The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

The old madam had been headstrong her entire life and rarely asked for favors.

The last time she had asked for a favor was to help Hua Qingqing escape the Crown Prince’s marriage proposal.

At that time, she had swallowed her pride and begged the Empress Dowager to take Hua Qingqing with her to Yuqing Palace.

Now, she was once again asking for a favor for Hua Qingqing’s sake.

This time, the person she was asking was her second granddaughter, the one she usually looked down upon the most.

After she finished speaking, the old madam looked at Hua Manman with eyes full of expectation.

Mrs. He couldn’t help but speak up.

"Mother, Manman is just a nanny. How could she possibly find out about matters in the Imperial Palace?"

The old madam also knew that her request was asking too much.

But she missed her eldest granddaughter terribly.

She wanted to know how her eldest granddaughter was doing in the palace. Was she being bullied?

She was already a candle flickering in the wind, unsure how much longer she had to live.

Her eldest granddaughter’s safety was now her only obsession.

The old madam pleaded sorrowfully.

"I’m begging you."

Looking at the old madam, Hua Manman couldn’t help but recall how her maternal grandmother had looked before she passed away.

Right up until the end, her grandmother had been worried about Hua Manman, afraid that once she was gone, there would be no one left to take good care of Manman.

That intense reluctance to part was identical to the old madam’s before her now.

Hua Manman sighed softly.

"I’ll try my best."

The old madam’s eyes lit up at once. "Thank you. Thank you."

As they were leaving Changsheng Residence, Mrs. He frowned and said to her daughter,

"Why did you agree to her request?

You’re just a nanny. You can barely even get into the Imperial Palace on a normal day, so how are you supposed to find out what’s happening inside?"

Hua Manman linked arms with her and said with a grin.

"I only said I’d try. I never said I could definitely do it. We’ll just do our best."

Mrs. He scolded her irritably.

"You’re just too soft-hearted!

Someone begs you a little, and you can’t help but give in.

You really have to change this habit.

What if Prince Zhao marries his main wife in the future? If she uses the same trick on you, what will you do?"

To be honest, Hua Manman really hadn’t thought about Prince Zhao marrying a main wife.

She was always with Prince Zhao, and over time, they had grown increasingly comfortable with each other.

If Mrs. He hadn’t brought it up, she would have almost forgotten that Prince Zhao would have to marry a main wife someday.

Seeing her daughter fall silent, Mrs. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

"I was just saying. Don’t take it too much to heart. You just have to keep living your life as you have been."

Hua Manman nodded. "Mm, I know."

Mrs. He always loved to worry about her children.

She was especially concerned about her daughter, Hua Manman.

It was one thing not being able to see her daughter on a daily basis, but now that she finally had the chance, she definitely had to give her a few more reminders.

"If you ask me, your top priority right now is to have a child with Prince Zhao as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.

As long as you have a child, you’ll still have a secure place in the residence, even after the main wife arrives."

’Prince Zhao and I haven’t even consummated our marriage,’ Hua Manman thought. ’Where would a child come from?’

’I can’t reproduce asexually.’

On the surface, however, she feigned a receptive expression and nodded obediently.

"I’ll remember."

Mrs. He had given birth to three children: one daughter and two sons.

She was very experienced when it came to childbirth, and she pulled Hua Manman aside to impart many of her exclusive secrets on getting pregnant.

Hua Manman could only listen in exasperation.

No matter what Mrs. He said, she just responded with, "Mm," "Oh," and "Okay."

Just then, Hua Dingzong came looking for them.

He said he had something to discuss with his second daughter.

Mrs. He then said to her daughter,

"You talk with your father for a while. I’m going back to my room to get something for you."

Feeling as if she’d been granted amnesty, Hua Manman nodded vigorously. "Okay!"

The moment Mrs. He left, Hua Manman let out a long sigh of relief.

The great baby-making curse was finally over.

The moment Hua Dingzong opened his mouth, he asked about the matter that weighed most heavily on his mind.

"I heard the Crown Prince died in an accident. What kind of accident was it, exactly?"

When the Crown Prince’s coffin entered the city, Hua Dingzong had gone to see it along with the other nobles, and even shed a few tears.

But Hua Dingzong didn’t know the specific inside story of the Crown Prince’s death.

Hua Manman said, "We encountered mountain bandits on our way back to the capital. The Crown Prince was killed by them."

Hua Dingzong clicked his tongue. "Those bandits are far too bold! To dare to kill even the Crown Prince!"

He then asked,

"Were those bandits caught?"

This wasn’t some unspeakable secret, so Hua Manman answered frankly.

"Most of them were killed. Only three were captured alive."

Hua Dingzong pressed, "Did the interrogation reveal any clues?"

Hua Manman shook her head. "I don’t know."

Hua Dingzong was a little disappointed but expressed his understanding.

Hua Manman was only a woman. Even if Prince Zhao had really found any clues during the interrogation, he wouldn’t have told her.

Hua Dingzong heaved a long sigh.

"With the Crown Prince dead, the capital is bound to be plunged into turmoil again."

Before, when Li Cheng was still alive, the princes were already stirring restlessly in the shadows, wanting to take his place.

Now that Li Cheng was dead, the competition among the princes would surely become even more intense.

Hua Dingzong silently counted in his head.

The current Emperor had six sons in total.

Of them, the Eldest Prince had unfortunately died young, and the third-ranked son, the Crown Prince, had also passed away in an accident.

The only ones left were the Second Prince Li Hao, the Fourth Prince Li Ying, the Fifth Prince Li Yan, and the Sixth Prince Li Yi.

Of the four, the one with the noblest birth was the Fifth Prince, Li Yan.

His birth mother was Consort Liu, and Consort Liu’s father was once the Emperor’s tutor.

Next was the Second Prince, Li Hao, whose birth mother was Xianfei.

The Sixth Prince, Li Yi’s, background was originally quite good as well. His mother, Yichongyuan, had always been highly favored by the Saint, but unfortunately, she went down the wrong path and met a tragic end.

Now, Li Yi was being raised under Lady’s name. If he could gain the support of Lady’s maternal clan, he might not be without a chance to compete in the future.

As for the Fourth Prince, Li Ying, he wasn’t even worth mentioning.

With his background, he would never have a claim to the throne in his lifetime.

As Hua Dingzong’s thoughts drifted, he suddenly recalled a rumor he had once overheard—

It was said that Prince Zhao, Li Ji, might be the Emperor’s illegitimate son.

If this were true, then Prince Zhao would also be qualified to contend for the throne.

At this thought, Hua Dingzong’s gaze on his second daughter became feverish.

"Manman, there’s no one else here. Be straight with me.

Is Prince Zhao truly related by blood to the current Saint?"

Hua Manman gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

"Of course, it’s true!"

Before Hua Dingzong could get excited, he heard her continue.

"Prince Zhao’s mother is Princess Rouwan, and Princess Rouwan is the Saint’s maternal cousin.

So by generation, Prince Zhao would have to call the Saint his ’Cousin-Uncle’.

That’s definitely a blood relationship!"

Hua Dingzong: "..."

His excitement was instantly extinguished.

He said irritably, "I’m not talking about that kind of blood relationship! I’m talking about a father-son relationship!"

Hua Manman froze for a moment, then explained.

"Prince Zhao’s father is Duke Zhen. He has no connection to the Saint at all. You shouldn’t speak such nonsense!"

Hua Dingzong assumed his second daughter didn’t know the inside story and waved his hand dismissively.

"There’s no point explaining it to you. Forget it. Let’s not talk about it."