The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 101 The Spring Breeze Should Have a Pity for the Flowers

Cao Yin's arrival in the capital to marry his daughter into the Yuqing Palace brought great excitement to the entire Cao family.

The Cao family was originally a prominent family within the Imperial Household Department. Not only did they have many relatives in the department, but their daughter also married into the Yuqing Palace as a concubine, which made countless people envious.

Although the concubine was not the crown princess, her rank was not low.

Furthermore, once His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the status of the concubines will naturally rise accordingly.

Therefore, whether they were old relatives or new acquaintances with whom they only had nodding acquaintances, they all flocked to the place.

The purpose, of course, was to make the newly appointed Crown Prince's concubine remember her.

Compared to the Cao family, the Nian family seemed much quieter.

Although Nian Xinyue also entered Yuqing Palace, her rank was only Beauty, which was incomparable to that of the Cao family's concubine.

Naturally, fewer people came to offer their congratulations.

Even when he was serving as governor, Nian Xialing only sent a letter back, instructing his daughter to be careful and discreet while in Yuqing Palace.

Faced with this situation, Nian Xinyue felt mostly reluctant to leave home.

As for the rest, she didn't pay much attention to it.

However, the young and impetuous Nian Gengyao harbored a deep resentment.

I felt that my sister was beautiful enough to be a concubine, so why was she only given the title of Beauty?

If he could make the decision, he wouldn't even want his sister to marry into Yuqing Palace.

Unfortunately, he couldn't make the decision, so preparations for Nian Xinyue's entry into the palace continued.

"Second Master, there are guests at the door." As the time for his sister to enter the palace drew near, Nian Gengyao spent his days at home dealing with the relatives and friends who came to visit.

However, because Nian Xinyue was only a beauty, not many people came to her door.

As the day drew near, all those who were supposed to come had already arrived, leaving Nian Gengyao with nothing to do.

"Who is the guest?" Nian Gengyao asked, putting down the book he was reading.

The person who came to report said, "They say they are relatives of our family, but they won't say so."

Nian Gengyao assumed they were trying to freeload, so he prepared to have them kicked out.

But just as he was about to make the arrangements, he heard the gatekeeper say, "However, the person accompanying him is the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's family."

The Zhenguo Gong family and the Nian family have a long history. Before Nian Xialing became successful, he followed the former Zhenguo Gong.

Therefore, the two companies still maintain contact.

Although the Nian family was beginning to prosper, it was still far inferior to the Guo family, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Nian Gengyao also had some connections with the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Although he felt that this second young master, who was only two years older than him, was not very capable, he was a renowned second-class bodyguard.

Once appointed to a post outside the capital, one would be a third-rank official.

But now, he is merely a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

Although he felt that with his abilities, he could easily pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), a Jinshi could only become a sixth-rank official at most.

Most of them were seventh-rank officials.

Although it's unclear why the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo came, anyone who could get him to accompany them must be no ordinary person.

Nian Gengyao was a smart man. After assessing the situation, he quickly went out to greet them.

However, when he saw who it was, his expression changed.

He knew this person because he had run into him while accompanying his sister shopping.

He couldn't guess the man's identity, but he knew that this guy must be someone of high status.

Even his cousin, Nian Dongliang, reported the matter to him, and when he asked about the person's identity, his cousin gave him vague answers.

What Nian Gengyao remembered most clearly about this person was one of his sentences: "You have a good brother-in-law."

That's outrageous! The way he said it makes it sound like Nian Gengyao was someone who climbed the social ladder through connections.

Why is this person here again?
He had his doubts, but the man was already in front of him, and he couldn't back down. So he quickly cupped his hands towards the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo and said, "Brother Guo, it is an honor to have you here. I am truly sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

When Guo Luoyun saw Nian Gengyao bowing to him, he quickly stepped aside and said in a deep voice, "Master, this is Nian Gengyao, the second young master of the Nian family."

Nian Gengyao was a smart man, and his expression changed immediately upon hearing Guo Luoyun's words.

Because Guo Luoyun's father was the Duke of Zhenguo, and he was a second-class bodyguard, the person he could call his master was at least a prince.

Or perhaps a prince.

And the person who came to their house at this time, saying that he had a good brother-in-law...

Just as Nian Gengyao was filled with shock, Shen Ye had already come to his side, patted his shoulder with the folding fan in his hand and said, "Little Nian, I told you you have a good brother-in-law, don't you think I'm right?"

Looking at Shen Ye's confident and certain demeanor, Nian Gengyao had already guessed Shen Ye's identity, but he dared not call it out, for fear of making a mistake.

After all, if this goes wrong, it could be a huge problem.

"Nian Gengyao, why aren't you paying your respects to the Crown Prince!" Guo Luoyun, who knew Nian Gengyao, said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this reminder, Nian Gengyao breathed a sigh of relief and immediately knelt down solemnly, saying, "Student Nian Gengyao greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Nian Gengyao is now a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), so he can refer to himself as a student.

Shen Ye looked at Nian Gengyao kneeling on the ground and smiled, saying, "Get up, you're not an outsider."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Although Nian Gengyao was young, he was no ordinary person and quickly regained his composure.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "When I left the palace last time, I wanted to pay my respects to the old lady, but I was tied up with other matters and was unable to do so."

"Is it convenient for the old lady to receive guests today?"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's question, Nian Gengyao immediately understood.

The Crown Prince came here specifically to see his mother.

According to etiquette, when the crown prince takes a concubine into the palace, he does not need to pay attention to the elders in the concubine's family.

However, the Crown Prince came to see his mother in person, which not only gave face to his family but also showed how much he valued his sister.

In an instant, the slight resentment that Nian Gengyao had harbored vanished completely.

"Yes, I will go and invite my mother to pay her respects to the Crown Prince."

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "I came here to pay my respects to the old lady. Xiao Nian, please ask her if she is available to receive guests now."

Although Nian Gengyao felt it was somewhat impolite, Shen Ye's instructions still excited him so much that he sent someone to inquire.

Then, everything fell into place as if by magic.

The Crown Prince not only paid his respects to the old lady, but also had a meal at the Nian family's house, which shows that he gave the Nian family a lot of face.

This meal put the old lady at ease, who had been worried about her daughter entering the palace. As for Nian Xinyue, although she did not go to see the Crown Prince in person, her face was full of shyness and smiles.

For Shen Ye, going to the Nian family this time was just a convenient thing to do.

His observation of the government affairs at the Daxing County government office continued, but the time he spent there was getting shorter and shorter.

Since Nian Xinyue is going to enter the palace the day after tomorrow, Shen Ye thought about visiting her family last year.

After all, you've already taken away someone else's daughter who's been raised for over a decade; this is a small matter of courtesy.

Shen Ye felt very relaxed during the meal at the Nian family's house because the conversation only consisted of everyday family matters, without any worries.

But before he could return to Yuqing Palace, trouble came. Emperor Qianxi ordered the three judicial departments to jointly try Jin Fu, who had just arrived in the capital, and asked him to attend the trial.

He's finally here!
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(End of this chapter)