Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

"Look at you, you've been married to the princess for quite some time now, how come you don't even know what the princess is busy with on weekdays?"

"You should spend less time on painting and more time helping the princess."

After hearing his mother's words, Liu Cheng's smile remained unchanged: "The princess did mention asking if I should ask for an official position, but I am neither good at literature nor martial arts, and I can't do anything except painting, so I refused."

"Why did you refuse?" Madam Liu was so angry she wanted to slap him awake. "Why did you go to such lengths to become the Prince Consort!"

Liu Cheng glanced at his mother: "Because I like the princess, I want to be her husband."

Madam Liu covered her forehead, complaining of a headache.

Liu Cheng stood up, his face full of worry: "Mother, what's wrong? I'll go and get a doctor for you right away."

"Stop!" Madam Liu glanced at her second son, whose worried expression made her unable to say anything harsh.

Just then, there was a commotion outside. Liu Cheng's elder brother's son ran in happily and rushed straight into Madam Liu's arms.

"Grandma, Grandma, look what I brought you!"

"Alright, alright, Grandmother, take a look," Madam Liu said with a smile as she looked at the things her eldest grandson had brought her.

Liu Cheng looked up and met his nephew's furtive wink. He immediately understood and said goodbye to his mother.

Madam Liu was busy talking to her eldest grandson and didn't bother with him, so she simply agreed.

Liu Cheng went outside and saw his older brother.

"No matter what your mother says, don't take it to heart. Now that you're married to the princess, the most important thing is to live your life well."

Liu Cheng's smile became much more genuine: "Don't worry, big brother, the princess and I are doing very well."

Brother Liu nodded: "Some things are like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. You don't need to care about what others say to live a good life."

Liu Cheng smiled and talked to him for a while before coming out.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw a familiar carriage. He quickened his pace, and with an anticipation he himself didn't realize, he lifted the curtain and indeed saw the person he was looking for.

"The princess is back early today."

"Didn't you say that the painting was almost finished and that I should come back to see it as soon as possible?" Yinyin invited him in and sat down, then pushed the snacks she had bought for him on the way to him in front of him.

Liu Cheng looked somewhat regretful: "It's a pity that my mother sent someone to say she missed me this morning, and I didn't have time to finish the painting."

"What's the big deal?" Yin Yin laughed. "When we get back, I'll watch you finish drawing, isn't that the same?"

Liu Cheng was naturally willing to spend more time with her.

The atmosphere was just right, and Yinyin didn't ask him what Madam Liu had told him.

Lord Liu and Madam Liu share the same idea, but the younger generation of the Liu family has a different idea. Liu Cheng can handle it himself, so she just pretends not to know.

However, even though Yin Yin didn't ask, Liu Cheng was happy to tell her.

“My mother told me to help you more in daily life, but I said I didn’t know anything, which made her so angry that she didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“Of course she’ll be angry,” Yin Yin said. “You just put too much effort into painting, so people think you can only paint.”

"But the Liu Cheng I know is skilled in both literature and martial arts, capable of writing essays and shooting deer on horseback. How can he be said to be completely incompetent?"

Liu Cheng laughed: "It's only because you, Princess, think I'm good in every way. With my limited abilities, what can I possibly do?"

“That’s enough to do a lot,” Yin Yin said, staring at him without moving.

“Don’t say that, Yinyin,” Liu Cheng tidied her hair, “His Majesty trusts you, but not me.”

"Oh dear," Yin Yin said, leaning on his shoulder even though she didn't intend to ask him for help. "You can do something else."

“No,” Liu Cheng said. “When you come back on weekdays, I can see you the moment you arrive, isn’t that good enough?”

Even Yin Yin had to admit that Liu Cheng was really good at coaxing her.

A few days later, after entering the palace, the emperor asked about her relationship with Liu Cheng, and Yin Yin told him about what happened that day.

"No wonder out of so many people, only he gained your uncle's approval," the emperor said, then stopped asking questions and started talking to her about the Western Wei.

"The repeating crossbows you had built have drawn the attention of others, and the Western Guards have almost finished training. It's time to have them rotate back to the palace in batches."

With the emperor having made this plan, Yin Yin naturally complied. However, there were some things she needed to clarify first: "Does Father Emperor intend for the Western Guard to remain in their original positions?"

The emperor nodded: "The place is still the same, but the burden on our shoulders is different."

Yin Yin's heart skipped a beat: "Father, are you planning to make a move on me too?"

The emperor was not surprised by her keen insight: "We do have this plan, but we'll have to wait a while before it can be implemented."

