The next day, Prince Ying and his wife entered the palace to pay their respects. Noble Consort Rong dismissed everyone else, keeping only the two of them behind to talk.
"I heard that the officials from the Ministry of Rites visited yesterday. Do you plan to have the princess of Shuobei Kingdom stay in the Ningshuang Courtyard?"
Prince Ying and his wife both froze, not expecting her to ask about this matter.
The empty bedchamber inexplicably induced a sense of panic.
Princess Consort Ying nervously clutched her skirt, remaining utterly silent in hopes that Xiao Rongyan would answer.
Xiao Rongyan, whose resentment had yet to fade, had no scruples in front of Noble Consort Rong and immediately began to complain.
"I do not want to marry her at all. Even looking at her for one more second annoys me."
Hearing him say this, Noble Consort Rong's face instantly darkened.
She opened her rouged lips and immediately began to scold him.
"You bastard! No matter how reluctant you are, she is still the princess sent by Shuobei Kingdom for a political marriage. If people find out that you are mistreating her, imagine the gossip it will cause. Your imperial father alone would not spare you."
Xiao Rongyan raised his voice in dissatisfaction: "A woman must obey her husband after marriage. Once she enters my manor, she is my secondary consort. Shuobei Kingdom is separated from us by thousands of mountains and rivers, and Prince Chu'an's daughter is not even a true princess. Who would still care about her?"
Noble Consort Rong let out a heavy, cold snort, frustrated by his failure to meet her expectations.
"Whether she is a commandery princess or an imperial princess, He Shuwan came for a political marriage and represents Shuobei Kingdom. The Emperor does not want to go to war with Shuobei. You absolutely must not give anyone cause for gossip, otherwise Prince Qi's fate today will be your fate tomorrow."
Princess Consort Ying drew her knees together, gradually feeling a bit cold.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Rongyan began to argue back: "Shuobei Kingdom has killed so many of our soldiers. If I treat He Shuwan too well, the military officials in the court will definitely say that I am pandering to foreigners for glory and am weak and easily bullied. When that happens, who will stand on my side?"
Noble Consort Rong shot a cold glance at Princess Consort Ying. "The affairs of the princely manor are complex. Since Prince Ying is here, you may go back first."
She had originally intended to instruct them separately, but who would have thought they would come together.
Her presence was truly somewhat of an obstacle; many things were inconvenient to say.
Princess Consort Ying first glanced at Xiao Rongyan. Seeing him remain silent in tacit agreement, she had no choice but to rise and take her leave.
The moment the doors of the hall closed, Noble Consort Rong immediately stood up, walked over to Xiao Rongyan, and tapped him with her index finger.
"Without the support of the courtiers, how have you become increasingly stupid, like a headless fly!"
"Right now, none of the courtiers are taking sides; they are just waiting for the seven princes in the palace to grow up. The attitudes of those military officials are completely unimportant now. They will not help you anyway."
As if his tail had been stepped on, Xiao Rongyan stood up angrily and flared up at Noble Consort Rong, his face turning red.
"According to what Imperial Mother says, I should just wait for my seven younger brothers to grow up and do nothing. When that time comes, what will the throne have to do with me?"
Having her exquisite makeup sprayed with saliva, Noble Consort Rong closed her eyes, feeling completely drained of energy.
She tempered her anger and spoke slowly: "How can you still not understand at this point? The Emperor does not favor you and Prince Qi that much, otherwise he would not have gone to the trouble of having so many sons."
"Not to mention arranging adoptive mothers of noble status for them, especially the Fifth Prince raised by the Empress. When he grows up, your chances of winning will only become smaller and smaller."
Xiao Rongyan clenched his fists. He wanted to speak but had nothing to say, so he could only sulk in silence.
Seeing him in this state, Noble Consort Rong also felt a pang of heartache.
She reached out and pressed on Xiao Rongyan's shoulders to make him sit down, then stared into his eyes with a serious expression and said: "Marrying the princess of Shuobei Kingdom is beneficial to you."
"First, it will make the common people feel that this peace was bought by your marriage to the princess, allowing you to win over the hearts of the people."
When she reached the second point, Noble Consort Rong's voice noticeably dropped, becoming as soft as a mosquito's buzz, almost inaudible.
"Second, you can use the power of Shuobei Kingdom to help you obtain the throne. If no one in the court will help you, you must find others to help you."
Xiao Rongyan's pupils suddenly shrank, staring at Noble Consort Rong in disbelief.
"You want me to collude with a foreign country? This is the grave crime of treason!"
Noble Consort Rong put on a stern face and said: "I told you to use them, not to commit treason."
Xiao Rongyan's teeth chattered, and his lips trembled continuously.
"What is the difference? If I want them to help me, I have to pay a price. This is inviting a wolf into the house."
Noble Consort Rong spoke with righteous indignation, as if she never felt she was in the wrong at all.
"Those who achieve great things do not bother about trifles. This is exactly how your imperial father obtained his throne. Back then, if he had not leaked military intelligence to Shuobei Kingdom, causing Marquis Wuying to be defeated in battle, the person sitting on the throne today would not be Xiao Chengjing."
"So what if it is inviting a wolf into the house? Whether it is wealth or territory, as long as you can become the Emperor, just give them some. Have you never learned to endure present hardships for future ambitions? At worst, you can just take it back later."
Xiao Rongyan stared blankly at his mother, even his breathing coming to a halt.
Imperial Father's throne was obtained like this?
At this moment, his mind was buzzing, as if a kettle had exploded.
