Zheng Fan said, "The weather is truly getting colder."
The Princess Consort then said, "General, please come inside and warm yourself."
"In that case, thank you, Princess Consort."
"You are too kind, General."
The Princess Consort led the way with Zheng Fan following. They left the pavilion and headed toward the backyard.
Outside the pavilion, the Crown Prince watched his mother, the Princess Consort, and Zheng Fan walk toward the backyard. He was trembling, his fingernails digging into his flesh.
Then, his gaze fell upon the maidservants and eunuchs.
The maidservants and eunuchs also showed astonishment in their eyes.
At this moment, Blind Bei said, "There are Silver Armored Guards among them. Kill them!" Fresh chapters posted on novel·fiɾe·net
Instantly, dozens of armored soldiers drew their weapons and charged at these eunuchs and maidservants, cutting them down.
In the blink of an eye, all the maidservants and eunuchs were slain.
The Crown Prince heaved a long sigh of relief.
Blind Bei then walked over to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, even if you don’t trust our general, you should trust the Princess Consort."
The Crown Prince bit his lip and said, "I... I didn’t..."
"Our general likely has some highly confidential matters to discuss with the Princess Consort, or perhaps, it is the Princess Consort who has extremely confidential matters to discuss with our general. What they will discuss, I believe, Your Highness, you should have some idea in your heart."
The Crown Prince seemed to have thought of something, and his breathing began to quicken.
"Your Highness, tonight, all affairs within Chuzhou City are the responsibility of our general. Our general is highly esteemed by Yan’s Earl of North Border, Lord Jingnan, as well as His Majesty. Although his official position is not high at present, his future prospects are truly limitless."
"Your Highness, you need to mature a little more. Don’t let others see through your thoughts so easily."
"Thank you, thank you, General, for your instruction. I, Won Nian, have learned much."
"Your Highness, you flatter me. Oh, by the way, these armored soldiers are also our general’s private troops. They will not breathe a word of this to anyone outside. On this point, Your Highness can rest assured."
"That’s good, that’s good."
Blind Bei stood still again, no longer speaking.
This young friend beside him is of too low a caliber. Although he understands a little about enduring humiliation for a greater cause, he is, after all, the son of a vassal prince. There’s too great a disparity between him and those imperial princes who must grow up in the depths of the palace. However, it seems people are easier to support and elevate. TSK, TSK. Zhong Wenhao’s daughter, Zhong Wenhao’s maternal grandson... HEH, HEH. This matter... is getting interesting.
The Princess Consort personally pushed open the door and entered the room. Inside, a charcoal brazier was already burning. There wasn’t a single servant attending.
Zheng Fan walked to a chair and sat down.
The Princess Consort then proactively knelt between Zheng Fan’s legs.
Then, the Princess Consort personally lifted one of Zheng Fan’s boots, helped him remove it, and then, with a very gentle motion, took off the other.
Afterwards, the Princess Consort very skillfully placed Zheng Fan’s boots beside the charcoal brazier.
All these actions were very natural. Zheng Fan sat naturally, and the Princess Consort also performed her actions naturally.
"General, are you fatigued?" she asked, as she began to massage Zheng Fan’s legs.
Zheng Fan enjoyed this service. He bent down slightly, bringing his face close to the Princess Consort’s. The flames from the charcoal brazier cast a reddish hue on the Princess Consort’s face.
"I am very curious. People who engage in trade always like to calculate investment and returns. For you to do all this, is it worth it?"
"General, you jest. I have heard of your name, General. I have also heard about the incident where you deposed a prince in Yanjing."
Hearing this, Zheng Fan leaned back into the chair again, closed his eyes slightly, and said, "I must say, your proposal is indeed very tempting. However, I still feel that doing so is not entirely necessary."
The Princess Consort then asked, "Why?"
"There are three reasons. One, whether your Prince Fu’s Mansion can actually establish itself. Throughout history, for vassal princes, apart from situations where the main imperial line had no heirs—allowing for succession like Emperor Jiajing inheriting Emperor Zhengde’s throne—the only other way was rebellion. However, Prince Fu’s Mansion, as a vassal prince’s residence, has always lived far too cautiously. Not to mention whether it has secretly raised private troops or allied with civil and military officials, it’s estimated that it doesn’t even possess much genuine prestige within this Chuzhou City."
"General, you should understand. Prince Fu’s Mansion merely bears the Zhao family name. The true reliance is still on my father, on the military families of the West Army Division."
The West Army Division is Qian State’s most formidable military faction, and Zhong Wenhao is the leader among the many military families of the West Army Division.
"The problem lies here. The Zhong Family has been the leader of the West Army Division for a very long time. Yet, you were still married off to a vassal prince. This means you must not be the Zhong Family’s daughter by the principal wife."
"The General is correct. I was indeed born of a concubine."
In this era, the difference between children born of the principal wife and those born of concubines is extremely large.
"Therefore, do you believe your father, that Minister Zhong, would forsake his nearly lifelong reputation for loyalty and patriotism, all for you, a daughter born of a concubine, and for a maternal grandson born of that daughter, to switch allegiance to Yan?"
"If we don’t try, how would we know?" The Princess Consort’s hand began to move further inward.
But Zheng Fan reached out and stopped it.
Thanks to doing needlework with Siniang every day, Zheng Fan’s resistance in this aspect was quite good. Especially at a time , it was hardly an appropriate moment to be overcome by lust.