Chapter 1 The Mortuary

In front of the mortuary,

the Crown Prince knelt, his eyes filled with a muddied and…numb look.

"Mama."

"Mama."

The palace maids and eunuchs waiting outside greeted a woman.

The woman was dressed as a palace maid, but her demeanor and bearing were completely different from ordinary maids. Even the concubines and talented women in the palace didn't possess such confidence when walking within the palace walls.

Her name was A Rou, and those below her respectfully called her Aunt Rou.

At the age of thirteen, she accompanied the Empress Consort as her personal maid when she married into the Prince's residence. From the Prince's residence to the Eastern Palace, and then to the Imperial Palace, she had always served by the Empress Consort's side.

Outwardly, they were mistress and servant, but inwardly, they were more like sisters.

Therefore, within Fengzheng Palace, she was the head steward.

Outside Fengzheng Palace, she often went to convey the Empress Consort's imperial decrees.

To a certain extent, she could represent the will of the Empress Consort.

At this moment,

she walked to the Crown Prince's side and knelt down.

The Crown Prince turned his head, looked at the woman kneeling beside him, and softly called out,

"Aunt Rou."

She looked at the Crown Prince, who was frighteningly thin and utterly haggard.

"Your Highness, it's time to eat."

"Aunt Rou, I can't eat, I can't swallow…"

"Your Highness, don't cry. Her Majesty is watching you. If you ruin your health like this, Her Majesty will be heartbroken and unable to rest in peace."

"Aunt Rou…"

The Crown Prince reached out and grabbed Aunt Rou's wrist. His eyes suddenly seemed to light up, and he stared at Aunt Rou, suppressing his voice as he asked,

"Aunt Rou, how did Mother…how did Mother really die? Who…who killed Mother!"

She broke free from the Crown Prince's grasp,

turned her face to the side,

and looked at the Crown Prince with a dignified, elder-like gaze,

saying each word clearly:

"Your Highness, Her Majesty is liberated. You should be happy for Her Majesty."

That night, the Empress Consort personally witnessed her own brother slaughtering her entire clan. After that, the Empress Consort's hysteria became increasingly severe. Gradually, the times she was lucid were far fewer than the times she was not.

"No, no, no, someone must have killed Mother, someone must have killed Mother. Who, who, who!"

Unexpectedly,

the Crown Prince didn't first call out the name of the person he should have thought of first, the person most likely to benefit, and who had a motive to strike at this time. Furthermore, the hidden strength displayed during the wedding clearly meant he had the opportunity and ability to do it; that person, his own younger brother.

The Crown Prince pointed to the east, where the Imperial Study was located.

"Could it be…him?"

"Your Highness, you're confused."

"No, I'm not confused, I'm not confused, I'm not confused."

At this moment,

Aunt Rou swept her gaze behind her.

Li Yinglian led a group of eunuchs from the Eastern Palace and replaced all the palace maids and eunuchs remaining in the inner chamber of the Empress Consort's mortuary. At the same time, Li Yinglian also knelt down behind her.

A bitter smile appeared on the Crown Prince's face,

and he said:

"Besides him, who else could it be? This is the palace, this is the imperial court. He is the supreme ruler, the master of Great Yan. There are many people who wish Mother ill, and there are several families capable of reaching into the palace;

but,

who would dare to provoke his majesty and harm Mother?

Who isn't afraid of his thunderous wrath?

Except…himself."

A flush of red appeared on the Crown Prince's face, a symptom of weakness and cold invasion.

"He was afraid that my wedding with the Princess would be completed. He was afraid, he wanted to protect his dragon throne, he wanted to keep me in that position to balance his sons.

But he didn't dare let me truly rise, he wouldn't allow the Eastern Palace to truly threaten him.

Heh heh heh…

Hahahaha…

The same thing,

isn't it something he's done before?

Consort Min,

wasn't that how it was?"

Hearing the words "Consort Min," Aunt Rou's expression suddenly became stern. She immediately grabbed the Crown Prince's wrist and pulled him, causing him to stagger.

She embraced the Crown Prince,

and the Crown Prince didn't seem to dislike the gesture.

Aunt Rou was his mother's personal maid, the head mama of Fengzheng Palace. When he was very young, Aunt Rou would hold him and then lead him to play. When he cried, when he felt wronged, when he was reprimanded by the Emperor, Aunt Rou would hold him and comfort him.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty has just passed away. You must pull yourself together, you must persevere. You can't let Her Majesty be uneasy in heaven."

