Chapter 107 The youngest son mentioned in Qin Ji's words...

Chapter 107 The youngest son mentioned in Qin Ji's words...

The "youngest son" Qin Ji mentioned certainly did not refer to the emperor's youngest son.

The real youngest child is not even three years old yet and is still breastfeeding, so it can't possibly be him.

He was referring to the youngest one who was granted the title of Prince this time—the seventh prince, Prince Rui, Li Ye.

His suspicions were not without reason, because when he drugged Xiao Quexian, he asked which prince had been named crown prince, and Xiao Quexian vaguely mentioned the second prince, Prince Rui, the God of War.

Following this grand investiture, the position of Prince Rui has finally been filled. As for who this mysterious war god refers to, the biggest rebellion in recent years has only been the Yunzhou Rebellion.

So, perhaps in the previous life that Xiao Quexian had already experienced, she also seized the opportunity in Yunzhou, but the way she participated was a little different from this life, so the result was also different.

Or perhaps in that life, I was completely uninvolved in the affairs of Yunzhou, and it was that Yunzhou prince, whose grave is now overgrown with weeds, who saved Yunzhou from its crisis? He earned the title of God of War and entered the court because of it?

Although it was almost impossible for a member of the imperial clan to win the position of crown prince if any princes were still alive, it was not impossible for Xiao Quexian, a woman who had traveled far away to Jiangzuo and was ignorant of court politics, to hear some misunderstandings.

But besides the two guesses above, there is another very likely possibility.

That is, the Yunzhou Rebellion was not quelled in a short period of time but instead intensified. The Third Prince Li Huang, who is now the Prince Shen, has his fiefdom of Suzhou, which is right next to Yunzhou.

If the chaos in Yunzhou expands and affects Suzhou, it would be natural for him to lead troops to quell the rebellion and subsequently earn the title of God of War on the battlefield.

"Qin Ji, Qin Ji?" As his thoughts drifted deeper and deeper into the distance, Qin Ji was suddenly brought back to his senses by Xiao Yan's voice beside him.

"Hmm. What's wrong?" He looked at Xiao Yan Hui, still a little confused.

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you. You suddenly froze in the middle of the conversation. What were you thinking about? You just said that His Majesty actually cares about his youngest son! Since he's in poor health, why would he be thinking about a young child? Isn't that a contradiction?"

"I wasn't talking about Consort Li's child, but Prince Rui," Qin Ji explained before continuing, "He is indeed in poor health, but do you know why?"

Why was he in poor health? Xiao Yan had never considered this question before, because according to the information she had, this emperor didn't have many years left to live, so wasn't it only natural that he was in poor health? But since Qin Ji had asked this question, there must be something fishy about it.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him, and he turned to Qin Ji, asking, "Could it be... because of the pursuit of immortality?"

Under what circumstances did his health begin to decline, yet instead of making plans for the succession of the dynasty, he relentlessly instigated conflict among his older sons in order to balance the relationships between the various parties and maintain his supreme position?

Besides the controlling nature and paranoia of an elderly emperor, another important point is that he may feel that his current unhealthy symptoms are only temporary and that he actually has a long life ahead of him.

Considering the actions of emperors in their old age throughout history, the truth becomes clear—they took drugs. They took those touted-up elixirs, the basic version promising invincibility and longevity, the advanced version promising rejuvenation and immortality.

After exchanging glances with Xiao Yan, Qin Ji nodded: "In the past five years, three sons and four daughters have been born in his harem. The fertility rate of the women in his harem is much higher than when he was in his prime. My people have secretly inquired with the Imperial Hospital. Over the years, his health has been fluctuating. Sometimes he appears exceptionally strong, while at other times he appears extremely weak."

Three years ago, a naive imperial physician, thinking he had asked tactfully, "Does Your Majesty take any medication outside of the Imperial Medical Academy?" Within two days, he was dismissed on the pretext of improper medication.

