Rong Yan frowned.

What does the emperor mean?

But the emperor turned around and said something that shocked him, "I saw that you wanted to protect her, and I will help you do so."

"Ziwei Fuxing is a good name, it can indeed protect her."

"But," he changed the subject, "You have bound her to me and to the throne, which means that her future path will no longer be under your control."

Rong Yan looked at him and realized that the emperor had known all about his and Li Xiangyi's little tricks from the very beginning.

And the Emperor...

I used his trick against him and made a deal with him invisibly -

The emperor fulfilled his wish and turned Shen Ruyi into the lucky star of Ziwei, allowing her to successfully break off the engagement with Gu Qinghua, thus achieving his goal of protecting Shen Ruyi.

But at the same time, in this process, the emperor also achieved his own goal:

Weaken the Prime Minister's Office.

The prime minister is second only to the emperor and is the representative of civil officials.

In addition, Shen Cangyun was insatiable. He colluded with the Shangshu Mansion and the Second Prince, and tried to win over the Changning Marquis Mansion and General Mu. He had long become a cancer in the court.

For the emperor, it has only disadvantages and no benefits.

The same goes for the imperial court.

Therefore, the emperor wanted a legitimate reason to weaken Shen Cangyun's power, and it would be best if he did not take action himself.

And he brought this opportunity to him.

Rong Yan was shocked and realized that old ginger was spicier.

His father sat in his current position through political manipulation and ability, not because of anyone's support.

Rong Yan had to admit that the emperor had taught him a good lesson through this incident.

The emperor also gave him a way out, "Go ahead, I will be on the throne for at least another ten years. I cannot predict what the world will be like ten years from now. But right now, you have to help me do another thing."

"If you do well, it is not impossible for this so-called Ziwei lucky star to return to you."

"I have informed the prince, he will not touch her."

These words exploded in Rong Yan's mind like a spring thunder.

His father had calculated everything, and this was another new deal.

If he wants to get Shen Ruyi, he has to offer enough bargaining chips, and this bargaining chip is most likely how to stabilize the political situation after Shen Cangyun steps down.

He could stabilize the government, but he had no merit, and the emperor's reward to him was to let his beloved return to him.

He still has a lot to learn about the art of pros and cons from his father.

Rong Yan was shocked, "Father, what does your Majesty want me to do?"

The emperor looked at him and said, "Starting today, start preparing for the cabinet. After removing the prime minister, I don't want a second prime minister to appear in the court. The cabinet must check and balance the six ministries, but it cannot dominate alone. You have to come up with a plan."

"After the cabinet is formed, you have two choices."

"First, you will be appointed as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. You will also stay as Qianlongwei."

"Second, hand over the Hidden Dragon Guards, leave the cabinet, sever ties with the royal family, and travel far away with Shen Ruyi under an assumed name. I will grant you a death exemption voucher and protect you for a hundred years without worries."

If you choose the first one, the subtext is that before the emperor dies, he will depose the crown prince and pass the throne to the ninth prince.

After the latter is chosen, the prince ascends the throne, and Shen Ruyi and Rong Yan leave the world.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. This is the choice the emperor gave.

As a prince, who doesn't want to be the winner and ascend the throne to be the supreme ruler?

Rong Yan is a man of few words, so this is naturally what he is thinking.

But if it comes at the cost of losing Shen Ruyi...

There was silence in the imperial study. With the beauty and the country on either side, it was difficult for Rong Yan to choose.

What’s even more difficult is that the emperor had said something else before this: the chess pieces can overturn the chessboard, but the chess players cannot.

Because that would result in a total loss and would affect the common people.

If he wants the throne, he has to kill and rob.

At the same time, it would expose the truth about his legs' recovery too quickly, causing more suspicion. By then, it might not just be about balancing, but eradication...

If you want Shen Ruyi, you have to make wedding clothes for others.

If he wanted to avoid endangering the balance of the court and the safety of the people, and if he wanted to postpone the bloody storm, he had to take a step back...

In the end, he could only make one choice, "After the matter is accomplished, I am willing to take her with me and fly away!"

From now on, the road ahead is long, and he only wants to protect her and keep her safe and smooth.

"good!"

The emperor made the final decision and threw him a stack of memorials, "I want your charter within seven days."

Rong Yan took his leave.

The chief eunuch, Eunuch Qian, saw him out and personally pushed his wheelchair to the eaves.

The cold wind was raging outside, the night was pitch black, and Rong Yan's face was equally dark.

He glanced at the Second Prince and Concubine Li.

Finally, his eyes fell on Shen Cangyun's face and he sneered, but he didn't say much. Instead, he walked away with a stack of memorials.

Shen Cangyun felt cold all over. He didn't know why, but when he looked at Rong Yan's expression, he always felt that something bad was going to happen.

Concubine Li frowned, "How strange! Why did he come out of the imperial study with memorials? These memorials have always been reviewed by the emperor himself, how did they end up in his hands?"

“…I don’t know.”

The second prince was terrified.

The Ninth Prince is gone, so it should be his turn now, right?

But when it comes to him, it’s not a good thing either.

"Please invite Concubine Li and the Second Prince in."

The look in Eunuch Qian's eyes when he looked at the two of them was no longer respectful, and was even somewhat cold.

Concubine Li's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at the Second Prince and hurried into the imperial study. She knelt as soon as she entered the room and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty!"

The second prince also knelt beside him, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father!"

After the emperor sat on the dragon throne, although he was over 45 years old, his majesty had not diminished in the slightest. People could not help but think of his heroic spirit when he followed the previous emperor in his campaigns to the east and west and unified the Northern Qi Dynasty.

However, none of the current princes has his charm.

Only the ninth prince Rong Yan was most like him, but he became disabled at the age of seven and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.

The Second Prince thought about this, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, "Father, you... asked me and mother to come here, is it because of the Gu family's affairs?"

Before the emperor could ask him any more questions, he was already a little timid and said in a trembling voice, "It is true that I was attracted to the eldest daughter of the Shen family. I was too impulsive at the time and caused trouble for my father!"

Concubine Li also hurriedly said: "It's all my fault. I saw that the emperor was obsessed with the girl from the Shen family day and night, and I couldn't bear it, so I wanted to help them, but I didn't expect..."

As he spoke, he covered his face and shed tears, "I didn't expect that I would make my mother so angry, wuwuwu..."

The old lady of the Gu family died.

That was Concubine Li’s biological mother.

When Concubine Li cried like this, besides being really sad, she also hoped that the Emperor would let the Gu family matter go because of her mother's death.

The second prince also said hurriedly: "It was because I didn't know the seriousness of the matter that I killed my grandmother and brought shame to my father. Please punish me, father."

They have a greater fault.

That is to win over the Prime Minister's Mansion, kidnap Ziwei Fuxing to increase his own fortune, and seize the position of Crown Prince. It has reached the point where it is no longer concealed.

However, no one dared to really admit it.

The emperor ignored Concubine Li.

He just looked at the Second Prince, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Whenever the Second Prince said that he wanted to inherit the throne and was bloodthirsty today, but unexpectedly failed in the end, he still had a third of the composure he had in the past.

But what's the point of crying like this now?

When Lao Jiu entered the room, his imperial guards struck him directly in the vital points.

Although he had no intention to kill, Old Nine's reaction would not be as timid as his own. Even in front of his father, he could fight back strongly and remain calm afterwards.

That's his son!