Chapter 418 We must prioritize the overall situation.
Within two days, he first learned that the emperor possessed a powerful weapon, and then the workshop that privately printed silver notes was destroyed. Although these two events did not completely overwhelm the Prince of Lingnan, the pressure on him was unparalleled.
Just then, seeing his son Zhu Huai'an, whom he had raised for many years, not only timid and indecisive in the face of trouble, but also so frightened that he lost his composure and trembled as if he were about to collapse at any moment, the Prince of Lingnan could no longer suppress his anger and shouted at Zhu Huai'an, "Get out!"
Zhu Huai'an, already filled with grievances and unease, was so frightened by the rebuke that he knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, and didn't know what to say. His appearance only fueled the anger of the Prince of Lingnan, whose gaze was as heavy as a boulder, pressing down on Zhu Huai'an, his heart filled with the disappointment of "wishing he had never had this son."
Just then, Zhu Junning stood up and said slowly, "Father, my eldest brother is not feeling well today. Why don't we let him go back and rest first?"
The Prince of Lingnan, his face grim, cast an oppressive gaze upon Zhu Junning. Zhu Junning paled slightly under his imposing presence, but he maintained his composure, meeting his gaze firmly.
Seeing her composure and courage in the face of danger, the King of Lingnan felt a little more satisfied, and his gaze towards her softened. He then turned to Zhu Huai'an, his voice indifferent: "Go back and rest first."
Zhu Huai'an felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He looked up at the King of Lingnan and stammered, "Thank you... thank you, Father King."
The Prince of Lingnan glanced down and saw the cold sweat covering his forehead. His expression darkened further, but he didn't get angry again, only giving a faint "hmm." Zhu Huai'an tried to get up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, but his limbs were weak and he couldn't stand steadily. His embarrassment and fear intensified.
At this moment, Zhu Junning gently placed her hand on his arm and lifted him up with a little force. Zhu Huai'an looked up and met her eyes, which were filled with some heartache. He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and could only use her strength to stand up. He respectfully bowed to the Prince of Lingnan and hurriedly left the study.
The Prince of Lingnan watched his retreating figure disappear through the door, then sighed heavily, filled with disappointment. Zhu Junning poured a cup of tea and placed it beside him before returning to his seat.
The Prince of Lingnan gave her a satisfied look, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Jun Ning, what do you think we should do next?"
Zhu Junning had already roughly devised a countermeasure, and without hesitation, he spoke up: "The emperor first sent the Marquis of Cheng'en to suppress the bandits, taking the opportunity to demonstrate the power of his newly developed weapons in order to deter us. Now he has blown up our banknote workshop. What exactly is his purpose?"
Lingnan King remained silent, holding his teacup. Zhu Junning then spoke up, "Firstly, they want to frighten us and prevent us from making any rash moves. Secondly, they want to gradually weaken our power. Moreover, the fact that they were able to accurately blow up the workshop shows that they already had evidence of our illegal printing of banknotes. Next, they will definitely use this to attack us."
The Prince of Lingnan nodded, signaling her to continue. Zhu Junning poured herself a cup of tea, her fingertips holding the white jade cup engraved with intertwined branches. She took a small sip, pondered for a moment, and said:
"The emperor should also know that the charge of 'illegally printing banknotes' alone is not enough to completely bring us down. Therefore, we only need to give the emperor an explanation that he can accept, and we can temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Lingnan put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent with drooping eyelids, plunging the study into an instant silence. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Go on."
Zhu Junning also put down his cup, sat up straight, and looked at the Prince of Lingnan who was leaning lazily in his chair, saying: "To give the emperor an explanation, there are only two things: first, someone has to take the blame, and second, some of the benefits have to be given up."
"Hmm." The King of Lingnan responded, then pressed, "Who do you think is the most suitable to take the blame?"
Zhu Junning pursed her lips and said after a moment, "Second brother is the most suitable."
The King of Lingnan frowned and looked up sharply at her.
Zhu Junning stiffened, but still calmly explained, "The explanation to the Emperor cannot be just some random person. This person must be a blood relative whom you value. In the end, there are only three of us: my eldest brother, myself, and my second brother. I am a woman, and outsiders will only think that you have ordinary affection for me, and will not rely on me as much as you rely on my eldest brother, so naturally I cannot serve the purpose of 'explaining' to him."
The Prince of Lingnan remained silent with a sullen face. Zhu Junning glanced at him and continued, "Eldest brother is the heir apparent. If we let him take the blame, firstly, without him, you will have to choose a new heir apparent from among your other brothers. Secondly, the remaining brothers are all born out of wedlock, which will inevitably lead to another internal strife."
We are already in a precarious situation. If internal strife adds to the conflict, our last remaining means of resisting the court might be completely wiped out. Therefore, elder brother, you must not make a move.”
She paused, her tone becoming more serious: "And my second brother is the one you love most among your half-brothers, a fact that the Emperor is probably aware of. Letting him take the blame would be both weighty enough to satisfy the Emperor and wouldn't shake the foundations of Lingnan, so he is the most suitable candidate."
Silence fell over the study once more. Zhu Junning picked up his cup and slowly sipped his tea. Lingnan Wang tapped the edge of the table lightly with his knuckles, his eyes drooping, lost in thought.
"Let's discuss this matter again." After a long while, the King of Lingnan spoke in a deep voice, "No matter which of you takes the blame, I will not feel good about it."
Zhu Junning stood up, his posture respectful, his tone tinged with bitterness: "Although Junning doesn't usually have much contact with his half-brothers, we are still connected by blood. It's really hard for me to let my second brother take the blame. But right now, Lingnan is in a precarious situation. If we don't make this choice, the entire Prince's Mansion will probably be dragged down with us. Even though I'm reluctant, I can only consider the bigger picture first."
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