The sky in the capital changed again. Several officials who were the most enthusiastic in shouting for the establishment of a crown prince when Emperor Longqing was in a coma all ended up in a miserable way. They were either caught for bribery or their family members got into trouble and were thrown into the imperial prison one by one.
People from the Jinyiwei and the Wucheng Bingmasi could be seen on the streets at all times.
In this atmosphere, everyone in the capital seemed to have returned to the time when the imperial mausoleum was shaken two years ago, and everyone cowered and behaved themselves.
The homes of the few ministers who were not affected were always crowded with guests every day. Those who had connections and could go in to ask for news could not wait to go in, while those who could not go in would wish they could stick to the concierge and persuade them to accept their gifts.
The number of visitors to the Marquis of Ping'an's Mansion was half the number before. Since the Marquis of Ping'an's wife had a lot more free time than before, she simply decided to prepare a banquet and invite the Marquis of Dingbei's Mansion and several close friends to have dinner.
After discussing the dishes with several daughters-in-law, Ping An Hou was almost back, so she asked the daughters-in-law to leave, and pulled Ping An Hou aside, frowning and asking: "Marquis, have you really thought it through? We didn't surrender to King Linjiang before... .. This time, there is no turning back."
This was not an ordinary meal. In fact, they all knew in their hearts that this was just a red line for the alliance between the two parties.
Ping An Hou took off his coat and rubbed his hands in front of the fumigation cage. When the cold air had dissipated a little, he looked at the wife of Ping An Hou in front of him and nodded lightly: "I just told you yesterday that Shen Chen is going to be very successful this time - he really fought hard for His Majesty. His Majesty has always thought he was reliable, and after this, he feels that Shen Chen is loyal... ... These are not important..." He coughed and lowered his voice: "But... the most important thing is that the Sixth Prince is too young."
The wife of the Marquis of Ping'an knew this, and she looked reluctant. She sighed and said, "The adults did evil, and the children also suffered. The prince is so young, what does he know?"
When the Crown Prince was in the presence of the Fourth Prince, he was also very much loved by Emperor Longqing.
Moreover, after so long, the teachers had never said anything wrong about him except that he was a little playful, which showed that he was a good child. It was a pity that Concubine Peng De destroyed her own Great Wall and implicated her child.
After all, Concubine Peng De wanted to kill Emperor Longqing, and the prince was born to Concubine Peng De. Even if Emperor Longqing did not do anything to the prince out of the father-son relationship, it was obviously impossible for him to support the prince wholeheartedly.
It is more likely that Emperor Longqing will place his hopes on the Sixth Prince.
But the Sixth Prince was too young, and what was even more serious this time was that he was in poor health.
The imperial physician said that he might even have difficulty walking in the future.
I have difficulty walking!
Although it was only a possibility, did the imperial physician not want to die? Didn't he know what to say and what not to say? If this possibility was not unavoidable, they would never say so much.
Now that it was said, the court officials had to consider whether the Sixth Prince’s body could handle the heavy responsibility.
Emperor Longqing would certainly have thought of this himself.
When Ping Anhou thought of this, his expression became even more solemn, and he warned his wife, "Okay, these things are not something we can talk about... How can we be sure of these things?"
The wife of the Marquis of Ping An took her own heater and put it in his hand. She responded and said, "I know that, but... I can't help but feel nervous."
After all, the situation is unstable and everyone is worried.
In the past, Ping An Hou adhered to the principle of never getting involved in any party disputes, for fear of accidents. Now that he suddenly has to pay a visit to the boss, he is more or less uneasy.
"I know you're worried, but even if we don't pay homage to this pier, our situation won't necessarily be better. This is the second time we've owed Linjiang Palace two favors. Once is fine, but twice. If something really goes wrong, will Linjiang Palace be a kindhearted man who would just ignore our favor? Instead of being passively ordered around, it's better to be proactive. At least we can still end up..."
No other words were said, but Lady Ping'an Hou understood. She let out a deep breath and then said "hmm".
No one spoke in the room for a while. After a long while, Ping An Hou felt that it was not so cold anymore, so he called out to Ping An Hou's wife: "By the way, I heard that Master Wei Wu will also be returning to the capital soon. Their Master Wu... seems to have not yet married a concubine?"
Everyone knew that the Fifth Master had a falling out with his family in the beginning. The wife of Marquis Ping'an nodded and said, "That's right. He had a big fight with Princess Changning, but they still couldn't live in harmony in the end. Now that the Fifth Master Wei is only in his thirties, he must marry someone new. I just haven't heard the Wei family mention it before."
I’m afraid it’s not that it hasn’t been mentioned before, but that we haven’t found a good candidate before.
Ping An Hou smiled and said, "You know a lot of people in the capital, why don't you look for one for me? In their family, Wei hasn't married yet, so how can they let others take care of the marriage? There's also the other children... It's always more convenient to have a mistress, and you have a good relationship with Old Madam Wei, so if you take the initiative to ask her, she will definitely agree to your request..."
In order to maintain a good relationship with the Wei family, he even thought of such a thing. Lady Ping'an looked at him and wanted to laugh. She sighed and said, "Look at what you said, as if it's that easy to find someone. First of all, the status must be worthy of the right one, and then you have to be able to bear having a daughter as smart as Princess Shouning. After giving birth, the child has to be ranked behind the original wife's daughter. How can it be so easy? You can think of it."
"If it were easy, this favor wouldn't be so easy to do." Ping An Hou disagreed: "I am also preparing for a rainy day. Wei An will marry Shen Chen in the future, and Shen Chen is the most beloved godson of King Linjiang. He truly treats Shen Chen as his son. If we have a good relationship with the Wei family, it will be an extra layer of protection in the future, right?"
These words were spoken from the bottom of her heart. The wife of Ping An Hou was silent for a moment before nodding: "You are right. I understand."
Ping An Hou nodded: "I think His Majesty's vigilance against the Wei family has been eliminated now. Even if it hasn't been eliminated, he won't care about the Wei family. Just make friends with the old lady and don't worry too much."
After all, there is a friendship between them from their childhood, and Lady Ping'an Hou knows Old Madam Wei very well. It is easier for her to please her than to please others. If she goes to find a daughter-in-law for Old Madam Wei, maybe she will find one that suits her taste.
The wife of Marquis Ping'an thought for a moment, understood what Marquis Ping'an meant, and solemnly agreed.