vstars Chapter 497 He doesn't believe that Xiao Yu will watch him die
Chapter 497 He doesn't believe that Xiao Yu will watch him die
Now, because of what the Wang family, the mother's family of the Xiangzhou emperor, did, the people have many complaints about the emperor. In addition to re-selecting officials for Xiangzhou, there is a more important thing, which is to suppress the bandits in Yushan County.
If the emperor wanted to save face, the best way was to send a prince to suppress the bandits and defend the dignity of the royal family.
There are only two princes, one is the crown prince, the heir to the throne of Daning State, and the other is confined to his house for murdering a court official.
The court officials argued endlessly about which one should go.
In the Qinzheng Hall, the emperor frowned as he looked at the memorials handed in by Tutor He and other ministers.
Eunuch Wan reported: "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is here."
As he spoke, Cui Mao bowed to the emperor.
The emperor waved his hand casually, signaling him to stand up. "We have been arguing about the suppression of bandits in Yushan County for several days. Minister Cui, I know what you think."
Cui Maoxing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I learned that the Grand Tutor was ill and went to visit him yesterday. The Grand Tutor told me his thoughts."
The emperor looked curious, "What did the Master say?"
"The Grand Tutor feels that the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne and it is not advisable to take risks. In addition, the Grand Tutor has another concern." Cui Mao said halfway and then stopped.
He knew that the ministers would be cautious when talking to him, and some things were not easy to say too directly, for fear of being punished. The emperor was in no mood to beat around the bush with him, and said directly, "I forgive you, speak."
Cui Maoxing then spoke, "Prime Minister Su is the prince's uncle, and his influence on the prince over the years is profound. Your Majesty is now in his prime, and if the prince's reputation is too good, it may cause unnecessary public opinion."
The emperor used public opinion to influence people's hearts and minds and gained support from local military power, thus gaining a slight advantage in the fight for the throne.
Tutor He has assisted the emperor for many years and understands his thoughts accurately.
The path that the emperor had taken and succeeded on was bound to be repeated by the prince. He would never allow such a thing to happen a second time.
Although Cui Maoxing was only loyal to the emperor and did not participate in any party struggles, he always disliked Su Heng's actions. He also knew that Su Heng wanted to control the prince in the future and have the ambition to be second only to the emperor.
He could imagine that by then, the prince would obey Su Heng's orders. In the court, officials who had been at odds with Su Heng would have no chance of survival.
If you follow Su Heng, you will live; if you go against Su Heng, you will die. Daning will be in chaos and the country will no longer exist.
Sure enough, when the emperor heard Cui Maoxing's words, his face immediately darkened.
The incident in Xiangzhou was indeed a small mistake he made during his many years as a king, but if Su Heng intended to take advantage of it, there was no guarantee that other things would happen.
Moreover, when Zhang Zhong investigated Wang Qing's previous incident, he did find signs that the prince was trying to find out the inside story.
Although it cannot be proved that the prince was involved in the Wang Qing case, it can be proved that he did have ulterior motives.
As for King Jing, he was the most suspected in the Wang Qing case, and his attempt to take over the country was his most wrong decision. This time, suppressing the bandits would be a good opportunity to test his ability.
*
Xiao Changan was wearing a water blue loose robe and a headband of the same color, basking in the sun on a lounge chair in the garden, mentally counting down the deadline agreed with Xiao Yu. It was not an easy task to rescue a prince who had committed a serious crime and was confined to the palace and had completely lost the emperor's heart.
It was impossible for Xiao Yu to use the money in his own house and send it to Jiangnan as a fine.
Just as he was thinking about it, Lu Ming rushed in and said with a worried look on his face: "Your Highness, the imperial edict has arrived!"
Hearing that the imperial edict had arrived, Xiao Changan was startled at first, but then he heaved a sigh of relief. He had a vague feeling that it was the imperial edict to let him leave the palace.
Arriving at the main hall, Eunuch He smiled flatteringly, half bent over and said respectfully: "Your Highness Prince Jing, please accept the order."
