Imperial Husband Chapter 125

Chapter 125

With the imperial edicts consecutively issued to enfeoff the princes, coupled with Ying Zhengjing's hint during the morning court that he would select one from among the enfeoffed princes to be Crown Prince, an uproar erupted both inside and outside the court.

Ying Ziqi's prestige was undoubtedly the highest among the princes.

Over the years, he had worked tirelessly for the common people, winning their hearts and widespread public favor. Therefore, not only was he deeply loved by the common people, but Ying Zhengjing had also enfeoffed him as the Prince Xian (Virtuous Prince). His prominence was unmatched for a time, making him a hot candidate for the Crown Prince position.

The former Crown Prince, Ying Ziheng, though occasionally achieving merit, was still considerably inferior compared to Ying Ziqi.

As for Ying Zijun, after being enfeoffed as the Prince Kang (Prosperous Prince), he began to curry favor with court officials both openly and covertly. He even married the youngest legitimate daughter of the Left Chancellor to contend with Ying Ziheng and Ying Ziqi.

Apart from the Prince of Jin, who was unable to walk, the other princes were forced under the momentum of these three to take sides one after another.

As for Ying Yuan, having just returned to the capital and possessing the status of a legitimate son, he formed his own faction.

However, Ying Yuan had only returned to the capital not long ago, and his foundation was weak. He was no match for the other three princes at all. Therefore, let alone other weaker princes taking his side, even court officials with lower ranks avoided Ying Yuan, fearing that if Ying Yuan tried to win them over, it would incur the displeasure of the other three princes.

Ying Ziqi said displeasedly, "That year, we really let Ying Yuan off too easily. If I had that 'legitimate son' title, why would I need to do so many things to curry favor with those lowly commoners?"

Although the matter of Gu Rushuang selecting an adopted son had passed many years, the matter remained a deep-seated resentment that Ying Ziqi carried to this day.

Ying Ziqi's confidant clasped his hands meaningfully and said, "Your Highness, set your mind at ease. This is merely a temporary expedient. In the future, when you ascend to the supreme position, all sacrifices made now will be worthwhile."

The confidant also knew that the matter of Gu Rushuang's adopted son was a sore point for Ying Ziqi, hence he avoided discussing it directly.

"Mm." Ying Ziqi took this in, and the gloom between his brows began to gradually fade. "His Majesty is still ill. Remember to send someone to the palace later to tell Chief Physician Wang that he must ensure His Majesty 'recovers' as soon as possible."

The confidant nodded solemnly in agreement. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Right, has Jiang You sent any more messages?"

"Just received one yesterday, I was just about to give it to Your Highness." 

After saying this, the confidant took out a letter from his person and respectfully handed it to Ying Ziqi.

Ying Ziqi took the letter and immediately opened it to read its contents.

"Good, very good. I knew Jiang You was capable. Tell him to return in a few days."

"Yes, this subordinate will go write a reply immediately."

The confidant immediately bid farewell and withdrew.

Ying Ziqi then folded the letter in his hand and slowly brought it close to a candlestick.

In a short while.

The letter, meeting the fire, gradually burned to ashes. "This time, what I want is not just the Crown Prince position; even the Emperor's throne will be within my grasp. Don't even think about winning against me."

...

On the other side.

Prince Kang's Mansion.

A man dressed as a page boy clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Prince of Qin has rejected our recruitment."

"So it seems... he also has his heart set on the throne."

After saying this, Ying Zijun couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Yes." The man nodded, then continued, "In that case, Your Highness will have one more enemy. Although this Prince of Qin has little foundation, he still has the Heir of the Prince of Dingbei behind him, and he bears a grudge against you, Your Highness. In the future, I'm afraid he will oppose you."

"If he opposes, then just eliminate him." Ying Zijun said with little concern. "However, with Ying Ziheng and Ying Ziqi still around, if I move against Ying Yuan now, I'll only be giving them an advantage for nothing. Let's wait a bit, there's no hurry."

"Yes."

"What about the Sixth Prince?"

"Replying to Your Highness, Prince Xuan (Illustrious/Proclaiming Prince) has already sent someone to deliver a message. Your Highness will soon know Prince Xian's movements."

"Good, good, good, I knew the Sixth Prince was capable." Ying Zijun repeatedly said 'good'. "This way, Ying Ziqi's movements are certainly within my control, so there's no need to be overly guarded against him for now. What about Ying Ziheng? What did the spy we sent over there say before?"

Mentioning the spy sent to Prince An's mansion, the man immediately stiffened his back. "Your Highness, that spy... is already dead."

"What?"

Ying Zijun's expression instantly turned cold.

The man, frightened, knelt on the ground. "Your Highness, there was no other way. Prince An's mansion is heavily guarded. Besides the spy we sent, many others have died as well. Presumably, those people were also spies sent by other princes."

"..."

Ying Zijun fell silent.

The man looked at Ying Zijun warily and whispered, "Your Highness?"

"Continue to find opportunities. I refuse to believe Ying Ziheng can make his mansion as impenetrable as an iron bucket."

"Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will go handle it immediately."

...

Prince An's Mansion.

Ying Ziheng stood beside a banyan tree in the courtyard, hands behind his back, and said, "Did Ying Yuan really reject Ying Zijun's recruitment? And hasn't had any private dealings with other princes? Nor contacted other court officials?"

