Chapter 798

Huo Zhao poked Shen Rang several more times, but Shen Rang didn't move at all.

Noticing Shen Rang's unusual change, Huo Zhao finally stopped.

If we keep making a scene, we'll only end up hurting ourselves.

When Shen Rang saw that she had finally calmed down, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was finally able to sleep peacefully.

——

When I woke up, it felt like all the muscles and bones in my body had relaxed.

The two strolled to the Water Pavilion, enjoying the boundless lake view while sipping tea—it couldn't have been more pleasant.

Now, Shen Rang was finally able to get down to business.

That happened a few days ago.

That day, when Chen Rang entered the palace, the emperor was playing chess with Chen Zongwen.

Shen Rang was not an outsider, so the emperor did not hide his presence when talking to Chen Zongwen.

"I really can't figure out my two sons now."

First, the eldest brother left. After the second brother left, instead of thinking about how to consolidate his position, he started running towards the third brother. I even secretly sent someone to listen in. Guess what those two brothers were doing?

The eldest brother is actually teaching the third brother how to balance power in the imperial court!

The emperor shook his head at the mention of this.

As the emperor, he had fought his way out of the power struggles and had seen all sorts of things.

But he had never seen such a scene of brotherly affection and respect before.

If this were back when he was vying for the throne, he would have already suppressed the third son before he grew up. How could he possibly teach him step by step?

More importantly, the eldest prince really didn't hold back at all; he taught him everything.

Chen Zongwen listened to the emperor's words, only smiled and shook his head, but did not say a word.

The emperor hadn't summoned Chen Zongwen just to play chess with him. Seeing that he remained silent, the emperor said impatiently, "You're sitting here now, say something! Tell me, what does the eldest son mean? What is he planning?"

Chen Zongwen calmly placed a piece before saying, "Your Majesty, now is not the time for you to vie for the throne."

"Of course I know."

“Your Majesty does not know,” Chen Zongwen said, “When Your Majesty was vying for the throne, it was a life-or-death struggle with a slim chance of survival. That was because the late Emperor was incompetent and the Crown Prince was even more arrogant. But what about now? Your Majesty governs well, and the country is at peace. Although the position of Crown Prince is vacant, Your Majesty is still young, and it is normal that the princes are not as eager as you were back then.”

Besides, the First Prince is kind and benevolent, and the Third Prince's attitude has softened now; isn't that a good thing?

The emperor listened to his words, but did not make a move for a long time.

Chen Zongwen was not in a hurry and asked the eunuch to pour him a cup of tea.

After drinking a cup of tea, seeing that the emperor still did not speak, Chen Zongwen sighed and said, "Your Majesty, times have changed. In my opinion, this is better than the two princes fighting to the death, causing the people to suffer."

Your Majesty should still remember why the Second Prince was demoted.

After saying this, Chen Zongwen said no more.

The emperor is not a fool; he has already said quite a bit.

Finally, the emperor sighed deeply, and the two resumed their game of chess.

——

As Shen Rang slowly recounted the conversation between the emperor and his minister that day, Huo Zhao finally understood why Shen Rang had said that the emperor was about to make a decision.

"Then tell me, who will His Majesty appoint?"

In front of Huo Zhao, Shen Rang made no attempt to hide his feelings: "I think it might be the eldest prince."

After all, the eldest prince had been in court for a long time and was familiar with politics. More importantly, the eldest prince was the one who felt the most deeply about the fall of the second prince.

With the Second Prince as a cautionary tale, the First Prince will have to think twice before doing anything in the future.

Huo Zhao nodded, then suddenly realized something: "But didn't the First Prince not want to get involved in court affairs?"

Shen Rang curled his lips: "If His Majesty has really made up his mind, why would he care whether the First Prince agrees or not?"