Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Autumn is almost here.

The palace and its surroundings were bustling with activity, with the emperor's birthday, the empress's birthday, and various sacrificial ceremonies taking place during the harvest season.

Especially at the beginning of the year, the current empress, who was fifteen years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, did not hold her coming-of-age ceremony. At that time, it was said that she would hold it on an auspicious day in the middle of the year, since it coincided with the death of the Sixth Prince, which was a funeral of some magnitude.

But now, what auspicious day could compare to the emperor and empress's birthday? If we delay any longer, it will only make people doubt the peace of the imperial family and whether the empress and her family's position is secure.

Unfortunately,

His Majesty seems to have an ambiguous attitude toward the preparation of these matters, and has not given any definite answer, so the inner court dares not take any major action.

Until the day could not be delayed any longer, the four kings personally supervised the preparations for all the banquets, big and small, which began in a hurried and frantic manner.

Not to mention the Empress and powerful imperial concubines, any concubine who was idle and had a certain family background, status, and knowledge was summoned to be in charge of overseeing things. Every concubine had an inescapable responsibility and was under great pressure, fearing that making a mistake would ruin her reputation, and in severe cases, it would implicate her family and lead to their purge.

among them,

Just coordinating the conflicts between different parts and resolving issues of priority and importance kept the Empress's palace constantly bustling with people coming and going.

Although it was mostly her aunt, the Imperial Concubine, who was causing the headaches, even if she was an elder, she still had to make this decision within the Empress's territory.

The principle of prioritizing the relationship between ruler and subject over father and son is one that no one dares to break.

Fortunately,

Although the emperor was reluctant to get involved, there were still the four princes. As His Majesty's most trusted elder brothers, and with their mothers being sisters, they already shared a deeper blood relation than others. Moreover, they had gone through the perilous struggle for the throne together and assisted His Majesty in consolidating the empire for three years.

The Fourth Prince was not only the most capable person to make decisions, but also exceptionally capable. He was very knowledgeable about etiquette and law, and could solve 80% of problems on his own. For the remaining ones he was unsure about, he dared to personally consult with His Majesty.

In the hearts of the busy and overwhelmed imperial concubines, she was simply a reliable savior.

There's no need to worry about gossip, because the Fourth Prince is short, has a kind face, and while not ugly, he's quite ordinary. Especially compared to His Majesty, who is the seventh prince, he has no advantage in terms of physique or demeanor. Subconsciously, he would never be so blind as to betray His Majesty.

therefore,

Whether they were eunuchs, palace maids, officials, or imperial concubines, they all felt reassured by the movement of the four princes.

......

Under the big tree in the Cold Palace, Xia Youmi leaned back in the comfortable recliner she had "picked up" and modified, holding Niannian, who had also counted to be the fourth child in the family.

"The Four Kings, 47 years old? The only one whose age gap is not apparent?"

“Yes!” Niannian responded and analyzed, “That’s why he was able to get along well with his first, second, and third eldest brothers, and also interact with his younger brothers, thus finding the right stance and living a worry-free life.”

"In the end, it's still because people are smarter," Xia Youmi sighed, "and their timing is also more accurate."

"Yes, it's a pity about the fifth, sixth, and eighth kings."

Although he was an outsider sorting out the various factions in the court, and the princes of the same generation as His Majesty basically had no chance of turning things around, it seemed that whatever trouble they had caused in the past was a different matter.

at the moment,

The key is to please the emperor who holds real power.

but,

For Xia Youmi, analyzing her past identity, position, and current environment is helpful in determining the focus of her future actions.

Although her power is known to be minuscule and negligible.

But that doesn't stop her from trying to compete.

The late emperor was only moderate in governing the country. With the stable empire left by his father's generals, he only needed to work hard to maintain his rule. As a result, he had a relatively outstanding number of offspring. With about ten princes and about twenty princesses, his most important task in life was to raise them well.

The late emperor lived to the age of eighty-eight and arranged marriages for the princesses. Although the consorts were not from top-tier noble families, their character and abilities were carefully tested and screened.

During the most prosperous decade or so when princesses married, it was a joyous and lively occasion for the common people to witness a young man pass the test and become a prince consort. Moreover, the late emperor would not deliberately interfere with marriages. If the chosen man and the princess did not like each other, he would not force it. If the princess herself had a favorite man, he would consider it accordingly.

In short, settling his daughter in peace was an indelible chapter in the late emperor's record of achievements.

In addition,

The excessively talented princes, whose numbers and factions were too large, gradually became a hidden danger. Excluding those princes who were born too early or too late and could not grow up safely to adulthood, there were still nine princes who were eligible to succeed to the throne.

Each and every one of them is of good character and exceptionally knowledgeable.

Each of their mothers came from a distinguished and influential family.

Basically, no one made any major mistakes, and the necessary tests and brotherly affection were all present.

The late emperor, with the same gentle encouragement he used to play with his daughter, also mentored his sons during their early years, teaching them to think critically and not become mediocre like their father, but to take it upon themselves to bring prosperity to the dynasty. As a result, everyone believed they were qualified to be the ruler of the land.

Ambition and the ability to expand can be cultivated.

