amaotonovel Chapter 230 Succession
Chapter 230 Succession
Changchun Palace
The virtuous concubine was leaning against the kang table, on which was a box of pearls. She was counting out the pearls over and over again and putting them back.
Cuiguo came in with hot tea. Seeing her like this, she gently advised, "My queen, have a cup of hot tea. I just went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get the Mengding nectar two days ago."
Concubine Xian frowned, looking very worried: "Cuiguo, you said, the Eighth Prince is already nine years old, and the Emperor never mentioned letting the Eighth Prince move to the Prince Residence before, why did he suddenly let the Eighth Prince move out this year?"
Cuiguo had been with Concubine Xian for quite some time. Seeing her like this, she could probably guess what she was thinking. After putting down the tea, Cuiguo advised, "I know your Majesty is worried, but you don't have to worry so much. It's true that the Emperor likes the Eighth Prince, but the Eighth Prince is only nine years old. Your Majesty's Third Prince has already reached adulthood, and the Eighth Prince will never be able to catch up with him."
To be honest, Cuiguo knew that what she said was untenable, but Concubine Xian looked so sad, and she just wanted to comfort her.
"It's true that my Third Prince has reached adulthood, but...but the Emperor has never liked him. Even though he has started to order him to do some things in the past two years, they were all insignificant matters." There were only Concubine Xian and Cui Guo in the room, so she spoke with fewer reservations. "Although I haven't seen the Emperor for a long time, I know that his energy has not been as good as before in the past two years. I am the Third Prince's biological mother, so I should always make plans for him."
Cuiguo didn't dare to respond.
Xian Fei sighed, "I have clearly followed the Emperor since his death, and I gave birth to the Third Prince for him. But the Concubine Duan is now the Imperial Noble Concubine, and the Concubine Jing is now the Noble Concubine Jing. So the other Noble Concubine position should belong to me. But now it is Xia, who entered the palace later, who has become the Noble Concubine, and I... just chose a new title, and the ceremonial rules are based on the Noble Concubine's position."
The more Concubine Xian spoke, the more unwilling she became. However, she also knew very well that she had long since fallen out of favor. Even though Xia Dongchun was no longer as loved by Yinzhen as she once was, she was still much better off than her.
At least Xia Dongchun's maternal family is still there, but her father had been punished by Emperor Kangxi before the current emperor ascended the throne.
Originally, Concubine Xian didn't have the energy to continue fighting, but when she thought about her son and his future, she was unwilling to give up.
Even if I don't fight for myself, what about my son?
It would be better if there was no Eighth Prince.
Although Concubine Xiang also has a son, he is not as favored by the emperor as the Eighth Prince. If you think about it carefully, the only stumbling block standing in her son's way is the Eighth Prince.
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince is here to pay his respects to you." Just as she was thinking about this, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a messenger coming from outside.
Concubine Xian regained consciousness and said happily, "Hurry up and ask him to come in."
A moment later, the Third Prince strode in and said, "Son greets mother."
"Hurry up, hurry up." Concubine Xian hurriedly told her son to get up. "Hongshi, why do you look thinner?"
The Third Prince smiled helplessly: "Mother is too concerned about her son. Not only has he not lost weight recently, he has gained some weight."
"You haven't chosen a wife yet, and mother thinks that there is no time to waste." Concubine Xian said, "When the Queen Mother was still alive, she urged mother several times to pay more attention."
The Third Prince avoided Concubine Xian's gaze and said, "My son has never met a woman he loves, so I thought I'd wait a little longer. It's too late anyway, so it doesn't matter."
Xian Fei was anxious: "Mother doesn't understand the affairs of the previous dynasty, but I have heard rumors that the ministers are urging your father to appoint a crown prince. You are choosing a wife now, not only because mother wants to see you get married, but also because she wants you to get help."
"Did mother inquire about the affairs of the previous dynasty?" The third prince was also anxious, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. What if the emperor father knew about it?"
Having said that, the Third Prince is no worse than his mother.
The virtuous concubine found ways to find out about the affairs of the previous dynasty, and it turned out that the third prince was not very quiet in the previous dynasty, but made friends with many ministers.
In the eyes of others, this was an attempt to win over court officials, form a clique for personal gain, and interfere in the discussion of the succession.
It’s just that the Third Prince didn’t realize it.
But what he didn't know was that all his actions had already reached Yinzhen's ears and fallen into Yinzhen's eyes.
Yinzhen had earlier instructed Zhang Tingyu to go and give the Third Prince some advice, but it was of no use even if Zhang Tingyu went there, as his words were euphemistic and the Third Prince did not understand.
"Mother is also doing this for you." Concubine Xian said, "Mother only has you as her son, so I have to make plans for you."
The mother and son talked about it for a long time, and finally they settled on the third prince's marriage.
The virtuous concubine was really anxious. She felt that she would only be able to breathe a sigh of relief if the Third Prince could get the support of the Fucha family.
But the Third Prince finally got smart: "Mother, even if my son is willing now, he can't get married. Mother forgot that we are still in the state of mourning. We cannot get married before the mourning is over."
"You can try to make some contacts first and pave the way for yourself. Once the national mourning is over, I will find a way to ask your royal father to grant you a marriage." said the virtuous concubine.
In the end, the Third Prince couldn't persuade Concubine Xian anymore, so he had to nod and agree.
......
As the days passed, year after year, Xia Dongchun sat in front of the bronze mirror one day and found fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes.
It makes sense. Ling Yuan is already at the age of getting married, and Hongyi is already fourteen. Maybe Hongyi is really more like Yinzhen, with a quick mind and great talent. Yinzhen is teaching him personally, and although he has not yet been named as the crown prince, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the position of crown prince will definitely go to the Eighth Prince.
However, Hongyi was still very young, and he remained calm in the face of all these things, which made Yinzhen even more satisfied.
Perhaps it was due to the overwork in his early years. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he knew the condition of his own body well. Yinzhen could sense that he was unable to do well in the past two years, so he was even stricter in teaching Hongyi.
As for the third prince Hongshi...
Since the eldest and second princes died young, the third prince was considered a role model among the princes. However, although the third prince had a good character, he was not very smart. If he were asked to inherit the throne, I am afraid he would have difficulty in being a ruler who could maintain the status quo.
How could Yinzhen feel at ease handing over the ancestral foundation to the third prince?
He has always disliked the Fourth Prince, and the Fifth Prince has always been weak. As for Concubine Xiang's children, they are not as smart as the Eighth Prince.
Therefore, in the end, Yinzhen still favored Hongyi the most. In the 17th year of Yongzheng's reign, he officially appointed the eighth son Hongyi as the crown prince.
In the 19th year of Yongzheng's reign, Yinzhen passed away and the crown prince ascended the throne. He posthumously honored Empress Chunyuan as the Holy Mother Empress Dowager and his biological mother, Xia, as the Mother Empress Dowager, and moved them to the Cining Palace.
Zhang Tingyu was appointed as the regent and was highly valued by the new emperor, becoming a core figure of the new regime.
From then on, the chapter of a new dynasty began...
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