Chapter 528: It hurts, Tang Ning comforts me
Xiao Yan nodded. "Beiling has been in chaos lately, and a border war is imminent. If the situation in the capital hadn't been so difficult, the Dragon Court Guards should have stayed in the northwest to fight the enemy alongside the Zhen'an Army."
The prince said anxiously, "But if they leave, what if Father wakes up and goes back on his word..."
The Dragon Court Guards were originally meant to protect the royal family. He thought that Xiao Yan had brought people into the capital and found a way to get to the traitor Shang Qin, intending to leave the Dragon Court Guards in the capital and hand them over to him.
If he, the crown prince, had no real power, how could he intimidate the court? And how could he prevent his father from making a move against him?
But he didn't expect that the Dragon Court Guards would actually return to the northwest!"
The Crown Prince said anxiously, "Lord Xiao, you have no personal soldiers besides the Black Armor Guards. Liu Tong'en was able to tamper with the four camps outside the capital. Di Tao alone may not be able to suppress them."
"The Dragon Court Guards only obey the Emperor's orders, and the Zhen'an Army is stationed in the northwest. Why not leave General Fu and his men in the capital so they can respond at any time..."
Xiao Yan looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness has also said that the Dragon Court Guards only obey the orders of the Emperor. You are now the Crown Prince, not the Emperor."
The prince's face froze.
Xiao Yan softened his tone, "We were able to convince the Dragon Court Guard to serve us this time because so many people died in the floods in the south. Your Majesty's actions have infuriated the world. Furthermore, Shang Qin, while in control of the Dragon Court Guard, has ignored the border war and focused solely on power struggles, ignoring the original purpose of Taizu's founding of the Dragon Court Guard. Fu Yue and the others conspired with us to seize control of the Dragon Court Guard."
"They only brought over 10,000 men with them to the capital, and the majority of the Dragon Court Guard remains in the northwest. With Shang Qin's death, the Dragon Court Guard is leaderless. If they don't return to the northwest and reorganize their forces in time, chaos will break out in the northwest, especially since Your Majesty is still alive."
"Once the old case in the Southland is thoroughly investigated and His Majesty promises to bring justice to those who died unjustly, what excuse will the Dragon Court Guards have to disobey His Majesty's orders?"
"Your Highness, by leaving them in the capital, is he trying to leave a butcher's knife for Your Majesty that could turn against you and me at any time and take our lives?"
The prince's face turned pale. "I thought General Fu and the others would obey your orders..."
Xiao Yan: "I am only a member of the He family, not a member of the royal family. When your Highness's men were mixed in with the imperial guards before the palace gate, they should have heard that the Dragon Court Guards were disobeying the tiger talisman's orders."
The prince froze suddenly, his eyes showing panic: "I didn't, I was just worried about your safety..."
"Your Highness, there's no need to explain." Xiao Yan said calmly, "You are the crown prince, so it's right for you to leave yourself more options for retreat. In your current position, caution is the only way to save your life."
"Lord Xiao..." The prince's face was tense.
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "What I said is true."
"I have used Your Highness before, so it is understandable that Your Highness is worried about me. However, since you know what the Dragon Court Guards said at the palace gate, you should understand that they only obey the emperor's orders and not the tiger talisman. I have little power to control them."
"If you want to use them, wait until you ascend the throne and then transfer them back to the capital. For now, instead of relying on the Dragon Court Guards, you'd better manage the court well."
He spoke sincerely and meant every word from the heart.
"Aside from the common people and those who died unjustly in the Southland case, the most shocked were the court officials. Your Majesty's actions have completely lost their support. On the other hand, your dedication to the country and the people, without fear of personal safety, is what truly earns their obedience."
"Now that you are the crown prince and in charge of government affairs, if you can conduct this thorough investigation impartially, deal with the rebellious ministers, and fill the remaining vacancies, you will be able to gain a firm foothold in the court and win the hearts and minds of the people. If you can seize this opportunity to gain the support of the court officials, then no one will be able to challenge your position as crown prince."
"You are the crown prince. Don't worry about the gains and losses in the present, but focus on the future."
The prince was awakened by Xiao Yan's words, and suddenly realized that he only wanted to recruit Longting Guards for his own use and seize power for himself, but he forgot that he was now the prince, and no longer the prince of humble status who was not valued by the emperor and had no confidence.
He took a half step back and bowed deeply to Xiao Yan.
"I am narrow-minded. Thank you, Governor Xiao, for your advice."
Xiao Yan reached out and helped the prince to his feet: "Your Highness and I have always shared honor and disgrace."
The prince was filled with gratitude: "I will never forget the kindness of Governor Xiao."
