Originally, Xiao Heng was planning to leave after saying these words. After all, although Concubine Pang was the concubine of Emperor Yuanfeng and also Xiao Heng's step-grandmother, they were not very close after all. However, just as he was about to leave, the Fifth Prince arrived.
The Fifth Prince and Xiao Heng had a very good relationship. Now that he saw Xiao Heng coming back, he was extremely happy. He went straight up to Xiao Heng and punched him: "You kid! You're finally back! Your fifth uncle must have been worried sick!"
... ...
Xiao Heng felt helpless.
He and the Fifth Prince are about the same age, but the Fifth Prince always takes advantage of his seniority by acting like an elder and taking advantage of him.
The matter between the fifth uncle and his nephew cannot be overcome and has to be brought up every once in a while.
But he was also happy to see the Fifth Prince, so he smiled and called him "Fifth Uncle".
This time he shouted very happily, and the Fifth Prince was also very happy. He felt that he had finally fulfilled his desire to be an elder and suppress Xiao Heng, so he pretended to be deep and hummed, and then asked: "You are not injured? There are no eyes on the battlefield, and you are used to being the first one to rush to the front."
The two of them could actually chat together, and Concubine Pang watched with some emotion in her heart.
I feel a little relieved, but also a little lost.
She had always taught her son to keep his mind right and to be an upright person. Now it seemed that the Fifth Prince's mind was truly pure and he really had no intention of coveting the throne at all.
After Xiao Heng left, seeing that the Fifth Prince was still talking about Xiao Heng with great relish, Concubine Pang suddenly asked him, "Son, aren't you sad at all?"
She knew that she shouldn't ask this question. She had been able to restrain herself in the past, so why not now
What is the situation now? Xiao Heng has returned victorious from pacifying Yunnan, Xiao Heng now has the upper hand, and Emperor Yuanfeng has already tacitly accepted Xiao Heng's position as the crown prince.
We didn't argue about it before, so there's no benefit in talking about it now.
If the Fifth Prince's intentions were aroused, it would be even more of a loss than gain. After all, does the Pang family really want to bet everything on a possibility that is unlikely to succeed
Concubine Pang felt a little regretful, but at the same time she was secretly alert, she would actually lose her composure like this!
The Fifth Prince, on the other hand, looked at Concubine Pang strangely and asked, "Why are you so sad?"
Concubine Pang shook her head hastily: "Nothing, just asking casually."
The fifth prince laughed: "Even if mother doesn't say it, I know it. You want to ask, seeing how prosperous Ah Heng is now, on the day when he went to the Taimiao to worship his ancestors, probably all the ministers knew that he would be the new emperor in the future, do I really not mind?"
Concubine Pang originally wanted to gloss over it, but seeing how frankly the Fifth Prince spoke, she couldn't help but stare at her son and hum, "Are you serious? Aren't you unwilling at all?"
The fifth prince sat opposite Concubine Pang, reached out and took an orange from the round table, weighed it in his hand, lowered his eyes and said calmly: "I am not unwilling, because my mother taught me since I was a child that I should not take things that do not belong to me. The position of the crown prince originally belonged to my eldest brother. After my eldest brother was vindicated, even if Ah Heng is not so outstanding, he is still the crown prince in name only. There is nothing to be unwilling about. If my fourth brother ascends to that position, my son may really be unwilling and want to grab it. After all, no matter his background or achievements, there is nothing convincing about my fourth brother."
Now that the words have been spoken, the Fifth Prince is also very direct: "Mother, I can guess what you are thinking now. Not only you, but also grandfather and uncle, I can guess what they are thinking now. It's nothing more than thinking that if it is me who has this honor today, you will naturally follow suit. But mother, it's too late. Unless uncle intends to be a treacherous minister and bet the entire Pang family on me, but is it necessary? Moreover, my son is really not that kind of material, and I have no confidence that I can do better and better than Ah Heng. In this case, I will be at ease, and my father will naturally make plans for me. Ah Heng also knows what is going on. This is the safest way."
Concubine Pang was somewhat shocked.
In her heart, the Fifth Prince has always been an obedient child who lacks his own opinions.
But it turned out that it was not the case. It turned out that he knew everything in his heart and could even see it so clearly.
And be able to analyze gains and losses so rationally.
Everyone understands the principle, but only a few people can actually do it, except the Fifth Prince.
Concubine Pang felt a sudden sense of regret.
She was too cautious. She shouldn't have been avoiding him and asking the Fifth Prince to hide his incompetence long before Xiao Heng showed up. If...
However, she also knew in her heart that the Fifth Prince was right. There were no ifs and everything was too late.
She suppressed the regret in her heart, took a deep breath and laughed: "Yes, you see it better than mother. I am satisfied that you can understand it."
The fifth prince chuckled. "By the way, mother can also use my palm to choose a candidate for me. I don't want to marry a princess who doesn't suit my taste. After all, it's okay if she's a little stupid, but I'm afraid she's too ambitious."
Concubine Pang responded in a serious tone: "Don't worry, mother will help you choose one that suits your taste."
In the evening, when Emperor Yuanfeng came over, Concubine Pang couldn't help but bring up the matter of selecting a concubine.
Emperor Yuanfeng was a little surprised: "Didn't you always say there was no rush before?"
Concubine Pang chuckled, "I wasn't in a hurry before because I really wasn't. But now, Ah Heng is back, so you have to pick a Crown Princess for him as soon as possible. If that's the case, then Xiao Wu is his uncle. If he doesn't get married, won't he have to stand in the way of Ah Heng? How can this be done?"
In fact, when Xiao Heng left, the Ministry of Rites had already begun to select candidates for the princes of appropriate age, but Emperor Yuanfeng never mentioned it again, so the candidates they had suggested were naturally shelved.
Now that Concubine Pang mentioned it, Emperor Yuanfeng patted the back of her hand and said, "Okay, then choose carefully and pick a good girl for Xiaowu. Xiaowu is a good child, don't let your wife bully him."
Concubine Pang just smiled.
Then he asked, "Why don't you pick one for Heng as well?"
Emperor Yuanfeng also smiled: "That's not necessary. I have a candidate in mind. I will just pick one for Xiaowu, Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi."
Sure enough, Concubine Pang understood the situation and agreed.
At this time, Su Rong had also returned home.
It was already late at night, and there was a servant waiting in front of the Bo's house. When he saw the horse coming, he rushed in to report the news.
Li Rui quickly came out with his men and hurriedly saluted Su Rong.
Su Rong smiled. Now that he was back home, he saw that everyone in the family was very friendly, so he immediately asked Li Rui to get up.