Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 598

Moreover, he still couldn't give up his hobby. Even though Consort Xing forbade him to paint, he still painted secretly. After all, he had long since come of age and moved out to live in his own residence, and Consort Xing couldn't possibly keep an eye on him every day.

Consort Xing was so angry with him that her head was spinning and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Bin'er, why can't you understand my good intentions! If you were just an ordinary young master from a powerful family, I wouldn't care what you did, and I'd be happy if you painted well. But you are a prince! My only prince! You bear the responsibility of the entire Xing family on your shoulders!"

Seeing that he was still keeping his head down and not saying a word, Consort Xing wanted to crack open his head, dig out the brain inside and throw it away, and replace it with a new one.

"You're doing nothing now, only thinking about doing what you like. Do you know what will happen to us when other princes ascend the throne? We'll both be wiped out to prevent future troubles. The Xing family's military power will also be taken back. If we're lucky, we'll retire to our hometown. If we're unlucky, our entire clan will be exterminated!"

The Third Prince remained silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, "Mother, I know. But I am not that kind of person by nature. I don't know how to do it, nor do I have the intelligence or courage. I can only listen to Mother. Whatever Mother asks me to do, I will do."

Consort Xing let out a long breath, suppressing her anger, leaving her with nothing but helplessness.

Of course, she had known all along that the Third Prince was not cut out for this. No matter how angry she got or how much she forced or scolded him, he didn't improve at all, and she still had to worry about everything.

Consort Xing gritted her teeth, already having made up her mind.

Although Huo Tingsheng did not appoint the Third Prince as Crown Prince, he has not yet appointed any other princes either, presumably still observing and hesitating. After all, given the qualifications of the other princes, it is truly unrealistic for them to become the Crown Prince.

She couldn't just sit and wait for the position of Crown Prince to fall into the hands of the Third Prince, so she had no choice but to fight for it.

However, forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebelling is a last resort; one would certainly not go to such lengths unless absolutely necessary.

Another way is to strike first and eliminate all the other princes, leaving only the third prince, leaving Huo Tingsheng with no other choice.

This certainly involves risks, but it's much easier to achieve. Throughout history, the murder of imperial concubines and princes has been a common occurrence.

The first to be affected was Huo Jinghuai, who posed the greatest potential threat.

......

Winter came early to Xiqi this year; by the end of October, frost had already fallen in Ancheng.

The weather was quite nice, sunny and warm, though not very warm, but still bearable outdoors. Many families took advantage of this time to host parties and gatherings, as it would get too cold to go out any later.

The Qi Prince's Mansion has a famous chrysanthemum garden, which is now in full bloom. The Qi Prince's Consort sent an invitation to the Seventh Prince's Mansion, inviting Shen Lingjun to attend the garden party.

Since Huo Jinghuai gained some status in Ancheng, Cheng Wu, the seventh prince's wife, has gradually had more social engagements.

Shen Lingjun took the red dragonfly with her.

Princess Qi invited many ladies and young women from powerful and noble families. As soon as Shen Lingjun arrived in the garden, she saw two familiar people.