Chapter 430: The Crown Prince Arrived

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The next day, Qin Xiaoyao had just arrived at the army camp when she heard that the Crown Prince had come to look for her.

When she entered her tent, the Crown Prince was already waiting for her.

The Crown Prince, who was waiting inside the tent, froze the moment he saw Qin Xiaoyao.

Then, he quickly lowered his head. He did not dare to look Qin Xiaoyao in the eye.

Qin Xiaoyao frowned and stepped forward to greet the Crown Prince.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” she said as she bowed.

The Crown Prince braced himself and replied, “Marquis Xiaoyao, please dispense with the formalities.” He still did not dare to look at Qin Xiaoyao.

He didn’t want to come here at all, but because of his Empress mother’s orders, he had no choice but to come.

His Empress mother had actually asked him to come and “get familiar” with Marquis Xiaoyao. She even told him to pursue Marquis Xiaoyao, so that Marquis Xiaoyao would willingly become his primary consort.

It was simply too shocking!

Qin Xiaoyao raised her head and looked at the Crown Prince with a not-quite-happy expression.

“Your Highness, do you have some matter to discuss?” she asked.

The Crown Prince did not hold any real power in his hands and basically had no need to interact with her. However, this time, he had specially come to look for her.

Other than what happened yesterday, she couldn’t think of any other reason for this visit.

Empress Jia was really insistent. Qin Xiaoyao had already clearly rejected her proposal and Xiangyang had also told her so much, but she still sent the Crown Prince over.

“Yes… 1 have.” When he felt the pressure from Qin Xiaoyao, the Crown Prince became even more nervous. He could only bite the bullet and blurt out a reply.

Qin Xiaoyao bowed again.

“Please speak, Your Highness.”

“Empress… Empress Mother asked me to come… come to Marquis Xiaoyao’s tent… to assist Marquis Xiaoyao in handling the military affairs in the Ministry of War,” the Crown Prince stammered.

This caused Qin Xiaoyao to frown even deeper.

Thereafter, Qin Xiaoyao replied directly, “The Ministry of War doesn’t have many military matters to deal with these days. I alone can deal with everything. Your Highness must be very busy. There is no need to waste time here.”

In any case, she was a forthright person in Empress Jia’s eyes.

Even if the Crown Prince were to pass the message back, she was not afraid.

She wasn’t interested in working with a weakling every day.

When the Crown Prince heard this, he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“Yes. Marquis Xiaoyao is right.

“Then 1 will take my leave first.” After saying that, the Crown Prince hurriedly scurried away. He practically flew out of Qin Xiaoyao’s tent.

After that, he quickly left the army camp with his personal guards.

Along the way, it was as if there were dogs chasing them.

When he saw this, Prince Huaiyin couldn’t help bursting out in laughter.

Indeed, Marquis Xiaoyao was not an ordinary woman…

Furthermore, with the Crown Prince’s character, even if Prince Huaiyin himself didn’t fight with him, would he still be able to sit firmly on the Imperial throne?

On Qin Xiaoyao’s side, when she saw the Crown Prince leave, she felt much more at ease.

She didn’t think too much about it and got busy.

Two hours later, in the Empress’s sleeping chamber.

After listening to the Crown Prince’s report, Empress Jia’s expression clouded over.

“So, you left just because Marquis Xiaoyao asked you to?” she asked the Crown Prince with displeasure.

The Crown Prince’s heart shuddered.

“Yes… yes,” he replied fearfully.

His demeanor made Empress Jia even angrier.

“You are the current Crown Prince and are under my orders to assist her in handling the affairs of the Ministry of War.

“She’s just an official but she didn’t listen to orders and asked you to come back. Yet you really came back!”

The Crown Prince panicked instantly.

He immediately knelt down in front of Empress Jia.

“Empress Mother, please calm down!

“Empress Mother, please forgive me!” he cried out in panic.

When Empress Jia saw this, she finally flew into a rage.

She picked up the teacup on the desk beside her and threw it at the Crown Prince.

“You are the current Crown Prince. How can you kneel for no reason! Are your knees that weak?”

The Crown Prince became increasingly more panicky. He endured meekly as the teacup shattered beside him, not knowing what to do.

