Chapter 420 A Naked Slap in the Face

The question, "Brother, are you blaming me?" left Zhu Huai'an speechless, unsure how to respond.

Of course, there was resentment. He was the heir apparent of the Prince of Lingnan, the successor his father had been grooming. Although he himself was not particularly outstanding, he was the only legitimate son and the eldest legitimate son, so his position should have been unshakeable.

But now, his supposedly unshakeable position has been subtly overshadowed by his own sister, how could he accept this? But when his sister bluntly stated her position to his face, he was at a loss for words.

Zhu Junning sighed again, touched the slightly cool teacup with his hand, and said in a low voice, "Just now, my father asked me how to deal with the current situation."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huai'an's face immediately turned uneasy, and he stared intently at her. Zhu Junning pursed her lips and slowly said, "I told my father that it would be most appropriate for Zhu Huaiming to take the blame."

These words stunned Zhu Huai'an instantly. "This...how can this be..."

He never imagined that Zhu Junning would make such a suggestion. Although they were siblings born of the same mother, they were also potential competitors in the Prince's mansion. If he, the heir apparent, were removed, Zhu Junning would only gain more resources and a more secure position.

At this moment, Zhu Junning turned to look at him, her expression serious and her eyes earnest: "Brother, Mother only gave birth to the two of us in this life, we are the closest people in this world."

These words brought tears to Zhu Huai'an's eyes, and he stammered, "I...I..." He couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Seeing his expression, Zhu Junning frowned slightly: "Father did not refute my suggestion, but he did not agree on the spot either."

The fear that had just faded from Zhu Huai'an's face surged back up. Zhu Junning withdrew his gaze, picked up his cup and took a small sip, then said, "But brother, don't worry, Father will eventually agree to my proposal."

She placed the cup on the coffee table, lowered her head to straighten her sleeves, and slowly said, "Father knows better than anyone that you are the heir apparent, the foundation of Lingnan's future. Right now, the court is pressing us step by step, and we are already in a precarious situation. If something happens to you, your half-brothers in the manor will definitely fight tooth and nail for the position of heir apparent."

If internal strife continues unabated, and the imperial court seizes the opportunity to launch an attack, the entire Lingnan Prince's Mansion will collapse. This is something Father absolutely cannot accept.

Her fingertips gently traced the fine stitches on the sleeve of her robe, her tone calm yet each word clear: "But my second brother is different. His aunt comes from a humble background, and her family has no power whatsoever. Even without him, she can't cause any trouble, much less shake the foundation of the Prince's Mansion."

On the other hand, our uncle holds great power in the army and is Father's most trusted ally. Father's protection of you is also protection of our lineage's power. Father understands this better than anyone else, and he will ultimately choose the safest path.

After listening to Zhu Junning's analysis, Zhu Huai'an's tension eased considerably, but he still couldn't help but say, "But... I've always been in charge of the private printing of banknotes."

Zhu Junning reassured him gently, "What the emperor has always wanted is to strike at Father and weaken the power of Lingnan. Zhu Huaiming taking the blame will achieve the same goal. With Father's subsequent concessions, the emperor won't care whether it's you or Zhu Huaiming who takes the blame."

These words brought Zhu Huai'an a great sense of relief, but he immediately realized that he had been too flustered and hadn't even grasped this crucial point. An embarrassed expression crossed his face, and he gave a somewhat stiff smile:

"I... I was too flustered before and didn't even figure out this crucial point. It's all my fault for having you go to so much trouble to plan for me."

Zhu Junning smiled faintly: "Brother, go back and rest well. Tomorrow, go to Father and apologize first, then go to Uncle. Uncle will know what to do."

"Okay, okay," Zhu Huai'an quickly agreed.

Zhu Junning nodded: "Brother, go back and rest."

Zhu Huai'an stood up and subconsciously cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhu Junning: "Then I'll go back first. You should get some rest too, little sister."

Zhu Junning responded with an "Mm," and watched his back as he left the courtyard before instructing the maid to prepare a bath.

The next morning, Zhu Huai'an went to pay his respects to the Prince of Lingnan and apologized for his mistake. The Prince of Lingnan noticed that he was much more composed than the day before and knew that Zhu Junning must have analyzed the current situation for him, but he didn't point it out.

All day long, the Prince of Lingnan waited for the imperial court to arrive, but as night fell, not a single person appeared. He dared not relax his guard; what was destined to come would eventually arrive.

Another day passed while he waited, and then a servant came to report: "The heir of the Marquis of Cheng'en and Ning Yunchuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, have come to pay their respects."

The King of Lingnan sneered, "They've finally arrived. Let them in."

"Yes." The servant quickly withdrew, and the Prince of Lingnan rose, straightened his sleeves, and walked towards the hall. As soon as he sat down, the steward led the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Chengen and Ning Yunchuan in.

Upon meeting, the two sides exchanged pleasantries. Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen were already of high status, and now, possessing evidence, their demeanor was naturally neither servile nor arrogant. The King of Lingnan, a shrewd and calculating man, dared not underestimate the two.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen cut to the chase and presented all the evidence they had gathered regarding the privately printed silver notes of the Lingnan Prince's residence. The Prince of Lingnan took the evidence and carefully examined each page, without showing the slightest sign of panic.

After reading it, he immediately put on an angry and disappointed expression, gritted his teeth and said, "I never thought I would raise such a rebellious son who would do such a heinous thing! Rest assured, you two, I will never protect him. I will have him tied up and brought here right now!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen exchanged glances for a moment. The heir of the Marquis of Chengen then spoke up, "Since Your Highness has this attitude, it saves us a lot of trouble. However, this matter must ultimately be reported to the Emperor, and the final decision will depend on His Majesty's will."

“Of course,” the King of Lingnan immediately replied. “Rest assured, both of you, I will never protect this rebellious son. I will hand him over to you now. Furthermore, I will personally go to the capital to meet the Emperor and apologize in person.”

Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen were not surprised by his attitude. They had already analyzed the possible ways the Prince of Lingnan might deal with him, and the current result was exactly as they had predicted.

At this moment, a man in his twenties, bound hand and foot, was pushed in. Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen frowned upon seeing that the bound man was Zhu Huaiming, not Zhu Huaian. However, they quickly realized what was going on and, without much hesitation, took Zhu Huaiming and prepared to leave.

As Zhu Junning had previously analyzed, all the Emperor wanted was for one of the Prince of Lingnan's blood relatives to atone for his crime, so he could embarrass the Prince. Whether it was his eldest son, Zhu Huai'an, or Zhu Huaiming, born to his favorite concubine, was completely unimportant. What they really needed to worry about was whether something unexpected would happen on the way back to the capital with Zhu Huaiming in tow.

The two men escorted Zhu Huaiming out of the Lingnan Prince's Mansion, where General Zhao and his troops were already waiting. They shoved Zhu Huaiming into a pre-prepared prison cart, and then set off in a grand procession.

On the territory of the King of Lingnan, to so blatantly abduct his son was a naked slap in the face, regardless of whether the King of Lingnan resisted. The reputation of the King of Lingnan's mansion was instantly damaged.