A good Prince Dongping? Right now the Crown Prince also felt his son was perfectly fine. As for whether he would turn bad or not, others simply felt that Prince Dongping was a son born of a concubine. Now that Zhou Weizhao had accomplished extraordinary merit, they feared Prince Dongping might harbor other intentions.
But if it were according to the Crown Prince’s own thoughts, he truly preferred to cultivate Prince Dongping—for no other reason than that old saying: feelings were always developed through interaction. When he had been so ill he could barely get up, it was hearing his son’s wailing cries that woke him. He had always felt his second son was a godsend from heaven.
But naturally the Crown Prince wouldn’t be foolish enough to say such things aloud. Setting aside everything else, he himself was a legitimate son. If he were to elevate a concubine-born son, wouldn’t he be working against his own status as legitimate-born? Wouldn’t those upright officials who had always valued orthodox propriety swarm up and flay him alive? Even his own subordinate officials and his mother had been constantly advising him to value his legitimate son.
He sighed deeply in his heart. Just a few days ago, Fu Youde had brought up those words, saying that if he treated the Grand Heir better in the future, they would have nothing to worry about. He had finally arranged for Chen Dezhong to be his second son’s teacher, and in the future planned to have Fu Youde look after his younger son more, but now it seemed that old stubborn Fu Youde was not to be counted on.
Now even Prince Zhennan was saying this. The thoughts in the Crown Prince’s heart became even harder to speak aloud. He only frowned and said: “I’m not just valuing the woman Fan. But Your Highness should also know my difficulties. In Xibei there’s still…” For some reason today, His Highness the Crown Prince had developed thoughts of drawing close to Prince Zhennan again. “Moreover, she is after all Dongping’s mother. I only have two sons…”
He probably only considered himself as having one son. Prince Zhennan returned to his residence and discussed this conversation with the Crown Prince with his eldest and second sons. Finally, he made a summary: “From the Crown Prince’s meaning, he still doesn’t want to deal with the Fan woman.”
The Crown Prince’s concern for Xibei wasn’t because the people’s lives were difficult, nor because Xibei had the Tartars eyeing it covetously, but because the business operations built up over many years in Xibei would be affected—these businesses had always been managed jointly by the Fan family and Han Zhengqing to accumulate wealth for the Crown Prince. This truly wasn’t a good thing.
Ye Jingkuan couldn’t help but sigh: “I shouldn’t really say this, but I truly cannot bear it. His Highness the Crown Prince’s mindset…”
Money was naturally a good thing, especially for someone of the Crown Prince’s status. The various gifts sent to the palace during festivals throughout the year, plus the rewards given downward, added up to no small sum. Not to mention how many subordinate officials needed to be supported? How many strategists needed to be supported? If money wasn’t sufficient, things absolutely wouldn’t work. The Crown Prince’s modest stipend wasn’t enough for his use.
But for the future ruler of a nation to value money so heavily really wasn’t a glorious matter.
Prince Zhennan shook his head along: “But what can be done? He is the legitimate eldest son, and orthodox.” Most importantly, he was also Princess Rongcheng’s biological elder brother. Of course, Princess Rongcheng also had another biological elder brother. Prince Zhennan glanced at his son but immediately suppressed this thought—though the Crown Prince was somewhat muddled, the Grand Heir was at least clear-headed. Moreover, with the Crown Prince’s health, it seemed…
Ye Jingkuan let out a cold laugh, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long while he finally said: “I’ll mention it to the Princess and see if she can persuade the Crown Prince. Fan Liangdi is wildly ambitious, like a venomous snake. Not eliminating her truly makes one uneasy.”
This time Fan Liangdi colluded with Huangjue Temple—though the target was the Grand Heir, she might not have been without intentions to also eliminate in one sweep the two most outstanding legitimate sons of the Ye family who were attached to the Grand Heir. Such intentions truly made one’s heart uneasy.
Ye Jingchuan, who had been silent all along, spoke in a hoarse voice: “Sister-in-law may not have never advised him, but since even Her Majesty the Empress and Father couldn’t persuade him, sister-in-law going may not necessarily be effective either.”
The words were said this way, but they still had to try. If the Crown Prince truly couldn’t think it through, that was also fine—then they would take action themselves. A fierce light flashed in Prince Zhennan’s eyes. He turned around and resumed his former unflappable manner, settling into his armchair. He asked about his sons’ injuries, then said: “Just now your mother consort came and mentioned to me that the Song family sent a message over.”
Ye Jingkuan couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at his younger brother. Originally everyone had thought it would be good—feeling that after Miss Song the Sixth returned from Jinzhong, it would be about time to arrange their wedding. Who knew there would be so many twists and turns, life’s impermanence—Miss Six had no interest in his foolish younger brother at all. What she liked was the Grand Heir.
Without anyone needing to say, Ye Jingkuan himself could see that Zhou Weizhao and Song Chuyi were mutually in love—otherwise, with Zhou Weizhao’s temperament, how could he have been so anxious he wouldn’t listen to anyone and jumped with a splash into water of unknown depth? Otherwise, why would the usually extremely calm Miss Song the Sixth lose her appetite and sleep restlessly because of Zhou Weizhao’s illness?
Ye Jingchuan’s complexion paled. The wounds that hadn’t yet healed seemed to ache faintly again.
Seeing that both sons remained silent, Prince Zhennan said: “Your mother consort said the Song family sent many gifts of gratitude, but regarding the matter we had previously discussed and agreed upon, they didn’t mention a single word.”
Since they only sent gifts of gratitude but didn’t mention the matter that the two families’ elders had previously tacitly agreed upon, combined with Her Majesty the Empress issuing an edict to reprimand Madam Wei who had spread rumors to gravely harm Miss Song the Sixth, Princess Zhennan had a clear idea of what the Song family’s intentions were.
Prince Zhennan glanced at his younger son whose expression was clearly displeased, then sighed: “Never mind. There are other good young ladies in this world.”
Princess Zhennan had also privately said that according to what Princess Rongcheng had revealed, Her Majesty the Empress would summon Song Chuyi to the palace in the next few days. Being summoned to the palace at this time—what else could it be about? Although Prince Zhennan felt it was somewhat regrettable that this valiant young lady hadn’t become his daughter-in-law, as a man he was more open-minded about it. Instead, he instructed Princess Zhennan: “Although the Song family ultimately didn’t agree, they never said from the beginning that this matter would work out. Our two families need not become estranged over this. We should maintain relations as we always have. You must not act foolishly.”
Princess Zhennan naturally understood this principle. Although she felt sorry for her son, if Song Chuyi truly became the Grand Heir Consort in the future, they would still need to maintain frequent contact. How could they let things become strained? Moreover, Prince Zhennan’s residence and the Earl of Changning’s residence were originally families with close ties. To fall out over such a matter would truly be too unworthy. Hearing this, she nodded: “Your Highness can rest assured. I can still distinguish between what’s important and what’s not.”