The Four Princes?

The eight-year-old prince has always kept a low profile. His biological mother Qiao Meiren is famous for her beauty, but she doesn't seem to be very smart, and her mother's family is not prominent.

The emperor has been quite fond of Qiao Meiren in recent years, but he is only favored more, and he didn't even mention her position, so that after giving birth to the prince, she still succumbed to the position of the fourth-grade "beauty", which shows how much water this Qiao Meiren is favored. Although there are occasional rumors that Qiao Meiren made jokes in the palace for favor, or how many good things the emperor rewarded Qiao Meiren, whether it was Empress Cao, Lin Zhaoyi or Xiao Guifei, they didn't take her very seriously, knowing that she only relied on her young and beautiful foothold, and when she was old and decrepit, there would naturally be younger and more beautiful newcomers to replace her.

The middle- and lower-class eunuchs in the capital may regard Qiao Meiren and the family behind her as big people, but the really high-ranking and famous families have never taken her seriously.

As for the four princes, he is still young, although it is rumored that he has been smart since he was a child, and he also reads well after enlightenment, so he is very favored by the emperor. But an eight-year-old child, as long as he doesn't learn too badly, everyone around him will praise him for being smart, not to mention that this is still the blood of the Son of Heaven, and it is estimated that there is a lot of water in these reputations. Whether it is the crown prince or the second prince, they have never thought of treating a child as a competitor, they will only use him as a tool to show their friendship and filial piety in front of the emperor. If you really want to be careful, you should also be wary of the third prince Zhu Jue, who is not much younger than them.

Therefore, Xiao Rui asked Dong Huiwu about the news of the Four Princes recently, and the latter was really a little unable to say: "The news of the Four Princes rarely spreads outside the palace, at most it means that he reads well, is smart, learns things quickly, or has won some reward from the emperor...... If you want to know this, then there is really one, it was last month, when I was not sick, when I was eating and drinking with people outside, I heard a boy from the Qiao family getting drunk, boasting to others, saying how their four highnesses are so smart, and memorized the entire "Analects" and "Book of Filial Piety", which is simply backwards! The emperor Longyan Dayue also praised him for being as smart as he was when he was a child, and gave him a set of four treasures of the study room that he used when he was a teenager.

The kid of the Qiao family was very ridiculous, saying that the emperor thought that the four princes were like him, which meant that he wanted the four princes to succeed to the throne, so frightened that the people at the table with him gagged him and dragged him away on the spot. It's also a shame that there was no one from the Cao family and the Lin family present at that time, otherwise would he still be able to live?! ”

Dong Huiwu didn't take this matter to heart, Qiao's family is not successful, and they have no interest, but sometimes they are really stupid, they always like to talk big outside, and when they are drunk, they don't have a door on their mouths, and they don't make jokes once or twice. Isn't it just to put gold on the faces of the four princes? What's so unusual? If he hadn't witnessed the situation that day, Dong Huiwu would not have been uncommon to inquire!

However, Xiao Rui showed a meaningful smile: "If the Third Highness knows about this matter, it is estimated that he will not be able to ignore it, right?" "The third prince wants to pull the first two elder brothers off the horse, it is hard enough, but in a blink of an eye, the little brother has also caught up, can he not be in a hurry? If he can't sit on the throne before the fourth prince grows old enough to threaten him, it is still unknown who will become the new monarch at that time.

Now this emperor is clearly a monarch who is taboo to sit on his relatives, and the Lin family is not as prominent as the Cao family, so he prefers the Lin family. And compared to the Xiao family, isn't the Qiao family even more weak? The Xiao family also has the power of the city guards in their hands. It's good that the grandson of the Xiao family doesn't want to be the prince and doesn't fight for power, if he fights, will the emperor continue to trust the Xiao family?

Xiao Rui sneered twice, and once again felt that the third prince was dying. Even if he is in a hurry, he doesn't need to rush for a year or two, the fourth prince is only eight years old! When he grows up, there are still several years to go. Could it be that the three princes were not sure to gain the support of the emperor and courtiers a few years later? Maybe he didn't even think about relying on his real skills to win the throne of the prince, right?!

Xiao Rui didn't want to pay attention to this cousin's matter, and turned his head to see that Dong Huiwu was still looking at him, waiting for his explanation: "Good brother, you make it clear to me, could it be that the fourth prince received a few words of praise from the emperor, and the third prince was anxious, and wanted to solve the crown prince and the second prince as soon as possible and send himself to the throne of the prince?" Can you do it?! The fourth prince is just an eight-year-old milk doll, what can hinder him?! ”

Xiao Rui smiled: "What he thinks, it's his business, don't pay attention to it." Now that you have no stepmother in the house, and your father has only one son left, you will expect you to inherit the family business. After I'm gone, you'll eat and drink less outside, or study hard for a few years, learn a little from your father, or get a serious job and train for a few years. Even if you are boiling your qualifications and slowly seeking promotion, you have to start working hard. Although the title is yours sooner or later, everything depends on your father's face, and it is not the same thing that you can stand firm on your own and do not have to be bound by him. ”

Dong Huiwu touched his nose: "I was sick this time, and the imperial doctor I invited also said that it was because I didn't pay attention to the maintenance of my body in my early years, and the aftermath left behind, the prison days in Dali Temple were not without impact." Even if you don't mention it, I originally planned to take care of it and go out less to mess around. Anyway, my stepmother and brother are gone, and no one can trouble me, and I can't force my son out. If he marries a young stepmother and comes back, and another son comes to steal my position, am I wronged?! But I already know what the future holds. Don't worry, I'm not stupid, I won't do stupid things like giving away the family business I have in my hands! ”

Xiao Rui smiled and patted him on the shoulder. The two happily drank another glass of wine, chatted with each other while eating food, and waited until the curfew was approaching before saying goodbye to each other and going home.

Xiao Rui was not drunk in the first place, so when the night wind blew, people trembled, and his brain became more sober. He quickened his pace and headed in the direction of his general's mansion, but stopped when he turned into a fork in the road.

An inconspicuous carriage was parked under the tree on the side of the road, Xu Lai, the subordinate of the third prince, shrunk his neck, led the horse to guard the side of the car, saw him, and immediately whispered a word to the car, and the curtain of the car was immediately lifted, and the face of the third prince Zhu Jue was revealed.

Xiao Rui sighed secretly, walked over, and meekly got into the carriage. Xu Laishun immediately jumped on the wheel of the carriage and slowly drove the carriage forward, not knowing where to go.

Only Xiao Rui and the third prince sat opposite each other in the carriage. There was no light in the car, Xiao Rui couldn't see the expression on the face of the third prince clearly, and could only feel that the other party was in a bad mood.

He thought about it for a while and decided to speak first: "Why is Your Highness so imprudent? The marriage contract between Miss Zhao and Ma San has been decided, and there is no way to change it, Your Highness just thinks that the past is like a cloud, why do you want to send a letter? Even if you send a letter, you should be careful, how can you make Ma Yurong recognize it?! Your Highness, do you know how shocked I was when Ma Yurong wrote to me to ask about this?! Once she complains to Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess, what will Her Highness's situation be in the palace now? What will be the situation of the concubine? Have you ever thought about it?! ”