"Not everyone is born knowing this and that. Our family has plenty of money to hire people to teach you. As long as you are willing to learn," Wu Caiwei said earnestly to them. She felt that marriage could be put aside for the time being. Given their personalities, even if they married into another family, they would be completely controlled. It would be better for them to become independent first, and then their lives would be smoother.
Zhang Hexiang immediately said excitedly, "Mother, I want to learn! I want to be more capable than men, to make them all prostrate at my feet, to be so powerful that no one dares to bully me again."
Wu Caiwei nodded, feeling that they were teachable. The next day, she hired a female tutor for them. In the morning, she taught them literacy and how to use an abacus. In the afternoon, they followed her out to see the world. Gradually, the two women could understand account books, learn the process of doing business, and became increasingly confident. This was on Sudan Novel Network.
While things were developing in a good direction for her, the Fifth Prince thought the previous incident had been a big enough blow. After a long time dealing with it, he didn't expect the subsequent events to be even more troublesome.
Recently, he had a feeling of being watched. The spies he had placed in the court were being eliminated one by one. Even matters they had discussed the day before would have a trap waiting for him the next day. After so many days, he had already noticed the Emperor's impatient and disappointed gaze several times, which was not a good sign.
That night, he summoned his advisors again in his study to discuss matters. What he didn't know was that a man in black on the roof slightly lifted a roof tile and watched their every move with unblinking eyes.
In fact, after the previous few incidents, the Fifth Prince had become suspicious of them and didn't trust anyone, including his advisors. They all suspected each other of being informants. Therefore, when the Fifth Prince asked what they should do next, everyone held back. After much deliberation, they couldn't come up with any solution.
The Fifth Prince, thinking of his recent frustrations, slammed his hand on the table and looked at them gloomily. One of the advisors, seeing the Fifth Prince angry, quickly offered a strategy he had long devised, "I heard that five days from now, the Emperor will take all the princes and high officials to the royal hunting grounds. There will surely be many disruptions that day, and some people will secretly make malicious moves. We can stir the waters further and profit from it."
The Fifth Prince immediately looked up at him, "Continue."
"Currently, our biggest threats are the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. But their main target will definitely be the First Prince. We can also take this opportunity to cause chaos and have our people impersonate the men of the First and Second Princes to shoot the Third Prince." After speaking, this advisor quickly looked at the expressions of the others.
The Fifth Prince listened. Although the plan was conventional, there were indeed many ways to execute it. The other advisors also nodded unconsciously. They were all thinking along the same lines.
Next, they engaged in a heated discussion on how to implement the plan. Only when the lights in the study were extinguished and there was no further movement did the man in black disappear into the vast night.
As soon as he returned, Wu Caiwei noticed. After so many years as husband and wife, there was no need for shyness. She directly changed her clothes in front of him. Wu Caiwei said, seemingly casually, "I heard that the Fifth Prince has been unhappy with everything lately. Even Zhang Tiehua has been reprimanded by him many times. He has suffered so much and still hasn't learned his lesson? I want to remind you to be careful not to be deceived."
Zhang Dahai nodded, "Don't worry. I promised to protect you, so don't bother with these things. Although I often eavesdrop, I don't take their conversations to heart. As you said, who knows if they will change their plans at the last minute or if it's a setup waiting for me? Every time, I thoroughly investigate and devise various possible scenarios and countermeasures."
Seeing his confidence, Wu Caiwei was relieved and wanted to leave. Zhang Dahai grabbed her hand, "We've been engaged for so long and still live in the same courtyard. It's not good for your reputation. After I finish my current business, we'll get married."
Wu Caiwei happily said, "Then I'll wait to be your bride again."
The two looked at each other and smiled, everything unspoken.
At this moment, Zhang Tiehua lay on her bed, her mind constantly replaying the moments spent with Gao Feixue. She did not intend to let Gao Feixue off. However, the Fifth Prince had been facing difficulties lately and had not shown her any favor. He had also stipulated that everyone in the mansion was strictly forbidden to go out, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
Zhang Tiehua felt she was a special case. She hadn't contacted anyone outside for several days and was somewhat anxious. She found the Fifth Prince, wanting special permission to go out.
Although the Fifth Prince usually indulged her greatly, every move within the mansion escaped his eyes. Zhang Tiehua had a lot of contact with outsiders and he knew she wanted to make trouble for someone. He also knew that Zhang Dahai had become an advisor to the Second Prince.
He didn't take Zhang Dahai seriously. A bumpkin from the countryside, though somewhat impressive, couldn't make much of a stir. What made him wary were the Annian Marquisate and the Lin family behind him. To say they didn't know about Zhang Dahai's affairs would be impossible. There was only one possibility: they were supporting and condoning him from behind.
This was quite unexpected for Prince Xu. He had also tried to win over these two families before, but Lord Lin and Marquis Anning were slippery old foxes and never accepted his overtures, forcing him to give up.
However, the Second Prince easily gained their support, which was directly related to Zhang Dahai. The thought of personally handing these two assets to the Second Prince made him regret it immensely. If he had known earlier, he would never have listened to Zhang Tiehua and would have opposed them everywhere.
Now she wanted to go out, showing no discretion at all. He found it a headache. For the first time, he refused her and had her escorted out and confined to her quarters.
The Fifth Prince's change in attitude made Zhang Tiehua feel a sense of loss and panic. She didn't know what she had done wrong to provoke such a huge outburst of anger. She imagined how the women in the back courtyard must be mocking her. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she returned to her room and cried her heart out. However, from then on, she did become more obedient.
Bored staying in the courtyard, she spent her days contemplating how to deal with Gao Feixue when she could go out. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have become a laughingstock. With new and old grudges, she had to get revenge.
While Wu Caiwei was instructing her sisters, she hadn't been idle either. Zhang Tiehua was in the Fifth Prince's mansion, so her influence couldn't reach that far. However, Zhang Tieshan was outside, and there were many ways to deal with him.
When Zhang Tieshan once again said he was bored, the young servant beside him cautiously said, "Your servant knows a fun place, but I don't know if Young Master dares to go?"
"This young master is a member of the imperial family. What fun place would I dare not go to? Tell me quickly." Zhang Tieshan was unhappy to hear this. With money, he spent his days frequenting brothels. Recently, even the most beautiful courtesans couldn't attract his attention. If there was a fun place, how could he be absent? He immediately urged the servant to tell him.