SFL Chapter 13

Mu Yunfeng and Su Qianluo weren’t reminding the Su family about Su Qianhuan because they held her in high regard. Instead, it was because Mu Yunfeng had confidence in dealing with his enemies, and Su Qianluo’s influence couldn’t penetrate his residence. Therefore, if they wanted to expose his weaknesses, they had to find another way to do so.

The Su family served as their breakthrough point.

Today, the Eldest Princess was the first to bring up the Su family, but she certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Although Su Qianluo’s family’s second branch was Mu Yunfeng’s legitimate in-laws, ever since the head of the Su family’s main branch and her daughters arrived in the capital, they had already become entangled in this complex web of intrigue.

If Su Qianhuan didn’t want to be a mere pawn, she needed to sever the ties that made her valuable to those who sought her.

However, Mu Yunfeng didn’t anticipate that their private conversations would be misunderstood by the Su family mother and daughter. Mu Yunfeng was not fully aware of this, but Su Qianluo was.

Since childhood, Su Qianluo had always followed in Su Qianhuan’s footsteps. This led to even now, despite being the third prince’s consort, Su Qianluo’s aunt and Su Qianhuan, her cousin, would still subconsciously look down on her.

Su Qianhuan had always wanted the best husband, and the third prince didn’t fit that description, so she had discarded him without a second thought.

Su Qianluo knew that in Su Qianhuan’s heart, she probably still thought that she, as the third prince’s consort, was only temporary. Whenever she wished, she could easily reclaim that position.

This level of confidence wasn’t something Su Qianluo possessed. She couldn’t understand why her cousin had always been so self-assured since childhood, even daring to disdain imperial authority and ultimately succeeding.

Before, Su Qianluo might have worried that Mu Yunfeng wouldn’t be able to hold on. However, after spending time together recently, she had seen Mu Yunfeng’s sense of responsibility clearly. She had become the third prince’s consort, so Mu Yunfeng would definitely take full responsibility for her.

Although Mu Yunfeng hadn’t explicitly promised her anything, his actions were more reassuring than any sweet words.

“When the time comes, if the Su family’s main branch and second branch oppose each other, my husband won’t need to consider my father’s side. I’ve already discussed this with my father,” Su Qianluo preemptively informed Mu Yunfeng.

With so many daughters from the Su family coming to the capital this time, who knew which of them the Su family intended to marry off? Su Qianluo didn’t believe that the Su family would mobilize its main branch’s mother without a specific purpose.

Su Qianluo had learned from her father that the Su family’s second branch hadn’t participated in this matter, not because they didn’t want to but because they weren’t qualified.

In terms of status, Su Qianhuan’s identity completely overshadowed Su Qianluo in every way. The only reason Su Qianluo had a slight edge was that she had married Mu Yunfeng and became the third prince’s consort, and even then, it was just a slight edge.

In the eyes of the Su family, Su Qianluo’s status is far lower than Su Qianhuan’s. After all, the current head of the Su family is Su Qianhuan’s father. How can a niece and her own biological daughter compare?

However, precisely because of this, it’s intriguing that Su Qianhuan was able to successfully escape her marriage in the past.

Over time, and with the fact that Mu Yunfeng rarely hides things from Su Qianluo, she has also realized that her uncle doesn’t hold Mu Yunfeng in high regard. At least in the eyes of this seasoned political player, it’s not worth it to bet his own daughter in marriage to the Third Prince. Otherwise, for Su Qianhuan, a young lady from a noble family, it would have been impossible to leave the Su family without some backing.

Both the second branch of the Su family and Su Qianluo, as a substitute princess, were kept in the dark from beginning to end. It can be said that, before entering the royal palace, Su Qianluo was just a pawn in the Su family’s game, and she never completely escaped the fate of being married off for someone else.

Mu Yunfeng also gained a lot of information about the Su family from Su Qianluo, uncovering hidden aspects that weren’t written in the original story.

Setting aside his legitimate in-laws, the Su family’s main branch are indeed capable. Otherwise, the Empress wouldn’t have made this connection for her son. Unfortunately, the Su family didn’t choose the original Third Prince.