Hearing Qin Ji recount the details so vividly, even knowing exactly what a certain imperial physician had said three years ago when he was punished for this matter, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.

This person had indeed been planning this for a long time. At that time, he was still far away in Jiangzuo, but he had already reached into the palace and even managed to get information about such a secret matter.

Qin Ji clearly understood her micro-expression: "It's not as mysterious as you think. It's just that money can make the devil turn the millstone, and I'm especially rich."

Moreover, the final information was deduced by piecing together fragmented pieces of information. For the person relaying the message, it was merely a trivial matter; they weren't asked to do anything life-threatening. As long as the price was right, someone would do it.

“If His Majesty feels that he still has a long life ahead of him, then his actions certainly make sense.”

In recent years, many ministers have suggested that a crown prince should be appointed, which must be very jarring to His Majesty. Although the second prince and the fifth prince had their share of rivalry, they at least shared a common goal on the matter of appointing a crown prince.

At that time, both sides were putting pressure on His Majesty, and the court was practically in a situation where he had to choose between two options. But deep down, he didn't want to choose either. And you appeared at just the right moment. What a pity, you good-for-nothing.

At this point, Xiao Yan gave a teasing smile and muttered to herself, "They're all foxes." Then she continued:

"But you are disappointing. You did not fight for His Majesty as expected. You are not sharp enough as a spear, but you can be used as a shield. So His Majesty has brought up the Seventh Prince again."

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh. The current emperor was indeed the victor of the past and had been on the throne for so many years. He was very adept at using both overt and covert schemes.

Previously, it was a struggle between the second and fifth princes, but now that the four of them are all ranked as princes, does it really mean that one of them is stronger or weaker than the other?

The emperor himself had fought his way up from a prince, so he knew his sons' mindsets perfectly. Since everyone was only one step away from the throne, no one wanted to back down.

Qin Ji and the Seventh Prince's current weakness lies in their lack of influence in the court, so what they must do is to win over their own forces.

This move would put pressure on the second and fifth princes and give the court officials more options, which would inevitably weaken their power to some extent. If they didn't want their two younger brothers to grow up and become their new enemies, the best way would be to get rid of them as soon as possible.

The Emperor's move was practically forcing the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince to fight it out.

From the Emperor's perspective, by inciting two rivals to fight each other, while he has the Sixth Prince as a shield in front and the Seventh Prince as a backup behind, he can completely reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

These two can then form a new check and balance. Of course, if things don't go as planned, the shield can be sacrificed at the appropriate time.

When the time comes, he only needs to bring up the Eighth Prince, who is two years younger than the Seventh Prince, and a new balance can still be formed.

This is what Qin Ji meant when he said that His Majesty wanted to establish his youngest son as heir.

The future seventh prince is the same as the previous second prince. They will both exist as candidates for crown prince, but they cannot become crown prince unless the emperor is on the verge of death. And if they are at risk of losing control, their younger brothers will come up to fill the vacancy.

If the emperor could truly live to be a hundred years old, then this cycle would continue indefinitely; of course, this is merely the emperor's own delusion.

If you consider things from the perspective of the Second Prince or the Fifth Prince, the viewpoint is completely different.

If Qin Ji received news of the Emperor's poor health, they surely wouldn't have been completely unaware. For them, without their greatest enemy, all they needed to do was find an opportunity when the Emperor was unwell, put pressure on him, and they could not only seize the position of Crown Prince, but perhaps even the throne itself.

The biggest cognitive bias here is that the emperor felt he could live a long time, while the other princes had already assumed in their hearts that the old man didn't have many years left to live.

Therefore, the current situation is not just a scheme orchestrated by the emperor, but rather a result of the joint efforts of several parties.

"After all the calculations, we are the only innocent victims and cannon fodder. Qin Ji, are you playing the role of a filial son and grandson too well? Otherwise, why would our Emperor give you such a shield role?"

After roughly summarizing the current situation, Xiao Yanhui lay on the kang table opposite Qin Ji, looking up at Qin Ji with a helpless, bitter smile, as if she were on the verge of death.

