无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

Everyone in the Jiang family, old and young, was close to her heart, and she couldn’t bear for any of them to be hurt.

“Father, even if you and Uncle both resign from office, isn’t there still me at home?” She suddenly thought of this, “I am now the Princess Consort, and if nothing goes wrong, I will be the Empress in the future, and later on… well, you know what I mean.”

“You’re quite cunning.” Jiang Ruobai chuckled, showing no disapproval of his daughter’s words, but rather a great deal of indulgence.

When he married his daughter to the Prince of Yu, he had always intended to send her to the very pinnacle of power.

For this purpose, he no longer cared about what would become of the Jiang family in the future.

Jiang Ning stroked her chin, deep in thought, “Father, should I start preparing now for our shared goal?”

“What preparations?”

“Eliminating potential threats.”

“Oh? Such as?” Jiang Ruobai looked at his youngest daughter with interest.

“Lately, Li Hongyuan has been quite distant towards me. He may suspect me of harming Concubine Jin, or he may just be wary of our Jiang family. He is very close to Li Yuanyuan, and if things continue like this, isn’t it only a matter of time before Li Yuanyuan gets pregnant?” Jiang Ning pondered, “If Li Yuanyuan has a child, won’t that child compete with my child for the throne in the future?”

“You’re thinking quite far ahead.” Jiang Ruobai laughed.

“It’s better to be prepared, for waiting until she’s pregnant is too late.”

“Even if she gives birth, it’s never too late.” Jiang Ruobai said chillingly.

Jiang Ning laughed, “Why go to all that trouble? Just kill her before she gets pregnant, and save the hassle. After all, I really couldn’t bear to harm a child.”

“Can you really bear to harm Li Yuanyuan?” Jiang Ruobai asked her with a half-smile.

“…” Jiang Ning also smiled.

Although Li Yuanyuan was a bit pretentious, she had never done anything outrageous, nor had she ever been disrespectful to Jiang Ning. She had even protected Wenzan and Lingzi when Concubine Xian was causing trouble.

Regardless of her motives, her actions were commendable.

Jiang Ruobai sighed, “You’re clever, but ultimately too inexperienced. You need to learn more.”

“By ‘mature’, do you mean ruthless and cruel?” Jiang Ning asked bluntly.

“In a way, yes. Remember, in this world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.” Jiang Ruobai said meaningfully, “Do you think Li Yuanyuan protected the children out of kindness? She naturally has her own advantages.”

Li Yuanyuan had been kicked by Concubine Xian, but in exchange, she had won the favor of Li Hongyuan and Jiang Ning, grown closer to Wenzan and Lingzi, and gained a good reputation.

This trade was quite profitable.

Jiang Ruobai continued, “As for me, I passed the imperial examination at twenty, joined the Cabinet at thirty, and have seen countless acts of deception and life-and-death struggles throughout the years. Trust no one but your closest kin. Even a man who swears love to you today may be the one to pierce your heart with the coldest knife tomorrow.”

Never test human nature.

Because human nature cannot withstand such tests, and the consequences will be unbearable.

Jiang Ning recognized the truth of her father’s words, but to say them so bluntly made life seem too cruel.

Jiang Ruobai, knowing that his daughter was still young, did not lecture her too much. He pointed his finger at the two letters on the table and asked, “Whose are these?”