“Born to be the empress?” Prince Cheng stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back. He said this without turning back.
His plain robes made him look like an ordinary recluse in the mountain.
The room was very simple. It was just an ordinary Zen room hidden behind the stone forest. It was a room for cultivating in seclusion. There was a table and two chairs. On the square table, there was a spread scripture, a string of sandalwood beads, and the four treasures of the study. They were all the simplest ones. It was hard to believe that this was the place where the current emperor’s only younger brother lived.
However, Prince Cheng indeed lived here now.
At this moment, he was not alone in the room. There was a man standing behind him. He raised his chubby face. It was Duke Xing Shao Jing.
“Yes, it was said that… but… I don’t dare to spread the news. I’m afraid… afraid that Ru’er will suffer a lot!” Duke Xing frowned tightly and looked worried.
His most outstanding daughter had such an accident in the palace. As a father, he was in a dilemma at the moment. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do and could only ask Prince Cheng for help.
“Is there really such a thing that she is born to be the empress?” Prince Cheng said lazily. He squinted his beautiful eyes slightly, which were unique to the royal family, and asked casually. He turned around and sat down at the table, picked up the teacup with fresh tea, lifted the cover, brushed the foam off, took a sip, and put it down. “Did the abbot tell you this in person?”
“He did not talk to me in person, but I heard someone told him. I couldn’t hear who it was, but Prime Minister Zhang was also in Huaguang Temple that day. I don’t know if it was Prime Minister Zhang!” Duke Xing said hesitantly.
“Prime Minister Zhang?” Prince Cheng lowered his eyes slightly. After thinking for a while, he said coldly, “It can’t be him. If he knows it, my brother must also know it. At this time, maybe he has already… ”
Speaking of this, Prince Cheng stopped and leaned back. He gazed at Shao Jing and said, “Could it be… that my brother, the emperor, has already known it?”
He already knew what had happened in the palace. At first, he thought that Shao Yanru was ruined, and it was basically no big deal. But now he felt that if this was true, then was the news he got just a show?
Since she was born to be the empress, she must marry the emperor. The next emperor was still in the competition, but now the emperor was still there. If Shao Yanru was really framed up this time, would it be his elder brother, the emperor, who took action?
It was still hard to tell who Prime Minister Zhang favored. At least when he sent someone to contact him in private, Prime Minister Zhang was extremely fair. He was only loyal to the emperor. That was to say, he was loyal to the one on the throne and did not care about joining in whose group.
Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Wen were the two prime ministers in the palace. Usually, they did not get along well with each other, but there was one thing in common. They were both very sophisticated and seemed to be loyal to the current emperor. But it might not be the case in private. It was not so easy to tell whether they were on the side of one prince or not.
But according to the current situation, if Prime Minister Zhang really knew that the First Miss of Shao was born to be the empress, he would definitely not allow the First Miss to get married as her will. If she wanted to get married, she could only marry the emperor with regard to this statement.
Shao Yanru had a relationship with both Prince Yue and Prince Zhou. The two princes fought in the abandoned garden and then went to the Empress. Prince Cheng had his own channels to inquire about it. Although he was not very clear, he was basically sure that both Chu Liuyue and Chu Liuzhou seemed to want to marry the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
If it was true, and the Emperor had known about the statement, it was inevitable that the First Miss Shao could not marry any of them, and she would be sent to the imperial palace.
“You said that your First Miss was framed up?” Prince Cheng touched the teacup in his hand with interest and said slowly.
“My eldest daughter has always been steady and decent. She has been well-behaved over the years and has not been so enthusiastic about entering the imperial palace to attend the Beauty Contest. When the imperial palace selected consorts for several princes three years ago, Ru’er had wanted to avoid it and only wanted to marry into an ordinary family. Since Ru’er was unwilling to enter the palace, I support her. But I didn’t expect that such a thing would happen as soon as she entered the imperial palace. What… what should I do!”
The rims of Shao Jing’s eyes turned red. He had always looked like a kind person, and now he looked more like a kind father.
Three years ago, Prince Cheng also knew that Shao Yanru avoided the Beauty Contest. Chu Liuyue and Chu Liuzhou did not expect that Duke Xing, who they had been trying to draw over, had actually been Prince Cheng’s person for a long time and had been working for Prince Cheng secretly.
Prince Cheng knew about it. When he asked Shao Jing before, Shao Jing said that his daughter did not want to enter the palace, so she did not want to attend the Beauty Contest. For this reason, he secretly thought that Shao Jing’s daughter was not bad.
“Your Highness, please save my daughter. She is still… still in the palace. What should we do?” Shao Jing said with eyes turning red slightly.
