When Zhao Chen heard that he would become emperor, he was overjoyed.
But his joy quickly faded, and he said with some annoyance, "Now many people are optimistic about Zhao Chun."
"Your Majesty is unaware of the truth, news has just arrived from Tokyo that Zhao Chun has been poisoned and his fate is currently unknown."
The cup in Zhao Chen's hand suddenly fell to the ground, spilling wine all over the floor.
"What!" Zhao Chen exclaimed in disbelief, "Chun-ge'er has been poisoned?"
"What? Is Your Majesty very happy? If Zhao Chun dies, Your Majesty can naturally ascend the throne smoothly."
"Nonsense!" Zhao Chen suddenly became agitated. "Even if I wanted to be emperor, I would never let Chun-ge die!"
Lu Wanqing was slightly taken aback, not expecting that although Zhao Chen had many flaws, he was not malicious.
She immediately agreed, saying, "Your Majesty is soft-hearted. Don't worry, Zhao Chun should be fine."
Zhao Chen sighed, having lost all interest in drinking: "Although I long to be the crown prince and I am very jealous of Chun-ge'er, I will never do anything that would cause brothers to kill each other."
"But what if someone forces you?"
"Who forced me?"
Lu Wanqing smiled and said, "Of course no one dares to force Your Majesty. I'm just saying in case, in case Your Majesty is forced to do something against your will."
Zhao Chen remained silent and said nothing more.
There are never secrets in the palace, and the news of Zhao Chun being poisoned spread very quickly.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
A few days later, a rumor spread from who-knows-where that these were assassins sent by the King of Liao.
It is said that the Prince of Liao wanted to become the crown prince, so he planned to assassinate the emperor's most beloved son.
Rumors stop with the wise.
Unfortunately, the masses are always fools.
Of course, some people speculate that they were assassins from the Liao Dynasty.
Yelü Dashi sent assassins to kill Zong Ze, and then planned to assassinate the emperor, but unfortunately, it was the emperor's son who was killed.
The people's hearts in the imperial court have always been a very sensitive topic.
Some say they were assassins sent by the Liao King, and these rumors spread like wildfire.
Some people began to wait and see what the emperor would do.
If the King of Liao dares to send assassins, the Emperor will certainly not let him off the hook.
Some say that the emperor actually favored the Prince of Liao, otherwise he wouldn't have sent him to govern Xianzhou in Liaodong.
This is to train him.
Soon, the emperor will summon him back to the palace and appoint him as the crown prince.
Zhao Chen had heard many rumors about Tokyo.
Zhao Shen, who is studying at the University of Tokyo, has been writing letters to Zhao Chen frequently during this period, hoping that he will not be affected by the rumors.
This was clearly a deliberate attempt to frame him, a scheme to use the opportunity to force the emperor to establish a crown prince.
Some time later, an explosive piece of news came from Tokyo: the emperor had appointed Zhao Chun as the crown prince.
When Zhao Chen received the news, he was enjoying the snow with Zhu Qing's daughter, his own princess, Zhu Yuying.
Zhu Yuying was also very clever and immediately realized that Zhao Chen's low spirits must be due to his sadness at losing the position of crown prince.
She said, "My husband, you don't need to worry about it too much."
"You don't understand. If I become emperor in the future, I can also govern the world according to my own ideas. I also have the talent to manage the world, and I want to show my abilities!"
Zhao Chen was very unwilling: "Why doesn't the Emperor make me the Crown Prince? I am the eldest son of the legitimate wife!"
"Your Majesty, isn't life good now?"
"I'm not reconciled!"
Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Chun's health has improved a lot, and he's back to being lively and energetic.
The grain for the westward expedition was already on its way, and much of it had even reached the front lines.
The Imperial Guards also trained day and night.
The debate over the emperor's personal command of the expedition has begun again in the court.
This dynasty has a tradition of emperors personally leading military campaigns.
Emperor Taizu was a military man, and although Emperor Taizong suffered a major defeat in his personal campaign, he still managed to capture Taiyuan.
The emperor had personally led several expeditions before, and each time he returned victorious.
Supporters naturally believed that the emperor's personal campaign would inevitably lead to a great victory and eliminate the threat to the western borders of the Song Dynasty.
Opponents argued that the Song Dynasty was undergoing rapid development, and the emperor's absence would inevitably impact economic growth.
Another month passed amidst the debate.
After swearing an oath in Tokyo, Zhao Huan finally stepped onto the battlefield of the western expedition once again.
One hundred thousand Imperial Guards set off from Tokyo in a grand procession, heading northwest.
The number of laborers mobilized in the Northwest reached as many as 1.5 million.
From road construction to grain transportation, the land in Northwest China is undergoing rapid changes.
Wherever the emperor went, the people lined the streets to welcome him.
As the Imperial Guards marched westward, the situation in Liaodong had stabilized.
At least on the surface, things have stabilized.
Lu Wanqing wrote a letter to the man in black before her, saying, "You must find a way to get this letter to Li Gang!"
"Yes, sir!"
Three days later, Li Gang received a letter of complaint, in which someone reported that Li Chongguang had privately opened a trading company and was operating a mine without authorization.
It's a major taboo for the military to get involved in business, let alone mining.
Before Li Gang received this letter of complaint.
A horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of Li Chongguang's mansion.
Upon seeing Lu Wanqing again, Li Chongguang was so excited that he didn't sleep for three days and three nights.
Lu Wanqing lay in Li Chongguang's arms, and suddenly her voice became somewhat sorrowful: "Commander Li, I'm afraid this time I've come here to say goodbye to you forever."
Li Chongguang immediately became anxious upon hearing this: "What do you mean by that?"
“What you don’t know is that Li Gang discovered our businesses, but I stopped him from doing so. It has nothing to do with you, Commander.”
Li Chongguang was slightly taken aback: "What! How could Li Gang know? We did it very discreetly!"
“There are no secrets in the world. As long as Li Gang has some more evidence, he can arrest me. Don’t worry, Commander, I will take care of it.”
Lu Wanqing spoke with tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful, which made Li Chongguang feel heartbroken.
"My beauty, how could I abandon you!"
“Commander, Prime Minister Li is impartial and incorruptible; he will not let me off the hook. Mining is explicitly prohibited by the imperial court.”
"If Li Gang dares to lay a finger on you, I'll kill him!"
Lu Wanqing quickly covered Li Chongguang's mouth: "Commander, watch your words, walls have ears."
"Hmph! This is the Governor-General's residence, not the Military Commander's residence!"
"I appreciate Commander Li's kindness, but this matter is of great importance. Commander Li, please do not jeopardize your future because of me!"
"My future can't compare to a beautiful woman!" Li Chongguang said proudly. "You don't need to worry, the 100,000 Iron Forest Army in Liaodong will all listen to me!"
"Commander Li!" Lu Wanqing hugged Li Chongguang and nestled in his arms. "My dear Li, meeting you in this life is the greatest blessing I have ever received."
A few days later, the people Li Gang sent out to investigate indeed found that there was an iron mine near Shenzhou that belonged to Li Chongguang.
"This is outrageous! The military is prohibited from engaging in business! Let alone mining! Who gave him that right?!"
Li Gang roared, "Men, hand all of these over to the Censorate and tell them to go find Li Chongguang!"
"yes!"
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