Chapter 248 - 248 248 The Start of the Crown Prince Struggle

Words : 1398 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Chapter 248: Chapter 248: The Start of the Crown Prince Struggle Chapter 248: Chapter 248: The Start of the Crown Prince Struggle Zhan Lan left the imperial palace and knew that Emperor Xuanwu’s words had a deeper meaning; otherwise, he wouldn’t have mentioned anything about princes and princesses going hunting. During her absence, especially since Emperor Xuanwu fell ill, the situation in the court changed rapidly. Emperor Xuanwu had a total of four sons: Prince Yu, Prince Xian, Prince Qi, and the newly promoted King Wei, Si Jun. The situation in the court was complex, with the ministers divided into three factions, entering the stage of competing for the heir apparent. The first power faction was mainly the queen’s maternal family supporting Prince Yu, whom Emperor Xuanwu had already established as the Crown Prince. The second power faction supported Si Jun due to his reputation. Zhan Xuerou was betrothed to Si Jun, so it was implicitly understood by everyone that the Zhan Family supported Si Jun’s faction, and Zhan Lan hoped they would continue to think so. The third faction was led by Prince Xian with Prince Qi as his deputy. These two brothers, not being favored, could only band together for warmth. The court ministers each had their inclinations, for who knew when Emperor Xuanwu might pass away, and when the new emperor ascended, if they were on the wrong side, it could lead to the annihilation of their families. In history, due to numerous variables, the one who eventually ascended to the throne could be the Crown Prince or might not be, thus, all four were possible. The struggle for succession, a battle without gunpowder, had already begun. Zhan Lan pondered; now possessing the military power of the Brave Army, did Emperor Xuanwu intend to tie her marriage to the Imperial Family? Zhan Lan’s fingers gently tapped on the table as Dugu Yan came in and said, “Sister Lan, Yu Jinchan is indeed hard to find. Over these past two years, our people have searched many places but to no avail.” Zhan Lan’s eyes darkened; a person nearly sixty years old had disappeared without a trace. If neither the Qilin mausoleum nor her people could find him, she suddenly thought of a possibility: Yu Jinchan had never left Ding’an City! “Dugu Yan, pull our people back and slowly search Ding’an City, be very careful not to spook anyone.” “Yes!” After Dugu Yan left, Zhan Lan dressed in men’s clothing, mounted a horse-drawn carriage, and left. Zhan Lan visited the homes of the four old generals one by one. At Zhang Zhao’s house, with his lame leg, he emotionally looked at Zhan Lan and said, “Child, you haven’t visited the other three old fools’ homes yet, right?” Zhan Lan replied with a smile, “Not yet!” “That’s good... cough, cough, try to visit those three pitiful old fools when you can, after all, each day you see them is one less day left!” Zhan Lan: “...” At Wang Chen’s home, he greeted her with joy, “Good disciple, now that you are here, what gifts have you brought? You haven’t given the other three old fools the same gifts, have you?” Zhan Lan replied with a smile, “No.” “That’s good... try to visit those three old codgers when you can, after all, seeing them is one less chance!” Zhan Lan: “...” At Li Qiang’s home, he pretended to be calm and said, “Ah, Lan, coming to see your master as soon as you return fills my heart with comfort.” Zhan Lan replied with a smile, “It’s the duty of a disciple.” “Since you’re here, no need to bring so many gifts, those three old codgers didn’t get any, did they? Give them some... ah, never mind, they have bad teeth, I’ll keep them for myself!” Zhan Lan: “...” At Zhao Feng’s home, he raised his voice, “Lan, you just came back and visited my house. What gifts have you brought? Let your master see, this is top-grade ginseng, deer antler...” Zhan Lan replied with a smile, “If master likes it, that’s good.” “I really like it, I need to hide it lest those three old immortals covet it. They didn’t get any, did they...” Zhan Lan: “...” Zhan Lan left the homes of the four old generals, her face stiff from smiling. Thankfully, she chose different gifts for each person; otherwise, meeting them would end in chaos. As the sun set, Zhan Lan was riding in the carriage on her way back to her residence when she saw a beggar, disheveled and kneeling by the roadside, begging. Her clothes were tattered, and her face was grimy as she knelt on the ground with her hands clasped together pleading, “Please, give me something to eat!” Hearing her voice, Zhan Lan ordered the carriage to stop. Step by step, she approached the beggar, who immediately crawled on her knees to Zhan Lan’s front, “Miss, please, give me something to eat!” Zhan Lan looked at the lice infesting her tangled hair, and the stench from her body was unbearable. She looked up with timid and pitiful eyes. “Miss...” Upon seeing Zhan Lan’s face, the beggar was startled at first and then quickly crawled back, hiding in the corner and shivering. She hurriedly messed up her hair to cover her half-face. Zhan Lan looked at her, her voice cold, “Zhan Qingqing, long time no see.” Hearing Zhan Lan’s voice, Zhan Qingqing got frightened and hid further into the corner. “I’m not Zhan Qingqing, not...” Zhan Lan laughed, she had heard that after Zhan Qingqing was released from prison, she wanted to return to her matrimonial home, but Zhu Touyuan broke her legs, and without any support, Zhan Qingqing started begging on the streets. Although she expected Zhan Qingqing’s situation to be miserable, seeing her now, she no longer resembled a nineteen-year-old girl, her face only showed a will to survive. If Zhan Lan wasn’t so familiar with her voice, she wouldn’t have recognized her. Zhan Qingqing frantically covered her face saying, “Don’t kill me, don’t beat me, I won’t dare again!” She deliberately chose a place where no Zhan Family members would pass by to beg, but she still encountered Zhan Lan. Behind Zhan Lan was a luxurious and spacious carriage, she was dressed in brocade and fine clothes, protected by guards, and served by maids. At the street corners, everyone discussed that Zhan Lan is now a Brave General, commanding two hundred thousand troops. She is now a top-ranked martial general, holding the same status as Zhan Beicang. Moreover, she is highly esteemed by the Emperor, and many people fear her. If Zhan Lan wanted her life, she could probably snuff it out with just a flick of her finger. “General Zhan, I was wrong in the past, I won’t dare again, won’t dare again...” Zhan Qingqing now only hoped that she could survive, how she used to mock and insult Zhan Lan, and now her life is equally miserable. Her own father disowned her, she could not return to Zhan Family, her matrimonial home divorced her, her legs were broken, even brothels refused her, she could only kneel on the streets and beg for her life. Zhan Lan walked up to her gently, she had not a shred of sympathy or pity for Zhan Qingqing. All these were well-deserved! “Zhan Qingqing, I won’t let you die, you must live well...” Zhan Lan’s voice was detached and cold, “Out of consideration that we grew up together, go buy some food.” Zhan Qingqing saw a piece of broken Silver on the ground, she didn’t dare to pick it up at first, but then, overcoming her fear, she crawled over and shakily picked it up, and kowtowed to Zhan Lan like a lunatic. “Thank you, thank you...” Zhan Lan boarded the carriage and watched as Zhan Qingqing crawled to the bun shop’s entrance, tremblingly lifting the broken Silver in her hand. Oh, human dignity, it only exists on the basis of being able to survive. If one can’t even eat, what dignity is there to speak of! Zhan Lan walked away without turning back; tomorrow, she was going hunting and needed to prepare.

Chapter 248 - 248 248 The Start of the Crown Prince Struggle

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