The next day, Xihe brought Meng Huaiyu to the Prime Minister's residence again. When Prime Minister Qiang saw her, his eyes were not eyes and his nose was not nose. He didn't want to get rid of Prince Yu so early. After all, His Majesty was quite afraid of the Crown Prince. Keeping Prince Yu was also a guarantee for the Crown Prince. But this damn girl actually said that Huaiyu was the former Crown Prince...
Prime Minister Qiang glanced at the baby in Xihe's arms, his eyes sparkling, and he really had a bit of the demeanor of the former crown prince.
But... even if this is the orphan of the former crown prince, so what? There are many living princes now. If the identity of this child is exposed, His Majesty will only think that they have evil ambitions and will bring disaster to the Marquis' Mansion and the Prime Minister's Office.
After thinking about this for a while, he looked at Xihe: "What does Meng Yuchuan mean?"
What was Meng Yuchuan's real motivation in risking so much to protect the former crown prince's orphan? Could he even be hoping to personally secure an emperor? If that were the case, then it made sense why the second girl repeatedly urged him to give up the crown prince.
Thinking of this, his face suddenly darkened: "Your sister is the Crown Princess. The Qiang family has long been tied to the Crown Prince's ship. The Crown Prince is also implicated by the Qiang family. Don't be confused. You are the daughter of the Qiang family!"
The servants in the study had already left, leaving only the father and daughter, plus Meng Huaiyu.
Prime Minister Qiang frowned, and the little guy shuddered all over and subconsciously hugged Xihe tightly.
Xihe patted the little fellow's back and looked at Prime Minister Qiang disapprovingly: "Dad, you scared Huaiyu." Then he changed the subject, "Dad, you're overthinking it. My husband and I just want Huaiyu to be happy in this life and do what he wants. As for who will take the throne, we don't care."
She didn't lie. When Meng Yuchuan told her Meng Huaiyu's identity, he said that he would not deliberately push the little guy to the throne, and he just hoped that the child could live a happy life.
There was naturally a reason why Meng Yuchuan was so protective of Meng Huaiyu. Back when the former crown prince was still alive, they were rare good friends. So when he learned that Crown Prince Shu had a son, he was afraid that the little guy would be killed in the palace, so he took the risk and raised the child under his lap.
Could Prime Minister Qiang believe their words? Of course not.
Who doesn't want to be promoted, who doesn't want to be in the emperor's favor? With such a good bargaining chip, everyone will calculate for themselves.
But Prime Minister Qiang nodded with a cold expression on his face: "That's best!"
He thought to himself, let the child live for the time being, and when the prince ascended the throne and everything was settled, he would quietly send someone to kill the baby without anyone knowing. If the prince was really defeated... Prime Minister Qiang stroked his beard and decided to ask his wife to pay more attention to the child.
As soon as Xihe saw the shrewd look on Prime Minister Qiang's face, he knew that this old guy had no good plans.
However, either she or Meng Yuchuan, as long as they were alive, could protect Meng Huaiyu 100%, so naturally they did not take Prime Minister Qiang's plan to heart.
So, Prince Yu was killed, and the male protagonist began to walk on his own destiny.
However, the capital was still in turmoil, and the court was noisy every day. Several princes, unwilling to be lonely, jumped out and challenged the prince.
The emperor sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight, without stopping them.
The prince suddenly felt cold-hearted and began to believe the words of his advisers more and more. His father really became wary of him and began to target him.
"Father-in-law, what should I do?"
Prime Minister Qiang hurriedly avoided the Crown Prince's greeting, thought for two seconds, and said, "The only way to deal with all changes is to remain constant. Crown Prince, just do your job and leave His Majesty with nothing to say."
There are so many court officials, and the prince has done nothing wrong, so Your Majesty cannot find a reason to punish him.
The prince bowed again and said, "I will obey my father-in-law."
Prime Minister Qiang naturally did not dare to accept the prince's gift, but he was extremely satisfied that the prince respected him. Even after leaving the palace, he was still stroking his beard with a smile on his face.
However, as soon as he left, a man came out from behind the screen: "Prince."
The prince flicked his sleeves, sat down leisurely on the chair, and raised his hand: "Ziqin, please sit down. Did you hear what the Prime Minister said just now?"
Ziqin performed the full ceremony respectfully, then stood up and sat down at the lower seat. "Your Highness, I heard what the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister is far-sighted and prudent in his actions. However, this is unavoidable and may have wronged Your Highness."
The prince's hand holding the tea was invisible and paused for a moment before returning to normal: "Oh?"
Ziqin spoke eloquently: "The Prime Minister has been very thoughtful. He has taken into account Your Majesty's fear of the Crown Prince and asked the Crown Prince to restrain his glory. But it's okay for Your Majesty, but how can the Fifth Prince and the Eldest Prince compare with you? They are not afraid of shortening their lives if you let them give them a break!" He was indignant at the end.
"Your Highness, in my opinion, it is better for you to advance than retreat! His Majesty is already old, and all the ministers in the court are convinced of your power. You might as well just declare your status as the crown prince and let everyone know that you are the next emperor!"
"Asshole!"
The prince suddenly became angry.
Ziqin was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Highness is happy or angry!"
The Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged: "I have the utmost respect for my father. I pray every day that he will live for thousands of years to protect us, my descendants. How dare you criticize my father like this? Have you had enough of life?"
Ziqin was immediately terrified and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Highness, please understand. I have absolutely no such intention!"
The prince turned around and said, "Go down."
Ziqin didn't care about anything else and hurriedly retreated.
Not long after, Prime Minister Qiang, who thought he had successfully persuaded the prince, suddenly discovered that the prince was becoming more and more arrogant.
Not only did he raise opinions on government affairs in the court, but he also fought back without hesitation when he was criticized by several princes. When the emperor scolded him in front of all the civil and military officials, the prince could still ask without batting an eyelid: "Father, what have I done wrong?"
emperor:! ! !
Prime Minister Qiang also widened his eyes.
The civil and military officials shouted, "Your Majesty, this case was handled by one of your subordinates on his own initiative. It has nothing to do with the Crown Prince!"
The entire court was as bustling as a vegetable market, with everyone blushing and pleading for the prince. The few officials who did not belong to any faction looked at the prince standing upright, then looked at the gloomy face of His Majesty on the throne, and hurriedly lowered their heads, wishing they could curl themselves up into a ball.
It is said that after the morning meeting, the emperor returned to the harem, smashed a lot of things in anger, and scolded Concubine Li who tried to please him.
Prime Minister Qiang was so angry that his head was dizzy. He went to find the prince as soon as he left the court. In the end, he was given a light-hearted reply: "Father-in-law, I have other plans."
Other plans? What plans? Why didn't you discuss it with him?
Prime Minister Qiang wanted to get to the bottom of things, but the officials from the Eastern Palace said that the prince had a headache and needed to rest, so they sent him out without giving him any chance to refuse.
Prime Minister Qiang: "..."
He stamped his feet, turned around and stormed out of the palace.
Xihe didn't pay attention to the affairs of the court for the time being. She received a letter from the border that Meng Yuchuan would return to the court in about two months.
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