the Prince of Qi didn't have a good impression of the Duke of Anyang, it didn't stop him from considering using the Duke to his advantage.
Moreover, the Duke's current situation was ideal for his purposes—they could be bribed, and they kept their mouths shut.
The Prince of Qi nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you, Your Majesty, my brother!"
Emperor: ...!
This is even more frustrating.
The Emperor had thought that the Prince of Qi would take the opportunity to bring up the matter of the Tang family.
How could he not be aware of the ruckus caused by Lady Tang? The Emperor's eyes and ears were not in every corner of the capital, but he was informed about most matters.
It was just a matter of whether he wanted others to know that he was aware.
However, after chatting for so long, the Prince of Qi hadn't mentioned the Tang family even once.
"It's probably for the best that he didn't bring it up," the Emperor thought to himself.
He didn't care much about Lady Tang's clumsy actions, but he was concerned about how the Queen and the Crown Prince would react to this matter.
With one Tang lady already in the Imperial Harem as the Empress, it was out of the question for another Tang lady to become the Crown Prince's consort.
Even if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, a Tang lady could never become the Empress.
If that were to happen, with the Empress Dowager and the Empress both from the Tang family, wouldn't the Crown Prince be worried about being manipulated by the Tang clan and try to make things difficult for himself?
The Crown Prince wasn't foolish; he would understand this reasoning.
A Tang lady could be a concubine or a favored consort, as it was normal to show some favor and maintain the honor of one's maternal family.
However, she could never become the next Empress!
The Emperor understood this logic well.
His concubine, the Shufei, was Lady Xie, whom he deeply favored and with whom he had many children, naturally to uphold the honor of the Xie clan.
But one was enough; any more would imply a challenge to his imperial authority, which was an unacceptable fact.
As for whether the Empress understood this reasoning...
The Emperor was watching.
Although he had married the Empress in their youth, their emotional bond had faded as they reached middle age.
However, the Emperor had no intention of replacing her.
He was satisfied with the Crown Prince, and the Empress had committed no wrongdoing. In the past few years, she had managed the harem well, so if he arbitrarily replaced her, it would affect the Crown Prince's status and position.
Moreover, only a foolish ruler would replace his Empress without just cause.
The Emperor considered himself an enlightened ruler and hoped for a commendable posthumous title.
Therefore, replacing the Empress?
Unnecessary.
Furthermore, if he did so, he would have to choose another.
At that time, he would have even more considerations, so it was better to keep the current one, who was well-behaved and required less brainpower.
However, if the Empress proved herself foolish, the Emperor would not hesitate to reprimand her.
Qi Wang did not give Tang's matter much thought.
In his opinion, by kicking Tang around in the court, the matter was more or less settled.
The brothers soon shifted their conversation to other topics.
Qi Wang, eager to show off his precious Guigui, mostly talked about Suisu.
Suisu's return to the manor and the bustling production there.
Suisu hearing that her mother, the princess, loved cherries, and how the cherry trees in the manor suddenly bore fruit overnight.
...
The Emperor, already curious about Suisu's good fortune, was naturally intrigued by what he heard.
If it weren't for him saying too much, and seeing his younger brother looking like he was about to shatter on the spot, the Emperor would have considered borrowing Suisu's help.
The imperial stables had recently acquired a batch of horses, and he wondered if they would give birth to more foals with Suisu's assistance.
After all, if a cow could have three calves, why couldn't a horse do the same?
These were the fine warhorses they had acquired with great difficulty, carefully bred and trained by the imperial stables.
If a horse could give birth to two exceptional foals...
The Emperor's heart raced at the thought.
He tentatively suggested keeping Suisu in the palace for a couple of days.
At most two days, and then he would send her back.
And then, Qi Wang immediately performed his signature move of shattering into pieces on the spot.
Emperor: ...!
This is so frustrating!
"When you need help, I don't hesitate at all! But when I need you, you're about to shatter?" the Emperor thought to himself.
While Qi Wang may seem simple-minded, he had his own survival instincts.
So, seeing the exasperated look in the Emperor's eyes, he quickly pouted and whispered, "Your Majesty, my brother, this good fortune is intangible and unpredictable. It might not even benefit Guigui, so we can't just use it casually."
These words were indeed true.
The Emperor even suspected that Suisu's miserable life before might have been due to the backlash of her good fortune.
Upon considering this possibility, the Emperor's expression turned grim, and he ultimately dropped the matter of keeping Suisu in the palace.
Suisu slept for nearly an hour.
When she woke up, her mother, the princess, was sitting by her bedside, watching her with a gentle smile.
Hearing Suisu stir, the princess extended her hand and asked softly, "Suisu, dear, are you awake? Do you need to use the chamber pot?"
(End of Chapter)
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