Ming Jue stared blankly at Liao Qing, brooding over the unexpected name being mentioned.
(Xuanyuan?)
It was an uncommon family name. The only person he heard of with that name was the Emperor of Da Liang Empire – widely renowned as the strong-willed and iron-blooded ruler.
But the Da Liang Empire was far away geographically. It was unfathomable for its Emperor to appear in the Great Yuan Empire. Perhaps, Su Jin’s subordinate simply made a mistake and either mispronounced or misheard the name?
Setting aside his thoughts, his attention shifted to the intriguing brocade box in Guaibao’s hand.
The box which seemed heavy was being effortlessly handled by Guaibao. After applying a little force with her chubby hand, Guaibao opened it without any difficulty, only to become dumbfounded the next moment. What came to her view were the piles of neatly arranged books inside the box.
Puzzled by her reaction, Ming Jue picked up and flipped through a few of the books, and realized that they were all study materials.
Why would the box contain these?
Before he could figure it out, a loud cry resounded beside him.
“Waah!”
Ming Jue was startled by the sudden cries and immediately became on high alert, scanning his surroundings as he thought that someone had befallen into a dangerous situation.
But all he could find was his daughter pointing at the pile of books with trembling hands, weeping pitifully.
“I don’t want to do any homework!! Life is so harsh!”
Liao Qing: “…”
Being caught by surprise as well, the corners of Liao Qing’s mouth twitched. He finally comprehended the meaning of the old man’s parting words. Eyes filled with sympathy, he could only sigh helplessly as he looked at Guaibao with pity.
Alas….. even acts fuelled by the kindest intention could end up causing misery instead.
As the series of events unfolded, Ming Jue finally caught an inkling of the entire situation and had complicated feelings.
……
In the residence of the first prince, Ming Yan was having a meeting with his advisors regarding the upcoming imperial examination. It was a prime opportunity to scout and attract talented, capable scholars into his faction, in order to solidify the foundations for his future reign.
Amongst the six princes who had the right to inherit the throne, the second prince was a notorious womanizer who only concerned himself with self-indulgence. His mother did not hail from a prominent family either. Hence, Ming Yan did not regard him as a threat.
The third prince had long since submitted under him and pledged his loyalty to Ming Yan.
The fourth prince, Ming Sheng, was not even worth a mention. Born to a palace maid, he had always confined himself within his own residence. In Ming Yan’s eyes, the fourth prince was no different from worthless trash.
The fifth prince passed away shortly after birth.
His strongest adversary, the sixth prince – Ming Jue, was the only prince who had been officially conferred with the title of Prince Li at a young age. But with the current state of his body, Prince Li was no longer an obstacle to Ming Yan.
Even so, Ming Yan’s expression darkened as he was reminded of that fact, barely containing his feelings of envy and resentment. After that incident, he had assumed that his father, the Emperor, was biased towards the sixth prince and gave him preferential treatment.
Little did Ming Yan know, the actual reason behind the conferment of the title ‘Prince Li’ actually bore no relation to the succession of the throne. Instead, it was a move made after a divination from Taoist Qingyun, who had recommended this ceremonial procedure to help the sixth prince survive a life-or-death ordeal.
Taking a sip of tea to soothe his tension, the first prince directed his attention back to the present, with eyes overflowing with ambition as he handed down his orders.
“If the wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan region remain uncooperative and refuse to become my financial sponsors, there is no longer any need to negotiate or retain them.”
He could simply abuse his authority to seize their wealth, directly or indirectly, in order to fund his personal agenda and plans. After all, the wind was blowing in his favour, and the pieces were falling into place for him to succeed the throne.
While the first prince was gloating internally, a guard urgently rushed over and reported with a bow.
“Reporting to Your Highness, Prince Li had entered the palace with a child today, and His Majesty had officially conferred that child with the title of a princess.”
Ming Yan was initially surprised, but subsequently laughed it off. Perhaps, his brother must have feared that no one would mourn at his funeral, and decided to adopt a random child on a whim?
His father, the Emperor, had also gone senile. How could he taint the prestige of the royal bloodline by taking in a random child of dirty origins?
Moreover, they did this for a girl!
Ming Yan’s eyes were filled with ridicule and contempt.
Noticing that the first prince seemed to have belittled the significance of his report, the guard nervously swallowed his saliva and lowered his head even further.
