Chapter 106 Following the issuance of several imperial edicts from the palace, the powerful and influential figures in the capital…

Chapter 106 Following the issuance of several imperial edicts from the palace, the powerful and influential figures in the capital…

With several imperial edicts issued, the powerful and wealthy in the capital were immersed in an atmosphere of constant singing and feasting this spring.

It all started at the Prince Cheng's residence. After some time, the imperial decree finally officially granted the title of Prince Cheng, and Prince Cheng became Prince Cheng. The next day, the eunuchs who delivered the decree went to the Second Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Prince, and these three were respectively granted the titles of Prince Huai, Prince Ning, and Prince Rui.

On the third day, even the Third Prince, who was far away in his fiefdom, was promoted from Prince Shen to Prince Shen.

His Majesty, who has been stingy for many years, is now acting like he's having a fire sale, bestowing the title of Prince one after another. Up to this point, all the previous adult princes, except for the Third Prince who fell out of favor and was sent far away in his early years, have been promoted to the title of Prince.

This left everyone somewhat bewildered, and for a time almost everyone racked their brains trying to figure out the Emperor's intentions.

Judging from the timeline, Prince Cheng was the first to be granted the title of prince, and he was the only one granted the title that day. As the sixth prince, he surpassed his two older brothers, the second and fifth princes, by a whole day. This uniqueness must have some special significance, right?

However, another interpretation is that the Sixth Prince's title was earned through military merit. Conferring him the rank of Prince was a gesture His Majesty had to make.

However, His Majesty immediately bestowed titles upon several others after bestowing one upon him. Isn't this action enough to show that His Majesty's heart is not with the Sixth Prince? His Majesty does not want to see the Sixth Prince's title supersede his other brothers, so he simply bestowed the title of King upon them all.

Some people believe that the seventh prince is the one most favored by His Majesty.

The Ministry of Rites had submitted several memorials, subtly and overtly suggesting that the Seventh Prince had reached the age to be granted the title of Prince of the County and sent to his fiefdom. However, His Majesty had not responded at all and had completely ignored those memorials.

Unexpectedly, this time, His Majesty not only directly bestowed upon him the title of Prince, but also made no mention of sending him to his fiefdom. Such treatment is unique among all the princes.

After all, the second and fifth princes who had stayed in the capital before had no titles and had only held the lonely status of princes for many years.

Five kings were enfeoffed in three days, which can be described as a bombshell announcement every day, but this was not the end.

The position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, which had been vacant for some time, was filled by Zhao Ding, a senior official in the Ministry of War. This Zhao Ding had previously served as the Governor of Liangzhou, and his relationship with the Second Prince's faction was self-evident.

Just when everyone thought that His Majesty was doing all this to pave the way for the Second Prince, His Majesty then specially created the rank of Imperial Guard General, just so that the Sixth Prince could enter the Imperial Guard and temporarily sit in the position of Deputy Commander. At the same time, the Fifth Prince did not suffer any loss either, as Xue Shiqi, a staunch supporter of the Fifth Prince, entered the Ministry of Personnel.

The series of actions was dazzling, and within a few days, the people in the court were in an uproar. There were all sorts of interpretations of His Majesty's major moves.

But whatever information those with ulterior motives might glean from His Majesty's actions, one thing is universally acknowledged: barring any unforeseen circumstances, the crown prince will be one of the two candidates: number two, five, six, or seven.

As for who it is?

Judging solely from their relative strengths, the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince still have the upper hand. However, His Majesty seems to be deliberately elevating the Sixth Prince, while in terms of imperial favor, the Seventh Prince appears to be the most favored. It's possible that these two might eventually surpass the others.

In just a few days, the situation in the imperial court has changed dramatically, becoming increasingly unpredictable.

......

"The old man has really stirred up a mess in the capital these past few days. If our family banquet invitations hadn't already been sent out a few days ago, I really wouldn't want to hold it at this juncture." Tossing the tiger-shaped seal in his hand, Qin Ji was genuinely feeling a headache this time.

Although he had long suspected that the old man wanted to incite conflict between the various factions so that he could remain aloof and be courted and flattered by all sides, he never expected him to be so radical.

Even though they were all granted the title of king, he was singled out and placed first on the first day. The actual benefits were almost non-existent, but he attracted a lot of hatred.

"I, the one who did the work, haven't even complained yet, and you, the one who's just washing your hands of the matter, have the nerve to say that. I originally thought His Majesty would keep this carrot hanging in front of you for a while longer, but I didn't expect him to seal it off so quickly this time. Now, everything that was prepared according to the standards for a prince has to be changed."