Qin Ji tossed the seal in his hand again: "I've already said that the Imperial Guards are only nominally under my command. If the old man really messes things up, he can just issue a secret order and directly mobilize the Imperial Guards to deal with whoever he wants. In the end, he can drag me out and accuse me of unauthorized troop mobilization, fratricide, and patricide, and just behead me to give the world an explanation. Wouldn't that be easy?"

“But…” Xiao Yan added a “but,” but didn’t hear Qin Ji reply. She reached into the dried fruit plate on the table, grabbed a hazelnut, and threw it at him: “Don’t tell me you don’t have a backup plan. If you’re going to drag me down with you like this, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost.”

Qin Ji simply reached out and grasped the hazelnut in his palm.

Hearing Xiao Yan's reply, he suddenly laughed heartily, his eyes brightening, though with a hint of distorted light, his face full of anticipation: "I couldn't ask for more. Never let me go again. Whether I'm human or ghost, we'll be entangled for all eternity."

With a snap, the hazelnut in his palm cracked open.

"Don't suddenly pull this perverted act on me again." Xiao Yan picked up a hazelnut again and threw it. This time, the hazelnut hit Qin Ji squarely on the head, causing the twisted look in his eyes to quickly disappear and be replaced by his usual gentle expression.

The hazelnut, which had split in two, was carefully plucked from its shell. With a swift motion, the perfectly shaped hazelnut was placed against Xiao Yan Hui's lips.

The subtle aroma of nuts mingled with the fragrance Qin Ji had worn that day, filling his nostrils. He held the glossy, light brown dried fruit between his long, slender, jade-like fingers, and gently rubbed the slightly rough surface of the hazelnut against his full, red lips, creating a tingling sensation.

Xiao Yan, who had been nonchalant, suddenly turned completely red-eared, and even felt a tingling, itchy sensation creeping up her body.

"Open your mouth, it smells delicious." With a slight pressure, half a hazelnut was placed between Xiao Yanhui's red lips and into her mouth. Before withdrawing, the slender finger pressed lightly on her lips, taking away a trace of red.

Then, Xiao Yan watched as Qin Ji, with her fingers stained with her lipstick, gently picked up the other half of the hazelnut and put it into his mouth.

The aroma of hazelnuts filled her mouth, but her eyes were fixed on Qin Ji's pale pink lips as he slowly chewed. In that moment, she felt that the man before her was nothing short of a succubus.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee," Xiao Yan Hui suddenly realized that she had been completely bewildered by this guy's crazy actions. After regaining her senses, she immediately buried her face in her hands wrapped around the kang table, making shameful, unwilling, and self-destructive oozing sounds.

When did this guy evolve? How did he suddenly become so skilled? And they were clearly having a serious conversation, and then he suddenly did this. Was that appropriate? Uh, was that appropriate?

Seeing the person opposite him bury their entire head in their arms, with only their pitiful ears, which were almost dripping with blood, Qin Ji almost reached out to rub them and comfort the two poor souls. He had just extended his hand a little when he saw the trace of blood still remaining on his fingertips, so he withdrew his hand.

He held it to his nose, and there was a faint jasmine scent. As if he was tempted by the red color, Qin Ji stuck out his tongue and licked it. The next moment, the red on his fingertip was completely licked away, leaving only a little bit of moisture.

"It's not as sweet as the taste on her lips," Qin Ji thought with a touch of regret.

"Ah~ This guy really is a pervert!" Xiao Yan Hui, who was observing from the other side with only one eye peeking out, witnessed this scene. She buried her head back in her arms again and screamed wildly in her heart.

This time, it wasn't just her ears; she felt the heat rising to her face.

Damn it, we've kissed several times already, why is she reacting so strongly?!

Then, the next second, she felt her earlobe being gently tugged, and someone's fingertips lightly grinding it. Then, he even went further and tried to take off her earring.

