Chapter 5: Various Reactions from the Public

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Capital City, Su Residence.

Zhao Rui and the Second Prince arrived at the place together.

Upon seeing Su Wen, the three of them sat down.

Zhao Rui took out the banknotes he had prepared and said with a smile, “Brother Su, this is the medicine fee we agreed on last time. Please keep it well.”

Su Wen picked up the banknotes without even looking at them.

He laughed loudly and said, “It’s rare for Brother Zhao and the Second Prince to come together today. Last time, I promised to invite the both of you to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and this is no better time. I heard that today is also the day that the Courtesan Belle, Cui Yumian, leaves her residence. It’s just nice to go take a look!”

Zhao Rui looked at the second prince.

He really wanted to go.

Hundred Flowers Pavilion was one of the top four pleasure locations in the capital city, and Cui Yumian had been the Courtesan Belle in such a place for three years.

In the past three years, countless high-ranking officials and nobles had wanted to get intimate with her, but unfortunately, Cui Yumian had never left her own residence.

And today was the day Cui Yumian would step out of her residence.

The second prince hesitated slightly.

He had always portrayed himself as a man of integrity and uprightness. Not only did he pay attention to his words and actions, he treasured his reputation and usually stayed far away from such flashy places.

It was all for the sake of increasing his chances of seizing the throne.

However, the person who spoke this time was Su Wen!

One had to know that Su Changqing had power over the entire court. Although he was not without opponents, he could still be considered the number one civil servant of Great Zhou.

If he could obtain the support of such an important official, it would undoubtedly be beneficial for him on the path of succession.

Su Wen couldn’t represent Su Changqing, but he was Su Changqing’s son after all!

After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, the second prince smiled and said, “It wouldn’t hurt to take a look at such a grand event.”

His eagerness to obtain Su Changqing’s support outweighed his need to maintain his image.

Su Wen smiled lightly. “Then let’s meet at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion tonight.”

Zhao Rui was overjoyed. This time, he had offended Su Wen and had to compensate with a million taels of silver. He had almost emptied his father’s fortune.

His father, the Grand Prince, had directly cut off his allowance as a result. Now, he was embarrassingly short of money.

Zhao Rui and the second prince then left the Su Residence.

Zhao Rui laughed, “That bastard cheated me of so much money. It’s time for me to enjoy myself.”

The second prince however shook his head and said, “In my opinion, you shouldn’t harbor such thoughts. Father believes in Su Changqing and has even disregarded some of his transgressions. No one can shake his position in the short term. Since you’ve already spent a million taels, you might as well be on good terms with Su Wen. In the future, if you become an official in the imperial court, the Su Family will be worth relying on.”

The smile on Zhao Rui’s face disappeared. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and said solemnly, “Second brother, don’t worry, I understand. I won’t say such things again, and I won’t think that way anymore.”

The second prince nodded his head in satisfaction. This fellow was not beyond redemption after all.

At this point, a playful smile appeared on his face, and he said with some schadenfreude, “I came across some news. Right now, the capital has yet to spread, so I’ll share it with you to let you feel happier.”

Zhao Rui quickly said, “Second brother, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

The second prince shook his head and said, “There’s no need to keep it a secret. It’s not a confidential matter. His Majesty has already issued a decree to betroth Yan Luoying, the daughter of Yan Ze, to Su Wen. She has also become an official in the capital! She will be arriving in the capital soon!”

Zhao Rui’s jaw dropped.

This news shocked him too much. After a moment, he suddenly laughed and said, “What did this kid say last time? Whoever marries that person would even have to touch his head when he slept at night. His words are still ringing in my ears, haha! Does this fellow have to touch his neck every morning in the future?”

Zhao Rui smiled happily.

The second prince laughed as well, and the two of them laughed for a while before the second prince asked, “But since this is a marriage bestowed by my royal father, can you tell what’s going on?”

Zhao Rui’s smile disappeared as he furrowed his brows in deep thought. A moment later, he said hesitantly, “Su Changqing and Yan Ze will become in-laws, which means that Su Changqing has a pillar of support in the army and his power will definitely be greater. It can be seen how much His Majesty favors Su Changqing.”

