Chapter 141 Xiao Zirui admits defeat

That day Xiao Changheng was going to go to the Prince's Mansion by himself.

But when he was about to leave, Yun Qingqing suddenly appeared and asked to go with him. When asked why, she just said that she had something to do.

Xiao Changheng looked at her for a moment, met her frank gaze, and finally did not ask any more questions. The two of them set off together.

The carriage stopped in front of the Prince's Mansion.

The Crown Prince was under house arrest now, and the front and back doors here were guarded by imperial guards. When they saw the Regent's carriage arriving, they saluted respectfully without being asked to do so, and someone took the initiative to go in and pass on the message.

Soon, the steward of the Prince's Mansion appeared and welcomed the two people in politely.

Yun Qingqing looked at the familiar scenery around her as she went along, feeling a slight stagnation in her heart.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Changheng suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"It's nothing." Yun Qingqing shook her head calmly, "I just revisited the old place and thought of some old things."

The original owner's emotions had not appeared for a long time. It was probably because this place carried too many of her memories, including the fire that changed everything.

However, Yun Qingqing didn't worry too much about her emotional fluctuations. She came here today for other things to do.

She pulled her hand back calmly.

Xiao Changheng's eyes deepened and he said no more.

After walking for a while, Yun Qingqing suddenly noticed a figure passing by not far away.

She turned her head and saw a shivering figure hurriedly leaving.

Is that...Su Yurou?

Yun Qingqing narrowed her eyes, making sure she was not mistaken.

She was just surprised that Su Yurou seemed to be surrounded by dark clouds, and it was obvious that she was extremely unlucky. It had only been such a short time since they last saw her, how could she become like this?

But then she thought again, she married Xiao Zirui, that ill-fated fellow, was suppressed by Yun Bailian and became a concubine, and was also despised because she caused herself to be cursed by the mantra.

Especially Xiao Zirui, since he is in the royal family, he has some luck, so even if he is surrounded by bad luck, he can still suppress it to some extent.

But the closer people are to him, the more likely they are to get into trouble.

Thinking about it this way, it’s not surprising that Su Yurou is like this now.

Thinking of this, Yun Qingqing suddenly asked the housekeeper:

"Is Yun Bailian here? I need to talk to her about something."

The butler replied respectfully:

"Replying to the princess, the Crown Princess is hosting a poetry appreciation party at the Little Mirror Lake today and is not at the mansion."

Yun Qingqing couldn't help but snorted:

"She's still in the mood for a poetry appreciation party?"

Because of the grain and fodder issue, her brother the Crown Prince had been reviled by the people of the city, impeached by the entire court, fined and confined to his house, and even his own mother had asked to go to a Buddhist temple to meditate and atone for her sins.

Why is Yun Bailian organizing a poetry appreciation gathering at this time?

It's really stupid and has a surprising angle.

The housekeeper naturally heard the sarcasm in her words and quickly explained:

"This poetry appreciation meeting was held by the Empress to give young talented men and women an opportunity to communicate with each other. The first two times it was very successful and was widely sought after by the sons of noble families and the daughters of wealthy families."

"Today's event was scheduled half a month ago. It would be unreasonable to cancel it at the last minute. The Crown Princess had always been the one to organize it, so she went. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also supports this."

Yun Qingqing did not comment, and the housekeeper said cautiously:

"In fact, before you left the capital, the Crown Princess also sent you an invitation to the poetry appreciation party."

"Oh... forget it. I don't have the time and I'm not interested." Yun Qingqing thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.

But she was busy with the affairs of Tianming Pavilion at that time, and it was impossible for her to be interested in any activities organized by Yun Bailian, so she threw the invitation away as trash.

She came to see Yun Bailian today for something, but it wasn't important, so it didn't matter since she wasn't there.

As they were talking, they arrived at the gate of Xiao Zirui's courtyard.

Before entering the yard, I heard the sound of something being smashed.

And Xiao Zirui's roar:

"Get lost! Get away from me!"

Xiao Changheng's face darkened slightly. He signaled the butler and the guards behind him to step back, and he turned his wheelchair straight in.

When she was almost at the door of the room, a pen holder flew out from the open door and headed straight for Yun Qingqing's face.

Yun Qingqing's eyes darkened and she was about to raise her hand when she was suddenly pulled aside by Xiao Changheng.

He stretched out his big hand and caught the pen holder steadily, his face as gloomy as water, and threw it back.

The pen holder came flying at him with great force, hitting Xiao Zirui squarely on the shoulder. He cried out in pain, turned around and glared as if he wanted to curse someone, but after seeing who was coming, his expression froze and he lost his temper.

Xiao Zirui lowered his eyes, suppressed the anger in his eyes, and said coldly:

"Is the emperor's uncle here to laugh at me?"

Xiao Changheng walked in expressionlessly and raised his hand towards the trembling servants in the room. The servants quickly retreated as if they had been pardoned.

