Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 752 Served on the Table
Palace entrance.

The Prince of Huai returned from his inspection tour with his men.

The weather was getting colder and colder, as if another rain would freeze the ground, but the duty room was unusually warm.

As soon as the Prince of Huai entered the gate, the guards on duty immediately stood up.

"Imperial Envoy".

This was the duty of the Prince of Huai, and he instructed people to address him in this way when he was in the palace.

Prince Huai nodded and looked at the group: "It's cold early this year, but the patrols must not be neglected. We must keep regular shifts. The dry weather makes it easy for fires to start, so you must pay close attention to any disturbances in the palace."

The guards responded, and one of them said, "This year, the Prince ordered people to bring clay stoves early on so that we could warm our hands and feet here. If that's the case, who would dare to slack off? Before the Prince even lifts a finger, I'll tie them up and interrogate them."

Prince Huai smiled slightly. The charcoal had already been distributed, but the warm braziers in the palace were not as good as the clay stoves in Daming Prefecture.

These clay stoves are easy to use, and many pottery kilns have started firing them. Now, you can see all kinds of stoves just by walking around the market. But the best-selling ones are still those transported from Daming Prefecture. Correspondingly, this year's Buddhist charcoal is also selling extremely well.

As the weather gets colder, Xie Niangzi's business flourishes.

Despite the fact that she sold many shops to make way for the big ship, she can overcome this difficulty if given more time.

Prince Huai nodded and said, "If you need anything else, just let me know."

The guards immediately responded. Since becoming the Imperial City Envoy, Prince Huai had always been conscientious and responsible, unlike some members of the royal family who merely put on a show in front of the Emperor.

As everyone was talking, two eunuchs entered the room.

"My lords," the eunuch said with a smile, "the weather is cold, so the Imperial Kitchen has prepared some soup and sent it over."

When the Prince of Huai saw the eunuchs carrying up the large tub of hot soup, he immediately thanked them.

The eunuch smiled and handed the food box to the attendant of Prince Huai: "This is a gift from the Emperor. Prince Huai, please enjoy it while it's hot."

With that statement, the guards understood whose favor they had received.

Watching the eunuch's departing figure, Prince Huai opened the food box.

A bowl of ginger soup had a hint of sugar in it. It reminded Prince Huai of the first time he drank ginger soup in front of the Emperor when he was a child. They were hunting with the Emperor and encountered a heavy rain on the way. After returning to the palace, he was given a bowl of ginger soup. He was still young at the time, and the Emperor specially instructed the eunuch to add sugar to his bowl.

Just as the eunuch said, this bowl of soup was indeed ordered by the Emperor, and the eunuch addressed him as Prince, which was unprecedented.

Sometimes a single action can reveal a change in the situation.

The Prince of Huai's gaze deepened slightly.

"Imperial Envoy".

Upon hearing the guards call him, the Prince of Huai immediately picked up his bowl and led the crowd, saying, "I will repay this with my life."

The crowd joined in the shouts and then drank a bowl of ginger soup.

After finishing his duties, Prince Huai returned to Prince Qin's residence. As soon as he stepped into the gate, he saw Prince Qin preparing to attend court.

The Prince of Huai stepped forward and bowed.

The King of Qin, with a dignified expression, said calmly, "Returned from the palace?"

The Prince of Huai responded, "I was on duty last night."

"Was the night peaceful?"

Unlike usual, the King of Qin did not leave, but instead turned his gaze to the Prince of Huai.

The Prince of Huai said respectfully, "All is well."

"Be careful, and don't let down the Emperor's trust in you. Your every move will affect the Prince's mansion."

The Prince of Huai bowed and said, "Your son will remember."

“You are the eldest son,” said the King of Qin, “and you should set an example for your two younger brothers.”

The Prince of Huai responded respectfully as always.

The King of Qin's eyes widened: "Have you seen Sanlang yet?" "Not yet," the Prince of Huai replied truthfully.

