bookrebus Chapter 204 Is it a coincidence or intentional?
Chapter 204 Is it a coincidence or intentional?
Everyone in the court knew that the emperor summoned Prince Yan Feibai of Zhennan and General Qin Yu to settle the matter of their "disappearance" several months ago.
Rumors were rife in the court, with some even secretly speculating that the emperor was taking this opportunity to strip Yan Feibai of his military power, completely suppress the powerful Prince of Zhennan, and take General Qin with him.
However, to everyone's surprise, Yan Feibai and Qin Yu not only walked out of the palace safely, but even returned to their respective mansions with a large amount of rewards.
This result left everyone in the court dumbfounded, and they all speculated about the reason.
Some people said that Yan Feibai had the emperor's leverage, while others said that Qin Yu was behind the scenes planning and saving the lives of the two men.
Regardless of the truth, the tide of the court had already shifted. Officials who had previously shunned Yan Feibai and Qin Yu were now plotting how to curry favor with these two sought-after figures.
If they don't try to curry favor with someone who even the emperor can't touch, he may not be interested in such a small fry in the future. With this mentality, the next morning, a crowd of people gathered in front of the Zhennan Palace.
The dignitaries in the capital, local officials, and even wealthy businessmen came to visit with generous gifts.
Not only did they hear the news that Yan Feibai was safe and sound, they also learned a shocking rumor - the Princess Yan, who had recently become famous in the capital, was actually Yan Feibai's adopted daughter!
"County Lady Yan? Isn't she the daughter of Minister Lu back then?" Someone in the crowd whispered, with a hint of sigh in his tone.
"That's right! The daughter that Minister Lu's family had just found back then caused a sensation. I heard that she was originally going to marry into General Qin's family, but by some strange coincidence, it was the adopted daughter of the Lu family who married into the prince's mansion. Those two marriages caused a lot of uproar in the city!" Another person took over the conversation with a hint of emotion in his tone.
"You've got the wrong idea." Someone nearby shook his head and said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten? Although County Master Yan is the biological daughter of the Lu family, she also has an adoptive father!"
"It's said that County Master Yan's adoptive parents were farmers, so how could he be the Prince of Zhennan?"
"You haven't forgotten that when Princess Yan married General Qin, she had a beautiful wedding dress that lasted ten miles. How could a farmer afford such a thing?"
"That's right! Back then, the Lu family abandoned the newborn Princess Yan. Who would have thought that she would be adopted by the Prince of Zhennan!" The previous man echoed, with a hint of gloating in his tone. "The Lu family was once so prosperous, who could have imagined that it would end up like this? Now Princess Yan has become the adopted daughter of the Prince of Zhennan, and her status and position are even more prominent than when she was in the Lu family. Tsk tsk, if the Lu family were still around, I'm afraid they would regret it!"
Several people murmured. Yan Wanwan now managed Nanping Prefecture with great success, making it a sacred place that many people yearned for. Aside from the wealthy and noble families in Jingzhao who considered themselves superior, ordinary people were trying every possible way to get into Nanping Prefecture. Unfortunately, the threshold set by Yan Wanwan was too high, and not everyone could become a citizen of Nanping Prefecture.
Now that they knew she was actually the adopted daughter of the Prince of Zhennan, those quick-witted people could no longer hold back and wanted to take this opportunity to establish a relationship with the Prince of Zhennan's mansion. However, to their disappointment, the gates of the Prince of Zhennan's mansion remained firmly shut, and the guards stood in front of the gate with stern faces, refusing to let anyone in.
"The prince has ordered that there are important matters to deal with in the palace these days, and no guests will be seen for the time being." The guard's voice was cold and firm, and he showed no mercy to those who came to curry favor with him.
The people outside the palace looked at each other in dismay. Although they felt resentful, they dared not say anything. After all, the Prince of Zhennan was currently in the limelight, and no one dared to offend him easily. Helplessly, they left in dismay, secretly planning their next visit.
At this moment, an exclamation of disbelief came from the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion.
"Can a cannon with a range of 100 meters flatten a mountain?" Qin Yu widened his eyes in shock, and cracks appeared on his cold face. This kind of heavy weapon was unheard of.
Yan Feibai raised his eyebrows proudly, "Of course, when my daughter gets something good, the first person she thinks of is her dad."
However, I was secretly complaining in my heart, you little bastard, my daughter gave you so many good things, and you dared to let her down? I'm so jealous of you.
At this moment, the butler knocked on the study door and said, "Your Highness, the Minister of War, Lord Li, wishes to see you."
"No." After saying that, Yan Feibai sneered, "Go tell him to wash his neck and wait. Since he has made the choice, he must be responsible for it."
The butler responded and left quickly.
"Father-in-law, don't you want to meet those people?"
Yan Feibai's mouth twitched. He was too lazy to correct his address. His eyes were deep. "What difference does it make whether we meet or not? These people are just opportunists. They come to you today and turn against you tomorrow. Instead of wasting time dealing with them, it's better to wait and see what happens."
"Father-in-law is absolutely right, but..." Before he could finish his words, Ling Ying suddenly appeared at the door, "General!"
Qin Yu frowned, "What's the matter?"
"Just received news that the border is in danger. The Northern Di army has been dispatched and is eyeing us covetously."
Qin Yu sneered, his tone filled with self-mockery and disdain: "Spread the news to the Minister of War. Now we can't move. What we do depends entirely on the person above."
Although the emperor has not taken action against them for the time being, there are undercurrents in the court and they must prepare as soon as possible.
Then he gave another order, "Pass the order down, all troops on alert, be ready at any time!"
Ling Ying replied solemnly: "Yes, General!"
Ling Ying took the order and left, and the study room once again returned to a brief period of tranquility.
In the study, Yan Feibai narrowed his eyes and tapped the table lightly with his fingers, as if thinking about something.
Qin Yu stood aside with a stern look in his eyes, obviously weighing the current situation.
"Beidi came at the right time this time." Yan Feibai suddenly spoke, with a meaningful tone in his voice.
Qin Yu glanced at him sideways, frowning slightly: "What does father-in-law mean?"
Yan Feibai chuckled, a sly look flashing in his eyes. "The Emperor was about to attack us when the Northern Di arrived. What do you think? Is this a coincidence, or was it intentional?"
Qin Yu's expression froze when he heard this, and he whispered, "Father-in-law suspects someone is secretly instigating Beidi to kill someone with a borrowed knife?"
Yan Feibai shrugged noncommittally and said calmly, "Although the Northern Di have been restless over the years, they have never assembled such a large force. I don't believe that they would suddenly launch an attack without someone behind the scenes fanning the flames."
Qin Yu was silent for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "If that's the case, then the person behind this probably not only wants to use the Northern Di to get rid of us, but also wants to use this to weaken the national strength of Daxia."