The second prince said with satisfaction, “That’s one of the reasons! The second reason is that Yan Ze is a governor of a region and holds military power. Yan Luoying is his only flesh and blood. Once she enters the capital, he will have an additional layer of shackles.”

At this point, he smiled and said, “It’s just that Su Wen will be on the receiving end of the suffering. If he marries such a woman, he probably won’t have many opportunities to go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.”

At this time, news of the Zhou Emperor’s betrothal had already begun to spread throughout the upper echelons of the capital.

In the Crown Prince’s residence, the Crown Prince and Grand Tutor Zhou Bin sat together.

The crown prince was only a few years older than the second prince. His eyes were long and narrow, and he appeared rather gloomy.

Zhou Bin, on the other hand, had a head full of white hair. He was already seventy-four years old this year, but still looked hale and hearty. This was thanks to his cultivation. While he could not be considered an expert, at least his body was strong.

Zhou Bin said, “Today, the Second Prince brought Zhao Rui to send a gift of apology to Su Wen. It is said that Su Wen used the incident as an excuse to rip off the Grand Prince of a million silver taels!”

The crown prince sneered and said, “This Su Wen is simply lawless! His father, Su Changqing, is a crafty sycophant. Now, he is actually resorting to this excuse to extort the prince. Too much!”

To the crown prince, he did not like Su Changqing. Su Changqing was greedy for money, and there was no one in the entire Great Zhou who did not know about it.

Zhou Bin shook his head and said, “One is willing to fight while the other is willing to suffer. Even if the crown prince informs His Majesty about this matter, it’s useless. This Su Changqing has always had a clean hand and never left any evidence behind. After so many years, how many people have tried to sue him? Doesn’t he still stand tall in the royal court?”

The crown prince sighed and said helplessly, “I don’t know what father values this Su Changqing for to actually make him the head of all officials. If I ascend the throne, I’ll definitely bring him to justice!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bin panicked and hurriedly advised, “You mustn’t say this to anyone else, Crown Prince! His Majesty is in his prime and your position as Crown Prince isn’t stable. Su Changqing is deeply trusted by His Majesty. If this person becomes enemies with the Crown Prince, I’m afraid something big will happen!”

At this point, he was a little worried. “This Second Prince is probably trying to befriend Su Wen today! Although this person is ignorant and incompetent, he is still Su Changqing’s youngest son and is extremely favored. Even if his actions are absurd, I have never heard of any punishment being meted out to him.”

“Furthermore, His Majesty has given Yan Luoying to marry him this time. The Second Prince is here to make peace with the two of them because he wants to befriend Su Wen. He might have the intention to rope Yan Ze in.”

The crown prince gritted his teeth as he said, “My second and third brothers refuse to give up their evil intentions. These two b*stards, can’t they just focus on being a rich prince? Must they come and fight with me? Is this throne something they can fight for?”

To the Crown Prince, he was the eldest son and the brother of all the princes. In his eyes, the throne was rightfully his.

Zhou Bin sighed. The struggle to ascend the throne could be considered the most cruel thing in the world.

Until the end, one could not be careless.

“Your Highness Crown Prince, you must not offend Su Changqing’s family before things are settled. This person is vengeful and ruthless. If you form enmity with him, there will be no benefit!”

The crown prince wasn’t a fool, and he nodded upon hearing this. “I know. I still have to try my best to be on good terms with them and feign civility. I’ll settle the score after I ascend the throne!”

On the other side, Wuwei General’s Residence.

A burly youth flipped the table in anger!

And seated on the other side of the table was none other than the famous general of Great Zhou, Wu Kunhu.

The young man roared, “Why?! Why did His Majesty choose Luoying to be betrothed to that useless Su Wen?!”

Wu Kunhu frowned and said angrily, “Why are you angry? Do you think you have the right to flip the table in this house? I’m telling you this because I want to tell you that after Yan Luoying enters the capital, you better stay away from her! I don’t want to cause any trouble! Yan Ze and Su Changqing are not energy saving lamps, cheap and easy to dispose of!”

This young man was his son, Wu Lie.. In this family, if anyone else dared to flip the table in front of him, he would have already broken that person’s legs.