190. Plastic-based monarchical relationship

The little boy's eyes lit up: "Immortals? Are there really immortals? Little Prince, have you ever seen one?"

"I... of course I haven't seen it, but the Duke of Anguo has! The Duke of Anguo said that the immortal even gave him a protective talisman, which, when worn, made him invulnerable to swords and spears, and the old prime minister's men couldn't hurt him at all!"

"Wow, amazing! So mysterious! Yue'er loves it!" The little dumpling looked at the little prince expectantly. "Anything else?"

At this point, the young prince couldn't think of any more lies. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly clapped his hands and mysteriously leaned closer to the little dumpling: "I'll tell you an even more secret! The people from the Duke of Anguo's and the Prince of Shu's mansion can also chant spells! As long as they chant spells in front of the old prime minister's portrait, the old prime minister will listen to them and tell him to go east, he wouldn't dare to go west!"

The little boy's eyes lit up: "Really? Little Prince, can you read it?"

"Of course!" the little prince said, his neck stiff, though he had no idea what to expect and could only piece together the nonsense he'd heard on the stage from memory.

He closed his eyes, pinched his throat, and began to chant in a strange tone: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, old prime minister, listen to my command! You are not allowed to oppose Duke Anguo, and you are not allowed to throw a tantrum in court! If you disobey me, I will make sure you have no chopsticks to eat and fall off the bed when you sleep!"

After reciting the incantation, he deliberately put on a stern face, pretending that the spell was very effective: "Look, once this spell is recited, the old prime minister will definitely not dare to offend Duke Anguo!"

The little dumpling clapped its hands and cheered, "That's amazing! Little Prince, you even know spells, you're simply the most amazing person in the world!"

"Hehe, you flatter me."

Over here, the little prince and the little dumpling, one bold in speaking and the other bold in believing, chatted happily.

On the other side...

The little princess and her second brother, who had been standing to the side, had long since grown weary of listening.

The little princess rolled her eyes and complained, "What 'flying messenger' and 'running stone house'? Even a three-year-old couldn't come up with such outrageous things! And that spell, I think he was just saying whatever came to mind in his dream."

The second brother couldn't help but sigh, looking at his sister's eyes filled with adoration for the little prince, he felt a pang of sadness: "It's all made up... but my sister believed it..."

The little princess pouted: "Look at how smug the little prince is. If the little dumpling knew he was making it up, she would definitely be disappointed."

The second brother hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on the little dumpling.

The little dumpling used to follow him around, praising him with such admiration. But now she just hovers around the little prince, not even glancing at him.

He drew circles on the ground with his little hand, feeling incredibly disappointed, but he didn't go up to expose him. Instead, he listened to the little prince continue rambling, feeling a pang of jealousy: "Damn it! I want to learn too!"

"Huh?" The little princess looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, the young prince by the stone table continued to use the "spell" as an excuse: "This spell can't be recited casually. If the old prime minister's men hear it, they'll come up with even more powerful spells to deal with us! That's why I'm only telling you; you can't tell anyone else!"

The little dumpling immediately covered her mouth and nodded vigorously: "Yue'er won't tell! Yue'er definitely won't tell! Don't worry, Your Highness!"

-

The Imperial Study.

Wei Xiuming put down the memorial in his hand, raised his eyes to look at Xie Wenling standing below. His figure was tall and straight, his skin was pale, and his face was expressionless.

He suddenly requested an audience today. After Wei Xiuming summoned him, he deliberately left him hanging for a while, but he remained very composed.

Wei Xiuming was no longer going to ignore him: "The Duke of Anguo, the Prince of Shu's mansion, and the Prime Minister are locked in a fierce battle. You orchestrated this whole charade, didn't you?"

Xie Wenling bowed slightly, his tone frank: "It was written by your subject."

Wei Xiuming raised an eyebrow and tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk: "Tell me, how did you do it?"

Xie Wenling stepped forward and handed over the brocade box in his hand: "Your Majesty, this contains the evidence I have collected, including the secret letter about the Prime Minister's private mobilization of troops, the correspondence between the Duke of Anguo and the Prime Minister, and the communication records between the regent of the Shu Prince's Mansion and the Duke of Anguo, etc..."

