Chapter 332 Zhao Zhiyi's Decision

Zhao State.

Capital city.

The battle for the throne has entered a critical moment. Over the past two months, the Fourth Prince, who has held the upper hand and been far ahead in public opinion, has seen a change in his reputation in recent days.

Some of his behaviors before he became regent were exposed, including forced purchases and sales, oppressing the people, bending the law for personal gain, sheltering criminals, etc., some of which even involved multiple lives.

This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Fourth Prince's reputation.

Even the political achievements he has made in recent days have been discounted due to this.

However, soon, rumors about the other three princes began to spread in the market.

For example, the eldest prince, Hao Longyang, had unclear relationships with many of his advisers, and he once stole the husband of a married woman.

For example, the second prince liked other people's wives. The wives of many officials in the court had affairs with him, and those officials were kept in the dark.

Some people also said that the third prince embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of grain from the national treasury and used it to bribe officials. Most of the officials in the court who supported him accepted money from him.

These rumors spread all over the city within just a few days.

No matter how slow-witted the common people were, they could still realize that this was probably a case of several princes deliberately slandering their rivals in order to fight for the throne.

In this case, the previous rumors about the Fourth Prince may not be true.

At this time, any rumors should not be believed.

In a royal palace.

"This king is good at Long Yang?"

"My good wife?"

"When did this prince embezzle so much silver from the national treasury?"

Speaking of the rumors about them outside, the three princes were furious.

It was indeed they who had people release the news about King Sheng.

In the past, the three of them had never taken him seriously, so there was no need to use these methods to deal with him.

However, these days, King Sheng's momentum is too strong, so they have to do this.

What made them feel aggrieved was that the rumors about them outside were all groundless and nonsense, but the things about King Sheng were all things he really did.

No one expected that he would have this trick.

After the water is thoroughly muddied, people will no longer be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth.

The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple are now both under the control of Prince Sheng. It is simply impossible for him to investigate himself.

Not only did they fail to reveal King Sheng's true identity, but they also got themselves into trouble. There was no way they could explain it publicly. The three of them felt so depressed that they couldn't find words to describe it.

Prince Sheng's Palace.

The situation took a turn for the better, from defense to offense, compared to the dejection of the other three princes, the Fourth Prince was in a particularly good mood.

He looked at a figure in the hall and said with a smile: "Mr. Lin, thank you so much this time."

The figure clasped his fists to him and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to be polite. As a counselor, it is my duty to give you advice."

The fourth prince raised his glass and said to the middle-aged man, "No matter what, I still want to thank Mr. Lin for helping me out. This glass of wine is for you."

This time, Prince Shun and others used past events to attack him, which really gave him a headache for a while.

But soon a counselor came to him and offered advice, which easily helped him to calm the situation.

These counselors really know how to adapt to changing circumstances.

When he was not in an advantageous position before, no one was willing to help him.

In recent days, those advisers and retainers who wanted to join him were about to break down the threshold of the palace.

Today, Prince Sheng held a banquet in the palace. All the guests were retainers and advisers in the palace. Compared with the deserted place two months ago, Prince Sheng's palace has now become the most lively one among the four palaces.

After the banquet, everyone dispersed.

As long as the retainers who came to King Sheng could prove their worth, King Sheng would properly settle them and give them gold, silver and beautiful women.

Those who have made contributions to King Sheng can live directly in the palace.

In the past two days, the most prominent adviser in the palace is undoubtedly Mr. Lin.

His Royal Highness Prince Sheng not only let him live in the palace, but also rewarded him with two treasures from his collection, which aroused the envy of countless people.

Inside Prince Sheng’s Palace, there is a quiet little courtyard.

Mr. Lin walked into the courtyard, closed the gate, and walked back to the room. Someone sitting at the table asked, "What's the situation?"

The man was wearing the clothes of a follower, but his tone of voice was not that of a follower.

Mr. Lin sat down opposite him and said, "The situation outside has been stabilized for the time being. It all depends on what the three princes will do next..."

After that, he shook his head again and said in a puzzled tone: "Among the four princes of Zhao State, Prince Sheng is the most hopeless one. I don't know why you chose him..."

The man shrugged and said, "You might as well ask Li Nuo about this question instead of asking me. I only know that he is the top scorer in six subjects and is smarter than all of us. It will definitely not be wrong to follow his lead. Facts have also proved that whoever he chooses will win. Isn't it all thanks to him that King Sheng has been able to gain his current reputation and status in just two months..."

He leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and said, "I went against him in Daxia and lost miserably. This time I'm following him in Zhao. I want to see how I lose."

…

Princess Palace.

Li Nuo and Yi Ren came back from shopping. Yi Ren asked in confusion, "Why haven't I seen the Sixth Princess these past two days?"

Li Nuo hasn't seen the Sixth Princess for two days.

Two days ago, she said she was going to find the Fourth Prince to confirm the rumors, and Li Nuo hasn't seen her since then.