“If someone has investigated your daughter’s fate, if it is true that she was born to be the empress, and if my brother knows it, it is impossible for your daughter to marry any prince or have any connection with any of them. The final result is that she will marry my brother,” Prince Cheng said.
Was this part of his brother’s plan?
“What… what should we do then?” Shao Jing panicked and said.
Prince Cheng raised the corner of his mouth and asked with a smile, “Isn’t it good? My brother maybe has other plans for your daughter. At that time, you will be the emperor’s father-in-law. Even the current Empress might give way to your daughter!”
Shao Jing knelt down with a thud, lowered his head, and said loyally, “Your Highness, if my daughter must have connections with the royal family, I hope that she could help you. No matter what kind of status you give my daughter, I won’t care about it!”
“Are you going to give your daughter who was born to be the empress to me?” Prince Cheng smiled and looked down at Shao Jing with unclear meaning in his eyes.
“Yes. In my heart, I only recognize Your Highness!” Shao Jing said respectfully.
His words pleased Prince Cheng. He reached out to help Shao Jing up and said, “Duke Xing, get up. I understand what you mean!”
Of course, the person born to be the empress would marry the emperor. Shao Jing meant that he was loyal to Prince Cheng and firmly supported him to become the next emperor.
“Ask your daughter to recuperate in the palace quietly. There is a benefit to living in the side hall of the Empress. At least my brother can’t visit her at will. As long as your daughter is obedient and sensible, I have my way to get her out of the palace.”
Prince Cheng was satisfied and in a good mood. So he said this.
He was not young anymore, so he did need a wife. This time, he could not refuse the consort selection. In this case, it was not difficult for Shao Yanru to marry into his mansion even if Shao Yanru was born to be the empress. Now there was the Empress on the throne. He did not believe that his royal brother dared to admit this.
The Empress was still on the throne, and she had done nothing wrong. Moreover, she gave birth to Prince Zhou, the legitimate son. It was impossible for her to be abolished. The person who was born to be the empress should not only marry the emperor.
“However, in your daughter’s current situation, she may not be able to be the Princess,” Prince Cheng said with some pity. He really did not mind Shao Yanru’s reputation. Marrying a person who was born to be the empress would make him more confident.
Moreover, he heard that First Miss Shao was also smart and beautiful, so it was acceptable for him to marry her. However, after such a thing, it would be difficult for her to be his Princess.
“I’ll do as you say, Your Highness.” Shao Jing wiped away his cold sweat as a weight lifted from his heart.
Shao Yanru had an accident in the imperial palace, and the two princes fought for her. The news was like thunder on a sunny day, making Shao Jing dizzy and almost unable to believe it was true.
His daughter had always been scheming, so it was impossible for her to do such a thing. After thinking for a few days in the mansion, he immediately thought of Prince Cheng, who was the only one able to save his daughter now.
Originally, he chose to join Prince Cheng’s group, but he let his daughter hook up with Prince Yue and Prince Zhou in order to maximize the interests of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Now it seemed that only Prince Cheng could be relied on, so he came to meet Prince Cheng secretly in a hurry.
“Write a letter to your daughter later and tell her to do what she should do in the palace. Don’t meet anyone in the side hall while she is recuperating. Later I would think of a way to let her out. Tell her not to panic, and not to act on her own!” Prince Cheng waved his hand and ordered. He liked obedient women.
“Yes, I’ll write a letter now!” Shao Jing said in a hurry. He couldn’t get any news from the imperial palace and couldn’t send it in. He, who was hopeless, finally heard some true words from Prince Cheng. How could he not be happy?
After being led to a simple room on the side by the guard, Shao Jing went to the desk, picked up the writing brush, and immediately began to write. He was really anxious. After asking some specific matters, he told Shao Yanru not to act rashly and only to heal her wounds quietly without any other thoughts.
The letter was going to be sent to the palace secretly. In case it would be discovered, Shao Jing couldn’t tell her straightly. So he could only hint that Shao Yanru should wait for him, and he would definitely save her out and marry her into a good family in the future.
Shao Jing couldn’t write more than two pages in the letter. He put down the writing brush in his hand and read it again. After it was dried, he folded it up and put it into the envelope.
He handed the letter to the guard at the side.
After receiving it, the guard said to Shao Jing, “The Duke, please go down the mountain first. My master said that this place is simple and inconvenient to treat you. Please talk next time if you have a chance to meet again!”
His words meant that Shao Jing just met Prince Cheng by chance.
“Yes, yes, I know. I will definitely remember it!” Shao Jing nodded repeatedly, bowed respectfully toward the direction of Prince Cheng’s room, and then left the place where Prince Cheng cultivated in seclusion in a hurry with his trusted followers.
With Prince Cheng’s help, he could rest assured!
But his so-called relief would just cause a mess…