The first time in history

Chapter 137 The shrimps peeled by the maid are delicious

There is a small lake in the residence of the third prince Ruiyou. In the center of the lake there is a waterside pavilion, a nine-curve bridge, and winding paths.

The waterside pavilion was surrounded by light pink gauze curtains, which fluttered in the breeze. At this time, the candlelight in the waterside pavilion flickered, and several maids stood with their backs bent.

"Why didn't the emperor allow us to accompany him when he went to the northern palace this year?" Ruiyou poured Qian Mingduo another glass of wine and asked casually.

"The wine that Third Brother invited me to drink today has a rich taste, especially after being cooled in the ice cellar, it is clear, sweet and refreshing." Qian Mingduo took a sip of the wine, "It's really good wine!"

Ruiyou glanced at Ruichen and said, "Don't interrupt me. I want to ask you why your father didn't let us go to the northern palace. In the past, he always let us accompany him."

"I can't drink much, even if it's such good wine." Qian Mingduo shook his head. "What a shame!"

"You're playing dumb with me, right?" Ruiyou glared at him, "Do you really want to drink and chat with me?"

Qian Mingduo put down his wine glass, thought for a moment, and said, "The emperor doesn't allow us to go to the palace, so the third brother should ask the emperor. You ask me... I'm not the emperor, how can I know why?"

"Didn't I ask you to guess what the emperor's intention was?"

"I can't guess what the emperor's intention is. If you have guessed it, please tell me."

Ruiyou took a big sip of wine, nodded, and said, "Father has always looked down on us. Will he express his dissatisfaction with us in this way this time?"

"How do you know that the emperor thinks nothing of us? How do you know that the emperor would express his dissatisfaction with us in this way?" Qian Mingduo touched Ruiyou's glass with his wine glass, "Third brother, you worry too much."

Ruiyou glanced at Ruichen and said slowly, "Old Five, tell the truth to your third brother, don't you want to be the crown prince at all?"

"Third brother!" Qian Mingduo snorted and laughed, "If you ask me like this... I really don't know how to answer you."

"You say whatever's on your mind!"

Qian Mingduo sighed softly, "If I say I don't want to be crowned as the crown prince, you will definitely think I am lying. And if I say I want to be crowned as the crown prince, I don't know what you will think!" He spread his hands, "How do you think I should answer you?"

"As a prince, who wouldn't want to be the crown prince?" Ruiyou patted Qian Mingduo on the shoulder, "Don't you think so?"

A maid was about to put the peeled shrimps into the small plate in front of Qian Mingduo, but Qian Mingduo opened his mouth and said "ah, ah" twice, signaling her to put the shrimps directly into his mouth.

The maid blushed and looked at Qian Mingduo embarrassedly.

"Hmm..." Ruiyou looked at the maid coldly.

"The shrimps peeled by girls taste different and delicious!" Qian Mingduo said to the blushing maid, "Peel two more for me!"

Rui waved his hand again, and the maids surrounding them retreated.

"Third brother, I wanted this girl to peel some shrimps for me, why did you send them all away?" Qian Mingduo said with a smile.

"After we finish talking about business, I will serve you a delicious dish."

"What's the important matter?" Qian Mingduo knew everything in his mind and just asked casually.

"Let's analyze... who among us brothers has the best chance of becoming the crown prince!"

"I don't want to analyze it, I just want to know what the big dish that Third Brother gave me is?"

Ruiyou rolled his eyes at Qian Mingduo and said, "There are only two of us brothers here today, so there is no need for you to hide anything from your third brother."

"I have nothing to hide, because I know...I can't be the crown prince, so I won't fight with you."

"You guys?..." Ruiyou looked at Ruichen and asked seriously, "What do you mean by you guys?"

"I mean you and my second brother."

"You mean... you can't be the crown prince because of us?"

Qian Mingduo sighed and said, "Father used Confucianism as the classic for governing the country, and orthodox Confucianism has deep-rooted traditional ideas about establishing a crown prince."

"Do you mean that if there is a legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the heir apparent, and if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the heir apparent?" Ruiyou asked.

"Yes!" Qian Mingduo picked up a shrimp, looked at it, and put it back on the plate. "Look at all the civil officials in the court, who is not a disciple of the Confucian school?"

Ruiyou heard Ruichen say this and put down the wine glass that was already raised to his lips, "Then do you think that father will follow this idea?"

"I just said that none of us knows what the emperor thinks. But the emperor has not appointed a queen since then. In the absence of a legitimate prince, he has not followed the tradition of appointing the eldest son as the heir..."

"How is it?" Rui asked anxiously again.

"Father has not yet appointed my second brother as the crown prince. I think Father...does not want to follow this tradition. However, there are constant voices in the court calling for the eldest son to be appointed as the crown prince. It is not ruled out that Father will appoint my second brother as the crown prince under the advice of these civil officials."

"I know this." Ruiyou slammed his chopsticks on the table. "The Minister of Personnel Wenfeng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Li Yu, and the nerds in the Hanlin Academy write to the emperor every now and then, asking him to make Ruiyin the crown prince."

Qian Mingduo smiled and said, "Maybe one day my father will follow the advice of these scholars and make my second brother the crown prince. No one can tell for sure!" He leaned close to Ruiyou's ear and whispered, "The will of heaven is unpredictable!"

"Then do you think father will do this?" Ruiyou said with a gloomy face, "If so, then I will have no hope at all. I was only born ten days later than Ruiyin."

Qian Mingduo picked up a piece of thinly cut bacon, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, then took a sip of wine.

"Why don't you help third brother analyze it?" Ruiyou said anxiously.

"My third brother's mother, Concubine Hui, is the oldest among all the concubines in the harem. Although she is not called the queen, she has been acting like a queen in recent years."

Qian Mingduo patted Ruiyou on the shoulder and said, "Since your father can safely hand over all the affairs of the harem to Concubine Hui, maybe one day you will be canonized as the queen. Who knows!"

"Although my mother is acting as the queen in the harem, but..." Ruiyou shook his head slightly, "It seems that my father has never intended to enthrone my mother as the queen."

Qian Mingduo yawned, rubbed his nose, and said slowly: "Although my father has not yet appointed Concubine Hui as the queen, but... there is always hope. Once Concubine Hui is appointed as the queen, my third brother will be the legitimate prince. By then... who can compete with you for the position of crown prince?"

"Third brother is not like me. Our mother died early. I am not the eldest son nor the heir. I have no hope at all!" Qian Mingduo said with regret: "You and second brother both have hope!"