The New Year's Eve banquet of the twenty-eighth year of Qilong was fated to be overshadowed by the poisoning of the Crown Prince. Those who qualified to attend the banquet all maintained a low profile, and worked hard to ensure that their carriages and clothing did not violate the rules. But because the Crown Princess was pregnant, the Emperor favored the unborn imperial grandson. Everyone could not dress too plainly to avoid the Emperor feeling it was bad luck. The Imperial Family was in a difficult position.
Carriages from various manors arrived at the palace one after another. They looked at each other, smiled at each other, and walked towards the banquet hall with respectful faces.
The palace maids and taijian of Chao Yang Hall were all tense, afraid that they would offend a certain noble person. Adding on that the palace had not been peaceful recently, all of them shrunk their necks and pretended to be quails. If they mysteriously lost their lives, it would not be worth it.
Hua Xi Wan and Yan Jinqiu walked side by side. Even though the taijian were constantly sweeping away the snow on the road, the snow did not stop. When they reached the stone road, it was still slightly slippery. Yan Jinqiu took the chance to hold Hua Xi Wan's hand as they walked forward, completely forgetting that she was a servant.
Not far behind the two were Xu Wang Shizi and Shizi Fei. Xu Wang Shizi said to the Shizi Fei beside him, "I really hadn't thought that Zi Ling would have such a side." His relationship with the Shizi Fei could be considered good in the Imperial House. But compared to Xian Wang and Xian Wang Fei's intimate interactions, they were lacking.
Shizi Fei had a good impression of Hua Xi Wan. Hearing this, she said, "If I was a man, and could marry such a beauty, I would definitely love and protect her."
Xu Wang Shizi did not comment. Xian Wang Fei was beautiful, but in his eyes, the woman beside him was the best. "No matter how beautiful a beauty is, it is not as good as a person who understands one's heart."
Shizi Fei's face reddened slightly. She lowered her head and said, "Then for Xian Wang, Xian Wang Fei is his person who understands one's heart." Her hand was grasped by a warm hand. Her face became even redder, but she did not break free.
Ning Wang was the leader of the faction that supported the Crown Prince. Because the Crown Prince's actions had become more and more unreliable in the last half year, he was so anxious that blisters formed at the corner of his mouth. he looked at Xu Wang Shizi and Xian Wang in front of him, and then thought of his own weak eldest son, the dandy shizi. and instantly, he felt.. and felt. They were all young people, why was there such a difference?
Also, the Crown Prince's family was becoming more and more disorganized. If he could have another son, he would definitely jump off the Crown Prince's boat. It would not be like now. Not to mention the embarrassment, he might not even be able to maintain his current glory.
Right now, the Crown Prince's body was weak because of the poison. The gender of the Crown Princess's fetus was still unknown. Prince Sheng had many supporters in Jing. Xu Wang Fu appeared to be watching coldly from the sidelines and only loyal to the Emperor, but that was only on the surface. Xian Wang did not do anything out of line, but the womenfolk in Jing admired him greatly. He had a good reputation among the scholars. He also had a family that was slightly stronger than the other young shizi, Wang Ye. It would be fine if he did not have second thoughts. If he had second thoughts, he would be a strong opponent.
Fortunately, the current dynasty was not like the previous dynasty where there were so many foreign affairs. The princes could not enter the capital without an imperial edict. They only had the title of nobility and no land. This prevented the princes and imperial grandsons from gathering troops in the capital. However, this also prevented the princes and imperial grandsons from forming factions in the capital. Therefore, there was nothing perfect in this world.
As long as the Crown Prince worked hard, he would not have been so passive in such a good situation. In the past dynasties, it was not that there had never been an Emperor who only had one son. Some of these Crown Princes worked hard. Some spent their days in the inner palace and would not attend court for a year. But these Crown Princes were able to sit firmly on the dragon throne because there were no strong opponents around them.
But the present situation was different. Prince Sheng was ambitious, but the previous Emperor was afraid that the current Emperor would harm his brothers after ascending the throne. He gave Sheng Wang and Xian Wang, two of his favorite sons, golden letters and iron scrolls. He also made the current Emperor swear in front of many officials that he would treat his brothers and their descendants well. So now, Prince Sheng and Xian Wang were two thorns in the heart of the current Emperor. But they could not be easily moved.
It was unknown what the previous Emperor was thinking at that time. Was he not worried that Sheng Wang and Xian Wang would rebel? But fortunately, Sheng Wang and Xian Wang had passed away early. Otherwise, it would be hard to say what the present situation would be.
As to why these two Wang Ye had short lives, maybe it was a coincidence?
"Deep in the inner palace, what a scandal," Consort Ning Wang said with a frown, "This Xian Wang and Xu Wang Shizi are too careless." Even though she was Ning Wang's second wife, she had a good relationship with Ning Wang. Her son was also a shizi, so she had always stood tall. Ever since she learned that people outside often compared Prince Sheng, Xian Wang, and Xu Wang Shizi to her own son, she was unhappy when she saw these people.
"Young people have good relationships. What does it matter if they are close?" Ning Wang felt some regret. If his son could compare to one of these two, he would not have to spend so much effort to pave the way for his son. In any case, no matter how little favor he had received from the previous Emperor when he was young, after the Emperor ascended the throne, because he was not favored, he became the Wang Ye that the Emperor did not suspect. He had lived peacefully until now. It was a pity that his son did not live up to expectations. He was so tired that he could only help the Crown Prince. He hoped that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Crown Prince would look at his contributions and treat his descendants well.
