Zhu Zhi was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. If it weren't for the Right Chancellor Bu Feizhang holding his sleeve tightly and telling him not to act impulsively, he would have punched Zhu Chen in the face. This man had been coveting his position as crown prince for far too long.
"Father!" Zhu Chen knelt down with a thud, trembling with fear. "Your subject has no such intention. Your subject's loyalty to Your Majesty is beyond question, and you would never dare to have the slightest improper thought about the position of Crown Prince."
"Alright, get up." The old emperor glanced at Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Chen standing below with an extremely sour expression.
"Since your injuries haven't healed yet, go back to your Prince An's residence and rest properly. You can come to court when you're fully recovered," the old emperor said irritably.
Lu Xiaoyun pursed her lips: "Yes, thank you, Father Emperor."
She took out the tiger tally from her bosom and presented it with both hands: "Father, I have been fighting on the frontier for the past few years and have suffered many injuries. I am no longer able to lead troops. Your Majesty has blessed the world and our borders are now at peace. I hereby request that the tiger tally of the Northern Army be returned to you."
Upon hearing this, the ministers all looked up at Zhu Yu at the front of the crowd in disbelief. What had they just heard?
Prince An wants to hand over the Northern Army?
That was the invincible Northern Army, capable of fighting ten men at once!
Prince An, Zhu Yu, had been leading troops in battle for ten years since he was thirteen, making outstanding contributions to the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
But just over a month after returning to the capital, Prince An actually handed over the tiger tally?
Isn't he afraid that without soldiers at his disposal, those who want to kill him will become even more unscrupulous?
Several ministers exchanged furtive glances, each seeing suspicion and a fleeting ruthlessness in the other's eyes.
Their sons and grandsons were all handed over to him alive and well, but they were transported back to the capital in coffins.
He died a mangled corpse, his face unrecognizable!
The hatred for killing one's son is irreconcilable!
The tiger tally, crafted from gold and bronze, resembles a fierce tiger, looking down upon everything, and now lies quietly in the hands of "Prince An".
Crown Prince Zhu Zhi's heart sank even further. What did Zhu Yu say? Hand over the Tiger Tally? Had he lost his mind?
What about Ren Yong'an and his feigned compliance?
Besides dealing with all the women in the Crown Prince's residence, he also had to spare energy to deal with her. What has been going on all these years?
Or perhaps Zhu Yu already possesses other forces capable of dealing with others?
Could it be that he also wants to seize even a small part of the Great Zhou's territory?
Zhu Chen looked at her with a mocking expression.
The old emperor remained silent, instead staring quietly at the tiger tally in Lu Xiaoyun's hand, as if trying to discern his fourth son's intentions from her expression.
He never dared to forget the birth of his mother.
After a moment, the old emperor finally spoke: "The Northern Army has always been led by you. How can you just abandon it like that? It's just a minor injury. I will issue an edict to have Imperial Physician Jiang stay at your Prince An's residence. He can return to the Imperial Hospital whenever his injuries have healed. But he is not allowed to mention bringing up the Tiger Tally again!"
Lu Xiaoyun held up the tiger tally and coughed a few times, her voice filled with anguish: "Cough cough... Father, Emperor, your son has been fighting on the frontier for more than ten years and is no longer able to keep up."
"Cough cough, and now I've suffered such a serious injury, having narrowly escaped death. It won't heal in a short time. Imperial Physician Jiang says that I'm afraid I won't be able to fight for the next two or three years. If I were to lead the Northern Army again, it would be truly inappropriate and I would be failing His Majesty's grace. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request and withdraw the Tiger Tally!"
The ministers were all invigorated; Prince An would not be able to use force for the next two or three years!
Really? !
The emperor stared at "Zhu Yu" for a long time without speaking. He clenched his hands on the dragon's head and said coldly, "What if I don't allow it?"
Lu Xiaoyun gritted her teeth, forcing her to use her trump card. It's just an act, isn't it? You just pretended to be weak and helpless, and then you made the Crown Prince and the Third Prince fight in court.
It makes it seem like she doesn't know how.
After a series of heart-wrenching coughs, Lu Xiaoyun vomited a mouthful of blood with a "whoosh" and then collapsed to the ground. She secretly pressed her chest and saw blood seeping out little by little from the chest of her light blue python robe.
The old emperor was startled and jumped up from his dragon throne. After a moment, he sat down again and gave Zhang Zhongwei a wink.
The people around Lu Xiaoyun immediately moved away.
She lay on the ground with her eyes closed and silently clicked her tongue. She finally understood that Zhu Yu had no confidants in the court, not even anyone to help her up.
My butt hurts from that fall.
"Oh dear, Your Highness Prince An, what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Zhongwei sprinted down from beside the old emperor, hurriedly helped "Prince An" to his feet, and shouted outside, "Quick, go and fetch Physician Jiang!"
Upon hearing this, the eunuchs outside hurriedly ran towards the Imperial Hospital.
With blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, Lu Xiaoyun slowly opened her eyes and weakly said, "Thank you for your help, Eunuch Zhang. I am fine. Please help me up."
Poor Zhang Zhongwei, a skinny and withered old eunuch, was no match for the tall, strong, and robust "Prince An".
Prince Hui couldn't bear to see it, so he went up and helped Lu Xiaoyun up with Zhang Zhongwei.
Lu Xiaoyun was very weak, so she leaned against Prince Hui and said, "Thank you, Uncle Hui."
Prince Hui shook his head: "You've been shot in the heart, how can you recover so quickly? Official business is important, but nothing is more important than your health."
Lu Xiaoyun's face was pale: "It is precisely because my injuries this time were too severe that I had to hand over the Tiger Tally to my father as soon as possible, so as not to delay things in my hands. Moreover, I heard that the Dali Temple had captured the assassin, so I forced myself to come to the morning court this morning."
She gave a bitter laugh: "I thought I could at least hold out until the morning court session ended, but I underestimated the assassin's skills. My frail body, sigh..."
As Lu Xiaoyun spoke, she coughed violently again, and before she knew it, blood gushed from her nose and mouth.
Prince Hui, who was sprayed with blood: "..."
Lu Xiaoyun really wanted to pretend to be dead and faint, but her mother forbade it. This damn fish bladder blood sac that Zhu Yu made was so damn fishy, and this guy was deliberately trying to disgust her.
“Your Majesty, I see that Yu’er’s health has indeed deteriorated greatly this time. Why don’t we let him hand over the Tiger Tally and return to his residence to recuperate?” Prince Hui supported Lu Xiaoyun, truly afraid that he would faint in his arms at any moment.
“Yes, Father, Fourth Brother was shot in the heart this time, and he won’t recover so easily. If we let him lead 200,000 Northern Army troops again, it might just delay things.” Zhu Chen naturally knew what Zhu Zhi was planning.
He's been extremely worried these past few days, discussing it countless times with his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Yingguo, but they still don't know how to get the Northern Army from Zhu Yu.
As it turned out, he handed it over himself. If the Emperor could hand over the Tiger Tally of the Northern Army to him, that would be the best outcome.
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