The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

On New Year’s Eve at the palace banquet, everyone raised their cups, the clinking of glasses echoed, and they enjoyed the harmonious singing and dancing.

Song Zhiyuan held a wine cup, being served by a young eunuch who poured him wine, while listening to messages brought from Kunning Palace and Cining Palace.

With a wave of his hand, a small ingot weighing five taels fell into the young eunuch’s arms, making him beam with joy, endlessly uttering auspicious words.

Song Zhiyuan motioned the young eunuch to withdraw and looked in the direction of Prince Zhou with a smile.

It was the smile of a fox, cunning and calculating.

Song Zhiyuan collected his gaze and raised his cup towards Prince Wu, smiling as he said, ”As the year passes, Your Highness is to be enfeoffed. This time, who knows when we shall meet again? Allow me to toast to Your Highness at this palace feast, hoping for a smooth journey ahead.”

The Emperor Chu had already granted permission for Prince Wu’s request to be enfeoffed, and after the New Year, he would be packing to go to his fief.

Prince Wu, having lived for nearly twenty years, considered himself somewhat invisible. With no birth mother, his stepmother treated him neither too well nor too poorly, seeing as she later had her own son.

In the heart of Emperor Chu, he was neither the eldest nor a favored one, so he saw himself as a marginal prince.

Now, the esteemed Prime Minister of the country, a person he once eagerly sought to ally with, toasts to him?

The sun still rose from the east today, didn’t it?

Over at the prince’s seating, there was some astonishment as they looked over, wondering how Prince Wu had caught the eye of this individual?

With a raised eyebrow, Emperor Chu lazily reclined on the dragon throne, holding his wine cup in hand.

Song Yunzhi, what are you plotting?

Prince Wu was a little flattered, holding his wine cup, trembling as he stood up, and said, ”Prime Minister Song is too kind. How could I possibly deserve this? You are my elder; it should be me toasting you.”

”Why shouldn’t you deserve it? Your petition to be enfeoffed and manage the fief is precisely to relieve the Emperor’s burdens, and to build a solid rear wall for the Crown Prince, isn’t it?” Song Zhiyuan said with a smile, ”Your Highness is pure, filial, and loyal. The Emperor is truly blessed to have a son like you, and the Crown Prince is equally blessed to have a brother like you.”

Upon hearing this praise, Prince Wu was overwhelmed with excitement, thinking, am I really that good?

Over by the young Crown Prince, he was sitting with a few of his study companions. At that moment, Song Lingjie blinked his eyes and whispered a few words in the young Crown Prince’s ear.

Soon, the young Crown Prince picked up the wine cup in front of him, though it was only a distilled floral essence and wouldn’t cause intoxication.

He approached Prince Wu, smiling as he said, ”Prime Minister Song is right. To have a brother like you, Little Five is truly fortunate. Second Royal Brother, Little Five toasts you, wishing you a smooth new year.”

”Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince and should address yourself as ’Gu.’” Prince Wu chuckled softly, looking at the young boy before him, and sighed lightly.

The young Crown Prince blinked, ”Today is a palace banquet, and to me, any Royal Brother is still my Royal Brother. Father, do you agree with what I said?”

Emperor Chu naturally liked to see harmony among brothers. Stroking his beard, he said meaningfully, ”Brotherly love and sibling respect is indeed a wonderful thing. I hope you will remember today’s encounter in the hall in future times.”

”I dare not forget,” Prince Wu immediately proclaimed his loyalty, ”I will do my utmost to assist the Emperor and the Crown Prince, safeguarding the continuity of our Great Qing for millennia.”

Emperor Chu’s lips curled into a smile.

Among the princes’ seats, Prince Xiao and others felt a bit awkward, feeling sidelined. Being ignored was one thing, but witnessing the brotherly love and respect scene without involvement was another. Weren’t they princes too?

They were, yet they had somehow been left out.

The sneaky second dog truly lived up to his cunning. Without making a fuss, he changed tactics and gained the trust of both the Emperor and Crown Prince, not to mention winning over Prime Minister Song?