The Flirtatious Prince and His Savage Concubine

As soon as he got on the carriage back to the Prince's Mansion, Lu Lingxi couldn't help but speak: "I just met the Eighth Princess. You have so many brothers and sisters? Before, the tutor and father only talked about you and the King of Qi. I thought that the emperor only had you and the King of Qi as sons."

Nan Wangyu said calmly: "They don't mention it, probably because they are taboo."

Lu Lingxi was puzzled: "Taboo, what's there to be taboo about? Can't ordinary people even mention the royal children?"

Nan Wangyu: "That's not what I meant. It's just that my brothers are gone now. If I bring it up in private, someone will inevitably tell my father about it, which will make him sad and punish him."

"They are all gone?" This made Lu Lingxi even more confused.

"What do you mean they are all gone? Did they accidentally get infected with some disease and all...died at once? From the King of Qi, the third to the sixth oldest, all four brothers and sisters are gone?"

"They are not younger brothers or sisters, they are all imperial brothers. It is not because of the plague, they all have their own reasons. Because Concubine Guo also lost a child before, she now attaches great importance to her own children. Father also attaches great importance to them. That's why the seventh imperial brother was able to grow up safely to the age of three and have an eighth sister." Nan Wangyu explained patiently.

Lu Lingxi: "Oh, no wonder Concubine Guo held Eighth Sister tightly when she went to pay respects to Queen Gu. You said that the emperor's brothers died for different reasons. What were the specific reasons?"

"The third and fourth royal brothers both fell into the water accidentally and died due to lack of rescue. One was three years old and the other was five years old."

Lu Lingxi was puzzled: "How could that be? Aren't there a large group of people following and serving the princes and princesses since they were young? Even if they lose a hair they will be punished. If they fall into the water there will be a noise, and they will instinctively call for help. How could the people following them not notice it? How did they explain it afterwards?"

"Afterwards, those who served committed suicide out of fear of being punished, leaving no evidence."

Lu Lingxi's eyes widened in surprise. "This is obviously organized and premeditated. Is there really no way to investigate? Moreover, the third brother has already been fooled for this reason, and the fourth brother can also use the same method. Doesn't the fourth brother's mother have any warning at all?"

Nan Wangyu explained, "There are differences between the two of them. The third brother was punished because someone close to him had committed a crime not long ago. Not long after a new group of people were replaced, something happened to him. The people around the fourth brother were personally selected by his mother and have been serving him since they were young. The suicide notes they left behind after committing suicide out of fear of punishment all explained the reasons for their departure. They all seemed reasonable and could only be attributed to dereliction of duty. In the end, after investigating again and again, there was no clue at all."

Lu Lingxi thought for a while and sighed, "Alas! This can only mean that the people who want to harm them are always observing them, waiting for the best opportunity to strike, and when the time is right, they will strike without leaving any trace. This is really hard to guard against. And we can't be sure whether it is the same person who did it, so we have no way to investigate. The people around the fourth prince may really be wronged, but it was just a moment of negligence. It feels terrible to have someone thinking about your life at this moment! It's too terrifying."

"What about the fifth and sixth brothers? Were they also disguised as such an accident?"

Nan Wangyu shook his head and said, "No, the fifth brother...the fifth brother was executed together with his mother because his mother had an affair with a guard."

When talking about the fifth brother, Nan Wangyu hesitated whether to speak out directly. After all, this was not a glorious thing, but he felt that there was something fishy about it. Lipin might have been framed. His father was angry at the time and did not think about it carefully, so he directly executed her and the fifth brother. He felt that there was nothing that could not be said. Maybe there would be a chance to vindicate Lipin in the future. Her family was still working secretly for this.

Lu Lingxi asked in confusion: "Shouldn't a prince like this, whose mother had an affair with a guard and who is suspected of not being of royal blood, be removed from the family tree and not recognized as the fifth prince? Why do you still call him the fifth prince brother?"

