Wei Shiwan listened, unable to conceal her excitement, "Yan'er, you really met the Crown Prince? And the Crown Prince saved you?"
"Mm."
Thinking of the encounter earlier, Li Ruoyan's cheeks couldn't help but blush.
Seeing this, how could Wei Shiwan not tell that Li Ruoyan had already developed feelings for Ying Ziheng? She immediately seized the opportunity to ask, "Yan'er, leaving Li Jin aside for now, tell your mother truthfully, after meeting the Crown Prince, do you actually want to become the Crown Princess?"
"Mother, this sort of matter... your daughter is too embarrassed to say..."
Li Ruoyan's cheeks reddened even more.
Wei Shiwan laughed, "Seeing you like this, Mother will take it as a yes."
"Mother..."
Li Ruoyan's call of 'Mother' carried a clear, coquettish tone.
"Yan'er." Wei Shiwan interrupted Li Ruoyan, "Since you have your heart set on the position of Crown Princess, Mother must tell you, there are several other noble young ladies who also have their eyes on the Crown Prince. You cannot be careless."
Hearing that so many people wanted to compete for her beloved, Li Ruoyan instantly became angry, "They are noble ladies, but I am the daughter of the Prince of Dingbei. My status is much more esteemed than theirs. What right do they have to compete with me?"
Wei Shiwan shook her head.
"Yan'er, besides them, the daughters of the Prince of Jingnan and the Prince of Pingxi also wish to compete. So your chances of winning are not very great."
Now Ying Ziheng's position as Crown Prince is extremely stable. Whoever becomes the Crown Princess will undoubtedly be the next Empress. Who would be willing to give up such a rare opportunity?
"Mother, your daughter wants to be with the Crown Prince. You must help your daughter."
The Prince of Jingnan, the Prince of Pingxi, and the Prince of Dingbei had always kept each other in check. Even with all her self-confidence, Li Ruoyan knew that if those two families joined forces to deal with her first, she would gain no advantage.
"Yan'er, rest assured. Mother is telling you this precisely because she has a foolproof plan."
Hearing this, Li Ruoyan was overjoyed, "Mother, are you speaking the truth?"
"Since when has Mother ever deceived you?" Wei Shiwan sat down calmly and proceeded to explain her scheme to Li Ruoyan.
"Mother, isn't this... improper?"
After listening to Wei Shiwan's plan, Li Ruoyan felt somewhat timid.
Wei Shiwan looked at Li Ruoyan and said, word by word, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Yan'er, only in this way will the Crown Prince be unable to deny it, and it will also cut off the hopes of others who covet the position of Crown Princess."
"But... if we really do this, my reputation will be ruined."
"That is the Crown Prince. If such a thing really happens, even if they see it, they won't dare to spread it recklessly." A dark light flashed quickly in Wei Shiwan's eyes. "Yan'er, Mother's method is this one. Whether to do it or not is entirely up to you."
"This... Alright, I'll do it."
Afraid of missing out on the position of Crown Princess, Li Ruoyan hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She then took her leave from Wei Shiwan.
Wei Shiwan did not stop her, smiling as she watched Li Ruoyan leave.
Li Yanshen emerged from the shadows and said with concern, "Mother, to gamble with Yan'er's reputation... if the Crown Prince doesn't take the bait, wouldn't we be harming Yan'er?"
"Shen'er, it won't happen. Mother won't let such a thing occur. Yan'er will absolutely become the Crown Princess."
"Mother, I still feel it's inappropriate."
"Shen'er, you must remember, only if Yan'er becomes the Crown Princess can you more smoothly seize back the Heir position from Li Jin. If it weren't for you, why would Mother scheme so exhaustively? Even lead your sister to the Yunling Temple, ensuring she just happened to meet the Crown Prince?"
The encounter between Li Ruoyan and Ying Ziheng was not a coincidence but a deliberate design by Wei Shiwan. The goal was very simple: to make Li Ruoyan develop feelings for Ying Ziheng, and thus agree to her plan.
In other words.
Although Wei Shiwan cherished Li Ruoyan, she would not hesitate to sacrifice her daughter if it meant securing advantages for Li Yanshen, as she was doing now.
"Mother, I do want the Heir position, but to sacrifice Yan'er for this, I..."
"Shen'er, Yan'er said it herself earlier, she likes the Crown Prince. We are not exactly using her, just helping her achieve her wish."
"..."
Li Yanshen fell silent.
"Shen'er." Wei Shiwan's gaze fell upon Li Yanshen, "We cannot continue to hesitate on this matter. Li Jin is now deeply favored by the Empress and the Seventh Prince. On our side, we only have the useless Fifth Prince, who is fine for minor matters but completely useless for major ones. If this continues, it will become even more difficult to remove Li Jin from the Heir position. And your intermittently recurring illness... if others were to find out, it would be even more impossible for you to become the Heir."
Speaking of Li Yanshen's strange illness, Wei Shiwan was already overwhelmed.
Because she simply could not find the cause, and even after replacing all the maids serving Li Yanshen several times, it couldn't be alleviated. Wei Shiwan had no choice but to conceal the fact of Li Yanshen's strange illness.
Wei Shiwan's words struck a chord with Li Yanshen, instantly making him unable to refuse.
Li Yanshen slowly closed his eyes, "Mother, let's do as you say."
"Mm."
Wei Shiwan nodded with satisfaction.
Knock knock.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"What is it?"
"Princess Consort, the Eldest Young Master had the kitchen prepare some pastries and invites you to come taste them?"
"Understood. You go back first, I will be there shortly."
"Yes, Princess Consort."
Hearing Wei Shiwan agree, the maid outside the door secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mother, since Elder Brother is looking for you, your son will not disturb you further." Knowing Wei Shiwan had matters to attend to, Li Yanshen nodded to her and left in another direction.
"Mm."
Wei Shiwan nodded, not stopping Li Yanshen from leaving.
Building a good relationship with Li Yanchen was also part of their plan. So, regarding Wei Shiwan visiting Li Yanchen, Li Yanshen would not react as strongly as Li Ruoyan.
____
"Your Highness, look over there, it's the Seventh Prince." As soon as Li Jin and his party arrived at the palace gate, Ping'an sharp-eyed noticed Ying Yuan, who had been waiting there early.
"Mm." Li Jin nodded, "Ping'an, Yunting, keep an eye on the carriage."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After instructing Ping'an and Zhou Yunting, Li Jin walked towards the palace gate. Almost as soon as he stepped through the gate, Ying Yuan came up to meet him, "Li Jin, Father Emperor said he wants to summon us. Earlier, he was in the Empress's palace reviewing memorials and frequently flew into a rage. I suspect this summons is probably related to those memorials. How about you pretend to be sick, Li Jin? I'm afraid Father Emperor might take his anger out on you too."
Over the years, as Ying Zhengjing's age increased, his suspicion and temper had also grown increasingly severe. Several times he had taken his anger out on them, the princes. As the Crown Prince, Ying Ziheng bore the brunt and got scolded the most. Ying Yuan really didn't want Li Jin to become the next target of Ying Zhengjing's wrath.
"It's fine." Li Jin shook his head, "It's just that His Majesty summoned us too urgently this time. I'm afraid there might be important matters. Let's go see first before we decide."
"Alright."
Seeing Li Jin insist on going, Ying Yuan couldn't persuade him further and reluctantly agreed.
Fine, if Li Jin wants to go, then he'll go. If later Father Emperor takes it out on Li Jin, I definitely won't stand by and do nothing.
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