The Pretty Wife of General Jinxiu Huanian

Chapter 34: Changes in the Imperial Court

Yunxi and the prince worked hard for several days, and the renovation of the Marquis' Mansion finally took shape.

Early that morning, Yunxi was sitting in her room. There was a pile of accounts on the table. She lowered her head and flipped through them carefully.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a little maid, her face flushed, panting and shouting, "Miss Yun, the prince wants you to go to the front hall quickly."

When Yunxi heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly put the accounts aside, stood up and followed the maid to the front hall.

When I arrived at the front hall, I saw the prince standing there with his hands behind his back, his brows tightly furrowed, and his face looking very ugly.

Yunxi took a few quick steps and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, what happened?"

The prince turned around, staring straight at Yunxi, his voice as low as thunder: "The situation in the court has changed. The emperor is seriously ill, and those princes have been secretly competing for the throne."

Upon hearing this, Yunxi couldn't help but frown slightly, her eyes filled with worry. She said anxiously, "What should we do with our mansion then?"

After hearing this, the prince paced back and forth in the hall, his steps hurried and heavy, saying as he walked, "I'm not sure what to do. The situation is as chaotic as a mess right now. We have to be careful and not make any mistakes."

Yunxi bit her lip, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, how about we send someone to get some information first?"

The prince stopped and shook his head, saying, "No, there are spies everywhere right now, and if we're not careful we'll get into trouble."

After saying this, the prince began to pace back and forth again, muttering to himself, "What should I do? What should I do?"

The prince paced back and forth: "The situation is unclear now, we need to act with caution."

As he was speaking, the butler hurried in. He looked flustered, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He saluted and said hurriedly, "Your Highness, there's news from the palace just now, asking you to come to the palace and see the emperor immediately."

When the prince heard this, his brows instantly twisted into a knot, his expression became stern, and his eyes were filled with seriousness and worry.

He turned to Yunxi and said, "You wait for my news at home." After that, he threw his sleeves and strode out the door. His steps were quick and steady, without a trace of hesitation.

Yunxi was waiting anxiously in the Marquis' Mansion. Her heart felt like it was being roasted on fire. She couldn't sit or stand.

She paced back and forth in the room, twisting the handkerchief in her hands until it was almost deformed.

From time to time, he glanced towards the door, muttering to himself: "What should I do? I hope nothing goes wrong."

It wasn't until night fell and it was completely dark that the prince returned to the mansion, looking exhausted. His clothes were a little messy, his hair was not as neat as usual, and his face was full of fatigue.

When Yunxi heard the noise, she rushed over, staring intently at the prince, and asked anxiously, "Prince, what's going on?"

The prince waved his hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Sit down and talk first."

After the two sat down, the prince picked up the teacup on the table, took a gulp, and then said, "The emperor's condition is getting worse and he is no longer able to handle state affairs.

Several princes formed cliques and factions in the court, fighting fiercely. The scene was truly chaotic.”

Yunxi bit her lip, frowned slightly, and said, "Then we can't get involved in this fight."

The prince sighed, shook his head, and said, "I'm afraid it's beyond our control. The current situation is like a pool of muddy water. Even if we don't want to wade in, someone will drag us in."

On the second day, Yunxi and the prince went out together, preparing to visit several important officials in the court to test the waters.

As soon as I arrived at a minister's residence, I saw several carriages parked at the door, one next to the other, blocking the door tightly.

Yunxi and the prince walked into the mansion and saw that the hall was full of people, all talking and chatting. Some had sad faces, some sighed, and some were stamping their feet in anxiety.

"This situation is so unpredictable, I really don't know what to do," said one minister, slapping his thigh with a look of helplessness on his face.

Another minister continued, "Yes, several princes are trying to win over various forces."

The prince and Yunxi listened silently.

Everyone in the hall was talking and arguing non-stop. Yunxi frowned slightly, her beautiful eyes scanning the crowd, her right hand tightly clutching a handkerchief.

The prince had a calm expression on his face, but his eyes were sharp and he stared at the person who was speaking.

At this moment, the housekeeper hurried in, his feet swift and his face filled with anxiety. He said loudly, "Sir, the Third Prince has sent someone to deliver a message."

When the minister heard this, his expression changed instantly. His already tense face became even gloomier than before.

He stood up suddenly, his hands shaking unconsciously, and said in a trembling voice: "Everyone, I'll go take a look first."