And the Third Prince lived up to the Su family’s expectations, as he still remained as a Prince in the end.

So, what role does the female lead, Su Qianhuan, play in all of this?

However, no matter how much the Su family schemes, they can’t scheme against Mu Yunfeng because he has no interest in the female lead and won’t respond to their machinations.

Apart from his work at the Ministry of Revenue, Mu Yunfeng spends most of his time at home. Su Qianluo often receives invitations from the women of the harem, but there are very few invitations for Mu Yunfeng.

As long as he stays inside, even if Su Qianhuan wants to engage with him, she won’t find an opportunity.

Fortunately, from the beginning, Su Qianhuan only saw Mu Yunfeng as a backup plan, so even if she can’t see him, it doesn’t stop her from considering other men.

Previously, because the Eldest Princess mentioned Su Qianhuan at the banquet, her reputation among the women of the harem has become quite prominent. However, due to Mu Yunfeng’s influence, there are hardly any families who genuinely want to form a close alliance or marriage with Su Qianhuan. Therefore, those noble ladies don’t know that while they may not value Su Qianhuan, Su Qianhuan and the main branch of the Su family also don’t value them.

Su Qianhuan’s intended husband was originally the Third Prince, and while that marriage has disappeared, it has indirectly elevated the quality of candidates she’s willing to consider. Although she still holds onto some naive dreams of finding a soulmate, the trials she has faced have made her more open to a well-matched marriage.

With Mu Yunfeng’s special favor for Su Qianluo in the forefront, Su Qianhuan didn’t believe that her future would be worse than her cousin Su Qianluo.

With this mindset, the Su mother and daughter set their sights on the royal princes.

The First and Second Princes already had their share of consorts and concubines, so even if Su Qianhuan was a heavenly beauty, there was no room for her in their inner courts.

Mu Yunfeng was the only one with just one consort, but the Su family had already decided to keep him as a backup. As a result, their attention shifted to Mu Yunfeng’s younger brothers.

Among them, the Fourth Prince became Su Qianhuan’s primary target.

Of course, on the surface, the Su family wouldn’t openly introduce themselves to the Fourth Prince. Su Qianhuan had only encountered the Fourth Prince a few times by chance at banquets and exchanged a few words.

However, neither Su Qianhuan nor the Fourth Prince made any improper moves, so others could only gossip behind their backs.

Some were curious to see if Mu Yunfeng knew about the possibility of Su Qianhuan becoming his sister-in-law and what his reaction would be.

Even the Empress in the palace was somewhat concerned and subtly questioned Mu Yunfeng.

Mu Yunfeng rubbed his temples and repeatedly emphasized to the Empress that Su Qianhuan had nothing to do with him anymore. Even if they had some connection before, it had completely disappeared after Su Qianluo became the Third Princess Consort. He certainly couldn’t be involved in the female lead’s marriage now.

Seeing that Mu Yunfeng was getting impatient, the Empress decided to speak frankly, “If the Su family was aiming for their daughter to marry an ordinary family, that would be one thing, but they’re targeting the princes. Isn’t this like trying to have their cake and eat it too?”

The Su family shouldn’t think that there are no clever people besides them. Everyone knows what schemes the Su family is up to. However, it’s precisely because of this that the Empress feels increasingly uncomfortable. Her son is being compared unfavourably to an illegitimate prince, and the fact that the Su family’s daughter, instead of choosing a legitimate prince, is showing interest in an illegitimate prince is a blow to her pride.

“Mother, we should actually find this amusing. The Su family’s attempt to have the best of both worlds won’t work. In the end, can they really believe that Fourth brother can surpass me, your son, in winning the Emperor’s favor?” Mu Yunfeng laughed.

The Empress chuckled, “If this were before, it might be hard to say, but now that the First and Second Princes are avoiding my son’s limelight, what can the Fourth Prince really achieve?” Thinking about it this way, the Empress felt less bothered.

Since the Su family is willing to pick sesame seeds and lose watermelons, they are the ones who will truly regret it in the future. Their anger now will only lead to their downfall.