He looked at Xiao Zirui quietly for a while, and said in a calm voice:

"The Jingji Military Command sent 5,000 elite soldiers to Yunwu Mountain the day before yesterday to suppress the bandits."

Yunwu Mountain is a hundred miles away from the imperial capital, and is in front of the route where the food and fodder were robbed that day.

Xiao Zirui curled the corners of his mouth sarcastically:

"So, those bandits who stole the fake food and fodder that the emperor's uncle carefully prepared must have been caught and executed?"

Xiao Changheng's eyes were cold:

"This morning, I received a message from General Qin that the village had been massacred. There were nearly 2,000 people in the village, regardless of gender, age or status, and not a single one survived."

"Oh, that's what they deserve." Xiao Zirui said calmly.

Xiao Changheng stared at him:

"Without the court taking any action to suppress the bandits, an entire village of 2,000 people were killed. Doesn't the prince find it strange at all?"

Xiao Zirui's expression paused:

"What does the emperor's uncle want to say? I'm in such a state of destitution now that I don't have the mood to think about those things!"

Xiao Changheng looked at him for a moment and sighed.

He retracted his gaze, placed a handwritten note on the table, and said in a light voice:

"I have discussed this with my brother. From today on, you will step down as the commander of the Tiger Guard Battalion. I will look for another suitable candidate. You can lead the troops after you grow up to be a qualified crown prince."

Xiao Zirui's pupils trembled violently, and he shouted in a lost voice:

"What! You are taking this opportunity to seize my military power? I don't believe this is not the will of the emperor! You are lying!"

Xiao Changheng just waited quietly for him to calm down without saying much.

Until Xiao Zirui rushed out regardless of anything, shouting "I want to see my father", Xiao Changheng's eyes turned cold, and he raised his hand and pushed him back three feet with a burst of energy, causing him to fall to the ground.

Xiao Zirui finally saw the coldness in his eyes, and he shuddered and lowered his head.

Xiao Changheng said in a deep voice:

"You know best why you lost your position as the chief commander of the Tiger Guard Camp! You should be thankful. If it weren't for the fact that the bandits in that mountain had committed many evil deeds, I would not have let you go this time!"

"If you still refuse to accept and insist on going to the palace to see your father during the period of house arrest, then go ahead!"

"Let's see if you can keep your position as the crown prince!"

Xiao Zirui took a deep breath and suddenly grabbed the handwritten note on the table. His hands were shaking as he read the contents on it.

"Father... is it really him who wants to strip me of my military power? Could it be that he also..." He also wants to depose the crown prince.

He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but found the answer in the Regent's eyes.

Xiao Changheng sighed slowly and said earnestly:

"You should understand that you are the crown prince that your father has devoted all his efforts to cultivating. It is understandable that there are political disputes in the court on weekdays, but when it comes to the country, as the crown prince, you must always put the country and the overall situation first!"

"At this point, don't you understand how big of a blow this incident is to your father?"

Xiao Zirui lowered his head, clenched his fists tightly, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Uncle, I know I was wrong."

Xiao Changheng's expression eased slightly, he nodded, and called Nan Zheng in:

"Bring the stuff here."

Nan Zheng commanded his men to bring up a large box.

Xiao Zirui stared at the box in a daze:

"Uncle, this is..."

"These are the books that I have selected for you. They will help you become a qualified crown prince and a wise ruler in the future. You cannot go out these days, so read these carefully."

Xiao Zirui opened the box, and the first book that caught his eye had the cover of "On Virtuous Government" inscribed on it.

I flipped through a few more books, all of which were about benevolence, virtue, and the way of gentlemen from ancient times to the present.

He accepted it respectfully on the surface, and then respectfully saw Xiao Changheng out the door, but in fact he was almost gritting his teeth.

The emperor has already decided to depose the crown prince, so he can only pretend to be obedient and not give anyone else an excuse to use him against him.

When he was the only one left in the room again, he kicked the bookcase hard.

As a result, he didn't kick over the bookcase, but he almost hurt his foot and grimaced in pain.

Xiao Zirui grabbed the book "On Virtuous Government" and wanted to tear it to pieces, but he didn't dare to do it in the end, for fear that he would not be able to explain if the Regent suddenly asked about it one day.

He threw the book back with a dark face and said through gritted teeth:

"Xiao Changheng, just wait! He is just a cripple. I will ascend the throne sooner or later, and we will settle the score then!"

…

Yun Qingqing and Xiao Changheng walked out of the Prince's Mansion and got on the carriage.

Xiao Changheng looked at her and asked:

"Didn't you say you had something to do? How is it going?"

He looked at her before he came out, but she did nothing from beginning to end and just left.

But now, sitting face to face with him, he noticed that Yun Qingqing was frowning, looking as if she was thinking about something.