As he spoke, he staggered out and almost tripped over the threshold.

Seeing this, everyone started talking again.

"What good can come from the Third Prince sending someone here?" An obese official shook his head, his chubby face full of worry.

"Who says it isn't? The situation is becoming increasingly chaotic!" another official with a goatee echoed, his hand stroking his beard and trembling slightly.

After leaving the minister's residence, Yunxi and the prince visited several more houses, and the situation was roughly the same. Everywhere they went, either the master of one house had a sad face, or the lady of another house sighed and lamented.

Returning to the Marquis' Mansion, the prince sat on the chair with a tired look on his face, his brows furrowed. He rubbed his eyebrows with his hands and sighed deeply.

Yunxi looked at the prince distressedly, quickly handed him a cup of tea, and said softly, "Prince, it seems that the changes in the court are more serious than we imagined."

The prince took the tea, took a sip, and said with a wry smile, "Yes, now that all parties are watching, we need to make a careful decision.

If we are not careful, our mansion will be in jeopardy..." At this point, the prince paused, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.

A few days later, news came from the palace that the eldest prince openly accused the third prince of forming a clique for personal gain in the court.

For a time, the whole court was in an uproar. In the streets and alleys, in teahouses and taverns, people were talking about this matter.

After Yunxi and the prince learned about this, they looked at each other and saw worry in each other's eyes. Yunxi's face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly. She said anxiously: "Prince, what should we do?

If the First and Third Princes were fighting like this, wouldn't the court be in chaos?"

The prince had a sullen face and paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Don't panic. Let's see how the situation develops."

A few days later, the second prince held a banquet in his mansion and invited many officials.

The prince paced back and forth in his study, holding the invitation in his hand, hesitant. Yunxi stood aside and whispered, "Prince, should we go to this banquet or not?"

The prince stopped and pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind and saying, "Let's go and see what the Second Prince has up his sleeve."

At the banquet, the Second Prince, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked among the crowd with a smile on his face. He said to everyone, "The court is in turmoil right now. I hope you can lend me a hand."

The prince simply said, "The court should be the most important thing."

After the banquet, the prince and Yunxi returned to the marquis's mansion.

Yunxi frowned and said worriedly, "Your Highness, I'm afraid the Second Prince has other intentions."

The prince sighed and nodded: "I know, but we can't offend anyone easily now."

Just when Yunxi and the prince were worried about the changes in the court, a mysterious visitor suddenly came to the marquis's mansion one night.

The man, dressed in black and masked, tiptoed quietly into the prince's study. The prince was sitting at his desk, holding a book, seemingly reading, but in fact he was in a state of confusion.

Suddenly, his ears moved, sensing a strange movement, and he suddenly shouted, "Who?"

The man in black was startled at first, then slowly took off his veil. He turned out to be an old official in the court. He had gray hair, a wrinkled face, and a pair of eyes that showed anxiety and worry.

"Your Highness, the situation is urgent and I have to visit you late at night." The old minister said anxiously, his voice trembling slightly.

The prince quickly stood up, motioned the old minister to sit down, and asked with a frown, "What happened?"

The old minister came up to the prince and said in a low voice, "The Fourth Prince is secretly colluding with foreign enemies and intends to rebel."

When the prince heard this, his eyes widened in shock, and his hands unconsciously gripped the armrests of the chair. "Is this true?"

The old minister nodded vigorously, his face serious: "It is absolutely true, Your Highness needs to make plans early."

After the old minister finished speaking, he glanced around hurriedly, as if afraid of being discovered, and then stood up to say goodbye.

The prince personally saw the old minister out and watched his back disappear into the night.

Back in the study, the prince told Yunxi about this. Yunxi's face turned pale instantly, and her hand unconsciously covered her mouth: "Prince, what should I do?"

The prince paced back and forth in the room, his brows knitted into a knot: "This matter is of great importance. If we are not careful, our mansion will be in trouble."

Yunxi bit her lip and looked at the prince with a firm gaze: "Prince, no matter what, I will accompany you."

The prince stopped and held Yunxi's hand: "Yunxi, I feel more at ease with you here."

The two of them discussed it over and over, but they couldn't come up with an idea. The night was getting deeper and deeper, but they had no desire to sleep.

After the old minister left, the prince and Yunxi stayed up all night thinking about how to deal with the situation.