The old lady is reborn

When Song Ying arrived, Zeng Chen and Yu Min formally invited her to the study.

Song Ying felt a little uneasy. Her interactions with Yu Min had always been easy and comfortable, but today she inexplicably felt that both of them were a little solemn.

After sitting down in the study, Zeng Chen said, "The old lady submitted a love letter to His Majesty some time ago, asking for a divorce and mentioning her longing for her youngest son Rong Huaiyuan, right?"

Although Song Ying was puzzled, he nodded and said, "I proposed a divorce to the Marquis of Nan'an, but he didn't want to. The two of us are deadlocked, so I can only ask for an imperial decree to divorce."

Zeng Chen nodded and said, "The old lady wants to divorce the Marquis of Nan'an and has already moved out of the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion. I heard from General Wang Chenggang that you were the one who shot the poison needles at Rong Huaishan yourself, right?"

Song Ying was even more confused, but still nodded. Feiying was Wang Chenggang's man, so there was no point in denying it.

Zeng Chen then said, "Madam, do you know that the situation His Majesty is facing now is not simple?"

Song Ying was shocked when he heard this. Could it be that the plan of the six princes had reached the point where it affected the imperial power?

Song Ying asked, "But is it because of the Sixth Prince?"

Zeng Chen said: "Yes and not entirely."

Zeng Chen and Song Ying chatted for nearly two hours, and it was already evening when Song Ying left the house.

Based on Zeng Chen's narration and Song Ying's memories, some of which Song Ying knew and some of which she didn't know or were vague about. Zeng Chen explained the current situation to Song Ying without any concealment.

Those vague memories, which were once covered by the resentment in his heart due to the tragic death in his previous life, gradually became clear due to Zeng Chen's narration.

The current emperor is three years older than Song Ying and is already fifty-six years old. Song Ying's father was once the Prince's Tutor and the Emperor's Teacher.

Although the late emperor had long since appointed Your Majesty, the eldest son, as the crown prince.

But when the emperor was about 45 years old, he became very fond of a young concubine.

This concubine later gave birth to the ninth prince for the late emperor, and soon after she was conferred the title of noble concubine.

The late emperor loved the lively and lovely Ninth Prince and had once thought of deposing the eldest and enthroning the youngest.

But he was also afraid that the young Ninth Prince would be unable to support the government, nor would he be able to fight against his older brothers.

While hesitating, he probably planned to change the throne if he could live long enough to wait until his youngest son grew up.

Because of this thought, the late emperor made various arrangements for his young son intentionally or unintentionally.

The previous emperor died of illness when he was less than sixty years old. At that time, the Ninth Prince was only twelve years old.

As the Ninth Prince was young and had little foundation, he was unable to control the government, so the late Emperor passed the throne to the current Emperor.

But he was also afraid that he had favored the Imperial Concubine and the Ninth Prince too much over the past decade, and after his death, this mother and son would not be able to protect themselves.

So he summoned two civil and military officials who were loyal to him and entrusted the Ninth Prince and his son to their care.

When the current Majesty ascended the throne, he was already 36 years old, in the prime of his life. After inheriting the throne, he was assisted by a group of loyal ministers and generals, including Song Ying's father and brother, who had accompanied the prince in his growth for many years, and began to work hard to govern the country.

Your Majesty has never thought of killing his younger brother, the Ninth Prince, who is still a teenager.

The Sixth Prince’s mother was the Imperial Concubine’s cousin. She entered the palace earlier than the Imperial Concubine, but her favor was always ordinary. She was promoted a little because she had a son.

After her cousin entered the palace, she became the most favored in the harem. The mother of the Sixth Prince, although a concubine of low rank, had long since turned to the Imperial Concubine for support.

When the imperial concubine was the only one favored in the harem, only the mother of the Sixth Prince could occasionally receive some favor.

Now, what the Sixth Prince does is most likely for the Ninth Prince behind him. At least now these two people, one openly and one secretly, both threaten the imperial power.

For the current emperor, most of the senior officials who followed the young prince into adulthood and later created the prosperous Hongjia era with him have now left the court due to illness, injury or old age.

The two civil and military officials whom the late emperor entrusted the Ninth Prince with were indeed talented and patient. When the current Majesty was as powerful as the sun, the two of them simply kept the Ninth Prince living a peaceful life.

But if there is any slight change in the court situation, these two can win the hearts of the people for the Ninth Prince and take the opportunity to interfere.

The situation in the court is now very complicated and unpredictable. The Sixth Prince and the Ninth Prince have left their footprints in too many places.

Song Ying felt a little strange, because in the previous life, it was clearly the Sixth Prince who succeeded in seizing the throne and became the emperor.

Did the Sixth Prince become a puppet emperor for the Ninth Prince, or did the Sixth Prince and his mother pretend to be pigs and eat the tiger and take advantage of the Ninth Prince, and finally succeed in seizing the throne themselves?

