Chapter 299 Forgive Him

Zhao Liya then relaxed her expression. Of course not, she would not give him a chance.

"Do you like the things I sent over?" Zhou Hansheng knew that the troublesome matter was completely over, and he was finally relieved.

Feeling relieved, he became bolder and approached Zhao Liya with a smile, even reaching out to hold her hand.

Zhao Liya struggled slightly, but couldn't break free, so she let him go.

The two chatted sweetly for a while, and Zhou Hansheng smiled and said, "I've discussed it with my father-in-law. The emperor is going to go hunting in a few days, so we should all go too. Then we can make our relationship public, okay? My father-in-law said, as long as you agree."

Zhao Liya knew Zhou Hansheng somewhat. She raised her eyes and smiled, "What are your plans with my father?"

"My wife is incredibly clever!" Zhou Hansheng complimented her with a grin, gently squeezing her hand. He longed to lean over and give her a kiss—but he didn't dare. He nodded and sneered, "I do have a plan. I just want to foil some people's plans!"

Zhao Liya smiled without hesitation and said, "Is that so? Then you don't need to ask for my opinion from now on. Just tell me directly if you need me to do something!"

Of course she would cooperate.

If I don't help my father and fiancé, will I be laughed at by others?

After returning to Beijing, she went out many times, visited teahouses and taverns, and heard or deliberately inquired about some news. Even the people knew that the prince was not liked by the emperor, which showed how tense the relationship between the emperor and the prince was in the court.

She knew which side her father was on.

Zhou Hansheng was deeply moved and looked at her lovingly: "Xiaoya, you really trust me, you are so good to me!"

Zhao Liya raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Of course!"

The two of them were talking and laughing. Chunxia, ​​Chunfen and Zhaonan were watching from afar, all feeling extremely relieved.

The two masters seemed to have had a conflict for some unknown reason, which made them all worried and anxious. Now everything is finally fine!

The emperor's hunting trip had been decided long ago, and he would set off on time four days later.

Zhao Xiang accompanied the emperor, Zhao Liya also went, and Duke Liguo and Crown Prince Zhou Hansheng naturally went as well.

The emperor brought Concubine Yan and the second prince with him, and the crown prince was left in the capital to look after the court and handle the government affairs that needed to be handled.

All the officials of the Crown Prince's lineage sighed secretly and frowned, while the officials of the Second Prince's lineage gloated over the misfortune and were waiting to see the show.

This kind of drama is not the first time, it happens almost every time.

Whether the emperor was hunting or spending the summer in the palace, he would always bring Concubine Yan and the second prince with him, and leave the crown prince in the capital to handle state affairs.

The affairs of state were not so easy to handle. If one was not careful, one would be accused of usurping power. Every time the Emperor and the Second Prince returned, they would always find a lot of faults in the Crown Prince. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was always very cautious and treading on thin ice. Even if the Emperor and the Second Prince were very picky, they could not find any fatal mistakes.

Because whenever there was any government affairs that would give people an excuse to accuse him of usurping power, the Crown Prince would either pile them up and wait for the Emperor to return and deal with them, or if it could not be delayed, he would order someone to send it to the Emperor at full speed.

Of course, if the government affairs were to be piled up, the emperor would reprimand him for his incompetence, and if they were to be delivered at full speed, he would also be reprimanded for his incompetence. However, the prince always respectfully stated that he still needed to learn and gain experience, and that he did not dare to make decisions arbitrarily regarding matters concerning the common people. He respectfully stated that he would make progress and would work harder next time, and the emperor and the second prince could not find any fault with him.

The emperor was helpless.

The prince is the prince after all. He is supported by a large number of civil officials and many nobles and royal family members. The prince has done nothing wrong. The emperor insists that he is a wise monarch and wants to be remembered in history. Naturally, he does not want to be labeled a tyrant for deposing the prince.

He had never concealed his desire to depose the crown prince, but he had to do it openly and aboveboard.

Then, the crown prince must have truly committed a crime worthy of being deposed, so as to silence the gossips of the world. This would prove that he was right to depose the crown prince, and that it was not out of selfish motives but for the sake of the country that his ancestors had worked so hard to build.

He was very stubborn on this point, so stubborn that Concubine Yan and the Second Prince and his mother were very angry when they talked about him behind his back, but they had no way to stop him.

The officials seemed to have keenly grasped this point, and the civil officials who supported the crown prince finally had a glimmer of hope, which is why so many of them remained firmly on his side. Otherwise, if not, the people's hearts would have been almost completely dispersed.

In fact, the second prince also contributed to this.

The second prince had been favored since childhood, and he especially disliked going to the study to read and write. He had a bad relationship with the civil officials and even publicly mocked the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy. However, he got along very well with the military generals.

Since ancient times, the struggles between civil and military officials in the imperial court have never ceased, and this dynasty is no exception.

The civil officials all knew that if the Second Prince ascended to the throne, the military generals would have the final say in the court, and they would have no role to play. Even if they didn't fight for a place for themselves, they couldn't easily back down and lose to the Second Prince.

For so many years, the prince has been struggling to survive in this crack, like walking on a tightrope. If he is not careful, he will be doomed.

This is also the reason why he values ​​Zhao Xiang so much.

Among the many civil officials, the Second Prince only favored Zhao Xiang because Zhao Xiang never looked down on him. While the officials were respectful to him, he could sense that they looked down on him, as if he were a piece of shit. This feeling was unique to Zhao Xiang.

Furthermore, Zhao Xiang had served as the Prince's Tutor and was a top scholar in the imperial examination, so he enjoyed a very high reputation among the Confucian scholars. One Zhao Xiang was worth countless insignificant civil officials.

As long as Zhao Xiang is captured, it will undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the prince!

The royal hunting ground is three or four days' journey from the capital. Because the second prince likes hunting, the emperor goes to the hunting ground once or twice a year. This official road is well maintained on a daily basis. It is wide and flat. The emperor's travel is naturally based on safety and comfort, and he travels at a moderate pace. After these three or four days, Zhao Liya did not feel tired.

On the way, Zhou Hansheng stayed with his father, while Zhao Liya stayed with the other women from various families, so the two of them didn't have a chance to meet. Occasionally, after dark, Zhao Nan would sneak over to deliver gifts and ask questions, like, "Did anyone bully you?", "Are you tired from the journey today?", "Did you eat and rest well?", "Are you feeling uncomfortable?", "I'll take you out for fun when we get there." Zhao Liya felt sweet and happy.

I didn't even care about the deliberate sarcasm I heard along the way.

(End of this chapter)