Chapter 416 - 414: Husband and Wife’s Night Conversation (2 Updates)

Chapter 416: Chapter 414: Husband and Wife’s Night Conversation (2 Updates)

Xiao Yi’s eyes flickered slightly, becoming even more profound.

Zhao Jingming couldn’t help but curse, "What ’things they deserve’?! A wolf’s ambition is a wolf’s ambition! Why put a golden shell on it?!"

Under Xu Jing’s slightly inquisitive gaze, Xiao Yi picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying, "After all, we’re outside here, some things are not suitable for open discussion. Once we return to the room, I’ll tell you about it."

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback.

They seemed to have already discussed many court secrets earlier. This inn had only two staff on duty, and since they wanted to talk, Xiao Yi’s people had already found excuses to send them away. Now, one was preparing a late-night snack in the back kitchen, and the other was making beds in the room. Xiao Yi saying certain things weren’t suitable for open discussion wasn’t likely out of fear of those two staff overhearing.

It could only be that what he wanted to say was even more confidential than what they had discussed earlier, not even his own people could know.

After clearing her thoughts, Xu Jing nodded and said, "Alright."

On the side, Zhao Jingming was getting restless from listening, and couldn’t help but eagerly look at them, "Can I sleep in the same room with you tonight?"

Xu Jing and Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi squinted, coldly and mercilessly saying, "Go wherever is cooler."

Zhao Jingming: "..."

He suddenly missed the days when Xiao Yanci didn’t have a wife!

As it was already late, after the food arrived, Xu Jing and Xiao Yi only took a few bites before heading to the room upstairs to rest.

After a simple wash, they both went to bed. In the flickering candlelight, Xiao Yi gently wiped Xu Jing’s hair ends, which she accidentally got wet earlier, with a clean handkerchief, and said in a low voice, "The four great families of Great Chu were all families that followed the Grand Ancestor Emperor before the founding of the country. You’ve long known this. Now, ranking the four families by power, it’s the Zhao Family, Jiang Family, Xiao Family, and Wang Family. The Wang Family used to be the second most powerful, but has only declined in recent years. But do you know, initially, which family among the four was the most powerful?"

Xu Jing said, "Could it be... the Jiang Family?"

Since he asked the question, isn’t the answer obvious?

Xiao Yi chuckled lightly and said, "No, the most powerful at that time was still the Zhao Family, but the Jiang Family was close behind, seemingly on the verge of surpassing them.

At that time, the Family Heads of the Zhao and Jiang families were both confidants of the Grand Ancestor Emperor. These two families had been following him since his decline, and the Grand Ancestor Emperor was very grateful to them and was very willing to employ the Zhao and Jiang families.

However, when the world had just been settled and the Grand Ancestor Emperor began preparing for his enthronement, he discovered something that greatly concerned him."

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback.

Xiao Yi said calmly, "This is something that not many in Great Chu know, because the Grand Ancestor Emperor once ordered not to spread the matter widely.

But he had the historian write it in the royal secret history, which would only be available to every Wei Royal Family Crown Prince, allowing them to see its contents.

It was written that when the world was first settled, the Grand Ancestor Emperor discovered that the Jiang Family had been secretly developing its own power, which seemed on the verge of surpassing the combined might of the other three families."

Xu Jing suddenly turned her head, looking at Xiao Yi in disbelief.

No way, could the Jiang Family have been restless from the beginning, thinking about rebellion before Great Chu was even founded?!

Xiao Yi seemed to understand the expression on Xu Jing’s face, gently turned her head back, and said softly, "Your hair is almost dry, don’t move. Let me help you comb it through."

Xu Jing wasn’t concerned about her hair now, and couldn’t help but ask, "What did the Grand Ancestor Emperor do after discovering this?"

"No emperor can tolerate his ministers cultivating their own power behind his back, let alone the Grand Ancestor Emperor, who was straightforward and most disliked such twists and turns. After discovering this, he secretly investigated all of the Jiang Family’s forces, then summoned the Jiang Family Head and directly threw the scroll detailing the Jiang Family’s power in front of him, questioning him about it.

The Jiang Family Head was immediately frightened and knelt down. After reading the words on the scroll, he could only admit that the Jiang Family had indeed expanded its power recently. However, his explanation for this behavior was that it was to better support the Grand Ancestor Emperor, to prevent him from being harmed by villains at the critical juncture of his enthronement."

Xu Jing’s mouth twitched slightly, saying, "The Grand Ancestor Emperor couldn’t possibly believe that excuse!"

Hearing the disdain in Xu Jing’s tone, Xiao Yi couldn’t help but chuckle softly, saying, "The Grand Ancestor Emperor indeed didn’t want to believe it, but the Jiang Family had followed him for so many years, always supporting him with all their might, and had even sacrificed many of its young men for his great cause. Emotionally, he didn’t want to believe the Jiang Family would betray him.

The Jiang Family Head perhaps saw the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s hesitation and immediately stated that it was their Jiang Family’s mistake. They didn’t want their internal matters to disturb the Grand Ancestor Emperor, who was preoccupied with his enthronement, so they took it upon themselves to hide these things, but assured they had no disloyal intentions. If the Grand Ancestor Emperor minded their secret expansion of power, the Jiang Family was willing to give up those forces and even half of its original power."

Xu Jing was silent for a moment, involuntarily sighing, "That Jiang Family Head was truly a talent."

He understood how to read people’s expressions and the situation, and at the critical moment, had the decisiveness and courage to cut off his own arm.

No wonder later, the Jiang Family was preserved and remained in favor, becoming one of the four great families of Great Chu.

With a comb in his hand, Xiao Yi gently combed Xu Jing’s ink-black hair, his gaze warm as he nodded, "Yes, he indeed saved the Jiang Family in that critical moment, but also made the Jiang Family, second in power only to the Zhao Family, become the weakest among the four families.

One can imagine how much effort the Jiang Family spent in the three decades after the founding of Great Chu to climb back up."

Xu Jing lowered her eyes in thought, and after a moment, suddenly said, "So what Jiang Erlang said about the Wei Royal Family oppressing their Jiang Family refers to this? What their Jiang Family wants to reclaim, could it be the throne they didn’t get a chance to seize back then?"

The more Xu Jing spoke, the more absurd it seemed. What kind of robber logic is this?!

Originally, they wanted to grab someone else’s throne, failed, and yet it turned into someone else seizing what’s rightfully theirs?

Is this how the Jiang Family is educating its next generation?

Xiao Yi was silent for a moment, but then said, "What Jiang Yu said likely isn’t just about this."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but be stunned.