This obvious compromise delighted Xuan Yuanzhi. He didn't say it outright, but stared at Xuan Yuanduo with interest, his burning gaze carrying a hint of flirting.
Even someone as thick-skinned as Xuanyuan Duo felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. He coughed lightly and said, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but I've always been Lao San's man. I can't just switch sides with you all at once, what kind of person would I be? What if..."
Xuanyuan Duo raised his chin at Xuanyuan Zhi, his words unspoken but the meaning clear.
It means that if Xuanyuan Yu is the one who eventually ascends the throne, he, the first person to betray him, will surely die without a burial place!
Xuan Yuanzhi was so clever that he understood Xuan Yuanduo's concerns. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't need you to submit to me immediately. You can still be the third brother's man on the surface, but secretly you are already my man. In the future, when I really need you to stand on my side, such as when I need your city guards, you can stand on my side."
Xuanyuan Duo frowned and pondered for a while, but did not raise any objections.
You know what, that's not a bad idea.
Moreover, this kind of covert communication between the two sides gives him a lot of flexibility. When the time comes to actually take sides, he will definitely decide based on the situation.
He would support whoever was most likely to ascend the throne, regardless of whether the third prince had murdered their father; he only needed to protect his own interests.
Of course, if the second son defeats the third son in the end, he can support the second son. After all, the third son murdered the emperor first, which was a heinous and immoral act, so he has no right to blame him for betraying him.
After much consideration, Xuanyuan Duo finally agreed: "Alright. From now on, I'll stand by your side, but I can't openly help you yet. However, I can stay by Xuanyuan Yu's side and help you get information about him."
Xuan Yuanzhi understood Xuan Yuanduo's little schemes perfectly well.
He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, and so he let him. After all, it wasn't the final moment yet, and he wasn't afraid of him jumping back and forth, as long as he could bear the consequences of having his cake and eat it too.
"Then it's settled. We're brothers, and if I ever really get that position, I'll make sure you, my elder brother, benefit from it. When I'm granted a title or a noble rank, I'll make sure you're treated well."
As he spoke, Xuanyuan Zhi raised his cup to Xuanyuan Duo.
"Then I'll thank you in advance, Second Prince." Xuanyuan Duo also raised his cup, and the two of them drank the wine in their cups in one gulp.
After finishing his drink, Xuan Yuanzhi looked at Xuan Yuanduo and asked, "What did Xuan Yuanyu talk to you about in private today?"
"Cough!" Xuan Yuanduo was so startled by Xuan Yuanzhi's question that he coughed.
Looking at Xuan Yuanduo's guilty look, Xuan Yuanzhi sneered, "Didn't you say that from today onwards you are actually my man? What? You won't even give me this stepping stone?"
"No." Xuan Yuanduo coughed twice, finally stopping his voice, and looked at Xuan Yuanzhi with difficulty: "Actually, he didn't say anything, it's just that the third brother is very confident and said that Father will favor him."
Xuan Yuanzhi didn't know where Xuan Yuanyu got his confidence from, but his father had indeed sided with him today.
Even if his plan to reduce the army's pay was unreliable, Xuanyuan Yu's plan to reduce the salaries of his officials was equally unreliable, yet the Emperor still followed Xuanyuan Yu's advice, which was truly abnormal.
Could it be that besides causing his father to contract tuberculosis, Xuanyuan Yu did something else to his father?
Xuan Yuanzhi couldn't understand, and frowned as he looked at Xuan Yuanduo: "Is there nothing else besides these?"
Xuanyuan Duo curled his lips. At this moment, he really felt that being a spy was not easy. He was being asked to reveal everything.
However, for the first time, Xuanyuan Duo had to show some sincerity: "Also, I think that the reason why Father suddenly put you and the third prince in charge of the country and kicked Xuanyuan Zhan out of the game is very likely because Father discovered that Xuanyuan Zhan may not be his biological son, so Father decided to pass the throne to the two of you."
Hearing this for the first time, Xuan Yuanzhi immediately perked up: "Where did you hear this from? How do you know these things?"
If Xuanyuan Zhan is not the Emperor's biological son, then his only competitor is Xuanyuan Yu.
Now that Xuanyuan Yu has plotted to murder his father, he has such a huge handle on him, so he's not afraid that Xuanyuan Yu can still cause trouble.
“That’s my guess. Father Emperor used to favor Xuanyuan Zhan so much, so there must be a reason for suddenly kicking him out of the game. My guess isn’t impossible.” Xuanyuan Duo was very confident in his guess; he felt that his guess was correct.
Xuan Yuanzhi raised an eyebrow: "Never mind whether it's true or not, but we can make this thing true."
Bloodlines are something that's hard to distinguish between real and fake; who can really tell?
Originally, Xuanyuan Zhan was not the Emperor's son; he was the Holy King's son. He couldn't prove he was the Emperor's son to begin with. If rumors were added to his name, the Emperor would become suspicious, and then the Emperor would probably not pass the throne to Xuanyuan Zhan.
After all, he wasn't without his own son. If he passed the throne to Xuanyuan Zhan, what if Xuanyuan Zhan wasn't his biological son? Wouldn't the throne then fall into someone else's hands?
Xuan Yuanduo looked at Xuan Yuanzhi with a black line on his face: "You and Lao San are really brothers, you say the same things."
Xuan Yuanzhi's eyes lit up: "So, the third brother thinks so too."
Xuanyuan Duo pursed his lips: "Yes, I'll leave it to Zhao Ji to handle."
Xuan Yuanzhi could only envy Xuan Yuanyu's competence in handling affairs.
It's a pity he didn't have a father-in-law as capable as Zhao Ji to help him.
However, he was happy to see this happen, so he decided to leave it to Zhao Ji. By ruining Xuan Yuanzhan, he could remain unscathed when his father investigated.
"Besides these things, is there anything else?" Xuan Yuanzhi suddenly asked again.
...Xuanyuan Duo looked at Xuanyuan Zhi speechlessly.
Isn't all that enough?
Having said all that, Xuan Yuanduo leaned closer to Xuan Yuanzhi and whispered, "I also found out that Father Emperor gave Ming Wang a will to pass on the throne that day. The will was blank. It seems that Father Emperor meant that whoever was more capable of overseeing the country, you or the third prince, would have their name written as the successor."
Xuan Yuanzhi was not surprised by this, because he had heard the same news.
This time, the Emperor has indeed rejected Xuan Yuanzhan and is choosing a successor only from him and Xuan Yuanyu, which is something he had not expected before.
To be honest, Xuanyuan Duo's idea is not entirely impossible.
Otherwise, the Emperor's sudden move to push Xuanyuan Zhan out of the game would be quite strange.
Seeing that Xuan Yuanzhi showed no surprise, Xuan Yuanduo frowned: "You already knew?"
Xuan Yuanzhi glanced at Xuan Yuanduo and said wickedly, "It's no harm to tell you, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Shan Jing, is actually one of my men."
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