Chapter 14: CH 13

Xiao Jingduo needed to find a way to preserve his status as the eldest legitimate son. With this matter weighing on his mind, he deliberately made a visit to the Hall of Longevity.

The old madam was holding Xiao Jinghu in her arms, smiling as she listened to her maids and granddaughters flatter her. When she saw Xiao Jingduo enter, her expression faltered for a moment before she quickly turned her head away.

Seeing him arrive, his three cousins stood up to greet him, but there was a hint of disdain in their eyes.

Xiao Jingduo became even more certain that his status as the eldest legitimate son was truly in jeopardy.

The old madam was discussing Xiao Su’s situation: “When we came to the capital last year, although we left her with plenty of wealth, without her natal family to look after her, it’s inevitable that her husband’s family might bully her. A few days ago, she sent me a letter saying that her in-laws are mistreating her, and she wants to bring her daughter to the Marquis’s mansion.”

Mistreated by her in-laws, so she’s coming to the capital? Xiao Jingduo found his aunt’s excuse laughable. Xiao Su was the old madam’s only daughter, married into a neighboring village of Tongmu Village, living a fairly prosperous life. However, no matter how prosperous a rural household might be, it couldn’t compare to the Marquis’s mansion. Xiao Jingduo easily guessed the truth of the matter: clearly, Xiao Su saw that her brother and mother had come to Chang’an to enjoy prosperity, and feeling dissatisfied, she simply decided to separate from her husband’s family so she could rightfully come to the capital to share in the glory.

The others also understood the situation clearly, but dared not contradict the old madam. They simply smiled in agreement: “The old madam speaks truly. You are indeed a loving mother, caring so much for your daughter.”

The old madam was thoroughly pleased by the flattery. Soon after, Xiao Ying returned, and the whole family moved to the side room for a meal.

While the food was still being prepared, the old madam spoke to Xiao Ying about Xiao Su’s situation: “She had someone deliver a letter, saying she’s being mistreated in the Cheng family. Why don’t we bring Asu over here?”

Xiao Ying frowned imperceptibly, clearly seeing through the ruse. He had already been made a marquis; how would the Cheng family dare mistreat his sister? But even though he understood, Xiao Ying couldn’t say anything. While he didn’t care about his origins, he also cared about them the most. To embarrass Xiao Su would be to embarrass himself.

So Xiao Ying nodded and was about to speak when he was interrupted by someone from outside. A messenger rushed in hurriedly. Xiao Ying, already in a bad mood because of Xiao Su, was about to rebuke the messenger for his rudeness, but the messenger’s next words stopped him short: “My lord, terrible news! There’s trouble in the palace!”

Xiao Ying said nothing, put down his chopsticks, and left. The others sat at their tables, looking at each other in confusion.

What had happened?

The women whispered anxiously inside the room, while Xiao Jingduo quietly stood up and walked towards the door.

As soon as he stepped outside, he heard faint sounds of fighting from the north. He looked up and saw flashes of fire in the direction of Taiji Palace. Had something happened in the palace?

On the third day, news from the palace finally reached the Dingyong Marquis’s mansion.

“…That night, His Majesty was holding a banquet to celebrate Prince Qin’s victory. In May, Prince Qin crossed the Yangtze River and fought all the way to Jiangdu, trapping the former emperor in his temporary palace. As you know, a few years ago, the former emperor Chen Wang abandoned the capital and fled, crossing the Yangtze to establish a small court in Jiangdu. Although the young emperor had already abdicated the throne to our current emperor, the former emperor Chen Wang was still alive, and he remained a major concern for His Majesty. Chen Wang used the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to hold Jiangdu, standing against the Rong family. In May, Prince Qin led the Xuantie Army across the river. At that time, everyone thought Prince Qin would return empty-handed, that his expedition was merely paving the way for the Crown Prince. But who could have imagined that Prince Qin would actually cross the river undetected and nearly capture Chen Wang alive? It’s said that Chen Wang was trapped in his temporary palace, failed to break out multiple times, and cursed Prince Qin and the Rong family on the battlefield for betraying their loyalty and breaking the bonds between ruler and subject. Then he set fire to his temporary palace and took his own life.”

The women gathered around gasped in surprise, with several of the more timid ones repeatedly patting their chests to catch their breath. Others pressed for more information: “Then what? What does this have to do with the events of the other day?”

It was common knowledge that the current royal family was once the Xuanguo Gong, the Governor of Taiyuan during the previous dynasty. The former emperor’s failed expedition to Goguryeo had caused widespread discontent in the country, leading to frequent rebellions. In the 12th year of Daye, Xuanguo Gong Rong Bo raised an army in Taiyuan and marched into Daxing City as if divinely aided. Emperor Chen Wang abandoned the capital and fled, hiding in Jiangdu where he proclaimed himself emperor again. However, the Rong clan, who had occupied the imperial city, did not recognize Chen Wang. Instead, they established a new emperor, supporting a young emperor of only ten years old to ascend the throne. This young emperor sat on the throne for merely two months before abdicating in November, yielding the throne to Xuanguo Gong Rong Bo. After repeatedly declining, Rong Bo finally accepted the imperial seal, ascended the throne, changed the country’s name to Xuan, and established the era name as Jianyuan. In the first year of Jianyuan, the emperor greatly rewarded his meritorious officials, with Xiao Ying among those honored. As soon as the political situation stabilized, Xiao Ying sent people to Zhuo County in December to bring his parents and relatives, which was how Xiao Jingduo and others had the opportunity to enter the capital.

