Since the emperor ascended the throne, although the Wang family had an extraordinary influence on the emperor, they had always kept a low - key profile. Several important positions in the court were held by the emperor's confidants, so no one could find fault with them.
Otherwise, the emperor would not have tolerated the Wang family for so many years. However, restraint was still restraint, and the emperor was dissatisfied with the Wang family's influence.
Gradually, he began to reduce their influence. The Wang family clearly noticed this, and the reopening of the Women's Academy was the result of the power struggle between the emperor and the Wang family.
The Wang family saw the emperor's determination, so the queen proposed a marriage alliance with the Xie family.
Behind the Xie family was not only the Bloodthirsty Guards but also the literary influence left by the old Marquis Xie. If the crown prince married Xie Fengran, the Wang family's position in the literary world would be further enhanced.
The second prince was unwilling to watch the crown prince marry Xie Fengran but had no better solution.
He could only secretly cause trouble. The second prince was more or less involved in the little tricks of the third princess.
Qin Junxing was fully aware of all this. To him, he held the key to bringing down the Wang family and didn't care much about what the second prince had. However, he didn't immediately decline!
"The Princess Dowager's Mansion will not participate in the struggle for the throne."
The second prince got anxious, thinking that Qin Junxing had refused him. "Cousin..."
Qin Junxing waved his hand. "This is my mother's order."
The second prince pursed his lips, unable to hide his disappointment, but didn't dare to say anything more. The Princess Dowager was more authoritative in front of them children than the emperor himself.
"However..."
The second prince's eyes lit up instantly. "Cousin, are you going to help me?"
Qin Junxing shook his head. "We can cooperate on the matter of the Wang family. Once the Wang family falls, I will return to the northern border. You and the crown prince will compete on your own merits. No matter who ascends the throne in the future, I will fully pledge my loyalty and guard the northern border gates!"
Although the second prince was a bit disappointed, the Wang family was indeed a tough nut to crack. If they could bring down the Wang family, the crown prince would lose an arm, which was not unacceptable. So he nodded.
"I'll follow cousin's advice!"
Qin Junxing nodded. "Keep an eye on the Wang family in the next few days. If there's any movement, let your people impeach them and force the Wang family to prove their innocence.
"Only when all the characters are on stage can the play be performed better, right?"
"Yes, I'll follow cousin's advice!"
The second prince saw the smile on Qin Junxing's lips, and a chill ran down his spine.
So he had been pretending in front of the emperor all along!
Originally, he wanted to test Qin Junxing about his relationship with the eldest miss of the Xie Mansion, but seeing such a Qin Junxing, he immediately dared not.
The second prince backed down, or rather, he didn't completely back down.
At this moment, he thought it was very important to get on good terms with this cousin, so he made a self - righteous wrong decision.
However, the second prince didn't act immediately. After he returned, he sent people to keep a close eye on the Wang family.
Qin Junxing's confident look made him very curious. Where on earth had his cousin found a crack in the Wang family?
He had been watching the Wang family for so many years but hadn't found any handle that could seriously damage them. His cousin had only been in the capital for two or three months, and he could find something?
Qin Junxing would say, yes, he really could!
At this moment, the Wang family was far from peaceful!
There was a queen from the Wang family. Her father, the clan leader, was still alive. She was his only daughter.
However, his brothers' sons had achieved success, such as the doctor in the Censorate and Master Wang.
Right now, in a courtyard of the Wang family, Master Wang saw a timid boy standing in the courtyard. His vision went black, and he pointed at Mrs. Wang with a trembling arm. "What, what's going on? Why is he here?"
Mrs. Wang was in her forties, plump in appearance. When she frowned, she had an imposing air. Over the years, she had managed half of the Wang family's business and was extremely shrewd, jealous, and tough.
That was why Master Wang had only two concubines in his room over the years, and neither of them was very beautiful.
Mrs. Wang thought she had been quite lenient to her husband. Allowing him to have two concubines was already very good, and her husband had never raised any objections!
Little did she know that he wasn't without objections but had secretly kept a mistress outside!
"Wang Youcai, over the years, I've worked hard for the Wang family. If you wanted to take another concubine, all you had to do was say so, and I would have found one for you. How could you secretly keep a mistress?"
Having dealt with merchants for a long time, this scholarly lady was not only presentable but also capable of going to any lengths.
Right now, in front of all the maids and servants in the courtyard, Mrs. Wang plopped down on the ground and cried out, "You heartless man! The child is already so big, and you've been hiding it! Do you want me to step aside?"
"How miserable my life is!"
This behavior of a shrew made the veins on Master Wang's forehead throb.
But he knew that he was in the wrong on this matter. He couldn't argue back, nor could he lecture this unreasonable woman in the same way he lectured others outside.
Since reasoning was out of the question, he could only appeal to her emotions.
Master Wang quickly reacted and walked over to help Mrs. Wang up from the ground. "My lady, get up quickly. The ground is cold."
Mrs. Wang didn't stop crying, but her shouts became much quieter. She stood up with Master Wang's help. "You don't have me in your heart at all now. Go find your little vixen!"
"…My lady has misunderstood me!" Master Wang bent down and helped Mrs. Wang into the house, apologizing in a low voice. "My lady, please forgive me. I was wrong in this matter. I'm here to apologize to you."
"But I did this for our future. We have no sons, only our daughter Huan'er. When she gets married in the future, if she's bullied, there won't be anyone to stand up for her."
"I just want a son!"
Mrs. Wang stopped crying and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry that you don't have a legitimate son. But now that the child is here, you should have made it official. If they hadn't come to our door today, how long were you going to hide this from me?"
Master Wang's face looked a bit ugly. "Did that woman come here?"
"Humph!" Mrs. Wang snorted. "That woman outside is insatiable. After having a son, what's next? Does she want my position?"
Master Wang quickly forced a smile. "Only my lady can have this position. No one else can take it!"
Mrs. Wang gave him a disdainful look and then changed the subject. "How does the master plan to deal with them? Let me tell you, I can raise the child. Since I don't have a son, I can raise him as my own. He can be my support in the future. But as for the mother..."
Mrs. Wang gave Master Wang a cold look. "I can't be at ease raising someone else's son!"
Master Wang looked a bit hesitant. After all, this woman had given birth to a son for him. After thinking for a while, he tentatively said, "My lady, just send her far away and make sure she never appears in front of the child again!"
"Oh, master, I've never seen you show such pity for me on normal days, but now you're showing pity for someone else. Let me tell you, if that's the case, I'll ask for a divorce. You can find someone else to raise the child!"
"Don't, my lady. How can you say such things!"
Master Wang gritted his teeth, as if making some kind of determination, and said, "You can handle the woman. Just one thing, make sure it's taken care of thoroughly, and don't let the child know!"