stonecrandall Chapter 342 Schemes
Chapter 342 Schemes
Someone from Qianyuan Palace came and whispered a few words in the Second Prince's ear. The Second Prince then said to Yang Xiancheng, who was looking at the koi, "Young Master Yang, come with me. Let's go to the Red Plum Garden over there. The red plums there are blooming beautifully."
"Okay, let's go take a look. I like red plum blossoms too."
Yang Xiancheng grew up on the frontier and had heard that people in the capital city liked to be cultured and refined. Poetry and prose were flourishing, but unfortunately, he was not well-read and had no literary talent.
Princess Xian'an was also admiring the plum blossoms here.
She took a liking to Shen Shiyu, but unfortunately, Shen Shixi looked down on her no matter what. The Empress Dowager was willing to help, but the Emperor flatly refused.
Princess Xian'an was very annoyed. No one in the court with a slightly higher social standing would look up to her. A princess with no background would have to be worshipped at home, which would be of no use. Who would want that?
This reality left her feeling very frustrated.
Upon suddenly seeing the Second Prince accompanying such a handsome young man, Xian'an, who was eager to get married, stared wide-eyed. It was only after a palace maid reminded her that she came back to her senses.
"Nephew greets Aunt Xian'an!" The Second Prince bowed, then reminded Yang Xiancheng, "Young Master Yang, this is Princess Xian'an!"
Logically, the emperor's sisters should be called princesses, but whether or not they were conferred the title, and when, was entirely up to the emperor. The emperor treated Li Yuanyin no better, so there was no special favor he showed to his sisters.
Yang Xiancheng quickly bowed, "This humble subject pays respects to Your Highness!"
Xian'an asked the Second Prince, "Second Prince, is this young master your friend?"
The two are several years apart in age; how could they possibly be friends?
The second prince was very quick-witted and knew his mother's intention. He said, "Young Master Yang is the eldest son of General Yang Shougui, the military governor of the three towns. He wants to study in the capital in the future. His mother paid her respects to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty asked me to treat Young Master Yang well."
Xian'an then took a proper look at Yang Shougui, because she knew that the Empress had a younger sister who was still unmarried, and mistakenly thought that the Empress was choosing a brother-in-law for her.
His father was a third-rank military officer, and his son was so handsome and elegant. He was also the best husband chosen by the Empress for her sister. How could Xian'an possibly dislike him?
He then led the two around the garden, chatting and laughing, and the second prince quickly became superfluous.
At Qianyuan Palace, Shen Shixi said to Yang Baishi, "There is only one solution. If your son can marry the princess, he will become a member of the royal family. If that day ever comes, your son can stay out of trouble because of the princess."
Upon hearing this, Yang Baishi was overjoyed. "From now on, my life belongs to Your Majesty the Empress. I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty's kindness."
Shen Shixi said, "I have only one wish: that General Yang can pull back from the brink and turn back before it's too late, so as to save the people of the three towns from suffering."
But Yang Shougui was not going to turn back. He had long harbored ulterior motives and secretly raised seven or eight thousand surrendered soldiers from foreign tribes under his command, along with hundreds of skilled fighters who could take on ten men each as his servants. These people traveled between inside and outside the country, selling rare and precious goods for him, earning a large sum of money, and raising tens of thousands of warhorses.
Otherwise, why would the Pei family have promised him the title of Prince when they were trying to win him over?
After Yang Baishi left the palace, Shen Shixi asked the Second Prince, "How was it?"
It was a seemingly random remark, but the Second Prince understood it immediately and quickly said, "Your Majesty is truly wise. Princess Xian'an and Young Master Yang have indeed taken a liking to each other and get along very well."
Shen Shixi laughed, "You little rascal, you actually managed to see that, that's quite impressive. So, what do you think of Young Master Yang?"
The second prince scratched his head. After all, he was still young. Even if he was precocious, he didn't know how to hide his thoughts. So he said frankly, "Young Master Yang should be an honest and straightforward person. I don't know if he is a good match for me, but he should not dare to be disrespectful to the Imperial Aunt."
