jdhmnovel Chapter 39 The situation in the capital
Chapter 39 The situation in the capital
Let's start with the royal family. His Majesty has seven sons. The first three older ones, Prince Duan, Prince Kang, and Prince Ping, as well as his Majesty's youngest brother, Prince An, all stay in their fiefdoms and generally do not come to the capital without an imperial decree. In addition, Prince An is also a legitimate son, but he was too young at the time, and he was the only brother left in the former royal family. His Majesty was merciful and gave Prince An the title of Prince of the highest order, providing him with good food and drink.
"There's no need to worry about the first three princes. They are indeed idle princes who have no interest in the power and wealth of the capital. Although Prince An has no children, he has been well-behaved for many years. However, if you meet them in the future, you still have to be more careful."
Bai Chuxiao nodded. He thought that since he was the youngest son, he might have some inappropriate thoughts.
"Your Majesty has a younger sister, Princess Zhaoyang, whose fiefdom is in Yingzhou. You have also met Princess Changyun, the daughter of her and her husband Zhang Jinlun. His Majesty loves this sister very much, so he has spoiled her little daughter in the palace since she was young. Generally speaking, the husband of a princess has no real power, but Zhang Jinlun is different. He is the governor of Yingzhou, a powerful official. So it is not without reason that Princess Changyun is so domineering. You have to be careful when you meet her in the future."
So, how come no one can afford to offend them? Bai Chuxiao secretly shook her head in her heart. If things continue like this, her family won't come to the capital. But the feud is still formed after all. Chang Yunjun knows that she was framed by Chu Tianze and can only marry the King of Qi. Who knows what she will do?
"Then there are your Majesty's two daughters. The eldest princess, Chu Fengke, was raised by the late queen and was given the title of Princess Yonghe. She lives in Kyoto all year round. The second princess, Chu Fengle, is the daughter of Queen Li and was given the title of Princess Yongcheng. However, for some reason, your Majesty has not chosen a consort for her, so she lives in the palace all year round. As for the next few princes, I'm sure you all know about them, so I don't need to say more."
"In the imperial court, there are six ministries: the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Punishment, which are led by the Right and Left Prime Ministers. Therefore, the Liu and Bai families in the capital are very popular. In addition, there are four other families in the capital: the Yu, Zhu, Qian, and Fan families. In the past, there were ten families in the capital. Your Majesty has eliminated six of them. The four families that have survived should not be underestimated."
"As for the relationship between the Duke Li's Mansion, the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, and the Liu family, do you know? Do you know what Liu Shuyao meant by pointing it out to the prince?"
Bai Chuxiao pondered for a moment, "It is said that His Majesty is waiting and watching, so he deliberately supports the fight between Prince Xiang and Prince Qi, but Xiaoxiao feels that His Majesty has always favored the Prince. His Majesty wants to tie the Right Prime Minister firmly to the Prince's boat. I don't know if the Prince and the Liu family will do as His Majesty wishes."
Murong Cheng smiled with relief, "You are not stupid after all. Second uncle really thought you were clueless. As bystanders, we can see clearly, but the Crown Prince and the Liu family are in the middle of the situation and I am afraid they will be confused. What do you think of Queen Li?"
"I've only met Xiaoxiao twice, so I don't know her very well. But since she can become the queen, she must be a smart person."
"You are right. For so many years, Duke Li's mansion has only had the title of Duke, but no real power. If Queen Li and the Crown Prince had just talked casually, it wouldn't have come to this. However, Queen Li saw through it and didn't change it. So, I'm afraid that the person your majesty trusts the most is still the Crown Prince.
On the contrary, the Prince of Qi seems to be in his prime, but it is hard to say what will happen in the future. Wei Junyan was promoted by Your Majesty, and should have been the one Your Majesty trusts the most. However, he has been relying on the Imperial Concubine Wei in the palace and the military power in his hands. He has become too arrogant. The Prince of Qi is also arrogant. I am afraid that Your Majesty is already unhappy with him. What do you think of the Prince of Yan's situation?"
"If the Liu family is willing to help the prince wholeheartedly, I, as the eldest daughter of the Bai family, will marry the Prince of Yan. The Prince of Yan is the least likely to ascend the throne, so the prince doesn't need to be afraid. He only needs to build a good relationship with us, and he will have the support of both the Bai family and the Prince of Yan. Xiaoxiao thinks that your majesty should be thinking that in the future the prince will succeed to the throne and sit in Kyoto, and the Prince of Yan will guard the border. In this way, the Great Xia will have no worries. From this point of view, the Prince of Yan is in a good situation, and your majesty will only use him."
Bai Chuxiao spoke out what she had guessed, but reality and imagination are often different. His Majesty's plan might fail. Compared to supporting the crown prince, the Liu family would naturally trust the prince Xiang, who is related to them by blood. As for winning over the king of Yan, the crown prince obviously didn't care that much...
But she was thinking the wrong thing. In fact, the prince still cared about it, but she and Prince Yan did not appreciate it. However, if the prince still wanted Bai Chuwan and Bai Linnan's support as before, she really couldn't accept the prince's kindness. After all, there was still a life between her and those people in the Bai family.
Murong Cheng smiled and said, "You are right, but I am afraid that no one will agree with your majesty. However, the King of Yan is generally safe, so we can rest assured that you will marry him."
"But we have already formed a feud with the King of Qi. If he gains power, I'm afraid he won't let us go..." Bai Chuxiao was not so optimistic. Being in the royal family, there was no such thing as safety. Today they are friends, but tomorrow they may be enemies. The situation changes rapidly.
Murong Cheng snorted coldly, "Then don't let him gain power. Our Murong family is not easy to bully. Wei Junyan is just a villain. He has no real talent or knowledge. In terms of prestige in the army, he can never compare to your grandfather."
Character does not represent ability, but no matter how strong your ability is, you can't go far without good character, not to mention that Wei Junyan doesn't have any ability...
"Xiaoxiao got it, thank you second uncle"...
After listening to what her second uncle said today, Bai Chuxiao felt much more enlightened. It seemed that she had answers to many things, and she was no longer in the dark like before.
Seeing that they had finally finished their conversation, the second aunt came in and ordered someone to serve some tea.
"Xiaoxiao, your coming-of-age day is coming soon, what are your plans?" asked my second aunt anxiously.
"My grandmother and father said they would do a good job this time."
The second aunt nodded and snorted, "That's good enough. Your father finally did something."
"But Xiaoxiao is not sure whether Xie will do it sincerely. Who knows what trouble he might cause."
The second aunt thought for a moment and said, "Why not let me come and help you when the time comes? Besides, your wedding date will also be set after the coming-of-age ceremony, and you also need to prepare your dowry in advance."
"I just don't know what my mother left behind. Xiaoxiao is afraid that those things have already gone into Xie's pocket."
"Don't worry, I'll make a list for you later. Xie even dared to covet the original wife's dowry. Don't even think about raising your head in Kyoto in the future."
"Thank you very much, second aunt," Bai Chuxiao said with a faint smile