Just now when he was buying vegetables with Yiren, he heard the people discussing some things, such as the eldest prince's love for Longyang and the second prince's love for other people's wives. They spoke very seriously, as if they were the parties involved.

It is obvious that King Sheng has found a way to fight back against the rumors circulating in the market a few days ago.

Li Nuo has been busy with other things these days. He has to write a medical manual and improve the skills for those martial arts sects.

Doctor Sun said that there are many doctors who are willing to donate some money to the medical school and contribute some unique prescriptions or secret techniques. He hopes that Li Nuo can mention their names in the manual. Li Nuo has not had the time to meet them yet.

These past two days, he was so busy that he barely noticed the Sixth Princess.

After finishing the meal, Li Nuo took off his apron, wiped his hands, and came to the main hall of the princess's mansion.

Li Nuo knocked on the door, and after a long time, Zhao Zhiyi's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Li Nuo walked into the room and said to Zhao Zhiyi who was sitting at the table, "Yiren and I have just finished cooking. Do you want to come over and have some?"

Zhao Zhiyi looked at him, shook his head slightly, and said, "You guys eat, I have no appetite."

Li Nuo came over, sat down opposite her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Zhiyi was silent for a moment, then looked up at him and said, "What they said is true. My brother really did those things, and he even hid it from me..."

She looked at Li Nuo and asked, "You won't help him again, will you?"

She knew that he was a law-reformer.

After learning about these things, I'm afraid I won't help my brother anymore.

Li Nuo did not answer directly, but asked: "Do you want me to continue to help him?"

Zhao Zhiyi shook his head and said, "He is no longer the brother I know. No, he has never been the brother I know. You are a practitioner of law, and I cannot embarrass you. I am sorry that I invited you to come all the way here, but I did not expect this result..."

Li Nuo didn't blame the Sixth Princess at all.

He has gained a lot in the past two months in Zhao State.

My life span has doubled, I have learned about medicine and Confucianism, and most importantly, I have progressed to the point where I can sleep in the same bed with my beloved. What else could I be dissatisfied with?

Besides, even if he hadn't agreed to her request at the beginning, he would have had to go on this mission.

Li Nuo smiled and comforted her, "You don't have to apologize. My gains from this trip to Zhao State have far exceeded my expectations. I won't blame you for this."

After confirming these things, Li Nuo would certainly not help King Sheng anymore.

If he continues to aim to help King Sheng ascend the throne, his legalist skills will deteriorate instead of improve.

The reason for withdrawing at this moment is simply that there is no way to cultivate the diplomacy this time, and the legalism cannot break through.

He just felt uncomfortable because he had gotten so much for free.

Zhao Zhiyi was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Nuo and asked, "What are your plans next?"

Since there is no point in staying in Zhao State any longer, of course I have to go home as soon as possible.

After being apart for two months, he missed them so much.

Not to mention Jia Ren and An Ning, he even dreamed of Feng Huang several times.

Li Nuo did not hide it and said, "We should be back to Da Xia soon."

Although the mission is for two years, my father will definitely find a way to transfer him back earlier.

"You guys are leaving?"

For some reason, Zhao Zhiyi felt a tightness in his heart when he heard these words.

After this farewell, I'm afraid there will be no chance for us to see each other again.

Li Nuo said: "Don't worry, I will finish writing the manual before I leave. From now on, the medical school will be handed over to you..."

A hint of sadness appeared in Zhao Zhiyi's eyes.

With him, medical reform can continue to be implemented.

If he left, those doctors would not give her face.

What's more, the emperor's elder brother is already planning to raise money. Whether he or one of his other elder brothers comes to power in the future, I'm afraid they will not let go of such a large sum of money.

The imperial court needed money in many areas, but training more doctors for the sake of the people was definitely not within their consideration.

She originally thought that if her brother came to power, she could really do something for the people of Zhao.

Now it seems that this was just her delusion.

At this moment, she once again thought of the letter that Master Gongsun left for her.

Replace it.

This was a possibility she had never thought of before.

Master Gongsun asked her to invite him from Daxia, not for her brother, but for herself.

But that would be a complete betrayal of my royal brother.

She had two choices before her.

On the one hand, they are close relatives.

On one hand, there are the people of Zhao.

Faced with such a choice, she has been unable to make a decision in the past two days.

But at this moment, when she learned that they were leaving, the balance in her heart tilted towards one side.

She pondered for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Li Nuo and asked, "What if I want you to stay and help me?"

Although the two people are friends, there are some non-negotiable principles between friends.

Li Nuo shook his head and said, "I will not do anything for the Fourth Prince anymore."

Zhao Zhiyi said: "It's not to help my brother, it's to help me."

Li Nuo looked at her, not knowing what she meant for a moment.

Zhao Zhiyi met his gaze and said seriously: "Help me win the throne. Our previous agreement is still valid. If Daxia can't accommodate you in the future, you can come to Zhao at any time. I will always keep the position of prime minister for you..."

[ps: My head is a little confused today, so I’ll write less. ]

(End of this chapter)