The eldest prince was his firstborn, and Emperor Changde had once doted on him. However, after the eldest prince developed a penchant for fighting and nearly caused a scandal with rumors of being cursed to harm his wives Emperor Changde’s affection for him waned. With the Crown Prince being diligent and pleasing, and the eldest prince voluntarily joining the army and going to the border, Emperor Changde transferred all his affection to the Crown Prince.
[克妻 (kè qī)]: lit. Cursed to harm wives; fig. A superstition that a man’s fate brings misfortune or death to his wives]
But Emperor Changde didn’t see it that way. He now believed that the eldest prince had been deliberately driven away by Cao Lan’er and the Crown Prince, and that the Crown Prince had forcibly taken the affection he had originally intended for the eldest prince.
The mere thought of Cao Lan’er filled Emperor Changde with disgust, and his feelings toward the Crown Prince weren’t much better. All the fondness he once had for the Crown Prince had turned into loathing. In just a short moment of self-reflection, Emperor Changde began to consider deposing the Crown Prince.
He also decided that the throne must never fall into the Crown Prince’s hands.
Emperor Changde continued to issue orders to Gan Yongfu. "Send people to keep a close eye on the Crown Prince. He is not to have any contact with the cold palace. Also, go to Changning Palace and deliver an edict summoning the sixth prince to see me."
...
That night, the Wei mansion received an unexpected guest, strictly speaking, someone who wanted to become a son-in-law of the Wei family, though whether he would succeed was uncertain. This guest was the sixth prince, Yue Heng.
Yue Heng had snuck out of the palace to bring Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao some good news: he was going to establish his own residence outside the palace.
In the Dayue dynasty, a prince establishing his own residence outside the palace meant he could enter the court and begin building his own power base to compete for the throne.
Yue Heng had actually reached the age to establish his own residence long ago, but Cao Lan’er had prevented it. She didn’t want the Crown Prince to have another rival, and she also wanted to keep Yue Heng under her watchful eye, making him easier to control.
Now that Cao Lan’er had been deposed, and Emperor Changde was furious with her actions, he was also afraid that her words might come true, that he would be left with only the Crown Prince as his heir, forcing him to pass the throne to him.
So, while Emperor Changde sent people to bring the eldest prince back to the capital, he also arranged for Yue Heng to establish his own residence outside the palace, intending to groom him as a counterbalance to the Crown Prince.
Perhaps because Yue Heng had never been favored by Cao Lan’er, Emperor Changde’s dissatisfaction with Cao Lan’er and the Crown Prince did not extend to Yue Heng.
Yue Heng was naturally delighted. Once he was out of the palace, it would be much easier for him to see Su Qiao. He wouldn’t have to sneak out of the palace as he had before, staying for only a short time before having to return. Yue Heng now eagerly awaited the completion of the renovations to the residence Emperor Changde had granted him so he could move in.
Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao were a little puzzled after hearing this. Jiang Lin asked, "You snuck into the Wei mansion in the middle of the night just to tell us this?"
Yue Heng didn’t see anything wrong with this. "Of course. Such good news should be delivered in person."
This only confused them further.
Jiang Lin asked, "Why?"
Yue Heng replied, "You two are like older brothers to me. I should show sufficient sincerity."
It was clear that Yue Heng was very serious about becoming a son-in-law of the Wei family.
Jiang Lin, who wasn’t particularly keen on being an older brother, responded with a cold, "Oh."
Wei Yunzhao, however, asked a different question. "Your Highness, do you intend to compete for the throne?"
"No," Yue Heng answered bluntly, adding, "It’s dirty."
Jiang Lin felt that, based on Yue Heng’s attitude toward the throne, he was quite optimistic about his chances with Su Qiao.
"The throne will eventually change hands. Does Your Highness have a suitable candidate in mind?" Wei Yunzhao pressed.
Yue Heng smiled mysteriously. "You’ll find out when the time comes. I can’t say now. But rest assured, not just anyone can sit on that throne. Even if someone wants it, I won’t allow it."
In the darkness of the night, it was hard to see Yue Heng’s expression, but his tone made it clear that he already had a candidate in mind for the throne, someone who would be nothing like Emperor Changde.
"In that case, we can rest easy. We trust Your Highness will keep your word," Wei Yunzhao said, bowing respectfully.
Yue Heng stood up and gestured for Wei Yunzhao to rise. "Actually, I thought you might rebel. At one point, I even considered helping you if you did. It would’ve been quite something," Yue Heng said, his tone full of regret.
Jiang Lin glanced at Yue Heng, silently cursing Cao Lan’er and the dog emperor. Look at what they had done to this child, making him willing to hand over his family’s throne to someone else.
Of course, if Cao Lan’er and the dog emperor heard Yue Heng’s words, they would probably either die of anger or spit blood on the spot. Jiang Lin really wanted to tell them.
Yue Heng establishing his own residence outside the palace was good news for them. It would make it easier to discuss matters in the future, and with Yue Heng’s network of informants in the palace, they would continue to receive valuable information. Out of consideration for Su Qiao, Jiang Lin decided to cook a celebratory meal for Yue Heng once he moved into his new residence.
Having spent so much time with Su Qiao, Yue Heng naturally knew about Jiang Lin’s exceptional cooking skills, which were unmatched. However, he had never been able to taste Jiang Lin’s dishes because his visits always coincided with bad timing. When Jiang Lin mentioned this, Yue Heng immediately took it to heart and turned to leave. "I’ll go tell Su Su the good news right away."
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