Yin Yin wasn't in a hurry. It had only been a short time since she took over Xiwei. Without enough merit, she had to be patient and wait.

The emperor said, "It's just in time for the Western Guard to be rotated into the palace, so you can come to the palace more often."

Eunuch Wu bowed and smiled, saying, "You've been coming and going so quickly this past year, His Majesty has really had a bit of a hard time getting used to it, and has missed you quite a few times."

Upon hearing this, Yin Yin quickly replied, "It's my fault. I was so focused on fulfilling the Emperor's instructions that I forgot to spend more time with you. I won't do it again. I promise I'll come to the palace more often, okay?"

The emperor smiled reservedly: "Business is more important."

Seeing that he was being insincere, Yin Yin couldn't help but laugh: "What important matter could be more important than accompanying Father Emperor? I don't know about others, but there is absolutely nothing like it for me."

The emperor could hardly hide his smile, and turned to Eunuch Wu, saying, "Look at him, he's married now, but he's still like a child, inseparable from his elders."

Eunuch Wu spoke up for Yin Yin, saying, "What else is the Princess but a child in His Majesty's eyes?"

Yinyin nodded repeatedly from the side, and said coquettishly, "With Father Emperor around, even if Yinyin gets old, she will still be a child and someone will love her."

Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but stroke her hair, just like he did when they were children.

Looking at Yin Yin's face, which had grown proportionally with her age, the emperor still said, "Never mind, you'll grow up when you have your own children."

Yinyin didn't think so, but she wouldn't argue with the emperor about it in detail.

When Yinyin entered the palace, the emperor, as usual, invited her to stay for a meal. She unceremoniously ordered several dishes that she and the emperor liked, and even carefully selected the chefs to cook them.

The emperor watched from the side, and he was very pleased with her generous and poised demeanor.

Just as it was time to eat, someone came to report: "Several princes in the Hongwen Hall have gotten into a dispute."

The emperor's expression turned serious, and he summoned someone to explain the whole story.

"The prince of Lin Kingdom originally won first place, but the prince of Qiu Kingdom was not satisfied. Later, the fourth prince and the sixth prince were involved. The crown prince came out to speak on his behalf, but he almost got hit on the head."

These words were vague and unclear, and the Hongwen Hall really did send someone who was "good at talking".

Like Yin Yin, the emperor was also very dissatisfied with this person.

Aside from the fact that the prince of Rin Kingdom won first place, nothing else went well after that.

The emperor glanced at the minor official who was trying to get away with it, scoffed, and dismissed him from his post: "You can't even explain one thing clearly, yet you're an official of the Hongwen Academy. Go back now, you're no longer needed."

The man was caught off guard by the emperor's sudden dismissal. His knees buckled, and he was about to kneel and beg for mercy when someone covered his mouth and led him away.

In Yinyin's opinion, this person deserved it.

It's one thing to be good at fooling people in normal times, but to try to act so recklessly in front of the emperor is another.

Regardless of his motives, it ultimately revealed his lack of loyalty to the emperor.

Given this, why would the emperor keep him?

After kicking the man out, the emperor simply took Yin Yin directly to the Hongwen Hall.

At this moment, Hongwen Hall was in complete chaos.

The hostage from another country and the prince of this country were subtly at odds. The crown prince not only failed to suppress the conflict, but also sat on the sidelines watching the two fight, acting as if it were none of his business.

The emperor, with a grim face, personally interrogated the man.

It turns out that the prince of Lin Kingdom had excellent grades, surpassing all the princes and nobles of the country, and even the crown prince's grades were not as good as his.

The crown prince was displeased, so he instructed his two brothers to cause him trouble. The third and fourth princes, not wanting to offend anyone, handed the matter over to the prince of Qiu.

The two countries are adjacent, and Lin Kingdom has been oppressed by Qiu Kingdom for many years. The prince of Lin Kingdom may bow down to others, but he will never admit defeat to the prince of Qiu Kingdom.

The two quickly got into a real fight.

Seeing that the situation was not good and fearing that they would be implicated, the third and fourth princes led their men to persuade them, but were exposed for stirring up trouble.

Now, all the hostages united and stood behind the prince of Lin Kingdom.

At this crucial moment, the Crown Prince completely ignored their pleas for help, showing no intention of stepping forward to take responsibility, and even implied that he wanted to pin the blame on them.

As for the Crown Prince almost getting hit on the head, it had nothing to do with the hostages; it was his brother who almost cracked his skull open.