"Who are you calling a donkey?!" What do you mean by having a carrot in front of your face? Qin Ji protested weakly, then reached out and pinched her soft cheek.

Then Xiao Yan slapped him away without any politeness, and he was actually quite pleased with himself, no longer complaining about his headache. This angered the person who then slapped his arm again.

"I've been working myself to the bone with all this, what's wrong with saying something to you?" Xiao Yan said this with a lot of resentment.

Although they knew that the title of Prince would be granted sooner or later, it had been more than half a year since the news was released. They originally thought that the Emperor would delay it for even longer, but they did not expect that the title would be conferred so suddenly without any warning.

Not only were the Chengjun Prince's Mansion sealed off, but the favor was extended to all families equally, with each family receiving the seal off without discrimination.

Now things are really messed up. Whether it's the ones who invited the guests or the other guests, their roles have changed. This banquet, which has been prepared for many days, now has to be completely changed in every aspect, from the furnishings and dishes to the seating arrangements and hospitality. It's as if most of the previous hard work has been wasted.

So ever since the imperial decree was issued, the entire Prince Cheng's mansion has been a scene of bustling activity. At this moment, Xiao Yan was also stealing a moment of free time in the afternoon.

Qin Ji had to provoke her, saying he didn't want to hold the banquet. But is it possible to avoid holding a banquet if you can just skip it? The invitations had already been sent out for quite some time. If it were really canceled at the last minute, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face. It would be a public declaration that the entire Prince Cheng's Mansion had absolutely no ability to respond to emergencies.

Seeing that Xiao Yan was really busy and a little stressed, Qin Ji quickly raised his hands in surrender: "I was wrong."

He had been worried about how to deal with it, but now that he had this group of brothers with new identities and various groups of people who were testing him, whether sincerely or not, he had overlooked the need to change things at the banquet.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ji said, "Let the clerks and stewards handle the trivial matters. You take overall control. We don't need to use the mansion's food anymore; let Xiankelai handle it all. Also, we don't need to change the furnishings of this mansion. After all, the mansion was originally built by people from the inner palace. Now, not only is it not fully repaired, but the layout is also incorrect. This cannot be our responsibility. On the contrary, it is the inner palace's negligence that has caused us to suffer losses."

"What we should be more concerned about now is the attitude of each party."

"In this regard, I will naturally follow my husband's lead. What do you think now?" As the princess, her attitude towards matters of the court will definitely follow Qin Ji's.

"It's a bit tricky." Qin Ji shook his head and said, "Given the current situation, both sides are probably wary of me but also want to win me over. I'm hesitating about which side I should side with. But even if I have a bias, I can't be too obvious about it, otherwise the old man will have objections. We're really walking on thin ice this time."

"Your Majesty adds fuel to the fire here and fuels the flames there, as if you sons are afraid you won't start fighting." Xiao Yan rolled her eyes at the palace and complained to Qin Ji.

Looking at the tiger-shaped seal bouncing in Qin Ji's palm, this was the token of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. As the seal was tossed high into the air and landed in Qin Ji's palm, Xiao Yan went back and pulled his hand, taking the seal and examining it closely.

A seal cast in bronze, with an abstract tiger with its head raised and mouth open, roaring through the mountains and forests as the knob: "It looks ordinary. Can this really mobilize half of the Imperial Guard? They want to win you over mainly because of this half of the Imperial Guard's power, right?"

"I was just saying it, and you actually believed it? Do you believe that if I took this seal right now and used it to call upon the Imperial Guards, I would be bound by them and sent to the old man the next moment?"

That was the core defensive force of the imperial city, and the emperor's most trusted power. How could it be completely controlled by a decree appointing a general and a seal?

"I really can't figure out what the old man is thinking. But a few days ago, a secret message came from the palace that he was unwell and had fainted briefly. Then, for the next few days, an imperial edict was issued every day."

This was the first time Xiao Yan had heard Qin Ji mention that the Emperor's health had deteriorated to the point of sudden coma. In the storyline of her memory, the Emperor's poor health should not have been a problem that occurred this year.

"If the Emperor is unwell, shouldn't he be choosing someone to support as Crown Prince? But his current actions don't seem like he's trying to establish a Crown Prince; instead, he's trying to intensify your infighting. Playing this 'breeding poison' game at a time like this, if it backfires and causes you brothers to kill each other..."

Was she still somewhat hesitant? Xiao Yan didn't say the words "all of them are dead," but her meaning was clear.

"Could it be that he has his eye on the youngest son?" Qin Ji suddenly said.

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Author's Note: I haven't finished writing it yet, so I'm posting a portion here to save time. There should be two updates tomorrow.