Tianliangyuan

Chapter 163 The mantis stalks the cicada

Xu Zhaozhao did things very discreetly and skillfully.

The news that Prince Zhong received was that Consort Jiang intended to have a child through surrogacy, ultimately abandoning the mother and keeping the child. At that time, she would have the same right to have a biological prince, and with the help of the Jiang family's power, she would have a chance to compete for the throne.

The information received by Prince An was different; it was closer to the truth.

The Prince of An received Jiang Yu, who was actually Jiang Yanping's illegitimate daughter. In other words, the two women, aunt and niece, were sharing the same husband, and Jiang Yu was currently pregnant.

Therefore, it's really hard to say whether it was Consort Jiang or the newly arrived beauty who survived in the end between the Jiang aunt and niece in the palace.

No matter who it was, Prince An did not want to see her give birth to a prince smoothly.

However, Prince An knew one more thing than Prince Zhong: Prince Zhong was very likely to target Lady Jiang.

After Prince An and his advisors figured out some of the tricks of the trade, they summoned several officials from the Prince's residence to discuss the matter together.

If one is merely a staff member, then one holds no official position and is essentially a commoner.

As for the subordinate officials, they were those with official ranks, and the chief secretary of the prince's mansion had the duty of advising and assisting the prince.

Prince An could not possibly reveal such a significant matter directly, as he was not yet certain that his subordinates were truly devoted to him.

In the end, Prince An only kept his maternal uncle, Qu Shiji.

Qu Shiji was the Empress's elder brother, so he naturally sided with Prince An. Moreover, he was the head of the Ministry of Personnel, so with his support, Prince An's path to the top would be smoother.

After listening, Qu Shiji looked extremely surprised: "Is Your Highness certain?"

"There's no mistake. That person is in Yongping Ward, and I've also heard that he has a mistress. So now I'm not sure whether the Jiang family wants to support Consort Jiang or find someone else to replace her."

Qu Shiji was also a man, and he had known His Majesty since childhood, so he believed he knew Emperor Yong'an quite well.

“Your Highness, His Majesty’s affection for Consort Jiang goes far beyond mere physical beauty. Their friendship dates back to their youth. If it weren’t for the late Emperor’s bestowal of a marriage, the current Empress would likely be surnamed Jiang. Moreover, Consort Jiang has enjoyed His Majesty’s favor for so many years, which is enough to show His Majesty’s enduring affection.”

Prince An frowned. He was the legitimate son, but not the eldest son. Strictly speaking, he had the greater advantage.

But when King Zhong took Lady Jiang as a concubine, things changed.

He could sense that some people in the court were subtly moving closer to Prince Zhong.

Let alone an unborn child, even his younger brothers who were already five or six years old, Prince An did not take them seriously.

After all, he and the Prince of Zhong have already established their own residences and been granted titles, and have begun to participate in court affairs. In a few more years, even if his younger brothers grow up, it will be too late.

Therefore, the only opponent that Prince An truly acknowledged was Prince Zhong.

“Uncle is right. Consort Jiang is indeed favored, but Father Emperor also shows Mother the utmost respect.”

Qu Shiji nodded, "That's true."

Whether on formal occasions or in other aspects, His Majesty has always given the Empress sufficient respect, and the power to manage the harem has remained in her hands for many years.

Although His Majesty dotes on Consort Jiang, he is not a foolish ruler and will not disregard propriety for the sake of beauty.

“Your Highness, we should play it safe. Since the founding of our Great Xing Dynasty, we have valued the legitimate heir. Even though the Prince of Zhong is the eldest son, there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate heirs. Just for this reason alone, those civil officials will not side with him.”

Civil officials placed greater emphasis on etiquette and law, distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate children, and always prioritizing the legitimate heir.

The Empress now has three sons. To put it bluntly, if Prince An is abandoned, then it will be the second legitimate son, and if that doesn't work, there's the third legitimate son. So, only when all the legitimate sons are dead or abandoned by His Majesty will it be the turn of the eldest illegitimate son, Prince Zhong.

However, Qu Shiji felt there was no need to say such things.

After all, the other two imperial sons are still young and have been well-educated, and they also respect their elder brother, Prince An.

They were siblings from the same mother, so Qu Shiji agreed with Prince An's thoughts. His biggest rival was Prince Zhong.

"Your Highness, since that's the case, it's best if we pretend we know nothing about this matter."

Prince An asked, puzzled, "What do you mean, Uncle?"

"Since the Prince of Zhong is willing to take action, let him do it. If things go wrong, it might actually be to our advantage."

Prince An instantly understood and was overjoyed: "Uncle, you have such foresight!"

As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole stalks behind.

Prince An felt he could simply wait patiently.

He was afraid that the Loyal King wouldn't take action!

After working for three days straight, Xie Zheng still felt uneasy. He had a feeling that Xu Zhaozhao was hiding something from him, and he was even more worried that if the matter escalated, it would be difficult to control.

However, three days passed without any news of any scandal involving the Jiang family, so Xie Zheng felt he could finally relax.

The Jiang family is a behemoth; it cannot be brought down with just a few words.

To put it bluntly, unless the Jiang family committed treason, His Majesty would not severely punish them.

Xie Zheng looked up at the sky and realized that it was almost time for him to finish his shift. He wondered if he should go to a pastry shop later and bring some pastries to Zhao Zhao.

Once you get distracted, you can't help but think more and more.

Xie Zheng even thought that he should also pick out some jewelry for Zhao Zhao, the more expensive the better!

"General Xie, His Majesty has decreed that all palace gates be strictly guarded, and no one is allowed to enter at will. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"Order!"

Xie Zheng didn't expect that he would get another job just before his shift was about to end.

There was no other way but to immediately arrange manpower and impose martial law everywhere.

His Majesty's decree means that something has happened in the palace.

"His Majesty has decreed that General Xie Zheng be summoned to the palace to report."

"Yes!"

Xie Zheng straightened his armor slightly and strode forward.

"Xie Zheng, immediately take men to Physician Liu's house. I want to see Physician Liu alive and have his family under strict surveillance!"

"Yes!"

Xie Zheng had no idea what had happened; all he knew was that he smelled blood when he arrived.

Moreover, he noticed that there were more than ten palace servants kneeling outside the hall, several of whom looked like they were serving Consort Jiang.

So, is it that trouble has happened to that newly appointed Jiang woman?

Xie Zheng acted swiftly; he directly dragged the Imperial Physician Liu onto a horse and into the palace.

Physician Liu's face was ashen. As soon as he dismounted, he gagged a few times, but perhaps realizing where he was, he managed to suppress it.

It wasn't until Xie Zheng brought Imperial Physician Liu back into the palace to report that he learned that Consort Jiang had miscarried.

Not only that, it is said that Jiang Baolin suffered from excessive bleeding, which damaged her health and made it impossible for her to have a son named Zixi in the future.

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes, so who exactly made the move?