The King of Qin clearly showed some displeasure: "Your mother risked her life to add another bloodline to the royal family, so you should pay more attention to her."

These words carried a hint of reproach.

“It is my fault for not doing a good job,” said the Prince of Huai. “I will go and see my third brother now.”

“Your mother needs to recuperate. I’ve asked the steward to entrust the affairs of several estates to you. You’re not young anymore; you should have been involved in these matters long ago.”

The Prince of Huai said, "I will remember this."

The King of Qin looked at his eldest son's head and said, "I heard that Wang Yan and Xie are going to formally discuss marriage. It was fine before, but now that Xie is going to remarry, you must not do anything disrespectful again. In a while, your mother will be looking for suitable young ladies for you. I don't want to hear any gossip about the King of Qin's mansion from other people."

This meant that if he made a fool of himself, people would use it as an excuse to refuse the marriage. Prince Huai wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't speak and nodded again.

The King of Qin then looked away and quickly walked past the Prince of Huai.

After the King of Qin mounted his horse and left, the Prince of Huai returned to his room.

As soon as the door closed, the attendant frowned and said, "Your Highness is deliberately making things difficult for you. The Princess Consort has only recently given birth. If Your Highness were to go to pay your respects, you would be blamed. The Third Prince is still young, so you absolutely cannot go to see him. If something goes wrong, you will definitely be blamed."

"No matter what the master does, it's wrong."

"Now we're in a hurry to arrange a marriage for our master. Who knows what kind of family they'll choose? If our master doesn't speak up, then we'll have to let the princess do whatever she wants."

It's obvious that the prince intends to leave all the decisions to the princess.

"Your Highness, we need to think of a way."

Prince Huai sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly drank it.

“Perhaps,” said the Prince of Huai, “he is just waiting for me to rebel, so that I will be branded as unfilial and disobedient.”

The relative was astonished and after a long while said, "What should we do then?"

The Prince of Huai smiled slightly, as if mocking himself: "I don't know." It seemed that no one but himself could help him plan his next move.

After a long while, he sighed: "I should choose a gift to send to Wang Yan to congratulate him on his upcoming marriage to the woman he loves."

He wasn't sure if he had misheard, but he seemed to sense a sour smell.

After his relatives left, only Prince Huai was left alone in the room.

Prince Huai watched as the sunlight gradually rose from the room, adding a touch of brilliance but without any warmth whatsoever.

He helped Wang Yan capture Xie Yizhi, which clearly proved useful to the Emperor. What will the Emperor do next? Of the late Emperor's lineage, only the Emperor and his grandfather remain. Moreover, the grandfather and the late Emperor were brothers from the same mother, and the grandfather died early. For these reasons, the Emperor brought his father into the palace to be raised.

It was precisely because of this that her father was able to return to the court after being sent out of the palace.

When it comes to the throne, the emperor's primary consideration is blood relation.

While it doesn't necessarily have to be this way, there are indeed no brothers or nephews among the imperial clan who greatly satisfy the emperor.

So, he wasn't without a chance to get past his father.

It was because of these thoughts that the father found it difficult to suppress his anger and disgust towards him.

He put the cup back on the table. He hadn't accumulated much in this game, but he was finally qualified to make a move on the chessboard.

So... even if he wanted to thank Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan, he should have prepared a generous gift for them.

……

In the main house.

Princess Consort Jiang Zhenru listened to the report from the person beside her, then she raised her eyes, a hint of pride in her gaze. Her sister-in-law was still as meticulous as ever.

Your family is still your family; you can rely on them in times of crisis.

However... why is it so easy for others to die, but not for Xie Yuyan? She asked her sister-in-law to tell the master to assassinate Xie Yuyan and end it all, but who knew it would not work and would have to go through such a long and complicated process.

Could it be that we really want Wang Yan and Xie to get married smoothly?
(End of this chapter)