"Aunt, Aunt…"

The Crown Prince took a deep breath,

in her arms,

muttering:

"Why is he like this, why is he like this? What do family members mean to him, what do they mean?"

At this moment,

Aunt Rou reached out and placed her hand on the Crown Prince's temples, gently massaging them.

Li Yinglian knelt behind them, watching.

The Crown Prince was too tired. He had been kneeling here for days. Now, in this familiar embrace, the Crown Prince finally fell asleep.

Aunt Rou reached out, touched the Crown Prince's forehead, and took his pulse,

saying:

"The Crown Prince has caught a cold."

Li Yinglian's eyes immediately widened.

"Eunuch Li."

"Yes, at your command."

"Go to the Taiyuan Hospital's rear department and say that I'm ill. Get some medicine and have it decocted.

The Emperor just had his grand wedding, with such a big commotion, and Her Majesty has just passed away. So, the news of His Highness's illness must not be spread."

"Yes, this servant understands."

The Eastern Palace had lost the opportunity to form an alliance with the Zhenbei Marquis residence, and had also lost the Empress Consort, two major reinforcements—no, two great backers—all within a single day. At this time, the Eastern Palace was at its most vulnerable.

As the master of the Eastern Palace, he absolutely could not fall ill at this time, at least, he couldn't let outsiders know that he had fallen ill.

Otherwise, given the momentum that the Emperor had displayed during his wedding, the situation would completely deteriorate.

Aunt Rou helped the Crown Prince up and signaled a nearby palace maid to drape a cloak over the Crown Prince's shoulders. Then, she led the Crown Prince away from here and returned to the Eastern Palace.

"The Crown Prince is overwhelmed with worries and has finally fallen asleep. You may all withdraw."

"Yes, Mama."

"Yes, Mama."

As the spokesperson for Fengzheng Palace, she had a great deal of influence within the Eastern Palace.

Upon entering the bedchamber, she settled the Crown Prince on the side of the bed.

Then,

she walked to the coffee table,

and took out two packets of medicine.

One packet was "child-giving powder," and the other was a "lust-inducing drug."

She poured the child-giving powder into a teacup, swirled it around, and drank it all in one gulp.

The other packet,

she didn't pour it in.

Firstly, because the Crown Prince's body was weak right now and couldn't withstand such a strong medicine.

Secondly,

it wasn't necessary.

Although she was getting on in years, she was very well-maintained.

Moreover,

there were often rumors circulating among the common people about the filth and corruption hidden within the high-ranking noble families, such as aunts raising their young nephews or fathers-in-law seducing their daughters-in-law.

In fact, these kinds of things weren't uncommon.

But the main reason was that from a very young age, the bros weren't lacking women by their side, and there were many women who would willingly throw themselves into their arms.

The sons of poor families, after reaching a certain age, either had to wait bitterly for their wedding day or could only send the little bit of silver they had painstakingly saved to the red tents in order to get a chance.

But here,

they

could get them easily.

She knew the Crown Prince's attachment to her. She and the Crown Prince were often intimate, but they had never done that kind of thing.

However,

today…

She took off her clothes,

lay down on the bed,

and the Crown Prince, in his sleep, smelled that familiar body scent that could put him at ease. He slightly opened his eyes.

"Aunt Rou…"

"Your Highness…"

…

At the age of thirteen, at the prime of her youth, she cheered, she rejoiced, exuding an indescribable excitement. Tian Family's Miss poked her forehead,

scolding with a smile:

"You little hussy, it's clearly my wedding, what are you so excited about? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one getting married today."

"Miss is getting married, A Rou is happy. Miss is also happy, isn't she?"

"Go, go, go. Where am I happy? I have to leave my parents, leave my younger brother. I wish I could stay at home forever."

"Miss isn't being honest. Last time, when that Prince climbed over the courtyard wall to see Miss, Miss was scolding him for being a lecher while covering her mouth and laughing so hard."

"You're asking for a beating! You're asking for a beating!"

"Ah ah, Miss, don't hit me, Miss, don't hit me. The Prince is really handsome, and he and Miss are truly a match made in heaven."

"I think you're the one who's in heat, you're going crazy wanting to be a concubine!"