Nan Wangyu also said with great regret: "Empress Li was very favored at the time, and she thought she had a close relationship with my father. When she was framed, she and the guard were not sober. After she woke up, she also tried her best to defend herself, thinking that my father would believe her. At that time, Queen Gu tried her best to comfort my father, but somehow, the more she persuaded my father, the angrier he became. Seeing that my father did not trust her and felt that my father did not love her, Concubine Li also said something angry, saying: 'She has always looked down on my father, who is old, ugly, promiscuous, cowardly and incompetent, and she also said that my fifth brother is not my father's child.' My father was so angry that he ordered Concubine Li and my fifth brother to be executed on the spot."

Lu Lingxi's jaw dropped in shock. "She...she...Empress Li is too fierce. She dares to say that to my father. And if she wants to die herself, why does she drag the fifth brother into it?"

Nan Wangyu said, "Lingxi, you don't understand. Lipin has been accused of adultery. Even if the fifth brother doesn't die, his identity will be suspected, and he won't have an easy time in the palace. It's better for him to die with her than to live."

Lu Lingxi sighed. It was indeed true. It was really hard to comment.

I can only ask: "Then the fifth brother was executed, but was not removed from the family tree?"

"The fifth prince was not removed from the list. In fact, father knew in his heart that he was his own son, because the fifth prince was the one who looked most like him among all the princes of father. Afterwards, he regretted why he executed the fifth prince in a fit of rage. If he had been patient, he could have saved the son who looked most like him."

Lu Lingxi sighed repeatedly after hearing these royal secrets. "Alas! So it's not good to be impulsive. How can someone be so impulsive as to execute his own son? I'm now very curious about what Queen Gu said to my father at that time. It must be a very technical palace fighting rhetoric, otherwise how could my father be so angry that he even executed his own son?"

Nan Wangyu: "I don't know about that. I had already left the palace and lived elsewhere, so I wasn't there. When I arrived, Lipin and the fifth brother had already died. Father was so angry that his heart ached. He was asking the imperial physician to see him, and he almost fainted. Everyone in the room was telling father to take care of himself, and no one dared to mention Lipin's matter again."

"What about the Sixth Brother?"

"Sixth brother was the first child of Imperial Concubine Guo. That day was the first birthday party for Sixth brother. He had just learned to walk and was staggering. He suddenly fell down during the "Zhuazhou" ceremony and his mouth was pierced through by the Wenchang Pagoda. His death was unbearable to watch. Imperial Concubine Guo was so distraught when she saw that scene that she almost wanted to die with Sixth brother. After she fainted from crying, the imperial physician came to see her and said that she was two months pregnant again. My father immediately promoted her from a concubine to a concubine and ordered the imperial physician to take good care of her. She suppressed her grief for the sake of the child in her belly and did not die with him. After giving birth to Seventh brother, my father promoted her to the position of Imperial Concubine. She has been taking care of Seventh brother closely and did not slack off even when she was pregnant with Eighth sister. So now Seventh brother and Eighth sister are both doing well."

Lu Lingxi: "Sixth brother's death was too horrific. Mother Guo had seen such a tragic situation, so she naturally kept a closer eye on her own child. I can understand that."

"Well, she has always been friendly with others, respectful to Queen Gu, and obedient to the wishes of the emperor. She is also very kind to the servants in her palace, and has always been frugal in her food, clothing and expenses. Everything she does is to accumulate blessings for her children. She only hopes that her children will be safe and well. You can get closer to her."

Lu Lingxi nodded: "Oh, are you guys in the same group?"

Nan Wangyu tapped Lu Lingxi on the head and said, "What do you mean we are in the same group? They are just Concubine Guo's children and my brothers and sisters. It is only right that I protect them appropriately. Concubine Guo is grateful and repays my kindness. We have become friends after a few interactions."

Lu Lingxi: "What you mean is that the seventh prince also had a similar accident that almost cost him his life? And you just happened to save him?"