The egalitarian ideas of "Princess Meat and Egg" have never diminished.
She was very unhappy to be scolded like that and said, "My brother will naturally go to visit him. Did the Duke of Cheng'en summon me here just to scold me?"
The Duke of Cheng'en was hard of hearing, but not completely so. In the imperial court, the Golden Palace was too big, and people were far away, so he couldn't hear them clearly.
Now that we're face-to-face, he can basically hear everything.
He slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "You scoundrel, coming here to show off your power to me?"
Princess Meatball was also annoyed: "How dare you! I am the ruler, and you are the subject. If you have something to say, say it. What are you doing, putting on airs?"
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a chill on my neck.
Princess Meatball looked down and saw Wei Anyuan's unsheathed sword, its blade pressed against her neck.
"You, how dare you... what do you want to do?" Princess Meatball stammered in fright.
People in ancient times were so annoying; they killed people at the drop of a hat. Even though she was a princess, a courtier held a sword to her neck.
"Can you speak properly now?" Wei Anyuan's voice was low and deep. He glanced at her, his eyes icy cold.
"Yes, yes!" My life is at stake!
Wei Anyuan sheathed his sword and returned to his indifferent demeanor.
The Duke of Cheng'en suppressed his anger, sighed, and got down to business: "When the old lady passed away, I submitted a memorial in court to observe mourning for my mother according to the old calendar, and His Majesty approved it on the same day."
Wei Shixun snorted: "His Majesty has probably been hoping for the passing of his great-grandmother... It's troublesome. After three years of mourning, everything will change."
The Duke of Cheng'en said, "Even if I am in mourning, I am not afraid. With the Empress Dowager and the Empress in power, there are many loyal people in the court who are devoted to the Wei family."
Upon hearing this, Princess Meatball thought to herself: Good grief, are you trying to rebel? I'm also a member of the Zhou family, can't you show me some respect?
Then, Duke Cheng'en said anxiously, "The Crown Prince's strange illness is difficult to cure, and he is becoming as thin as a ghost."
“I’m afraid of him. He’s about to become useless… He must ascend the throne as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qi ascend the throne, the prosperity of my Wei clan for a hundred years will be hard to maintain, and our lives may even be in danger.”
Wei Anyuan said, "I came back this time to hear Father's arrangements. The Northwest Border Army is now entirely under my control. In addition to the imperial army of 100,000, our Wei family army has another 200,000. 300,000 troops are enough to start an uprising."
Princess Meatball was terrified. Was this really going to be a rebellion?
"Everything else is fine, but we'll have to find a way to supply the grain and fodder,"
Wei Anyuan frowned and said, "Last year, Zhang Hexuan served as the magistrate of Yuzhou County. He selected virtuous and capable officials and governed Yuzhou well, resulting in abundant harvests, peaceful and prosperous lives for the people, and strong and well-equipped troops under the Zhenguo Duke."
My Northwest Army can no longer get a single grain of food from Yuzhou, and the Duke of Zhenguo is keeping a close eye on me, so I'm hesitant to act rashly.
Wei Shuyun is the son of a concubine from the second branch of the family. He has been separated from the clan and registered as a merchant (a lowly status). He usually keeps a low profile, but he is a core member of the Chengen Duke's Mansion who is in charge of allocating grain and fodder.
Wei Shuyun said, "Uncle, don't worry, Yun'er will take care of everything."
Listening to their conversation, the Duke of Chengen glanced at Princess Roudan and said again, "Princess, your brother is in poor health. Even if he is confined to his quarters, you will always find a way to care for him. In addition, Chuchu has given birth to a child, and tomorrow is the third-day celebration. His Majesty has already granted the Crown Prince's residence three days of unconfined leave."
Princess Meatball thought to herself, "Is she trying to get me to investigate the Crown Prince's background?"
The prince is incredibly cunning; I hope I don't give myself away!
"I'll go see them tomorrow." She agreed first, then discussed it further.
Both Duke Cheng'en and Wei Anyuan gave her a meaningful look again, but said nothing.
Then they began to talk about the crown prince's ascension to the throne.
"We must start an uprising as soon as possible so that the crown prince can ascend the throne as soon as possible."
A group of people discussed how to deploy troops and how to ensure supplies were delivered in advance.
No one asked Princess Meatball what she was going to do; it was as if she were just an observer. A short while later, Wei Anyuan called the guards at the door: "Bring them all in."
More than a dozen military officers suddenly rushed into the study, each exuding a murderous aura that sent chills down one's spine.
Princess Meatball involuntarily turned pale and clenched her fists.
These military commanders discussed their route of raising troops, contingency plans, and various coordination strategies.
They discussed it for two whole hours, but Princess Meatball didn't understand much. All she knew was that they were going to rebel, and that they had been preparing for it for decades.
Also, she was very tired; her back ached, her legs ached, her buttocks ached, and her eyes ached.
They discussed it, but no one asked for her opinion.
She understood that she wouldn't be needed unless it was a critical moment.
The military officers discussed the matter for more than two hours before leaving. Wei Shixun arranged for people to escort them out of the mansion separately.
Then, a group of civil officials came in.
They were all trusted confidants of the Duke of Cheng'en.
Civil officials and military officers are completely different. After entering, they exchanged pleasantries with Duke Chengen and Wei Anyuan, while their eyes kept glancing at Princess Roudan.
What's this scoundrel doing here?
She is a royal princess, Emperor Hui's own daughter. Wouldn't she betray him? Wouldn't she leak secrets?
This absurd and shameless woman, does she even deserve to sit here? She's dragged down the entire grand undertaking of overthrowing the dynasty by eight levels.
Princess Meatball, seeing their keen eyes, knew she was being suspected. She smiled at them and said, "I'll just be an observer. Do as you please."
This sentence sounds just like that ignorant and incompetent Princess Meatball.
By the time everyone had finished their discussions, it was already late at night.
Princess Meatball went from initial curiosity to shock, and then to numbness, feeling utterly disgusted as she watched the piercingly rambling civil official spouting nonsense.
Military officers are much more straightforward; this civil official should be executed for nagging on and on about the same thing.
Ten thousand flies buzzing around, it's so annoying.
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