mtl008 Chapter 413 Secret Talks in the Imperial Palace
Chapter 413 Secret Talks in the Imperial Palace
After Prince Min left the palace, a palace attendant who had been guarding outside the hall hurriedly entered the inner hall.
"Your Majesty, the distinguished guest you invited has arrived!"
Emperor Mingcheng, who was about to go to Jingyang Palace to dine with his concubine, stopped in his tracks.
"Have her wait at the Xuanfa Hall. I'll change my clothes and come!"
"promise."
After the eunuch left, the emperor lowered his eyes and asked Eunuch Huai beside him, "Ronghuai, do you think the Princess will make any excessive demands when she accepted my invitation?"
When Eunuch Huai, who was helping the emperor dress, heard Emperor Mingcheng ask a question, his heart tightened.
After a long pause, he calmly said, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that the reason the Princess dared to come to the capital is probably because she wants to reconcile with Your Majesty. Otherwise, her days in Le'an County would probably not be easy..."
It should be noted that although the eldest princess possessed the tiger tally bestowed upon her by the late emperor and commanded an army of 200,000, she had no heir.
Furthermore, he received information that Le'an County was not as united as outsiders thought.
Several of the deputy generals in the princess's camp seemed to be dissatisfied with her control and appeared to be plotting against her.
Therefore, it is estimated that the eldest princess came to the capital this time hoping to reconcile with the emperor. Otherwise, she would probably be in a difficult situation facing attacks from both the capital and the capable ministers under her rule.
Of course, all of this is just his speculation, and the specifics will only be known after meeting the Princess.
Even if the princess's trip was not for this purpose, he had no choice but to say so.
After all, the emperor intended to abdicate and pass the throne to the crown prince, and he himself needed to defeat his biggest rival, Wei Dexin, to become the head of the palace eunuchs.
In order to remain in office and serve the next monarch, he naturally had to curry favor with the emperor.
Hearing what Eunuch Huai said, the emperor's face lit up with pleasure.
"Of course, Fifth Sister has been pampered and spoiled since childhood. She must be very uncomfortable to be questioned by her subordinates this time."
In that case, it would be better to make peace with me.
After returning the tiger tally, I will leave an edict instructing the Crown Prince to find her a good place to settle down!
Emperor Mingcheng thought he had done a good deed, but little did he know that the eldest princess waiting in the Xuanfa Hall also harbored other thoughts.
After the father-in-law who had been receiving them left, Granny Shi glanced towards the doorway.
"Your Highness, this old servant has just received news that the Emperor has rejected the Crown Prince of Xiliang's suggestion to annul the engagement with our Princess..."
Upon hearing this news, the eldest princess's face turned solemn.
"So, the emperor is determined to send Wei'er to Xiliang for a political marriage?"
Granny Shi looked troubled.
"It seems that this is indeed the case!"
Listening to Granny Shi's words, one could see that the veins on the Princess's hand, which was gripping the teacup, were bulging.
You, Emperor Mingcheng, are not only incompetent and tyrannical, but you also want to use his only daughter as a pawn to send her away for a political marriage in order to advance your grand ambitions.
He doesn't deserve it!
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Just as the princess's face grew increasingly somber, the sharp voice of the eunuch guarding outside rang out.
"Princess, calm down!"
Granny Shi, standing to the side, offered some advice.
"I see."
Although the eldest princess was dissatisfied, she knew at this moment that she should prioritize the overall situation.
In the blink of an eye, the princess's face had returned to calm when the emperor entered.
"Yuexia greets Your Majesty!"
The eldest princess bowed slightly and greeted the emperor as he entered.
"We're all family, Fifth Sister, there's no need to be so polite!"
After more than a decade apart, his imperial sister still looked the same as always, still as arrogant as ever.
"Hehe, that won't do. After all, you are now the emperor of this Great Wei, and you rule over everything under heaven. How can I, your younger sister, be as carefree as before?"
The princess's words were barbed, but this was always her tone when speaking to the emperor.
Relying on the late emperor's favor, the eldest princess was always aloof and arrogant, always thinking that she looked down on her "incompetent" elder brother.
So the attitude towards Emperor Chenghua was the same before, and it remains the same now.
She would not show weakness to her incompetent brother because of the predicament she was facing.
Hearing the princess's tone, Emperor Mingcheng smiled bitterly to himself.
"Alright! I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. The reason I summoned you from your fiefdom today is simply to confirm a question that has been on your mind..."
"What's the matter?"
The princess feigned a slight surprise.
She had guessed some things before she came, and thought Emperor Mingcheng would beat around the bush with her, but she didn't expect...
Looking at the eldest princess, Emperor Mingcheng forced himself not to look too bad.
He received information that the eldest princess had already contacted that person several months ago, so she probably knew about this even earlier than he did.
"Yuexia, don't tell me you don't know about Third Brother's posthumous child?"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, the princess's expression softened.
Sure enough, he had summoned him for this matter.
A moment later, the princess's face showed understanding.
“Indeed, I have met him, but I had not confirmed his identity before. Now that you've mentioned it, I've realized that he actually looks somewhat like my third brother…”
Hearing the princess's ability to lie through her teeth, Emperor Mingcheng felt a lump in his throat.
"So, Lu Hanting is indeed the third prince's bloodline?"
The eldest princess glanced coldly at the emperor, but said calmly, "Brother, so what if Lu Hanting is the third prince's bloodline? With the limited troops the crown prince has now, do you think he can touch him?"
Nonsense. If Lu Hanting wasn't the third prince's bloodline, why would she have betrothed Yan'er to him in the first place?
It's a pity that He Yuyan isn't his biological daughter, but thankfully he didn't harm Wei'er.
Now it seems that if they can't reach an agreement later, she could betroth Wei'er to Lu Hanting and help him rise to power.
In this way, his daughter would become the empress of the Great Wei Dynasty.
After all, the Third Prince was the one Father valued most and was the most capable candidate to sit on the throne of Great Wei. His bloodline inheriting the Great Wei empire was perfectly legitimate.
This is the greatest compensation I can give my daughter.
Emperor Mingcheng looked at the eldest princess with a cold and stern expression.
"Yuexia, since I ascended the throne, apart from the unpleasant incidents we had before, I have never mistreated you, have I?"
When the Emperor sent his fifth sister to Le'an County, he also entrusted her with the most important military tally, which meant that if he, the Emperor, did not act, his sister had the right to oversee the country on his behalf.
The eldest princess, holding the tiger tally bestowed upon her by the late emperor, was training an army of 200,000.
She lived a secluded life in the distant Anle County, enjoying the pleasures of dictatorship. If that were all, it would be fine, but she did not keep to her proper place.
Five years ago, the Princess insisted on getting involved in what happened in Chulong Prefecture. Otherwise, Emperor Mingcheng would not have been wary of her.
Upon hearing the emperor's words, the princess's face showed a hint of resentment.
"Your Majesty, if it weren't for your dereliction of duty, how could my daughter have been kidnapped, and how could my husband have abandoned me?"