Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Chapter 308 Hongjing

However, just as she was about to deliver a message to Prince Xin and his wife, someone suddenly arrived from the palace.

Su Peisheng arrived with an imperial edict and an infant who had already been granted the title of heir to a prince.

The emperor will be the youngest son of Prince Li Mi, who died in December of the previous year. He will be adopted by Prince Mu, Yin Zuo, named Hong Jing, and made heir apparent, allowing him to inherit the title.

Xi Qiao thanked the Emperor for the imperial decree and took his newborn son from the wet nurse's arms. "Gang means bright sunshine, it's a good name. I thank Your Majesty for bestowing this name on behalf of Hong Gang."

Su Peisheng smiled and said, "The Princess Consort is very learned. The Emperor said that the Crown Prince is the Emperor's own nephew and has a bright future. The character '曔' is just right."

As he spoke, he added, "In addition, His Majesty also instructed me to inform you that His Majesty originally did not want to interfere in the matter of the heir of the Prince's Mansion, but Prince Li Mi left a letter entrusting his son to His Majesty before his death, and Prince Li recently delivered it to His Majesty on his behalf."

Consort Zhuang has been keeping a close eye on this matter in the harem. With the Emperor suddenly interfering, it's likely that Consort Zhuang will quarrel with the Emperor again. Hopefully, the wife of Prince Mu can persuade her to stay calm.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but when Prince Li passed away, the heir was not even a hundred days old. Although Prince Li was the eldest brother, there were many children in the Prince's mansion, and the Prince was afraid that he would not be able to take care of them all. Therefore, he specially entrusted them to His Majesty."

These words made Xi Qiao uneasy.

She believed Su Peisheng's words to a large extent. If the emperor was not happy with her choosing an heir from the imperial clan, he would not have issued the decree in the first place, let alone announced it widely among the imperial clan.

But what was the meaning behind Yinreng's indirect handing over of his young son to her?

Is it just because you feel sorry for this child born in your old age?

Want to secure a good future for him?

Xi Qiao had a variety of thoughts running through his mind, but he didn't show it on his face at all: "Don't worry, Father-in-law. Since it was my second brother's dying wish, it's only natural for the Emperor to do so. Besides, to put it bluntly, no matter how good other people's children are, they are not as good as Hongjing who can stay by my side all the time."

Prince Li Mi himself has passed away. His concubines, if their sons are already married, can live with their sons, but they can only live with Consort Li Jia in Zhengjiazhuang.

The woman who could give birth to the young prince should, in theory, be quite young, and even if she had an eldest son, he should not be an adult yet.

In other words, for a long time, she was Hongjing's only mother.

"However, now that I have Hongjing, I should express my gratitude in any way. Please tell me, Father-in-law, which sister-in-law gave birth to this child. If possible, I would like to prepare some generous gifts and send them to Zhengjiazhuang to show my appreciation."

Su Peisheng immediately laughed and said, "Oh, my lady, since the Emperor has entrusted the young prince to you, why would he care about such trivial matters? Not to mention sending things over, you can go there yourself."

"The young prince's birth mother is Consort Cheng Jia, a concubine of Prince Li Mi. In addition to the prince, Consort Cheng also has a son and a daughter, namely the Eighth Princess, who is ten years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and the Tenth Prince Hong, who is six years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."

Xi Qiao's expression shifted slightly. A concubine!

She didn't know much about Prince Yinreng's wives, concubines, and children, nor did she know which ones were favored and capable. However, the fact that she was able to become a secondary consort and give birth to two sons and a daughter shows that her family background and methods were not bad.

Xi Qiao immediately smiled and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, and thank you for informing me, Chief Eunuch. Please tell Your Majesty that I will do my best to raise the young prince and live up to Your Majesty's grace and trust."

After Su Peisheng left, Xi Qiao stopped smiling.

Hongjing's adoption into the Prince Mu's household not only fulfilled the wishes of Yinreng in the afterlife, but also allowed the emperor to restore his reputation, which had been damaged by his previous treatment of Prince Lian.

She gained nothing from it and even lost a powerful leverage point because of it.

It's uncomfortable, it's really uncomfortable.

She let out a heavy sigh and handed Hongjing, who was sleeping like a little pig, to the wet nurse to take away.

That’s all, it’s useless to think too much.

She instructed Anlu, who was standing beside her, "First, send someone to check if Consort Cheng's family is in the capital. If they are, prepare generous gifts and go there yourself to tell them about Hongjing's matter. Also, tell them that I will send someone to Zhengjiazhuang to visit Consort Cheng tomorrow."

If it weren't for the need to observe mourning, she would have really wanted to go there in person.

It's unlikely that Yinreng would let her work for nothing; he must have left her some money to cover the hardship of raising the child.

An Lu smiled and agreed, assuming that Xi Qiao was preparing to deliver a message for the Cheng family.

Xi Qiao added, "Have someone go out and collect some small items that young girls around ten years old and young boys around four or five years old like, and add them to the gifts for Consort Cheng."

An Lu and Xiao Linzi went off to do their own things. Xi Qiao called Yu Ya to his side and said, "You heard the imperial edict just now. The Prince Xin's mansion is powerful and difficult to befriend. Without the position of heir apparent, they will inevitably become estranged from us in the future."

Yu Ya's heart skipped a beat. She didn't understand why Xi Qiao would tell her these things, but she keenly sensed that a world she had never been to before was slowly unfolding before her.

“My lady, I am young and inexperienced, but I have heard the saying: ‘Strike while the iron is hot.’ Right now, your relationship with the Prince Xin’s mansion is at its most cordial. Why not think of other ways to solidify this relationship?”

Since the news spread that Prince Mu's mansion was going to adopt an heir, countless families of the imperial clan have sent invitations, although on the surface the princess seemed to treat all families the same.

However, Yu Ya knew that among these members of the imperial family, the Fujin valued the Prince Xin's Mansion the most.

Xi Qiao looked at her with satisfaction: "How do you know I haven't thought about it? The Prince Xin's mansion is not lacking in money and power, but as members of the imperial family, regardless of their status, they all have the same hidden danger: Fu Meng!"

When this matter was mentioned, Xi Qiao's eyes became deep and profound: "This is a shackle and misfortune that most royal women cannot escape. For parents who love their daughters, it is also a sword hanging over their heads."

"Although the wife of Prince Xin has no daughters, the most beloved concubine of Prince Xin, Lady Jiang, has only had one daughter over the years, who will be eight years old by autumn."

Yu Ya's expression tightened. Eight years old!

Ah-Chi will be seven years old this year!

"My lady, do you mean... a marriage alliance?"

Yu Ya's heart raced, not only because the princess consort intended to arrange for her younger brother to marry such a noblewoman from the imperial family, but also because of the other intentions that were subtly revealed behind this matter.

Xi Qiao nodded to her: "Jiang Shu Fujin is from Jiangnan. She is a well-known talented woman from Jiangnan in the imperial family. Talented women, after all, will have some eccentricities."

“Girls raised by a woman like this will probably yearn for the blissful and sweet couples in poetry. If A-Jui could promise to be with one person for life, Jiang Shu Fujin might agree to the marriage.”

If Prince Xin truly likes Lady Jiang and her daughter, he will definitely give Lady Jiang's opinions more consideration. Moreover, Yu Zhui has already caught the emperor's eye, and his future prospects will not be bad. He is also a good candidate for son-in-law.