After Mu Yunfeng managed to cheer up the Empress, he was summoned by the Emperor. The Emperor was genuinely concerned about Mu Yunfeng’s thoughts because this son of his was becoming increasingly important to him, making the Emperor doubt if he had made a mistake in the past.

Hearing that both his parents had similar concerns, Mu Yunfeng was puzzled. “Father, why would you think I have any interest in that Su family girl?”

“Isn’t it so? Your inner court has only one consort so far… Could it be that you were hurt by the Su family’s previous actions?” the Emperor asked with some hesitation.

“No, it has nothing to do with the Su family girl. I just want my home to be quiet, after all, Your Majesty also knows that with more women come more conflicts. Compared to those matters, beauty is the least important thing,” Mu Yunfeng replied with a calm expression.

Compared to physical beauty, the baggage they carry is undoubtedly troublesome for Mu Yunfeng.

The Emperor couldn’t read anything from Mu Yunfeng’s face, but he could tell that Mu Yunfeng was speaking sincerely. Now, the Emperor couldn’t help but wonder, “With a wife to assist you in managing the women, even if there are issues, your wife can help you handle them. You should just enjoy it without hesitation. Why would you refuse?”

To the Emperor, all those troubles that Mu Yunfeng mentioned seemed insignificant.

This was because their values and priorities differed. Mu Yunfeng wouldn’t force an Emperor, who had three palaces and six courtyards, to understand the thoughts of a person with a different perspective. Mu Yunfeng responded to the Emperor from a rational standpoint, “Father, ambition is something that can’t be restrained by position. Many people lose themselves in the face of enormous benefits. I don’t want to see my home filled with internal strife driven by such ambitions. Having siblings from the same mother undoubtedly greatly reduces the possibility of conflicts within the family. That’s enough for me.”

After hearing this, the Emperor remained silent for a while. He knew well that having only one mistress in the inner court and children from the same mother working together could indeed prevent internal conflicts. It’s just that he didn’t want to do it himself.

“Since this is what you desire, I won’t force you,” the Emperor said, content to know that Mu Yunfeng didn’t hold any grudges against him as the father for this matter.

The Emperor sometimes liked people who could understand his inner thoughts and, at other times, detested ministers who were like worms in his belly. His temperament could be described as capricious.

Right now, Mu Yunfeng had gained his favor, so the Emperor was somewhat displeased with the Su family that had previously tried to understand his intentions.

On the other side, the Su family’s main branch mother had written a letter back to the Su family, detailing the recent happenings in the capital. When the members of the Su family’s main branch received the letter, perhaps due to their distant perspective, the Eldest son of the Su family was shocked after reading it.

The Eldest son, who was in the capital, might not have noticed the Emperor’s special favor for the Third Prince, but after a brief recollection of the Emperor’s previous stance of “equally nurturing all sons,” it was easy to see the Emperor’s current preference.

What alarmed the Eldest son even more was the Third Prince’s recent performance, which could be described as a dark horse.

In the letter, the mother of the Su family’s main branch mentioned that the Third Prince had gained numerous enemies in the capital. Many officials’ offspring and relatives had fallen into the hands of the Ministry of Justice. While not explicitly stating her disapproval, her words carried a certain degree of skepticism toward the Third Prince. However, to be on the safe side, she had encouraged her daughter to make some deliberate contact with the Third Prince. Unfortunately, the Third Prince rarely attended banquets, and they hadn’t found many opportunities.

“Ah, I’ve truly been shortsighted. I only saw those who were hostile to the Third Prince but failed to see the backing behind him. That support, even if it’s ten times the number of enemies, still won’t be able to harm the Third Prince.”

Without the Emperor’s indulgence and approval, the Third Prince would be left in the cold after leaving the Ministry of Justice, instead of being appointed to the Ministry of Revenue, a powerful department.

What did this indicate? It indicated that the Emperor was backing the Third Prince.

In the entire court, among the civil and military officials, and even among the royal family, when combined, they couldn’t match the status and support the Third Prince had. This was an honor that the prince he favored had never received.

“I never expected that I would make such a miscalculation…” The Eldest son of the Su family couldn’t help but speak bitterly.