Ultimately, the Prince of Jin had long coveted the throne.
And this dream lasted for more than thirty years.
Now, he is determined to have the throne, and whether Su Lichen relinquishes it or not, the throne will be his.
Of course, the Prince of Jin was pleased that Su Lichen was willing to use this opportunity to his advantage, since peaceful recapture was the best outcome compared to attacking from outside the city.
He was destined to become emperor. No matter how tyrannical and unpredictable he was in Jinxi, or how harsh and cruel he was to the people, it was all just preparation for his future as emperor.
Once he truly became emperor, he would certainly need to maintain his relationship with the common people, since the common people are the root of the nation.
Therefore, from this perspective, a peaceful recovery is the best option. Firstly, Jingzhou will not be significantly affected by the war, and its economic level will not decline. Secondly, the people can accept it smoothly. If the war causes families to be torn apart and people to die, who will still be willing to support him then?
Therefore, when Prince Jin looked at Su Lichen, his eyes showed that he no longer dared to concede the throne.
Su Lichen was also stunned for a moment, thinking to himself that Prince Jin was determined to take his position, and he didn't even try to hide it from him. In that case, he had made the right move.
"Alright, then I'll pass the throne to my uncle!"
At this point, Su Lichen suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Uncle, do you know that the Southern Qi Silver Thread Army is currently outside the eastern city wall?"
"Oh? The Southern Qi Silver Thread Army? They're right outside the city? Is that so?"
The Prince of Jin spoke calmly, acting as if he knew nothing, but he was perfectly aware of the situation. After all, he had already discussed it with the Third Prince of Southern Qi, and the reason why Southern Qi had not withdrawn its troops was also because of him.
Su Lichen nodded and said, "Yes! According to our original plan, they would launch a feigned attack, and then I would lure my father and the Duke of Yu out of the city and kill them! Once the situation in Anguo stabilizes, we can then cede Jiangling to them! But now these Southern Qi Silver Thread Army soldiers are very strange. They have not withdrawn their troops as originally planned. Instead, they are all stationed outside the city and have not taken any action."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin sneered inwardly, cursing Su Lichen as a fool. He thought to himself, "If you can do something like colluding with foreign powers to murder your own father, how can Southern Qi trust you? And you so casually ceded Jiangling, the most prosperous city in Anguo—you must know that Jiangling's position in Anguo is no less important than that of Jingzhou!"
Jiangling not only boasts an economic advantage over other cities in Anguo, but also excels in culture. It has the largest number of scholars there, and whether one's name is remembered in history or one is infamous for eternity depends on the pens of these literati!
Su Lichen ceded Jiangling without even thinking. Even if the Prince of Jin doesn't try to seize the throne now, the people of Anguo will rebel on their own because of this!
Therefore, the Prince of Jin looked down on Su Lichen even more, and after he became emperor, he certainly wouldn't choose to cede Jiangling or any other cities? Dream on!
The Prince of Jin will not allow Anguo to lose a single city after ascending the throne!
As for whether Southern Qi is willing or not, that's their business. If they are willing, then so be it; if they are not, then we'll fight them until they are willing!
The reason why the Southern Qi Silver Thread Army did not leave was because Prince Jin had privately communicated with the Third Prince of Southern Qi, asking him to stay and assist him in successfully seizing the throne, in exchange for a few Immortal Transformation Pills. However, these were all tricks Prince Jin used to deceive the Third Prince of Southern Qi, because Prince Jin was the least contract-abiding. Now that he had the throne, he would no longer fulfill his previous promises!
"Really? No action? Then we can go and see. If they want to leave, we'll send them away. If they don't leave, we'll beat them until they do!"
Prince Jin roared, exuding domineering power. Looking at him, Su Lichen suddenly felt a little envious. He had been emperor for a few days, but he had never been as domineering as Prince Jin. On the contrary, Prince Jin, even before ascending the throne, was full of a sharp imperial aura!
Su Lichen nodded and said, “Uncle, there are rumors in the city that you rebelled in Jinxi and led the rebel army to Jingzhou. If I suddenly abdicate in your favor, the people will inevitably wonder if you forced me or rebelled to take the throne.”
"Hmph, I don't care!"
The Prince of Jin gave a cold laugh.
"I know that you don't care, but if the people harbor resentment towards you, you will inevitably find it difficult to govern effectively in the future. Therefore, it would be better to announce to the public that you came from Jinxi not to rebel, but because you heard that the Southern Qi was attacking the city, so you led your troops to resist. When you lead your troops out of the city and defeat the Silver Thread Army, I will announce that you are wise and brave, and that you have made great contributions in defeating the Southern Qi Silver Thread Army. I will then voluntarily abdicate and give way to a worthy successor. The people will surely understand!"
"..."
After listening to Su Lichen's words, Prince Jin's eyes darted around, but he didn't say anything, thinking to himself that this was a good idea.
Although he said he didn't care about the people's opinions, how could he dare not care once he became emperor?
Bearing the stigma of rebelling and declaring himself emperor, even if he were to actually become emperor, things would likely not go smoothly for him. Therefore, Su Lichen's suggestion was truly excellent for him!
"Alright, then I'll first wipe out the remnants of Southern Qi for my imperial nephew!"
After speaking, Prince Jin squinted at Su Lichen and said, "But perhaps my nephew's thoughts are not so simple?"
Having said that, Su Lichen no longer hesitated and said directly, "To be honest, Uncle, although I have only been emperor for a few days, I have come to like this feeling and am reluctant to give it up."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's face fell.
Damn, what does that mean?
Has he become addicted to being emperor and no longer wants to relinquish power?
So everything you just said was bullshit? Are you kidding me?
Prince Jin felt his arm throbbing; if Su Lichen said another wrong word, he would be unable to resist taking action.
But then Su Lichen said, “Uncle, if you can lead the Western Frontier Heavy Cavalry Regiment to wipe out the Silver Thread Army and capture the Third Prince of Southern Qi alive, I will immediately abdicate and let you ascend the throne.”
"..."
"After the Imperial Uncle ascends the throne, may I be granted the title of Prince, and as for my fiefdom, it shall be Southern Qi!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's eyes widened in surprise.
Good heavens! The Prince of Jin exclaimed, "Good heavens!"
Conferring the title of Prince is not difficult, and even if Su Lichen himself did not bring it up, Prince Jin would have done so anyway.
Since Su Lichen was, after all, the former crown prince and had even served as emperor for a few days, Prince Jin had to make proper arrangements for him in order to satisfy the people.
But the fiefdom is Southern Qi... That's just too outrageous!
This clearly means they want to destroy the Southern Qi and incorporate it into the Anguo Kingdom!
Having figured this out, Prince Jin began to admire Su Lichen. It seems that after being the crown prince for so many years, he really has some skills!
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