Chapter 754 - The Sixth Prince Himself
Chapter 754 The Sixth Prince Himself
“Standing on my side?” Imperial Concubine Li was puzzled, “What do you mean?”
In regards to her question, Fen Dai did not reply immediately. Instead, she asked Imperial Concubine Li: “Speaking of, Imperial Concubine and Imperial Daughter Ji An do not have any enmity from the past. Why suddenly lash out at her?”
“I…” Imperial Concubine Li stopped speaking and cautiously looked at Feng Fen Dai. She did not know how she should respond. She even felt that there was a scheming look on Fen Dai’s face, and she did not know what words would implicate her. She just remained silent for a while before saying: “You already severed ties with her as sisters. What do you care if I harm her or not?”
Fen Dai covered her mouth and giggled, “Imperial Concubine is right. I don’t have any feelings for her. Not to mention you harming her secretly, but even if you were to murder her, I would not care about it. The reason that I ask about this matter is mostly to confirm whether or not we’re standing on the same side of the battle.”
“What battle? What are you trying to do?” Imperial Concubine Li was very flustered and very afraid. This was the very essence of her being. She was naturally cowardly, and if she was not pregnant with the sixth prince at that time, how could she have survived until this day? Feng Fen Dai’s words had frightened her, and she suddenly felt as if she had fallen into a pit of conspiracies. No matter what, she could not climb out.
Feng Fen Dai smiled and said, “Naturally, it’s a battle where you and I both stand to profit. It’s also a path that Imperial Concubine would be happy to walk. Based on what I know, Imperial Concubine and Noble Lady Yuan are sisters, right? Imperial Concubine, you must not tell me that you did this just to vent for Noble Lady Yuan and wanted to help His Highness the Eighth Prince from the shadows.”
“No! That’s not it!” Imperial Concubine Li was very eager to refute this. She was still flustered, but through this panic, a hint of hatred could be seen. “She might be my younger sister, but we have not interacted much over the years. During the years that I was bullied in the inner palace, she did not show any pity or sympathy to me. Since younger sister doesn’t recognize me as an elder sister, why should I bother recognizing her as a younger sister? She has a son, and I also have a son. She will scheme for her own son, and I don’t want for my Feng’er to fall behind. Feng family’s young miss, this is the answer that you’ve been looking for.”
Feng Fen Dai stared at Imperial Concubine Li; however, she sneered internally. Sure enough, all of the imperial concubines in the palace made plans for their own sons. Even the most cowardly and weak Imperial Concubine Li was no exception. But the sixth prince… “His Highness the Sixth Prince does not have many accomplishments that stand out. Although he also has control of a small group of troops, he is a scholar. He does not truly understand how to go onto the battlefield to kill the enemy, nor does he know how to set up a battle formation. Imperial Concubine also knows that my father was once the left prime minister. That’s why I have heard a little bit about the happenings of the court. The sixth prince brought his small number of troops to be stationed in the Northwest, but before running into any trouble, before the Northwest became a mess, it was his deputy general that led the troops onto the battlefield. During this time, when they ran into troublesome enemies, they would even need other troops to help. Imperial Concubine, you know all about this, right?”
Imperial Concubine sat in her chair with a bitter smile on her face. Of course, she knew all about it. Her son was not made for this sort of thing. He would rather spend his time in a school writing stories and would rather be teaching in a school. He would rather debate with scholars on what was right or wrong. As for why the sixth prince, Xuan Tian Feng, would be stationed in the Northwest, it was all because of her. It was she that felt unreconciled and wanted for her son to make a strong showing. She wanted for him to be able to make a good showing for her. As she saw it, as long as her son was able to become successful, her position would definitely not be like it was at this time.
Unfortunately, her Feng’er was not made for that. He was not made to lead soldiers, and he was even less suited to being the Emperor. Even if she understood this long ago, she was still unwilling to back down. Especially when she watched the other imperial concubines make plans for their own sons, especially when she watched her own younger sister endlessly scheme for the eighth prince, she felt even more that things were unfair. Only then did she begin to cause all of these incidents. Only then did she begin listening to others that the ninth prince, Xuan Tian Ming, would definitely become the ruler, and he also had the help of Imperial Daughter Ji An. It was because of this that she grew to hate Feng Yu Heng. As for this Winter Hunt, she did her best to make Feng Yu Heng unhappy.
“What exactly are you trying to say.” Imperial Concubine Li asked Feng Fen Dai, “I know my own son very well, but how is this related to you?”
Fen Dai leaned forward with her eyes squinted and said: “His Highness the Sixth Prince is incapable, but there are other princes. Could it be that Imperial Concubine did not think of finding one to work with. Like this, once the new ruler assumes the throne, His Highness the Sixth Prince and you will be able to live a good life.”
“Work with?” Imperial Concubine Li looked at Feng Fen Dai and immediately laughed, “You want this One to work with Old Fifth? Feng family’s young miss, do you think I’m a fool? Even if this One wanted to work with someone, the choice would be to work with my younger sister’s son. No matter what, it would not be with you!”
“But you don’t have any other choice.” Feng Fen Dai shrugged, “First, I have a handle on your situation. I can expose it at any time. Imperial Concubine knows that once it’s announced, it would directly affect His Highness the Sixth Prince!”
“Are you threatening this One?”
“No.” Fen Dai shook her head, “I’m just reasoning with imperial concubine. His Highness the eighth prince is directly related to you. I know this, but Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu has recently been demoted to noble lady. His Highness the Eighth Prince will also become engaged to the Lu family’s young miss during the new year. I figure you also know what the situation is with the Lu family’s young miss. Although the family has the title of left prime minister, the family’s foundation has been hollowed out. Could this sort of marriage be good for His Highness the Eighth Prince? Just what sort of path he will be walking down is something that can be clearly seen. Are you still so stubborn as to trust that it’s a path that will lead to the throne?”