He paused, then slowly recounted the process: "First, I had the Prince of Zhennan's heir obtain evidence of the Duke of Anguo's collusion with the Prime Minister from Miss Lin under the pretext of demanding compensation. Then, I had the regent of the Prince of Shu's mansion feign support for the Duke of Anguo, thus provoking conflict between him and the Prime Minister. At the same time, I had the Prince of Zhennan's heir continue to exert pressure, forcing the Duke of Anguo to cooperate with the Prince of Shu. Finally, at the opportune moment, I released some incriminating evidence, causing the two sides to completely break off relations and restrain each other."

Wei Xiuming opened the brocade box, examined the evidence inside, and his expression gradually darkened.

He closed the brocade box, his tone filled with anger: "How dare you cooperate with Dou Shichen in private? Have you forgotten that what I fear most is the collusion between court officials and members of the imperial family!"

Xie Wenling showed no panic whatsoever. He knelt down calmly, his back straight, and looked directly at Wei Xiuming: "Your Majesty, may I ask, is this not the situation Your Majesty desired?"

"The Prime Minister is a veteran of two reigns and has many protégés. He has been secretly cultivating his power and has long been a major concern for Your Majesty. The Duke of Anguo is ambitious and colludes with the Prime Minister, so he cannot be allowed to live either. I obtained evidence through the heir of the Prince of Zhennan and instigated a conflict through the Prince of Shu's mansion, ultimately causing them to weaken each other. Your Majesty can then simply reap the benefits, eliminating a major threat without incurring a bad reputation. Isn't this the best outcome?"

"Moreover, I have laid everything bare today without concealing anything, which is enough to show my loyalty to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may send someone to investigate, and everything I have said is true."

Wei Xiuming remained silent.

Because Xie Wenling was right, this was indeed the result he wanted.

He eliminated the threat and preserved his reputation, but he never expected that Xie Wenling could arrange everything so meticulously.

After obtaining the evidence, he did not directly report him.

Even if the matter is reported, this evidence can at most bring down the Duke of Anguo, but it cannot threaten the Prime Minister.

Therefore, he decided to find a way to tie the Duke of Anguo and the heir of the Prince of Shu together to deal with the old prime minister.

When they are both severely weakened, that will be the time for them to close the net and settle accounts.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the sword in your hand," Xie Wenling's voice rang out again, with a hint of determination. "Whether it is to behead powerful ministers or to eliminate treacherous officials, as long as Your Majesty gives the order, I will not hesitate to die ten thousand times over."

He bowed his head, extremely solemn.

Wei Xiuming stood up, walked to Xie Wenling, and personally helped him up: "Minister Xie, I misunderstood you. I have seen your dedication to me and the court."

Xie Wenling stood up and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

The two held hands, appearing to be in a harmonious and affectionate relationship as ruler and subject.

“Oh, right,” Xie Wenling added as if he remembered something, “I promised Prince Dou that if he helped me obtain the evidence, I would let him go home for a while. I humbly request Your Majesty’s permission.”

Wei Xiuming's smile vanished instantly. He abruptly shook off Wei Xiuming's hand, performing a classic face-changing act, revealing the blatant hypocrisy between the emperor and his subject.

"Do you know what you're saying? Dou Shichen is the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhennan. Don't you know what kind of family the Prince of Zhennan is? If he goes back, will he be willing to come back? If he finds out something he shouldn't know, or says something he shouldn't say, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

This time, he was truly enraged.

Dou Shichen's identity is special; letting him go back would be tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

Xie Wenling remained calm and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I only asked you to agree to let him go back, but I did not say that he would definitely be able to 'go back'."

He looked up at Wei Xiuming, a confident smile playing on his lips: "If something unexpected happens on the way, such as a fire at the post station, road blockage, or some other danger, he'll have to turn back. He can't blame anyone else, can he?"

Wei Xiuming was stunned.

He stared intently at Xie Wenling, then slowly smiled and drawled, "Oh—I see."

His expression changed again. He stepped forward and took the hand that he had just shaken off, as if nothing had happened, and put on a cheerful face again: "You, you're even more meticulous than me. Okay, I approve! Let him go back and try, let's see if he can really go back."

Xie Wenling bowed and said, "Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty."

After returning to his desk, Wei Xiuming sat down, picked up the memorials on the table, but did not immediately look at them. Instead, he looked at Xie Wenling and said, "I trust you to handle things. However, if there are any similar plans in the future, you must consult with me first. You must not make decisions on your own again, especially when cooperating with members of the imperial family. The risks are too great."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Xie Wenling replied respectfully.

As for what he's thinking and what he'll do in the future?

Who knows?