"He can put aside his status to cultivate a good relationship with Prince Yi, and so can you. Moreover, Prince Yi is a reasonable man. If he makes a serious mistake and cannot succeed to the throne, no matter how good his relationship with Prince Yi is, Prince Yi won’t force him onto the imperial seat."
Su Chengjin nodded, "According to Grandfather, does that mean I should pull him down while cultivating a good relationship with Prince Yi at the same time?"
Duke Tao said, "Exactly." He paused, "Prince Yi’s prestige in Xiyun is even higher than the Emperor’s. In any case, it’s always right to maintain a good relationship with Prince Yi."
He paused again, then Duke Tao continued, "We must handle these matters covertly, without leaving any evidence behind. If it’s truly impossible to pull him down, you must at least be given a princedom to hold. People your age are usually ennobled as princes, yet you remain a Prince... If you stay only as a Prince, not only will you be ridiculed while alive, but you will still be ridiculed after your death."
Previously, when his health was poor, and he couldn’t leave his bed, even if he resented it, he could only accept his fate.
But now, his health was improving...
Ultimately it would recover...
Involuntarily, Su Chengjin’s ambition showed as he bowed with his hands clasped, "I will have to trouble Grandfather in the future."
Regardless of whether he could succeed to the imperial throne, just as his grandfather had said, he should at least secure a princedom to avoid being ridiculed.
Of course, if he could succeed to the throne and ascend to be the Son of Heaven, that would be even better.
On this day, An Jing and Xiao Changyi were preparing to take their four children to the Editorial Academy to continue working on the Twenty-Four Solar Terms agricultural guidance project. They had just locked the door of their courtyard and were about to get into the carriage when they saw another carriage heading towards them.
On each side of that carriage were four men, riding horses like guards.
"Mother, there are people," said An Yiyun, who was being held by An Jing. As soon as she saw someone approaching, she pointed at the people and said with a babyish giggle to An Jing.
"Yes, someone is coming," An Jing replied with a smile, placing An Yiyun on the ground.
As soon as An Yiyun was placed on the ground, she looked up with a babyish voice and asked An Jing, "Who is it?"
"I don’t know, ask your father. He is smarter than mother," An Jing said with a smile, passing the buck to Xiao Changyi.
An Yiyun immediately looked towards Xiao Changyi, blinked her naive eyes a couple of times, and then asked in a milky voice, "Father, Mother... Mother asked Yun Er to ask... who has come?"
"Some unimportant people," Xiao Changyi said indifferently and lifted An Yiyun onto the carriage. Then, he crammed the other three children into the carriage as well, instructing Meng Zhuqing to watch over them to prevent the kids from climbing out of the carriage and falling.
The carriage drew closer, and as the curtains were lifted, An Jing and Xiao Changyi could see clearly who was inside.
Seeing that Fifth Prince Su Chengjin was sitting in the carriage, An Jing couldn’t understand why Su Chengjin would come to them.
As the carriage came to a stop, Su Chengjin stepped down and approached Xiao Changyi and An Jing with a smile and a clasped hands salute, "Elder Brother Prince, Sister-in-Law, are you heading out?"
Xiao Changyi was expressionless and silent.
Compared to last time, Su Chengjin looked much healthier, his body evidently recovering. An Jing smiled and said, "Yes, we are going out. Fifth Prince, what brings you here?"
Only then did Su Chengjin speak, "Thanks to the Elder Brother Prince and Sister-in-Law. Otherwise, Gong Juechen might not have agreed to treat me. My health has improved a lot now, so I’ve brought a modest gift to thank the Elder Brother Prince and Sister-in-Law. It’s just unfortunate that you’re about to leave."