novelraw Chapter 740 - 729: Stand-In Younger Sister
Chapter 740 - 729: Stand-In Younger Sister
After the coming-of-age ceremony, the Ye Family became busy. As the New Year approached, the palace needed repairs on many of its buildings in preparation for the upcoming royal selection. Ye Borong needed to discuss the quantity of materials to be transported into the palace with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue, thus he was often away from home.
Meanwhile, Ye Wangshi was preparing for Ye Xia’s selection process next year, needing to establish connections. She couldn’t allow her favorite daughter to encounter any mishaps; at best, she hoped she would be successfully selected so she wouldn’t have to continue to curry favor with her sister-in-law, Ms. Chen.
And Ye Xia herself was also eager to forge relationships with the daughters of officials, with banquets almost daily. Ye Qiu even heard that she recently made contact with a Princess.
Her younger brother Ye Zhixing was only eight years old, too young to have expectations placed on him for the Imperial Examination. However, the family did not want this heir to be deceived by others in the future, so he still needed to study every day.
So, the only one left with idle time was Ye Qiu, but with Little Golden Crow and Wang Yanran for company, she was not too bored.
"I’ve heard that the Holy Emperor is summoning all the Vassal Kings to the capital, it seems this year will be troubled again," Wang Yanran said in a low voice, shaking her head, "You are right not to go out. It’s very chaotic in the capital now!"
"With the weather so cold, why would I go out? It’s my elder sister who can’t seem to sit still."
"What were your uncle and aunt really thinking? To actually send Ye Xia to the selection? Don’t they know the harem is not safe? How many have died there in the past two years? What’s more, my father said that the Holy Emperor’s health is getting worse by the day, he hasn’t held court for ten days straight. Isn’t sending her into the palace to become a widow?"
"It was her own request," Ye Qiu interjected leisurely as she bit into an apple.
Wang Yanran was shocked: "Ye Xia asked for it herself? Why?"
"What else could it be for, if not the insatiable desire to gamble for overwhelming riches!" Ye Qiu was indifferent, her sister’s mindset was transparent, thinking herself clever, but in fact, everyone saw through her long ago.
Wang Yanran’s eyes widened: "Is this overwhelming wealth so easily gambled for? The Holy Emperor is old enough to be her father! Could she bear it? Besides, does she really think she will be the one chosen? Even if, by luck, she were selected, does she believe she can safely give birth to a child in the palace surrounded by jackals and tigers?"
Ye Qiu’s eyebrows drooped, mockery flashing in her eyes: "Don’t you know how confident our cousin is?"
"But even if Ye Xia is foolish, uncle and aunt can’t be foolish with her, right? This isn’t just about her, what if it implicates the whole Ye Family?" Wang Yanran felt that what a young girl like her could think of, the adults should have considered too, yet they still agreed!
"What else could it be? They are all not content. My father doesn’t want to be an Imperial Merchant his whole life, and my mother doesn’t want to be oppressed by her sister-in-law forever. Neither I nor my little brother can be relied upon, so can they only count on Ye Xia? They think there’s nothing that silver can’t fix."
"That’s ridiculous," Wang Yanran was at a loss for words, "Is this a simple matter that can be solved with silver? What does an Imperial Merchant amount to in the eyes of those people? Even the families with a slight foundation possess huge fortunes; even the major families dare not get involved, how dare uncle and aunt?"
"There’s nothing about daring or not, anyways, it’s not our place to say or worry about it. Alright, go back and have your mother subtlety hint at it, don’t let your uncle get involved in this matter, so it doesn’t implicate your family."
"But what about you? What if you’re implicated when the time comes?" Wang Yanran was frantic, her father was a newly risen power in the court, already the envy of others, but her family had no strong basis, so not many great ladies were willing to interact with her. The only close one was her cousin Ye Qiu, which made her worry even more.
"What trouble could I possibly encounter? I’m practically living on borrowed time already, these years have been stolen anyway, it’s no big deal," Ye Qiu said with a light and carefree smile.
But she was met with Wang Yanran’s scolding: "Don’t say such nonsense."
Ye Qiu looked at her with warm eyes and smiled, "Cousin, don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you think. Besides, who says Ye Xia will definitely be chosen? Even if she is chosen, she has some cunning about her and won’t be easily trapped, right?"
"Her? I’m not so sure about that."
"Actually, I think she’s more likely to be bestowed to the various Vassal Kings than being favored by the Holy Emperor."
Wang Yanran looked at Ye Qiu with surprise: "Why would you think that? The Vassal Kings are all married men, oh, that’s not right, there is Prince Li who lost several wives under mysterious circumstances. But why would the Holy Emperor suddenly grant marriages to the Vassal Kings? Have you heard some kind of rumor?"
"It’s not baseless gossip, it’s my own analysis. Think about it, the Vassal Kings haven’t been to the capital for nearly ten years, why would the Holy Emperor suddenly summon them back?"
"What else could it be for? Isn’t it to show the might of the dynasty and deter the Vassal Kings?"
Ye Qiu looked into Wang Yanran’s eyes and asked, "You just said it yourself; the Holy Emperor is gravely ill, and the heirs in the harem are mysteriously dying young. How can he deter the Vassal Kings in this state? Are you sure he’s not just inviting them to watch a farce?"
"So that’s why he would bestow marriages to the Vassal Kings?" Wang Yanran still didn’t understand.
"In my view, not only is the Holy Emperor in a bad way, but those two frail little princes in the palace are probably not doing well either. Bestowing marriages to the Vassal Kings is partly to reassure and appease them, partly to incite internal conflict among them, and perhaps the Holy Emperor also wants to choose a successor from among the heirs of the Vassal Kings."
Wang Yanran was shocked: "How do you know that the two little princes are not doing well?"
"Do you still remember who has been taking my pulse over the years?"
"I know, Doctor Liu."
"Do you remember what Doctor Liu is most adept at?"
"Pediatrics, hiss... you’re saying..."
"Doctor Liu usually visits me for a check-up once every half-month, but now he hasn’t come for a whole month. Whenever I send someone to the Liu Residence, they always say Doctor Liu is in the palace. What do you think could have happened in the palace to make Doctor Liu, who had been relieved of duty, be summoned again?"
"The only reason would be if something has happened to the heirs in the palace." Wang Yanran now completely understood and also felt a bit sad, "But the Holy Emperor’s Princesses are fine; it’s just that not one prince can be raised to adulthood. Everyone knows that it’s the Vassal Kings who are meddling, and yet the Holy Emperor still wants to establish an heir from one of the Vassal Kings as the Crown Prince?"
"What else can he do? Moreover, perhaps once the Holy Emperor makes his intentions known, the Vassal Kings might start infighting, right? Then the Holy Emperor can reap the benefits of the fishermen, taking revenge for his children while choosing a successor with no backing. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?"
After hearing Ye Qiu’s explanation, Wang Yanran looked at her admiringly: "Such cleverness you have; it’s indeed a waste that you weren’t born a boy. Even my father has been bewildered by the series of imperial decrees from the Holy Emperor recently!"
"It’s just that I caught onto some clues. So about Ye Xia’s issue, you really needn’t worry too much, what will happen with the Vassal Kings is still uncertain!"