freenovelworld Chapter 700 Thank you for coming to the mansion!
Chapter 700 Thank you for coming to the mansion!
The once quiet capital city gradually became lively again due to the return of several princes.
Visitors came in droves, bringing gifts and so on; the gates of each prince's mansion were almost constantly crowded with people.
However, this does not include the Prince of Changle's residence.
The reason is simple: when Prince Chang Le was in the capital, he did not have the habit of forming factions, so there were naturally not many people in the capital who were attached to him.
Even when they are dependent, some of it happens in secret.
Since they are secretly attaching themselves to the organization, it's impossible for them to personally deliver gifts.
As night fell, the Chang Le Prince's Mansion was heavily guarded. With Zi Yi and the others present, it was practically impossible for even a fly to get in.
A figure flashed by. After Zi Yi and the others confirmed who the newcomer was, they not only did not stop him, but instead threw a pebble to guide him to the prince's study.
The dark figure seemed to pause for a moment while catching its breath on the tree, but in the blink of an eye, it swiftly flew away towards Duanmu Chuze's study.
"Greetings to the prince."
Duanmu Chuze looked up at him. "No need. It's only been a short time since we last met, but you've gotten even thinner. What's wrong? Did they bully you even more?"
"Your Highness, I am carrying out your orders. I have been recuperating for the past few years and have not been involved in worldly affairs."
"Hehe, Xie San, well done, you really didn't disappoint me."
The person who arrived was Xie San, Xie Qingkuan, who had almost been killed by the Xie family.
"It is my honor to be valued by the Prince."
Xie San knew that if he hadn't met the prince, he would probably be dead by now.
The power he had carefully cultivated was discovered by others. If it weren't for the decisive action taken by the people sent by the prince, he would probably have been stripped bare by the Xie family by now.
"Xie San, as you know, I have no intention of vying for the throne, but I will not stand idly by and let others bully me. I have always believed in a principle: I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me, I will give them three chances; if they offend me again, I will retaliate; if they offend me once more, I will eliminate them completely!"
Duanmu Chuze emphasized the last four words.
"Your Highness, the Xie family has behaved much better since the last incident. It seems that they no longer intend to make things difficult for you. Moreover, there are also internal disagreements within the Xie family."
"Oh? Tell me."
In fact, this is a situation that could occur in any large family.
It was simply that some clansmen disagreed with the head of the family's practices and ideas, and over time, other factions gradually emerged.
The Xie family, with a Crown Princess and Prince An, the eldest grandson of the Emperor who is most likely to ascend the throne, found themselves in a rather interesting situation due to internal disagreements.
"Your Highness, it seems that the most dissatisfied members of the Xie family are some of the collateral branches. Among the direct line, only my fourth uncle is quite unhappy with his actions, but since he is my elder brother, I naturally cannot undermine him."
"Your fourth uncle? What kind of person is he?"
"Your Highness, Fourth Uncle is a fairly honest man, but he is too honest, which makes him seem a bit pedantic in some matters."
That's a clever way of putting it; it simply means that the person isn't very good at handling interpersonal relationships.
"Xie San, I won't be staying in the capital for too long this time. Don't worry, as long as the Xie family doesn't cause too much trouble, I naturally have no intention of destroying them. However, since your Xie family has caused me trouble time and time again, now that I'm back, I'll have to collect some interest."
Xie San twitched his lips, thinking to himself, "Master, haven't you collected enough interest? How many members of the Xie family have been dismissed from their posts in such a short time? Furthermore, the Xie family has been reprimanded by the Emperor time and time again. Do you think the Xie family is having an easy time in the capital?"
"Hmph! She's tried to put people around me time and time again, daring to upset my Ah Nuan. I'll have to find a way to make this Lady Xie upset too."
"Your Majesty?"
Xie San suddenly had a very bad feeling. This master looked gentle, but that was just a facade. If he had seen his methods, he would never use the word "gentle" to describe him.
"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. After all, that Xie family head is still your father, I won't embarrass you too much."
Xie San gave a bitter smile. "Father? If he hadn't always ignored me and even indulged those legitimate sons and daughters in bullying me, perhaps I wouldn't be where I am now."
Duanmu Chuze paused for a moment, knowing that Xie San was also feeling bad.
"Alright, I have a general understanding of what's going on inside the Xie family. However, Xie San, you'd better have a good talk with your fourth uncle. They can't rely on the Crown Princess. To put it bluntly, I'm afraid my father has already made a secret decree that once my eldest brother ascends the throne, the first thing he will do is to make Duanmu Chen the Crown Prince, and the second thing he will do is to kill the Crown Princess."
Xie San was startled and looked at Duanmu Chuze with disbelief. "Does Your Highness mean that the Emperor...?"
“My father and mother are both extremely shrewd people. The only reason they haven’t killed her is because of Duanmu Chen. When the new emperor ascends the throne, he can’t be without an empress. If she dies now, what will happen to Duanmu Chen?”
Xie San frowned and thought carefully. "The struggle for the throne has always been brutal. Now Prince An has the Emperor's protection, but what about the future?"
“That’s right! That’s why His Majesty didn’t punish your entire Xie family in the last incident. However, if your Xie family continues to be so irresponsible, I guarantee that your Xie family might not be able to survive until then.”
"What does the prince mean?"
"If Patriarch Xie remains obstinate, I wouldn't mind replacing him with a new patriarch. Anyway, I'm back in the capital now, and I'm just idling around anyway. Dealing with a small Xie family, I believe, would be quite entertaining."
Xie San twitched his lips again. "Master, I know your abilities and methods, but is it really okay to be so blunt in front of others?"
"Here's what you do: talk to your fourth uncle first, and then we'll find a suitable opportunity to meet. As for the location, Taihe Restaurant will do. Once you've arranged the time, just let Ziyi know."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, I heard that your marriage seems to be going somewhat unsuccessfully?"
"I am but a son of a concubine, insignificant by nature. What can I expect? As long as he is not a fool, I am already content."