SGEIRS -Chapter 550 Layers of Suspicion

The Imperial Study.

Not long after the Second Prince left, a eunuch from Emperor Jingwen’s side came to summon the two brothers, asking them to make a trip to the Imperial Study.

On the way there, the Third Prince and Fourth Prince both knew exactly why their father had called them in—it was nothing more than the matter of the Seventh Princess of Anguo.

“Your sons pay respects to Father Emperor!”

The Third Prince and Fourth Prince spoke in unison, stepping forward to bow to Emperor Jingwen.

Emperor Jingwen said warmly, “Rise.”

“Thank you, Father Emperor.”

The brothers stood up and remained quietly in place, waiting for Emperor Jingwen to speak first.

Looking at his two sons, Emperor Jingwen said with a gentle expression, “The Seventh Princess of Anguo speaks the language of Zhao, understands poetry and the arts, is beautiful as a flower, and has a frank, straightforward nature. She is a fine young lady. You brothers are both of marriageable age now. If I were to have one of you marry the Seventh Princess, what do you think?”

At these words, the brothers both understood that their father was not consulting them—he was informing them. Between the two of them, one would have to marry the Seventh Princess.

Silence fell in the hall.

Emperor Jingwen was in no hurry for an answer. He stared intently at his sons, not missing even the slightest change in their expressions.

After a moment, the Fourth Prince was the first to speak. “Father Emperor, I too feel that the Seventh Princess is an excellent young lady. However, there is an order between elder and younger. Third Brother is older than I am; matters of marriage should naturally be settled for him first. Moreover, my body is weak and frail, plagued by illness. I don’t even know whether I’ll live to see my coming-of-age ceremony—how could I dare delay the Seventh Princess?”

When Emperor Jingwen heard the first half, his brows knit almost imperceptibly, and his gaze toward the Fourth Prince carried a hint of scrutiny. But upon hearing the latter half, his eyes softened again. He turned to the Third Prince and asked, “Third, what do you think?”

The Third Prince replied, “Father Emperor, after meeting her today, I find the Seventh Princess frank and pure, and I am quite fond of her as well. If Father Emperor wishes to bestow a marriage between me and the Seventh Princess, then I thank Father Emperor in advance.”

Emperor Jingwen stared at him for a long moment, then made a decisive conclusion. “Since that is the case, then it shall be you.”

The Third Prince immediately knelt to thank him. “Your son thanks Father Emperor for your gracious favor.”

Emperor Jingwen said kindly, “All right, rise.” As he spoke, he glanced at the pale-faced, sickly-looking Fourth Prince and said pointedly, “Fourth, your body is weak, and you seem rather lacking in spirit today. If escorting the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess around the capital is too much for you, do not force yourself.”

The Fourth Prince understood at once. The matter of accompanying the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess around the capital was something he must not take part in. When the time came, he would excuse himself on grounds of illness. He answered, “Father Emperor, your son understands.”

Already feeling somewhat fatigued, Emperor Jingwen rubbed his brow. “All right. You may both return.”

The brothers acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Watching the backs of his two sons as they left, Emperor Jingwen’s expression grew grave once more. The truth behind the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince—who was it that had secretly passed the evidence to Minister Yu, prompting Minister Yu and Minister Gu to investigate?

Previously, he had suspected the Third and Fourth Princes, especially the Fourth. Though that boy was physically weak, he was clever and quick-witted; perhaps he harbored thoughts he shouldn’t. But now, nothing seemed amiss. As for the Third Prince, he had directly agreed to marry the Princess of Anguo, completely forfeiting his qualification to inherit the throne. It was even less likely to be him.

So who was it?

The Fifth Prince was still young, and his birth mother was timid and cautious. The Fifth Prince’s maternal family was also well-behaved, loyal officials. If they had learned that the Second Prince intended to harm the Crown Prince, they would certainly not have concealed it or allowed the Second Prince’s scheme to succeed.

The Sixth Prince was just a child, born of the same mother as the Crown Prince—he could be ruled out entirely.

The Seventh Prince was only three years old. His birth mother, Consort Tao, came from a powerful family. But even if the Crown Prince were gone, the Second Prince would also lose his chance at becoming heir because of the evidence. With the mediocre Third Prince and the frail Fourth Prince excluded, by order of age it would never be the three-year-old Seventh Prince’s turn—not when the Fifth and Sixth Princes were still ahead of him, especially with the Sixth Prince being a legitimate son. The Tao family would not have concealed the truth from the very beginning; after all, the Crown Prince was capable and virtuous, destined to become a wise ruler.

The more Emperor Jingwen thought about it, the worse his headache became. He truly could not figure out who had been watching everything unfold from the shadows, only to present the evidence afterward and destroy the Second Prince.

—

Meanwhile, the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess had just returned to their residence. Once they were alone, the Third Prince’s expression darkened. He glared at the Seventh Princess, his eyes filled with reproach.

The Seventh Princess showed no fear and met her brother’s gaze head-on.

In an instant, brother and sister faced off tensely, as though they might come to blows at any moment.

Lowering his voice, the Third Prince demanded angrily, “Seventh Sister, didn’t we agree that you would become a consort of the Zhao emperor? What was that today? On an occasion like that, as long as you said you admired the emperor, there was a ninety-percent chance you could enter the harem.”

The Seventh Princess snorted coldly. “The Zhao emperor may look decent enough, but how old is he? His sons are older than I am! You want me to become his consort—do you take me for a fool? I am your full-blooded younger sister. For the sake of power, you want to marry your beautiful sister off to some decrepit old man? Are you really my brother?”

The Third Prince was furious. “At a time like this, you’re still quibbling over such things? If things go badly for me, do you think you’ll have it easy once we return to Anguo? The assassination attempts we encountered on the way to Zhao were all Big Brother’s handiwork. If we go back without a powerful supporter, I may not be able to contend with him.”

After that, he softened his tone and looked at her. “Seventh Sister, we can’t afford to gamble. If I lose, then you, as my full-blooded sister—especially since you’ve never gotten along with him since childhood—won’t have a good ending either.”

The Seventh Princess fell silent. After a long while, she finally said, “Then at least find me someone young. Or choose from among the Zhao emperor’s sons. If I marry his son, I’ll be his daughter-in-law. You and I are full siblings—I believe he’d be more willing to support you in the end, as long as you promise him certain benefits.”

The Third Prince pondered this. The Third Prince of Zhao was practically invisible, with little sense of presence. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, was quite decent—but his body was frail. Who knew when a sudden illness might take his life? Still, aside from that, all his conditions were better than those of the Third Prince of Zhao.

He made a firm decision. “The Fourth Prince, then. As long as you give birth to a legitimate son before he dies, with a child by your side, your days will still hold some hope.”

Hearing this, the Seventh Princess’ eyes widened in shock, disbelief filling them. What a wonderful brother she had—wanting her to become a widow at such a young age. As a foreign princess married into Zhao, if even her husband died, who would support her? Waiting for the child to grow up would take many long years.

But the Third Prince had his own considerations. “The emperor favors the Fourth Prince more than the Third, and the Fourth Prince’s maternal family is far stronger than the Third’s. Even if the Fourth Prince dies young, at least his maternal family can still lend you some support.”

The Seventh Princess responded absentmindedly, her heart unwilling. She was already being treated like a commodity by her brother, traded away for power. Now he even chose a sickly husband for her—when there was clearly another option who was perfectly healthy.