After hearing the whole story, Yin Yin couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. It was just a matter of being outmaneuvered academically, yet the Crown Prince resorted to such a tactic, and to make matters worse, he was seen through. No wonder the Emperor disliked him even more.

Yinyin flipped through the book of articles in front of her, then looked at the Hongwen Pavilion official kneeling before the emperor, seemingly meek and cautiously recounting the whole story, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

How come no one has ever been able to surpass the Crown Prince before, but this time, the Crown Prince has been judged to be at a disadvantage?

And don't say that the Prince of Rin's writing is indeed good.

He used to write just as well, and the Crown Prince performed as usual. How come the examiners at the Hongwen Academy suddenly became so discerning this time?

The emperor's aura was so low that no one present dared to look up.

Yinyin opened the book in front of her, folded a few pages, and handed them to the emperor: "Father, look, these articles are quite well written."

Everyone was on edge, but Yin Yin's natural speech stood out.

Several hostages glanced up at her, only to see her smiling and moving casually, completely unaffected by the emperor.

Even the Crown Prince couldn't do that.

Upon hearing her speak, even the emperor, in his rage, took the book from her and began to read it.

At this moment, almost all the hostages gained a better understanding of the extent to which the emperor favored Princess Shou Kang.

Being by the emperor's side at a palace banquet was a symbol of his favor, but a person's affection for a cat or dog could also bestow such an honor.

The fact that one can still disturb the emperor at any time even in his rage, preventing him from taking his anger out on them, already goes far beyond the scope of ordinary favor.

The emperor understood what Yin Yin was trying to say after reading just a few pages.

By this time, he was able to view the princes, nobles, and hostages before him with equanimity.

"It's still because there's too little homework," the emperor said, directly ordering that class time be moved up and that homework be assigned. Everyone participating this time would also have to copy the books he had selected three times.

The emperor did not reprimand them, but this form of punishment made everyone secretly suffer.

Both teachers and students have now had a significantly increased workload.

To think that you can go play or do other things after class like before is just a pipe dream.

Subsequently, the emperor took the crown prince away directly.

Upon arriving at the Xuan Shi Hall, the emperor looked at the crown prince, who was still putting on airs, and didn't even have the energy to be angry with him: "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

The Crown Prince said, "Your subject is foolish and does not understand what Your Majesty means."

The emperor, his face stern, asked, "Do you think your actions today are befitting your status as crown prince?"

The crown prince, clearly intending to defy the emperor, knelt down with a stiff tone: "Your subject was wrong. Your subject has failed to meet Father's expectations."

When the emperor saw this, he didn't bother to say anything more to him, nor did he want to teach him anything more.

"Since you know you're wrong, then leave," the emperor leaned back. "Do you expect me to keep you for a meal?"

The crown prince left the house in a serious and methodical manner.

Yinyin glanced at the doorway, then at the emperor, but said nothing.

The emperor chuckled and said, "If you want to ask, then ask. When did you become a gourd with a sawed mouth?"

“Isn’t this because I’m afraid of hurting Father’s feelings?” Yin Yin said. “Father values ​​the Crown Prince so much.”

The emperor found it somewhat amusing: "You all know that I value him, yet he thinks I dislike him."

"How could that be?" Yin Yin said, disbelieving.

Yinyin hadn't seen the Emperor and Crown Prince much in the past two years and didn't know how they got along, but she knew what it was like before.

Empress Yuan committed so many wrongdoings and had so many selfish motives, yet the emperor tolerated her all the time and did not punish her. He even made the fifth prince the crown prince, and it wasn't just because he was the legitimate son.

Otherwise, with the previous dynasty under their control and no one forcing them, even if the Fifth Prince's maternal grandfather's family was capable, the emperor would not have chosen him as the crown prince.

"In this world, there is no such thing as 'can't' or 'can't," the emperor said, taking it all in stride. "My relationship with him as father and son ends here."

Before Yinyin could decide whether to offer any advice, the emperor called for dinner.

When it was time for her to leave, Eunuch Wu still needed to deliver a message to the Hongwen Academy, so he personally saw her off for a while.

"His Highness the Crown Prince believed slanderous words and thought that His Majesty had forced the late Empress to her death."

Yinyin stopped in her tracks, looking quite puzzled.

"I remember when the late Empress passed away, the Crown Prince was already all grown up, wasn't he?"

He should know perfectly well how the Empress died.

In his final days, the Empress devoted herself wholeheartedly to him.

“Who says otherwise?” Eunuch Wu’s voice was so soft it sounded almost ethereal.

"Who knows what the Crown Prince is thinking?"