The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"Recently, the princes have been eyeing the Eastern Palace covetously; in order to seize the throne, some have divorced their wives and others have broken off their engagements."

"Some even resulted in deaths, causing a great deal of discussion throughout Chang'an."

"Although the Emperor treats all his concubines equally, he still misses his first wife, the late Empress Zhaoshen..." Fu Luan stopped there.

Hua Luo suddenly realized and said, "Ah, I understand! The Emperor doesn't say it openly;

"But deep down he despised the act of abandoning his wife, and he harbored resentment towards these princes who had designs on the throne."

"If our Ninth Prince were to personally go before the Emperor and request that the Western Region Princess be elevated to the position of Empress;

"Firstly, it would make the Emperor feel that he has no intention of seizing the throne by marrying our aunt;

Secondly, it shows that the emperor's bestowal of marriage is taken seriously;

"Thirdly...to bring glory to the Western Regions and that little princess."

"His Majesty would absolutely not allow a woman from a foreign land to become the principal wife of his princes;"

"So this suggestion from your great-aunt will not only prevent the Ninth Prince from suffering a loss, but will also allow him to win the Emperor's favor."

Fu Ling smiled and poured Hua Luo a cup of tea, "Grandma, you've made a very good choice in choosing this confidante;

"Clever and insightful, with just a little guidance, he can analyze things logically and clearly. However..."

"Doctor Fu, did I say something wrong?" Hua Luo asked hurriedly.

Fu Ling pursed her lips and said, "Your aunt hasn't even commented on the Ninth Prince's feelings yet, and you're already calling him 'our Ninth Prince'..."

Hua Luo blushed as she recalled her words and looked at Fu Luan.

Fu Luan smiled and said, "Hurry up and take the tea. Drink it to moisten your throat. Doctor Fu doesn't serve people easily!"

Hua Luo gave a slight bow before gracefully accepting the tea. Fu Luan, however, sighed deeply…

Fu Luan smiled wryly, "If Xiao Jiu were like you, and could understand my good intentions, that would be wonderful..."

"I'm afraid he'll throw a tantrum again when he gets back; what if, as he himself said, he goes to the Emperor and defies the imperial decree..."

"It's a small matter if my efforts are wasted, but if he falls back into prison, even a god couldn't save him..."

Fortunately, Yuan Jiu did take "his A-Luan's" words to heart.

The next day, news came from the palace:

The Ninth Prince, Yuan Jiu, was promoted to Prince of Yuyang, filling the vacancy left by the Eighth Prince, who had driven his fiancée to her death after breaking off their engagement.

If it were only this one piece of news, it wouldn't be clear how effective Fu Luan's suggestion was; but adding another piece of information makes a big difference—

Princess Anagui of the Western Regions, who was originally betrothed to Yuanjiu as a concubine, has now been designated as a "secondary consort"!

Leaving aside the fact that she went from being an imperial concubine to a princess, that was because Xiao Jiu's status changed;

However, the rank of her went from a concubine to a secondary concubine, which was a whole level higher. This was entirely due to Fu Luan's scheme.

Hua Luo pouted and said, "That foreign princess got off easy..."

Fu Luan laughed and said, "What's so cheap or not cheap about it..."

"She saw through my intentions in the horse racing that day but didn't expose me, and we haven't even thanked her yet!"

Hua Luo said irritably, "Grandma is too kind! What's there to thank me for?"

“With Princess Chun’an’s token, my lady is naturally qualified to enter the horse race! Do I need this barbarian woman’s approval?”

Fu Luan shook her head, "No... that token only allows me to enter the horse racing event as a woman of marriageable age, it doesn't mean I can participate in the race."

"If Anagui had told me about my horse racing, guess what... let alone the Emperor;

"Would the officials and the palace servants at the racecourse allow me to represent the Great Wei as a woman?"

Hua Luo fell silent... Fu Luan was right.

Hua Luo still remembers that Fu Luan had clearly fought his way out from among the Hu people and won the championship that day;

The high-ranking officials and nobles in Zhaoyang Palace also looked down on her.

It seemed as if Fu Luan winning the championship for the Great Wei, which had lost to the Western Regions for many years, was a very shameful thing...

Fu Ling smiled faintly, "The effect of this plan by my aunt is probably not just to elevate the status of her 'love rival'..."

Although I don't like the word 'love rival,' well...

"After all, I personally selected these people, and only the two of you can truly understand my intentions!" Fu Luan sighed.

Hua Luo became more and more confused as she listened, until Fu Ling finally explained everything to her.

The last news that came out of the palace was that the emperor was furious because the princes and nobles had abandoned their wives one after another.

The fourth prince and the Prince of Jiujiang, who had divorced their wives, were fined half a year's salary and were not allowed to leave Chang'an without imperial decree.

Their fates didn't end there—

The fourth prince was never to be granted the title of king; the Prince of Jiujiang was promoted from a county prince to the heir apparent, a promotion in name only.

The title of "Heir Apparent" appears to be lower than that of a Prince of the First Rank but higher than that of a Prince of the Second Rank, but in reality, it is far inferior to that of a Prince of the Second Rank.

The princes of the Great Wei were granted real fiefdoms and had the right to govern their fiefdoms.

The title of "Heir Apparent" was merely a nominal one, granting him only a salary and the title of prince; he had no say in anything that happened within his fiefdom.

As for the eighth prince, who drove his fiancée to her death, his fate was even more tragic—

He was demoted to a commoner, removed from the imperial genealogy, and even stripped of the surname "Yuan" from the Wei royal family.

For the rest of his life, this former prince will have to fend for himself, just like any other ordinary person.

No, perhaps even worse off than ordinary people...

Ordinary people are still able to live under the same roof with their parents and make a living;

When he was driven out of his own mansion, he had only one set of clothes, and he would probably have to live among the vagrants in the dark alleys from now on...

The eighth prince, who had been deposed and reduced to a commoner, kowtowed repeatedly at the palace gate, begging his father for forgiveness; but even with blood on his forehead, he could not step into his former "home"!

He then sought help from the officials and nobles he had previously associated with, but he had already been demoted and everyone was trying to avoid him, so who would help him?

Furthermore, the family of the fiancée who was forced to commit suicide was adding fuel to the fire, so who would dare to help him?

"So, with this plan, Grandma, you've cleared away three obstacles for the Prince of Yuyang's path to the throne," Fu Ling said with a smile.

Hua Luo nodded at one moment and sighed at the next, "Alas, I don't know what those officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices are thinking!"

"Change the day of the Prince of Yuyang's wedding to the same day as the investiture ceremony of our great-aunt, the Lady of Jin County."

"It was probably that Vice Minister who instigated it; after all, that day in Zhaoyang Palace, he tried to stop the Emperor from bestowing the title of County Lady upon my aunt..."

Fu Luan frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure. "It's not his fault..."

"The Emperor personally instructed that Xiao Jiu's wedding date be changed, and it was issued at the same time as the imperial edict to change Ana Gui to a concubine."

Hua Luo continued to mutter, "That's true... but when the time comes, everyone will definitely try to curry favor with the Prince of Yuyang and that foreign princess."

"It's so embarrassing that our great-aunt's investiture ceremony was so quiet and deserted!"

"'Everyone'? Who are 'Everyone'?" Fu Ling smiled and pinched her cheek.

Hua Luo blushed and said, "They are nothing more than civil and military officials, princes and nobles!"

Fu Luan and Fu Ling exchanged a smile. "You little rascal, you have quite a lot to worry about! But..."