In his letter to Helian Jue, the Fourth Prince mentioned that his group had arrived in Guangcheng and their next destination was Yuezhou.
The fourth prince claimed he was visiting his elder brother, but in reality, he just wanted to cause trouble and make his presence known.
Because he had no intention of taking up his fiefdom, let alone going to Yongzhou.
He was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it, so he decided to come to Helian Jue to find some trouble.
Rewind to three months ago, when the Fourth Prince had just received the Emperor's decree and was completely dumbfounded.
"To take up a fief? What fief? To what fief?"
The fourth prince's heart and face were filled with question marks.
He's been keeping a very low profile. While his other brothers are fighting tooth and nail for the dragon throne, he's just hiding behind the Fifth Prince.
Yes, everyone thinks he's the fourth brother, stupid, and a tool in the fifth brother's hands.
However, in the eyes of the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince was also his shield.
His maternal family was a prominent family in the north, and his maternal grandfather and uncles either held high positions or commanded large armies.
His mother was a Noble Consort, whose rank in the harem was second only to Empress Ashina, Consort Xiao, and Consort Mu.
Consort Xiao was favored by the emperor, Consort Mu had the support of the old Xianbei nobles in the north, and the fourth prince received much attention from the northern aristocratic families.
But family members know their own affairs. The Fourth Prince was well aware that he wasn't particularly clever.
He lacked the ability to seize the throne, and he didn't want to either.
His greatest wish in this life was to be a wealthy prince and live a carefree and happy life.
If he's lucky, the sage will give him a decent fiefdom.
After the emperor passed away, he took his mother to his fiefdom.
Being a local tyrant in one's fiefdom, doing whatever one wants, is far better than staying in the capital and having to outwit and outmaneuver a bunch of people.
If he was unlucky and didn't get a good fief, he would suffer in silence and stay in the capital.
In any case, most of the vassal kings of the Great Zhou Dynasty were nominally appointed and did not necessarily have to take up their posts.
The Fourth Prince was known in the capital as a "good-for-nothing prince," so it wasn't impossible for him to act like a rogue and a dissolute prince.
The fourth prince only wanted to be a wealthy, lazy bum.
Unfortunately, his background did not allow him to "lie down".
He didn't want to compete, but the Cui family behind him, as well as the major northern families, were pushing and forcing him to compete.
Especially after the unification of the North and South, the powerful families of the Southern Dynasties began to vie for power in the new dynasty.
Consort Xiao was born into a prominent family in the Southern Dynasty, and her two sons became objects of admiration for the Southern Dynasty's aristocratic families.
At that time, Crown Prince Helian Jue had not yet been deposed.
The Southern Dynasties aristocratic families, which had just been incorporated into the imperial court, seemed to have an edge.
Subsequently, the Great Zhou Dynasty decisively defeated the Turks, and the maternal clan of Empress Ashina suffered a complete defeat.
The situation of Crown Prince Helian Jue became delicate.
At this very moment, the eight noble families of Xianbei, along with the northern aristocratic families represented by the Cui family, though not united, were united in their attack on Helian Jue.
Ultimately, Helian Jue was deposed and "exiled" to Lingnan.
This time, it seems that the northern aristocratic families have turned the tables on the southern aristocratic families.
However, the powerful families of the Southern Dynasty were not discouraged. After Helian Jue fell, they went to support Helian Jue's younger brother, the Third Prince.
The struggle for the throne is destined to continue until the very last moment.
The Fourth Prince had no intention of getting involved from the beginning, and after witnessing Helian Jue's downfall, he was even less inclined to get involved.
Are you kidding me!
One wrong move and you could fall from grace.
He should just stick to being the fourth prince; let whoever wants the throne take it.
Anyway, he doesn't steal.
The fourth prince knew he wasn't clever enough to come up with any brilliant plan.
He decided to play dumb to the end and simply hid behind the Fifth Prince.
Sure enough, the northern noble families who had originally placed high hopes on him abandoned him when they saw that he was really stupid and even "willingly degraded" himself to be a lackey for other princes.
They all switched their allegiance to the Fifth Prince—
Firstly, since the Fourth Prince had become the Fifth Prince's henchman, the aristocratic families of the North subconsciously felt that the Fifth Prince was strong enough.
Secondly, the Fifth Prince is gentle and refined, a true gentleman, and very willing to be close to aristocratic families.
Unlike the current emperor, the fifth prince was quite gentle.
Cough cough, people like that are easy to manipulate!
This perfectly matches the expectations of aristocratic families.
Thirdly, the Fifth Prince sought to marry the daughter of the Zheng family of Xingyang, becoming the son-in-law of a prominent family in the north.
In-law relationships have always been the best way to bring two sides closer together.
So, gradually, the Fifth Prince replaced the Fourth Prince and became the representative of the aristocratic families of the North.
The fourth prince had fallen out of favor, but he was neither disappointed nor regretful; he was secretly pleased with himself.
Even his mother, Consort Cui, said to him with satisfaction, "My son, you have done well!"
As a mother, Consort Cui's wish was simple: for her son to marry well, have children, and live a life of wealth, health, peace, and stability.
As for the throne... tsk, my own son is simply not cut out for it, so why should I go and throw my life away?
Neither mother nor son were particularly intelligent, yet they were remarkably clear-headed, preferring to tarnish their own reputation rather than get involved in the court's infighting!
However, just as the fourth prince was hiding behind the fifth prince, waiting to live a life of idleness and comfort, the emperor first bestowed upon him the title of king—the Prince of Yong!
Well, if it weren't for the precedent of letting Helian Jue "take up his fief," the Fourth Prince wouldn't have cared about the Prince of Yong or anything like that.
Unfortunately, Helian Jue was indeed sent to Lingnan by the emperor.
The fourth prince immediately panicked.
Could it be that the sage thinks I am too stupid and shameful, and therefore specially appointed me as the Prince of Yong in preparation for my future "exile"?
I spent a few months in a state of anxiety, and also happened to witness the excitement of the Third Prince being exposed and besieged.
There's also a constant stream of news from Lingnan.
Helian Jue actually deceived everyone, pretending to be weak while secretly taking over the entire Yuezhou!
The fourth prince couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart; his feelings for Helian Jue were very complicated.
On the one hand, this eldest brother is really annoying; he's arrogant, narcissistic, and petty.
On the other hand, the fourth prince felt sorry for Helian Jue, who was unloved by his birth mother, uncared for by his adoptive mother, and treated as a pawn to be sacrificed at any time by his biological father.
While in the capital, the Fourth Prince, in order to maintain his image as a "frivolous prince," deliberately went to Helian Jue to provoke and pick fights.
As expected, the fourth prince's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly.
However, in the heart of the Fourth Prince, he never really intended to oppose Helian Jue.
To become his enemy?
Are you kidding me?
Helian Jue was notorious for being vengeful.
If you really offend him and he kills you, you won't even know it!
The fourth prince drew a line for himself, which would both highlight his stupidity and absurdity and avoid actually angering Helian Jue.
He kept jumping back and forth along this line.
Only after Helian Jue actually left did the Fourth Prince breathe a long sigh of relief: finally, he no longer had to deal with Helian Jue.
However, the reality check came just as quickly.
With a single imperial decree, the emperor sent the fourth prince to live next to Helian Jue.
Fourth Prince: ...
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