Imperial Concubine Li furrowed her brow and stared at Feng Fen Dai. Before speaking, she heard Feng Fen Dai continue: “Imperial Concubine, don’t rush. I still haven’t finished speaking yet. Aside from His Highness the Eighth Prince, of course, there are still some other princes, but at present, His Highness the Eldest Prince and His Highness the Second Prince have no desire to fight for that spot. His Highness the Third Prince has already died, and His Highness the Fourth Prince is a commoner. His Highness the Seventh Prince is together with His Highness the Ninth Prince. Looking at it like this, aside from His Highness the Fifth Prince, who do you think you can place your trust in?”
Imperial Concubine Li finally understood what sort of thing she had fallen for. Feng Fen Dai had gone around in circles for the sake of finding help for the fifth prince, but… “You said earlier that our Feng’er is nothing but a scholar, so why now…”
“To have a helper is always best. They are all brothers, and they should help each other!” Fen Dai said with a smile: “This is a business deal. If it succeeds, it’s good for you, me and everyone. If it doesn’t succeed, there are no negatives for us, but to Imperial Concubine…”
Feng Fen Dai had entered Imperial Concubine Li’s tent and did not return to the banquet even after six songs had been sung. At this time, Ban Zou had entered the imperial tent where Feng Yu Heng was located. Upon seeing that Xuan Fei Yu was sleeping, he quietly said to Feng Yu Heng: “It’s been determined that everything was done by Imperial Concubine Li, including the heater. It was all arranged to be sent over by Imperial Concubine Li. But Imperial Concubine Li is someone that has a weak personality, and she did not truly want to hurt anyone. She wanted even less to hurt the young imperial grandson. She just wanted to steal away the little white tiger to make you feel anxious. It could be considered… as teaching you a lesson.”
“Teaching me a lesson?” Feng Yu Heng snorted coldly, but she immediately sighed: “The Emperor is getting older with each passing year. His health is also on the decline. The imperial concubines that have given birth to princes can no longer remain quiet.”
Ban Zou did not make a sound, but Wang Chuan spoke up, saying: “It’s always like this. With every generation, as the emperor is in his declining years, the most unfortunate scenes that nobody wishes to see appear. The princes that were once quiet would all begin to express themselves in the ways that they feel most appropriate. And this is cannot be avoided. If they don’t fight to the death, they will not give up. After all, the imperial throne has too many benefits.”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “That’s right. Power, power is more important than anything else to men. What brothers, what parents and children, in the face of power, they can all become stepping stones to help them climb to higher positions.”
Ban Zou truly could not bear to continue listening and said out of irritation: “I can’t understand the grand things that you’re talking about. There’s not much to observe on Imperial Concubine Li’s side. I feel that I should stay here to protect you, otherwise, I can’t feel at ease.” After saying this, he disappeared.
Feng Yu Heng had become accustomed to Ban Zou’s temper and did not say anything. She just asked Wang Chuan: “What sort of person is the sixth prince? I’ve only seen him a couple times and don’t have much of an impression.”
Wang Chuan sat down on a small chair to her side and sighed, saying: “Speaking of, His Highness the Sixth Prince is a pitiful person. Although his birth mother Imperial Concubine Li is an imperial concubine, it was only granted because she had given birth to a prince. If not for this, because of that matter with the witchcraft, she might have been killed. But with the position of imperial concubine having been conferred, His Highness the Sixth Prince was affected by her. Imperial Concubine Li was not favored, thus His Highness the Sixth Prince was not very well liked after being born. Oh right, at that time, Imperial Concubine Yun still had not entered the palace, and the imperial concubines were still in the middle of their battles.”
“Then what is His Highness the Sixth Prince’s current situation?”
“He has some rights to command troops but not much. He has a measly 30 thousand soldiers stationed in the Northwest, but His Highness the Sixth Prince is not someone that likes battles. He himself does not step onto the battlefield to fight, but over the years, he has remained outside of the capital and very rarely returns. It must be said that His Highness the Sixth Prince is quite a good person. He’s not like a prince and is more like a scholar. In his eyes, literature and art are most important. A few years ago, he got into a fight with the third prince over a painting, and his face became completely bruised as a result. For this, Imperial Concubine Li caused a huge fuss. Oh right, the catalog for Da Shun’s book storage was compiled by him and a group of scholars. Even His Highness the Ninth Prince said that His Majesty looked highly on him for that.”
Feng Yu Heng furrowed her brow from listening to his, “Even with this sort of prince, Imperial Concubine Li wants for him to become something. Sooner or later, this sort of birth mother will cause the death of her own son.”
“That’s right! I heard that all of the princes will be returning to the capital for the new year. If Young Miss is interested, you can interact with His Highness the Sixth Prince during the palace banquet. This servant feels that His Highness the Sixth Prince definitely has no idea about what Imperial Concubine Li has done. Also, if he found out, he will definitely start a fight with Imperial Concubine Li!”
Feng Yu Heng laughed and asked Wang Chuan: “Your impression of His Highness the Sixth Prince is pretty good?”
Wang Chuan did not refute it, only saying: “In truth, anyone that knows His Highness the sixth prince will have quite a good impression of him.”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “It’s just a pity. With this sort of imperial concubine mother, I wonder if this matter will implicate him. If His Highness the Sixth Prince really is a scholar as you said, I will help him out.”