Chapter 745 – Crown Prince Changshou Becomes Emperor (Part 5)
What’s even more despicable than the ruthless Ba X?
It’s probably the Crown Princess having feelings for Jiang Pengji, hinting at it in every possible way, even personally getting involved with some incense to stir up desire. Meanwhile, Jiang Pengji just sat there, as calm as a monk in meditation, watching the Crown Princess get tormented for over an hour before she left, having knocked her out!
The Crown Princess slowly awakened, her gaze filled with shame and fury, her alluring body now as limp as a noodle, unable to muster any strength.
“Help me back, and then go find Xiao Xiazi.”
The back courtyard was lonely, and having a fresh, absurdly lustful husband while being the mother of children made the Crown Princess quite neglected.
However, she wasn’t one to suffer in silence. She had a little eunuch by her side, cleaned up only upon reaching adulthood, a master at serving women. The Crown Princess adored this little eunuch, and on the days the Crown Prince didn’t visit her chamber, she was likely to spend nine out of ten days cavorting with him.
Before long, Xiao Xiazi arrived.
This guy had a sturdy build and a beard that made him appear more manly than the average man.
Upon seeing Xiao Xiazi, the Crown Princess’s eyes softened like water, desire unmistakable in her gaze as she reached out her hand.
Moments later, the bedroom was filled with suggestive moans and gasps, thick with an ambiguous atmosphere.
When Liu Zhi saw his daughter return reeking of alcohol, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why didn’t you stay at the Crown Prince’s residence?”
“Why stay there? That Crown Princess is over thirty, like a wolf on the hunt, even my son fears he might not survive,” Jiang Pengji replied in surprise upon seeing Liu Zhi. “Didn’t Father say he was feeling tired and was going to bed? Why are you still awake?”
Liu Zhi was left speechless by Jiang Pengji’s response.
Could he say he enjoyed this and wanted to see his daughter get trampled?
“Speaking of which, I’m quite open-minded as a father,” Liu Zhi deftly dodged the last two questions and slowly changed the topic. “If you have feelings for a woman, as long as it doesn’t hinder passing on the family line, what’s the harm in liking her? After all, they are merely for entertainment, just don’t indulge too deeply. I’ve heard that Crown Princess was a beauty in her youth, didn’t Lan Ting feel a thing?”
Feng Zhen beside them felt as if a new world had opened up; his values were crumbling before his eyes.
Before Jiang Pengji could respond, the live stream chat erupted with excitement.
【Huan Yu】: Awoo—Look at the baby, your daughter-in-law is right here, Papa Liu!
【UniqueName】: The rivals upstairs and downstairs are ridiculously annoying, draw your sword!
【Uncle Xiaobing】: The host’s dad isn’t just “open-minded,” he’s ridiculously open-minded; his level of enlightenment is beyond us mere mortals.
Jiang Pengji facepalmed; it was one thing for the audience to join in on the fun, but now even Liu Zhi was making jokes about her?
“No, I’m not interested. If Father is so eager for grandchildren, isn’t there a bastard younger brother in the house? He’s nearly thirteen now, not exactly a child anymore. It’s about time to find him a suitable wife, or people will say the Liu Residence treats him harshly.”
Hearing Jiang Pengji mention the family’s bastard son, Liu Zhi implied, “No rush, it’s not the right time yet.”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Father just needs to be aware; regardless, the matter of my younger brother’s marriage should not be taken lightly. Even our bastard sister received a grand wedding dowry when she married into the royal family; even now, the common people are still talking about it. If we treat our younger brother’s marriage poorly, outsiders will say he’s not worthy.”
The distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate offspring were stark, with substantial gaps that were hard to cross.
The treatment of Liu family’s bastards was relatively good; in other families, if the matriarch were harsh, the status of the illegitimate children would be lower than that of ordinary children. For instance, many daughters from noble families even take the family’s illegitimate daughters as handmaidens when marrying.
This exemplified the vast gap between legitimate and illegitimate offspring.
Liu Zhi sighed helplessly. “Let others talk; as long as Lan Ting feels no grievances, that’s all that matters.”
The live stream audience was stunned; the host had an illegitimate brother?
In fact, the older audience members already knew this, but the bastards’ presence was so minimal that many had forgotten.
Seeing Liu Zhi’s departing figure, Feng Zhen asked, “Strange, why is the Old Patriarch so indifferent toward the bastard son?”
He was still a son capable of carrying on the family line, even if he was of lower status, merely an illegitimate child.
Jiang Pengji inquired, “You find it indifferent?”
Feng Zhen nodded.
Whenever the bastard son was mentioned, Liu Zhi’s expression remained unchanged, as if this child were not his son but a trivial object.
Yet, this attitude from Liu Zhi eased Feng Zhen’s worries.
“I was concerned that your younger brother might interfere with your standing, but now it seems I shouldn’t worry too much.”
To Feng Zhen, no matter how bias Liu Zhi was, he still regarded the continuation of the family line seriously.
Though a legitimate daughter is good, she ultimately cannot carry on the family tree like a son.
After witnessing this father-daughter conversation, Feng Zhen felt as if he had taken a calming pill.
“Don’t get too relieved; you should be concerned. My father’s attitude is just my father’s. We don’t know what that bastard younger brother thinks yet.”
Just as Liu Huan died without knowing her true origins, neither did that bastard brother.
Feng Zhen shook his head secretly, chuckling.
If the host’s younger brother truly had an ambition for power, he wouldn’t be long for this world.
Just look at the people under the host; which of them is easy to deal with?
If one set their mind to assassinate someone, it would guarantee the target wouldn’t even know how they perished.
“Overall, we can’t let ambition go unchecked.”
To prevent family strife, one must nip that ambition in the bud.
Either one must be suffocated with flattery or be turned into a useless being; in short, one cannot let their ambitions grow.
Jiang Pengji whispered, “I understand this reasoning, but it isn’t the time yet; after all, blood ties matter.”
With that, she sighed inwardly.
She felt that those around her were all behaving strange; her father Liu Zhi was too open-minded, and several subordinates encouraged her to take action against her younger brother.
In contrast to others, where a typical dynamic might involve a strict father and subordinates valuing the host’s character, and discouraging familial strife, in her case, it seemed everyone was stirring up chaos.
Chenzhou’s imperial city had experienced its share of warfare, with Changshou Wang’s army lurking outside.
Amidst internal and external troubles, both the late emperor’s funeral and the new emperor’s ascension were kept simple.
The late emperor’s mausoleum had been under construction since the day of his registration, requiring immense wealth annually, but before it could be completed, a quake hit the capital of Dongqing, collapsing a good portion of the royal tomb. Even without this disaster, the emperor’s death in Chenzhou still meant carrying the spirit to Wanzhou for burial.
Ministers deliberated, intending to select another site near Chenzhou’s imperial city for the royal tomb. Until it was completed, they would temporarily keep the coffin in the royal temple.
Special circumstances required special treatment.
On the seventh day after the late emperor’s death, ministers mourned, escorting the coffin into the temple for offerings.
