Now, the Emperor Qi has been schemed against by his own son and the woman in his bed. It truly fulfills the saying, "Heaven's will is a cycle of retribution!"
Feng Jinyao had thought that once the mole from the second branch was caught, the Qingyan Flower would be completely eradicated from the lands of Great Jin. She never expected it would openly become the sharp blade for the Crown Prince and Empress to bring down Emperor Qi!
The imperial family truly possessed no familial affection. It was either sons scheming against fathers, or fathers guarding against sons.
For that cold, lofty position, no amount of burning blood was too much to pay.
As if sensing Feng Jinyao's attitude, Xiao Tingyi withdrew some of his chilling aura and shifted the topic elsewhere.
"There's already news from Qingzhou. The Sixth Prince and Consort Liu indeed have hidden secrets. Their people have privately hoarded a salt well in Qingzhou. For over twenty years, they've profited immensely from it."
Smuggling salt was more terrifying than smuggling iron.
After all, iron required advanced smelting techniques and skilled blacksmiths to forge weapons. Salt, however, was a necessity for every household.
It was neither conspicuous nor overt, yet it subtly permeated and controlled everything.
This was quite in line with the image the Sixth Prince and Consort Liu had cultivated over the years.
"Furthermore, Wei Shaochen has a master. According to the news sent by your elder brother, it seems he was an old acquaintance of Consort Liu. After Consort Liu entered the palace, she had an opportunity to leave to offer incense. Not long after, she became pregnant, and then, due to fright, the Sixth Prince was born prematurely."
Listening to Xiao Tingyi's words, Feng Jinyao couldn't help but swallow.
"You mean, you suspect the Sixth Prince's lineage?"
"It's hard to say. He doesn't resemble the current Emperor much, does he?"
Feng Jinyao was suddenly speechless. Indeed, many people, upon first seeing the Sixth Prince, wouldn't find him particularly resembling Emperor Qi.
In terms of appearance, the First Prince bore the strongest resemblance, while in personality, he was more akin to the Ninth Prince.
The Sixth Prince had rarely attracted attention in the past, so few people had questioned him.
After Xiao Tingyi's reminder, it did seem somewhat peculiar.
"Then does he not resemble Consort Liu either?"
"About thirty percent. The portrait of that elder hasn't arrived yet. Once it does, we'll know when we see it."
Feng Jinyao nodded. There were simply too many royal secrets. If he truly wasn't of royal blood, it was unclear what kind of bloody storm that would stir up.
"Don't think about it. Just focus on preparing for your wedding. I've already had people find an auspicious date. March 11th of next year is the best day. We'll choose that day, and I want you to become a consort that everyone in the world envies!"
Once Xiao Tingyi decided on something, no one could change it.
Since he had already chosen the date, Feng Jinyao was happy to be a hands-off manager.
However, this was only at the beginning. Everything that followed would require no worry from Feng Jinyao.
In the imperial palace, when the news of Feng Jinyao being betrothed to Prince Ding reached them, the Sixth Prince and Consort Liu were chatting.
With a crack, the teacup in his hand slipped and shattered into several pieces on the floor.
By the time he recovered, Consort Liu had already dismissed the attendants.
"My son, you've lost your composure."
"Mother, please forgive me."
Choosing Feng Jinyao as the primary consort was something they had always intended.
Over the years, the Sixth Prince had intentionally or unintentionally interacted with Feng Jinxu, eventually becoming his close friend. Their next step was to wait for his sister's coming-of-age ceremony, and everything would fall into place.
Unexpectedly, Xu Mingyue appeared halfway. With the First Princess and the Empress personally acting as matchmakers, he and his mother could not refuse.
Thus, they had thought that if they couldn't refuse, they would simply marry the young lady from the Xu family, as she was not bad.
But they never expected that she would get engaged to the Feng family a step ahead. This was simply a heaven-sent opportunity.
Neither the Xu family nor the Feng family were left out.
However, their calculations were elaborate, but useless before Xiao Tingyi.
"If only the Crown Prince hadn't used every trick before the Emperor, Ah Yao would have been mine!"
He no longer concealed anything.
He already harbored some feelings for Feng Jinyao. Being inexplicably intercepted, he was naturally displeased.
His initial three parts of concern had turned into ten parts of dissatisfaction.
Consort Liu was adept at comforting him.
"Don't worry. Prince Ding's health is not good; he might not even last until the wedding. Even if he does marry, once my son ascends the throne, what kind of woman can't he have?"
Abandoning her past gentle and non-contentious demeanor, Consort Liu spoke without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Compared to her, the Sixth Prince's cultivation was far weaker.
"Mother is right. Who else in the harem, besides you, has the foresight and means to use a mere pastry to eliminate Consort Zhen and bring down Noble Consort Wei through the Empress? You should be the mother of the world, the mistress of the harem! When my great undertaking is complete, I will bestow upon you all glory!"
Consort Liu smiled. "Glory or not, I don't care. But don't forget who supports you from behind."
"Mother, rest assured, how could your son abandon his father?"
Hearing this, Consort Liu finally relaxed.
In fact, she and her lover were the first to plan everything. It was only ten years ago that everything was revealed.
Initially, he must have found it unacceptable. But gradually, having witnessed the deceit and intrigue within the imperial city, even the purest heart would be tainted.
Thus, the Sixth Prince gradually embarked on this path.
They only possessed one private salt field. In terms of capability and family influence, they could not compare to the First Prince and the Ninth Prince.
Therefore, lying low, watching the tigers fight, and conserving strength was his best course of action.
This hibernation lasted for a decade!
He had also covertly won over officials in the court.
Even the First Prince and the Ninth Prince, in their mutual suspicion, had not seen through his ambition.
This demonstrated his capabilities.
The mother and son had finally endured until the Wei family fell and the Ninth Prince was defeated. Now, as long as the Crown Prince was also brought down, everything would fall into place.
They had collected quite a few of the Crown Prince's weaknesses over the years, but without absolute necessity, they could not deliver a fatal blow.
They needed to wait for an opportunity.
The now-missing Ninth Prince was that opportunity.
The Ninth Prince faked his death to deceive the Emperor, and his purpose was known to all: to wait for a comeback.
If the Ninth Prince's comeback could be framed onto the Crown Prince, becoming an urgent matter, it was likely that the Crown Prince and his faction would be eradicated even more thoroughly.
With these calculations in mind, they were no longer so fixated on Feng Jinyao being betrothed to Prince Ding.
It was just marriage; this Prince didn't care.
As long as he was the one standing beside her in the end, that was enough.
Feng Jinyao was unaware of the Sixth Prince's terrifying intentions towards her, but Xiao Tingyi perceived them clearly.
For daring to disrespect his Ah Yao in such a manner, the Sixth Prince would face a terrible fate.