Looking at the eldest prince sitting at the table drinking tea alone, Li Junyan was only a little surprised, but soon returned to normal. He slowly walked over and sat down opposite him.

The eldest prince had changed from his previous decadence. He was no longer unshaven and looked like a decent man.

Of course, if his eyes weren't so red and the area under his eyes wasn't so dark and blue, he would look more normal.

Li Junyan had just sat down when the eldest prince brought a teapot and poured him a cup of tea. "After a busy day, you're summoned so late at night, just to say a few words to criticize you. How does it feel to be stepped on by the brother you never took seriously before?"

Li Junyan picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Brother, did you come here late at night just to tell me this? Compared to me, you must be the one who feels the worst."

The eldest prince chuckled, "Third brother, I know what you are thinking. You must want to wait until the new emperor ascends the throne so that you can return to your fiefdom. But look at what the new emperor has done. Do you think he will let you return to your fiefdom?"

I never took him seriously before, always thinking he was a brainless person who only cared about pleasing my father. But now it seems that he was just too good at pretending.

We were fighting over it up front, but in the end, we were just helping him. He's wary of us and definitely wants to get rid of us as soon as possible.

If you want to stay away from Chang'an and live the rest of your life in peace in your fiefdom, he won't worry about you. The best option is to trap you in Chang'an and keep you under his watch.

If he were a little more shameless, he might have sent you to guard the imperial mausoleum. After all, he's using filial piety to pressure you now, isn't he? And if he asks you to guard your father's body and fulfill your filial duty for your brothers, what will you do?

The eldest prince's words were not pleasant to hear, but Sang Jueqian felt that they made a lot of sense.

At first, I thought the new emperor was just a little white rabbit, but judging from his actions, he was clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing. Not only was he ambitious, but he also used one method after another.

Li Junyan put down his teacup and looked straight at the eldest prince. "Brother, you only said what he would do to me. Have you ever thought about what he would do to you? I have never actively fought for the throne. Even if he is afraid of me, he can't use me as a scapegoat. He is just doing something to disgust me.

But my eldest brother has been planning for many years, even putting the prince to death, and is only one step away from ascending the throne. He must be unwilling now and absolutely does not want to be inferior to others like this.

When he ascends the throne, how will he treat my eldest brother?"

Hearing what Li Junyan said, Sang Jueqian burst out laughing.

Fortunately, the small speaker on the window was turned off, so there was no need to worry that Li Junyan and the eldest prince would hear her laughter.

She really couldn't help it.

These two people are obviously brothers. They are sitting opposite each other at this moment. On the surface, they look harmonious and even have faint smiles on their faces.

But every word that was said was like a knife stabbing the other person's heart.

It just depends on who stabs harder.

Judging from the current situation, Li Junyan has gained the upper hand.

The eldest prince, who had been relatively calm just now, now had a distorted expression and his facial features were twitching constantly.

It was obvious that he was only one step away from the throne, which made him extremely angry.

If you had never fought for it from the beginning, it would be fine if you didn't get it at all. But after paying so much and being just one step away from success, someone else picked the peach and there is currently no way to take it back in a fair and just way. It makes people feel suffocated no matter how they think about it.

If peaches are like this, what about the throne?

The eldest prince took a long time to calm down, "Third brother, I didn't come here to quarrel with you today. Both of us are in a bad situation now. Why don't we put aside our past grudges and work together to pull him down from the throne first.

I know you have no interest in becoming emperor, but I can promise you that once you get rid of him, when I ascend the throne, I will issue an imperial decree that Tingzhou and Xizhou will be yours forever. You won't have to pay taxes or tributes, and you can govern yourself. Even after you're gone, Tingzhou and Xizhou will belong to your descendants. How do you do that?

Li Junyan's slender fingers gently stroked the teacup. "The conditions offered by Big Brother sound very tempting."

The eldest prince suddenly became happy, "So you agree?"

Li Junyan didn't say whether he agreed or not, but just looked up at the eldest prince and said, "But how do you know that I have no interest in the throne?"

The smile that had just appeared on the eldest prince's face froze.

"you--"

"Brother, if there's nothing else, I'm going to rest."

The eldest prince looked at Li Junyan in astonishment and shock. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Finally, he slowly stood up. "Third Brother, I hope you won't act rashly. If we don't join forces, neither of us will have a good life. I can give you some time to think it over. Come to me when you've made up your mind."

But it’s best not to think too long about it. If you wait until after the coronation ceremony, and he really ascends the throne, it will be too late to say anything then.”

Leaving these words behind, the eldest prince walked away with heavy steps.

Li Junyan saw Lin Qi and said, "You should go and have a rest too."

Lin Qi looked at Li Junyan with some distress, "Prince, you haven't eaten yet? I'll get you something to eat."

I had been busy all day and hadn't eaten much during the day.

If you don't eat something at night, you will have to start working again the next day. Even if you have a strong body, you won't be able to endure it.

Without waiting for Li Junyan to answer, Sang Jueqian reached in and placed various foods on the table.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!