novelraw Chapter 1246 - 466: Court Intrigue Is No Match for Rebellion (Part 3)-2
Chapter 1246 - 466: Court Intrigue Is No Match for Rebellion (Part 3)-2
Forty years ago, the last emperor of the Previous Dynasty was muddle-headed, and the world was in chaos.
Local powers rose up in rebellion one after another.
The He Family was one such force.
Back then, the Family Head of the He Family was the father of Empress Dowager He, a man with a strong army who occupied nearly half of Jiangshan.
The late Emperor Zhao Jiong was also an emerging force and an aristocratic family; he was skilled in war and attracted talented individuals, capturing most of Jiangshan.
In the end, the Zhao and He families contended for supremacy in the Central Plains.
But at this time, the He Family Master died in battle while encircling a small faction.
His two sons also perished on the battlefield.
The He Family was left with only Empress Dowager He and a pregnant concubine.
Empress Dowager He was only thirteen years old but very courageous.
She understood that in the chaos of the times, as a woman, she could hardly inherit the power of the He Family, likely becoming a defenseless victim instead.
If her father’s concubine gave birth to a son, she might still have some leverage.
But the concubine was just pregnant, and no one could be sure if the unborn child was a boy or a girl.
What if the child was a daughter, or even if it was a son, if things went awry...
After much contemplation, Empress Dowager He decided: the He and Zhao families would form an alliance through marriage.
She brought the He Family’s territory and troops to marry Zhao Jiong, and after Zhao Jiong obtained Jiangshan, he must make their son the new monarch.
This way, they could avoid a bloody conflict between two powerful forces and share wealth and glory, bringing joy to all!
The world could end its wars sooner, and the people could quickly resume peaceful lives.
Thus, this Empress Dowager He did not rely on her beauty or the favor of being the original spouse.
She brought nearly half of Jiangshan as her dowry and stood on equal footing with the late Emperor Zhao Jiong as a high-level partner!
With the establishment of the Dayong Dynasty, the He Family received ample rewards.
Among the many founding heroes of the court, several of the He Family’s subordinates and former subordinates were ennobled as dukes and marquises.
Of course, these were people with merits; someone like Zheng Nianer’s father, an ordinary subordinate, remained just a subordinate.
Oh, that’s incorrect, Zheng Nianer’s father, Zheng Hu, was not ordinary.
His wife was chosen by the Empress Dowager to be the Prince’s wet nurse.
As a result, Zheng Hu was promoted from an ordinary subordinate to the steward of an estate.
Later, when the Prince ascended the throne as Emperor, although his wet nurse, Lady Hu, had not been formally ennobled, her husband and son were granted titles.
In the original story, Emperor Yongcheng, whether out of resentment towards the Empress Dowager or true appreciation for the wet nurse,
actually bestowed upon Lady Hu the First-rank Decree as Lady Fengsheng, granting her husband the title of Earl, and her son became part of the Qianniu Guards.
With one person’s success, the whole Zheng Family ascended, becoming one of the foremost new aristocrats in the Dayong Dynasty.
Even the Empress Dowager’s maternal family sometimes had to step aside!
He Tiantian:...
Goodness, what kind of spoiled son is this?
Favoring the wet nurse’s family while suppressing the maternal family?
If the Emperor is truly doing this to prevent foreign relatives from seizing power, it might be understandable.
But the Duke Chengen of the He Family is frail, bedridden for years, and can’t even leave his house, let alone prey on the people.
Such a "foreign relative," merely holding the title of the Empress Dowager’s younger brother, poses no real threat!
And yet the Emperor continues to suppress, doing so in a particularly humiliating way.
This is not a political necessity but pure "spite holds no bars."
As his birth mother, the original character might tolerate such a thankless child.
But He Tiantian cannot.
Watching Emperor Yongcheng’s vacant expression, she held back her amusement, fanning the flames: "Qing Nu, Mom is not deceiving you, Mom has really figured it out!"
"...The welfare of the country and the people isn’t as important as my son’s happiness!"
So, if you want to marry the wet nurse’s daughter, go ahead and marry her, I’ve got your back.
Emperor Yongcheng finally found his voice, and said with some difficulty, "Mother, are you, are you speaking the truth!"
He Tiantian nodded gently, full of kindness and affection.
Emperor Yongcheng felt as if a bone were stuck in his throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
Struggling greatly, his face darkened as if constipated.
After a long while, as though something finally occurred to him, he said with difficulty, "I do like Nianer, but I’m worried about you—"
Get angry!
Act out!
Don’t you despise the wet nurse’s family the most?
Aren’t you deep down the biggest advocate for marriages of equal status?!
Your heart never held affections, neither for Father Emperor nor for me as your son, lacking warmth.
In her eyes, there was only the country, only the court, only naked interests!