Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Chapter 168 Fight for power!

The prince's words awakened the dreamer!

Yes, Chu Ning has taken such a big advantage in the title, so other rewards must be reduced.

You still want the court to allocate food? What are you thinking!

The Second Prince immediately stepped forward and agreed, "Father, what the Crown Prince said is absolutely right. The court is already in financial difficulty, where can we get the surplus food to allocate to him?"

The other princes reacted and echoed.

Upon seeing this, the ministers looked at each other and then followed suit.

After the great victory on the front line, Chu Ning's reputation was at its peak, and he was also named King of Chu. His status was greatly improved. If he was given more food, he would probably surpass other princes.

Suppress!

Must be suppressed!

The emperor looked at all the ministers who opposed him, and a look of anger appeared on his face.

These guys, no one dares to go to the battlefield, but they are good at suppressing others.

And these rebellious sons can’t bear to see Chu Ning living a better life than them.

Humph, the more you don’t want it, the more I want it!

The emperor narrowed his eyes and scanned everyone, and said calmly: "This battle was a great victory. Now Chu Ning is just asking the court to allocate food. If it is not given, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of the soldiers on the front line."

It would be unacceptable not to give any food at all, and it would be hard to explain to Chu Ning.

Even if everyone objects, I must give it to you!

Everyone noticed the emperor's determination and fell silent for a moment.

But at this time, the prince said in a deep voice: "Father, this is easy to handle. You just need to give him the grain that my eighteenth brother seized."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What is the prince saying?

The grain seized by Chu Ning should have belonged to the soldiers on the front line. Does he still need the emperor to give it?

What Chu Ning wants is the grain allocated from the imperial court!

The emperor didn't expect the prince to be so shameless as to say such words.

"Hmph, Prince, if you were the commander of the front line, would you be happy if I gave you the spoils you captured?"

The emperor's face looked a little ugly and his tone became much heavier.

The prince was not flustered when he realized that his father was angry. Instead, he said calmly, "Father, special situations require special treatment. If the court had enough food in normal times, we would naturally do this.

But it’s different now. The imperial court doesn’t even have enough food for itself, so where would it get any surplus food for Chu Ning?

There are still 60,000 troops on the front line. If they are given food, it will be at least several million dan. Who will provide such a large amount of food?

If we give too little, it will give people a reason to criticize us. It is better not to give anything and let Chu Ning be self-sufficient on the front line."

The emperor was silent.

Although I don't want to admit it, there is some truth in what the prince said.

At this moment, Da Chu really has no surplus food.

But how can I say that Chu Ning should be self-sufficient on the front line?

With a long sigh, the emperor suddenly felt very tired.

"Is this what you all mean?" The emperor looked at the others.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look the emperor in the eye, and tacitly agreed with the prince's words.

Seeing this, the emperor shook his head helplessly: "In this case, let's draft an edict. All food for the front line will be dispatched by Chu Ning, and Chu Ning will also be responsible for the food and grass for the front-line troops in the future."

After saying this, the emperor felt a little guilty and added, "Also, give Prince Chu Ning a set of clothes."

Although bestowing clothes was not a great favor, it was bestowed by the emperor himself, and it was an outward expression of his favor to Chu Ning.

Naturally, no one dared to say anything more about this. After all, since they had rejected Chu Ning's request, it was normal for the emperor to give him a piece of clothing as compensation.

The reward for Chu Ning was thus compromised under the tug of war among various forces.

Soon, the imperial edict was sent to Dingxiang City by the messenger at an express speed of 800 miles.

A few days later, Chu Ning received the imperial edict in the City Lord's Mansion.

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Prince Chu Ning of Penglai has made meritorious contributions in the battle and annihilated the 200,000-strong Zhao army. He has made great contributions to the country and is promoted to prince. He is given the title of King of Chu, the fief of Bingzhou, and a set of princely clothing!"

"Also, Chu Ning has become a world-renowned warrior in this battle, and he has also reached the age of thirty. After returning to the court, he will marry Princess Shen Wanying during the Lantern Festival!"

"Your son accepts your command and thanks you!" Chu Ning frowned and stretched out his hand to take the imperial edict.

The imperial edict did not mention the issue of food and fodder, so it seemed that the emperor did not want to allocate food to himself.

While thinking, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness, the King of Chu, for your extraordinary feat. His Majesty said that the court is short of food. If you need food, you can use the food you captured from the Zhao army."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and asked, "Father, do you want me to deal with the spoils myself?"

"It's not impossible if Your Highness understands it this way." The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict laughed awkwardly and did not dare to look Chu Ning in the eye.

Everyone knows that the King of Chu will take revenge. If he holds a grudge against me for this matter, I'm afraid I'll be in trouble. It's better to be careful.

The eunuchs were walking on thin ice, fearing that Chu Ning would use him as a scapegoat in a fit of rage, which would be an unprovoked disaster.

Fortunately, Chu Ning only hesitated for a moment, then said: "Please tell my father that since you don't give me food, I can only be self-sufficient in Bingzhou. When the time comes, people in the court should stop making irresponsible remarks."

"This..." The eunuch laughed bitterly: "Your Highness the Prince of Chu should write a letter to His Majesty himself."

How could the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict dare to take on such a big matter?

Chu Ning pretended to be in deep thought, then nodded and said, "Well, I will write the letter right away."

Afterwards, Chu Ning entered the study and came out about three quarters of an hour later.

He handed the letter he had written long ago to the eunuch and said in a deep voice: "This letter is of great importance. You must hand it to the emperor in person."

After saying that, Chu Ning waved his hand to signal Liu Shouren beside him to hand over a bag of silver.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict quickly waved his hand and refused: "Your Highness, the letter will definitely be delivered to His Majesty, so forget about the silver."

Chu Ning's face darkened: "Why, you don't want to take my money?"

"This..." The eunuch who delivered the decree smiled bitterly: "Well, it is better to obey than to be respectful. I will definitely accomplish this for Your Highness."

Chu Ning was satisfied and said, "Come here, take this eunuch down to rest."

A maid immediately stepped forward and took the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict away.

After the eunuch left, Liu Shouren smiled and bowed to Chu Ning: "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your promotion to Prince!"

Chu Ning glanced at him and said with a smile, "I would also like to congratulate Lord Liu on his promotion to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. From now on, he can enter the court and rise to prominence."

Liu Shouren bowed quickly and said, "I am very grateful to Your Highness for your support. Otherwise, I would have no hope of being promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

"However, Your Highness wants to obtain the right to act at His Majesty's discretion in Bingzhou. What is the underlying purpose?"

Chu Ning deliberately asked the court for food, knowing that the court would not give it to him. He was just asking for power from the court.

But Liu Shouren was puzzled. Chu Ning already served as the governor of Bingzhou and was in charge of Bingzhou. What else did he need to ask the court for power?

Chu Ning smiled mysteriously: "This king wants to reform and turn Bingzhou into a prosperous place!"

Liu Shouren opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he didn't know what Chu Ning's specific plan was, so he didn't say much.

But he was very curious. Bingzhou was not suitable for growing rice. How did Chu Ning plan to make this place prosperous?

Of course, what is very important is whether the emperor and the court can really agree?

At this moment, Liu Shouren has completely understood that Chu Ning wants to turn this place into his back garden!