Chapter 236 The Crown Prince and His Staff (Part 1)
Yan Xing's heart skipped a beat. To avoid suspicion, the Second Prince had maintained a distance from the Zhenguo Mansion even after being appointed Crown Prince. He rarely came directly to the Zhenguo Mansion like this, and why was the Crown Prince visiting the Zhenguo Mansion at this time?
He couldn't help but wonder if it was for Lu Chenyang.
Yan Xing called the secret guard on duty that day and asked what the prince and the Duke of Zhenguo talked about today.
Ever since the Duke of Zhenguo was placed under house arrest, most of the power within the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had passed to Yan Xing. He was the legitimate head of the mansion, the future patriarch, and had controlled all of its resources for the past few years.
When Yan Xing asked, the secret guard hesitated for a moment before answering, "The Crown Prince came to discuss with the Duke about sending troops to attack the Yilin Army. The Crown Prince asked the Duke for help in procuring food and fodder, and the Duke agreed." After a pause, he continued, "The Crown Prince wanted the Duke to come out and take back command of the Yanhui Army, but the Duke didn't agree immediately, saying that his priority now was to quell the civil unrest."
The secret guard added, "The prince is a little unhappy."
Yan Xing's eyes flashed, and he waved his hand: "Back off."
The secret guard saluted and turned to retreat.
The prince was also making preparations for both scenarios. He knew that Lu Chenyang was uncontrollable. Although the current Lu family army was led by Yan Xing, the Yan family's way of leading troops was not applicable to the Lu family army.
The Lu Family Army and the Yanhui Army were different. Even now, even though the nominal generals of the Yanhui Army were Yuan Kuishan and the Fourth Prince, if the Duke of Zhenguo appeared before the Yanhui Army, he would be confident that he could command them.
Even when there were disagreements between the Duke of Zhenguo and the Fifth Prince and Yuan Kuishan, the Duke of Zhenguo was confident that the Yanhui Army would obey his orders.
This is prestige!
This is due to the unique nature of the military. Soldiers are bound by their duty to obey orders, but they also have their own judgment. The friendship of their comrades who fought alongside them, and shared life and death, is another kind of loyalty.
This is the respect that the Yan family has earned by guarding Yanhui Pass for generations, bravely killing the enemy and dying on the battlefield. The Duke of Zhenguo can control the Yanhui Army.
But the Lu family army is not like that.
Although Yan Xing also fought side by side with the Lu family army and shared life and death with them, there was also a Lu Chenyang before him.
Although Lu Chenyang rarely led troops, most of the soldiers in the army remained loyal to him. Between Lu Chenyang and Yan Xing, most of the Lu family army was more loyal to Lu Chenyang.
This made the prince feel very insecure. In this chaotic world, controlling military power is the most important thing.
So the prince wanted the Duke of Zhenguo to take back the Yanhui Army.
Yan Xing could understand the prince's thoughts very well, but he was still unhappy.
"Keep an eye on the Crown Prince and the Duke." Yan Xing said, and after a moment's thought, he added, "The Crown Prince wants to buy some food, go and help him."
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has been fighting wars abroad in recent years and has close relations with many major grain merchants.
I still remember that when Lu Chenyang passed through Shu, he found a grain merchant named Wang to buy grain. This was the person who was introduced by Yan Xing.
Over the years, Wang Zhong's shops have spread throughout Lingnan, and he is now one of Lu Chenyang's stable grain suppliers.
But Lu Chenyang never liked his subordinates to dominate the market, so he has been developing other channels.
The prince promised to provide food and fodder to Lu Chenyang, so he came to ask the Duke of Zhenguo for help.
The game between Lu Chenyang and the prince has already begun. Even though they still have to maintain peace and unite against the outside world, the confrontation and defense between the two sides have already begun to show.
Yan Xing was caught in the middle, his position was difficult. He could only try his best to maintain a balance between the two sides, so that they would not escalate into a catastrophe with no room for maneuver.
After Lu Chenyang returned, Tan Feng said, "The Crown Prince sent someone to deliver a return gift today. The person who came was quite polite. Although he didn't say it directly, I think the Crown Prince is anxious and wants us to send troops as soon as possible."
Lu Chenyang frowned, "Is there any movement from the Yilin Army?"
Tan Feng said, "Not yet. When we came to the capital, the news from there didn't arrive in time. But I don't think it's anything serious, otherwise the emperor and the prince would have been unable to sit still."
Now everyone is waiting for Lu Chenyang to send troops.
Tan Feng couldn't help but say, "When you go out in the future, please take me with you."
