Chapter 299 Can’t You Be Partial to Me?
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise, Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise! Your Highness the Crown Prince must severely punish the murderer!" someone shouted.
But some people also doubted his statement. An old lady stubbornly asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince won't protect him, right? He's also a prince."
This question is a trap. After all, the Fourth Prince is a prince, and he is only the Crown Prince. He has no right to deal with the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince must be dealt with personally by Emperor Qianyuan.
The Crown Prince's current stance is just overstepping his authority. What does Emperor Qianyuan think? He's not even dead yet, and yet he doesn't even take the Emperor seriously?
If the father and son had a good relationship, it would be fine. But the Crown Prince and Emperor Qianyuan... forget it, let's not talk about it.
Emperor Qianyuan also sent someone to invite the prince into the palace.
Emperor Qianyuan had been recuperating. This time, he forced himself to come to the imperial study despite his illness, and the prince walked in.
Emperor Qianyuan stared at him and asked, "How do you plan to deal with this matter?" His tone was slightly anxious.
The prince frowned and said, "Li Cheng's crime is unforgivable and he should be executed according to the law."
Emperor Qianyuan angrily said, "He is your own brother! Do you still have any brotherly affection?"
The prince glanced at Emperor Qianyuan.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince prides himself on being a filial and good son, and some things don't need to be said.
Brotherly love? His good father had been merciless in plotting against his brothers to ascend the throne. Emperor Qianyuan's biological mother was just a palace maid. Given his background, how could he possibly become emperor?
But Emperor Qianyuan understood, and he held his breath.
Emperor Qianyuan took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. He knew that getting angry now would be useless.
He said, "He is a member of the royal family after all. If this matter were to become public, it would damage the royal family's reputation." After a pause, he continued, "Yuan Kuishan, as the commander-in-chief, ordered the withdrawal. He is the culprit."
Emperor Qianyuan downplayed the situation and said, "Behead Yuan Kuishan and display his head in public to appease the public anger."
From the very beginning, Yuan Kuishan was the scapegoat that Emperor Qianyuan found for the Fourth Prince, and he had to bear all the mistakes made by the Fourth Prince.
The prince said, "That's normal, but Li Cheng was sent back by Lu Chenyang, and he was the one who had him captured." He thought for a moment and said, "Oh, and I heard that Li Cheng's guards harbored a grudge against Lu Chenyang and went to assassinate him."
Emperor Qianyuan was surprised: "Did it succeed?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince saw his expectant expression and sneered in his heart: "If it succeeds, it will be the Lu family army that enters the capital."
Emperor Qianyuan thought about it and felt that it made sense, and he couldn't help feeling very regretful.
The prince was deeply disappointed to see that he was still thinking about these trivial things.
"Your Majesty, Lu Chenyang has no regard for fools. This time, Li Cheng has crossed his line. He has always loved his people like his own children. He will never let Li Cheng off the hook. He only wants to drag Yuan Kuishan into the fold, but I'm afraid that won't work." The prince continued, "Lu Chenyang has set up such a grand scheme, beating the Wendeng drum and sending the survivors to the capital to file a complaint. If Your Majesty doesn't handle it to his liking, the public will spit at him and drown the royal family. How will the royal family be left with any dignity then?"
Emperor Qianyuan frowned deeply. He knew that what the prince said made sense, but he still did not give up.
"Do you want to watch your brother die? Isn't Lu Chenyang doing this to embarrass the royal family?" Emperor Qianyuan said angrily.
Lu Chenyang was seizing the opportunity to weaken the power of the imperial family and weaken the people's loyalty to them. How could the imperial family gain the love and trust of the people after doing these things? And Lu Chenyang happened to be the one person they could trust.
Lu Chenyang was blatantly plotting against them.
Unfortunately, they were helpless.
The Crown Prince said expressionlessly, "I never thought that my fourth brother would do such a foolish thing. He has handed over the evidence, and I can do nothing about it."
Why should he clean up Li Cheng's mess? He was already swamped with trying to raise food and fodder every day, so how could he have the energy to meddle in Li Cheng's affairs? Life without money would make people irritable, and the prince was now on the verge of a violent outburst every day.
Emperor Qianyuan couldn't help but feel anxious. "Prince... he's made a terrible mistake now, and he won't fight you anymore. Just spare his life, even if it means imprisonment." A hint of vulnerability appeared on his face. "He is your brother after all."
This was the first time Emperor Qianyuan showed weakness in front of the Crown Prince, but unfortunately it was for his other son.
