As good news continued to come in, people became more and more enthusiastic about the topic. In their words, Prince Duan was almost like the reincarnation of the God of War.
This made Prince Cheng, who was involved in the peace talks, feel very bad. Now people outside only talked about Prince Duan, and almost no one mentioned Prince Cheng. Even if they mentioned him occasionally, they would only mention the polo match they lost to Xiao Mingyu.
Since Xiao Mingyu went to the border, he had people do several small actions in order to keep Xiao Mingyu there completely. There were too many accidents at the border, such as encountering a small group of barbarian soldiers during patrol. It was normal for a team to be killed. However, Xiao Mingyu was able to turn danger into safety every time, survive the disaster, and even fight back. Because of those actions, Xiao Mingrui lost a lot of manpower at the border.
"Is this kid so weird? He is only thirteen years old this year." This age is too shocking, especially when he proposed to go to the border to be a general and lead troops to fight, he was only eleven years old. Just think about what those children of powerful and noble royal families were doing when they were eleven years old. Many of them were still acting coquettishly in the arms of their grandmothers in the inner house.
"Maybe it really has something to do with his experience back then. Compared to before he was kidnapped, this kid has completely changed into a different person, becoming ruthless and ferocious." Those who used to play polo with Xiao Mingrui on the same team still remember the ruthlessness and fierce eyes of Xiao Mingyu. He was really like a wolf cub, and the shadow left in his heart has not disappeared until now.
If Xiao Mingyu really came back from the border, he would be even more powerful than he was when he was eleven years old.
"Xiao Mingyu can't be kept, and the prince can't be soft-hearted anymore." The subordinates and staff all felt a strong sense of crisis. Not only was there Xiao Mingyu himself, but also the fame and influence brought by the victories. Even if Xiao Mingrui could come to power in the future, Xiao Mingyu would probably be a huge hidden danger.
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Xiao Mingrui acted as if he had no choice, but he didn't think about it, he had tried several times but failed.
While Xiao Mingyu was fighting on the front line, various forces in the capital city behind him also became busy. Yuan Jing was keeping a close eye on the actions of all parties, especially Xiao Mingrui. If he dared to move, Yuan Jing would chop off a few of his hands.
Sure enough, Xiao Mingrui took action anyway, which made Yuan Jing very disappointed with the future emperor in the plot. While fighting with the enemy on the front line, Xiao Mingrui actually wanted to tamper with the food and weapons. If he succeeded, it would bring great harm to the border. You must know that once the border fails, it is very likely that the barbarian army will attack the territory of Da Zhou again.
Does such an emperor really care about the people of the Great Zhou?
In fact, the intelligence system has already discovered that Xiao Mingrui also had secret dealings with Northern Qi outside the Great Wall, but it was done secretly enough that they could only catch a few clues now.
Yuan Jing was not lacking in patience. He asked everyone to be more cautious and then spread the net bigger. One day, he would be able to catch what he wanted.
As soon as Xiao Mingrui's people made a small move, Prince Duan and the officials standing on his side exposed it in the court. The evidence was conclusive and it was too late to deny it. Xiao Mingrui was forced to cut off several hands and push several officials out to take responsibility for the matter.
It was not the first or second time that Xiao Mingrui lost his temper after returning home. In his eyes, the former prince was a fool before, but why was he so smart now? Or was there a traitor around him, and he was betrayed by his own people? Xiao Mingrui was suspicious.
"Now we can only wait and see what the officials who are heading to the border to negotiate with Northern Qi will do. Fortunately, we have made preparations early, and those people will soon arrive at the border. This time, we must not let Prince Duan's Mansion and Prince Duan steal the show."
"That's right. This time, we must make sure everything goes well. Otherwise, I will hold you accountable."
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Mingrui is getting busier and busier and has almost no time to go to the backyard. Although Zhao Han and Meng Susu are dissatisfied, they are helpless. After all, they know that this is the critical moment in the fight for the position. How can they hold back?
However, neither of them was worried that Xiao Mingrui would fail. After all, he was the future emperor. Although the existence of Xiao Mingyu surprised them both, and the fact that he led troops to fight in the border did attract attention, they were not too worried. How could a child whose hair had not yet fully grown be compared to the mature and steady Xiao Mingrui?
Besides, Xiao Mingrui would not tell Shuang'er, the woman in the backyard, about the affairs of the previous dynasty. It was already beyond his bottom line to let Meng Susu take charge of Meiyi Pavilion before, and now he had everything in his hands. It was impossible for him to discuss the matters of seizing the throne with the people in the backyard. This resulted in Zhao Han, who was only concerned with raising the child, and Meng Susu, who was only concerned with protecting the fetus, being in the dark. Later, when Meng Susu gave birth to the child, she devoted all her heart to the child and was completely unaware of the situation outside.
Prince Duan and Yuan Jing were also talking about Xiao Mingrui. They found out more and more things, which made Prince Duan feel frightened. Fortunately, Yuan Jing was there and always stood on his son's side, otherwise he might not be able to hold on in the capital.