Hearing this, Consort Ning Wang instantly smiled and agreed: "Wang Ye is right." She was able to squeeze out the son of the first wife and let her son sit on the position of shizi because she could make Ning Wang happy. Naturally, she would not speak against his wishes.
Ning Wang was very satisfied that she understood the situation. His expression became much better. He put his hands behind his back and continued to walk forward.
When Hua Xi Wan walked into the inner hall, she felt that it was much warmer. She took off the fox fur cloak and handed it to Bai Xia behind her. She held hands with Yan Jinqiu as they sat down at the table. Tea and dried fruits were placed on the table, and several musicians were playing joyous tunes on the dance floor in the center of the hall. Even though not everyone had arrived, the entire hall was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
At the table below them sat Prince Sheng and his wife. At the table above them sat Ning Wang and his wife. Neither side was easy to deal with. Therefore, Hua Xi Wan was especially careful when she spoke, worried that she would inexplicably fall into the trap of other people's words.
This was why she had not been willing to marry into the Imperial Family. There was a small banquet every three days and a large banquet every five days. Even her words had to be carefully considered. How much effort did it take? Hua Xi Wan rested her chin on one hand and played with two kumquats. She listened to Yan Jinqiu and Yan Boyi talk back and forth without saying a word.
"Ben wang cannot compare to you, Jun Wang. It's fine if you paint at home and read books. If you want me to go to the Six Ministries to work, that would be too difficult for ben wang." Yan Jinqiu raised his wine cup and raised it towards Yan Boyi. "Forget it."
Hua Xi Wan tilted her head to look in Prince Sheng's direction. She remembered that a few months ago, Yan Jinqiu had called Prince Sheng cousin. Now, it had become Jun Wang. It seemed that the conflict between the two was gradually coming to the surface.
When the Qilong Emperor had promoted Yan Jinqiu's title, hadn't he wanted to see this scene? Yan Jinqiu's words sounded polite, but there was a faint feeling that he was the Qinwang and the other was just Jun Wang. With Yan Jinqiu's usual scheming, how could he say such simple and straightforward words?
Rather than saying that he was purposely making things difficult for Yan Boyi, it was better to say that he was doing something to satisfy the Qilong Emperor.
"Xian Wang is too polite. You are overflowing with talent. What is there that you are not competent for? You are just being modest." Prince Sheng still maintained his proper appearance. "My little ability is just showing off in front of an expert. How can it compare to Xian Wang's ability?"
When he finished speaking, he suddenly saw a reddish-gold kumquat roll out of Yan Jinqiu's table. It rolled all the way to his feet before stopping. The conversation between the two instantly stopped.
"Naughty." Yan Jinqiu smiled at Hua Xi Wan and then personally peeled a kumquat for Hua Xi Wan. Then he took the handkerchief that Mutong handed over to wipe his hands. He said, "I know you don't like kumquats. Try this."
Yan Boyi looked at the kumquat at his feet. He lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Wang Ye treats Wang Fei so well."
"She is the person that will accompany ben wang for a lifetime. If ben wang is not good to her, who will ben wang be good to?" Yan Jinqiu handed the handkerchief that had just been wiped to Mutong. Mutong bowed and took it. Then he bent down on the ground and picked up the kumquat that had fallen by Yan Boyi's feet. He silently retreated to the side.
Hua Xi Wan broke off a piece of kumquat and put it in her mouth. Was Yan Jinqiu trying to sow discord between Prince Sheng and the Hou Clan? She snuck a look and only saw the dignified smile of the Hou Clan. She could not guess what she was thinking.
Just as she was preparing to look away, Prince Sheng suddenly turned his head. The two's eyes met. Hua Xi Wan gave him a very natural and polite smile and then continued to eat the kumquat.
Before entering the palace, she and Yan Jinqiu had already eaten a bowl of noodles. In any case, this kind of palace banquet was lively, but it was hard to eat well. On such a cold day, what hot dishes could they eat?
It was just a bunch of upper class people wearing masks for the liveliness of those who did not know.
Prince Sheng did not respond to this sentence. He just smiled and slowly drank from his wine cup. No matter who saw it, he looked like a gentleman. But in Hua Xi Wan's eyes, no matter how much of a gentleman he appeared to be, he was just like that.
As a member of the imperial family, one could not be too emotional. But Yan Boyi's actions were too cold. Even if the Hou Clan could not get pregnant again, she had sacrificed so much for him. She did not ask for him to not have any other women. At least, he should wait until she recovered before talking about these things.
An emperor could be ruthless, but he could not be without any benevolence. Otherwise, it would be a disaster for the people. So, in her eyes, Yan Boyi was not the best choice for emperor. If such a person could ascend the throne, he would be willing to sacrifice the people around him for his own benefits.
In less than two hours, almost everyone had arrived. Just as everyone was waiting for the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager to appear, Chief Eunuch Ma appeared in the main hall with a straight face and announced the Qilong Emperor's decree.
"The Emperor's decree: the Crown Prince is critically ill. The state banquet is canceled."
The Crown Prince was critically ill?!
Suddenly, the hall was in an uproar. Didn't they say that he was gradually getting better?
Hua Xi Wan's gaze fell on Prince Sheng again. She only saw that Prince Sheng's face was full of shock, but the wine cup in his hand was steady and did not spill at all.
She turned to look at Yan Jinqiu and revealed the same frightened expression as him.
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