At this moment, Xiao Changan's heart was completely relaxed and he knelt down to receive the order.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims that there are bandits plaguing Camel Mountain in Yushan County, Xiangzhou, causing the people to suffer. To show that Your Majesty cares deeply about the people of Xiangzhou, I hereby order King Jing to make meritorious contributions despite his crime and set out for Xiangzhou in three days. He will serve as the commander of Xiangzhou's 5,000 troops, and the new governor of Xiangzhou will serve as the deputy commander. We will eliminate the bandits and allow the people to live and work in peace. I decree this!"
The corners of Xiao Changan's mouth drooped little by little.
He wanted to lift the house arrest, but he didn't want to risk his life.
Although the princes had learned some martial arts, they were only enough to deal with one or two ordinary bandits. He had never thought about fighting with real swords and guns.
The story of the bandits in Yushan County was widely spread in the capital, and he had certainly heard about it. That gang of people committed all kinds of evil, burning, killing and looting for so many years, how could they be good people!
His father really only cared about the crown prince, and he assigned such thankless tasks that required risking his life to him to do.
"Your Highness Prince Jing, please accept the order!" Eunuch He reminded again.
Xiao Changan then put away his gloomy look, forced a smile and took the imperial edict. "Thank you, father, for giving me the opportunity!"
After asking Lu Ming to give Eunuch He fifty taels of silver and send him away, Xiao Changan held the imperial edict in his hand with a sneer on his face.
Xiao Yu's life is in his hands, and he doesn't believe that Xiao Yu will watch him die.
*
In the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, Xiao Changshi, as a junior, sat on the chair next to Su Heng, his face full of anger.
"Uncle, why is Xiao Changan here? He formed a clique and attempted to murder court officials. How can the emperor let him go with such a serious crime?"
Compared to Xiao Changshi's anger, Su Heng looked calm. He took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "One of the princes must go to deal with this matter for His Majesty. It's either you or him. Do you want to go?"
After hearing these words, Xiao Chang was stunned.
He thought about this question and was afraid. But then he thought, he is the crown prince, his father will not let anything happen to him and will definitely give him full protection.
If that's the case, it's okay to go and suppress the bandits. He's the commander, all the credit will be his in the end, and the emperor will look at him differently.
Now that my uncle is asking this question, I don’t know what it means.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "This is a chance for me to show off in front of my father, and also to let the court officials see my ability. As long as I bring along capable men, it's just a matter of suppressing the bandits. What's so difficult about that?"
Su Heng put down the teacup and looked at Xiao Changshi. His eyes were like a dark deep pool with no bottom in sight.
"Shi'er, you are the future emperor, so you need to have a long-term vision. Now your uncle will teach you the first lesson. Think about everything from your own perspective, so that your path will not be blocked."
Xiao Changshi looked at Su Heng, and for a moment, he was a little confused about the meaning of his words.
Su Heng continued, "You only see the benefits of suppressing bandits for yourself, but you don't see the benefits of suppressing bandits for King Jing. Suppressing bandits is very dangerous, and many things will happen. If the threat is eliminated from the root, why would you have to worry about someone competing with you for the position of crown prince in the future!"
The gloom on Xiao Changshi's handsome face instantly disappeared. "Uncle, I understand. But I still need your help in this matter. Please help me."
Su Heng looked more and more proud as he looked at Xiao Changshi. This is what a future crown prince should be like. He should listen to him carefully.
*
Xiao Yu was resting with his eyes closed in a rocking chair in the garden when Yun Ting came hurriedly with a letter.
"Your Majesty, King Jing invites you to meet him at Zuixianju."
Xiao Yu slowly opened his eyes, and only after he had completely adapted to the dazzling sunlight did he take the letter handed to him by Yun Ting.
As a result, Xiao Yu opened the letter and found only one sentence on it, "To express my gratitude, my nephew will hold a banquet at Zuixianju at noon tomorrow. Your Majesty, please come."
Xiao Yu handed the letter to Yun Ting and said calmly, "Make arrangements. You and Yan Qing will go with me tomorrow."