The late emperor only thought that his son could make up for his regrets, but this led to the tragic struggle for the throne.

Those years that were most concentrated

It was also a time when the late emperor's health was not very good, and the court and the princes were openly divided into three factions.

The eldest, second, and third princes formed one group. They were the earliest group, all over fifty years old, and no more than a year apart in age. Rather than being a faction vying for the throne, they were more like a group sticking together for mutual support.

Knowing he couldn't win against his younger brother, he still had to exert some deterrence and fight for his rights. At the right moment, he needed to add chips to the winner's position and clean up the mess for the loser.

After several brief clashes, those who were truly capable of vying for the throne understood their stance and were thus excluded from the list of those to be targeted.

The rest,

The fourth, fifth, and sixth princes form one group, while the seventh, eighth, and ninth princes form another.

They distinguished themselves by the closeness of relationships and their personalities, understanding that resolving external issues first and then discussing internal matters to determine who was superior was the best course of action.

among them,

The fourth prince is special. He is seven years younger than the third prince and also seven years younger than the fifth prince. He seems to be a prince without much ambition, but he still has to make a certain amount of effort for his family and his mother.

The Ninth Prince is also unique. He is the youngest, and his family's influence is all in the Northwest. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he has no intention of returning to the capital. From a young age, he has focused his efforts on expansion. It can be said that his partnership with strategists is the key to his success.

However, being young and impetuous, and considering himself a member of Team 7, 8, and 9, he wanted to first seize the victory and claim it as the spoils of war for his faction.

If you can't even win a small competition with your brothers, how can you talk about fighting against external forces?

Even if they have a good relationship on the surface, they shouldn't be fighting each other.

After several bitter exchanges, it was no surprise that they fought to the bitter end, fueled by the instigation of their respective family forces and the covetous eyes of foreign powers.

From the fourth to the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth factions, the power of each faction gradually became clear.

If the late emperor had passed away earlier, things might have been stabilized. However, his illness dragged on for a long time, so long that everyone discovered that someone in the team had ulterior motives, or to put it more bluntly, that they each had a mole.

The interconnected links form a dense spider web.

"This is just making trouble out of nothing."

"It can take seven or eight years to find an undercover agent, and you've tested everyone around you several times. If only you put that energy into developing people's livelihoods, that would be so much better." Xia Youmi said casually, detached from the background.

Even knowing there was no other way, she didn't offer any praise.

“In the end, it was the late emperor’s greed that led to this,” Niannian explained. “He always felt that he was being looked down upon, but he didn’t have the ability or the courage to stand up for himself, so he could only show off his power in matters of women and children.”

"Yes, without the Empress's own son, there is no Crown Prince. This is because they are afraid there will be too few ambitious heirs."

"Furthermore, if we look at it from the other side, the undercover agent is quite obvious."

"Too."

Later, when the power structure was basically solidified, the court officials had made their choices. Among the fourth, fifth, and sixth princes, the fifth prince was the most promising, while among the seventh, eighth, and ninth princes, the eighth prince was the most favored.

They are all relatively stable people.

The fourth and ninth sons were relatively more marginalized.

With one undercover agent on each side, only the sixth and seventh brothers are left to choose from.

Although many smokescreens were thrown out and countless dangerous rounds were fought.

But the results are already out in the open.

Seventh brother won.

The fifth brother was marginalized, and the sixth brother died.

However, because it was a victory for the middle-tier faction, the fourth brother finally gained their trust.

On the losing side, the Eighth Prince was imprisoned, and the Ninth Prince was filled with rage, but he couldn't overcome the difference between ruler and subject. Although he was implicated, he was the least injured. The key issue was that he couldn't get past the fact that the Seventh Prince, whom he trusted, was a traitor.

The heartache is hard to heal.

The relationship remains strained and shows no signs of easing.

Even if the seventh prince appreciated his straightforwardness but was dissatisfied with his overstepping attitude, seeing that the dynasty was stable and the strategy was basically formed, there was no need to add fuel to the fire when the ninth prince was needed.

Xia Youmi's background is a small but potentially problematic aspect of this process.

in this way,

In an environment where the concubines would target her when they had nothing to do, and completely ignore her when they were busy, only a keen sense of smell could capture the details.

That is, the person who was carefully cultivated to become the empress and her trusted aunt.

although,

It's still unclear whether it's good or bad.

However, given their high position and considerable influence, it's not necessarily a bad thing to be prepared in advance.

"So, all those previous instances of much ado about nothing and little real damage were just their tests, right?"

"should."

Every year, she spoke softly, but she was already calculating the route to those palaces.

Whether now or in the past, it doesn't care what schemes they have or what important matters they are after, but if someone drags Youmi into something that harms her, and they have the means and ability to do so, then it must be dealt with.

You can calculate it yourself.

I'll sign my name.

They even cultivated a gentlemanly spirit of non-interference.

Xia Youmi stroked Niannian's back, a sense of satisfaction welling up within her. She was not one to rely on others for support.

But her small stature and futuristic technology made her let down her guard, which was always focused on her own interests.

Let this lazy mindset and state of mind grow comfortably.