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"Has the Crown Prince gone to the Bu residence?" Xiao Huayong had barely left when Xiao Changmin received the news. He asked the subordinate who came to report, "Who did he bring with him?"
"Your Highness, he only brought one eunuch and one guard," the subordinate replied respectfully.
Xiao Changmin fell into thoughtful silence for a moment before instructing, "Go and invite General Yu to come see me."
Though the Pingyao Marquis title was gone, Yu Xiang remained the general of the Capital Guards.
The subordinate acknowledged the order and was about to withdraw when Xiao Changmin called out, "Wait, have General Yu bring Second Miss Yu with him."
Last time, when they abandoned the minor to protect the major and withdrew in time, it was Yu Sangning who informed Yu Xiang, and Yu Xiang then persuaded Xiao Changmin. But Yu Xiang didn't claim credit for himself; hoping his daughter would be held in higher regard by Xiao Changmin in the future, he told Xiao Changmin the whole story.
After they avoided the subsequent turmoil, most events unfolded as Yu Sangning had predicted. Xiao Changmin indeed greatly admired Yu Sangning. The Xiao family's men didn't look down upon women with self-righteous arrogance—not to mention the heroines of the past, wasn't there one in the Eastern Palace not long ago?
Therefore, he was willing to treat Yu Sangning as an advisor. Since they would be married soon and Yu Sangning possessed such talent, why shouldn't he give her more opportunities?
The Zhao Wang residence in the Sixteen Princes' Mansions was draped with red silk, signaling the approaching grand wedding. As Yu Sangning and Xiao Changmin were engaged to be married, with less than a month until their wedding day, Yu Xiang still had Yu Sangning disguise herself as a page and come with him to the prince's residence.
"Your Highness." Father and daughter both paid their respects.
Xiao Changmin quickly made a gesture to stop them from bowing: "General, no need for such formality. We will soon be family."
As he spoke, he gave his trusted aide a meaningful look, signaling him to dismiss all the servants. Once the door was closed, only the three of them remained in the room.
Yu Xiang's expression turned serious: "Your Highness, if there is any important matter, please just give the order."
Xiao Changmin smiled gently: "General, you worry too much. I have no task that requires troubling you. Rather, there is something I wish to discuss with someone. Since you and Second Miss Yu will soon share the same fate as me, that's why I invited you both here. Please, General and Second Miss, have a seat."
With that, Xiao Changmin ushered them to the round wooden table where tea, dried fruits, and pastries were already set out. When Xiao Changmin moved to pour tea himself, Yu Sangning stepped in first: "Considering rank and age, it should be my duty."
Xiao Changmin didn't argue with her but gave her a slight smile before politely turning to Yu Xiang: "General, I've received news that Worldly Son Bu is actually a woman."
Not only was Yu Xiang shocked, but even Yu Sangning's hand trembled. Fortunately, she had excellent self-control and didn't spill the tea. She quickly composed herself and handed the first cup of tea to Xiao Changmin.
Impressed by her quick recovery, Xiao Changmin gave her an appreciative glance and accepted the teacup with both hands.
"Your Highness, this matter is of grave importance. Is the source reliable?" Yu Xiang also quickly regained his composure and asked with a solemn expression.
"The source is trustworthy—this person would never deceive me. However... he's only about seventy to eighty percent certain about Worldly Son Bu being a woman; he can't be completely sure." Of course, Xiao Changmin wouldn't reveal his source from the brothel to Yu Xiang. "I've also secretly sent people to investigate Worldly Son Bu these past days, but we've found nothing conclusive."
"If Worldly Son Bu truly is a woman, having grown up under Your Majesty's watch all these years, it would be impossible to keep such a secret so well hidden," Yu Xiang still found it hard to believe.If this were true, wouldn't Your Majesty faint from anger upon learning of it?
Moreover, not only Your Majesty, but even they had never doubted Bu Shulin's identity. Bu Shulin spent her days in the company of frivolous young nobles, either cockfighting and catching birds or staying in pleasure houses drinking flower wine. To claim she was a woman was truly... hard to believe.