Snap, Fang's fingers were finally pried open.

"I'm going to check how the decorations in the front yard are arranged." She said this hastily and then turned to leave.

Then, without knowing how it all happened, Qin Ji, who was clearly on the opposite side and separated from him by a small kang table, moved and suddenly appeared on his side. The next second, he was completely enveloped from behind.

Qin Ji rested his chin on Xiao Yan Hui's left shoulder, wrapped his arms around her, and clasped his hands together. His voice, usually a little lower, rang in her left ear: "What's the rush? The hazelnuts smell delicious. Have a few more."

With a flick of his wrist, another hazelnut appeared: "This is the one that hit my head earlier. Shouldn't you eat it with me?" The oval hazelnut rolled back and forth between their intertwined fingertips under Qin Ji's control.

His chin was rubbing against Xiao Yan Hui's shoulder intermittently, and Xiao Yan Hui felt his warmth and breath all over her body, and the soft touch of his hair on her neck.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the lingering awkwardness and shyness, Xiao Yan opened her hand from his and took the hazelnut from his hand. She then slammed it onto the small kang table, instantly breaking the round, plump hazelnut, still warm from the two of them, into five pieces.

Xiao Yan took the largest one from the broken shells and put it in her mouth, saying, "It's quite fragrant, but my shell-cracking skills aren't as good as yours."

As she spoke, she reached out and placed the small plate of pearls, one by one, onto the kang table, arranging them in two rows. She counted nine in total, then rearranged them into three rows: "They smell good, don't they? You want to eat more, right? Come on, pinch them, one by one. There will be more after you finish them, you can eat as much as you want."

Seeing her feigned fierceness, Qin Ji hugged her and chuckled quietly, his chest trembling slightly as he laughed: "Yan Hui'er! You threaten people just because I'm teasing you, how can you be so shameless?"

"We were just having a nice talk, but you went first... Tell me, what exactly triggered your sudden switch to perverted mode? Tell me, and I'll excuse myself." Xiao Yan tilted her head and bumped it against his shoulder, huffing and puffing.

“After that day, Yan Hui’er, you never seemed afraid of me.” Qin Ji nuzzled his head against hers. Though he asked the question, he couldn’t help feeling a little worried; he still felt lingering fear from that conflict.

She reached over her shoulder and gently tugged at his ear a few times, laughing back, "Afraid of you, you spoiled brat? Do you have some misunderstanding about yourself? Should I go get a mirror for you to look in?"

Xiao Yan Hui certainly knew what he was talking about, but it was also true that she felt no fear or anything like that towards Qin Ji since that day. She naturally knew that Qin Ji suppressed an almost obsessive possessiveness towards her, but so what? She herself wanted to completely possess this person.

Looking only at me, loving only me, being the most important person in your life, and being unable to live without me—this kind of feeling may seem a bit twisted, but if you could have it... it's actually very hard to refuse!

Even if it's an equal exchange, it's acceptable, right?

Recalling the time when she had just transmigrated, she and her mother had discussed their vision for marriage: a man she could control, whose appearance and character were not too bad.

Thinking about it this way, so what if someone as beautiful and pure as Qin Ji just has higher emotional needs? Doesn't that mean they deserve to be satisfied?

"Mwah!" Xiao Yan suddenly turned her head and gave him a big kiss on the face.

"......"

Qin Ji was startled by the kiss, but when their eyes met, he was captivated by her bright eyes, which shone with a warmth like the sun.

He kissed the person back hard when they tried to back away, but not on the cheek.

From the beginning, I wanted to verify whether she had changed the flavor of her lip rouge, or whether only the one on her lips was sweet.

......

It's not just sweet, not just jasmine-scented, this time it also has a hazelnut scent.

"And there's a special warm fragrance, Yan Hui'er, what else did you add to your lip rouge this time?"

-----------------------

Author's note: I originally wanted to write 6,000 words, but I fell short. I'll keep trying tomorrow.