Although Princess Xian'an was a royal princess, without the emperor's protection, she was nothing more than a figurehead.
Even someone like my father wouldn't treat his own children this well, let alone his sisters whom he'd never even met twice in his life.
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "You do have a knack for judging people and things. Not bad, not bad. You've accomplished this task for me today, so you deserve a generous reward!"
The second prince was very happy. He took the rewards and returned to Shouxian Palace to see his mother.
Consort Xian gave you a good word of encouragement, saying, "Your mother is willing to use you, which is a great thing. You must not listen to those wicked people's instigation, and you must not have any unrealistic expectations."
The second prince said, "Your subject knows, Your subject will not do it. Your subject is all grown up and knows what is important."
Outside the palace, after getting into the carriage, Yang Baishi asked her son and the Second Prince how their stroll in the Imperial Garden went. Of course, she knew that the Second Prince was still young and might not be able to get along with her son, but how could she not have some fantasies?
The Empress values the Second Prince highly, and he is bound to achieve great things in the future. Befriending him early would be a valuable asset.
Yang Xiancheng, still immersed in the fragrance of the red plum blossoms, asked, "Mother, if you were to ask the Empress to help me marry the princess, are you confident of success?"
Yang Baishi was taken aback for a moment. "You've taken a fancy to a princess? Which princess?"
Yang Xiancheng said, "Princess Xian'an."
Yang Baishi gasped, realizing that everything today was part of the Empress's scheme. The Empress had already shown her the way, and she had no choice but to follow it.
Princess Xian'an also took a liking to Yang Xiancheng, mainly because he was the husband chosen by the Empress for her younger sister and was in love with her, which gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Upon returning to the palace, she spoke with her mother and asked her to help her find a solution.
What could Consort Liu do? She could only try to curry favor with the Empress Dowager.
Shen Shixi heard about the eldest princess causing trouble at the full moon banquet. Children of this age are usually going through a rebellious phase, and the eldest princess was no exception. She didn't say anything.
Li Yuanke made his stance clear, and his subordinates would naturally teach her how to behave.
Du Xiurong doesn't even know how many days she has left to live.
When the two children returned, Shen Shixi played with them for a while, but then the two little ones started yawning, and Li Yuanke had the wet nurse take them away.
Shen Shixi's health has improved significantly, but she hasn't taken a bath yet. Although Li Yuanke didn't actually do anything with her that night, he didn't make her feel any better either.
He not only hugged her and kissed her from head to toe, but also made a fuss.
It's all over my belly.
Shen Shixi was even more annoyed than if she hadn't even scratched an itch, but she didn't dare to do it herself. She was furious and kept shouting that she wanted to sleep in a separate room from Li Yuanke.
Li Yuanke had someone bring water, dried her off, and then hugged her and kissed her profusely, cursing, "You ungrateful wretch! In the dead of winter, you clung to me like a heater, and now that it's cold, you're kicking me to the curb! You ungrateful thing!"
Shen Shixi lay there, and as he rubbed her, she felt itchy and squirmed like a maggot. "Who told you to go crazy? Taking advantage of the fact that I can't have you, you did it on purpose, didn't you? Humph, I knew you weren't a good person, taking advantage of my misfortune!"
Li Yuanke laughed, "Is it abnormal that I couldn't resist? You're allowed to be lecherous, but I'm not allowed to indulge myself occasionally?"
Shen Shixi wrapped her arms around his neck and asked curiously, "Li Yuanke, you still have so many concubines in your harem, what were you thinking?"
Li Yuanke threw down the handkerchief, lowered the curtain, and ignored her words, "Go to sleep! You're working yourself to death every day."
In the middle of the night, his two children started crying again. Although they had a wet nurse to take care of them, Li Yuanke would go to check on them himself whenever he heard any noise. As soon as he got up, Shen Shixi would turn over, wrap herself in the blanket, and roll into the bed to sleep.
While the aunts were taking a nap, His Highness the Crown Prince urinated and, feeling uncomfortable, started howling. Xihe was also woken up, crying irritably and kicking the blankets off.