Chapter 314 Conspiracy
After Yin Hua and Liang Laoer and his wife left, Chu Yichen invited Qianhuan to his tea room, where they drank tea and talked about things.
Qianhuan asked, "I wonder what Brother Lin'an wants to discuss with me?"
Chu Yichen got straight to the point and said, "Qianhuan, we have known each other for such a long time. I won't beat around the bush with you if there is anything I want to say."
Afterwards, Chu Yichen told all his ideas and plans. It turned out that Chu Yichen wanted to develop the Chu family's other industries in Qingxi County to the capital, but he was worried that he would not be able to gain a foothold because he did not have a strong backing.
He felt that Qianhuan now had the support of the prince, so he wanted to ask Qianhuan to persuade the prince to be her supporter, and he would give 20% of the profit of each store as a reward.
Qianhuan agreed after just a little consideration. Just by borrowing Zi Yu's background, she could get 20% of the profit for free. This deal was really a good deal.
After returning, Qianhuan told the prince about this matter. Naturally, the prince would not refuse anything that was beneficial to Qianhuan, and he agreed to it readily.
Chu Yichen was ecstatic when he got the correct answer. With the powerful backing of the prince, he could start to show his talents.
When he develops the Chu family's clothing shops, jewelry shops, tea and other industries to the capital and other provincial capitals, then the Chu family's business will surely reach a higher level.
In the following days, Chu Yichen began to prepare for these things.
Qianhuan was not idle either. She began to slowly expand her business empire. Liang Laoer and his wife were also busy and would go to the teahouses and soy sauce shops in Beijing to help out from time to time.
Ever since the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were placed under house arrest in the Imperial Clan Court, the Queen and Prime Minister Zhao have been trying every possible way to get His Majesty to release them.
At the beginning of the year, someone gave the Queen an idea. The Queen Mother attached great importance to the royal offspring, and His Majesty was filial to the Queen Mother. If the Crown Princess was pregnant, the Queen could persuade the Queen Mother to plead with His Majesty, and maybe the person could be released.
Sure enough, the Queen sent someone to secretly deliver a message to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess at the Ministry of Clan Affairs, and the two began to actively try to have a baby.
One day, the Crown Princess suddenly fainted in the clan residence. The Imperial Hospital quickly sent an imperial physician to take her pulse, and it turned out that the Crown Princess was pregnant.
The Queen went to the Queen Mother and begged for mercy, "Mother, please, for the sake of the Crown Princess's baby, go to the Emperor and beg for mercy. The Crown Prince has been well-behaved and obedient since he was young. He formed a clique because of the instigation of those officials. Now he has come to his senses. I hope Mother and the Emperor can give him a chance."
In fact, the Queen Mother has always been very fond of these younger generations. Now that she knows that the Crown Princess is pregnant, she naturally cannot bear to see them being detained in the clan house any longer.
So the Queen Mother hurried to His Majesty to plead for mercy. It happened that His Majesty had been unwell recently, and people tend to be sentimental when they are sick. The Emperor suddenly began to appreciate the deep affection between father and son, so an imperial decree was issued to pardon the prince.
After the prince came out of the clan house, he learned his lesson. He would go to the emperor and show his courtesy whenever he had nothing to do. When the emperor was sick, he would serve him personally day and night, making his presence felt.
The emperor sensed the changes in the prince, and became closer to and more trusting of him. In the end, the emperor gave the prince more power, and even asked the prince to read memorials for him when he was unwell.
When the Fourth Prince found out, he was so angry that his teeth were itching. He never dreamed that the Crown Prince would one day be pardoned, and even be more favored by the Emperor than before.
Seeing that the old emperor's health was getting worse day by day, the Fourth Prince became anxious.
Thinking that the reason the Crown Prince was pardoned was because the Crown Princess was pregnant, he said to Qian Yuying dissatisfiedly, "You have been married to me for so long, why is there still no sign of pregnancy?"
