bayedsolid Chapter 218 Situation
Chapter 218 Situation
Wei Yu gave a wicked smile, casually picked up his teacup, and took a sip with unparalleled elegance. Afterward, he leaned back lazily in his chair, toying with the folding fan in his hand that faintly exuded the scent of ink. His unrestrained and arrogant demeanor made Chu Feng stare in disbelief.
Having achieved his goal, Wei Yu's smile faded, and he said indifferently, "I, Wei Yu, will remember Young Master Chu's words. However, I would also like to offer Young Master Chu a word of advice: 'Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish.' I will wait and see what your fate will be. The fate of the Jin family seems a bit too swift and unsuitable for you."
After saying that, Wei Yu reached out and picked up a piece of apricot-colored pastry, eating it as he walked out of the private room.
Chu Feng sipped his tea nonchalantly behind him, his eyes gleaming with an unwavering determination. He declared loudly, "Just wait a few days, and you will surely be mine, Chu Feng's, possession."
Wei Yu swallowed the pastry and replied without turning his head, "I'll wait and see."
After leaving the restaurant, Wei Yu headed straight for Prince Jing's villa in the western part of the city. He had a lot of questions he wanted to discuss with Prince Jing, but the timing wasn't right. However, visiting Li Xiaonuan at the villa was indeed a good excuse.
Meanwhile, in the main study of the Wei family mansion, Wei's father paced anxiously back and forth. Ever since learning that his sister Wei Lu and nephew were still safe and sound, the Wei family had suffered fierce attacks from the Empress's faction to varying degrees.
A few days ago, I received a letter from my eldest son saying that my second son had returned to the capital. Today's incident involving Lord Jin was precisely an expression of the Empress's faction's dissatisfaction with Prince Jing's safe return to the capital. Everyone in the capital knows that Lord Jin's family are the godparents of Prince Jing's wife.
Judging from his sons' behavior in Yongzhou Prefecture, they were clearly serving the emperor. Now that they've returned, their father will certainly want to have a serious discussion with them to see what the emperor's true intentions are. However, this son hasn't returned home at all since entering the city.
The Empress's family were mostly military men, many of them roughnecks. The ruthlessness of those unruly individuals was something their family, traditionally scholars, couldn't withstand. The Jin family was a prime example.
Back then, the Empress's father and uncle controlled nearly 20 troops in the Northwest Camp. Although they came from humble backgrounds, they were born at the right time and secured a place in the army. However, their clan lacked a solid foundation and often resorted to unorthodox methods, posing a significant threat.
Looking back now, it's possible that the emperor was threatened by those two uncles and nephews when he chose that person as empress. The emperor at that time didn't have as many powerful supporters as Prince Jing, who was then the fourth prince. Later, he only gained the support of a small portion of the civil officials after marrying Wei Lu.
Fortunately, the Eagle King was the crown prince from the beginning, so no one opposed his ascension to the throne. However, after ascending the throne, he might face many difficult years. But, at some point, the emperor became involved with the niece of the Northwest Army Commander, Lady Wang, which enabled him to seize the throne forcefully.
However, it was precisely because the Wang family provided the emperor with sufficient power that he was forced to make a woman surnamed Wang his empress. Originally, the court officials were not particularly opposed to this move by the emperor. After all, a king with an army was not someone to be trifled with.
It wasn't until after the Wang family ascended the throne that the eldest prince, who had been hidden for several years, suddenly appeared, and the world realized that the emperor had been having an affair with someone for a long time, and that their illegitimate child was already so grown up.
The eldest prince, whose claim to the throne was illegitimate, was more than a year older than the legitimate son of the Crown Princess, Wei Lu. This was illogical. After all, Wei Lu gave birth to a son a year after marrying into the Crown Prince's household. It was clear that before marrying Wei Lu, the Crown Prince had already been having an affair with Lady Wang.
It's puzzling why Lady Wang remained behind the emperor for several years without causing any trouble. Generally, princes vying for power valued the civil officials in the court, as they held absolute authority.
But at that time, the emperor preferred to elevate a military family that was merely a regional general to a higher position, rather than offend a civil official family that had been rooted in the capital for hundreds of years. This was something that no one could understand.
For the first year or two, the Empress and her Wang clan were quite obedient, always doing their jobs dutifully. However, as more and more people in the court opposed making the eldest prince, whose position was illegitimate, the Empress became anxious.
Although the emperor doted on her during those years and tolerated her oppression and framing of Wei Lu, the empress remained uneasy. In the end, she took a desperate gamble and eliminated Wei Lu and her son.
Even after that incident, the emperor didn't show any aloofness or anger towards her. The empress finally felt at ease and spent her days frolicking in the harem, no longer paying attention to the other concubines. Therefore, over the years, the emperor only had one successful son—the empress's son.
Those other princes, spoiled and neglected, were sent out of the palace early on and became local tyrants in the capital. They spent their days indulging in cockfighting, dog racing, and other debauchery, leading quite a lively life.
Of course, none of those things mattered. What mattered was that after the Empress was relieved, her maternal family, the Wang clan, also relaxed considerably. And indeed, in recent years, the things the Wang clan has done have become increasingly outrageous.
The Empress, meanwhile, spent her days scheming to consolidate her and her son's positions. Her methods of bribing and winning over officials became increasingly blatant, even laced with threats. In short, her faction openly formed cliques right under the Emperor's nose, acting with unbridled audacity.
The emperor pretended not to know anything about all of this. In short, the emperor was quite tolerant. As long as the empress did not touch anyone he valued, the emperor would not interfere.
This unusual phenomenon gave the court officials a hint: the emperor intended to deal with the empress's family. Of course, this was merely a bold speculation by the officials and received no response from the emperor.
Some, in their haste, dared to break the law, and the consequences were horrific. For example, the entire Jin family perished.
The more Lord Wei pondered and analyzed everything in his study, the more anxious and impatient he became. He wanted to ask his son about Wei Lu and her son, to know what path they intended to take in the future. Once he had a clear understanding, he could better arrange the manpower of the Wei family.
only……
"Master!" A servant rushed into the main courtyard, shouting anxiously, "Master, the second young master hasn't returned. He went to Prince Jing's villa. I couldn't stop him."
Lord Wei, already anxious, felt his heart burn with anger upon hearing this. His son had always been defiant, never understanding his good intentions. But what could he do? His past actions had been flawed, and he had wronged his wife and son.
With a sigh, Lord Wei slumped down behind his desk. After a long while, he looked up helplessly and instructed the still-panting servant, "You may leave now. Inform me whenever the Second Young Master returns. Remember, no matter when."
The servant acknowledged and withdrew. Lord Wei propped his throbbing head on his hand, gazing bitterly at the painting on the wall. Some people and some things can never be undone.