"I'm not, I'm not. How could I…Miss's husband…"

"What if he wants you, would I agree?"

"Um, then…then…reluctantly…"

"Haha, you've finally said what's in your heart!"

"Ouch, Miss, it hurts, it hurts, my ear hurts…"

…

"Paying respects to Elder Sister, may Elder Sister be blessed."

A Rou stood beside the Princess Consort, looking at the side Princess Consort kneeling on the ground, who had just married into the Prince's residence yesterday.

"Good Younger Sister, please rise quickly. From now on, we are one family."

The Princess Consort didn't have the slightest bit of arrogance and was very warm.

"Elder Sister, please have tea."

"Okay."

The Princess Consort took the tea and took a small sip.

"Younger Sister, please rise quickly."

"Thank you, Elder Sister."

The side Princess Consort stood up,

A Rou looked at Miss Min,

who smiled, revealing a pair of small dimples on her face.

The next moment,

all the surrounding servants knelt down,

"Paying respects to the side Princess Consort, may the side Princess Consort be blessed."

"Rise, rise, all of you rise."

Madam Min took out a bag of gold leaves from her sleeve,

distributing them one by one.

When she reached A Rou,

A Rou took the gold leaf,

"Thank you for the side Princess Consort's reward."

"Elder Sister, this maid is so festive-looking, fair and plump, quite endearing."

"If Younger Sister likes her, just take her."

"Oh, I couldn't, I couldn't. A fair and plump maid, that's so auspicious. How could Younger Sister be so rude as to steal Elder Sister's good fortune?"

After going around, the gold leaves were all distributed.

The servants all received their rewards and thanked them before leaving.

Madam Min sat down beside her;

The Princess Consort didn't seem to be the least bit angry at Madam Min's "display" and "bestowing of favors,"

because everyone in Yan knew about the Min family's wealth.

"Hahaha."

Consort Min suddenly laughed,

and said to the Princess Consort:

"Elder Sister doesn't know, my father is just someone who loves to show off. He told me to give everyone a small gold ingot when I gave out rewards, saying that this would show the Min family's grandeur.

Younger Sister couldn't bear to, so I changed the gold ingots to gold leaves. As for what's left, Younger Sister ordered people to send them to the treasury manager."

"Life in the residence may be a bit austere." The Princess Consort said with a smile.

The Prince didn't like extravagance, nor did he accept tributes from outside officials. The trusted officials around him were mostly from humble backgrounds. Especially Zhao Jiulang, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, who was currently most relied upon by the Prince. His family was poor in the capital and needed the Prince's residence to help them.

There were many officials like Zhao Jiulang.

Without being able to increase income or reduce expenditure, life in the residence was naturally more simple.

Tian Family was abundant in wealth, but her own man didn't like to directly take things from the Tian Family.

"Isn't that so, but Elder Sister can rest assured. My Min family isn't some high-ranking noble family. We're not eligible for any ranks, and we're not afraid of losing face or anything like that.

From now on, the expenses in the residence will be Younger Sister's responsibility to wheedle out of my father's pocket. Anyway, before entering the residence, Younger Sister thought clearly. The vulgar copper-smelling side Princess Consort is the vulgar copper-smelling side Princess Consort. It's true that our own family lives well."

The Princess Consort looked at Madam Min.

Coming from the Tian family, she couldn't possibly be some naive little girl;

But Madam Min's eyes were full of purity. She was someone who was rich but didn't make people feel disgusted.

The Princess Consort smiled, reached out and held Madam Min's hand,

and said:

"Then Elder Sister will benefit from Younger Sister's light."

…

"What's your name?"

A wealthy noble lady descended from the carriage, looking at the little girl kneeling by the roadside with wheat ears stuck behind her head.

"Noble, noble, her name is…"

"I didn't ask you!" A maid beside her immediately reprimanded the man beside the girl, presumably the girl's father. On the other side, there was also a woman kneeling. Beside the woman, there were two smaller boys and a girl.

"Elder Sister, please buy me, so that my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters won't have to go hungry and will be able to eat.

Please, Elder Sister,

please buy me.

My mother is sick, and it costs money to see a doctor. My father really has no choice but to sell me.

If you buy me, I will repay your kindness by working like a cow or a horse."

"Daughter, what's wrong?"

Ahead,

a middle-aged man walked over.

"Father."

"Oh, my Bodhisattva wants to show her kindness again?"