However, although the Rong family had taken the capital, the country was not yet pacified. Many warlords held onto their troops and didn’t recognize the Xuan dynasty. The princes and imperial sons-in-law had to continue leading armies into battle. Among the princes, Prince Qin had achieved the most significant military accomplishments, far surpassing even the Crown Prince.

“And therein lies the problem. Prince Qin eliminated the former emperor and pacified Jiangdu – what a glorious achievement! This should have been the Crown Prince’s accomplishment, but Prince Qin snatched it away. How could the Crown Prince accept this? Yesterday, His Majesty held a banquet in the palace to welcome Prince Qin back. The Crown Prince led his private troops to surround the palace, intending to kill Prince Qin. Fortunately, Prince Qin was surrounded by capable people who not only protected him but also counterattacked, managing to subdue the Crown Prince.”

The maid delivering the news lowered her voice, glancing around before continuing: “Do you know what Prince Qin did after subduing the Crown Prince? He ordered the Crown Prince’s execution, and didn’t even spare more than ten of the Crown Prince’s children and grandchildren. Now, the Eastern Palace is filled with cries, and the stench of blood fills the air! What’s worse, it’s said that Prince Qin is forcing His Majesty to abdicate!”

“Ah!” All the women were shocked by this news. old madam Xiao clutched her chest, breathing heavily: “This is a sin! For a younger brother to kill his elder brother, this is truly… oh, I don’t even know what to say. My heart is still pounding.”

Second Aunt Xiao chimed in agreement, and even the Xiao Yufang sisters turned pale. Wu Junru was also greatly frightened by the news. Seeing Wu Junru’s pale face, a maid quickly stepped forward to pat her back.

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A maid from the Wu family standing behind Wu Junru sighed: “The Rong family, after all, comes from barbaric places like Longxi. To do such things that violate moral principles… These barbarians truly cannot be taught.”

A maid openly judging the royal family, yet the Wu family members showed no objection. Even old madam Xiao and the other women nodded in agreement. This clearly showed the immense influence of the great families.

Sitting to the side, Xiao Jingduo didn’t quite agree. He didn’t know which parts of the news were embellished by the messenger maid, but he did know that without the Emperor’s permission, who could hide troops in the palace? Even if it were the Crown Prince, it would be impossible.

So, if Xiao Jingduo wasn’t mistaken, the person who truly wanted to kill Prince Qin at the celebratory banquet was likely the current Emperor himself!

The Emperor had used the Crown Prince as a pawn, placing hidden troops outside the palace. If successful, it would have been killing two birds with one stone, not only eliminating Prince Qin, whose achievements overshadowed his father’s, but also resolving the issue of the Crown Prince. However, unexpectedly, Prince Qin was prepared and turned the tables. Xiao Jingduo guessed that Prince Qin had not only subdued the Crown Prince but also overpowered the Emperor. Seeing the situation was lost, the Emperor had no choice but to sacrifice the Crown Prince’s lineage to ensure his own safety.

Xiao Jingduo felt his speculations about the royal family were too vicious, so he stopped himself from thinking further. The exact details of what happened that day weren’t important; what mattered was that the victor becomes the king, and the loser becomes the rebel. Clearly, Prince Qin had won.

Xiao Jingduo recalled seeing Prince Qin from afar at the city gates when he entered the city. At that time, the prince was surrounded by many soldiers, and Xiao Jingduo could only vaguely see his silhouette. But even that profile was enough to reveal the man’s decisiveness and sharpness. Xiao Jingduo still remembered the aura of bloodshed that surrounded that man.

The rumors were indeed true. While the Rong family’s sons were said to be as beautiful as women, when they struck, they did so with a ruthlessness that chilled the heart.

Xiao Jingduo suddenly felt a great interest in these royal figures. However, he quickly shook his head in self-mockery. The gulf between his status and the royal family was vast; the sons of the Rong family were not people he could meet just by wishing to.

The old madam was still muttering, “Such treachery, such a sin…”

“If even the royal family behaves like this, how can they rule the country with virtue? Truly, heaven is blind,” the Wu family members whispered among themselves, shaking their heads. The great families controlled both the court and public opinion. Even their maids had adopted the aristocratic arrogance, daring to criticize the royal family, and even implicitly placing themselves above the royals, as if the emperor needed the approval of the great families to be considered qualified.

Xiao Jingduo felt slightly uncomfortable, but others showed no objection, blindly revering the great families: “That’s right, after all, it’s the great families that are truly reliable.”

Wu Junru merely smiled at this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. It showed how truly terrifying one’s environment could be; in just a year, Wu Junru had begun to grow accustomed to the attitude of great family women lording over others.

The Wu family members continued to criticize the current royal family: “It’s one thing for their men to be violent and aggressive, but even their women are learning bad habits. I heard that one of Prince Qin’s granddaughters is especially favored, and he often brings her along when discussing matters with his subordinates. What kind of propriety is this? For a woman to not only meet with men outside her family, but to easily enter the council chambers – where is the feminine virtue and decorum in that? The entire Rong family lacks proper conduct. Who knows what kind of princesses they’ll raise in the future. They can’t keep their own house in order, so they can’t blame others for preferring not to marry, rather than marrying one of their princesses.”

Old madam Xiao strongly agreed, “That’s exactly right. It’s fortunate that our eldest son was clear-headed and declined that princess, choosing to marry Junru instead. It’s truly a blessing.”

Xiao Jingduo raised his eyebrows in surprise. Xiao Ying and a princess? What was this about?

Suddenly, Xiao Jingduo had a strange intuition that the solution to his legitimate son crisis might lie with this princess!

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Author’s note:

The palace coup storyline begins, and Xiao Jingduo’s entanglement with the royal family starts~

Quietly whispering, a warning that an important character is about to appear…

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