…
When they came out of the Imperial Dragon Terrace, the palace was brightly lit everywhere. The patrolling guards who met them on the road gave way when they saw Xiao Yan and his party. The palace servants also retreated to the sides, saluted respectfully and called out "Lord Xiao".
Tianqing led the way with a lantern in hand. The dim light fell on the palace walls on both sides, and the shadows of Tang Ning and Xiao Yan overlapped.
Seeing Xiao Yan wiping the hand he had just helped the prince with a handkerchief full of disgust, Tang Ning laughed: "The prince is too thoughtful. I'm afraid he can't be trusted."
Xiao Yan threw the handkerchief aside, then took her hand and dodged the protrusion on the ground. "I know he's been wary of me for a long time, and I'm afraid he doesn't trust me completely. But until he gets other help and can firmly sit on the throne of Crown Prince and compete with Emperor An, he can only rely on me."
The prince is a short-sighted man with an arrogant mind and great ambitions, but he lacks the character to match them. The "edict of repentance" written on behalf of others is the biggest stain on his life.
As long as Emperor An was alive, his indifference towards him and his impatience for imperial power were enough to make it difficult for him to win the support of the people.
Tang Ning seemed to be thinking deeply: "So my brother asked him to take advantage of Emperor An's serious illness to recruit court officials?"
Xiao Yan hummed, "While there are certainly some opportunists in the court who have no bottom line, those who truly hold power all wish for the longevity of the Great Wei. No one would want to see someone who is unfilial, immoral, foolish, ambitious, and prone to murderous acts ascend to power."
In order to win him over and to maintain the image he has established tonight, the Crown Prince will definitely conduct a thorough investigation into the old case from twenty years ago and will even try every possible means to clear the name of the He family. However, there are too many things involved in the past, and too many people were involved in the extermination of the He family. Once a thorough investigation is conducted, the court will be turned upside down.
The prince is a conceited man who wants to gain fame and reputation in the court and win the hearts of the people. He also wants to thoroughly investigate old cases so that he can take advantage of the opportunity to place his own people there. He will never give up.
Xiao Yan wanted to use the prince to overturn the verdict on the He family, and also to use him to appease some people.
As he led Tang Ning out, he looked at the palace gate not far away and whispered:
"There are too many corrupt officials in the court, and those who only work for free occupy all the important positions. I can certainly seize the military power and force them to obey, but the court is corrupt, the soldiers are in trouble and lack food, and the power of the aristocratic families cannot be underestimated. If I remove the fuel from the fire and force them to fight to the death, it will damage the foundation of the Great Wei."
"It would be better to use the Crown Prince to purge some of the court officials, and then use the old case of the He family to force the aristocratic families to make concessions. As long as we don't kill them all and leave them with hope, they can spit out blood and peel off a layer of skin. This will make the Great Wei treasury prosperous in a short period of time, and the court will be restored as soon as possible."
Xiao Yan's brows were tinged with worry. "Beiling's march south is inevitable. There will be war by the beginning of next spring at the latest. The Wei treasury is empty, and the court is in chaos. We must resolve our internal concerns as soon as possible in order to cope with the upcoming war."
"Take a step back and keep the aristocratic families, allowing an unpopular, stupid and arrogant prince to appease them. In exchange, when the Beiling army marches south, the court will have sufficient food and supplies, and the border troops will not lack food and drink. It's quite worth it."
Tang Ning listened to the words of the man beside her and looked at his sharp profile, feeling shocked.
She knew how much Xiao Yan hated those people in the court.
He was filled with hatred for his father's murder, the throne, and the blood debt of his clan's annihilation. He wished he could kill all the people from the aristocratic families, take Emperor An's life, and slaughter all those who betrayed the late crown prince and the He family to avenge them. However, he never let hatred blind his mind.
He has gone through life and death to get to where he is today. It is obvious that he can achieve his long-cherished wish within his reach. As long as he takes one more step, he will be above everyone else.
But he didn't.
Tang Ning pursed her lips lightly, feeling a tingling pain in her heart.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Yan saw the person beside him suddenly stop, turned around and asked softly, "Are you cold?"
Tang Ning shook his head: "Not cold."
She held Xiao Yan's hand and looked down at the mottled scars, a mixture of new and old. "Does the wound still hurt?"
Xiao Yan saw the heartache that could not be concealed in her eyes. Her dark eyelashes, which were darkened by the moonlight, drooped slightly. When the corners of her eyes relaxed, a faint smile appeared in her eyes.
"pain."
Tang Ning's face showed panic, and the next moment she was held in his arms.
"But if Tang Ning comforts me, the pain will go away."
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