"General, Your Majesty originally intended to bestow Third Sister in marriage to Worldly Son Bu. Unexpectedly, Worldly Son Bu became entangled with Cui Shaoqing. Rumors spread like wildfire, and Third Sister was unwilling, so the matter was dropped," said Xiao Changmin. "Worldly Son Bu is the only heir of the Shu Southern Royal Manor. Not only does she show no urgency about marriage herself, but the Prince of Shunan remains completely unmoved as well. This is truly unreasonable."
Even if Bu Shulin remained in the capital, unwilling to be burdened with family responsibilities and reluctant to have her marriage controlled by Your Majesty, any truly resilient and capable man wouldn't fear following Your Majesty's wishes to form a marital alliance. Unless he already had someone in his heart, such persistent refusal of marriage arrangements was truly inexplicable.
"In that case, why doesn't Your Highness have Your Majesty arrange another marriage for Worldly Son Bu?" Yu Sangning suddenly spoke up.
Xiao Changmin and Yu Xiang both turned to look at her.
Yu Sangning showed no embarrassment, maintaining her composure: "Why is Your Highness so concerned about whether Worldly Son Bu is actually a woman?"
Xiao Changmin hadn't expected such a question. Upon careful consideration, exposing Bu Shulin as a woman didn't seem to offer much merit or benefit.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Changmin said, "This humble prince suspects Cui Shaoqing has long known that Worldly Son Bu is a woman. Since Worldly Son Bu has always been closely associated with the Crown Princess, it's unlikely the Crown Princess is unaware. If handled properly..."
The rest needed no explanation - both the Cui family and the Eastern Palace would face disaster.
Upon hearing this involved Shen Xihe, Yu Sangning's heart skipped a beat. Suppressing that inexplicable sense of fear, she said, "Your Highness, regardless of whether Worldly Son Bu is truly a woman, and regardless of whether the Crown Princess and Cui Shaoqing are aware, this shouldn't be something Your Highness handles."
In Yu Sangning's view, this was a thankless task. At best, exposing the truth would only eliminate the Bu family for Your Majesty. To actually implicate the Crown Princess or even the currently leading Cui family among noble houses would be difficult, yet would instantly offend both the Shen and Cui families.
"Second Miss Yu has forgotten that among all the princes, this humble prince is the eldest," Xiao Changmin reminded.
Yu Sangning had long known that Xiao Changmin was unwilling to remain subordinate to others, but she hadn't expected him to state it so directly to her.
He wanted to use this to overthrow the Eastern Palace, thereby accumulating achievements, ideally enabling him to directly take control of the Eastern Palace.
Yu Xiang also hadn't expected Xiao Changmin to be so bold. As Your Majesty's man, wasn't Xiao Changmin afraid he would report this to Your Majesty?
Silence filled the room, with only the lingering fragrance of tea.
After a while, Yu Sangning lowered her eyes: "Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but this is not the best time for Your Highness to take action."
Xiao Changmin's gaze deepened.
Yu Xiang stared at his daughter - how could she speak so boldly like this?
Yu Sangning had thought for a long time but didn't retreat. She clearly understood that Xiao Changmin still held feelings for his former princess consort while also harboring deep affections for someone else in his heart. She had never expected to discuss those elusive romantic notions with Xiao Changmin.
Since that was the case, she would use another method to become indispensable to Xiao Changmin.
"Setting aside whether what Your Highness envisions can succeed, and not mentioning the Crown Princess's strategic prowess, even if everything proceeds as Your Highness wishes, could Your Highness securely maintain the position in the Eastern Palace?" Yu Sangning took a deep breath and boldly countered, testing Xiao Changmin's limits."Insolence!" Yu Xiang shouted loudly. "You..."
His reprimanding words were cut off as Xiao Changmin raised his hand: "Continue." To facilitate your next reading, you can click the "Bookmark" below to record this reading session (Chapter 685: Can Your Highness Sit Firmly on the Eastern Palace Throne?), and you'll see it when you open your bookshelf next time!
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