The maid's road to success

"Master, Eunuch Cheng said that the Sixth Prince will contact you soon and asked you to prepare first."

Zhushan stood in front of An Zizhong. Princess Fu'an's people had been sent away long ago. An Zizhong nodded, but his hands did not stop. The matter between Princess Baozhu and the Fourth Prince had been reported to the Sixth Prince and the Grand Empress Dowager. The two would definitely take advantage of it and find ways to make the Fourth Prince suffer. He could also take the opportunity to gain the sympathy of more literati. At that time, the calligraphy and articles he had painstakingly studied would be properly spread, which would be more likely to win people's hearts. Who in the world hates evil the most? Of course, it is the literati who study poetry and books hard and are most influenced by the benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, loyalty and filial piety in the articles.

The Fourth Prince's move will not only damage his reputation, but the Sixth Prince and his men will also take the opportunity to seize some power, and he will also lose his prestige among the literati. He is sandwiched in the middle and can let the two sides kill each other.

"Recently, many people have sent me invitations to enjoy the flowers and ride horses. I don't know whether I should accept it, so I came to ask you for advice."

An Zizhong knew very well what those people were planning. They just wanted to take advantage of the fact that his brother was already the son-in-law of Princess Fu'an and establish a relationship with the Princess's Mansion, or directly plan to establish a marriage relationship with An Wenniang.

"Have someone keep an eye on the mansion. Don't send this kind of letter to the young lady. They are all from people with ulterior motives. Tell Wen Niang to ignore them."

Zhushan nodded and went back to personally convey An Zizhong's opinion. An Wenniang guessed that An Zizhong would say this, so she nodded and said she was sick. She thought she was not a stupid person, but she also knew that she was not that smart. How could she cope with so many people plotting against her? She could not help An Zizhong if he wanted revenge, but she would not let herself become a tool for others to hurt An Zizhong. She was also a favored maid in the marquis's mansion in the past, and she knew what to do when those ladies did not seem to care about her.

An Wenniang directly invited three or four doctors. With An Yun's medicine, they successfully diagnosed the patient with heart disease and the patient had to rest. This stopped many people, but some people refused to give up and ignored it after a few days. It turned out that there were more than just the two brothers and sisters who could get in touch with Princess Fu'an.

An Wenniang sat in the room looking at the book sent by An Zizhong, which contained his recent plans, or rather his successful plans. An Zizhong would always talk to her regularly about such things, and would tell her in this way if he didn't have time. An Wenniang also knew that An Zizhong treated her sincerely and wanted to prove that he would not hide anything from her, but the hurdle in her heart was difficult to overcome.

"Our people have come to a rouge shop. Now Anyunpei's Jiaoyan will be delivered directly to the mansion. We will deliver it to the shop when we go out, and then let the servants of the Liu family in Jingnan Lane buy it back. The young master said that the Sixth Prince has almost lived in Jingnan Lane recently, and there are many more guards. It is not easy to deliver things directly in."

An Wenniang nodded. The people sent by Xishan were distributed in various places in Kyoto. Some of them opened shops directly, selling rouge, cloth, groceries, restaurants, teahouses, inns, and restaurants. There were also many shops and inner residences. Their people would regularly send the collected information to shops with special marks, and then the information would be delivered to the An residence by the vegetable deliverymen, excrement collectors, and night watchmen. An Wenniang was responsible for sorting out the messy information and bringing it to the Imperial College when she visited An Zizhong every once in a while.

"Princess Fu'an's consort has his own house outside. Let's go and confirm this matter. By the way, find out where the house is so that we can find out who is inside."

"There is a beautiful woman around Bai Shoude recently who has bewitched him. Tell my brother about this as soon as possible. Let's see if this woman is one of ours or sent by someone else."

"The two people in the palace should send some more money and medicine in, and see if there is any news from them recently."

An Wenniang looked through the various messages and letters carefully, selecting the important ones and making arrangements for herself, and compiling the others together and handing them over to An Zizhong for review. After all, sometimes small things also have value, and she could not tell the difference, but An Zizhong could.

When An Zizhong was invited to a restaurant for a drink by his colleagues from the Imperial College, he knew that the Sixth Prince had begun to take action. An Wenniang received the news in advance and booked a room in the restaurant early on.

Standing at the window and seeing An Zizhong and several young men walking towards the hotel, he asked the people he brought today to get ready. Since the Sixth Prince had decided to win over An Zizhong, there would be no chance for An Zizhong to object once he started. According to their arrangement, they had to put on a show and obey the Sixth Prince, but they still had to be careful when with these cunning people. After all, they themselves had given the Black Hawk of Xishan the Merciless Powder to control everyone, so why wouldn't others do the same.

Now personnel have been arranged in the lobby and the left and right wing rooms. The revenge plan of Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion has begun. We must be careful and prevent any accidents, especially the true identity of An Zizhong must not be exposed.

An Zizhong sat by the window and drank two cups of wine when the Sixth Prince came in with his men. An Zizhong stood up to greet them, looking as if he was not suitable to drink with the Sixth Prince, and was about to take his leave.

