Married To The Cruel Crown Prince

"Brother Jian, you were the one who used to tell me to get rid of Sheng Li. Now, you are telling me to leave that path. Your mother is right. After the Crown Princess entered, you have changed. Do you like her? Does Sheng Li know about this? I cannot believe the First Brother changed himself because of a mere woman," Yongzheng chuckled and mocked him. 

Jian Guozhi put both of his hands on Yongzheng's shoulders. "Yongzheng, I never wanted to do that. I was influenced by the wrong thoughts regarding Sheng Li. Whenever I used to punish him for no reason, I used to feel guilty. However, greed had overpowered my mind, and I never cared about anything else, nor even a person's emotions. 

Indeed, after the Crown Princess entered this Imperial Palace, I changed. I will not deny it. But she is a human. Sometimes, a human can change you, make you think twice on your own decisions," Jian Guozhi politely explained to Yongzheng, who yanked his hands away. 

"Brother Jian has turned into a coward. A man's heart can never change because of a mere woman. If he does, he is considered weak. Don't you know this?" Yongzheng questioned Jian Guozhi.

"Why do you hate women so much?" Jian Guozhi asked him. 

"I do not hate them. I cannot see them, getting equal to me. I cannot see them, raising their voices against men. I do not like it when women try to rule over us. No one is this way except the Crown Princess. Because of her, many things have changed in this Palace," affirmed Yongzheng. 

"The other day, you sided with the Crown Princess. When the Ministers were speaking that a woman shall not intervene in the Court Affairs, you shut them up. Was that for a show?" Jian Guozhi skeptically inquired from him. 

"Yes. That was a mere show. I do not like the Crown Princess's presence in every matter. It makes me mad," Yongzheng pronounced. "We are taught that women are inferior to us. Only the Empress is supreme to whom we shall show Filial Piety," he stated. 

"Yongzheng, I request you not to do anything because it can lead to instability within the Royal Family. My late mother always was jealous of Sheng Li's mother, but what good came from that? The vengeance path only gives miseries. Sheng Li is not bad. We all made him like this. But after marrying, he has been considerate to us and started to show brotherly love towards us," Jian Guozhi reasoned. 

Yongzheng's heart had filled with bitterness towards Sheng Li, and it kept increasing over the years. Jian Guozhi had the feeling that Yongzheng might end up dying if he continued to think that way. 

"I do not need his brotherly love. It feels to me that everything I get is in alms. I am not a beggar, who has to ask for everything. Father only cares for Sheng Li. For him, he is the best, and the rest of his sons are useless. For him, he changes his decisions within fractions of seconds. Why? Because he is the son of his late beloved," Yongzheng pronounced. 

"Yongzheng, I had the same thoughts. But I contemplated all those things. Father was never impartial. Most importantly, the Crown Prince position is not everything. Even the contribution of a farmer in the building and prosperity of the Kingdom is equal to the position of the Crown Prince," Jian Guozhi remarked. 

Yongzheng started to laugh, confusing Jian Guozhi. "Brother, do you mean that I shall serve Sheng Li, a person younger than me, throughout my life? I am not a farmer whose name and contribution are nil. At the end of the day, everyone has to bow in front of the person who will have the Crown and the throne," Yongzheng menacingly said. "Please leave. Brother has ruined my mood," Yongzheng stated while clenching his fists. 

Jian Guozhi was out of words. He realized that Yongzheng could no longer understand his words. So, he left his chamber. Yongzheng threw the copper vases, porcelain vases on the floor and its sound reverberated in the entire chamber. He screamed and shouted for the servants to clean the mess that he had created.

Lei Wanxi sneaked out of the chamber of Yongzheng, holding his breath. When he reached a safe distance, he took a deep breath. "Brother Yongzheng is crazy. He has a heart of stone," Lei Wanxi murmured. 

'I miss Brother Nianzu. He made Sister Xue's heart change. If he would be here, then he would have made Brother Yongzheng understand. If Brother Sheng finds out about this, he will definitely kill him,' Lei Wanxi thought. 'Father is sick. What if something happens to him? Then, all will start to fight among themselves. Ahh, my mind cannot take that. Even my mother today got furious at my Brother Sheng.' 

"Prince Wanxi," Consort Jinlong pronounced his name. He turned back and found his mother. 

"Mother, you here?" Lei Wanxi asked. 

"Come with me," Consort Jinlong stated. Lei Wanxi followed his mother to his chamber. 

As they sat down on the chaise, Consort Jinlong said, "Prince Wanxi, did you start working on yourself?"

"What do you mean, Mother?" Lei Wanxi asked.

"You will be 23 in a few months, Prince. Did you see it today? The Emperor is sick. He is old now and we do not know what will happen in the future. The Prince needs to secure a good position for himself in the Court," Jinlong asserted. 

"Mother, nothing has happened to Father. I do not want to enter the Court. I will probably desire to work in the Capital Bureau Office," Lei Wanxi expressed his desire. 

"You are a Prince. Why would the Prince work in the Capital Bureau? All the Princes have secured their positions in the Court except you. Don't you want to grow up?" Jinlong suddenly started to scold Lei Wanxi. 

"I have grown up, Mother. Why do I need to secure the position in the Court only? I have seen that the work in the Capital Bureau is more adventurous," asserted Lei Wanxi. 

"Prince, tomorrow I will talk to the Emperor regarding your position in the Court," Jinlong stated. 

"Mother, I do not want to work in the Court. Also, please do not force your decisions on me. I am a free person. I do not like when someone forces his or her decisions on me," Lei Wanxi affirmed. 

"I am your mother. I am thinking for your good only," Jinlong stated. 

"Mother, please. I know you gave me birth but that does not mean that I will forget my own identity. Mother also knows that I prefer to do only those works which I like. If you will force me, then I won't go to the Court. Then, Father will get angry at you," Lei Wanxi pronounced.

Jinlong shook her head. She had almost forgotten that her son was quite different from every Prince. 

"Mother, in the Capital Bureau Office, I will rule the Ministers," Lei Wanxi stated and winked at her mother. "You do not need to worry about my future. Let me enjoy my days fully. When I feel like working, I will talk to my Father or probably with Brother Sheng to appoint me in the office. It is fun to find out the corruption among the Ministers.. I need entertainment in my life, and the outside world is more entertaining," Lei Wanxi explained to his mother, who ended up smiling.