“It’s… the biological daughter of Prince Li.”
*Bang!*
The teacup crashed onto the ground as the first prince jumped up abruptly with a distorted expression. Gnashing his teeth as he grimaced, he roared at the guard. “Come again!? Isn’t he impotent?”
Facing the enraged first prince, the frightened guard knelt down, trembling as he continued his report.
“The child was conceived before Prince Li was poisoned… Please … please calm down, Your Highness!”
An advisor by the side stood up and bowed to his liege with a calm expression.
“Your Highness, there is no need to be overly concerned with this matter. Even if Prince Li has a direct descendant now, a little girl does not affect much. He just had a pure stroke of luck. Prince Li is unable to produce any heir. The throne is still destined to be yours.”
Upon hearing the advisor’s evaluation, Ming Yan finally quelled his fury. With both eyes shut, he sternly issued an order, “Go and investigate the origins of that child.”
“Roger that…”
As if he had figured things out after calmly assessing the situation, the first prince burst into an episode of maniacal laughter.
“A daughter… how wonderful! Bwahaha!”
Heaven remained on his side after all. His dearest brother’s luck had run out.
……
Within Prince Li’s Mansion;
“Your Highness, the second prince has paid a visit and is currently waiting in the main hall.”
A guard entered his room and reported after formal salutations.
“Mmhmm.” Ming Jue replied indifferently, with his eyelids slightly raised, bearing no emotion towards the guest.
As he walked into the main hall, Ming Jue saw a man with delicate features standing up, playfully saluting to Ming Jue as he spoke.
“Mysteriously bringing out a biological child out of nowhere, you truly are a master at concealment, younger Imperial brother. News might not have reached your ears yet, but the procurement officers under our eldest brother had been worked to the bone lately. The recent developments must have thrown them off their composure.”
Ming Jue sat on a cushioned chair and stared at his older brother with a straight face. His cold attitude did not seem to discourage the second prince a single bit. He continued talking non-stop about various rumours he had recently picked up. He even displayed rich and dynamic facial expressions to match the flow of his topics.
“I have also heard that our third brother has been frequenting the first prince’s residence lately. Who knows what they might be plotting next. Aren’t you worried at all?”
Ming Jue glanced at him and replied calmly, “Their pointless struggle would not last for long.”
After all, Ming Jue had knowledge about the future from his previous iterations. The first prince had always fallen at the hands of the one whom he despised and regarded as incompetent trash, Ming Sheng.
With just a single move, the fourth prince flipped the entire board and checkmated the ambitious Ming Yan into a corner, voiding all excessive schemes and plans made by the first prince.
The only difference in this timeline was who would be the first to fall. Ming Jue made up his mind to fuel their fight for the throne secretly from the sidelines.
“Oh, since you have a clear picture of the current situation, I shall be at ease. Well, I shall excuse myself first. If there’s an opportunity, do pay a visit with my niece to play at my residence next time.”
Waving goodbye, the second prince light-heartedly headed towards the exit, as if the main purpose of his visit was for mere gossips.
“Thank you…”
Ming Jue knew that his brother came here to remind him of the dire reality.
The second prince, Ming Chan, halted for a moment before a light chuckle escaped his mouth. Flipping the folding fan within his hands, the second prince then departed with grace.
He knew that the term ‘virtuous individual’ was ill-matched to describe him. The second prince was motivated by his personal interest, hoping to secure a path of survival.
If the first prince, Ming Yan, were to ascend the throne, given his hypocritical and sinister character, none of the other princes could possibly have a good ending.
The maternal family of the first prince was from the Marquis Ding’an household. In terms of authority and influence, they ranked second only beneath the Empress’s household.
At present, the first prince’s faction possessed the highest combined influence in imperial court matters.
In the past, the Emperor had openly favoured Prince Li. Although he had not declared his intention, it was obvious through his actions that the Emperor had regarded the sixth prince as his successor. The other princes barely had any chance to perform or showcase their abilities.
Now, many had written off the Prince Li’s chances of ascending the throne due to his body condition. As a result, the first prince, Ming Yan, had greatly benefitted from a surge in supporters and followers who flocked over to his side to swear fealty, expecting him to ascend the throne.
With a hint of gloom in his eyes, Ming Chan could only pray that he had not made the wrong move by betting on his youngest brother.
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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