sbdcsierra Chapter 501 Testing each other
Chapter 501 Testing each other
At least we have figured out the identities of these people.
And the internal affairs news of Yelan Kingdom.
The prince's name is Su Yu. He is the son of the late queen and the eldest princess Su Tang. The late queen died when Su Yu was three years old. There are many different opinions as to how she died. Even the spies sent into the Ye Lan Kingdom could not get the real news. After all, this is a royal secret that must be concealed and will not be easily known to others.
Some say he died of illness, others say he was killed by the imperial concubine. As for how he really died, probably only the Emperor of Yelan Kingdom knows.
The one who sits on the throne of the queen now is the imperial concubine who was rumored to have killed the queen. After all, it was her profit, so it is not surprising that there are such rumors. Moreover, this imperial concubine also has two sons, the second prince and the third prince. The imperial concubine's second prince also has the intention of competing for the throne.
Because of the imperial concubine, the second prince is more favored by the old emperor.
However, apart from the second prince, the old emperor's favorite is the eldest princess Su Tang in front of them. She is the first child of the queen and the old emperor. She has been smart and beautiful since she was a child. Moreover, when Su Tang was born, the old emperor and the queen were very affectionate, so Su Tang was the most favored. Even when the old emperor favored the imperial concubine later, he doted on Su Tang as much, and even personally taught Su Tang how to handle some internal affairs. Many ministers in the court also had contacts with Su Tang. The old emperor knew all this, but he never reprimanded her, and even supported her.
The most important reason why the old emperor likes Su Tang is that Su Tang's temperament is most like hers, and even the ruthless methods he uses to deal with things are like those of the old emperor when he was young. Otherwise, Su Tang is just a princess without a mother to support her, and the old emperor has so many children, so why would he only favor her?
Mainly because this child is most like him, so he dotes on him very much. If Su Tang was a boy, the old emperor's throne would still be undecided even if there was a crown prince, so he could just give it to Su Tang directly.
The old emperor had quite a few sons, but none of them particularly satisfied him. Although the crown prince was a man of both literary and military talent, he was too indecisive and a little timid, which was a taboo for an emperor. As for the second prince, he was bold, but he was too cruel and ruthless. Once he came to power, he would probably eliminate dissidents. As for the third and fourth princes, they were simply mediocre. They could eat, drink and have fun, but they had no ability to be emperor.
As for the remaining three princes, they are still young and their personalities are not yet determined.
Therefore, the emperor was most satisfied with Su Tang.
Su Tang and the prince are born of the same mother, and Su Tang supports the prince. Even if they are not born of the same mother, Su Tang still prefers the prince among his brothers. Although the prince is indecisive and timid, it is better than a cruel and ruthless emperor taking the throne. This is not a blessing for the Yelan Kingdom.
Su Tang helped select Su Yu's Crown Princess. She was the granddaughter of the Crown Prince's teacher and tutor since childhood. She was well-known in Yelan Elementary School and could help the Crown Prince in some way. This time, he brought the Crown Princess out to let her broaden her horizons.
As for the two ministers who came with him, the Prime Minister was actually more inclined to support the Second Prince to ascend the throne. As for General Huo, Su Tang and the Prince's cousin from his mother's family naturally supported the Prince. Moreover, General Huo was invincible at a young age and commanded a large army. With the support of Su Tang, he rose step by step in the court and became a rising star of the new generation. Although it was only a matter of time for General Huo to climb to his current position with his ability, having the support of the eldest princess made it a little smoother. After all, military generals focused on fighting and seldom participated in activities in the court, so their promotion was extremely slow.
If you want to be promoted quickly, you need someone in the court.
The reason why Su Tang supported General Huo was also for future plans. Their mother's family had been declining and there were not many available people. It was necessary to support rising talents, preferably military generals with heavy troops. In this way, those who controlled half of the country's military power would have more say. What's more, the old emperor attached great importance to military generals. As for civil officials, she stayed in the imperial capital all day and would definitely have some contacts with them.
Given Su Yu's weak character, the only reason she wasn't pulled down by the Second Prince's gang was thanks to Su Tang's support behind the scenes.
In the hall, Xie Ci'an remained silent, but the Minister of the Central Secretariat exchanged pleasantries with him, "The Crown Prince and Princess must have been exhausted on this journey. I offer you a toast."
The words of the Minister of the Central Secretariat now also represent the emperor.
Now both sides are testing each other.
"Mr. Zhongshu, you are too polite. We should be the ones toasting you. We came here because of your reputation, but you prepared such a sumptuous welcoming banquet. We feel guilty about it." Su Tang raised his wine glass and gestured to the Mr. Zhongshu, then they drank together.
After Su Tang put down the wine glass, the palace maid standing behind him naturally came forward to pour wine.
Su Tang's eyes fell on the emperor and the empress. Su Tang naturally noticed that the iris embroidered on the emperor's cuffs was exactly the same as the dress worn by the empress. When they first entered the territory of Jin State, they had heard about how loving the emperor and the empress were. When they saw it today, it was indeed true.
"I heard that the Queen is pregnant. I don't have anything good to give her, so I specially prepared a few pieces of floating brocade for her, and two gold lockets, which are for the child in her belly. The gold lockets are not valuable, but they are valuable because they were obtained from Huancui Mountain. They can pray for blessings and protect the child from pain and disaster. I hope the Queen can accept them." Su Tang said as he clapped his hands outside.
Two Yelan Kingdom guards entered with a wooden box.
The guards placed the wooden box in the middle of the hall, and only opened it after the princess nodded.
Placed inside are four pieces of floating brocade.
Su Tang stepped forward and took out the Floating Light Brocade. He tore off a piece and shook it in the air. The Floating Light Brocade was as thin as silk and shimmered as if moonlight had fallen on it. It was so thin that one could only make out the lines on his hand. "This Floating Light Brocade is extremely difficult to weave. Only ten pieces can be produced a year. It is priceless. Many noble ladies would find it difficult to buy it even if they have money. However, although this cloth is precious, it is too transparent to be used for clothing. It is only suitable for embroidery and outerwear. The Empress is beautiful. Wearing this Floating Light Brocade on her will surely make her famous throughout the capital."
When the people present saw the floating brocade displayed by Su Tang, their eyes widened. They had indeed never seen such thin cloth. The best cloth they had used was the Shu brocade that was tributed from Jiangnan, but this Shu brocade was not easy to make and did not have such craftsmanship.
"Princess, you are thoughtful. But how can I accept such precious fabric?" Gu Jianchu tactfully rejected Su Tang's kindness.
"Your Majesty, please accept it with confidence. This is our country's respect for your country's Majesty." Su Tang said it with great respect, but there was no real respect in his words and expression.