Prince Jin's Mansion.
When the King of Jin heard the gatekeeper come to report that Qi Yuning and Lu Ze wanted to see him, he said, "Let them in."
Qi Yuning entered the Prince of Jin's mansion and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Prince of Jin."
"Seventh Uncle."
When the King of Jin saw the two people before him, he said, "One does not come to the Sanbao Temple for no reason. What are you doing here?"
Qi Yuning looked at the King of Jin and said, "Persia has a kind of opium that is addictive and highly toxic. I heard that the King of Jin has purchased a large amount of opium and it is now popular in the court. Does the King of Jin know what crime this should be punished for?"
Prince Jin raised his eyes and said, "My Lady, what evidence do you have to prove that I purchased the opium? I don't know what opium is."
Lu Ze said calmly, "Seventh Uncle, if opium really does cause trouble in the imperial court, it will definitely be strictly prohibited in the future. If cousin Rong doesn't have opium by then, will she be able to survive?"
Prince Jin's face darkened, and he slammed the table in anger, "Lu Ze!"
Lu Ze remained calm and said, "Seventh Uncle, calm down. We're here just to find out whether the sweet grass fragrance that's all the rage in the capital is actually opium."
Qi Yuning said from the side: "Your Highness Prince Jin, a gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. Your palace's business is big enough. Do you really have to give up your throne for the money earned from selling opium?
If this opium causes a serious mistake, not only will Princess Rong be without opium, but you, the Prince of Jin, will also be unable to do anything."
Prince Jin looked at the two people in front of him with an unpleasant expression, frowned and asked, "How do you know about opium?"
Qi Yuning smiled calmly and said, "Our Qi family also has trade relations with various countries in the Western Regions. Moreover, all trade with the Western Regions must pass through North City. I hope that King Jin will cooperate well. Otherwise, whether by sea or land, opium will not be able to enter our Dasheng territory."
The Prince of Jin looked at the two men before him, clasping his hands. "I had no choice but to sell opium to the Qin family and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I wonder how the Qin family learned about the popularity of opium in Persia, and they found my opium sourcing staff. How could I not give them what they wanted?"
Qi Yuning asked: "Why can't you not give it?"
Prince Jin looked towards the palace and said, "My father has always been partial. After all, the throne will belong to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Rather than offending the Crown Prince and cutting off the supply of opium when he ascends to the throne, I would rather sell the opium to him. Even if the Qin family finds out that I am the master behind the opium, the Crown Prince will understand my loyalty."
Lu Ze shook his head and said, "Seventh Uncle, you are wrong. If His Highness inherits the throne, the first people he will not spare are those who participated in the opium scandal. I hope Seventh Uncle will follow me into the palace to expose His Highness."
Prince Jin said, "Lu Ze, Lu Ze, everyone in Shengjing praises your intelligence. Do you think exposing His Highness would be of any use? The crown prince is only one step away from the throne, waiting for His Majesty's death!"
The King of Jin looked at Qi Yuning and said, "Why do you think you can defeat the Crown Prince and the Qin family? Relying on your Qi family's troops?"
Qi Yuning asked: "Why not?"
The King of Jin said, "The Crown Prince has legitimately ascended the throne, and the Qi family's troops are still in Beicheng. They cannot leave Beicheng without an imperial decree. How can they get all the way from Beicheng to Shengjing? How can they rebel against the Crown Prince and the Qin family? It would be treason, and your Qi family would be labeled traitors and punishable by death!"
Prince Jin picked up the teapot and poured Lu Ze a cup of tea. He said, "Calm down, Ze'er. The Crown Prince is kind and benevolent, and he's your own uncle. His Majesty is old, and no matter how much he refuses to accept his age, it's time for him to go. Rather than letting your father suffer from illness before his death, it would be better for him to smoke opium and feel better."
Lu Ze didn't take the tea from King Jin. "Drinking poison to quench thirst will only make you more miserable."
Prince Jin said, "Zer, today your Seventh Uncle will teach you a lesson: He who knows the current situation is a hero. How can you fight the Crown Prince? How can you fight the Qin family? To tell you the truth, your father's current health is such that he simply cannot give up opium. He may be able to live another year by using it, but if he quits, he will die within half a month!"
Qi Yuning glanced at Lu Ze, who frowned and asked, "How could this be? Is the harm of opium smoking so serious?"
The King of Jin said, "Your Majesty was already gravely ill. My eldest brother's treason and death have only exacerbated my father's condition. My father is already an old man in his sixties. Living to seventy is rare, and kings who reach sixty are even rarer..."
"Even without opium, Father's health would only last another year or two at best. So why shouldn't I try to please His Highness?"
"Even if you go to the Emperor today and expose His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for giving him opium, what will happen? His Majesty can no longer protect you!
Gyeonggi Province has 100,000 soldiers and 3,000 cavalrymen. How can you compete? Even when my eldest brother was still alive, he had already given up the fight with the Crown Prince, let alone you two youngsters!
Ze'er, your Seventh Uncle advises you to pretend you don't know about this. After all, if your uncle, the Crown Prince, ascends the throne, your future will be limitless. Why bother exposing it?"
Qi Yuning frowned and said, "The Crown Prince is unfilial, unkind, and unrighteous. He will definitely not be able to become the future ruler of the Great Sheng!"
The King of Jin said, "If you want to rebel, go ahead and do it, but don't implicate me. I only hope that Arong can grow up safely. You also have daughters, so please think carefully about your daughters. If you really offend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, what good will it do you?"
Qi Yuning looked at Prince Jin and said, "I only know the Qi family motto, the first of which is loyalty to the emperor. The Qi family is full of loyal ministers."
Prince Jin said slowly, "The Crown Prince is the heir chosen by His Majesty. His ascension to the throne is a testament to the loyalty of your Qi family."
Seeing that Prince Jin was unwilling to cooperate, Lu Ze did not stay in Prince Jin's mansion for long.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
