Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Outside the Xuan Shi Hall,

Three elegantly dressed men waited together for the summons. They stood in pairs, clearly on opposing sides, yet there was a slight distance between the two men facing the same direction.

Before long, a voice rang out: "Your Highnesses, His Majesty requests your presence!"

The chief eunuch, Min De, remained neither humble nor arrogant, bowing to make way for the main entrance, his tone revealing no hint of his relationship with the princes.

The palace was where the emperor reviewed memorials daily, and only close ministers were allowed to enter. The overall layout was somewhat casual and elegant, and even the seats were lower than those in ordinary palaces, with the seats closer together.

"Fourth brother!"

Before anyone could kneel in worship, Feng Chengyuan's familiar address rang out, causing a brief pause in the atmosphere.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The Fourth Prince took the lead in bowing, which broke the awkward silence.

just,

After inviting them to sit down, Feng Chengyuan still added, "Fifth Brother, Ninth Brother."

Logically, as competitors, they should not allow kinship to prevail; prioritizing the relationship between ruler and subject is essential to consolidating authority.

But Feng Chengyuan has always addressed the four kings in this way, so it's not good to make things difficult for him. Besides, the victor should have manners and focus on the big picture. He shouldn't have been so concerned about personal differences.

And on the opposite side,

The Fifth Prince, a leisurely man who had gradually come to his senses and settled his future, had already extricated himself from the tense estrangement between ruler and subject. Even less concerned with formalities than the Fourth Prince, he proactively smiled at Feng Chengyuan, loudly responding with "Fifth Brother," and added:

"Your Majesty...Seventh Brother?"

The seven characters were read lightly, and if one didn't pay close attention, one might mistake them for a title for "Emperor".

The key point is that the five kings were relaxed and at ease, which was truly impeccable. However, to those who were observing and concerned, it sounded particularly jarring.

Feng Chengyuan nodded, without revealing his complicated feelings.

However, the phrase "Ninth Brother" was not conveyed so smoothly. Feng Chengnian even pretended not to hear it, looking up at the sky and the ground but not at the middle.

He didn't care.

Today, it was only because his fourth brother forcibly called him over that he did so many disrespectful things.

Sure enough, before Feng Chengyuan could even frown, the Fourth Prince changed the subject, talking about recent interesting stories from the capital.

They all understood that this was just a prelude.

But as expected of the four kings who are capable of winning over everyone, even when they scrape together trivial opening remarks, they never make the audience feel bored. The servants serving tea and the palace maids on duty all find it interesting and can empathize with them.

in this way,

The group relaxed.

"Seventh Brother, the Prime Minister visited the other day and we talked about some old news." The Fourth Prince subtly steered the conversation toward the main topic.

But Feng Chengyuan was too perceptive. He didn't even need to analyze; just hearing the two keywords "Prime Minister" was enough for him to understand everything.

No wonder,

The fourth brother looked troubled and even pulled the fifth and ninth brothers along.

He didn't interrupt, but his breathing became heavier, and a casual glance was enough to tell that the emperor's mood had plummeted to rock bottom.

"Sigh, Fourth Brother, let's not bring up old news, let's just be frank and speak plainly!" Ever since the Fifth Prince left the Mud Sea, he has become completely indifferent to the convoluted political battles. A few pleasantries are the norm, but when it comes to serious matters, he doesn't bother to beat around the bush and doesn't care about other people's expressions.

"Then I'll be frank, Your Majesty... The political landscape inside and outside the court is already set. Since you're not absolutely opposed to it, try to accept it, or change it gradually. The same applies to relationships between people."

After the Fourth Prince finished speaking, he seemed to have aged considerably.

The five princes nodded and shook their heads, and even seemed somewhat fortunate to have been able to stay with the princess from beginning to end.

The Ninth Prince remained silent, but his lowered eyes revealed disdain.

Feng Chengyuan sat in a slightly higher position, able to see their expressions clearly. The emotions that had been slightly relieved last night were now magnified and entangled again. Sometimes he really wanted to destroy them. He did not enjoy the inevitable suffering on the way to the throne.

"Fourth Brother, would you like to move to a different mansion, or go somewhere to relax?"

"His Majesty!"

The four princes were somewhat surprised. They thought the emperor would be angry and resist, but they did not expect Feng Chengyuan to calm down quickly and tell them to have some peace and quiet.

Indeed, being connected to the Prime Minister's residence, he had many unavoidable circumstances. Political affairs also required smooth communication between higher and lower levels, and certain barriers could not be easily broken down. They still relied on the ministers.

But the emperor was relatively more free to do as he pleased.

He was truly capable of giving up many things, but the fourth prince, burdened with responsibilities and baggage, could not; he had to face the torrents and trivialities outside the palace.

The emperor realized that he had been coerced by the prime minister to plead for the empress, and that the emperor and empress were trying to publicly display their harmony.

at least,

They also have to pretend to be loving and respectable.

However, Feng Chengyuan did not stay overnight yesterday, and he had a cold face at the banquet. Almost everyone present knew that he was unhappy.

How could the Prime Minister's family possibly sit still?

Even if they are powerful and well-established, they understand the principle that prosperity must eventually decline, and they are well aware of how difficult it was for relatives of the emperor to rise to power in history, and how many people are eyeing their positions now.

But now that we've embarked on the right path, we must win.

We cannot abandon the plan to cultivate an empress and a crown prince; if we fail, we will surely be humiliated.

Even if he had to force it, he would force the emperor and empress to do it.