"Master An, please don't be anxious. I came here today for your own good. Don't you want to know why Princess Fu'an chose you to be her son-in-law among so many young talents in Kyoto?"

All intellectuals are proud, and An Zizhong is no exception. He raises his forehead.

"An has studied hard since childhood, and is not bad in academics. Naturally, he is attracted by my literary talent. After all, it is not false that he came all the way from Gongzhou to become the runner-up."

The Sixth Prince found it a bit funny. He sat in a chair in a cool manner, looking at the arrogant An Zizhong. This man was talented, but in the marriage of noble ladies in Kyoto, all of them paid more attention to family background. Even if a child from a poor family had a good ranking and good strength, it would take many years for him to climb up. What's more, they had no one and no money. They couldn't rely on the woman's support after marriage.

"Yes, Zizhong is certainly the best among the students, but that is not the reason why you can become my cousin's husband. When we royal families marry, we should not only consider character and literary talent, but also the benefits that can be brought after the marriage. I believe you can understand what I mean. You are the second place in the imperial examination. You have strength and ability, but you are not qualified to be the husband of a county lord. A more noble county lord is more popular than a princess. Not only can it improve your status, but you can also become an official. Don't you think about why an ordinary student like you gets the advantage? Or what benefits can my cousin and aunt get from marrying you?"

An Zizhong seemed to be persuaded, his face was not very good, but he was still unwilling to admit that he was just a pawn being used. The Sixth Prince would not give him a chance to refute and directly threw out a jade pendant.

"You were able to become the son-in-law of Princess Fu'an because my cousin Princess Baozhu was already pregnant, and her bloodline cannot be easily dealt with, so she urgently needed an open and aboveboard ceremony to cover up her true situation. You were taken advantage of. Don't you want to know whose child Princess Baozhu is pregnant with? Who could use the second place selected by the emperor to cover up her shame?"

An Zizhong was filled with anger. He didn't care about the difference between the monarch and his subjects, and stared at the Sixth Prince viciously.

"Sixth Prince, be careful with your words. The princess and I were married in a formal ceremony, and the princess also took good care of me. It is impossible for it to be as you said. You cannot slander the princess at will."

The Sixth Prince picked up the jade pendant that An Zizhong had dropped on the ground, put it in his hand, and also picked up his own jade pendant to show him.

"You should have seen this jade pendant at Baozhu's place. I asked someone to swap it out. This is not an ordinary jade pendant. It is something that all princes have when they reach adulthood. It is also a symbol of status. Mine has the number six and a green dragon engraved on it, and this one has the number four engraved on it. Who do you think this jade pendant belongs to?"

An Zizhong stared at the jade pendant with bloodshot eyes, still refusing to believe that Princess Baozhu would do such a thing with the Fourth Prince.

"You can't imagine the effect of this jade pendant. With this jade pendant, you can command the people in your own palace and it can also have a deterrent effect on officials. Do you think the Fourth Prince will casually give the symbol of his status to Baozhu?"

Seeing An Zizhong's increasingly distorted expression, the Sixth Prince struck while the iron was hot.

"I know it's hard for you to believe, but the fact that Baozhu likes to keep a lover is actually not a secret in Kyoto. It's just that you have not been in Kyoto for long and don't know many things yet. I don't intend to deceive you. You can be careful when you go back. But I advise you to be careful not to be discovered, otherwise you will really have no way out."

An Zizhong was silent for a long time, then raised his head and looked at the Sixth Prince.

"You wouldn't be so kind as to tell me what you want?"

Finally, they got to the topic that interested them. The Sixth Prince smiled and took a wooden sign from the follower behind him.

"I can't bear to see capable people being humiliated by my aunt and the others. I value talent the most and I like people like you. If you have figured it out, you can send someone to contact me with this wooden sign and I will come to find you. Pay attention to your safety recently and don't let my fourth brother and the others kill you. The young master of the Bo Mansion before is a lesson for us."

As soon as the Sixth Prince walked out of the wing and onto the stairs, he heard crackling sounds of smashing and roaring coming from the wing. He sneered and went out through the back door. Since he wanted to use An Zizhong, he should not let the Princess's Mansion and the Fourth Prince know about it. Only then could this chess piece play his true role.

An Zizhong sat on the chair, leisurely picked up the teacup and porcelain pot and threw them on the ground, cursing from time to time, and only stopped what he was doing when he saw the carriage going away in the alley in the backyard.

An Wenniang walked over quietly from next door, saw An Zizhong's hand that was accidentally injured just now, picked up a handkerchief and carefully applied medicine to it and bandaged it.

"Brother, do you intend to be the son-in-law of Princess Fu'an's mansion in public and help the Fourth Prince, but secretly work with the Sixth Prince to use the Sixth Prince to deal with the Fourth Prince? Will the Emperor benefit indirectly?"

An Zizhong shook his head and played with the wooden sign in his hand. There was nothing on it, but he could faintly smell a strange fragrance. He threw it to An Qing and asked him to study it.

"No, the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince cannot be hurt too much. We still have to pull down the Emperor and Duke Cheng'en's men first and then let them fight to the point of bloodshed."

