Chapter 354 Then why should I fight for that position?

Chapter 354 Pei Chengkun was fairly satisfied with Qingshan Bo's attitude. He picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and said, "Let Ren Guanfei take the blame."

"Okay." Uncle Qingshan agreed without hesitation. Sacrificing a troublesome cousin made him feel much more at ease.

“But even so, Jiang Yu is very likely to still hold on to it.” Pei Chengkun looked at the frown on Qingshan Bo’s face and said, “So the Crown Prince needs to go to the Lu family later to ask the Dali Temple to stop investigating Lu Peichen’s death, and then go to the Emperor to apologize.”

After speaking, he looked at the Crown Prince, who frowned and thought for a while before realizing what he meant. He opened his mouth to object, but before he could speak, his hand was firmly grasped by the Earl of Qingshan.

The Crown Prince looked at the Earl of Qingshan with displeasure, only to see that his eyes held both pleading and threat. The Crown Prince then looked at Pei Chengkun, who was holding a cup of tea and drinking it, as if he was certain that Pei Chengkun would agree.

At that moment, the Crown Prince truly realized that Pei Chengkun did not genuinely respect him as the Crown Prince. Thinking of this, his anger surged to the top of his head, and he pointed a finger at Pei Chengkun, saying, "You..."

"Your Highness!" Uncle Qingshan interrupted him, then said in a coaxing tone, "Ren Guanfei is one of our men. Jiang Yu will definitely not let go of the opportunity to drag you down. The only way to resolve your current predicament is to take the initiative to apologize to the Emperor."

The Crown Prince's face flushed with anger. "I am the Crown Prince. What can Jiang Yu do to me?"

"The Crown Prince's deposition, the Xie family's downfall, and your mother's demotion from Imperial Concubine to Consort—all of these were Jiang Yu's doing. Your Highness, do you think she would dare to do such a thing?"

After Pei Chengkun finished speaking, his gaze lingered on the Crown Prince's face for a moment, but that single instant caused the Crown Prince to involuntarily shrink back. Having gotten what he wanted, Pei Chengkun turned and strode away.

If the person sitting before him today were the Prince of Lingnan, he might have been more polite, but the Crown Prince wasn't worth suppressing his temper for. He had taken such a great risk to cooperate with the Prince of Lingnan; if he couldn't even make a puppet obey, what was the point of everything he had done?

Just as his figure disappeared into the courtyard, the Crown Prince stood up abruptly and roared at the door, "How dare he!"

"So what if he's bold?" Uncle Qingshan sat there, looking up at the Crown Prince's face, which was twisted with rage, and asked.

"He...he..."

The crown prince slumped dejectedly into his chair. Only now did he realize that his position as crown prince wasn't as glamorous as he had imagined. The Duke of Chu dared to challenge him, and the prime minister, whom he thought had always supported him, actually looked down on him.

Uncle Qingshan sighed deeply, "Crown Prince, it's time for you to grow up."

The prince clenched his fists tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot with rage. He looked at Lord Qingshan and asked, "Are they trying to make me a puppet?"

Uncle Qingshan didn't speak, but his silence spoke volumes.

"Hehehe..." The Crown Prince laughed, tears streaming down his face. After a while, he wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and looked at Uncle Qingshan, asking, "Grandfather, is your purpose the same as theirs?"

"What makes you think you deserve their support, Your Highness? Your mother's status? She's been demoted to the rank of Consort. The status of the Qingshan Marquis's family? Compared to the old-established powerful families in the capital, what is the Qingshan Marquis's family?"

With a pained expression on his face, Lord Qingshan looked at the Crown Prince with disappointment and said, "It's still thanks to your wisdom, Your Highness?"

The crown prince was speechless at his question. After a while, he said, "Then why should I fight for that position? If I don't fight or grab, I'll still be a prince and live a carefree life."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Qingshan withdrew his gaze from the man's face and said, "Since things have come to this, there's no point in saying anything more. Besides, do you think you'll be let off the hook just because you don't fight for your brothers?"

The prince clenched his fists in silence. He felt that what Lord Qingshan had said was wrong, but he didn't know how to refute it. Seeing him like this, Lord Qingshan sighed and said:

"Do as the Prime Minister says. Go to the Lu residence now and have Ren Guanfei take responsibility for the crime. Then go to the Emperor to plead guilty. Remember, you must not let the Duke of Chu insist on investigating the case."

The crown prince snorted, "She's so cunning, would she listen to me?"

“You are the crown prince, you are the emperor, and she is the subject. Even if she is unwilling in her heart, she has to listen to you on the surface,” said Uncle Qingshan.

The Crown Prince hummed in agreement and got up to leave. At this moment, the Earl of Qingshan's voice rang out behind him, "The Prime Minister and I both believe that Yan Fengxi, the eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Yan, is very suitable to be His Highness the Crown Prince's principal wife."

The crown prince stopped, frowned, and asked, "May I refuse?"

The Earl of Qingshan remained silent. The Crown Prince gave a mocking laugh, strode out of the study, and then took a carriage to the Lu family residence. The Lu family residence was already guarded by soldiers, making it difficult for ordinary people to enter. Of course, with His Highness the Crown Prince arriving, no one dared to stop him.

Sitting in the hall, Jiang Yu heard the report that His Highness the Crown Prince had arrived. A slight smile appeared on her lips; the main event was about to begin. She stood up and joined the others to greet His Highness the Crown Prince.

Halfway there, they saw the Crown Prince being escorted by a group of people. The crowd quickly bowed, but as soon as they bent down, the Crown Prince kicked Ren Guanfei, sending him flying two or three meters backward, demonstrating the immense force of his kick.

Then the Crown Prince's voice rang out, "Is the Duke of Chu satisfied with this?"

The Crown Prince stared at Jiang Yu with fury and unbridled rage; it was clear to anyone with eyes to see how enraged he was. Everyone present, except for Jiang Yu, involuntarily took a step back.

Standing to Jiang Yu's right rear, Tong Taichuan cautiously glanced at her. He saw her standing there quietly, her expression indifferent, as if everything the Crown Prince had done had nothing to do with her.

Tong Taichuan couldn't help but think to himself, "The Duke of Chu is indeed a remarkable person."

When the Crown Prince saw Jiang Yu like this, he felt that she was looking down on him. Coupled with the humiliation he had just suffered in front of the Prime Minister, he even felt that Jiang Yu was laughing at him.

He was an impatient man to begin with, and now his mind was racing with blood, almost to the point of losing his reason. He grinned and said, "It seems the Duke of Chu is not satisfied. How about I kill him and let the Duke of Chu vent his anger?"

As he spoke, he snatched the sword from the guard beside him and walked toward Ren Guanfei, who was lying on the ground, as if to end his life.

"Is Your Highness going to kill him to silence him?" Jiang Yu naturally couldn't let Ren Guanfei die like that.

If Ren Guanfei dies, all the blame will naturally fall on him, and the truth will be buried forever.

But the Crown Prince seemed not to hear her words, and raised his sword to stab Ren Guanfei in the heart. With a thud, blood splattered everywhere. Ren Guanfei stared wide-eyed, wanting to beg for mercy, but not a single word came out.