Qiao-shi burst into laughter and then started coughing again. She turned around and coughed into Sun Mangâs arms, while Sun Mang patted her back and bid goodbye.
Yaoniang and Jin Wang walked them to the back door. Jin Wang and Sun Mang didnât speak to each other from beginning to end.
Sun Mang helped Madam Qiao onto the carriage, hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Jin Wang. âThe Spring Festival in February, donât get involved.â
His words were very short, without a clear beginning or end, but Jin Wangâs eyes flashed with understanding.
The Sun Familyâs carriage was soon far away. Accompanying the couple was Doctor Liu, who was entrusted by Sun Mang to treat Qiao-shiâs illness.
âI hope she can come back feeling better soon.â Yaoniang let out a light sigh.
Although Doctor Liu said that he was 60-70% confident in treating her, tuberculosis was still a terminal illness. No one dared to say for certain whether she could be cured or not. Qiao-shi was so gentle and pure-hearted. Yaoniang hoped that she would be able to get well soon since she believes good people should be rewarded.
Jin Wang clasped her hand and didnât say anything.
âŚ
In the east wing, Yueyue said to Xiaobao, âXiaobao Gege, I seemed to hear the sound of my mother coughing.â
Xiaobao glanced at the window before saying to Yueyue, âYou must have heard it wrong. My mother mentioned that Aunty Qiao is leaving to treat her illness. When the weather is warmer next year, Aunty Qiao will be back. Youâll live in my house and we can play together with HuahuaâŚâ
As he spoke, he hugged Huahua and forced Huahuaâs little furry face to face Yueyue. Fortunately, Huahua was a cat who couldnât smile, otherwise, he would use his fingers to force her to show a smile.
âIf youâre tired of playing with Huahua, thereâs still Erbao. Letâs go, Iâll show you Erbao. He must be awake by now.â
Xiaobao let go of Huahua, climbed off the Kang, and stretched out a hand to Yueyue.
At this point, Yueyue couldnât care less about her mother. She slid off the Kang, and Chunâer and Qiuâer could only watch helplessly as the young master took Yueyue to play with his younger brother Erbao.
Jin Wang accompanied Yaoniang back to Rongxi Courtyard, then turned around and went to the front yard.
Sun Mangâs words may not be easily understood by others, but this wasnât the case for him.
To be honest, everyone wanted to use the Spring Festival as an opportunity to make a move, not just An Wang. However, what the others had in mind was different from that of An Wang. An Wang was currently in the limelight. With everyone gathering firewood, the fire would inevitably grow. But with the fire burning so big, there were both advantages and disadvantages.
The main disadvantage was that one could easily burn themselves to death by accident.
This was an opportunity for An Wang, but at the same time, it was also an opportunity for the others.
An Wang was the second eldest. Other than the crown prince, he was the oldest. Over these past few years, as the crown prince became more and more useless, An Wang adopted an attitude of a kind brother. Whenever Emperor Hongjing reprimanded the crown prince, he would often use An Wang as a comparison.
Every time this happened, An Wang would receive the praise with humility. Heâd claim that as an elder brother, albeit the second eldest, it was his duty to set a good example to his younger brothers. Since heâs older than the others, it was naturally his responsibility to fill in the gaps when needed.
To the outside world, An Wang has always been magnanimous, courteous and virtuous, resulting in a good reputation in the court.
Therefore, during the heated discussion in court, some people suggested An Wang should be appointed as the new crown prince. Most people were not surprised by this. The previous crown prince was deposed, and the eldest imperial grandson was appointed as Hui Wang Heir. In the end, he was of a different generation. Although Dai Wang was also born to the empress, he was not good at words and kept a low profile. Among the princes, he was the most inconspicuous one.
He wasnât as cultured as Yong Wang, and his martial arts werenât as good as Jin Wang. He wasnât as elegant as An Wang, nor was he as sharp as Lu Wang. All in all, he was average.
For the imperial family, being average means being not good enough.
Therefore, the possibility of An Wang being appointed as the crown prince was extremely high.
However, with An Wangâs chances so high, this meant that he was an obstacle to others. Mr. Hei suggested more than once that Jin Wang should take advantage of the chaos. Although Liu Da had always preferred making movements in the open, unlike Mr. Hei who would rather act in the dark, even he had to admit that this was a good opportunity.
As long as they succeed, An Wang would collapse. Without this mountain blocking everything in the front, everyone else would have a chance for exposure.
Jin Wang was not one to get hung up on minor details, nor did he feel obliged to follow the principles of a gentleman. For him, fishing in troubled waters was a normal practice, so naturally, he was persuaded into making a move. He had even already ordered his people to start taking action.
But then, Sun Mang said something like this.
Sun Mang was undoubtedly a close confidant of Emperor Hongjing. Otherwise, he wouldnât be the commander of the emperorâs Twelve Guards or commander of the imperial city guards.
What did he mean by saying this? Could it be that Father EmperorâŚ
While Jin Wang was pondering, Liu Da, Mr. Hei and Li Maotian had already arrived.
They offered their greetings, then grabbed themselves a seat. Meanwhile, Jin Wang had already reached a conclusion in his heart. His back had grown faintly wet with sweat from the shock.
âThe people on An Wangâs side, have them withdraw.â
Although Jin Wangâs words were simple, his meaning was clear.
Mr. Hei instinctively asked, âFor what?â
Jin Wang did not hide it, but repeated Sun Mangâs words.
Liu Da clenched the feather fan in his hand, and hesitantly asked, âYour Highness, do you thinkââ