Chapter 178 The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister Want to Talk Late at Night
As soon as the Prime Minister sat down, the Crown Prince opposite him filled his wine glass with wine and said, "Come and have a sip! This is a good wine from Madam Chang. I'm afraid you haven't tasted it yet."
"Madam Chang? Is she the third-rank lady who defeated Zhu Guo?"
"That's her. I wanted to marry her, but she liked someone else, and he's better looking than me. He's a man with great military achievements, and women like that kind of man."
The prince spoke, recalling that day when he went to find Gu Rongyu, he was at Chang Xixi's house.
This is not an ordinary relationship at all.
He has no chance to be with such an outstanding woman, but it is not impossible for him to still think about her at midnight.
As he thought this, the prime minister opposite him also drank the wine.
The wine was very smooth in the mouth and had a hint of chrysanthemum, which was really different.
Seeing that he had drunk, the Crown Prince said, "Are you here to save your own life? Or the lives of your family? Choose one! After all, you didn't want to kill the General's family. It was Father's fault! You shouldn't be the one to take the blame, but... it's not impossible. But Father is almost gone now, and I have to think more about my future. You know... I'm the Crown Prince now, and there are many things I need to consider."
"You let me choose?"
"I want to choose everything, but can that person let me go? I came here just to ask you, Prince, to protect me, not... to lose my life." The Prime Minister said what was in his heart.
"I know what you mean," the prince continued, "I can't protect you, because the general and I have an agreement. He has to help me take the throne and help me get rid of Prince Rui! Prince Rui wants to be the emperor... Once my father dies, she will definitely revolt."
"So, you're using the general's military power to exchange for mine?"
"Yes, if you can proactively admit that you made a mistake in the case and commit suicide at home, your family will be rewarded! However, you will be exiled from the capital and will not be able to take the imperial examinations for ten years. What do you think of this proposal of mine? If you have a better idea, you can also list them one by one. It's up to you."
The prince said so.
He still didn't want to spare the prime minister's life, and he could only save the prime minister's family! Because the prime minister must die! Why didn't the emperor overturn the verdict before? Because once the verdict was overturned, the prime minister would surely die!
Once the prime minister died, everyone would know that he was taking the blame for the emperor. The emperor's face would definitely be very embarrassed at that time, and it would definitely be recorded in history books.
My father is going to be scolded to death!
Although the crown prince values the throne very much, he is also the kind of prince who would consider the reputation of the royal family, not the kind of crown prince who only wants power...or something else.
The emperor really admired his character.
The Prime Minister looked at the wine in the glass, which was constantly swaying in the candlelight. He looked up at the Crown Prince and said, "Is there no other way? I have worked hard for the old emperor my whole life, and in the end, this is what I have ended up with? I refuse to accept it! I refuse to accept it!"
"It doesn't matter whether you obey or not." The Crown Prince took a sip of wine. "There's no such thing as a perfect match. I'm just compromising. I can't offend the General for you! He has to stand on my side. Without his military power, I'd be hesitant to do anything! What if Prince Rui brings his uncle's troops to force the palace? How can I protect you and the Queen? Is there no other way?"
What the prince said makes sense.
The Prime Minister knew in his heart what to do about this matter. However, he still wanted to live, to live with his family, and he didn't want to die!
"Let me think about it again."
"Think about it?"
The Crown Prince sneered and said, "Prime Minister, you still don't understand... You have no way out. The Emperor's intention is very clear. He wants you to surrender to me. And I have already negotiated with the General in private. I can't protect you. But we can use some methods to keep your family alive. And decades later, they can still hold official positions. But you really can't survive. This is actually very simple... As long as you don't fight or argue, join me in asking the Emperor to overturn the verdict in the court. Gu Rongyu will definitely forgive your family. He wants innocence! Not tit for tat!"
The prime minister fell into deep thought again. If the old emperor didn't save him, he would have to save himself.
Moreover, he cannot have any objections!
After a moment, the prime minister stood up, knelt down in front of the prince, and kowtowed heavily.
"This old body of mine is worthless, but I still want to live. If I can leave a name for myself in the writings of future generations through my own efforts, it will be worth it. Thank you, Prince, for your love for me and your willingness to help and save my family."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I understand that you are doing this for my years of dedication. Please ensure that after my death, my family is exiled to the northwest!"
"Get up."
When the prince saw that the prime minister agreed to his words, he was very happy and felt that he was one step closer to that position.
He was very concerned about the news coming from Gu Rongyu, and how many court officials would make suggestions on that day, and he would follow suit... In this way, his father had no choice but to give in, and then the Prime Minister died.
…
After the Prime Minister left the Prince's Eastern Palace, he stood outside the huge palace, looking at the dozens of feet high city walls and the tiles shining in the moonlight, feeling lonely in his heart.
He was originally the old emperor's confidant! Now he has fallen into this situation and has to take the blame for the old emperor's previous mistakes.
He let out a long sigh and left angrily.
…
Besides, when the virtuous prince came out of the palace that day, he did not return to the palace at all, but went to wander around the streets. He waited for Chang Xixi to leave his mansion before returning.
When he returned to the mansion, he heard from the servants that the princess wanted to see him.
In the past, Qingyue would go straight to the study when she saw him, but this time she asked the servants to inform her. Was she angry? Or was there something wrong?
Walking into the wing room, Qingyue said with a cup of tea in his hand: "You're back?"
"yes."
The virtuous king walked into the room and sat directly on the stool. He took a sip of tea from his side and felt that it was quite good. She whispered, "Have you made up your mind?"
"What's up?"
"Would you like to help the general? I'll tell you the truth, the general was actually married a long time ago. The person... is Madam Chang, and the child is also the general's. The general faked his death and returned to the court just to maintain the Gu family's reputation."
"If it weren't for this, the two of them probably wouldn't have gotten involved in these disputes. They saved me together, and I'm in this situation now thanks to Madam Chang. She gave me the courage to live."
"What do you want me to do?"
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