"Father."

"Alright, alright, Father knows, knows. Qiang'er, take this girl back to the residence."

"Father, aren't you taking her back to my room?"

"A little girl from the countryside, how would she know how to serve people? Let Qiang'er take her back and have the mamas in the residence train her before she can be useful. This is also for her own good. Be obedient, daughter.

How about this,

this whole family, the sick and the hungry, Father will take care of them, okay?"

"Thank you, Father."

"Hehe."

"Father, where are we going?"

"We're going to send money to the Third Prince."

"Huh? The prince who was driven out of the capital?"

"That's right, that's him."

"Why are we sending him money? Last time I heard my Aunt Wangfei say when she returned home to visit her family that the Third Prince had been completely driven out."

"A woman's opinion, a woman's opinion. He wasn't driven out, he went to the west to get reinforcements. Daughter, at the westernmost side of our Great Yan, there is a Marquis residence, do you know?"

"I know, the teacher said it's the Zhenbei Marquis residence, used to suppress the barbarians."

"That's right, since he dares to run to the west, he definitely has something to rely on.

Daughter,

Father will tell you a heartfelt truth, you must remember it well, and you must also tell Father's grandson in the future."

"Father, what kind of father are you? How old am I? You're shameless."

"Hahaha, alright, alright, grandson is still early, but you must remember these words."

"Um, Father, tell me."

"This money, that is, silver, copper coins, is only called money when it's used. What can you do if you hide it at home? Melt it down to make silver utensils and bronze utensils?

It still can't be eaten, drunk, or used to treat illnesses.

So, it doesn't matter if you have money at home. Throughout history, there has been more money buried in cellars and coffins than our Min family has.

But why don't they have the same influence as our Min family?

Hehe, after this money is saved to a certain extent, you must learn to spend it.

Also,

the most important thing,

no matter how much money you have, bronze utensils and silver utensils are too soft to make knives and swords. You can't kill anyone with them. You have to let it become iron, become a knife, become a sword, become a warhorse, become armor.

No matter how rich you are,

in the face of armored cavalry,

it's all a fart!"

"Father, can you not be so vulgar when you talk?"

"Alright, alright, Father was wrong, Father was wrong, my darling daughter. By the way, this time we're rushing to send money to him, so you can also take a look. The Third Prince has several grandsons below him;

You see,

Father is sending so much silver out, and what happens in the future will be what happens in the future. We always have to hear a sound first, right?

Daughter,

you just pick and choose among those grandsons, pick the one you think is the best, the one that catches your eye the most, and then tell Father, and Father will help you set it up.

After sending these cartloads of silver,

at least buy Father a son-in-law back."

Hearing this, the Min family girl wasn't angry or coy. After all, she still had a more forthright energy in her bones,

and instead laughed:

"Hehehe, Father, you're really interesting. Not only are you sending out cartloads of silver, but you also have to add a daughter to it. Is there a merchant like you who does business like this?"

Hearing this, the Min family head picked up his daughter,

on the avenue beside them, the Min family's carriages were endless.

"Daughter, is Father smart?"

"Um, everyone says you're the God of Wealth."

"Is my daughter smart?"

"I, I don't know."

"My daughter is smart. Don't look at how the brothers and sisters in the residence think you're simple and easy to fool, but Father's heart is as clear as a mirror. My daughter is born with great wisdom. The ancestor who started the family said a word: before doing things, you must first know how to be a person.

Since ancient times, if a business gets too big, you can't do it if you don't know how to be a person."

"Father, what exactly do you want to say?"

"What Father means is that Father is so smart, and my daughter is even smarter than Father. My daughter's future husband will definitely be a top-notch smart man.

This Father's future grandson will definitely be so smart that there's no end to it."

"Father, what's wrong with you today? How come you can't get away from the topic of grandson? How old am I, your daughter?"

"Daughter."

"Um?"

"Father has been doing business for most of his life, but Father has always wanted to do another business in his heart."

Saying this,

the Min family head couldn't help but lick his lips.

"What kind of business are you doing, Father? If you want to do it, just do it."

"That's right, Father is doing it."

The Min family head's gaze suddenly became deep,

He raised his foot,

stepped on the land beneath his feet,

took a long breath,

with some excitement and some imagination,

slowly said:

"Father wants the future owner of this land under my feet,

to have,

the Min family's blood flowing in his veins!"