Chapter 492: The Battle for the Crown Prince
Wei Qing looked at his wife's fierce expression and naturally knew what she was thinking.
Zhao Shuqian shouldn't, absolutely shouldn't, he shouldn't have hit Erbao!
Wei Qing put his big hands on her shoulders and hugged her tighter, letting her face rest on his chest and his chin resting on her furry head, in an almost intimate posture.
"My husband, when Zhao Shu goes from Prince Rui's Mansion to the Imperial Palace, the carriage must pass through the avenue beside the moat. If the horse goes mad, it will pull the carriage into the river..." Tang Li's voice was calm and rational, but there was a terrifying cruelty in his eyes.
She just wanted to know, if Zhao Shu, the hero in the novel, fell into the moat, would the rushing water drown him?!
"Wife, as long as it is man-made, there will be traces. If Zhao Shu drowned, the case will be handed over to the Dali Temple for investigation. Can the Dali Temple find out? If they find out, what will happen?" Wei Qing asked.
Tangli didn't say anything.
If she were to take action, she would definitely do it cleanly and leave no evidence.
But what if?
Her brother is good at solving cases and is a stubborn person. If he keeps investigating and finds out that she is the one...how will her brother deal with it?
In the novel, her brother violated his own way of being an official and a human being because of Gu Ying. Now, is she going to give her brother the same problem?
"Wife, it's not worth it because of Zhao Shu." Wei Qing said.
Tangli nodded.
Yes, Zhao Shu is not worth it. It is not worth it to take such a risk.
Moreover, if Zhao Shu were to die like this, it would be too easy for him.
Zhao Shu has done such evil things, we cannot let him off so easily.
"Yes, it's not worth it." Tang Li said, raised his head and looked at Wei Qing, "But my husband, I can't bear this."
"Zhao Shu has set his sights on the child, so this matter naturally cannot be let go." Wei Qing said.
Tang Li looked at him and said, "Husband, do you have any idea?"
"Wife, let me show you something."
Wei Qing stood up holding Tang Li and put her on a chair. He walked to a wall and pressed a few times, and a secret compartment appeared on the wall.
Wei Qing took out a stack of papers from the secret compartment, walked to Tang Li, and handed the stack of papers to Tang Li.
Tang Li took it and started looking at it, and found a list and an account book...
After she finished reading it, she understood what was on it. It was all evidence of Zhao Shu's bribery!
The amount of money involved is huge. Zhao Shu, as a prince, actually did such a thing!
"This has been collected over a long period of time." Wei Qing said.
Zhao Shu and his maternal clan, the Wang family, were one of the culprits in the murder of the Xiao family and his mother.
Wei Qing had already sent someone to investigate Zhao Shu.
This is the evidence collected.
"Wife, with these evidences, we can grasp Zhao Shu's vital points. If we take them out at the right time, we can take his life." Wei Qing said.
Tangli suddenly smiled, with a cold hint in his smile.
"Yes, what Zhao Shu cares about most is the throne. He wants to be the crown prince and the emperor. We will prevent him from becoming the crown prince. This is the greatest revenge for him."
…
The next day.
Wei Qing entered the palace early in the morning to attend the morning court.
After the morning court ended, several court officials went to the Shangshu Pavilion again.
This was a small court meeting, and all participants were ministers trusted by the emperor, headed by Prime Minister Duan and Wei Qing.
When Wei Qing was notified to attend the small court meeting, the court officials' attitudes towards him changed.
Although he was promoted to the Minister of Punishments, it was nothing compared to this change.
Today's small court meeting is to discuss the issue of establishing a crown prince.
Emperor Zhou sat in the first seat, sitting upright, exuding the majesty of an emperor.
"Tell me what you think," Emperor Zhou said.
"I believe Your Majesty should appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to reassure the people."
"I also believe that Your Majesty should appoint a crown prince as soon as possible. The princes are now grown up and each one is a child of destiny. Once Your Majesty appoints a crown prince, the other princes can learn from his strengths and assist him."
Except for two or three people who remained silent, the rest of the people supported the establishment of a crown prince.
Emperor Zhou saw clearly that those who spoke were actually biased.
He did not reject the bias of court officials. The crown prince, who would become the emperor in the future, needed the assistance of capable officials.
Emperor Zhou's gaze fell on the three silent people. One was Prime Minister Duan, one was Scholar Lu, and the other was Wu Yu.
Emperor Zhou withdrew his gaze and continued, "Then who do you think is suitable for the position of Crown Prince?"
After Emperor Zhou asked this question, the others became a little hesitant.
"Speak freely, don't be restrained. I want to hear your opinions." said the emperor.
Among them, an impatient one was the first to speak up, "I believe that the Third Prince is respectful, fair, and has both civil and military skills, making him the most suitable candidate for the Crown Prince."
"I believe that the Sixth Prince is a pure-hearted person, intelligent and clever, and is the best candidate for the position of Crown Prince."
Emperor Zhou smiled as he watched everyone speak.
He knew everything that happened in the court.
The court officials were divided into two factions, one supporting the third son and the other supporting the sixth son.
The third and sixth...
The third brother entered the court and acted prudently. Many court officials praised him, and he saw it all.
Although the sixth child is naughty, he is the most like him...
"My dear Duan, what do you think?" asked Emperor Zhou.
Prime Minister Duan walked to the center and said respectfully to the emperor, "I believe that all the princes are favored by heaven and have their own strengths. I have no objection to your majesty's selection."
"What do you think, Lord Wu?" Emperor Zhou looked at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing said respectfully, "I will obey your majesty's orders."
Wei Qing lowered his head and spoke respectfully, but his lowered eyes were filled with coldness.
