Chapter 694
How could the emperor not be dull-witted?
He himself rose to power through a struggle for the throne, and he knows best the obsession of those who fight for it.
Therefore, to some extent, he could understand the Second Prince's behavior of frantically accumulating wealth.
However, while he could understand that matter, he could not condone it.
The emperor was truly baffled by the Crown Prince's actions.
Seeing that the Second Prince has fallen, the First Prince should be advancing further now, so why is he retreating?
The emperor, puzzled, asked the question.
The eldest prince twitched the corner of his mouth, looking a little embarrassed.
Consort De quickly said, "My child, just say it! Is there anything you can't tell your father?"
The eldest prince could only say, "Father, after all these years, I have come to understand that I am not cut out for struggle. If Father were to place the heavy responsibility of governing the country on my shoulders, I would probably be in trouble. So let's just forget about it. It's quite nice to be a wealthy and idle person."
The fact that the eldest prince can say such things now is not because he is particularly kind-hearted.
Yesterday, he went to the palace intending to discuss taking things further with Consort De, but Consort De, with a look of pity, analyzed the pros and cons for him, and finally came to a conclusion—
The eldest prince is not suited to vie for the throne, much less to be emperor.
The eldest prince was deeply affected.
But after going back to sleep, the eldest prince realized that his mother was right.
Even someone like the Crown Prince couldn't resist the temptations from all sides and gradually made it to where he is now. If I were to take the position, who knows what would happen to me?
Therefore, after much consideration, stepping down at this point is the best course of action.
Forget about the world and the country; protecting his own family is his top priority.
Hearing the eldest prince's words, the emperor was once again in a daze.
That's incredibly self-aware!
After a long silence, the emperor said, "Have you thought this through? Once you are made a prince, the position of crown prince will be completely out of your reach."
Now that the eldest prince has lost interest in vying for the throne, he no longer needs to think things through before speaking.
He immediately said, "Father, the way you're saying that makes it sound like you wouldn't feel comfortable handing over the position of Crown Prince to me if I didn't step down. Don't you always think I'm foolish...?"
emperor:......
His frankness left him speechless for a moment.
Consort De smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Your Majesty, since we are here today, it means we have given this matter considerable thought. Please issue the decree."
The emperor looked intently at the eldest prince and suddenly sighed: "Now that I see, you're not so stupid after all."
However, the matter of bestowing a title of king cannot be done casually. You should go back first. Until the imperial decree is issued, you shall remain as before.”
The eldest prince was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Consort De.
However, Consort De did not understand the Emperor's meaning, so the eldest prince had no choice but to nod first.
The mother and son emerged from the imperial study, both burdened with legal troubles.
"Mother, what do you think Father means by this? He used to dislike me, and now that I want to step down, why does Father seem a little unhappy?"
Consort De sighed: "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Anyway, His Majesty tells you to do the same as before, so just obey."
The eldest prince nodded.
The mother and son then fell silent.
After walking a while longer, Consort De suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Your third brother has grown up now, and I heard that he has recently started to get involved in court affairs?"
The eldest prince nodded: "Yes."
"That's right!" Consort De clapped her hands. "The third prince is intelligent, but he knows nothing about politics. So His Majesty probably wants you to train him!"
Upon thinking about it, the eldest prince suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Mother Consort understands Father Emperor's thoughts best!"
Now that the path has been clearly laid out, the eldest prince knows what to do.
After leaving the palace, the eldest prince summoned the third prince to his residence, saying he wanted to introduce him to the various factions in the court.
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