An Wenniang was puzzled. If this happened, the Emperor, the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince would not have a good ending. Who else could become the master of the world? Could the young master be planning to replace the royal family himself?

"Don't worry, I don't like that position, and I don't intend to pull them down and take over myself. My goal is revenge, and the real heir to the throne is someone else."

After An Wenniang and An Zizhong briefly understood his recent arrangements, they quietly returned home. Now that it had already begun, she had to pay more attention. An Zizhong was apparently from the eldest princess's lineage, and many people around him would pay attention to him. Moreover, he had to take care of the affairs of the Imperial College. It would not be very convenient to contact the Black Hawks scattered in Kyoto. She had to observe more, collect information, manage people, and prevent someone from betraying them.

Jiaoyan plays a very important role. It can help men pay more attention to the people in the same room. She also sent some to Simian. After all, some people go there just to chat and drink tea. At the beginning, Zhiyuxuan was a way out that Wen Niang left for herself and An Zizhong. Since An Zizhong knew about it, it became a weapon for him to take the opportunity to spy on the officials' private matters. Why not use Jiaoyan to control more evil villains?

Mid-October is a good season for viewing chrysanthemums. Si'an Garden is the royal flower garden. This year, the Empress Dowager specifically ordered that the chrysanthemum viewing banquet be held in Si'an Garden, with the wife of Duke Cheng'en and the wife of the Crown Prince making arrangements.

Because of An Zizhong, An Wenniang had the honor to come to Si'an Garden to appreciate the flowers. The Queen Mother invited all female officials above the third rank to appreciate the flowers in the inner courtyard, while the young master watched from outside. Everyone knew that the Queen Mother was taking the opportunity to select husbands for the young ladies of Cheng'en Mansion. Word had already been passed on from Jingnan Lane that the Sixth Prince planned to take action at the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet.

An Zizhong stood in a two-story bamboo building looking towards the backyard. The Sixth Prince was reading a book, looking quite relaxed.

"Thank you Sixth Prince for reminding me, so that I can tell the true face of the evil woman. But with so many people here today, if I expose myself rashly, will I be implicated as well?"

The Sixth Prince shook his head and saw the guards outside nodded. He knew that the battle had begun, so he walked forward and patted An Zizhong on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't drag you down with me. Although you may be talked about a lot during this period, Princess Fu'an will compensate you and appease you after this matter is exposed. She still needs your help to save her face. My people will attack the Fourth Prince and the other two in the court. In fact, there will be only benefits to you, except for the impact on your reputation. You can just wait for promotion and wealth."

An Zizhong nodded. After he went back, he just pretended to inquire about the news, monitored Princess Baozhu and then contacted the Sixth Prince. The first task the Sixth Prince gave him was to ask Princess Fu'an to let Princess Baozhu leave the house and stimulate her appropriately.

On the way here, the people arranged by An Zizhong deliberately blocked the way and let Princess Baozhu hear all the ridiculous things that the Fourth Prince had done recently for a singing girl. The Fourth Prince had one or two confidantes in brothels, and it was normal for them to listen to music and watch dancing. The people arranged by An Zizhong just exaggerated the situation. Princess Baozhu was not that smart, and a pregnant woman was emotionally unstable. She was already very excited at the time. If An Zizhong hadn't interrupted her in time, I'm afraid she would have rushed to find the Fourth Prince without waiting to go to the chrysanthemum viewing banquet.

Today, Princess Baozhu's clothes were coated with aphrodisiac powder on her inner shirt. As long as it was soaked with special potion, it would emit a smell that would make people unable to resist doing those things.

"Master, the princess's people are here. They want to see you and ask you to go to the backyard."

The Fourth Prince looked at the people around him and scolded in a low voice.

"Tell her to go back. Why is she making such a fuss when she sees how many people are here today?"

The servant went out to answer, and after a while he came back with a troubled look on his face, and spoke in a low voice.

"Princess Baozhu was a little excited. She said that if you didn't go, she would rush to find you. It seems that she knows about the two girls you raised in Yuchun Tower."

The Fourth Prince did not expect Baozhu to be so crazy now. He was a prince, and there was nothing wrong with keeping two prostitutes. Why did she have to make trouble at this time? However, he still said that he would go out for a walk. After all, he still had to rely on Princess Fu'an's power. Baozhu's temperament was impulsive, and he couldn't really let her go crazy in front of others.

Following the maid, she came to a secluded and dark courtyard. Baozhu had already torn her handkerchief in anger. She was so unlucky that her way was blocked by a group of untouchables. She also heard that her fourth cousin was making a big fuss over a prostitute outside. She sent people to call her cousin several times, but he didn't come. After he finally agreed to come, he was bumped into by someone and his clothes were soaked by the tea.

"Ah~ Send someone to check when my cousin will come. Where are my clothes? Go to the carriage and get me some clean clothes. You are all a bunch of rubbish."

When the Fourth Prince hurried over, he saw Baozhu beating the maidservant loudly. He was afraid that her behavior would alarm others, so he quickly went over to comfort her.