Chapter 257: I fear the country will perish.
After the Crown Prince and the Sixteenth Prince finished reading the letter, they noticed that the Emperor's expression was indifferent and they could not immediately tell whether he was happy or angry. The Crown Prince then said, "Father, I believe that my nineteenth brother's decision to build a royal city in Lingnan is, as Lord Zhao said, more beneficial than harmful. As for his other ulterior motives, I'm afraid that if it were someone else, their motives would be even greater."
The Sixteenth Prince frowned: "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. Father has dozens of sons. If Li Changyi sets a precedent today, and the other brothers want to follow suit tomorrow, then forget about unifying the seven kingdoms; the Great Liang will already be divided into dozens of parts. If everyone is not of one mind, one day, the Great Liang will..."
The words 'the fall of a kingdom' were too serious for the Sixteenth Prince to utter, so he swallowed them. But the consequence of not speaking them was that they only fueled further speculation.
The Crown Prince and the Sixteenth Prince both frowned.
The emperor's calm demeanor left the two puzzled. After a long while, the emperor asked, "Zhao Yunjing said that he would make the Great Liang unify the world. Now it seems that it is not impossible for Changyi to be the one to unify the world."
The crown prince's expression changed drastically.
Is the emperor referring to Li Changyi's wolfish ambition, or does the emperor already regard Li Changyi as equally important as himself and believe that Li Changyi can compete with him for the position?
The Sixteenth Prince was also startled, and then felt a sense of relief, as if he had suddenly vented his anger. But after that relief came a feeling of resentment.
In terms of the length of time he has spent by the emperor's side, he may not be as good as the crown prince, but he is better than Li Changyi. In terms of appearance and ability, he is far superior to Li Changyi. So why does Li Changyi receive such praise from the emperor? It's all because Zhao Yunjing is on his side!
But Zhao Yunjing can stand on his side, and he can also stand on the side of others. What's so special about that!
There is no true affection in the royal family. All the fatherly love, filial piety, brotherly affection, and respect are all acting. If there is even half of genuine affection out of ten, that's already good. The rest is all calculation. The emperor himself has been a prince for over thirty years and an emperor for over twenty years. If he didn't have this kind of awareness, then he wouldn't have become the emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty.
The emperor said, “Lingnan is a wild and undeveloped land. If he can turn Lingnan into the granary of the whole country, it will prove that he is capable. A capable person should stand higher and do more. If you are willing, go to the northeast.
The Sixteenth Prince lowered his head: "Father is right. However, I think that while letting the Nineteenth Brother develop Lingnan, we should also keep him in check. Daliang will always be Daliang, and Father will always be his father. I hope he will consider things more carefully before doing anything."
The emperor didn't mention this. He sent the Sixteenth Prince to the Meng family to inform Meng Jingjing to go to Lingnan: "Since Changyi has decided to settle in Lingnan, Jingjing will naturally have to go there as well. When they are of one mind, Lingnan will surely become the first great barrier against foreign enemies."
Meng Jingjing is a member of the Meng family generals, and she is also a skilled military commander. If she goes to Lingnan, wouldn't that give Li Changyi a significant advantage? The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, wouldn't that make it easier for them to cultivate their power?
For a time, not only the Sixteenth Prince, but also the Crown Prince, were convinced that the Emperor would pass the throne to Li Changyi.
"Sixteen, go."
The Crown Prince stayed behind, and after confirming that the Sixteenth Prince had left, he said, "Father, I don't understand."
"I owe Changyi many things, but I owe more than just him to my sons. I am willing to give him a chance, but I cannot let him really harm the foundation of the Great Liang. Do you understand, Crown Prince?"
The crown prince felt a sense of relief, as if he had just realized it. He immediately bowed and said, "Father, I will make the arrangements immediately."
"Come back." The Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Tell Zhao Yunjing that Chief Minister Su will retire next year. He will be the youngest Chief Minister in the Great Liang Dynasty. I will leave him to him. Crown Prince, Zhao Yunjing and his classmates are all talented people. You must not only treat them well, but also make good use of them."
