Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid

Untitled Part 175

As expected, his mother concubine's loyalty towards the former emperor resulted in the Chengen Marquis Estate's restrictions being lifted and he himself was left unharmed, merely confined within his prince's estate. In contrast, the people in his wife's family, the Chengguo Duke's Estate, were all either banished or beheaded.

After so many events and having been confined for two years, the Qi Prince had long since given up on his original intentions. Now he only wanted to pass his days peacefully. However, the Yun Prince's move this time spawned many waves in his heart.

The Yun Prince was a crafty one. The Qi Prince had been able to realize this after so many years. The Yun Prince and the Jing Emperor had a good relationship. Why it was good, the Qi Prince didn't know but he had some guesses.

To say the Yun Prince's move had no reason behind it, the Qi Prince definitely wouldn't believe it.

Perhaps, he should learn to be like the Yun Prince?

The Qi Prince pondered over this question for a long time....

Of course, there was another person, or rather, another family, who didn't dare to lower their guard.

That was the Xiao clan.

After the eldest lord was stripped of his office, the Xiao clan had been very quiet. The lively Jing Duke Estate of the past seemed to have been watered down overnight.

Actually they hadn't been watered down. According to themselves, they were merely biding their time and gathering their strength.

Were they really gathering their strength?

Such thoughts left a bitter aftertaste.

The more they experienced the Jing Emperor's methods, the more bitter the Xiao clan felt in their hearts. This person was truly too sinister, and knew how to stab them with blunt knives in the dark.

Although he didn't reveal anything on the surface, he used all sorts of methods secretly to grind away at the Xiao clan's power. Without mentioning anything else, the Xiao clan even had trouble entering the palace to meet the royal concubine now.

According to the royal concubine's message, despite living a life of luxury, she felt extremely sullen.

Sullen?

To make a woman who had lasted decades within the palace say such words, it was clear how skilled the Jing Emperor was. This man was truly hard to figure out. He made no mistakes in the front court, and also didn't let go of the rear court.

At this rate, how was the Xiao clan supposed to accomplish anything great?

In the past, the Xiao clan could have said they were biding their time without any hesitation. Now, these words sounded more like they were comforting themselves.

However, they still had hope. The Xiao clan still had one final trump card.

Out of the former crown prince's few sons, one of them had been conferred a prince. The other two were both regional princes. However, he was still young and wouldn't be given his vassal state yet. Instead, he lived in his own prince's estate within the capital.

This was the Jing Duke's great-grandson, and the royal concubine's own grandson. He was surnamed Luo, and was a tried and true child of the royal line. This meant he was filled with limitless possibilities.

That's right, limitless possibilities. However, this "limitless possibilities" was currently being besieged by the Jing Emperor, and seemed to be in imminent danger.

The Xiao clan was no longer able to manipulate officials in court and have them make a fuss. No one was a fool, and everyone gradually distanced themselves from the Jing Duke Estate. The Xiao clan did have a few people under them, but they were reluctant to use them. Having gotten accustomed to being able to summon winds and rain, it was very hard for them to accept their current poverty.

But even if it was hard to accept, they had no choice but to do so. Especially since the Jing Emperor didn't seem to be planning on dealing with them, leaving them a bit of hope.

The Grand Xi didn't have the boiling frog metaphor, but this was exactly what the Jing Emperor was currently doing. As the frog in the metaphor, the Xiao clan didn't realize they were slowly being cooked alive.

The Xiao clan wanted to burn incense and pray daily that this event was truly the Yun Prince messing around and that the Jing Emperor had no intention of removing the vassal states.

Another year passed, and the Grand Xi had been peaceful and prosperous. The Jing Emperor seemed to have done many things, but also seemed to have done nothing at all.

In the second year of the Splendid Era, another vassal prince submitted a memorandum. The Qi Prince's memorandum also requested for his vassal state to be stripped, and his words were similar to the Yun Prince.

As though following the useless Yun Prince's example, the Qi Prince who had a ruthless violent temper in the past also seemed to have become useless.

The Jing Emperor was pleased when he read it and accepted the memorandum.

Compared to the Yun Prince's treatment, the Qi Prince was given even better rewards. However, the Qi Prince didn't choose to follow the Yun Prince's example and move to the capital. Instead, he remained in his vassal state.

With two vassal princes doing the same in succession, the other vassal princes from the former emperor's generation all started to panic. Some were discreet while others were not.

However, all this wasn't important anymore. At the start of the New Year, the Jing Emperor made his move. Various imperial censors started submitting memorandums impeaching vassal princes for misconduct.

These vassal princes had all gotten accustomed to their easy life, and all had problems that could be picked out. The Jing Emperor released an edict stripping a couple of the most outrageous ones, and the rest all became even better behaved. What happened next didn't need to be said. The Grand Xi's vassal state system which had lasted for three reigns was ended under the Jing Emperor.

The stirrings in court was rather large, and Xiao Hua had also heard about it. Only now did she realize what the Yun Prince had meant back at his farewell banquet.

"Fourth brother is a smart one."

The Jing Emperor had never called the Yun Prince fourth brother to his face, but he would call him this when discussing him with Xiao Hua in private. Xiao Hua knew that men could be awkward, and didn't bring this up in front of the Yun Consort. This was to preserve the men's dignity a little.

"He helped Us a lot...."

"It's fine as long as majesty keeps it in mind...."

"We naturally will remember."

"Right, I heard Yan'er say that she and the Yun Prince are taking their children overseas for a trip." Xiao Hua's face was filled with curiosity. She asked the Jing Emperor, "Majesty, what is the ocean like? Have you seen it? Where do you think the Yun Prince's family will go?"

The Jing Emperor shook his head. He had never seen the ocean before.

The Grand Xi had a lot of territory that bordered the ocean, but as the owner of the lands, he had never gone. Suddenly he felt jealous of that man who could go wherever he pleased.

He understood a little of what the Yun Prince had been up to these past couple years. He only realized now that the Yun Prince's business had grown very large, and had even started working with seafaring merchants.

It was said he was preparing to take his wife and children to visit the country of these sailors.

He felt even more jealous. When would he be able to take his own wife and children for a trip?

Suddenly, the Yun Prince's words rang through his mind—-

".....I told you that being the emperor is the hardest thing in the world. It requires someone born in the year of the bull to do...."

The Jing Emperor was extremely aggrieved. He grabbed Xiao Hua's hand and said: "Wait until our Zhuo'er has grown up. We will take you out for a trip...."

Xiao Hua was stunned. How did it get to this topic?

She thought back to their conversation and then smiled: "Alright, then majesty has to remember it."

"The monarch keeps his word!"