Qian Yuying felt very aggrieved. In order to get pregnant with a royal heir as soon as possible, she tried all kinds of folk remedies, but her belly just wouldn't cooperate.
She answered cautiously, "Your Highness, I have been taking medicine to regulate my body recently. I will definitely conceive a royal heir for you as soon as possible."
The fourth prince changed his tone and said gently, "In fact, if you can convince your father to submit to me, there is no need to worry about the issue of offspring. The prince is more popular now than before. Once my father dies and the prince succeeds to the throne, we will not have a good ending. The only way for me to have a chance of survival is to quickly win over the generals in the court and hold the military power."
Speaking of this, Qian Yuying had an even bigger headache. Her father, General Qian, was loyal to the emperor and had always been unwilling to get involved in the fight for the throne. So no matter how much she tried to persuade him, her father would never stand on the side of the Fourth Prince.
"Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to persuade my father, it's just that my father is too pedantic and stubborn. He always thinks that if he stands on our side, he will be disloyal to Your Majesty. I am helpless about this."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince said with a sinister look in his eyes, "Since your father is so stubborn, don't blame us for being unkind and unjust. The princess will definitely stand on my side and help me, right?"
Qian Yuying saw the Fourth Prince asking her with a sinister look on his face, so she answered cautiously, "I wonder how the prince wants Yuying to help?"
Then the Fourth Prince told Qian Yuying his plan. After hearing it, her face changed drastically. "Your Highness, the crime of treason is to execute the whole family. If I frame my father, then my mother and I will not be able to escape the death penalty either."
"Don't worry, my beloved concubine. Your mother is just a concubine in the Qian Mansion. If someone from my side asks for mercy, they will definitely ensure that you and your mother are safe. In this case, my beloved concubine can rest assured to do this for me?"
"But even if we framed Dad, His Majesty might not let the prince's people take over the Qianjia Army? Wouldn't it be a waste of our efforts if we did that?"
"Don't worry, my beloved concubine. Father has already given the Crown Prince some military power. Based on my understanding of Father, if General Qian falls, Father will only hand over the military power to some newly promoted generals. I have already placed several people with clean family backgrounds in the court. No matter who of them Father gives the Qian Family Army to, it will eventually fall into my hands. Now it depends on whether my beloved concubine is willing to help?"
Qian Yuying was still a little hesitant. Although she was just a concubine's daughter, Madam Qian registered her under the name of her stepmother in order to help her marry better. General Qian was usually quite nice to her. If she really had to harm them, she still felt a little reluctant.
Seeing this, the Fourth Prince could only pretend to be pitiful and said, "If my beloved concubine really doesn't want to, I won't force her. I originally fantasized that if I could win the throne one day, I would definitely make my beloved concubine the queen and become a pair of emperors and empresses that everyone would envy. But now it seems that there is no chance. When the crown prince succeeds to the throne, the first thing he will clean up will definitely be our Fourth Prince's Mansion. At that time, I will accompany my beloved concubine to the underworld to be a pair of ghost couples."
Upon hearing this, Qian Yuying's heart quickly shifted from her natal family to her husband's family. She had been married to the Fourth Prince for so long but had not been able to conceive a child. However, the Fourth Prince still doted on her. If she helped the Fourth Prince ascend the throne, she would be the queen, second only to the emperor.
Thinking of this, Qian Yuying seemed to have made up her mind. She said with a firm look in her eyes, "Prince, since Yuying has married you, then everything will be based on you. Yuying is willing to go through fire and water for you, and will not refuse death. I only hope that after the matter is accomplished, you will keep your promise and make Yuying the queen."
The fourth prince hugged Qian Yuying and promised solemnly, "Don't worry, my beloved concubine. You are my princess. If I don't make you my queen, who else can I make my queen?"
Qian Yuying got the promise from the Fourth Prince and felt much more relieved. Then the two of them began to plot to frame Qian Fu.