A man in black clothes clasped his hands. "Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate found out all this information from Prince Kang's side."

"Very good." Ying Ziheng nodded with satisfaction, then continued, "Next, focus on monitoring the movements in Ying Zijun's mansion. Also keep an eye on Li Jin's side, in case any unforeseen events occur."

"Yes."

The man in black acknowledged and immediately took his leave.

Ying Ziheng slowly approached the banyan tree, then nonchalantly stretched out his hand and lightly touched the tree trunk. "Ying Yuan isn't contacting anyone. Does he truly have no intention of fighting for the Crown Prince position like the other princes, or is he planning to watch from the sidelines, waiting to reap the spoils later?"

Perhaps Ying Ziqi's many years of concealing his abilities only to deliver a fatal blow had taught Ying Ziheng a lesson. Therefore, Ying Ziheng always suspected that Ying Yuan was not as disinterested in worldly affairs as he appeared on the surface.

"Your Highness, it's quite chilly out. You mustn't catch a cold — why didn't you put on something warmer before coming out?"

A beautiful-looking woman, upon seeing Ying Ziheng standing alone by the banyan tree, quickly hurried over and draped the cloak in her hands over Ying Ziheng's shoulders.

"Why are you here? Weren't you feeling unwell?"

Seeing the woman, Ying Ziheng's tone couldn't help but soften considerably.

The woman gave Ying Ziheng a displeased look. "Isn't it because the child in my belly is fussing to see his father."

"You certainly know how to talk."

Ying Ziheng, full of smiles, gently tapped the woman's forehead.

"It's true. If Your Highness doesn't believe it, you can feel it." After saying this, the woman grabbed Ying Ziheng's hand and placed it on her belly.

In a short while, the fetal movement inside made Ying Ziheng overjoyed.

The woman said smugly, "See?"

"You've worked hard."

As Ying Ziheng spoke, he did not conceal the affection in his eyes.

"It's not hard." The woman shook her head, then said despondently, "It's just... my background is ultimately lowly. I'm afraid this child will be looked down upon by others when born."

Ying Ziheng's face immediately darkened. "Nonsense. He is this prince's child. Who dares to look down on him? I'll have them flayed."

The woman, relying on her favored status, suddenly ventured to ask, "Your Highness, could you... grant me the position of Princess Consort? If I become the Princess Consort, then no one will dare look down on me and Your Highness's child."

"You want the Princess Consort position?"

Ying Ziheng looked at the woman, a hint of coldness in his gaze.

The woman, sensing Ying Ziheng's suspicion towards her, hurriedly shook her head. "No, it's not that. The reason I said this is for the sake of the child in my belly."

Ying Ziheng did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at the woman for a good while before slowly speaking. "The Princess Consort is virtuous. This prince cannot divorce him without him having made any mistake."

Thinking she had persuaded Ying Ziheng, the woman instantly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Your Highness, that's not a problem at all. You just have to..."

"Enough."

Ying Ziheng shoved the woman away.

Pushed to the ground for no apparent reason, the woman immediately held her belly and cried out in pain, "Ah... Your Highness... my belly... my belly hurts so much..."

Looking at the woman's face contorted in pain, Ying Ziheng not only felt not a shred of pity, but instead felt an increase in killing intent. "This prince clearly avoided your belly just now. That shove shouldn't have mattered at all. Yet you cry out in pain like this. Could it be... you are a spy?"

"No, Your Highness, I am definitely not a spy."

The woman, now terrified by Ying Ziheng's words, her face deathly pale, dared not continue pretending to be in pain.

The last woman discovered to be a spy died an exceptionally cruel death. If she were really confirmed as a spy, she would certainly be doomed.

"Guards."

Ying Ziheng ignored the woman's explanations and began calling for people to come over.

The woman panicked. "Your Highness, I've been wronged! You've really wronged me! Even if you gave me the greatest courage, I wouldn't dare do such a thing."

"Hmph."

Ying Ziheng snorted coldly, obviously not taking the woman's defense to heart. Instead, he became more convinced his suspicion was correct.

"We pay our respects to Your Highness."

The guards who rushed over in haste uniformly saluted Ying Ziheng.

"Take her away for strict interrogation."

"Your Highness... her belly..."

"The child of a spy doesn't need to live. Don't hesitate to use torture on her."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, no... don't... I'm not a spy... not a spy..."

The woman was clearly doomed. In no time, she was dragged away by the guards.

In the shadows, the shuang'er who served Li Siyuan, said indignantly, "Princess Consort, that woman deserved to be taken for interrogation. Best if she dies just like that. How dare she covet the Princess Consort position? She simply has a death wish."

Li Siyuan said indifferently, "No need to pay her any mind."

The shuang'er was confused. "Uh, Princess Consort, since we're already here, why don't you go over and greet His Highness?"

"He wouldn't want to see me."

Li Siyuan shook his head and turned to leave without any lingering attachment.

Over these many years, Li Siyuan had seen clearly how elusive Ying Ziheng's love was. If he fell into it, the one who would suffer in the end would definitely be himself. Therefore, Li Siyuan had long since lost such thoughts, thinking only of raising his son to adulthood.

As for Ying Ziheng not agreeing to that woman and still keeping him as Princess Consort, it was only because he would not oppose Ying Ziheng taking concubines.