Looking at Cui Shanzhan's horrified face, the eldest prince chuckled and said, "Master Cui, why are you so panicked? You are an important official of the court, so you should have some composure."
"Stop talking nonsense here. What on earth do you want to do? His Majesty has already ordered you to leave the capital. Are you doing this now to ruin the last bit of goodwill His Majesty has left for you?"
"Don't you know how important Master Lu is to our Great Qi? If anything happens to him, your life won't be enough!"
Cui Shanzhan said these words with absolute certainty, without any hesitation at all.
How can a prince with no future compare with Lu Chen?
Do you believe that if Lu Chen says now that he will assist the family that kills more princes, Xixia, Liao and Jin will be able to drag out the princes and kill them all?
Looking at Cui Shanzhan's expression, the eldest prince's smile grew even more disdainful as he said, "I admit that Lu Chen is quite remarkable, but not to the point of defying the heavens. Let me put it this way, as long as the Chinese Academy of Sciences remains, even if Lu Chen dies, it won't have much of an impact."
"He has already established the general framework. As long as we protect the Chinese Academy of Sciences and allow them to operate normally, the expected results will emerge sooner or later."
Hearing the eldest prince's remarks about liking to eat the same thing, Cui Shanzhan felt sick.
Why didn't he realize before that the eldest prince was such an idiot?
Didn't those people in the Chinese Academy of Sciences exist before? Why didn't they shine as brightly as they do now?
Looking at the arrogant prince in front of him, Cui Shanzhan suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation with him.
I was also confused. I shouldn't have let the eldest prince in before.
"Haha, no matter what your Highness has in mind or plan, I hope you will think twice before acting. Goodbye!"
Cui Shanzhan wanted to get up and leave, but the eldest prince stopped him and said, "Lord Cui, they say a man who knows the times is a hero. This is also an opportunity for you. I heard that the emperor has already chosen a candidate for the position of prime minister, and it is not you."
Upon hearing this, Cui Shanzhan laughed. He stared at the Crown Prince in front of him, his smile growing even more disdainful as he asked, "Why, does the Crown Prince think that with your current position in His Majesty's heart, you can still influence such a major event?"
"Haha, my father is very disgusted with me now. I know this clearly, but I also know that whether I can rule the world or not does not depend on my father's favor."
"Now that we've come to this, I might as well make it clearer. Sir Cui, do you have the military token in your hand? Hand it over!"
When Cui Shanzhan heard the other party mention the military token, his eyes suddenly widened. He looked at him in disbelief and said, "You! What do you want to do? You are defying the will of the world. You will be doomed!"
He originally thought that the eldest prince only wanted to target Lu Chen, but now it seems that he has bigger plans!
The eldest prince stopped pretending, and the smile on his face became more ferocious as he said, "What do I want to do? Of course I want to purge the emperor's court. I want to restore order. I want everyone in the world to see the true face of that evil Taoist. I want to tell everyone in the world that I am the one they all want, and I am the one who deserves to be the common ruler of the world!"
"Crazy! I think you are crazy!"
Looking at the eldest prince in front of him who was becoming more and more crazy, Cui Shanzhan scolded him and wanted to rush out.
But just as he reached the door, he was pushed back by two swords.
The eldest prince continued to sit at the table, his wine glass in hand, sneering as if he were sitting on a fishing platform. "Master Cui, they say he who knows the current situation is a hero. I urge you not to be ungrateful. Hand over the military command, and I will guarantee you prosperity and wealth. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"You're daydreaming, you bastard! The Imperial City is heavily guarded, and each one has a different affiliation. Do you think you can really succeed with just these people under you? Expect eternal damnation!"
"Hahaha, do you really think I'm stupid? If I wasn't absolutely sure, how could I dare to take such a risky move? To tell you the truth, most of the people in the capital are under my control now. I'm not begging you now, but I'm giving you a chance!"
"How is this possible? The capital's garrison suffered heavy losses in the previous battle with Liao and Jin, and they've just been replaced. How could you possibly control them in such a short time, unless... that old man takes action?!"
"I knew it! I knew it! When such a big thing happened, we should have investigated it thoroughly and uprooted that old man and his influence in the army. I regret it so much! I regret it so much!"
Seeing Cui Shanzhan looking like a bereaved mother, the eldest prince became even more excited.
He laughed heartily and said, "Master Cui, you are truly a man of talent. You saw through the ins and outs of this so quickly. I am even more reluctant to kill you. How about this? Just hand over the military token obediently. You know I'm going to win this round!"
"Bah! I've read the books of the sages, and I'm well aware of the principles of loyalty to the emperor and the country. You traitors will never succeed, and you will be doomed forever! Your Majesty is truly wise not to make someone as ambitious as you the crown prince."
"You want to seize the throne by force? That's just wishful thinking!"
The eldest prince's face turned unhappy after being pointed at and scolded by Cui Shanzhan.
He slammed the table and shouted to his men, "Drag him away and torture him to find out where the tiger talisman is. If he doesn't have it with him, then go look for it at his house!"
Someone hurried forward to dissuade him, saying, "Your Highness, this is the residence of the Minister of War after all. If we rush in, will there be any problems?"
"What are you afraid of?" The eldest prince turned his head and looked in the direction of the palace, muttering to himself, "If nothing unexpected happens, we should have succeeded by now!"
…
In the capital, in the imperial palace.
Li Zhuo was reviewing memorials at his desk. Even though the grand court meeting had just ended, he still had to complete this task.
Just as he finished reviewing the third pile of memorials and was about to get up and stretch, Hua Bule walked in and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience."
"Huh? Why is she here today?"
Ever since the Queen wanted to send the eldest prince to his fiefdom and pushed Li Xiang to the position of Crown Prince, she hasn't come to see Li Zhuo for a long time.
Hua Bule hurriedly lowered his head and said, "The Queen said that she just cooked a pot of lotus seed porridge and wanted Your Majesty to taste it."
Li Zhuo smacked his lips and said, "Alright, I'm a little hungry, let her in."
After all, they are husband and wife, and they will be buried together after death. It is not good to make the relationship too stiff.
He felt that the queen was not unreasonable. What the eldest prince had done before was too extreme. Even if he tried his best to protect him, the civil and military officials would not allow him to become the crown prince, let alone the emperor in the future.
Soon the queen walked in. Today, she was no longer as sad as before, but looked radiant.
After entering and paying her respects, the Queen smiled and brought out a bowl of lotus seed porridge, saying, "Your Majesty, come and try the porridge I just made. It's very fragrant."
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