The Empress Dowager looked at the eldest prince and said, "I know you are unwilling. If it weren't for Prince Cheng's scheming, the position of Empress would have belonged to Consort Chen, Prince Ling would have been born the Crown Prince, and you were saved by him. Be careful not to follow in Prince Jin's footsteps."
The eldest prince's face was ashen.
The Duke of Maoguo said unwillingly, "The Emperor has not yet issued an edict to establish an heir, and the Empress Dowager is already asking the eldest prince to admit defeat?"
The Empress Dowager's anger surged, and she said, "Tell me, how confident are you that you can help the First Prince get to that position?!"
One sentence left Duke Maoguo speechless.
The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes and said, "I know you are unwilling, and I am unwilling too. But Prince Ling and Prince Jin are different. The First Prince and Prince Ling have never clashed. Prince Ling even saved the First Prince's life. When he ascends the throne, he will most likely not mistreat the First Prince."
Duke Maoguo couldn't help but retort, "What if he doesn't know how?"
The Empress Dowager said, "Then let's also eliminate this possibility for me!"
“If you and the First Prince take the lead in asking the Emperor to establish Prince Ling as the Crown Prince, Prince Ling will be more considerate of public opinion if he mistreats the First Prince in the future.”
The eldest prince's face was already pale, and now it was completely bloodless.
Not to mention competing with Prince Ling for the crown prince position, the Empress Dowager made him give it up voluntarily.
Duke Maoguo couldn't believe the Empress Dowager would say such a thing. He looked at Granny Zhao and asked, "Is the Empress Dowager delirious from her illness?"
Granny Zhao sighed inwardly.
After supporting the eldest prince for so long, and with the Prince of Jin being kicked out of the game, the position of crown prince was about to be in his hands. At this critical juncture, how could the Duke of Mao be willing to accept the reversal of the case by Consort Chen?
But what's the use of being unwilling?
During the four years that Prince Ling was punished and sent to the imperial mausoleum, and the two years that he was in a wheelchair, the eldest prince was still unable to surpass Prince Jin and be made crown prince by the emperor. At that time, the empress dowager was still respected by the emperor. Now that the empress dowager and the emperor have become estranged, what can the empress dowager use to support the eldest prince in his struggle against Prince Ling?
I fear that the more the Empress Dowager protects the eldest prince, the more the Emperor will resent her.
Knowing it was like throwing an egg against a rock, how could the Empress Dowager dare to give the eldest prince any hope?
Is it really necessary to sacrifice the eldest prince's life for the position of crown prince?
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