Shocked! The salty concubine was spoiled by the cold prince

Gu Jiaorong finally made it out of the palace, and she looked like a wilted cabbage, listless.

"Your Highness, please don't bring me to such an occasion next time. I've never seen such a big occasion before, and I can't handle it."

Gu Jiaorong spoke only after she got into the carriage. Her original plan was to hide in the small courtyard, wait until the story was over and she was free again, and then go back to live her own life.

Now that leaving the palace has become unrealistic, she can only hope to avoid being involved in disputes as much as possible.

After all, what does the court affairs have to do with a little woman like her?

She is just a concubine who knows nothing.

Born as a maid, she had no parental education since childhood and was sold into the palace of a prince, from then on she never had the chance to go out.

Pei Xu certainly didn't want her to be involved, but since she was noticed, she couldn't stay out of it.

"Rong'er, I really want to agree to you, but this won't be the last time."

Pei Xu could no longer feel at ease letting her stay alone in the palace. After all, His Majesty could not tolerate him, and Concubine Shu must have met Gu Jiaorong today not just for Xie Wanning.

"When Concubine Shu saw you today, she must have said something..."

Pei Xu didn't finish his words, but Gu Jiaorong understood what he meant.

"She probably wants to see if you care about me, and also to see how confident I am. I don't think she's necessarily standing up for the princess, but seems to want to win you over. After all, if the crown prince gains power, she and the third prince will not end well."

Shufei has been a favorite concubine for many years. Although she has never interfered in politics openly, she has won the hearts of the people.

"I hold military power. If I hadn't harbored ambitions and instead chosen to support the prince, the crown prince would have gained a formidable rival. Therefore, they are all wary of me and want me to serve them."

Pei Xu's lips curled up into a sarcastic smile, but he had already come to this point. Even if he supported the prince, would there be any way for him to survive?

People who have great power in the government will not be trusted by those in power.

"My Lord, no matter what choice you make, I will support you."

Gu Jiaorong understood what he meant and immediately stated her position. After all, it was impossible for her to sever her relationship with Pei Xu now.

Then she remembered what happened at the rockery in the garden, and fearing that something was wrong, she told Pei Xu.

"Today, I happened to see Gu Fuying being harassed by the Third Prince. Gu Fuying's father is a military commander. I believe the Third Prince is very likely trying to win you over. As for what he plans to do, I don't know."

Gu Jiaorong thought about the coups in history, a road to power paved with blood and bones. Pei Yunzhao now shared the same thought.

After all, the prince is the legitimate son, so if he succeeds to the throne, it will be legitimate.

The current emperor is the winner of the battle for the throne, and now that he has an heir, he wants to make the eldest son the heir.

"Don't worry about him. Pei Yunzhao is brave but not wise. He is the most useless. If it weren't for Concubine Shu's strategizing for him, he probably wouldn't be alive today."

Pei Xu did not take Pei Yunzhao seriously. He almost grew up in the capital and was very familiar with several princes. He could be said to understand their personalities.

"As for the Crown Prince, his marriage to Gu Fuying was too sudden. I'm sure it was also for military power. His Majesty will go on the autumn hunt in a few days. Aside from the young Eighth Prince, I'm sure the other three princes will go with him. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince have always been feuding with each other. Although the Fifth Prince has a low profile, he is the most cunning of his brothers. If we want to guard against the Third Prince, we might as well guard against the Fifth Prince first."

Pei Xu bent his fingers and tapped his legs a few times, which was a small movement he made when thinking.

Although the fifth prince's biological mother, Concubine Rong, was also a concubine, she was promoted to this title after giving birth to the prince, not because of her family background.

Rong Fei was the daughter of a minor official. She had been serving the emperor before he ascended the throne. But now she was old and ugly, and she had no say in front of the emperor.

"Although I don't know what Lao Wu is planning, the story of the fisherman profiting from the conflict between the snipe and the clam is an old story."

After hearing this, Gu Jiaorong also felt that the Fifth Prince was a scheming person.

However, in the book, the fifth prince rarely appears. As Pei Xu said, he is a person with a very low sense of presence.

"Your Highness has told me so much today. Aren't you afraid that I will betray you?"

Gu Jiaorong looked at him with a smile on her face and asked deliberately.

Pei Xu shook his head and looked at her with sharp eyes.

"Not afraid."

He knew that Gu Jiaorong would not do that, not because of the fictitious love, but because she was pregnant with his child. She also grew up in the palace, and no one would believe that she would betray the palace. Even if she wanted to, she would only be used as a pawn, and the final outcome was needless to say.

Gu Jiaorong wants to live, wants to live well, and now she has only one choice, and that is him.

"I am very happy that the prince trusts me so much."

Gu Jiaorong smiled and snuggled into Pei Xu's arms.

She asked this question to test Pei Xu. After all, she met with Concubine Shu alone, and no one knew what they talked about. Even if Pei Xu suspected her of betrayal, she had no evidence.

"Don't think too much. I made a promise to you, and I will definitely keep it."

Even though he had coaxed Gu Jiaorong before, those were just harmless little jokes.

Gu Jiaorong understood what he meant and didn't care.

"Your Majesty, you are the only one I can rely on."

Gu Jiaorong was in his arms, looking up at her little face, as if she was very dependent on him. She always acted like this to please him in order to achieve her own goals.

Pei Xu never exposes her, they have a tacit understanding that ordinary people don't have.

"I will be your forever support."

Pei Xu hugged her, but there was no tenderness on his face.

This visit to the palace is just the calm before the storm.

The real storm has not yet arrived, and the conspiracy under the dark clouds is still brewing.

Pei Xu didn’t think he had any weaknesses before, but now Gu Jiaorong and the child are both on his mind. He can no longer be the same as before and needs to make a careful plan.

The atmosphere gradually changed, but Gu Jiaorong seemed to remember something and asked, "Your Highness, between a noblewoman who only brings trouble to the family and a woman who is only interested in profit but will protect the family, but has no blood relationship with the family, which one will the family choose?"

Pei Xu didn't know why Gu Jiaorong asked this, but he answered anyway.

"In the eyes of those people, blood ties aren't necessary. If someone can contribute to the family, so what, even if they're from a different family? For years, the aristocratic families weren't held together by blood ties alone, but by everyone who sacrificed everything for the family. If such a person truly existed, the family would use all its resources to help her realize her ambitions."

When Gu Jiaorong heard this, she suddenly broke free from his embrace and stood up, staring at him with an extremely serious expression.

"Your Highness, do you feel that the princess has changed a lot since Chunzhi's death?"