The emperor was confused and asked the two what they were talking about.
The eldest prince briefly told the emperor about how Yu Zizhen went to the second prince to get gold and silver jewelry, but the palace servants there wanted to gang up on the "second prince" and in a fit of rage, all the people who tried to beat him up were killed.
The emperor's face grew paler as he listened. He stood up suddenly and said, "Not just him, you have to go too. All of you have to go."
He didn't blame Yu Zizhen. It was not surprising for young people to be impulsive. Besides, Yu Zizhen was just venting his anger for his other son.
The eldest prince certainly knew that he was not safe either. He was worried that someone would see Yu Zizhen entering and leaving the second prince's bedroom, and naturally he was also worried that someone would see Yu Zizhen entering and leaving his bedroom.
But he would not leave the palace. As early as the year when his father used his own life to save his life, he had made up his mind to stay with his father forever.
Although he also enjoyed the time he spent with Yu Zizhen, one must always have a conscience.
He was afraid that he would feel guilty for the rest of his life if he were asked to abandon his old father who had worked so hard for him.
He held the emperor's hand and said, "I will not leave. I want to stay with you."
Even if he dies, he will die with his father.
The emperor was reluctant to let his son die with him. He knew that Xiao Yuanjin's leg had healed long ago, and he was both civil and military proficient, capable of surviving independently, and could survive even if he left the palace. So at this moment, he only wanted to send Xiao Yuanjin away before the danger came.
Neither the father nor the son could convince the other, which made Yu Zizhen, who was very sure that he had not alarmed anyone, feel very helpless.
She was about to raise her hand and swear, but neither the father nor the son believed her solemn oath.
Yu Zizhen had no choice but to skip the topic and persuade Xiao Yuanjin to leave together with the emperor.
She said, "In fact, it would be most disadvantageous for you and His Majesty if you were trapped in the capital. I think you could take advantage of the fact that the Second Prince is 'missing' and Little Lu is busy looking for and harming people, and leave the capital and go to your fiefdom."
Although the emperor was usually a mascot and had no control over what kind of imperial edicts he issued, he always kept the imperial seal himself.
With the imperial seal, he could write the imperial edict himself and enfeoff Xiao Yuanjin.
Of course, Yu Zizhen did not recommend Xiao Yuanjin to go to the northern or southern border. After all, Chen Hushan's grandfather and Yu Zizhen's father in this body were both people who had ideas about the throne.
As for Xiao Yuanjin, a vassal king with nothing but a title, if he went to the territory of these two people, they would definitely cause him to die "accidentally".
She would rather Xiao Yuanjin go to Jiangnan, so that she would be fully capable of protecting him under her wings.
As for Western Xinjiang, Yu Zizhen planned to go to Western Xinjiang to discuss a business deal with Fang Huaiying's adoptive father after rescuing the emperor.
Thanks to some medicines she got from the system and the hundred-year-old ginseng that Fang Huaiying painstakingly collected, Fang Huaiying's adoptive father has been hanging on to his life over the years and did not die as he expected not long after Fang Huaiying arrived in Beijing.
In fact, if it wasn't inconvenient for Yu Zizhen to leave Beijing for so long, and Fang Huaiying's adoptive father couldn't leave Western Xinjiang, Yu Zizhen would have wanted to take his pulse directly.
After all, it was difficult for her to prescribe the right medicine accurately based on what Fang Huaiying had said about the pulse diagnosis left by the court physician.
Of course, these are all later stories. Now Yu Zizhen is still trying to persuade Xiao Yuanjin to leave the capital first.
The emperor was of course very happy with Yu Zizhen's proposal. He knew that Yu Zizhen would definitely send someone to protect the eldest prince, so he immediately praised it, "Good idea!"
The eldest prince still said the same thing, "I want to accompany my father."
Yu Zizhen rubbed his brows in a state of annoyance. "Which do you think is better for you and His Majesty: sitting there together and waiting for death or separating temporarily to find a way out?"
"Xiao Lu and Lu Tong are already eager to change the emperor. It is obvious that His Majesty can no longer stay in the capital."
"Now that the Queen Mother is in the open and I am in the dark, Your Majesty can still hold on to the throne for a while, but the Queen Mother's body has been hollowed out by the poison, and she won't be able to hold on for much longer."
"Though my subordinates are powerful, I have no official background. If I don't want to be labeled a traitor, I can't use them openly."
"For the long term, you must at least prepare a house for you and His Majesty, and build a business that will provide you with food and clothing. This way, His Majesty will have a place to settle down after he escapes."
The eldest prince was persuaded by her words. He lowered his eyes hesitantly, with two thoughts in his mind pulling at each other violently.
Yu Zizhen continued, "Lu Tong wants to pin the blame for the murder of Your Majesty, you, and the Second Prince on Concubine Ning and the Fan family, and then support the Third Prince to ascend the throne, using the Emperor as a coercion to control the princes. His dream is beautiful, but those generals who command large armies across the country may not buy it."
"We are not fools, we will not believe them."
"The most important thing is, even if the facts are as the Lu family said, those ambitious guys will pin the crime of killing you on the Lu family. After all, if they don't do that, how can they justify sending troops to purge the emperor?"
"They will definitely not miss this golden opportunity to launch an attack, and the Lu family will not sit idly by. So who will be the unlucky one then? Without a doubt, it will be all the 'hostages', including me."
The emperor was very embarrassed when he heard this. After all, the imperial decree that took Yu Zizhen and the others hostage was issued in his name.
Xiao Yuanjin was quite speechless. He really wanted to remind Yu Zizhen that King Zhenbei was also among the "ambitious guys" she mentioned.
Yu Zizhen didn't pay attention to these small details. She continued:
"So, once the moment comes that His Majesty must fake his own death to escape, all of us 'hostages', including myself, must leave the capital immediately."
"When that time comes, I will personally lead His Majesty out of the capital. Before that, I will spare no effort to protect His Majesty and ensure that he remains safe until that moment arrives."
"In that case, are you willing to leave first and go to a safe place?"
The eldest prince did not answer her immediately, but instead asked, "Are you planning to fake my father's death?"
Yu Zizhen nodded, "Yes, I will do it perfectly."
The eldest prince was in a complicated mood. He suddenly realized that what Yu Zizhen had learned were the most useful things in this world. Whether it was the "unique secret recipe" that had cured his leg before, or the martial arts and disguise techniques that were now used to save all of their lives, they could all come in handy at critical moments.
Unlike him, who read a lot of books but ended up being a perfect example of the saying "A scholar is good for nothing".
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