Chapter 113

Chapter 113

The King of Ningxuan and Emperor Renshou, nominally cousins, are in reality sovereign and subject.

In terms of age, the former emperor was the eldest, followed by Rong Mingyu, with Emperor Renshou, Sheng Xuyan, being the youngest among them.

No matter the affection in childhood, a barrier of sovereign and subject always existed, not to mention the clear distinction in their adult years.

Rong Tang looked into Su Huai Jing's eyes, for a moment thinking he was hallucinating. But quickly he dismissed the thought and realized that Su Huai Jing wasn't deceiving him.

It was May now, the peak of summer. Qian Shi was almost nine months pregnant, expected to give birth in June.

Rong Mingyu was so certain it would be a boy because, whether Qian Shi gave birth to a boy or a girl, the child would ultimately be turned into a boy, becoming the young master of Ning Xuan Wang's mansion.

In that case, it would be safest if Qian Shi had no child in her womb.

The only puzzling thing was, why would Rong Mingyu raise a child for someone else?

Rong Tang's brows lightly furrowed, a thought flashing through his mind, he asked incredulously, "Consort Yi?"

Su Huai Jing smiled, finally pulling Rong Tang out of his earlier bewildered state, where he seemed to be pondering his own origin and destination.

He took Rong Tang's hand, leading him through the crowd, whispering, "Sheng Chengming is just a public target. The emperor is just over forty years old, in good health. It will be at least another twenty years before he passes or abdicates. By then, the nearly forty-year-old Second Prince and the much younger Eighth Prince will naturally have the advantage."

No matter how fierce the current struggle, it's merely paving the way for those who come later. As long as Emperor Renshou lives, the more prominent a prince is now, the harder he will fall later.

Suspicion reigns in people's hearts, true for both monarch and minister, and even more so between father and son.

The joy of familial bonds is the best protection, and no self-assured emperor would harbor jealousy towards his own flesh and blood in the cradle.

Due to his arrogance and pride, he hardly paid any heed to what was essentially an insignificant threat.

Yet, someone was betting on this very arrogance of his. Rong Mingyu, who had known him for forty years, sharing both enlightenment and rebellion, was well aware of the nature of his esteemed cousin.

Some matters are not to be discussed openly in a public setting. Su Huaijing, accompanied by his entourage, bid farewell to Mu Jingshu and others, then leisurely strolled towards the carriage at the street corner.

By this time, Rong Tang had come to understand much.

The most obvious was the incident at the palace banquet; amidst Rong Mingyu's struggle to deal with Ke Hongxue's aggression, why was it Empress Yi, heavily pregnant, who broke the deadly silence in the room?

Delving deeper, Empress Yi gave birth in the summer, and in the fall, the rebellion led by Duke Wukang implicated the entire faction of the Second Prince. Although Su Huaijing played a role in fanning the flames, did Rong Mingyu play any part in it?

At the very least, the elevation of the Eighth Prince as the Empress's legitimate son brought no benefit to Su Huaijing himself.

The heir apparent is first legitimized, then chosen for seniority. With the demotion of the Second Prince, the court fell silent. Unless the Third Prince acted recklessly, prompting ministers to discuss succession, over time, as the Eighth Prince grew up and began his education, if Emperor Renshou were to consider the heir, he would surely think of the legitimate son of the Central Palace first.

As for why Lady Qian conceived and why she gave birth around the same time as Empress Yi…

Rong Tang's expression turned slightly cold, as myriad possibilities flitted through his mind.

Be it a sneaky substitution of the crown prince, raising a villain to exploit fortune, or securing a place in the family tree to legitimately replace the Eighth Prince in the future...

Rong Mingyu had his own schemes; Rong Tang merely needed to guess, not necessarily align with him.

These thoughts crossed his mind, accompanied by the image of a face, majestic, dignified, and imposing.

Yet, when they were together in private, that face always betrayed a hint of subtle sadness in the eyebrows.

Rong Tang felt an uncontrollable pang in his heart, his brows furrowing as he asked, "When did he start conspiring with Empress Yi?"

Su Huaijing replied, "Many years ago, long before Lady Yi entered the palace."

Both celebrated talents of the capital, Rong Mingyu, in fact, enjoyed more freedom than the princes in the palace, making his early association with them entirely proper.

Rong Tang spoke coldly, "If there were objects of mutual admiration, why then did he marry my mother?"

Su Huaijing answered, "Admiration and family background, high-ranking officials and the imperial throne, our Lord Ning Xuan has always been clear in his calculations."

Rong Tang paused slightly and looked at Su Huaijing: "Is he actually scheming for the throne?"

Su Huaijing shook his head: "It's not certain yet, the evidence is incomplete, but at least there's the intention to push the child in Empress Yi's womb to the throne."

Su Huaijing never speculated wildly; his statements always had a basis.

Rong Tang thought it over and found this theory highly plausible, even in line with Rong Mingyu's consistent attitude.

Indifferent to his eldest son, letting his second and youngest choose princes to befriend;

Conspiring with Empress Yi in private while planning to send his niece to the palace, entertaining the idea of sharing a husband with his wife’s sister.

Wanting everything, he must have cast numerous nets.

Su Huaijing said, "But Empress Yi's maternal family is influential, and she herself is ambitious. Collaborating with her might end up being devoured, unless..." He paused, looking at Rong Tang, "unless he had already weakened the forces of Elder Zhang and Cheng Chengming."

As the carriage moved smoothly, the candle inside flickered. Su Huaijing, noticing the complexity in Rong Tang's eyes, was momentarily startled, then smiled: "It seems he really did so."

