Good Things to Come

An entire scheme had come to nothing. Even the Buddha himself would have been unwilling to accept such a result.

But Xiao Qianyu was so aggressive and forceful now that all Yan Shi could do was avoid his sharp edge for the time being, choosing to show weakness and yield.

Sure enough, Prince Jiujiang's Heir hesitated. He held his beloved concubine's hand. "Yun'er has been raised by our side since birth. He's unfamiliar with Jiujiang Prefecture, and I can't bear to part with him."

He patted the woman. "Don't worry, Yan'er. Yun'er is the only child we have together. I'll protect him."

Yan Shi smiled brightly and said coquettishly, "Of course I believe you, my lord." She nestled against the man's chest. "The Crown Prince was chosen by Heaven to receive the Mandate, and his future is beyond measure. I'm truly happy for you, my lord. When the Crown Prince becomes emperor, you'll be the retired emperor. By then, I only hope you won't find me old and faded."

Prince Jiujiang's Heir smiled, but a shadow flickered in his eyes, and a trace of displeasure quietly took root.

Though they all tacitly agreed that Xiao Qianyu had Heaven's favor and was destined to be the only choice for emperor, the ambition he had pursued so tirelessly had suddenly slipped away. The weight of that disappointment still pressed heavily on his heart.

Yan Shi, however, asked as if out of curiosity, "My lord, if the next emperor is destined to be the Crown Prince, how many years do you think Heaven will let him sit on the throne? The person who was emperor before him was out of luck, but what about the one after him? Will Heaven have a say in that, too?"

Prince Jiujiang's Heir suddenly tightened his grip on her hand. His heart raced, and strange lights flashed in his eyes.

"Ow, my lord, you're hurting me!" Yan Shi cried out.

Prince Jiujiang's Heir came to his senses and laughed as he coaxed her. "Don't be upset, my dear Yan. I was wrong."

Yan Shi tilted her head and asked him, her expression sweet and bright, "What are you thinking about, my lord?"

He was thinking that perhaps he, too, could taste what it was like to rule an empire. Since Heaven favored Xiao Qianyu for the next emperor's throne, what harm would there be in letting him sit on it for a while?

Xiao Qianyu might be fated to rule the realm, but who could guarantee how long he would remain emperor?

One day on the throne still made him emperor; one year did, too, as did ten years. If Xiao Qianyu happened to have a short life, then naturally he, the retired emperor, would step in to take charge and set the realm in order.

Prince Jiujiang's Heir held his beloved concubine and kissed her several times. "I've thought of something good. I have you to thank for reminding me."

Yan Shi looked confused and tilted her head. "Did I remind you of anything, my lord?"

Prince Jiujiang's Heir only smiled without answering, then patted her. "Go back first and comfort Yun'er, too. A man should look to the long term and not dwell on temporary gains and losses. We must show the Crown Prince the utmost respect, in public and in private. We mustn't be discourteous."

Yan Shi obediently agreed. "I'll do as you say, my lord. Yun'er will, too."

Prince Jiujiang's Heir smiled with satisfaction.

Elsewhere, Prince Gong accompanied Xiao Qianyu as they escorted the Heir's Consort to Prince Jiujiang's Estate.

He had no fondness for anyone in Prince Jiujiang's Estate, but Prince Jiujiang's Heir was treacherous, cunning, and calculating. Prince Gong feared that if he left Xiao Qianyu alone, the Heir would sweet-talk him, so he had followed along out of concern.

Prince Jiujiang's Estate was imposing, taking up an entire street. By the time they arrived, its gates stood wide open, and Prince Jiujiang's Heir had already been waiting there with his people for quite some time.

When the carriage stopped at the foot of the steps before the estate gates, Xiao Qianyu got down first. Then he turned and said softly, "We've arrived at the estate. Heir's Consort, you may get down."

The carriage fell silent for a while. After a long pause, the Heir's Consort, Liu Wanning, leaned out. She looked toward the estate with hatred and resentment—she was back!

Prince Jiujiang's Heir strode forward and first greeted Xiao Qianyu. "Your servant pays his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince and to Uncle Prince Gong."

Then he looked at the Heir's Consort, whose body had grown frail and gaunt, her face haggard and aged. His expression turned sorrowful. "Wanning, you're back. You've suffered."

Suffered? Ha. Suffered!

Liu Wanning trembled with rage, tears of hatred welling in her eyes.

She wasn't a fool. Back then, it had been Xiao Jing who had insisted she enter the palace while pregnant to keep the Empress company.

Xiao Jing was the only one who could have secretly bribed the wet nurse by her side to betray her, and who had the means to arrange for the princes to be switched.

Besides, who but Xiao Jing could have ordered that the son of the estate's favored concubine be brought to her to raise?

His heart was so cruel.

Without her consent, he had secretly taken her child away to switch him with an Imperial Prince, yet made her pour her heart and soul into raising his favored concubine's son as if he were her own.

Twenty years—an entire twenty years—and she hadn't known that the child she had raised with all her heart and soul wasn't even hers.

When the truth came out, they had pushed her forward as a scapegoat.

Had their whole family been laughing at her behind her back, treating her like a fool to be toyed with and bled dry to the bone?

How could anyone's heart be so vile?

She had long since stopped hoping for his affection. All she wanted was for them to treat each other with mutual respect, watch the child grow up, and help him establish a family and career. That would have been enough to fulfill her wishes. Yet even then, Xiao Jing had refused to spare her.

Suddenly, boundless courage surged through the Heir's Consort, Liu Wanning's frail body. Her eyes bloodshot, she lunged at Prince Jiujiang's Heir. "My child! Where is my child? Where did you take my child?"