Fierce Consort (Part 2)

Chapter 177

Luo Huai Yuan just submitted his petition as he pleased and had no idea of the quakes it caused in court.

There were countless people cursing him secretly. They were mostly those vassal princes who shared his surname from the royal family. Of course, the Jingguo Duke Estate's Xiao clan weren't left out either.

The Xiao Clan wasn't doing too well these days. From the moment the crown prince died and Empress Xiao fell from power, they seemed to have fallen into hell. The Jing Emperor seemed taciturn but his methods were rather impressive. He didn't show any movement on the outside but repeatedly made moves secretly. He quietly ground away a large portion of the Xiao Clan's strength.

Without mentioning anything else, it was even hard for the Xiao clan to enter the palace and meet with Royal Concubine Xiao.

The more they experienced the Jing Emperor's methods, the more bitter the Xiao clan felt. This person was truly too sinister, using a dull blade to cut their flesh.

However, people always held out hope. The Xiao clan had one final card to play.

Of the crown prince's sons, one was conferred as prince and the other two were conferred as regional princes. Since they were still young, they weren't given vassal states yet and remained in the capital within their prince's estates.

They were the Jingguo Duke's great-grandsons and the royal former concubine's grandsons.

They were surnamed Luo and were true descendants of the royal line. They were the former crown prince's children and had been considered for the throne previously. They were filled with limitless potential.

That's right. Limitless potential. Now however, this potential had been dealt a blow by the Yun Prince's inconsiderate actions. Now, danger was imminent. The Xiao clan had to wonder: if the Jing Emperor permitted the Yun Prince's petition, would he think of abolishing the other vassal states as well? If that happened, their limitless potential would have died in the womb.

Unfortunately, the Xiao clan no longer had the influence to move the court officials into making a fuss. None of them were fools. Along with the Jing Emperor's ascension, the crown prince's faction had collapsed. Everyone gradually distanced themselves from the Jingguo Duke Estate.

The court didn't have much of a reaction towards the Yun Prince's petition. To put it plainly, this matter didn't have much to do with them. It would be the Luo family's people that were affected, and wouldn't affect their own benefits. Since his majesty had such thoughts, those underneath naturally didn't have much to say.

Of course, some people wondered if the Jing Emperor's next step would be to make a move against all vassal princes. However, they realized there were no subsequent actions. The Yun Prince's petition seemed to have been a complete farce, like a joke played by the Yun Prince who had always been unworthy of respect.

Whether or not the Yun Prince was worthy of respect, the Jing Emperor still personally passed down his decree, accepting the Yun Prince's petition.

He then rewarded the Yun Prince handsomely.

Not only was the Yun Prince Estate in the capital renovated and expanded, his salary was also raised by twenty percent. The Yun Province was also left as the Yun Prince's vassal state, while the military and government authority was retracted. The vassal prince could still live in his vassal state, but it was also fine to return to the capital.

Afterwards, he summoned the Yun Prince back to the capital in a generous display.

Sun Shi Min had already been appointed as the Yun Prince Estate's left adjutant several times in succession.