He wanted to get up, but he didn’t dare.

“Empress Mother, please calm down! Empress Mother, please calm down!” he could only mutter non-stop.

Empress Jia instantly felt a headache coming on.

She reached out and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows, forcefully suppressing her anger.

When the Crown Prince saw this, he really wanted to approach her and inquire about her health.

However, because of his fear, he still chose to kneel.

After a while, Empress Jia calmed down a little and finally looked at the Crown Prince.

When she saw the fear and worry in the Crown Prince’s eyes, the bitter disappointment in her heart faded a little.

The Crown Prince was cowardly, but he was also filial.

“Marquis Xiaoyao is the pillar of the country. With her around, our Great Jin State can enjoy long-term peace and stability.

“In addition, her martial arts skills are strong and she has the courage of an invincible warrior.

“If you can get her help, no one will be able to harm you in the future.

“In addition, if she becomes your Princess Consort, I can also rest assured and hand her more military power.”

Empress Jia’s eyes darkened. “In fact, I may even allow her to take charge of all the troops in the state.”

Most of the troops of the Great Jin State were still in the hands of Prince Huaiyin.

Marquis Xiaoyao was the only logical choice she could think of who could replace Prince Huaiyin.

When the Crown Prince heard this, he was utterly shocked.

“Empress Mother…” He looked at Empress Jia in fear once again.

He was afraid that this was a test from Empress Jia.

He once had a dream of sitting in that position after his Emperor father passed away.

However, after being punished and frightened by his Empress mother a few times, he gave up on those thoughts.

Now, he didn’t dare to think about anything. He didn’t dare to want anything. He only wanted to live.

When she saw the Crown Prince’s expression, Empress Jia sighed in her heart.

“The First Prince is no longer around. You are my son and direct descendant, and also the eldest of the existing princes.

“In the future, you will naturally inherit your Emperor father’s throne.”

The Crown Prince’s heart shuddered momentarily, but his gaze was still filled with bewilderment.

Empress Jia continued, “In the past, there were… some things that 1 did without consideration.

“Now, both your Empress mother and Emperor father are not as healthy as before.

“I can only try my best to pave the road for you while I still have some energy left.

“It will also prevent Prince Huaiyin from carrying out his wild ambitions, making it impossible for you to sit on the throne firmly to rule after I am gone.”

The Crown Prince’s heart trembled again.

Everyone inside and outside the Imperial Court knew that Prince Huaiyin was ambitious.

Previously, the Crown Prince had even secretly hoped that Prince Huaiyin would be able to defeat his Empress mother and restore the prestige of the Huangfu clan.

However, now…

Was Empress Mother really prepared to let him inherit the throne and return the imperial power to the Huangfu clan?

The Crown Prince was a little tempted at this point.

However, when he thought of Prince Huaiyin, the temptation in his heart instantly weakened considerably.

Prince Huaiyin had made great war contributions. Other than Marquis Xiaoyao, no one else was as powerful as him.

Moreover, his capability was not only shown on the battlefield. There was no lack of ministers in the court who supported him.

Apart from his status and identity, did the Crown Prince have the ability to compete with Prince Huaiyin?

If he couldn’t win and offended Prince Huaiyin, what would happen to him?

When he thought of this, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but shudder.

Thus, the Crown Prince spoke, “Emperor Father and Empress Mother will be long-lived. Noth… nothing will happen.”

When Empress Jia saw this, anger surged in her heart again.

Before she spoke, she suppressed her anger once more.

“Continue to help Marquis Xiaoyao. Think of a way to get close to her,” she said.

The Crown Prince raised his head and looked at Empress Jia, his face full of reluctance.

When he saw that Empress Jia’s expression had become displeased, he quickly answered, “Your son shall obey your wishes.”

Only then did Empress Jia’s expression relax a little.

“Marquis Xiaoyao is a passionate and devoted woman. Under normal circumstances, she is different from her usual self on the battlefield. She is not that ferocious and terrifying.”

“And in terms of appearance, although Marquis Xiaoyao is somewhat different from those young ladies of noble families, she can still be considered a peerless beauty..”