He poured a cup of tea for Rong Tang. The fragrance of the tea spread in the carriage, and Su Huaijing calmly speculated, "Let me guess what he would do."

"Elder Zhang has been in court for many years with a solid foundation and clean dealings. It's hard to target him directly. In this case, rather than directly overthrowing him, it’s better to first weaken him and move him away from the power center. Afterwards, the death of an old man doesn't count as a big deal."

Rong Tang felt a bit numb, holding the tea to cool it down quickly, listening to Su Huaijing guessing one by one: "Lu Junxian? No, his brother has already dug out all his secrets." His wrist was even injured by that villain in the process.

"Xia Jingyi? The timing isn't right. The military funds for the southwestern army are still unresolved; it's too early to use Marshal Xia's hand, a bit wasteful."

Rong Tang listened to his analysis while feeling like a sandwich cookie, with the system huffing in his ear.

After all, the system was initially bound to the main character. Although it no longer favored Cheng Chengli, the antagonist's vehement assertions felt somewhat inappropriate to listen to!

Rong Tang said in a low voice, "You can't even shut him up."

"You can't even refute him," he added pointedly.

Because Su Huaijing was really, truly… exceptionally intelligent.

Rong Tang felt weary thinking about his past two lives spent relentlessly opposing him.

If he was like a university student who stumbled into the realm of power and gradually grew through the system's assistance, then Su Huaijing was like a boss in a game, already at max level from the start, constantly throwing challenges at him.

Nourishing him with challenges to satisfy his own perverse desire for a worthy opponent.

It was utterly absurd.

Rong Tang sighed silently, hearing Su Huaijing say, "The Second Prince?"

Rong Tang's eyes flickered as Su Huaijing smiled, "Targeting Cheng Chengming would weaken both Elder Zhang and the Second Prince's faction, and effortlessly thrust Cheng Chengxing into the spotlight as a target."

"It must be subtle yet intimidating…" Su Huaijing murmured, contemplating various names in his mind and then discarding them, finally settling on a piece of paper and smiling, "I wondered why Qin Pengxuan's book gifted to Cheng Chengming had a note in Dazui script. He plans to strike at Duke Wukang..."

He said softly, looking at Rong Tang with a touch of naivety, "What should we do, Tang Tang? In some aspects, my thoughts align with those of the Prince."

The more chaotic the court, the greater the role of the Imperial Censorate, making Su Huaijing's presence all the more crucial.

He wished for the entire court to be thrown into chaos. Duke Wukang was the first target to be eliminated, and even if not personally, having a son like Qin Pengxuan made him worth attacking thousands of times by Su Huaijing.

Thus, understanding Rong Mingyu's schemes, he felt not only unbothered but even a faint excitement, eager to get involved.

Rong Tang looked at him with a hint of irritation in his eyes, "Do whatever you want, I won't stop you."

To step back, the identity of Ning Xuan's crown prince still offered them protection. It was better for Rong Mingyu to be carefree than to be constantly anxious and make mistakes in front of Emperor Renshou.

What Rong Tang was really concerned about was another matter of greater importance to him: how to instigate Wang Xiuyu to divorce him.

What a scoundrel!

Deceiving in love, cheating, and even expecting his aunt to raise his child!

What kind of trash is this, and he still gets to be a prince?

Wasn't he worried at all about the scandal being exposed and implicating his entire family?

His frustration and anger were too apparent, making his expressions much more vivid. Su Huaijing watched silently for a while before speaking, "Grandmother took my cousin to Tuo Lan Temple. Since we've already plotted once, why not a second time?"

Rong Tang was startled, realizing that Su Huaijing's "plotting" referred to teaching Rong Ying how to scheme against the Princess Royal and the Buddha. Once was enough to shorten one's life, and he wanted to do it again?

Su Huaijing, indifferent, said lightly, "A new child will soon be born in the mansion, born in the year of the Dragon, distinguished but with a shallow destiny and unstable foundation. If there's someone born in the year of the Tiger in the house to stabilize it, the clash of Dragon and Tiger might harm the body, leading the child's soul to wander and the adult to be plagued with illness. We must ask this noble person to leave temporarily."

Rong Tang paused, realizing that Wang Xiuyu was indeed born in the year of the Tiger.

A look of speechlessness crossed Rong Tang's eyes, and even the usually noisy system fell silent. If Rong Tang could see it now, he would surely see a light forming six dots in the air.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "So, will mother never return?"

"Starting with a separation, it will reduce the workload, and there's no need to manage the prince's household affairs. This will give mother some peace of mind. If she can be persuaded to divorce, that would be best. If she truly doesn't want to, we have our reasons."

Su Huaijing's tone deepened, sounding like a mystic from the streets: "The young master is of noble birth and has an overpowering destiny. His mortal body might not withstand such a strong fate. It's best to invite an elder of a conflicting zodiac sign home to both intimidate and stabilize his essence."

Su Huaijing said, "Even if he's not his biological son, the prince surely wouldn't let him die. But asking the legitimate wife to leave the house for a concubine's son is rather unseemly. When the time comes, how much we can take advantage of him, Tang Tang, you must hold back mother and not let her feel pity."

The carriage rumbled forward, the summer night's stars shining brilliantly. Rong Tang, silent for what felt like a century, couldn't resist and called out, "Huaijing."

"I'm here," Su Huaijing replied with a light laugh.

"How exactly does your mind work?" Rong Tang asked him, extremely serious and utterly baffled.

He seemed to understand how this man became the emperor's favored official in the past two lives.

This way of speaking about destiny, wasn't it precisely targeting Emperor Renshou's superstitious beliefs?

A sycophant!

Sharp commentary from young master Rong!