Spring Drunk Chang'an

Qu Qiutong is the daughter of Concubine Qu's brother, so she is her niece and a direct blood relative.

Naturally, she was also the cousin of the King of Yan. The King of Yan called her "sister" as a gesture of courtesy and intimacy. As for "brother-in-law"...

Liu Xiu and Qu Qiutong call each other husband and wife, which may seem like an affair to outsiders, but they don't think so. In order to win over Liu Xiu, King Yan naturally calls him "brother-in-law".

"No, no, there's no place for us to sit in front of His Highness!"

The fear in Liu Xiu's heart was alleviated by King Yan's call of "brother-in-law". He took a deep breath and declined with a smile on his face.

"They're all relatives, so why not?" King Yan took a deep breath, a fake smile on his stern face, "Sit down, I just have something to tell you!"

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!"

Liu Xiu smiled and pulled Qu Qiutong to sit aside.

That sitting posture is very respectful.

Only one-third of his butt was sitting on the chair.

Seeing how understanding they were, Prince Yan felt somewhat relieved, his brows slightly relaxed. Qu Qiutong breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and respectfully whispered, "Your Highness, what is important for you? Do you have instructions for me and your husband? Please give us your instructions. Even if it means risking our lives, we will help you solve your problems!"

"Very good, very good. Your Highness, please give your orders!" Upon hearing this, Liu Xiu quickly expressed his sincerity.

Prince Yan's face was solemn. He was silent for a long time, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I intend to kill Song Bin!"

"Ah?" Qu Qiutong was stunned and exclaimed, covering her lips with her hands. "Dead, how did he die?"

"Poison!" King Yan said in a deep voice.

Liu Xiu frowned, "But Your Highness, our previous plan was to collude with foreign enemies, a crime of treason, so that the entire clan would be punished. If we poison them, then..."

Only Song Bin can be killed.

What a loss.

Song Bin was Duke Cheng'en, the head of the Song family. If he committed a crime, he could bring down the entire clan, leading to their execution. Furthermore, he was the father of Empress Song and the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather. He had committed an unforgivable crime, implicating both the Empress and the Crown Prince. Not only would he lose face in front of the Emperor and the court officials, but it would also be recorded in history books!

The great cause of deposing the crown prince will begin because of Song Bin's crime.

But directly poison ~

Apart from being able to kill Song Bin, all other benefits are gone.

"Your Highness, think about it. To kill Song Bin, we would have to mobilize many people and destroy a large number of secret agents, but we would only risk the life of that old man..."

Not worth it!

Liu Xiu advised in a deep voice.

Prince Yan's brows darkened as he waved his hand suddenly. "Song Bin has just repelled the Hu people and executed their prince. The people are in an uproar and his reputation is at its peak. Father has already planned to have him enter the Lingyan Pavilion. Moreover, he is old and will not return to the border. Instead, he wants to stay and help the Crown Prince succeed!"

"With his help, the Crown Prince is even more powerful. Moreover, my father is also planning to marry him a concubine. It seems that he has chosen a young lady from the Song family. When the time comes, she will marry into the Eastern Palace and join forces with Empress Song and her nephew. This royal mother will also suffer!"

"Can't wait any longer."

"We need to break his momentum."

"This..." Liu Xiu hesitated, thinking to himself: After all, the Cheng'en Mansion is already the Crown Prince's support. If the Crown Prince marries his daughter, it would waste the possibility of a noble marriage. What's wrong with that? However, on second thought, the fact that Concubine Qu can act as the "Queen" in the harem while being a "Concubine" is because Empress Song is weak and incompetent.

To put it bluntly, she is incompetent.

Song Bin raised his daughter to be too upright and honest. She could not fight against the people in the harem, especially Concubine Qu, so she could only "live in seclusion" and barely protect herself. However, Song Zhinian was taught by his mother-in-law, Old Madam Song. That little girl had a heart and means, and was much better than Queen Song. When she entered the palace, it was really a teamwork between aunt and nephew!

Concubine Qu is also troublesome.

If Song Bin was killed, Song Zhinian, the eldest granddaughter, would have to observe mourning and would naturally miss next year's selection. Moreover, Song Bin was the pillar of the Eastern Palace Party. If he died...

"That's okay!"

Liu Xiu lowered his eyes and murmured, "Song Bin has returned to the capital and is no longer going to the border. It would be easier for us to poison him. Your Highness, do you want to use Qu Hui?"

When the Qu family was executed, in addition to Yuanniang, he also saved several branches of the family, and arranged them to the Song family as sons-in-law.

Qu Hui is Qu Qiutong's illegitimate cousin. Now, he works as an aide to Song Chengji, the prince of Cheng'en. He is quite trusted by him and uses Song Chengji to take action against Song Bin.

It's easy too.

"Of course we have to use him. Moreover, not only him. I remember that Qu Yang is the manager in the Yongding Marquis Mansion, right?" King Yan lowered his eyes, his voice sinister.

Hu Haoyan, Marquis of Yongding, married Song Yuxian, the second daughter of Song Bin.

The couple are also staunch supporters of the Eastern Palace.

"Yes, Qu Yang is currently the second-in-command of the Yongding Marquis' Mansion and is considered one of Hu Haoyan's confidants." Liu Xiu responded.

Qu Yang was also a member of the Qu family whom he rescued back then.

"The prince wants to use him?"

"That's right." Prince Yan nodded, his eyes cold. "Hu Haoyan's eldest sister was the concubine of the uncle of the Prince of Xiang. The current Prince of Xiang is her son."

"It's only natural that Hu Haoyan has some connection with the King of Xiang."

"Right?"

He scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

Liu Xiu gasped and muttered, "Prince Xiang!!"

Prince Xiang was the youngest son of the late emperor. Back then, he fought fiercely with Emperor Yingwu for the throne. At one point, he almost succeeded. Later, Emperor Yingwu was the better one and succeeded to the throne. Prince Xiang was defeated, but the late emperor had left him a backup plan. He had military power and was well-known among the royal family, so he lived a very free life.

Emperor Yingwu treated him with kindness on the surface, but in reality, Prince Yan knew in his heart that his father hated him like an enemy.

"...Hu Haoyan is a member of the Eastern Palace Party. He is close to Prince Xiang, which is equivalent to winning over the Crown Prince. What will the Emperor think then..." Prince Yan paused, his eyes flashing with cruelty.

It was a fact that Emperor Yingwu hated the Crown Prince and favored him, however, Prince Yan also understood that even now, his father had not made up his mind to depose the Crown Prince and reinstate him.

The crown prince is the foundation of the country and cannot be easily abolished!

Emperor Yingwu couldn't make up his mind.

Then let him help.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I understand." Liu Xiu said meaningfully.

King Yan smiled happily.

On the side, Qu Qiutong saw that they had finished their serious talk and quickly brought the teacup. She smiled and said in a sweet voice, "Liu Lang, look at you. You invited the prince over, but all you do is talk about official business. The prince was so tired that he didn't even get a cup of tea or a snack."

"You're so stupid! If my aunt finds out that I didn't entertain the prince well, she'll probably be mad!"

After that, he quickly took some snacks and said, "Your Highness, please have some. Be careful of your stomachache."

Prince Yan laughed loudly, took it with his hand, and put it directly into his mouth, saying cheerfully: "We are relatives, sister, there is no need to be polite. Stop talking about brother-in-law, lest he get tired of this brother-in-law of yours."

"How dare I?"

Liu Xiu responded quickly.

The atmosphere was great for a while.