Chapter 133 Outside the Capital

"Although Prime Minister Xu's faction might think it's a conspiracy or a trap."

But they must also think that it might be true.

"My elder brother, the Crown Prince, has always been wary of the King of Qin; he probably won't let any opportunity like this slip by," the Seventh Prince said.

Shangguan Jin expressed her agreement.

That's right, the Crown Prince's talent was just so-so, not the best, but not the worst either.

She was just lucky to be born into Empress Xu's womb.

He has a good mother and a good grandfather.

My current position is entirely due to the efforts of others.

It was only with these two people helping him that he was able to secure his position as crown prince.

"But even if such an opportunity were presented to them, Prime Minister Xu's faction would prioritize stability."

Their most likely course of action is to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

I won't actively touch on this matter.

They will wait for your father to bring this up before giving their opinion.

Just like what happened with Vice Minister Mei that time.

Was Prime Minister Xu truly unaware of the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue? Was the Ministry of Revenue keeping everything from him?

Actually, he knows everything.

But he won't say anything, nor will he take the initiative to care.

He understood that he represented the Crown Prince, and if he took the initiative to get involved in these matters, Emperor Xiao Jing would see it as a matter of factional strife.

Having served three emperors and risen through the ranks from the lowest-ranking eighth-grade official in the Ministry of Personnel, Prime Minister Xu knew all too well what the imperial family feared.

Therefore, in Prime Minister Xu's view, the position of Crown Prince was already in their hands, and all they had to do was stabilize the situation.

As for other things... none of them matter," Shangguan Jin added.

The seventh prince thought for a moment, and seemed to understand.

Yes, the crown prince is the future emperor. As long as no major upheavals occur, he will have the support of the people...

Prime Minister Xu is a cunning old fox; he has a better grasp of the political situation than anyone else.

If Father Emperor were to bring up this matter concerning the Marquis of Ping'an's residence, then it wouldn't be considered a factional struggle.

Therefore, the person who went to see Prime Minister Xu's faction had virtually no effect...

"Aunt, does that mean that person can only directly find the Crown Prince?"

but......"

The seventh prince frowned.

The Crown Prince isn't so easy to see.

Throughout the entire Great Yu region, many people want to see the Crown Prince, but only a few actually succeed.

“Unless… like filing a complaint with the emperor, in public,” the Seventh Prince murmured.

Shangguan Jin raised an eyebrow.

Appealing to the emperor? That's one way to go.

"Appeal to the emperor? It's not that simple."

When the Crown Prince travels, it is almost equivalent to when the Emperor travels. If a stranger just runs out like that, let alone whether he can even see the Crown Prince.

"Don't let the Imperial Guards hack you to death the moment you run out," Shen Qingyue said.

The Seventh Prince understood what Shen Qingyue meant.

The right time, the right people, and the right language...

You can't just shout that you're innocent and rush forward; if you do, you'll just get beaten to death.

If that person were to accuse someone of a specific crime, such as having illicit relations with the Hu people—a topic that is most sensitive to ordinary people—then things would be different...

The seventh prince suddenly understood.

"Aunt, perhaps we can try this method..."

Shangguan Jin and Shen Qingyue both came over.

"Come on, tell us the details."

......

Half an hour later, the Seventh Prince happily left Shangguan Jin's courtyard.

The young eunuch Hu Zhouquan followed him closely.

The two guards who had been vigilantly watching their surroundings from the rooftop were also about to move to another spot.

"Fifth Brother, do you think our Seventh Prince got a scolding? I know that after returning to the palace, the Seventh Prince has been secretly reading storybooks every night."

The story is hidden in those Four Books and Five Classics!

"Why didn't Madam Shen lose her temper after testing her?" one of the guards asked, jumping around on the roof.

"What do you know? The Seventh Prince is a prince."

Madam Shen could only offer advice as an aunt.

Losing one's temper? Only His Majesty can lose his temper.

Even if the Empress knew, she could only offer encouragement to students, not get angry.

However, our Seventh Prince has a good personality, knows how to coax people, and has a sweet tongue. Even His Majesty was delighted by the Seventh Prince's charm.

To appease the wife of the Duke of Dingguo is no small matter.

However, since Madam Shen and the Seventh Prince's mother are siblings, even if the Seventh Prince makes a mistake, Madam Shen probably wouldn't be able to bear to scold him!

So, that's probably why the Seventh Prince enjoys visiting the Duke of Dingguo's residence so much!

The guard from before thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Isn't it said that doting mothers spoil their children? My aunt seems to be the same way.

Oh well, don't overthink it. They're just bodyguards.

Protecting the Seventh Prince's safety is all that matters; as for other things, they are not people like these secret guards who only recognize their own names.

They only need to follow the instructions of the Heavenly Court.

And so, the two of them changed the roof and continued to protect the Seventh Prince's safety.

......

Ten days later, one afternoon, at a post station nearly fifty kilometers from the outskirts of Beijing.

A caravan of merchants from Jiangnan stopped here for a rest.

A thin man in the group warily observed everything around him.

We should be able to enter the capital tomorrow.

The closer he got to the capital, the more worried he became.

Ever since he left Jiangning, he lived in constant fear, and several times the knife was less than two inches from his neck.

Fortunately, there are many good people in this world, and he has managed to get through this journey without any major incidents.

After traveling over a thousand miles, we were finally getting close to the capital.

“Scholar, don’t wander off. There are too many people around here, so I can only protect you this far.”

"As for how to get into the city, you'll have to figure that out yourself." A burly middle-aged man walked up to the man and whispered.

"Many thanks for your help, hero. One day..."

"Don't say 'one day'; I'm only helping you because of the money."

Also, you don't seem like a bad guy. I have a brother who's about your age.

It's also because of those corrupt officials protecting each other...

"Well, it's all fate. I'll help if I can!" the middle-aged man said in a muffled voice.

The scholar-like man looked grateful.

He was the illegitimate fifth young master of the Ma family, the Jiangning Textile Commissioner, whom Hua Wanli had mentioned.

He was fortunate to have this person protect him along the way, which allowed him to reach the outskirts of Beijing.

"Great hero..." The Fifth Young Master was about to speak when he saw the middle-aged man staring intently at the dozens of heavily covered carriages approaching from not far away.

"Is...someone else chasing us?" The Fifth Young Master's legs were about to go weak with fear.

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"Your luck has come!"

You just said you'd figure out how to get into the city yourself!

"Now a great opportunity is right in front of us," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

The fifth young master was taken aback and looked at the dozens of heavily covered carriages.