bayedsolid Chapter 743 The King of Kang's Plan!
Chapter 743 The King of Kang's Plan!
"Anuan, don't say such things again. Whatever Father's decision is, we have no choice but to accept it, understand?"
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. Although she also disliked Duanmu Chen extremely, what could she do when he was a legitimate heir of the Crown Prince?
As expected, the Emperor quickly issued an edict ordering Prince Ming and Prince Kang to return to the capital. The edict specifically stated that they should return alone and not bring their families.
Although the decree stated that they should discuss state affairs with them as soon as possible, such an order inevitably aroused suspicion.
Especially King Ming.
However, Mingwang thought that he had just helped the fourth prince repel the Turkic enemy. At this time, the emperor would certainly not look at him with suspicion. He was just worried that the Great Yong Dynasty might become unstable at this time.
After settling everything in, the Ming King, without saying a word, immediately led a group of guards back to the capital.
Several days later, at the Kang Prince's residence.
"Your Highness, your plan has indeed worked. At this point, the Emperor has placed all his suspicions on Prince Ming. After all, he has a deep-seated grudge against the Crown Prince, which has been evident to all discerning people over the years."
"Hmph! The Crown Prince is weak-willed; someone like him is simply unfit to be a ruler. As for Prince Ming? He's utterly brainless. If the Great Yong falls into his hands, it won't be long before it declines!"
"Your Highness is right. In my humble opinion, only Your Highness is capable of supporting the Great Yong Dynasty."
"Hehe! Don't worry, as long as my great cause is accomplished, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"How are things going with those few who were captured alive?"
"Your Highness, they are all dead. Apart from knowing that they were Turks, we couldn't get any other information out of them. To be honest, they were all assassins carefully trained by the Third Prince Keli, and they were not qualified to have access to any more information. So even if we tortured them terribly, they would still not know anything."
King Kang smiled coldly, "That's right! No matter what we do to them, they won't know that the one who truly allies with Keli is me. I just didn't expect that Duanmu Chuze would be so powerful this time, defeating Keli in just over a month. If Xingzhou were still embroiled in a major battle, that would be my real opportunity."
"Your Highness is wise. Your Highness, it seems that the war in Xingzhou has ended, and the Third Prince Keli has suffered heavy losses. I'm afraid he won't give up so easily. He might try to negotiate with you to exchange for some grain."
"Dream on! If I hadn't helped him achieve his goal this time and injured the Crown Prince, I'm afraid he wouldn't have any military power left after he returned! With the news that the Crown Prince's life or death is still unknown, the Turkic King might not be so disappointed in him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Pass down the order: everyone in our Prince Kang's residence must keep a low profile. Furthermore, no one is allowed to make loud noises or jokes within the residence. Anyone who disobeys will be given thirty strokes of the cane and expelled from the residence."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Prince Kang took a deep breath, reached out and pushed open the window, glanced at the night view outside, and smiled. "I've endured for so long, and finally I can vent my anger. Crown Prince, if you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being born the eldest son. All these years, you've always been one step ahead of me. Heh, speaking of which, if it weren't for you marrying such a self-righteous Crown Princess, I'm afraid my plans over the years wouldn't have worked."
"Your Highness, will you visit the Crown Prince's Palace tomorrow?"
“Of course I’ll go. Even if I can’t get into the East Palace, at least I’ll make an appearance and show it to Father. Besides, I might even run into Mother.”
"Yes, Your Highness. Right now, the Emperor has only summoned you and Prince Ming back to the capital, and his intentions are quite clear. Therefore, at this time, if we can gain the Empress's favor, it will be much easier to speak to the Emperor."
"That makes sense. However, what I don't understand now is what you mean by Father's intention?"
King Kang turned around and looked at his advisor with a puzzled expression.
"Your Highness, when you first received the imperial decree, you were only worried that the Emperor would suspect you and Prince Ming. But now that you've arrived in the capital, things don't seem to be as you imagined."
"Tell me more."
"Your Highness, we all understand that His Majesty trusts Prince Chang Le. In fact, His Majesty's summoning of you and Prince Ming back to the capital may well be motivated by a desire to appoint a worthy successor!"
King Kang's eyes lit up, and his face showed a hint of joy. "That's right! That makes sense."
"At this point, the Emperor has already become suspicious of His Highness Prince Ming. All we need to do is remain still and do nothing, simply expressing our concerns. Sooner or later, the Emperor's heart will turn to you."
"Yes, but there's also Duanmu Chen. Don't forget, for many years, Father has been grooming him as the heir to the throne."
The strategist chuckled dismissively. "So what? Prince An? His Highness the Grandson? Regardless of his status, the most important thing is that he has no military power. Before, with the Crown Prince around, the Emperor never considered giving him military power. Now that the Crown Prince is gone, it's clearly inappropriate for Duanmu Chen to hold military power anymore. After all, a prince who has never been on the battlefield and hasn't gained the approval of any general is hardly convincing."
“Indeed! I overlooked this matter. You are right! It seems I don’t need to take that Duanmu Chen too seriously. Hehe, remember to secretly inform the Turks that they should not send anyone to see me before things are settled.”
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly handle this matter properly. At worst, we can just give him some silver to appease him."
The night was long, and the air in the capital seemed to be filled with the stench of blood.
Inside the Ming Prince's mansion, starting with the Ming Prince himself, the entire mansion seemed to feel an extremely tense atmosphere.
Even if Prince Ming was foolish, he would understand at this moment that the Emperor suspected him of conspiring with others to harm the Crown Prince.
At this crucial moment, however, the Emperor did not expose the truth.
If he were to step forward and explain, he would likely be accused of having something to hide.
But if he doesn't explain, and just lets the emperor continue to speculate like this?
King Ming was now in a dilemma.
"Your Highness, the only way to deal with the current situation is to try to improve relations with Prince An. If necessary, you can directly express your full support for Prince An's ascension to the throne."
King Ming was taken aback, then shook his head. "Even if I were to express my opinion, I'm afraid he wouldn't believe me."