Eunuchs had no offspring or desires left, so even a small matter could make them bear grudges for a long time, let alone this time when they almost took Lu Hai’s life. He really hated to death the person who had set him up this time.
Lu Haineng has been in the palace for so many years and he was also an old fox. There were many eunuchs in the palace, and as a senior eunuch, Lu Haineng knew many things that others didn’t. Naturally, he held resentment towards whoever deceived him this time.
In the current situation, who else could it be other than the empress’ faction?
Those two were really some good masters! Lu Haineng was just a servant who served people. In this vast Forbidden City, he was not afraid of anyone besides the current emperor!
Just you wait!
Before the matter of someone deliberately trying to provoke conflict between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Jin Wang Manor had even subsided, another rumour started to spread.
It was said that the one who wanted to provoke the conflict was Dai Wang.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAs for why it was Dai Wang, it was because among the higher-ranked imperial princes, only Dai Wang and Jin Wang, the third and fifth princes, respectively, were in a currently good position.
And Jin Wang had a good son while Dai Wang didn’t.
As for Dai Wang’s entire family, they were all ordinary people like Dai Wang himself.
…
There was a clear and crisp sound of ‘pa’, which resounded in the Guining Hall of Daiwang Mansion.
This was probably the angriest Dai Wang had ever been.
It wasn’t just because he was forced to move from behind the scenes to the front, but also because of the phrase “they were all ordinary people” that was said.
Zhao Ye, the eldest son of Dai Wang, and also the emperor’s eldest grandson, stood below him. Zhao Ye and Dai Wang looked almost identical with their square faces, slender eyes, high-bridged noses, thick lips, and honest-looking appearances.
This same silent and reserved personality was the reason why Zhao Zuo, despite not being the emperor’s eldest grandson, was able to win this honourable position.
Zhao Ye was already married and had a son. Dai Wang was now already a grandfather. In this manor, Dai Wang himself was the only one who wasn’t the eldest son of the imperial family. His son was the eldest grandson among the imperial grandchildren, and his grandson was also the eldest of the next generation. If this were to happen in any other household, it would have brought great honour and placed them in the limelight, but unfortunately, in Dai Wang Manor, it caused not even a ripple.
Dai Wang used to be proud of having a low-key and tolerant personality, but now he couldn’t help but hate this low-key tolerance the most. Low-key and tolerant seemed to have become his symbol, sticking to him for life and never coming off.
“Father, calm down. This is obviously a deliberate retaliation from Jin Wang Manor. There is no need for you to be so angry,” said Zhao Ye.
Dai Wang turned his gaze to his eldest son. His gaze was like a knife, carrying a kind of almost harsh sharpness, and faintly revealing a kind of disgust and hatred.
Zhao Ye felt like he had been pricked by a needle and shrank his head. Useless creature!
If he wasn’t so incompetent, he wouldn’t have been suppressed by his eldest brother for so many years. He was suppressed because he was born later, but Zhao Ye was the eldest imperial grandson. Despite this, he still couldn’t beat Zhao Zuo back then and now, his son couldn’t even beat a few-year-old child.
In the beginning, Father Emperor kept the crown prince position for his eldest brother because he valued Zhao Zuo. Now, he values the child of Jin Wang Manor so much. Would Father Emperor lean toward making Jin Wang the crown prince because of this child? Otherwise, why did he avoid the matter when the ministers brought up the issue of establishing a new crown prince?
Thinking of these things, Dai Wang became restless again. It seemed that he had to work harder to make this happen. It was also unfortunate that the incident in Guangxi happened at such a time.
At the same time, Dai Wang thought about the losses he suffered in Guangxi. Those people had all been carefully arranged by him over many years, and he did not expect them all to be caught in one fell swoop.
If he hadn’t made arrangements in advance and acted quickly, he likely would have been implicated too. “Leave. Since you are incompetent, then make sure Che’er is taught well.” Che’er was Zhao Ye’s eldest son and also Dai Wang’s eldest grandson.
“Yes, father.”
It was the annual New Year’s Eve family banquet again, but unlike last year, this year’s banquet was much quieter.
An Wang and Yong Wang were imprisoned, and Qing Wang was sent to guard the imperial mausoleum, leaving only five of the eight adult princes remaining. Without the presence of these three princes, the atmosphere at the family banquet was naturally much quieter. Even though Lu Wang and Wu Wang had tried their best to liven the atmosphere, Emperor Hongjing still could not conceal his desolate expression.
Recently, there have been too many affairs in the court, and it has not calmed down even as the new year approached. As the investigation in Guangxi continued to unearth further information, people’s hearts couldn’t help but feel chill. Although the seal had already been sealed, Emperor Hongjing still flew into a rage at the Qianqing Palace the other day.
Due to how many people were involved in this matter at Guanxi, the whole court had been uneasy. Emperor Hongjing was also getting older. The scene of last year’s family banquet was still fresh in his mind, but after just one year, his hair had become much whiter, and his back more hunched. His temper had also become more irritable.
Those at the family banquet all ate their meal with their hearts in their throats.
After the banquet, everyone left the palace and returned to their own homes. Tomorrow was the start of a new year.