Today, Lu Chenyang went to find Yan Xing. They went out together, and Lu Chenyang didn't let Tan Feng follow them.
Lu Chenyang was silent for a moment and acquiesced.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been very busy lately. He wants to meet with the grain merchants that the Duke of Zhenguo has introduced to him. With wars raging everywhere, money is useless. The most useful things are soldiers and grain.
Therefore, the prince was very gentle when dealing with them, hoping to get a good price for the grain. In addition, he also hoped that the court would be allowed to buy on credit.
The grain merchants looked at each other in confusion. One of them asked cautiously, "How much can His Royal Highness the Crown Prince offer?"
Even if you buy on credit, you can't buy it all on credit, right?
The prince looked even more humble. He said, "Thirty percent."
Considering the total amount of grain needed by the prince, if they only gave 30% of the payment, it would be difficult for them to maintain a good attitude even if Emperor Qianyuan was here, let alone him being the prince.
Although merchants were not worthy of mention in the imperial power, if the prince risked his reputation, even if it meant plundering them by force, the grain merchants would have to obey.
But the prince couldn't do that. These grain merchants had long-standing relationships with the Duke of Zhenguo. In the past, when the Duke of Zhenguo was at war, there were always times when they were short of food and clothing, and these grain merchants had generously donated money. Now that they were crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, how could he face the Duke of Zhenguo?
What's more, there is Lu Chenyang. The prince believes that if he dares to do it, Lu Chenyang will dare to submit a memorial to depose the prince.
Using imperial power to seize it is a very bad idea, and the prince will not do that.
The merchants shook their heads repeatedly and said boldly, "Your Highness, this is simply not possible. Business is already difficult right now, and we are patriotic. If Your Highness is raising food and fodder, we will support You even if we don't make any money. But this 30% is really..."
The prince's face darkened, but the grain merchant refused to give in, and they ended up parting on bad terms.
The prince was very worried about this matter. He returned to the prince's mansion with a gloomy face. He couldn't help but meet with his aide, hoping that he could give him some advice.
He walked into the staff's room, and the staff was holding a purse with a smile on his face.
The prince's heart calmed down all of a sudden, and then he felt a little dissatisfied.
He ignored the purse, walked over to sit beside him, and asked in a low voice: "What did you do today?"
The aide was silent for a moment before saying, "What else can I do now? Doesn't Your Highness know everything?"
The resentment in his tone was so obvious that the prince softened his heart. He apologized humbly, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. It's just that I was too scared and didn't want to cause any more trouble."
A hint of anger lingered in the aide's eyes. "I just want to see her! And you won't even bother?! How dare you distrust me so much?"
The prince looked him in the eyes and said, "I can't afford the gamble. Please understand me." He softened his voice and said, "I know I was wrong, but I can't help it. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"
He wasn't sure whether the man would leave after seeing him, and he couldn't afford to take any risk.
The staff member's face darkened, and he looked hurt: "After all these years, you still refuse to believe me."
The prince pursed his lips, but his eyes were stubborn and resolute.
Being next to this person, he couldn't help but want to say something.
"I went to see the grain merchants today, but they refused to give me credit," he grumbled. "But I promised Lu Chenyang that I would provide him with grain. Now the people are still suffering, and I really want to end this civil war as soon as possible. What do you think I should do?"
If they were talking about state affairs, he would not ignore him.
The staff member said bluntly: "They didn't agree because you are not famous enough. They are unwilling to bet on you."
The prince's face suddenly changed. He felt a little angry, but he knew he would not tell lies to anger him.
He couldn't help but imagine, if it was Lu Chenyang who went to the grain merchants to discuss credit today, would these grain merchants refuse?
The prince knew that the 30% he proposed was indeed too little, and he was prepared to be rejected. But he still had a glimmer of hope, so he personally came forward, hoping to increase his chances by relying on the prince's reputation.
But obviously, he failed.
But what if it was Lu Chenyang? He couldn't help but think about this possibility again.
Merchants are profit-driven, and they refused to agree to his request because they didn't think he was a good candidate. Even if he were a prince, they didn't think he could win in the end, and they didn't think they could get a greater return by giving him credit.
So who are they optimistic about? If not him, then it must be Lu Chenyang.
The prince seemed to be thinking: "If Lu Chenyang is willing to come forward for me..."
The aide chuckled and said, "Your Highness, it's more likely that someone will come and deliver you food and fodder tomorrow morning."
Why would Lu Chenyang come forward for him? Lu Chenyang himself was short of food!
The prince looked at his mocking expression and his face darkened.
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