novelraw Chapter 592: The Overbearing Imperial Consort Who Failed in the Succession Struggle
Chapter 592: The Overbearing Imperial Consort Who Failed in the Succession Struggle
He placed his palm, which had been about to swat her away, back over the hand of the beautiful palace lady puffing with anger before him. Inside the inner chamber, a deep, slightly hoarse male voice continued to sound:
"Yue'er, rest assured. Although I cannot give you the Crown Prince's position, I will certainly not treat you poorly.
I will select the largest and most prosperous fiefdom for our Yu'er. Even if he cannot become Crown Prince, he will be the wealthiest, most carefree prince for the rest of his life."
"And as for our Little Five, I have already chosen a suitable match for her. You've seen that child before, Yue'er, the Heng'er from the Duke Dingguo's household. His looks, intellect, and character are all among the best of the nobility and officials."
What's important is that his family situation is simple. Duke Dingguo himself rendered great service to the court in his early years, commanding military power. Most of his earlier sons died on the battlefield. In the future, no matter who ascends the throne, even if just for reputation's sake, they would absolutely not mistreat them.
Of course, he estimated the person before him wouldn't have the patience to listen to such talk. So, Emperor Xuanming took her hand again and said gently:
"In a little while, I will confer upon Little Five the title of Princess Changle. Her mansion and fiefdom will be granted together, located near the capital in Tang and Lin, two places with a combined estate income of ten thousand households, both affluent areas."
Affluent was an understatement! An Ning thought to herself. These two places were rare salt-producing regions. Although the annual output wasn't huge, what did salt mean in ancient times?
That was pure, gleaming silver.
Putting aside other matters, this arrangement truly left little room for complaint.As for the person before her... After a moment of silence and a deep look at her, Xiao Qi then closed his eyes almost imperceptibly:
"Yue'er, after I am gone, you should follow Yu'er back to the fiefdom. I will leave a final decree, arranging for General Zhou to personally escort you at that time..."
Oh, so he was afraid the original host would be devoured alive by the people in the palace!
It seemed he wasn't unaware of the extent to which the original owner had offended people.
Logically speaking, these arrangements, if not covering every detail, were pretty comprehensive. Originally, there shouldn't be any issues. But thinking of the original owner...
An Ning nearly couldn't resist rubbing her head. Of course, her expression remained unchanged in its anger as she indignantly tossed the handkerchief in her hand aside:
"Hmph! Your Majesty only knows how to lie! What's so good about being a Grand Imperial Consort? Your servant isn't stupid!"
"If Yu'er continued to be Crown Prince, your servant could have anything she wanted. Why would I need to run off to some godforsaken corner to be a turtle hiding in its shell!"
"Your Majesty~"
The key point was, if the Third Prince was capable of being emperor, would he need to scheme so meticulously? If only!
Seeing her this flippant, utterly naive and unworldly appearance, Emperor Xuanming on the couch couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
What to do? Now he was even more worried!
In any case, no matter how much An Ning pestered and wheedled afterwards, the emperor on the couch was determined not to relent this time.
Even so, it wasn't until An Ning stormed out with her entourage, and no news of a changed decree came from the Hall of Diligent Governance for a long time, that everyone in the palace, including the Empress, finally breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness... Ultimately, in His Majesty's heart, the state still comes first..."
Meanwhile, in Luan Yi Hall, the originally lively palace was now eerily quiet.
Seeing the host truly return empty-handed, not to mention the increasingly ashen-faced palace servants outside the hall, even the system within the spiritual sea couldn't help but feel puzzled:
"Um, host, weren't you just trying to persuade him to rescind the decree?"
"Rescind the decree? How is that possible?"
Comfortably reclining on the small sandalwood couch by the window, thickly padded with a lambswool blanket, An Ning shook her head inwardly:
"Although she instinctively blamed others, there was one point the original owner wasn't wrong about. The loss of the Crown Prince position truly wasn't the original owner's fault."
That earlier comment about 'popping the champagne at halftime' was just a joke. In fact, in this whole incident, the original owner was at most a tiny, insignificant catalyst.
Yes, this body's attitude earlier was poor. The emperor was this ill, and she still had that infuriating air of eagerly anticipating becoming Empress Dowager.
But, let's ask, was today the first time the emperor had met the Imperial Noble Consort he had doted on for over a decade?
He ascended the throne young and still managed to hold great power. Don't be fooled by his forever gentle, good-tempered, scholarly demeanor towards the original owner. In reality, he was decisive in action and truly not lacking in schemes and calculations.
Just look at the original owner, who enjoyed exclusive favor for over a decade, with that infuriating, maddening temper. She herself had zero political skill, yet she remained alive and kicking until now.
The emperor's methods insufficient? Poking the jade pendant in her hand as if in a pique, An Ning inwardly scoffed. How could that be!
There was one thing the original owner wasn't wrong about!
"If only that unlucky son of the original owner were a bit more capable, things would never have come to this!"
Having been Crown Prince for so long, he couldn't even fully win over those followers around him. His judgment was mediocre, gathering around him people full of petty schemes.
What's more important, ahead of him was Prince Jing, a formidable figure with exceptional cunning and methods, and a decent background to boot.
An Ning had no doubt that even if he did manage to ascend the throne, with his abilities, disaster would strike sooner or later.
"Well, actually, ahem... he... he could also be gradually trained, right?"
If it were my host... the system thought to itself. The response it got was its host's almost imperceptible eye-roll.
"Trained? Give me a break!"
"The emperor has so many great scholars under him, not lacking in skilled tacticians, and there are no shortage of those with formidable methods. Even he himself has taught him plenty over the years. The key point is, was it effective?"
"The emperor has so many great scholars under him, not lacking in skilled tacticians. Even he himself has taught him plenty over the years. The key point is, was it effective?"
Her, a domineering, brainless, spoiled imperial consort, providing training?
As for the Intelligence-Enhancing Pill, even more impossible!
Not to mention how expensive fifty points are, trying to reshape someone who hasn't bent after so many years. Suddenly becoming enlightened, clever, and sharp at fourteen? That's just asking for trouble!
Moreover, even the most powerful pill works on the individual's foundation. The Third Prince's foundation... Hmm!
Thinking about this mother-and-sons trio, only the little daughter, not yet ten, showed a bit of cleverness. And it was just a tiny bit, far from being truly smart.
"With someone like this as Crown Prince, is it possible that if he truly ascended the throne, the original owner and her two children would only end up worse off?"
The Jingnan Campaign of the Yongle Emperor wasn't fake history.
The System: "..."
"Then what do we do?"
The system looked anxious, but the response from its host was unhurried: "Let's wait a bit first."
The System: "!!!"
No, the key point is, if we don't hurry, the person is about to be gone! The host isn't really planning to go to the fiefdom, is she?
Perhaps fearing what comes, it arrives. Just as this Imperial Noble Consort An Ning was still throwing tantrums in the palace, or skillfully running to the Hall of Diligent Governance to make a scene, keeping all the consorts on edge...
Not long after, news suddenly came from the front hall that the emperor's condition was critical!
Upon learning the news, the System: "!!!"
Ah, no, this... how did it happen ahead of schedule!