Emperor Mingxi was exasperated by his son. Didn’t Fuguang say he was full of schemes? Why was he being so clueless now?
This wasn’t something he could simply bless and have done with. If it were that easy, he would have already married off every Yu girl to the imperial family.
“Fifth Prince, you must understand—this is not something I can simply grant on a whim!” Emperor Mingxi wasn’t afraid to reveal his own limitations in front of his son.
It was just impossible. If Fuguang didn’t nod, no one could change that.
“Father, your son swears that if I can marry Fourth Miss Yu, I will take no other concubines and will dutifully remain Your obedient son and Crown Prince’s loyal younger brother.”
His meaning was clear: even if he married a Yu woman, he would not let his wife’s family influence him to covet the throne.
As for taking no other women, the moment he realized his feelings for Fourth Miss Yu, he had secretly dismissed all his concubines and chambermaids.
Although the Yu family had never explicitly stated it, he knew the Grand Tutor’s temperament all too well. If his household wasn’t clean, he wouldn’t stand a chance of marrying a Yu girl.
“Father, we all know Little Aunt’s temper. Why not let the Fifth Brother find opportunities to interact more with Fourth Miss Yu? If Fourth Miss Yu also has feelings for him, given Little Aunt’s nature, she probably wouldn’t object,” Xie Zhiyan said.
Indeed, Xie Zhiyan understood Yue Fuguang well. As long as the two were mutually in love, Yue Fuguang—though protective of her sisters—wouldn’t meddle excessively in others’ fate.
“However…” Xie Zhiyan glanced at the excited Xie Zhiquan and shifted his tone, “For the sake of Fourth Miss Yu’s reputation, there must be boundaries. It’s best to meet only in appropriate settings.”
If the Fifth Prince got carried away and barged into the Yu residence demanding to see Fourth Miss Yu while the Grand Tutor was away from the capital, he would disgrace both the emperor’s and the Yu family’s honor.
No need to even guess—the moment the Grand Tutor returned, that would be the Fifth Brother’s doom. Even his father, the emperor, wouldn’t be able to save him!
Emperor Mingxi pondered briefly, then nodded in approval. “The Crown Prince is right. Fifth Prince…”
As the imperial family schemed over how to marry a Yu daughter into their fold, other high-ranking houses in the capital were also calculating their younger generation’s marriages, desperately searching for someone worthy of forming a match with the Yu family.
In fact, during Yue Fuguang’s three days at home, people seeking to gauge her stance never stopped coming to the Yu residence.
She simply lounged in her own courtyard, refusing to see anyone. However, she had made a preliminary selection of eligible young men and women in the capital and passed the compiled information to the Yu family head.
How they chose, and whom they chose, were no longer her concern.
For now, her attention was split—partly on the drought across various regions, but mostly on the war between Dayan and Nanyue.
Strangely enough, while the two countries were locked in fierce combat on the frontlines, peace negotiations through marriage were still ongoing behind the scenes.
You Minmin, the head of the Court of State Ceremonial, and his officials had spent five days negotiating with the Nanyue delegation. The Nanyue side insisted on choosing the Fifth Prince, while Dayan proposed the Sixth Prince, Xie Zhifei.
Clearly, Emperor Mingxi was still holding out hope that Xie Zhiquan might actually marry a Yu girl and was unwilling to use him for a political marriage.
[System, they’re already tearing each other apart on the battlefield—how do both sides still have the nerve to discuss marriage alliances?]
In ancient times, royal marriages between states were usually for political exchange, resource flow, military alliances, buying time to recover, or ending wars.
Yue Fuguang had read plenty about such practices in her hometown’s history, even able to recount famous examples. But given the current situation, Nanyue wanted a truce to catch its breath. After failing to kidnap her, they hastily presented a marriage proposal to Dayan, offering their legitimate princess as a show of sincerity.
But Dayan had just started its offensive, aiming to swallow Nanyue whole. They had no intention of ending the war through peace.
Even if Emperor Mingxi wanted that, none of the civil or military officials—who dreamed of leaving their names in history—would agree.
An arrow once shot never returns—that was Dayan’s reality now.
[Host, both sides are just wasting words and tea during negotiations. What’s the harm? You fight your war, we talk our talk. Who knows, it might work out!]
“What’s Gan Tang’s attitude? She’s still in Dayan. Even if she resists, it won’t mean much to Gan Sheng, will it?”
[Host, you haven’t seen her! Gan Tang is almost furious enough to die. Her hatred for Gan Sheng has reached its peak. If anything, Gan Sheng thinks he’s cleverly exiled a threat from Nanyue, but he may have brought himself an even bigger disaster.]
“What? Does Gan Tang still have the strength to oppose a ruler like Gan Sheng?” She had no men, no authority. Toppling a country’s emperor? Nearly impossible!
[Host, don’t forget—Gan Tang’s brother was once the Crown Prince.]
“So what? He’s been dead for years. Is he going to climb out of his coffin?” Yue Fuguang teased, mentally kneading the system.
[He can’t climb out, but a former Crown Prince would have networks. After his death, those loyal to him were either purged, switched sides, or finally wiped out by Gan Sheng when he took power.
But some forces remained loyal only to that faction.]
“You mean the Crown Prince’s six guards? After his death, they were disbanded or folded into the army. How many would still be loyal to a dead prince or his sister?”
Once someone is gone, so is their influence—a truth across all ages.
[Host, have you forgotten the secret forces the Crown Prince raised?]
“The Crown Prince’s shadow guards?”
[Host, consider this: the Crown Prince had likely sensed the emperor’s schemes against him. Historical records show that the emperor’s wish to replace him wasn’t exactly hidden. His favoritism for Gan Sheng, the son of his favored consort, was no secret either.
The relationship between the emperor and empress was also cold. The late emperor had little fatherly affection for the former Crown Prince. So, although never stated outright, every court official was an expert at reading the emperor’s intentions.]
“Was the emperor testing the officials’ stance?” As long as he never said it directly, he could advance or retreat as he pleased.
Not long before, Nanyue had gone through a coup; their brothers’ blood hadn’t yet dried. Power wasn’t solely in the emperor’s hands, so replacing the Crown Prince wasn’t a one-man decision.
[That’s part of it. So the shrewd former Crown Prince surely had secretly nurtured his own forces and left contingencies.
Assassins and shadow guards were the personal power he cultivated for himself, his mother, and his sister—forces thoroughly loyal to him, more trustworthy than the Crown Prince’s six guards appointed by the emperor.]
“So the former Crown Prince’s assassins and shadow guards are now in Gan Tang’s hands?”
If so, even with limited numbers—unable to fight in open battles—they could still pull off assassinations.
Precision strikes, if executed well, could produce unexpected results.
[Exactly. Though due to distance and other factors, I can’t fully monitor Gan Tang’s deployment yet. But from her recent actions, Gan Sheng is in for serious trouble.]