Prince Gongxi closed his eyes, appearing calm as still water.
But his heart had long been in chaos.
After Fourth Brother had been schemed to death, he’d thought he had everything under control, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Last time, Third Brother’s beloved had died. This time, Sixth Brother had lost an ear. These two incidents were enough to make Father Emperor thoroughly disappointed in him and never rely on him again.
The ministers at court were all fence-sitters. Whichever prince Father Emperor trusted and favored, those ministers would lean toward—every one of them utterly pragmatic.
He felt many things slowly slipping away.
“Your Highness, the strategy now is to use the self-harm tactic and then redirect the disaster eastward.” Xie Shi’an spoke slowly. “This way, you’ll kill two birds with one stone and eliminate two enemies for Your Highness.”
Prince Gongxi said coldly, “If this matter fails again, you won’t need to live.”
Xie Shi’an bowed his head. “Your Highness, rest assured. This matter will certainly succeed.”
Yun Chu sat in the courtyard admiring the flowers. In this season between late spring and early summer, blossoms opened in succession, attracting butterflies—it was particularly beautiful.
The two children happily caught butterflies, trapped them in jars, and brought them to her as gifts.
Before long, Qiutong came to report. “Princess Consort, the Fifth Prince has been stripped of his title by His Majesty and punished with confinement to reflect on his errors for one year.”
Yun Chu’s eyes turned slightly cold.
Prince Gongxi had directly placed that black pot on the Fifth Prince’s head. The Fifth Prince probably never dreamed that having just become a prince, his title would be immediately revoked—truly a disaster from heaven.
And believing he’d wrongly blamed Prince Gongxi, the Emperor would compensate him doubly.
Prince Gongxi had not only schemed away two brothers but also gained the Emperor’s compensation. What an excellent stratagem.
Now, the Fourth Prince was dead, the Fifth Prince deposed, and the Sixth Prince maimed—all three princes had fallen victim to Prince Gongxi’s poisonous hand.
The next would probably involve using the Seventh Prince to achieve some purpose…
Fortunately, Eighth Brother would soon leave the capital. After the Grand Empress Dowager was interred in the imperial mausoleum, Eighth Brother would depart for his fiefdom, able to escape this whirlpool of capital intrigue.
Chu Yi sat down beside her, his eyes deep. “These past days I’ve had people watching Xie Shi’an. This scheme was presented by him. He’s a rare strategist. I know you’re wary of him, Chu’er, so why not…”
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
He’d never killed children—even the children of bandits’ lairs, he would spare.
But this Xie Shi’an truly wasn’t normal. If killing Xie Shi’an could give Chu’er peace of mind, then he was willing to violate his principles.
Yun Chu pressed down his hand. “To deal with Prince Gongxi, Xie Shi’an is key.”
Chu Yi frowned. “You mean he’ll betray him?”
“This person puts profit above all else.” Yun Chu smiled. “He won’t choose Prince Gongxi, nor will he choose me, his former legitimate mother. He’ll only choose benefits within easy reach. Such a person, though worthy of wariness, can also be a brilliantly sharp blade.”
In her previous life, this blade had killed over one hundred members of the Yun family.
So in this life, let Xie Shi’an be the blade that brings Prince Gongxi down.
Chu Yi understood. “Then let this blade be sharpened even keener.”
Having finished discussing serious matters, he lowered his head and kissed Yun Chu’s lips.
“Ah ya ya ya…” Chu Hongyu’s voice rang out. “Father, men and women shouldn’t touch! Let go of Mother!”
Chu Changsheng chimed in. “Let go of our Mother!”
Chu Yi: “…”
He’d find an opportunity to send these two little ones to stay in the palace for a few more days.
He had no choice but to release Yun Chu and rise to go to his study to review official documents.
Yun Chu pulled Chu Hongyu over. “Yu’er, we’re going to the imperial mausoleum in a couple days. Have you finished your studies?”
The little one guiltily hunched his shoulders, then obediently went to read and practice calligraphy.
Yun Chu picked up her small daughter. “Changsheng, Mother plans to formally engage a tutor to teach you, just one hour each day. How about it?”
Chu Changsheng grabbed onto Yun Chu’s collar and shook her head. “No… don’t want to.”
“Our Changsheng is the most capable. You definitely won’t have any problems. Mother will accompany you too.” Yun Chu smiled gently. “Later, Mother will invite some girls about your age to come play at home. See who you like, and let her accompany you in your studies, alright?”
She hoped Changsheng could learn to read and write, hoped Changsheng could make friends, and gradually become more lively and cheerful.
This time, the little girl didn’t shake her head. Instead, she thought for a long while before saying, “Xian… I like her.”
“Xian… Xian’er?” Yun Chu was surprised. “The little girl Concubine Jiang brought a few days ago?”
Chu Changsheng nodded. “She… she’s also timid. I like her.”
Yun Chu: “…”
Xian’er was already quiet and timid by nature. After the Xie family’s troubles, her personality became even more withdrawn. After being held hostage by Xie Shi’an recently, she’d become like a frightened bird, constantly on edge.
Changsheng wanted a study companion even more timid than herself to demonstrate that she herself wasn’t timid.
But Yun Chu was somewhat worried—two timid girls studying together, would they become increasingly withdrawn in the future…
“Xian… not okay?”
The little girl blinked her big eyes questioningly.
Yun Chu smiled and nodded. “Of course it’s okay. In a few days, I’ll invite her to visit and see if she’s willing.”
Chu Changsheng smiled happily.
Tingxue also smiled. When Miss Xie had come to the Prince’s residence recently, she’d been the one supervising several children at play. Miss Xie and the Young Princess could indeed play well together.
She hoped that with Miss Xie’s companionship, the Young Princess would get better and better.
Tingxue walked out of the room, preparing to fetch some incense to add. Just as she reached the corner of the courtyard, a figure suddenly appeared.
“Lord Cheng?!” Her heart jumped with fright. “Why are you hiding here? It’s fine if you frighten me, but don’t scare the young masters!”
Chengxu scratched his head. “Sister Tingxue, I…”
“Lord Cheng, I’ve said before—I’m twenty this year, two years younger than you. I don’t deserve the title of ‘sister.'”
“Calling you sister has nothing to do with age. It just feels more intimate.” Chengxu’s dark face showed a strange redness. “Well… this is all my family wealth.”
He stuffed an enormous bundle into Tingxue’s arms.
Tingxue only felt her arms sink heavily, nearly causing her to fall.
Unable to hold this thing, her hands loosened and the large bundle fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
She said incredulously, “Inside here… is silver?”
Chengxu nodded vigorously. “Tingxue, I’ve liked you for a long time. I want to marry you as my wife. This is my betrothal gift.”
“Wha… what?!”
Tingxue was completely stunned.
She suspected something was wrong with her ears.
“I said, I want to marry you.” Chengxu picked up the bundle. “There’s a total of eight thousand three hundred taels of silver here—all the family wealth I’ve saved over the years. It’s all… all for you.”
Tingxue felt it was scorching hot to handle.
She turned and ran.
“Hey—Tingxue…”
Chengxu wanted to chase after her, but seeing someone coming, he had to stop.
He’d specifically inquired—hiring a decent matchmaker would cost five taels of silver, and on the wedding day, one would have to give the matchmaker more silver. All in all, it would cost over twenty taels… Why waste so much silver on something else instead of just giving it to a matchmaker? Better to keep it for the couple to spend themselves.
So he’d decided to personally discuss the marriage himself… He’d never imagined he would frighten the person away.
Chengxu stood rooted to the spot, on the verge of tears.