Zeng Chen was worried. Your Majesty, when he was in his prime, could have been called a great ruler.

But now it is actually the key to the two-on-two duel. If we can't win in the next two years, when the Sixth and Ninth Kings have completed all their arrangements, I am afraid it will take another four or five years...

Hearing this, Song Ying was shocked to think that in his previous life, it was about six years later that the Sixth Prince ascended the throne.

Zeng Chen said: "Duke Huan of Qi was a great hero and the overlord of five kingdoms. When he was old, he was trapped in the palace by a few ministers and starved to death.

My father once served in the same court as your elder brother. They were both old people in the Prince's Mansion and assisted Your Majesty together.

To be honest with you, Madam, both General Wang Chuyang and I have taken over our respective fathers’ positions and continue to serve His Majesty…"

Song Ying was thinking about the topic that she had just touched upon with Zeng Chen. Now, His Majesty's four princes... Song Ying also remembered and heard many things.

Your Majesty had five princes. The late Crown Prince was both the eldest and legitimate son of the Emperor, born to the Empress.

The Queen has been with His Majesty for many years. The two of them have gone through all the ups and downs in the past and have been young couple ever since then.

But the fact that the former crown prince became the emperor and the empress could not hide the pain in their hearts. When the former crown prince, who was only sixteen years old, first entered the court to govern, he was heroic, intelligent and experienced.

Song Ying's father once returned home and praised him, saying that he might not be able to catch up, but his son, Song Ying's brother, might have such luck to assist two generations of great rulers.

His Majesty once said with a smile: "Having a son like this is a great comfort in life." He said that he would abdicate early and live a pastoral life with the Queen...

However, the former crown prince died of illness at the age of nineteen, which became an unspeakable past event in the royal family.

The second prince was tall and big, but he had always been gentle and good-tempered. He once made the current emperor so angry that he said, "With this kind of personality, he can only become a monk!"

When riding a horse, he was afraid of tiring the horse, and he would feel soft-hearted if he said a few words to a palace maid when she made a mistake. Later, when he grew up a little, he started to eat vegetarian food and would not touch the meat on the table.

There are a few older female members of the royal family who eat vegetarian food on the first and fifteenth days of every month. However, the second prince, because of his father's reproach, only eats meat on two days every month.

He was surprisingly tall and strong, but being tall and strong was of no use, as it seemed that anyone could bully him.

Because of his status as a prince, not many people dared to bully him, but his sisters, brothers and sisters all bullied him when he was growing up.

Such a big guy could only cry when bullied by his younger brothers and sisters who were much shorter than him, which made the current emperor so angry that he paced back and forth and then walked away.

The second prince, who has already married and has children, often makes his princess consort very angry because of his temper.

The prince's wife was once a calm and gentle woman, but now her personality is becoming more and more like Thunderbolt.

But perhaps because of this temper, he and the prince's wife get along pretty well. They quarrel a lot, but they are also loving. It's just that everyone says that the prince's wife is a tigress.

The third prince had been in poor health ever since he fell seriously ill when he was six years old.

He has been taking medicine all year round, and compared with the tall and strong second prince, he is just a skinny little bamboo pole. Your Majesty often suspects that this child may die at any time.

The palace where the third prince lives is always filled with the smell of medicine, and he has to be very careful with his food, clothing and other expenses. He has finally survived to this day, and although he has grown taller, he is still very thin. Your Majesty is worried that he will die before you or will not live to the age of an ordinary person.

The current crown prince is the fourth prince, and has much of the style of the previous crown prince. However, at the age of eighteen, he is still immature compared to the thirty-two-year-old ninth prince and the thirty-six-year-old sixth prince.

It would be fine if the two imperial uncles had no intention of competing for the throne, but now it is almost obvious that they are going to compete. If the prince loses the support of His Majesty, it will be difficult for him to maintain his succession to the throne.

The fifth prince is sixteen years old. He has been naughty since he was young, has not studied well, has a lot of evil ideas, and is someone who often angers the current emperor.

Zeng Chen said to Song Ying: "Your Majesty is looking for people, and Rong Huaiyuan has made great achievements in recent years. Your Majesty will take the opportunity to transfer him back because of your petition.

Let the old lady explain some things to him."

Zeng Chen thought for a moment and said, "My accident this time was not an accident. It was the work of those two. They probably wanted to kill me the same way they killed Lord Weng.

Those caught were just scapegoats, so it doesn't mean much. When your son returns to Beijing, let him be careful.

Wang Chenggang's fifteen personal soldiers will stay in the old lady's mansion from now on, and your son will be able to use them after he returns to Beijing."

On the way back in the carriage, Song Ying thought, because of his father and brother, the Song family was almost naturally regarded as His Majesty's people. If His Majesty and the Prince could not win, his two biological children would probably not be able to save their lives... He had to win.