Tianliangyuan

Chapter 162 Consort Jiang is too ruthless

Xie Zheng's meaning was very clear: he didn't want Xu Zhaozhao to get involved.

Even if the emperor becomes suspicious in the future, he will only suspect Xie Zheng.

Xie Zheng is a man, and it's perfectly normal for him to drink and talk nonsense with his friends, so what can be done about it?

But Xu Zhaozhao refused.

Xie Zheng became anxious when he saw Xu Zhaozhao shake her head.

“Listen to me, this is a very complicated situation. You are just a young lady from a humble family and shouldn’t get involved.”

Xu Zhaozhao saw that he was genuinely worried about her. She felt that Xie Sanlang was sometimes wise and sometimes reckless, but in front of her, he was probably more foolish.

"I won't get involved, and neither can you. Only the people of Prince An and Prince Zhong can get involved in this matter, understand?"

Xie Zheng was stunned for a moment.

He was good at fighting, but he was clearly still somewhat inexperienced in some matters of officialdom.

Xu Zhaozhao, having lived two lives and come from a cannibalistic apocalypse, possesses a temperament and insight far superior to Xie Zheng's current abilities.

"what do you mean?"

"You don't need to do anything. Someone will spread the word, and the news will reach the ears of the two princes. As for whether they will take action against that palace guest, that's beyond our control."

Xie Zheng only half understood what he was hearing, but he was too embarrassed to ask any more questions.

Xu Zhaozhao seemed to be very patient tonight. She raised her hand and pushed the plate of pastries towards him. Xie Zheng almost didn't think twice and picked up a pastry to eat.

Xu Zhaozhao poured him another cup of tea to prevent him from choking again.

"Neither Prince An nor Prince Zhong is a wise ruler. Now His Majesty is in good health. I dare not say much else, but he will live for another ten years or so without any problem. At that time, more princes will come of age."

Xie Zheng understood this sentence.

"Yes, don't worry, our Xie family, like the Xu family, is loyal only to His Majesty!"

Xu Zhaozhao felt much more relaxed when she saw that he understood her meaning. She also thought that marrying Xie Sanlang in the future would be a good idea, since he was smart and knew how to protect her.

"Sanlang, even if you don't take sides, you should still remember to remind the Xie clan members not to be used by others."

Xie Zheng nodded: "I will order a covert investigation to begin tomorrow. We must ensure that there is no involvement with these two princes, whether in terms of money or anything else."

"Alright, next, let's see if the Emperor will take his anger out on the Jiang family, and whether Consort Jiang can truly maintain her favor."

Xie Zheng looked up and met her gaze, always feeling that the world seen through this young wife's eyes was different from the world he saw.

Also, I inexplicably feel that the charm of young wives has increased a lot now, and it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't take my eyes off them.

Such a young wife is so tempting, and makes one want to take her home immediately!

Two days later, the Prince of Zhong learned of this matter, and when he thought of Jiang Ning, who had become his concubine, he naturally couldn't help but become suspicious.

After much deliberation, King Zhong decided to give it a try.

"Your Highness, please try this shrimp. It tastes good and is very fresh."

After having dinner with Jiang Ning, the Prince of Zhong signaled for everyone to leave.

Jiang Ning thought the prince wanted to explore the bridal chamber with her, but she didn't expect the prince to look so distressed.

"Has Your Highness encountered some difficulty?"

Jiang Ning was a reborn person, and her mind quickly flashed through the things she could remember, but she did not find that anything important would happen at this point in time.

"You should know that a new Consort Jiang has been added to the palace, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "This has been going on for more than a day or two, so it's not surprising. But what happened to her?"

"She is now pregnant. If she gives birth to a prince, she will surely be favored by the Emperor."

"So that's why," Jiang Ning said dismissively. "I thought it was something serious. She's just a woman from a collateral branch of the Jiang family. Even if she gives birth to a prince, my grandfather wouldn't agree to use the entire clan's resources to help her. Besides, there are too many people in the palace, and it's questionable whether she can even give birth smoothly. Why is Your Highness so anxious now?"

Seeing her so confident, Prince Zhong thought that she must know the Jiang family's plans, otherwise, how could she not be flustered at all?

"So, you knew that Consort Jiang would raise a prince?"

Jiang Ning was stunned for a moment, then realized what the Prince Zhong had just said. She herself was slightly taken aback, then quickly racked her brains, thinking that in her previous life, there was no such thing as a member of the Jiang clan entering the palace.

Her life has indeed changed, but she has always felt that it won't affect anything.

After all, Jiang Yu came from a very poor background, and it was hard to say how many days she would survive in the palace.

But now, after hearing what the Prince of Zhong said, she realized that she might have underestimated Jiang Yu and the Jiang family's plans.

"Your Highness, have you heard something?"

The Prince of Zhong stared intently at her: "This is exactly what I want to ask you: what are the Jiang family's plans?"

It was impossible for Jiang Ning not to panic when faced with the prince's questioning, but she quickly calmed down. After all, Jiang Yu's child had not yet been born, so there was still a chance.

"Your Highness, from what you just said, are you saying that my aunt will leave the mother and child behind?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No! My aunt shouldn't have that idea, and even if she really wanted to support a prince, there's no need to harm an unborn child. There are plenty of princes in the palace; if she asked, the emperor would definitely not agree."

This is precisely what King Zhong finds puzzling.

If Consort Jiang wanted to maintain the Jiang family's power, then supporting a prince was inevitable.

So why did she choose an unborn child?

Now that His Majesty is over forty years old, even if he were to live another ten years, would a ten-year-old child truly gain the support of the court officials?

Moreover, with so many older brothers, it's impossible for a young child to get a turn!

The news that Prince Zhong received was that Consort Jiang had been blaming herself for not giving birth to a prince and was worried that she would not be able to continue the Jiang family's wealth and status in the future. That was why she was thinking of using a young woman from the Jiang family to give birth to a royal heir.

"Consort Jiang is very shrewd. Since she entered the palace, she has been extremely favored by the emperor. If she really wanted that position, she would not have bet on just one path."

Jiang Ning immediately understood!

"I understand! Your Highness, that unborn child is just a decoy. My aunt must have deliberately pushed it to the forefront to see who would not want a child with the Jiang family bloodline to be born. Wouldn't that be a way to fish out the fish?"

The Prince of Zhong's heart skipped a beat. So, Jiang Baolin was just a pitiful pawn?

If that's true, then Consort Jiang is far too cruel!

After all, they were her family.