“The Prince Qi’s faction is exerting its influence? How could the Emperor sit idly by? The Crown Princess need not worry too much,” Zu An comforted her. However, he also understood that something that could cause such a loss of composure among the Crown Prince’s faction’s key officials was no small matter.
“It’s not that simple,” the Crown Princess sighed. “This morning at court, our faction of officials confronted Prince Qi. After all, the assassination case was inextricably linked to Prince Qi. Originally, no matter how Prince Qi’s side tried to clear his name, we had a way to deal with it. But we didn’t expect Prince Qi to be so ruthless. He directly admitted to all the crimes, but pushed all the blame onto Cheng Xiong and his son.”
"Although many people on our side also questioned it, we lacked crucial evidence. King Qi also had many officials, and more and more people came out to speak for him, so the matter was dropped."
Zuan asked curiously, "This should have been expected, so why are you all so frustrated?"
"If only it were that simple," the Crown Princess sighed. "Soon, Prince Qi's faction began to launch a fierce counterattack on this topic, with some arguing that if the Crown Prince can't even protect himself, how can he inherit the throne?"
It should be understood that the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on military strength, and one's status within the country was determined by cultivation.
Although the crown prince was a bit of a good-for-nothing, he had an invincible father, so although everyone was dissatisfied, they couldn't say anything.
As a result, the prince was almost killed by the assassins this time, and everyone finally began to take the problem seriously.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince's faction had previously exaggerated how critical the situation was and how many times the Crown Prince's life hung in the balance in order to attack the Prince of Qi.
As a result, all of this became evidence to support the viewpoint of the King of Qi's faction.
Many neutral ministers in the court were already quite dissatisfied with the decision to make the foolish crown prince the heir apparent, but after this incident, they finally couldn't stand it anymore.
Imagine if the crown prince became emperor in the future, but then a random assassination occurred and he died. Wouldn't the whole country fall into chaos?
Those people were not speaking for the King of Qi, but out of public interest, so the emperor could not really blame them.
Of course, the emperor was not someone to be easily manipulated. He swiftly and decisively sent out some of the most vocal individuals to be flogged, intending to suppress the trend.
But as if they had made a pact, those people stepped forward one after another, none of them afraid of death at all. On the contrary, they felt that being pushed out to be flogged was an extremely honorable thing.
The emperor, who cared deeply about his reputation, was well aware of these guys' thoughts: they wanted to be remembered in history.
The emperor himself has done so much, and all he seeks in order to achieve immortality is to leave his name in history. Why would he want these people to receive the same treatment after just one beating?
Moreover, if this event were actually recorded in history books, it's hard to say whether the emperor would be remembered for his good name or infamous for eternity.
Therefore, under the condemnation of the Qi King's faction and the cooperation of the neutral faction, the emperor had no choice but to adopt a compromise.
An examination will be held for the crown prince. If he passes the examination, it will prove that he is qualified to inherit the throne and has the ability to govern the country in the future.
If one cannot pass the exam, then the only option is to step down and hand over the position to a more capable person.
The Prince of Qi's faction was very satisfied with this result, because they knew that with the Crown Prince's level, it was impossible for him to pass the exam, so that the Prince of Qi could rightfully become the Crown Prince.
The emperor agreed to the proposal because as long as the examinations are conducted by humans, there is room for manipulation.
He was caught off guard in court today, but now he can use the exam to buy some time to find a solution.
But for the Crown Princess, hearing this news felt like the sky had fallen.
Others might only know that the Crown Prince was somewhat simple-minded and foolish, but she knew perfectly well that he was utterly stupid. All he did all day long was eat, poop, and play, and he couldn't do anything else at all.
Even his leisure time consists of mindless games, such as the Gomoku game he's recently become obsessed with, which she finds utterly vulgar and crude, and she has no idea who invented it.
You could pick up any random person on the street—no, even a random child—and take an exam, and they'd be far better than the prince.
After listening to the Crown Princess's explanation, Zu An finally understood why they were so worried; that fat man was simply impossible to inspire confidence in.
"What will this exam cover?" Zu'an immediately grasped the key point.
The Crown Princess shook her head: "The specific content of the exam is still unclear, but it will likely involve things like cultivation and governance. What exactly will be tested will require further negotiation between the two sides."
Her heart was filled with despair; no matter what the final exam was, she knew she couldn't surpass the Crown Prince.
Zu An comforted him, "You don't need to worry too much. After all, the Crown Prince is the Emperor's eldest son, and he won't abandon him."
"I hope so." The Crown Princess held little hope, for she couldn't imagine what the Emperor could possibly do.
"By the way, I heard that the Shi family made things difficult for you at the palace gate?" the Crown Princess asked, perking up.
Zu An replied, "It's a small matter, I've already taken care of it, so the Crown Princess doesn't need to worry."
The Crown Princess nodded and said, "Then you may leave."
It's a bit of a pity that the last time Shi Kun's matter completely offended the Shi family, and they will most likely be pushed to Qi Wang's side. However, she really doesn't have the mind to care about these things now, so let it be.
Watching Zu'an's departing figure, he sighed inwardly. If only the Crown Prince could be as worry-free as him.
After Zu'an left the Eastern Palace, a young eunuch came to summon him, and the emperor summoned him.
He couldn't help but feel helpless. The concubines in the harem couldn't wait to see the emperor, but he didn't want to see him, yet they still had to meet with him every now and then. What kind of karma had they created?
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