While the audience was fiercely competing, he could prevent the emperor from interfering and avoid causing him any trouble.

But now, all he and his family ask for is for the Seven Princes of the Amorous Life to take another beauty as a concubine. Such a simple matter, why? Why can't the emperor cooperate with their various hints?

The Prime Minister was genuinely uneasy, as he was forced to ask the Prince to take action.

Fortunately,

The Fourth Prince was also worried that such a willful emperor would damage his reputation among the people, so he was willing to come and persuade him.

However, Feng Chengyuan never confided in anyone. He resented the women in the harem. The heavy pretense he wore back then was now difficult to peel off completely, and neither he nor outsiders could allow it to falter.

Try to remain impartial and not interfere with right or wrong; give them enough gold and silver to appease your conscience.

More,

It's not something that can be given by an emperor's throne.

Like Fifth Brother, one person accompanies another throughout their life, clinging tightly to each other regardless of life or death.

"Stop trying to persuade him. I think His Majesty has his own plans." In the midst of the stunned silence, it was the Fifth Prince who spoke up, persuading the moved and worried Fourth Prince to calm down. His magnanimity once again struck the Emperor as jarring.

Mingming, the Fifth Princess's mother was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family.

He was supposed to be here today to speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and persuade the Emperor and Empress to get along; that was precisely the purpose for which the Fourth Prince invited him.

However, the Fifth Prince thought that Feng Chengyuan's cold behavior was justified. In his view, such a large age difference was not a good thing, and the Empress did not only represent the concubines.

When His Majesty ascended the throne, there were countless fine daughters from the families of high-ranking officials, but a little girl who was not even twelve years old was allowed to enter the palace.

Although it's just being kept as a pet, it doesn't look proper at all.

His wife kept saying, "What a terrible thing to do, trading a child."

Therefore, even at the age of fifteen (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), he did not agree that the emperor should rush to accept him.

This is wrong from the very beginning. As a member of the original camp, he was actually aware of the various forces involved, and because he had the steadfast support of the princess, he was just passing the buck.

He was briefly relieved when his team caught the ball.

When his seventh brother seemed to struggle and resist because his position as the principal wife had been decided by the current prime minister's family, and even sought help, he did not intervene. He only thought that his seventh brother's actions were correct, and that promoting his concubine from the Gongsun family would be enough to consolidate his power.

However, I never expected that this family would have such a deep connection with my seventh brother.

Furthermore, his family was not satisfied with only keeping one older concubine and one imperial concubine.

The Fifth Prince looked at his Ninth Brother, who was also deep in thought, and sighed silently. The imperial family was always inextricably linked to "marriage".

"Then, I'll listen to Fifth Brother and won't try to persuade him anymore." The Fourth Prince bowed deeply. He simply couldn't put an outsider's feelings above Feng Chengyuan's own, especially since Feng Chengyuan was thinking of him.

"Ah, it's my turn."

After finishing a cup of tea, Ninth Prince Feng Chengnian stood up. He hadn't come for the sake of his marriage ties with the Prime Minister.

My mother has never received a kind word from the Prime Minister's family in the past, so he is even less likely to speak up for her.

Outsiders didn't know that Fourth Brother thought he could get some advice from him.

"What is it..." Feng Chengyuan asked, his thoughts slightly diverted.

"What is it?" But the Ninth Prince was clearly annoyed by him. He said loudly, "Let me go back to the Northwest. It's better to guard the yellow sand than to guard the imperial city."

"Ninth Brother."

"Ninth Brother."

The four and five kings were somewhat surprised and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"The Northwest?" Feng Chengyuan also came to his senses, realizing that the topic had not stopped at the concubines.

"When can I leave the capital and return my people to me?!"

"no!"

"What's not working?"

Feng Chengyuan thought of the person in the cold palace again. He wanted him back, and he was even begging to be returned here. What did they take him for? What did they take the emperor's dignity, the world, and the dignity of men for?

"I can't give you the person."

"Why!" Ninth Prince Feng Chengnian suppressed his anger and said, word by word, "I am already a broken man, what are you still worried about? Coming back to the Northwest with me will not bother you. At most, I will not come back to the capital and cause you trouble."

"No...it's not tattered." Feng Chengyuan denied it, then suddenly stood up and glared angrily at Feng Chengnian, questioning, "You, you're still in contact? She confided in you, saying how miserable and bitter she is now, and you feel sorry for her?!"

The minds of those present were buzzing.

Feng Chengyuan's suspicions were confirmed, and he also felt that his regret from the previous night was not worth it.

She was living a life of luxury in the cold palace, even keeping a black cat for company, and sleeping soundly, yet she poured out her sorrows to her lover.

Unable to swallow this insult, his fingertips dug into his flesh. Caught between his empire and his dignity, Feng Chengyuan pondered whether he could train a general capable of rivaling the Ninth Prince within five years.

"You?" The Fifth Prince, being an outsider, could sense something strange in his tone. He asked, "Are you talking about the same person?"

"Cough cough."

Although the Fourth Prince had no memory of Xia Youmi, he had witnessed that past event.

He instantly realized what was happening, and his worry for his seventh brother turned into embarrassment.

"What? Xiaomi'er?" Feng Chengnian shouted out the annoying name, and then said excitedly, "Yes! Xiaomi'er too! She's coming with me too. Besides Uncle Shao in prison, Xiaomi'er is coming back to the Northwest with me!"

This time,

The expressions on the faces of those present were priceless, a mixture of emotions.