The Art of Bluffing
"Fu Dayong was also a smart man. He probably knew that his honor or disgrace rested entirely on the Emperor's whim. To avoid such a precarious fate, when the Cen Family chose him, he also firmly tied himself to the Cen Family's cause. For the sake of the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince, the Cen Family would absolutely not allow the Emperor to easily seize the Marquis of Pingnan's military power."
"This creates a delicate balance."
She glanced at the three elders and saw that after their initial shock, they had all fallen into deep thought, so she knew they had taken her words to heart.
She continued, "But this balance will eventually be broken. As the Emperor grows older and the princes age, the struggle for the throne will intensify. The first to be affected will be the alliance between the Cen Family and Fu Family. The Crown Prince will certainly be wary of the Second Prince, and sees the Marquis of Pingnan as a thorn in his side. The Third Prince and Fourth Prince Princes, wanting to eliminate their two elder brothers, might try to sow discord between the Crown Marquis of Pingnan, stirring up conflict between them, and then using someone else to do their dirty work."
The old lady shivered.
What she feared most in her life was the struggle for the throne.
Zhao Yuanxun's political acumen was stronger than that of the old lady and Lady Zhu; he had already followed Zhao Ruxi's line of thought and thought deeply about the matter.
He asked, "But the Marquis of Pingnan commands a large army; wouldn't it be difficult to make a move?"
"How could it be difficult to strike? It's far too easy," Zhao Ruxi said. "How could the army be a monolithic entity? Among the generals under the Marquis of Pingnan, there must be those from various factions who want to usurp his position. When foreign enemies arrive, all they need to do is tamper with things behind the scenes and cut off his retreat. The Marquis of Pingnan and his son will be doomed."
This time, it was Zhao Yuanxun's turn to feel a chill run down his spine.
"So marrying Fu Yunkai wouldn't only mean not enjoying wealth and status, but also potentially having my family's property confiscated and me sold off, or becoming a widow," Zhao Ruxi said. "Once I become a widow, given the muddle-headed nature of the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, do you think my life will be easy? Not to mention his muddle-headed younger brother and the cunning Zhao Ruyu."
"Then forget it, forget it." Lady Zhu was terrified, her face pale. "Let's just live our lives quietly and not get involved in these court intrigues. What's the use of wealth and glory? We've seen it all before. But what good is it? My daughter, I only hope for peace and safety, I ask for nothing else."
She turned to Zhao Yuanxun and said, "Tomorrow you should reject this marriage proposal."
Zhao Yuanxun nodded. "Okay."
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Miss Xi, why do you say that Fu Family marries you, this predicament will be resolved?"
"Because I became a disciple of Mister Kumu. Mister Kumu is a renowned scholar of the Qingliu school, a figure revered by civil officials, and he even has a mentor-student relationship with the Emperor. Given my master's protective nature, if I marry Fu Yunkai, how could he not fight tooth and nail to protect me? My three senior brothers certainly wouldn't stand by and watch me suffer a miserable end. If Fu Yunkai marries me, he will have the support of renowned scholars and civil officials. That's one layer of protection. And because of my master, the Emperor won't be too harsh on the Fu Family; he'll have to give them some consideration. That's another layer of protection."
"Furthermore, Fu Dayong, being from a humble background, is naturally on the opposite side of the aristocratic families. They would like to get rid of him as soon as possible. But if his son marries the daughter of our Earl of Suiping's Residence and the apprentice of Mister Kumu, it will be considered as a marriage alliance with our Zhao Family and my master's Kang Family. This is a gesture of goodwill towards both the aristocratic families and the civil officials, and it eases the tensions."
"Of course, if they were to marry into aristocratic families, they could achieve the same effect, and even better. However, this would anger the military generals, earning their contempt and embarrassment, and would also be a slap in the face to the Emperor."
The three elders suddenly realized.
The Earl of Suiping's Residence were composed of military officers, belonging to the military camp. Fu Yunkai marrying Zhao Ruxi was equivalent to marrying the daughter of a military officer. Moreover, Zhao Ruxi was also a disciple of Mister Kumu and a junior sister of Wu Huaisi and others. By marrying her, he neither offended the military officers nor embarrassed the emperor, and he also pleased the upright officials, civil officials, and aristocratic families. It was truly a highly profitable deal.
Zhao Ruxi looked up at Zhao Yuanxun: "So when he said he would marry no one but me, it wasn't because I was so great, but because I was the only one who came from a military family and had studied under a renowned scholar."
Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu were stunned by this analysis.
"How... how could this be?" Lady Zhu murmured, looking at her husband. "How could this man be so despicable and cunning? I will never agree to this marriage."
Zhao Ruxi's lips curled into a smile.
Perhaps Fu Yunkai had some considerations when proposing this marriage, but it's unlikely he thought about it this deeply.
If they, father and son, truly had such a profound understanding of the situation, they wouldn't have ended up like that in their past lives. A general who is good at fighting is not necessarily a shrewd politician.
But that didn't stop her from exaggerating the seriousness of the matter.
She didn't elaborate or provide a more in-depth analysis for the three elders, fearing they might be deceived and inadvertently step into a minefield.
By taking advantage of Fu Yunkai's marriage proposal, he could both analyze the situation for them and give them a heads-up, and also establish his own brilliant image of being "farsighted" and "sharp-eyed," thereby further gaining influence in the Earl of Suiping's Residence. This was a win-win situation.
As for Zhao Yuanxun and the others' negative impression of Fu Yunkai, that was exactly what she wanted. It would prevent them from constantly trying to marry her off to this man.
Whether this person is good or bad, she's only fourteen years old, which in modern times would be equivalent to a middle school student, and it's impossible for her to consider marriage. Now that this person has come to propose marriage as a desirable prospect, making the three elders eager to get involved, she shouldn't blame her for smearing him.
Furthermore, Fu Yunkai wasn't wronged. He wanted to marry her after only meeting her once. Did he really value her for who she was? She wasn't that arrogant. He was only interested in her because she had Mister Kumu as her master and three senior brothers, including Wu Huaisi.
Given this politically calculated marriage, is she really expected to be grateful to Fu Yunkai?
As for saying in front of Xiao Lingyan that he wanted to marry Fu Yunkai and become a widow, that was just joking and arguing.
She wasn't truly heartless to marry someone with the intention of "hoping for their death." Besides, with Xiao Lingyan around, there was a high chance that Fu Yunkai wouldn't die, at least not in the war two years later. She Xiao Lingyan; he was a brilliant man.
So, Fu Yunkai should marry whomever he wants, and not try anything with her.
Seeing that Zhao Yuanxun also nodded solemnly in agreement with Lady Zhu's statement, Zhao Ruxi continued, "So, Grandmother, Father, Mother, please don't casually consider marriage for me. Our Earl of Suiping's Residence has finally managed to distance itself from the court, so let's not get involved anymore, lest we accidentally lose our whole family's lives. Just follow my master."