Chapter 173 Resonance: Grievances (2/2)
These words made the Eighth Prince gnashed his teeth in silence. At this crucial moment, the person who leaves Chang'an first would lose the decisive opportunity. Otherwise, he also didn't have to exert himself to prevent the First Prince from returning to Chang'an. He really hadn't expected that Situ, who'd maintained a neutral stance all this while, was actually standing on the First Prince's side. In this case, all the more he couldn't let Duke of Anping stay.
He's Imperial Father's son, so how could he not understand his Imperial Father's thoughts?
The Emperor seemed to be very satisfied with this suggestion, so without further ado, he directly issued the command with no room for debate, not giving the Eight Prince the slightest chance to reverse the situation.
The Eighth Prince could only keep his grievances to himself. When he walked back to his spot, he noticed the Eleventh Prince smiling complacently at him and the anger in his heart ignited again. Whether it was him or the First Prince, they were both the Eleventh Prince's stepping stone. He could only blame himself for being too greedy and wanting to settle these two people in one fell swoop.
During the court a.s.sembly, Situ didn't utter a single word. He didn't defend his comrades in arms who went through thick and thin with him and didn't take the initiative to clear himself of suspicion. His behaviour made the Emperor feel restless.
His Majesty returned to the Imperial Study and sat on the Imperial Throne, sneering at himself. He's the Emperor. He's the one who reigns supreme. Was there a need for him to feel uneasy and apprehensive?
He must get rid of this Northern Army General at all costs!
Palace Attendant Yu stood somewhere not far away and stared at the Emperor, who'd seemingly turned into an entirely different person, in surprise. Immediately after that, he lowered his head and concealed the surprised look in his eyes. He'd initially thought that His Majesty had wanted to pave the way for the Eleventh Prince but why did it now seem like His Majesty was disrupting the order in court?
This was His Majesty's own kingdom, so why was he doing that?
Come to think of it, His Majesty's illness had been relapsing repeatedly for no reason. There was something fishy about this. The more Palace Attendant Yu thought about it, the more terrified he became, his thoughts frantic.
Just when the Eighth Prince was about to leave Chang'an to head for the deserts of the North, the Emperor issued another decree to let the childless Concubine Hui adopt the First Prince.
Concubine Hui was the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Clan. She was a concubine second only to Concubine Yao and Concubine Shu, the mother of the Seventh Prince and Eighth Prince. As she was dignified and virtuous, she was bestowed the t.i.tle 'Concubine Hui'.
No officials bothered about the First Prince's return to Chang'an because he had no maternal clan supporting him. Now that he'd received the support of the officials and had a maternal clan backing him up, it could be said that he was flushed with success.
However, the First Prince didn't think in this manner. His point of view was that His Majesty was intentionally strengthening his power so that he would have a life-and-death struggle with the Eighth Prince. Then, the Eleventh Prince would be the third party that reaps the benefits after both of them were exhausted from their fight. They are all sons from the same father but why was the difference in treatment so much?
No one could answer the First Prince's doubts. Situ and Gan Qingjia had constantly been devising plans in recent days. The two of them would settle everything in the dark, while all he had to do was to serve the people and win the approval of the officials. This was what they had agreed on since the beginning.
At this moment, the First Prince had completely forgotten about Xue Yiqi who had found a stable footing in the Imperial Army. Xue Yiqi had also done many things for him recently but he was overlooked because of Shangguan Yan.
Shangguan Yan clung onto Xue Yiqi like glue, resulting in Xue Yiqi being unable to spare time for other tasks. Not only was he unable to meet up with his brothers, but he was also unable to meet his future sovereign.
Shangguan Yan, on the other hand, didn't think it was a problem. The sovereign and the dynasty were things that constantly changed over time. What remained the same were usually the officials and the citizens.
Today, Xue Yiqi had just exited his newly constructed residence when a woman dressed in bright red attire and an outer robe embroidered with white camellias came greeting him. For a moment, he thought that the person he saw was Qi Jianqiu, the woman he was foolishly in love with in the past. However, she'd become the wife of his respected Third Elder Brother.
But the person before him was obviously not Qi Jianqiu. Qi Jianqiu liked to smile, it was the kind of smile that showed that she was up to mischief while radiating confidence. She was like a pure yet graceful white camellia.
On the other hand, Shangguan Yan was also a confident woman, but her confidence carried a trace of evil tendencies with it. She also liked to smile, but it was one filled with arrogance, which looked down on everyone. She was also a solemn, formidable woman who was blood-thirsty to the point that made one uneasy. She was like a rose with thorns. She was indeed very beautiful but if one was careless, it would be fatal.
Xue Yiqi also didn't understand why so many adjectives popped up in his mind as he thought of Shangguan Yan. But he didn't like to be forced by others nor this woman who stuck to him like glue, causing him to be laughed at by many people.
Even so, he was unable to harden his heart to chase her away. If back then, he'd also pestered that person this much, would the outcome have been different?
Shangguan Yan ran to Xue Yiqi with delight written all over her face, but what came into view was Xue Yiqi's indifferent expression. Upon seeing this, a slight piercing pain instantly shot to her heart. It didn't matter…
Shangguan Yan kept a beautiful smile tugged at her lips and followed behind Xue Yiqi. “You haven't eaten breakfast yet, right? I know that the south streets of Chang'an have a shop that sells Steamed Pork and Crab Roe Bun. It's the real thing and the taste is also very good. Let's go try it together.”
“I'm sorry. Miss Shangguan, I still have many official affairs to tend to, so I won't be able to accompany you today,” Xue Yiqi stared ahead and said.
The corners of Shangguan Yan's mouth twitched, but she didn't give up.
“Eating breakfast doesn't take a lot of time. It wouldn't delay your official duties.”
Official duties?
Xue Yiqi was probably triggered by these two words. On top of that, the situation in Chang'an was getting increasingly tense, and he was quite worried about Situ. Thus, his tone carried a hint of anger as he stopped in his tracks and shot a scorching glance at Shangguan Yan, catching the latter by surprise.
“Miss Shangguan sure is forgetful. You have already delayed many of my official duties these past few days.”