"Your subject understands."
"Go."
Zhao Yunjing was surprised that the Crown Prince would come in person. The thought that the Crown Prince had come to kill Li Changyi flashed through his mind. It wasn't until the Crown Prince conveyed the Emperor's message that Zhao Yunjing understood the Emperor's good intentions.
He congratulated the Crown Prince, who then asked in surprise, "Lord Zhao, what is the source of my joy?"
Zhao Yunjing didn't say anything, only that he would definitely return to the capital next year to put the emperor and the crown prince at ease.
The Crown Prince summoned Li Changyi, and it was upon seeing Li Changyi that he suddenly realized something—the Emperor wanted Zhao Yunjing to return to the capital next year and also asked him to treat them well and make good use of them. Could this be a prelude to abdicating the throne to him?
The Crown Prince was immediately flustered and almost gave himself away in front of Li Changyi. After conveying the Emperor's decree, he hurriedly returned to the capital three days later after attending Li Changyi and Meng Jingjing's wedding banquet.
If his prediction is correct, then from this moment on, he cannot afford to make a single wrong step.
Meng Jingjing never expected that Li Changyi would agree to marry her. On their wedding night, she didn't wait for Li Changyi and lifted her veil herself. Li Changyi had drunk some wine and when he pushed the door open, he saw that his new wife had already taken off her red wedding dress and changed into ordinary clothes. She was eating pastries and reading a book, completely engrossed in it, and didn't even notice that Li Changyi had come up behind her.
If it's a military treatise, then there's nothing strange about it.
The Meng family has been generals for generations. Before coming to Lingnan, Meng Jingjing had already revived the reputation of the Meng family generals, making the other six countries quite wary. Further out of Lingnan is the enemy country that is most adept at using underhanded methods. So on the way here, she was arranging her troops and planning what methods to use and how many years it would take to subdue that small country.
At first, Li Changyi thought Meng Jingjing was playing hard to get, but after standing there for almost half an hour without any reaction, he finally believed that Meng Jingjing was truly engrossed in reading and had forgotten everything, including him.
"So, in the Princess's heart, I am not even as good as a military treatise."
The tone was rather sarcastic, but Meng Jingjing didn't pay much attention. She was focused on her military books and immediately looked up when she heard the sound: "Your Highness, the Baiyue Kingdom is accustomed to using poison. Recently, I have learned some knowledge about poison from a reclusive doctor. I believe that when the two countries clash, we can fight poison with poison and even strike first."
Li Changyi remained silent, sat down opposite Meng Jingjing, took her book, and closed it. Meng Jingjing asked in confusion, "Your Highness?"
“You are now the Princess of Anding, not General Meng.”
"so?"
"From today onwards, the matters of patrolling the border, strengthening defenses, and protecting the country are no longer your concern."
Meng Jingjing's expression was not good: "Is Your Highness going to tear up our alliance? When we formed the alliance, we clearly stated that we were only—"
"Times have changed. My current situation is not suitable for you to go into battle and fight the enemy."
Meng Jingjing snatched the book back, opened it again, and said without looking up, "Even if I can't go to war, I still need to read."
"Tonight is our wedding night, Your Highness hasn't forgotten, has she?"
Meng Jingjing pushed Li Changyi onto the bed. Soon after, creaking sounds came from inside the room. The people outside listened for a while and then left, satisfied.
Inside the room, Meng Jingjing shook the bed even more violently, making high and low noises as she did so. Soon she was covered in sweat. Li Changyi sat on the inside, forced to sway along with the bed, his eyes flickering, and no one could figure out what he was thinking.
Half an hour later, Meng Jingjing lay down exhausted, her face flushed and her hair sticking to her scalp from the heat. If Li Changyi hadn't been there, he would have thought she was covered in sweat because she had just been intimate with a man.
"It is the Princess Consort who is so knowledgeable and experienced; otherwise, I would not know how to get through this."
"This hurdle is not yet overcome."
As Meng Jingjing spoke, she pulled a dagger from under her pillow and swiftly swung it at Li Changyi!
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