Emperor Qianyuan has always been wary of the crown prince, but he truly loves the fourth prince and pours all his fatherly love into Li Cheng.
He named the fourth prince Cheng, hoping that he would one day inherit his throne. He wanted to give this son everything he had.
Unlike the always neglected crown prince, Li Cheng grew up almost by Emperor Qianyuan's side. He personally taught him how to write and read.
He taught him all the virtues of being upright, brotherly, kind, merciful, and caring for the people, which he despised, hoping that his son would become a gentleman.
Unfortunately, Emperor Qianyuan himself hadn't done these things, and his teaching wasn't very good. Judging from the results now, Li Cheng hadn't learned a thing.
The fact that Concubine Lan continued to enjoy favor and honor was actually partly due to Li Cheng's contribution.
Emperor Qianyuan really loved his son. Even if he made a big mistake, he wanted him to live well.
This is his simplest wish as a father.
Emperor Qianyuan seemed to have aged several years, and looked at him with sad eyes: "I... this is all I wish for. Please save him."
The Crown Prince looked at him calmly, unmoved. "Father, this isn't just 'this' wish. Do you know what you're asking? You're asking me to rescue a criminal who retreated without a fight, allowing an entire city to be massacred and destroying our land! Do you think this wish of yours can be easily fulfilled?"
Emperor Qianyuan choked.
The Crown Prince said calmly, "Lu Chenyang has always loved his people like his own children. This time, he made these elders travel such a long distance without even considering their end. Father, please think carefully about whether you should tear off the fig leaf of the Li royal family for Li Cheng alone."
The prince finished speaking and bowed, "I will take my leave now."
After the prince left, Emperor Qianyuan was so angry that he picked up the teacup on the table and threw it out.
The prince was exhausted after a lot of hard work today. He returned to the study in the prince's mansion, leaned back in a chair and closed his eyes to rest.
The door of the study was pushed open, but he did not open his eyes. He knew who was coming. That was the only person in the entire Prince's Mansion who could enter and leave his study freely.
The staff member walked up behind him and rubbed his temples. Those slender hands seemed to have the power to soothe people, easily relaxing his brows.
"Your Majesty wants to protect the Fourth Prince?" the aide asked softly.
The prince nodded and said indifferently, "His most precious son, he couldn't bear to see him die, and he naively wanted to save his life."
The staff member said firmly: "Lord Lu will not agree to this."
The Crown Prince rubbed his brows and said, "That's right. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that, yet he still refuses to give up. He said he wanted to save Li Cheng's life."
The staff looked at him with some heartache.
The prince didn't really care, but his gaze warmed his heart.
The prince lowered his eyes and said with feigned sadness, "I knew he didn't care about me as his son, and I thought I was used to it. But seeing him so worried about Li Cheng, I still feel... a little sad. I am obviously his son, but he has never cared about me."
The staffer's eyes revealed a look of pity and compassion. He thought for a moment and said, "Family members must also be connected by fate, which is why there's a term called blood relationship. The blood relationship between you only means that you're destined to be together, but if you really can't get along, then there's nothing to regret. In fact, such examples are not uncommon. In poor families, you don't know how many taels of silver can make parents sell their children. Ordinary people's families are forced to make a living, while imperial families are fighting for power and profit. If you think about it carefully, there's actually not much difference. Your Highness, there's no need to be sad about this. God has chosen your relatives for you. If you can't get along, then you can choose your own. There are still many people who care about you, like Eunuch Yuanbao."
A hint of hope flashed in the prince's eyes: "What about you? You care about me too, right?"
The staff hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"Then your family is destined to be together." The prince looked at him, observing his expression without blinking. "If one day I come into conflict with them, whose side will you stand on?"
Staff: "..." What kind of life-threatening question is this?
The staff member frowned and said with displeasure, "What kind of storybook has your Highness read? Where did you learn such questions?"
"You haven't answered me yet," the prince continued, "Who is more important, me or your family?"
The staff member raised his head, looked at him and said, "I will help whoever is reasonable among you."
The prince: “…”
The prince gave a bitter smile and said, "Can't you just... not be partial to me?"
The staff member looked conflicted. He said, "Then can't you be reasonable?"
The prince: “…”
The prince curled his lips and said, "You always know how to control me. Am I doomed to fail in your hands for the rest of my life?"
He didn't mind falling into his hands, but he minded that he was already deeply involved in it, but he only got his shoes wet and could get out of it at any time.
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