Chapter 518 Choice
King Xiang sat upright at the head of the table, his eyes lowered, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table beside him, his thoughts unreadable.
Ji Chang'an respectfully handed the secret edict to the eunuch beside King Xiang.
The eunuch took the secret edict from Ji Chang'an, handed it to the prince, and then stood beside the Prince of Xiang.
King Xiang glanced at the contents of the secret edict, a sense of unease settling in his heart.
To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in the matter between the emperor and the King of Chu. Although he and the King of Chu didn't get along, it was none of the emperor's business to interfere.
Between the two, he actually disliked the emperor more.
This time, the emperor ordered him to send troops to steal Taiyuan. I don't know if he's out of his mind. He even said that after taking Taiyuan, he would divide the world with him.
That sounds nice, but what if you have the chance to fight but not the chance to win? The little emperor is just playing with him like a fool. Not to mention that the Ninth Prince is a formidable warrior, none of his generals are easy to deal with.
Even if he won, he didn't believe the emperor would let him divide the world in two. If the King of Chu won, he could still be his vassal king; if the King of Chu lost, it wouldn't have much to do with him.
He's had enough of his good life, that's why he's helping the emperor send troops to punish the ninth prince.
If helping the emperor could really bring any benefits, would there be any need for a secret imperial edict? The other brothers would have already helped the emperor to punish the ninth prince.
Besides, the Emperor's will has already been issued. If the Ninth Prince conquers the country, he will be rightfully the rightful ruler. If he fails to conquer it, he will not gain anything as the future emperor, and he will be unable to escape the reputation of usurping the throne.
He's not crazy or stupid; why would he rush to provoke Lao Jiu at this crucial moment?
King Xiang casually put the secret edict aside: "Prince Ji, it's not that I'm unwilling to send troops, but I'm simply not up to the task. I really don't have any elite troops or capable generals that Your Majesty can mobilize."
Ji Chang'an knew this trip wouldn't go smoothly, and seeing the Prince of Xiang hesitate, he said, "Your Highness, please..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the princess who barged in: "Young Master Ji, you'd better shut up! If your Ji family wants to die, don't drag our royal residence into it!"
Princess Xiang walked straight into the hall with her hands clasped over her abdomen and bowed to Prince Xiang: "This concubine greets Your Highness."
When the King of Xiang saw the Queen Consort enter, he immediately stood up, helped her up, and said gently, "Why has Lord Ling come?"
Princess Consort glared at Prince Xiang, then turned to Ji Chang'an and said coldly, "Nowadays, who in the world doesn't know that the late emperor usurped the throne, seizing the position of Crown Prince from the ninth prince and launching a palace coup? The emperor that Prince Ji speaks of is a power-hungry man who seized the throne, and his claim to the throne is illegitimate. Now that Prince Chu has restored order and his army has reached the outskirts of the capital, it's hard to believe that our emperor is thinking too simply, or that Prince Ji is treating the people of Prince Xiang's mansion like fools."
Ji Chang'an paused for a moment, then looked at the Princess Consort of Xiang with a hint of hostility: "Princess Consort, the Prince and I were discussing serious matters. You, a mere woman, are..."
Before she could finish speaking, a maidservant beside the Princess Consort of Xiang slapped her across the face.
"How dare you! Who gave you permission to speak to our princess like that?"
Ji Chang'an's face was turned to the side after being slapped. Looking at the arrogant maid, a dark look flashed across his face. He turned to look at the Prince of Xiang and his wife and suddenly sneered.
"Your Highness and Princess Consort, do you really think that the Prince of Chu will let you off the hook after he ascends the throne?"
The Prince of Xiang and his wife exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Ji Chang'an. The Princess of Xiang turned to look at Ji Chang'an, then waved her hand to signal the maid to leave.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Ji, it's my fault for not disciplining my maid properly. As for what you're saying, I'm just a woman, I don't understand!"
Ji Chang'an's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Does the King of Xiang think that after the King of Chu ascended the throne, he couldn't find out that you had laid a hand on Li Mingshu?"
With a gloomy face, Ji Chang'an said to the Prince of Xiang, "Everyone knows that the Prince of Chu dotes on his two daughters the most. Does the Prince of Xiang think that no one knows about his previous actions against Li Mingshu and the imperial edict?"
Ignoring the murderous glares from the two men, Ji Chang'an continued, "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Your Highness, tell me, if the Prince of Chu finds out after he ascends the throne that you have attacked his men, or even betrayed him, do you think he will let you off the hook, given his temperament?"
Ji Chang'an sat down in his seat, drank his tea in one gulp, and spoke with a hint of persuasion in his tone.
"If you send troops now, it is still not too late. His Majesty's spies must have already taken care of the commander in Taiyuan. Taiyuan is now full of troops but no general to guard it. Your Highness only needs to lend His Majesty your 20,000 troops. When the war ends, Your Highness will be able to divide the world with His Majesty, and the area north of the Central Plains will all be Your Highness's fiefdom."
The King of Xiang naturally wouldn't believe the emperor's nonsense, but he did know his ninth brother well. His ninth brother was the most vengeful. If his ninth brother found out that he had attacked his people before, it would only be a matter of time before the ninth brother took the throne and settled accounts with him.
He frowned and hesitated for a moment.
Ji Chang'an continued, "His Majesty is currently personally leading the expedition in Mengjin. As long as the Prince is willing to send troops to besiege Taiyuan, His Majesty can hold out for a month. Reinforcements from various garrisons will then continuously flow towards the capital to rescue the Emperor. At that time, the Prince will be the one to achieve the greatest merit, while the Prince of Chu will be like a grasshopper in autumn, unable to jump anymore..."
Princess Xiang frowned: "Guards! Show the guests out!"
After saying that, he gestured to the maid beside him to ask the person to leave.
Ji Chang'an looked at Prince Xiang with a sinister gaze: "I hope Your Highness will consider this carefully..."
After saying that, he followed the maid and went straight out the door.
Princess Xiang and Prince Xiang sat together in the chairs at the head of the table, waving their hands to dismiss the people around them.
Feeling a bit confused, he sighed and said to the Prince of Xiang, "Your Highness, I told you not to get involved, but now you're in a dilemma."
The King of Chu now has a much better chance of winning than the Emperor. If they send troops, they will put themselves in opposition to the King of Chu. If the Emperor wins, that will be fine, but if he loses, the entire Xiang Prince's mansion will likely lose its life.
However, if they do not send troops, the Ji family will spread the news that they attacked the King of Chu's men, and the Ninth Prince will probably not let them off the hook after he ascends the throne.
King Xiang was now somewhat regretful. He had initially made some advances against the Ninth Prince, but now the Emperor was clearly at his wit's end and wanted to drag him down with him.
“Lord Ling, if all else fails, we’ll just deny it to the death. I really don’t want to send troops. The Emperor’s chances of winning are too slim. Right now, neither the rumors coming from various places nor the situation on the battlefield are favorable to the court…”
Princess Xiang sighed softly, "We absolutely cannot lend out troops. I will write a letter to my ninth brother's wife today to apologize. It's better for us to be honest with each other than for the court to expose us later. Although my ninth brother holds a grudge, my sister-in-law persuaded him, and he won't take the lives of the entire family. At worst, we can just have the title reduced..."
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