"I didn't expect that Prince Cheng's Mansion had already developed disloyalty. Could it be that Prince Cheng secretly did something to prevent His Majesty from giving birth to a prince?" Prince Duan expressed his suspicion. "Look, they have been doing business with Northern Qi for many years. How much money have they made from Northern Qi over the years? Even now that they have the Meiyi Pavilion, they haven't given up the business there."
"Yes, Prince Cheng's Mansion needs money to develop its own power. It's not just the recent need for money in order to fight for the throne. Over the years, the power that Prince Cheng's Mansion has secretly developed should be far more than what we have investigated. I suspect that Prince Cheng's Mansion may have raised a group of private soldiers." Yuan Jing speculated boldly.
"How dare he?" Prince Duan was shocked. "What should we do? Will they use it against Mingyu?"
Yuan Jing calmed himself down. "Don't be alarmed, Your Majesty. I don't think the Cheng Palace would rashly use these private soldiers. Otherwise, their ambitions would be exposed too early, and they would lose their chance to be the emperor. I think they will be used at a critical moment. I will remind Mingyu, and find a way to find out where these private soldiers are hiding."
"Okay, okay," Prince Duan wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I'll leave these matters to you, Yuan Jing. Thank you for your hard work, Yuan Jing."
"No need, this is what I should do." Yuan Jing smiled.
Prince Duan felt deeply moved, saying that Doctor Yuan was such a good man who had spared no effort to help his son. Doctor Yuan played a vital role in his son's success.
At the border, Xiao Mingyu, who received Yuan Jing's letter, showed a bloodthirsty smile. Xiao Mingrui, right? Did he really think he was so easy to bully? He would take this opportunity to wipe out those people in one fell swoop.
Xiao Mingrui has uncovered many of the people he has planted at the border, but he has not eliminated all of them. Some of them are still left and are all under his surveillance. As long as these people make any moves, he will know immediately.
"Keep a close eye on them. Take advantage of this opportunity to root them out and cut off their hands from reaching out to Northern Qi!"
"Yes, Prince."
Xiao Mingyu is now becoming more and more adept at handling the border. He gradually understands Yuan Jing's nonsense. Some things seem to be innate. He seems to belong to this battlefield by nature. He can judge the situation at a glance and knows how to fight this battle to consume the enemy's troops to the greatest extent and preserve his own side.
Maybe people have past and present lives, just like the abnormalities shown in Zhao Han and Meng Susu, he might have been a great general in his past life, a king on the battlefield, and Yuan Jing might have been his military advisor. They were the most tacit partners.
A large net has also been spread across the border, waiting for the enemy to fall into the trap and be caught in one fell swoop.
Xiao Mingyu went back to the tent and wrote a letter to Yuan Jing. The most unpleasant thing here was that he could not meet Yuan Jing and could only communicate through letters. So he had an idea to pacify the war on the border as soon as possible so that he could return to the capital in triumph and reunite with Yuan Jing.
As for Prince Duan? What's there to miss?
The court officials finally arrived at the border town and sent a letter to Northern Qi. The fighting between the two sides eased, and they prepared for negotiations while being wary of each other.
The people of Northern Qi did not expect that the Great Zhou would become a tough stone to chew this time. After investigation, they found that it was all because of the arrival of the prince of Prince Duan's mansion that caused significant changes in the Great Zhou army on the border. Therefore, the goal of Northern Qi was the same as Xiao Mingrui's. They all wanted to overthrow Xiao Mingyu, and it would be best if he could stay at the border forever and never return to the capital.
In the capital, Yuan Jing was waiting patiently. He had finished all the work he was supposed to do. He was just waiting to see whether the troops of both sides would fall into the trap set on the border. He believed that neither the Northern Qi royal court nor Xiao Mingrui would miss this great opportunity.
Although he believed in Xiao Mingyu and thought that he would be able to keep the situation under control with his abilities, he was still somewhat uneasy because of his concern for him. Thinking about the troubles caused by Xiao Mingrui, Yuan Jing, who couldn't sleep, simply threw off the quilt and climbed over the wall to steal.
His current skills are much better than when he climbed Liu Fu's wall in Jiangcheng, Jiangnan. He has been practicing internal energy in the past few years, and the Tai Chi Zhou Tian Gong has allowed him to master it. So he wanted to make some trouble for Xiao Mingrui and start a fire in his backyard.
If this matter is handed over to other people, it will easily leave traces, and it is far less convenient for him to come in person. Even if his whereabouts are discovered by the other party, he can leave calmly. How could Xiao Mingrui and the people in Prince Cheng's Mansion imagine that it was him who did it?
Yuan Jing had already figured out the terrain of Prince Cheng's Mansion, so he entered the Mansion smoothly. Except for Xiao Mingrui's backyard, he visited all other places, including the rockery in the garden.
He was still somewhat wary of Meng Susu, even though according to intelligence, Meng Susu neglected cultivation and cultivating immortals was really just a means of beauty and body shaping for her. However, he had no knowledge of the means of cultivating immortals, and it would be bad if Meng Susu discovered him, so he decided not to alert her for the time being.
He thought, aren't there often mechanisms in the rockery in gardens in novels? He really felt it carefully and finally found it. He avoided the patrolmen, opened the mechanism and slipped in.
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