PFC Chapter 306 Escape from battle
Chapter 306 Escape from battle
Chapter 306: Deserting from the Battlefield
Mu Rong sat down opposite Xu Rongrong and poured himself a cup of peach blossom wine.
"My third brother will be returning to the capital the day after tomorrow. I'm sure the palace will be bustling again." Mu Rong took a sip and said with a smile, "Right now, all the forces are starting to make their own plans."
The third prince Wu Tianxiao proposed the idea of reopening border trade at the beginning of the new year. This move would not only benefit the trade between the Great Zhou and the surrounding foreign countries, but also consolidate the relationship between all parties, and thus won the unanimous support of the court officials.
His Majesty also agreed to let him handle this matter. In the blink of an eye, more than two months have passed, and now it is time to return to Beijing.
Today...the situation in the court has undergone a complete transformation compared to a year ago. A new situation is about to unfold.
Mu Rong's sentiments made some sense, but speaking of them now, Xu Rongrong couldn't help but ponder: "What the Marquis means is... could it be that the Marquis's test today has yielded results?"
Mu Rong nodded.
Under Xu Rongrong's inquiring gaze, he connected the events of Eunuch Wang inviting him to Shaohua Temple with how Herme got into danger and how he took the opportunity to stick with him.
His tone was neither fast nor slow, and against the backdrop of the hazy moonlight, it sounded particularly pleasant. Xu Rongrong was fascinated for a moment and drank two cups of peach blossom wine without realizing it.
But after Mu Rong finished speaking, she immediately understood: "Princess Lingxi and her servant were plotting against the Marquis. Was there actually the Queen behind this?"
Mu Rong nodded.
Xu Rongrong was puzzled, "But the Marquis is His Majesty's nephew, and he hasn't openly participated in the factional strife... Why would the Empress go to such lengths on you, pairing you with Princess Lingxi? It doesn't benefit her in any way."
If she said it was because the Queen doted on Princess Lingxi...Xu Rongrong would never believe it.
A New Year's Eve family dinner made her realize that the queen was not as simple as she seemed.
Mu Rong laughed and said, "Princess Lingxi is backed by the King of Northern Frontier. If she were to marry a prince of the right age in the capital, it would not be a good thing for the Queen."
Xu Rongrong understood instantly: "My Lord, are you saying... that the Queen is afraid that she will hook up with the Third Prince?"
"That's right." Mu Rong nodded. "Otherwise, I can't think of any other purpose for the Queen's actions."
He continued, "Princess Lingxi came to the capital this time with the intention of marrying into the capital. Given her status as a princess, the only prince among the powerful and influential in the capital could catch her eye, and the most suitable candidate among them is my third brother... Once she proposes, His Majesty will agree out of respect for the King of Northern Frontier. For the Queen, this is something she absolutely cannot tolerate."
Xu Rongrong rested her chin on her hand, pondering carefully. Indeed, among the current princes, Crown Prince Wu Tianao and Second Prince Wu Tianchi are no longer suitable. The Fourth Prince's reputation has been completely ruined by the controversy surrounding Lin Jiaoyue's affair, and he no longer enjoys the Emperor's favor. The Fifth Prince died young, and the Sixth and subsequent princes are still young. So, Third Prince Wu Tianxiao is the most suitable.
Moreover, the Third Prince only had one female relative, Mu Qianyin, in his harem, and according to the rules, he could have taken in two concubines...
Although she was only a concubine, considering the Third Prince's unlimited future, Princess Lingxi was still marrying above her station.
The Third Prince had done a great job in reopening the border trade. The Emperor had already issued two edicts praising him before he even returned to the court. If he could marry Princess Lingxi and have the support of the King of Northern Frontier, I'm afraid the position of Crown Prince would have been decided long ago.
This was something the Queen didn't want to see. Once the Eastern Palace decided on a candidate, her son would be gone forever! Therefore, she had to cut off all possibilities between the Third Prince and Princess Lingxi.
And Mu Rong is an excellent candidate!
Although Mu Rong was not a prince, he was indeed a first-rank military marquis of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the man that Princess Lingxi loved. The queen took advantage of the situation and satisfied Princess Lingxi's wishes, preventing her from turning her attention to the third prince.
Today's success was the result of the conspiracy between Lingxi and his servant, and was also the result of the Queen's cooperation.
First, he created an opportunity for Hermei to climb into bed and alienate Mu Rong and Xu Rongrong, and then let Lingxi take advantage of the opportunity.
In this way, she could leave a glimmer of hope for her son when the Third Prince was at the peak of his power.
However, this plot could not be hidden from Mu Rong, who exposed on the spot that Herme had seduced Prince An, causing the Prince An and his wife to fall out.
Prince An was the Queen's Achilles' heel. Even if she wanted to use someone else to plot against the Third Prince, she would never join forces with the master and servant who had harmed her son.
After listening to him, Xu Rongrong quickly understood. She sighed, "In the past, I envied the friendship between the Empress and His Majesty, always thinking they were the best couple in the world. But the closer I got to her, the more I realized I was too naive. Now, the dethronement of the Crown Prince has completely changed the Empress's attitude. Now that she's in charge of the harem, I'm afraid she'll come up with endless tricks to target the Third Prince."
What she was most worried about was actually Mu Qianyin.
After all, the Queen is in charge of matters in the harem, but this is what Sister Mu is least good at.
Seeing her slightly worried expression, Mu Rong knew what was going on. He subconsciously reached out his hand, wanting to rub Xu Rongrong's forehead, but the next moment he seemed to remember something, and with a flick of his wrist, he poured her another cup of peach blossom wine. "Don't worry, the Third Imperial Concubine is now a treasure of the royal family. You can't do anything to her easily."
Xu Rongrong's eyes lit up instantly: "Yes! Sister Mu has a precious sword in her belly!"
Mu Rong smiled and nodded.
When the Third Prince left the capital, he deliberately concealed the news of Mu Qianyin's pregnancy in order to ensure her safety. Now the fetus is four months old and the pregnancy has long been stable. Now is the time to announce it.
With the excuse of pregnancy, the Queen can't even think of taking action against Mu Qianyin before she gives birth.
Xu Rongrong smiled and said, "This way, no matter what the Empress wants to do, Sister Mu can use her pregnancy as an excuse to shirk her duties and avoid the Empress's current attention."
Looking at her slightly drunken cheeks and charming appearance, Mu Rong's throat rolled a few times involuntarily: "Rongrong is right."
The movement of the Adam's apple suddenly made the atmosphere between the two of them become ambiguous.
Mu Rong's eyes were fixed on Xu Rongrong's red lips. Xu Rongrong sensed a hint of danger and subconsciously leaned back, but the cold stone chair back restrained her, leaving her with no way to retreat.
But Mu Rong's gaze in front of him was extremely fierce.
Xu Rongrong's mouth was dry and her cheeks were flushed...
The next moment, the man in front of him left.
Watching Mu Rong's dark figure disappear into the night, Xu Rongrong was stunned for a moment:
Didn't he want to kiss her?