Chapter 6: Chapter 4: The Struggle Between the Blood Pool and the Crown Prince_3

Cheng Guang promptly made an acknowledging sound.

Before coming, he had complained about losing weight, yet now he was afraid of putting it on again. Parents’ thoughts truly are strange.

No one paid much attention to Cheng Guang’s actions; they simply assumed he was hungry. After some idle chit-chat, they moved on to the main topic.

“Everyone has gathered today under the guise of a family banquet, simply to address the matter of establishing the Crown Prince,”

Empress Dowager Li spoke directly, getting straight to the point without any beating around the bush.

Upon hearing this, Empress Wang did not show any discomfort but smiled gently and then nodded.

“Mother Empress Dowager, the matter of the Crown Prince is of great significance, it also determines who can enter the Blood Pool this year. My son Ming’er is already not young; other princes can afford to wait, but he cannot,”

“Besides, as the legitimate eldest son, it is only proper by ancient customs for him to become the Crown Prince,”

Empress Wang voiced her opinion; perhaps because she had brought it up several times before, she was straightforward this time.

At these words, Empress Dowager Li slightly furrowed her brow.

Princess Yuemei knew that Empress Dowager Li’s frown was not because she had any objection to what Empress Wang had said, but because she was unwilling to become entangled in the affairs of the court.

Deposing the former crown prince and establishing Wu Shang as Emperor had already caused the court officials to be extremely dissatisfied with her. Although Empress Dowager Li did not care about the officials’ opinions, she ultimately did not want to interfere with the establishment of a new Crown Prince.

Emperor Wu Shang held Empress Dowager Li in high respect. It was only natural for him to seek her opinion on the matter, but it was clear that Empress Dowager Li didn’t wish to meddle. She would eventually pass the buck back to the emperor.

Princess Yuemei knew that Empress Dowager Li was likely to analyze the court situation and the pros and cons of all sides, aiming to be impartial and leave the final decision to the emperor.

With children present, some matters involving the court could not be discussed too openly.

Therefore, Princess Yuemei looked at Cheng Guang, “Guanger, why don’t you and a few of your brothers and sisters go out and play? Just wander around, and I’ll call you back when it’s time to eat.”

Empress Wang and the other Noble Consorts also spoke up in agreement.

Cheng Guang put down the pastry in his hand and made an acknowledging sound, then turned to leave after paying his respects to the elders present.

The group of princes and princesses followed Cheng Guang’s steps and exited the grand hall.

Several eunuchs from inside the hall also hurried out, carefully following behind the group of royals.

In the eyes of the servants, each of these princes and princesses was exceedingly noble. If anything happened to even one of them, the lives of their entire families might not be spared.

After Cheng Guang left the grand hall,

several princes and princesses came over to greet Cheng Guang.

Cheng Guang wasn’t familiar with any of these princes and princesses and casually brushed aside the small talk before finding a pavilion to sit and rest in.

The princes and princesses did not cling to him and soon found their own entertainments.

Clearly, they were not very familiar with Cheng Guang; in their eyes, he still held the aloof demeanor of the Princely Heir as usual.

This is exactly what Cheng Guang wanted.

The more he conversed, the greater the potential for exposure, so he needed to be careful.

The other princes and princesses quickly moved away, leaving only Wu Ling feeling out of place on the empty grounds.

For Wu Ling, this family banquet was like a gathering of strangers, seemingly unconnected to her.

She found everything awkward and unfamiliar.

Cheng Guang could understand Wu Ling’s feelings. After all, he was an outsider too, merely existing here as the stand-in for the Princely Heir, in a situation quite similar to Wu Ling’s.

“Hey,” Cheng Guang called out from within the pavilion, waving at Wu Ling.

Wu Ling, hearing the voice, paused as if she thought it was a mistake that someone was calling her. She continued to walk with her head down, squatting by the lake and staring blankly at the koi fish.

Seeing that Wu Ling showed no sign of responding, Cheng Guang rubbed his nose awkwardly and called out again.

“Wu Ling.”

This time, Wu Ling heard her name called and looked toward the source of the voice. Seeing Cheng Guang in his brocade robe and handsome features, waving at her from the pavilion, she became even more flustered.

Unsure of how to react, she simply froze in place.