Chapter 1070 - 453: Ninth Prince
Yueyao hastily summoned Xiang Wei back to discuss the matter with her: "I don’t know why, but I always feel that the Ninth Prince is not simple?" Sigh, Yueyao once again regretted her indifferent nature in her past life.
Xiang Wei frowned for a long moment before smiling and saying: "You’re overthinking. Even if the Ninth Prince had schemes, what of it? Even if his target is An Zhichen, can An Zhichen be easily manipulated by him?"
Yueyao found reason in this statement.
Xiang Wei, however, had a different perspective on the Ninth Prince’s assassination attempt: "Miss, why do I feel that this matter wasn’t truly aimed at the Ninth Prince, but at the Empress!"
Yueyao’s complexion turned somewhat pale. Palace intrigue, a single misstep would lead to rivers of blood, she truly did not wish to become entangled in such conflicts.
Xiang Wei, reflecting on Yueyao’s words, considered another possibility: "Miss, you aren’t very familiar with external affairs. The Empress and the Emperor are childhood sweethearts, the Emperor highly respects the Empress, and it is due to her mediation that the Crown Prince’s position remains stable!" To Xiang Wei, the Empress is a very wise person. Obviously, she could not have maintained her position as Empress for forty years without the Emperor’s suspicion if she wasn’t intelligent.
Yueyao seemed to understand something: "You mean the Empress is currently unwell, and if anything were to happen to the Ninth Prince, the Empress wouldn’t be able to bear it. Without the Empress, the Crown Prince’s position would be precarious too?" One event leads to another, truly a clever scheme.
Xiang Wei smiled and said: "This is just my guess. Actually, you don’t need to worry, this time the Ninth Prince’s assassination attempt was due to negligence, it shouldn’t happen again. With the Ninth Prince’s status, he will surely receive a princely title in the future. With Tingzheng at his side, his future prospects won’t be bad either."
Yueyao mused to herself, if the Crown Prince or the Fourth Prince ascends to the throne, the Ninth Prince would certainly end up like Prince Duan, gaining a title, and living a life of prosperity. But if another prince were to ascend, the Ninth Prince would undoubtedly face an early demise.
The unfortunate part is, Yueyao dared not express her concerns. Xiang Wei is such an astute person, any slight hint, and she would infer the whole thing.
Xiang Wei felt that since getting married, Yueyao had become particularly worrisome: "This is an imperial decree from the Emperor, even if you don’t want Tingzheng to go, he must."
Yueyao felt somewhat stifled. Not only Xiang Wei, but even An Zhichen and Tingzheng thought she was overly concerned.
Seeing her daughter so cheerful, Yueyao thought that as long as An Zhichen was alright, they, the mother and daughter, wouldn’t have any concerns. As for Tingzheng, sigh, the child has grown up and has his own thoughts, let him experience the world! As for the future, let future matters be dealt with in the future.
Yueyao let go of this tangle and no longer inquired about Tingzheng’s affairs. She wasn’t knowledgeable about external matters anyway, asking too much would only make Tingzheng think she didn’t trust him.
Tingzheng recovered from his injury and went back to work, but this time it was different; he wasn’t going to the imperial palace but became a companion to the Ninth Prince. The advantage being, he was more free than before.
Yueyao heard that her uncle Ma Chengteng was sick, and took Kexin to visit.
Ever since Ma Yue’s death, Ma Chengteng’s health had been deteriorating. He fell ill frequently, causing Yueyao much worry. She suggested Ma Chengteng visit Doctor Li, but Ma Chengteng refused.
Looking at Ma Chengteng’s increasingly poor complexion, Yueyao remembered the similarly bereaved Lord Niu. Lord Niu and Ma Chengteng were in similar situations, both having to send off their children. However, though Lord Niu fell ill at the time, he recovered swiftly. Although Mingzhu said it was because of Little Bun, Yueyao knew very well it was because Niu Yanghui was a filial and capable child. Lord Niu often looked at Niu Yanghui, naturally lifting his spirits. Yet now, apart from her uncle, Ma’s Mansion only had two daughters-in-law. The daughters-in-law were only responsible for managing the household affairs, and her uncle didn’t even have someone to discuss matters with, his worries bottled up, negatively affecting his health. If the cousin came back, he could often accompany the uncle, chatting even without need for consolation would be beneficial.
Yueyao did not mention this to Ma Chengteng, as any parent in the world, for the sake of their son’s career, Ma Chengteng certainly wouldn’t speak of it.
Yueyao suggested staying at Ma’s Mansion to tend to the illness, but Ma Chengteng refused: "You have your own home, how can you stay at Ma’s Mansion?" He was just an uncle, not her biological father, how could she ignore her own home to stay at Ma’s Mansion!
Yueyao had to give up. However, when she met Zhuang Ruolan, she mentioned her thoughts about wanting Ma Peng to return. Seeing Zhuang Ruolan’s hesitant expression, she said: "Cousin-in-law, while cousin’s future is important, uncle’s health is even more so."