The Crown Prince...
The throne of the crown prince...
He was originally the prince.
When he was young, he also came to this Shangshu Pavilion. At that time, he was the crown prince, and the court officials all praised him highly.
Now, things have changed and he has become a minister. He has to try every possible means to step into the Shangshu Pavilion again.
Wei Qing didn't feel any pity.
He actually has no interest in power or the position of crown prince.
On the contrary, he hated power.
If it weren't for revenge and clearing the Xiao family's grievances, he would not have entered the court as an official.
He just thought it was ridiculous. This power made people less like human beings and turned them into man-eating monsters.
Hundreds of people in the Xiao family and tens of thousands of Xiao family soldiers were all sacrifices.
Emperor Zhou laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, you two, Lord Duan and Lord Wu, said you would help me share my worries, but in the end you just said it and left this difficult problem to me. It's hard for me to choose."
Although Emperor Zhou said this, he was actually very happy in his heart.
It is normal for court officials to have biases when imperial power changes.
However, now that he is the emperor, and they have already chosen their next master, he must have some resentment in his heart.
The actions of Prime Minister Duan and Wu Yu show that he does not take sides and is only loyal to the emperor and to him.
He was naturally happy.
"I need to think about this carefully." Emperor Zhou rubbed his head, a trace of fatigue on his face. "My dear ministers, please leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The court officials all retreated.
As soon as the court officials left, Emperor Zhou no longer concealed his fatigue and almost collapsed in his chair.
After a while, the eunuch came in with a plate with a saucer and a cup of warm water on it.
"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine." The eunuch said respectfully.
Emperor Zhou opened the lid of the dish and saw a black pill lying inside. The pill was the size of a little finger and had a faint fragrance.
Emperor Zhou picked up the pill, put it in his mouth, and drank some warm water.
After taking the medicine, he closed his eyes and rested for a while.
When I opened my eyes again, I felt a little better.
"De Shun, what do you think?" asked Emperor Zhou.
Deshun glanced at Emperor Zhou, then quickly lowered his head: "Your Majesty is in high spirits."
Before, there was an imperial physician who said that Your Majesty looked energetic but was actually weak inside, and also said that there was something wrong with the saintly doctor’s medicine, so Your Majesty executed him.
Deshun naturally didn't dare to say anything bad.
Deshun served Emperor Zhou for decades and knew him very well.
Emperor Zhou was cautious and suspicious.
When the saintly doctor was brought into the palace, he did not trust him easily. Instead, he tested the medicine on many people and confirmed that it was indeed effective before using it himself.
He had an unbearable headache, and after taking the saintly doctor's medicine, the problem was solved, so he favored the saintly doctor.
After the imperial physician raised the issue, he had doubts and stopped taking the medicine, but when he could no longer bear the pain, he started taking the medicine again.
After he found that he could not live without the medicine, he could only firmly believe that the medicine was fine and killed the doctor who raised the question.
Nowadays, no one dares to say that there is anything wrong with this medicine.
"Your Majesty, the eldest princess requests an audience." At this time, the eunuch guarding outside came in to report.
The eldest princess was the elder sister of Emperor Zhou. They were born of the same mother and had a good relationship since childhood.
Hearing that the eldest princess was coming, Emperor Zhou was naturally happy: "Announce her."
Soon, a graceful woman walked in slowly. It was the eldest princess.
"Your Majesty." The eldest princess saluted.
"Sister, please get up quickly." Emperor Zhou said hurriedly, "Please take a seat."
The princess sat down, her eyes fixed on Emperor Zhou, and she said gently, "Your Majesty is in good spirits."
Emperor Zhou smiled and said, "The Saint Doctor's medicine is very effective."
"But that new medicine? Some time ago, I saw Shu'er busy looking for medicinal materials. Is it for this new medicine? Now that the new medicine is out, Your Majesty enjoys it. Shu'er's efforts have not been in vain. This child is filial, and he will definitely be happy to know this." The eldest princess said with a smile.
"The third child is indeed filial," Emperor Zhou said. "Sister, I have just discussed the selection of a crown prince with my ministers. Do you have any thoughts?"
When Emperor Zhou said this, the air seemed to become stagnant.
The eldest princess naturally felt the change and understood that he was testing her.
Everyone says that they are from the same mother and have a good relationship, but in fact, he is even wary of his own sister.
The eldest princess seemed completely unaware and spoke loudly, "Your Majesty, of course I think Shu'er is better. There are differences in closeness. This child is close to me, otherwise why would I choose him as my son-in-law? The sixth child is too naughty, jumping up and down and wandering around in front of me. It gives me a headache."
Emperor Zhou disliked people who were too scheming. If the princess had spoken in a roundabout way, he would have been wary. But when she spoke so openly, Emperor Zhou was less suspicious.
Emperor Zhou calmed down and started to laugh, "Sixth Brother is really like a monkey. He became more restrained after being sent to the Imperial College."
"Your Majesty was also this tough when he was little," the princess said. "To avoid the Grand Tutor, he hid in my palace every day."
"Isn't that because my sister protected me?" Emperor Zhou thought of the past and his expression became much gentler.
The two talked for a while, and then the eldest princess stood up and left.
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes and thought.
The prince...
A four or five-year-old child emerged in his mind. That child was tough and strong-willed, not afraid of him, very smart, and always able to come up with all kinds of reasons to refute him. In fact, it was not Lao Liu who was most like him, but that child.
pity……
Emperor Zhou suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze was firm, he had already made a decision.
"Come here, draft an edict for me."
It was proposed that the third prince, Zhao Shu, be made the crown prince.
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