A Heart-to-Heart Between Mother and Son
Xiao Lingyan left, but Noble Consort Cen remained unsettled for a long time.
She had no idea that her youngest son was thinking this way in response to her pressure to get married.
She sat down, dejected, and murmured to her trusted Auntie Yu, "How could he... how could he think that?"
Auntie Yu was a trusted confidante brought in by Noble Consort Cen from the Cen Family, and she was quite outspoken.
She said, "The Fifth Highness's idea... isn't wrong either."
Noble Consort Cen raised her head and looked at Auntie Yu with a somewhat blank expression, as if she wanted to wait for Auntie Yu to continue.
Auntie Yu lowered her eyelids and didn't say another word.
She was five years older than Noble Consort Cen and was determined to remain single rather than marry. Because of her intelligence and rationality, she was chosen as Noble Consort Cen's dowry maid and entered the palace with her.
Having spent twenty years in the palace, she knew the temperament of the royals all too well. The first rule for surviving in the palace was to learn to keep quiet.
If she were to speak, what she said would certainly not be what Xiao Lingpu wanted to hear, nor would it align with the Cen Family's wishes. Therefore, it was better to remain silent and avoid putting herself in danger.
Seeing Auntie Yu's reaction, Noble Consort Cen calmed down and understood her meaning.
She turned her gaze to the door, staring at it for a long while before letting out a long sigh and saying, "I was wrong. I didn't consider Little Five's feelings."
As a mother, how could she not love her children? Of her two sons, she preferred the lively and cheerful younger son to the mature older son.
However, as members of the royal family, only one of the two brothers could sit in that position; Xiao Lingpu was older than Xiao Lingyan and had a more mature personality. While Xiao Lingyan was still ignorant and carefree, Xiao Lingpu, at a young age, shouldered the heavy burden of the Cen Family.
It can be said that Xiao Lingyan's carefree childhood and happy adolescence were all Xiao Lingpu's protection and support.
In the royal family, fathers and sons are not father and son, but ruler and subject. Xiao Ge had several sons and did not favor Noble Consort Cen, so he was destined not to play the role of a strict father in Xiao Lingyan's upbringing.
Although Xiao Lingpu was only two or three years older than Xiao Lingyan, he took on the role of father and shouldered this heavy responsibility. He protected his younger brother's safety and guided him in his growth.
Therefore, neither Noble Consort Cen nor the Cen Family, nor even Xiao Lingpu himself, had any idea of putting Xiao Lingyan on the throne.
Leaving aside the question of whose contribution was greatest, the only point is this: if Xiao Lingyan to ascend the throne, how would Xiao Lingpu, the elder brother who raised him, position himself?
Xiao Lingyan's growth in the past year or two has been too rapid. They were only pleased to see it, feeling that it had given Xiao Lingpu another boost in the struggle for the throne. They never even considered that Xiao Lingyan might have other thoughts in his mind.
"Have someone leave, and then bring Little Five back in," she said.
She wanted to find out Xiao Lingyan's thoughts.
As a mother, her last wish was for both her brothers to be disabled.
After leaving Noble Consort Cen's palace, Xiao Lingyan did not leave the palace itself, but returned to his own residence as a prince.
He knew that his words would surely leave a deep impression on Noble Consort Cen, causing Noble Consort Cen to overthink and inevitably come looking for him again.
He had made a great contribution to the border this time. Xiao Ge liked him even more than before, and often summoned him to the emperor's presence to talk and chat. This was a privilege that the Third Prince Xiao Lingheng used to enjoy.
He had rendered meritorious service and gained the emperor's favor; he feared that Xiao Lingpu might have some reservations.
They brothers cannot afford any discord now, otherwise they will be easily sown apart and cause trouble; even if he manages to help Xiao Lingpu ascend the throne later, his life will not be easy either.
It's better to just speak frankly.
However, it wouldn't be appropriate to say such things without a reason. Therefore, he simply took the opportunity of Noble Consort Cen arranging a marriage for him to make his point clear, so that everyone could rest assured.
After he vented his anger and explained his thoughts clearly, all of Xiao Lingpu and Noble Consort Cen's worries would likely vanish, leaving only heartache and gratitude.
For the sake of his future happiness with Zhao Ruxi, he had to use some cunning on these relatives. The royal family was not like an ordinary family; there was little warmth between the closest of fathers and sons, mothers and sons, and brothers, so ruthlessness was indispensable.
He never married, and although he built a residence outside the palace, he still kept his original palace residence. He would occasionally return to the palace to stay for a while, which helped him to keep abreast of the situation there.
Sure enough, before he could even sit down at the prince's residence, a young eunuch came to summon him.
He then went to Noble Consort Cen's palace.
Noble Consort Cen dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, keeping only Auntie Yu by her side.
Looking at Xiao Lingyan's resolute and handsome face, she finally realized that her Little Five had grown up into a strong and upright man, no longer the child he used to be.
She sighed softly and said slowly, "Little Five, I know you've been wronged. If you don't want the marriage with the Duke of Wei's Residence, I'll go back on your behalf. I just hope you won't hold a grudge against your second brother. It's not your second brother's idea for you to marry the Duke of Wei's Residence's daughter, it's my idea. I've met that Miss Qi Xuan, and I think she's good, that's why I brought her up with you. But since you don't want to, then forget it."
Xiao Lingyan knew what she wanted to say and, impatient with beating around the bush, said directly, "Mother, are you worried that I have ulterior motives and want to compete with my second brother for the throne? Don't worry, I don't. I don't want to be emperor either."
This was indeed the topic Noble Consort Cen wanted to discuss. She dared not say it outright, but only intended to express her meaning subtly, so that Xiao Lingyan would understand her good intentions.
The infighting between Xiao Lingpu and Xiao Lingyan, brothers fighting amongst themselves, would not only weaken the support of the Cen Family, but also make it easier for the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, Fourth Prince to exploit the situation and sow discord. The complete annihilation of both brothers was something she definitely did not want to see. She also wanted to explain the pros and cons to Xiao Lingyan.
Unexpectedly, she only got to the point of speaking before Xiao Lingyan blurted it out.
"Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying this out of anger, but from the bottom of my heart," Xiao Lingyan said. "I'm not interested in that position. I just want to live a relaxed and happy life. Not to mention fighting for it, even if it were offered to me, I wouldn't want it. That position is too tiring and too dangerous; I don't like it."
Noble Consort Cen believed him after he said that.
Royal children are forced to grow up. For example, Xiao Lingpu knew at the age of six or seven that if he didn't fight and compete, his mother, himself, and his younger brother would not have a good ending, nor would his maternal grandparents' family. With such a heavy burden on his shoulders, innocence and naivety were out of the question, and he was not allowed to have any lazy thoughts.
As for the original Xiao Lingyan, probably because he was the youngest son and had an older brother, he knew that no matter how much he fought for it, he could not covet the position. The throne that his mother and maternal grandparents had fought so hard for could only be given to his brother.
Therefore, he lacked ambition. He thought that if the sky were to fall, there would always be tall people to hold it up, which fostered his carefree and easygoing nature.