Knowing what he suspected, Prince Su spoke without any concealment: "It is for the Shen family's empire, and it is also for His Majesty. Now that you have ascended the throne, the empire and the emperor are inseparable. There is no difference between serving the Shen family's empire and serving His Majesty."
Prince Su's expression was extremely solemn when he spoke, and Shen Shi felt a strange sense of etherealness whenever he looked at him.
Since arriving in this ancient world, he had become increasingly suspicious. This was the first time he had faced such a sincere person, not for power but for loyalty to the emperor.
Prince Su, in order to ensure that the Shen family could maintain their rule, was willing to be gossiped about as a cuckold by the people of the capital, and personally set a trap for Prime Minister Zhang, just to give Shen Shi a legitimate reason to get rid of him.
"Your Royal Uncle's kindness is truly admirable," Shen Shi said sincerely to Prince Su.
"To be loyal to the emperor is what I should do, Your Majesty. You flatter me," Prince Su said humbly.
This sentence, like a lame joke, made Shen Shi laugh.
"Nothing in this world is ever a given. If I were to say that I have done everything I could for Prime Minister Zhang, why doesn't he understand this principle?" Shen Shi asked, looking down at the people below, while anticipating his answer.
“He doesn’t even know the matter of loyalty to the emperor, which shows that he is heartless and treacherous. Your Majesty must not keep him!” Prince Su replied without hesitation.
"Good! Good! Good!" Shen Shi said "good" three times in a row, which was enough to show his liking for the suggestion.
Upon seeing his attitude, Prince Su immediately understood and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty is wise."
Shen Shi was already used to the phenomenon of people flattering him at the drop of a hat. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Uncle's suggestion is good, but Prime Minister Zhang's lineage is deeply entrenched. If we are not careful, it will have a ripple effect. Although the charge of disrespecting the royal family sounds intimidating, it will not really hurt him."
Shen Shi's words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the flame of hope that Prince Su had just ignited.
His face turned ashen, but when he looked up and met Shen Shi's mocking gaze, a glimmer of hope rose in Prince Su's heart.
"What does His Majesty mean?" Prince Su asked hesitantly.
"My meaning is very simple: in order to eliminate Prime Minister Zhang completely, I will have to put on a show with you, my uncle."
Upon hearing that Prime Minister Zhang would be completely eliminated, Prince Su was no longer sleepy and immediately declared his loyalty to Chen Shi, saying, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty like a dog or a horse!"
For the rest of the time, Shen Shi spent a long time talking with Prince Su in the Imperial Study.
The specific content of their conversation remains unknown to outsiders; all that is known is that Prince Su emerged from his study with a radiant complexion and an air of authority.
Having just had his concubine snatched away on the street by Zhang Zaixiang, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor, and now he comes out triumphantly. Everyone can see Prince Su's excitement, and everyone is guessing that he has won his complaint to the Emperor.
As everyone expected, just as Prince Su came out of the Imperial Study, the imperial edict sentencing Prime Minister Zhang to six months in prison was issued.
The eunuch carrying the imperial edict arrived at the Prime Minister's residence with great fanfare. Prime Minister Zhang's face darkened as he received the edict.
Prime Minister Zhang, blind to the true nature of Prince Su, seized his concubine. The Emperor gave him the punishment he deserved, and everyone thought that was the end of the matter.
To everyone's surprise, after this battle, Prince Su seemed to have unlocked his full potential. He started picking fights with Prime Minister Zhang all the time.
Today they'll impeach you in court, tomorrow they'll put up big-character posters in front of your mansion, and the day after tomorrow they'll send people to spread rumors about you all over the streets. In short, Prince Su will do anything that's bad for Prime Minister Zhang.
Seeing him like this, Prime Minister Zhang, who had always acted arrogantly in the capital, could no longer tolerate it and began to make things difficult for Prince Su.
The two men, both over fifty, became sworn enemies, attracting the attention of the entire capital to watch them become a laughingstock.
Although Emperor Shen Shi saw the power struggle between the two, he did not express his opinion, seemingly indicating that he would let them be.
None of the officials holding important positions in the court were simple people, and the struggle between Prime Minister Zhang and Prince Su easily evolved into a struggle between two factions.
Prime Minister Zhang is backed by a long-established powerful family, while Prince Su has the backing of the imperial family. These two forces have long disliked each other, and now they finally have the opportunity to suppress their rival. They are all eager to crush each other on the beach.
For a time, both the capital and the imperial court were incredibly lively. Every time Shen Shi attended court, it was like participating in a debate, with both sides arguing back and forth endlessly.
Time passed by second by second amidst the back-and-forth debates, and before long, the day of the coronation ceremony arrived.
On that day, Shen Shi was in the palace, choosing a headdress for Ji Ying'er for the ceremony, when Wang Xi bowed and came in to report.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Zhenbei arrived in the capital late last night. Due to the late hour, he was unable to enter the palace to meet Your Majesty. He came to apologize to you this morning."
Shen Shi knew that Qi Xiao was returning to the capital long ago. In this capital city, even a mosquito flying in would not escape the eyes of his spies.
Yesterday around noon, news that Qi Xiao was about to arrive in the capital had already reached Shen Shi's desk.
He returned to Beijing a little later than Chen Shi, but fortunately it didn't delay the upcoming big show.
After hearing Wang Xi's report, Shen Shi did not react immediately, but continued to select clothes for Ji Ying'er. Even though no one dared to be careless about the coronation ceremony, the things made by the Imperial Household Department were all exquisite and dazzling.
But since the Imperial Household Department was doing its job, he naturally had to do the same for his own wife. He spent a quarter of an hour roughly selecting these items.
Then he said to the people of the Imperial Household Department, "These are the main ones. I will pick out a few good ones first, and then you can show them to Consort Ying so that she can make the final decision."
Those serving present listened to Shen Shi's words and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: The Emperor is truly considerate and attentive to Consort Ying!
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go and ask Lady Ying immediately." The man from the Imperial Household Department repeatedly agreed, bowed to Chen Shi, and quietly left with his things.
After they left, Chen Shi turned his gaze to Wang Xi. "Marquis Zhenbei has fought for my Shen family's empire for many years. How can we let him wait outside? Invite him in for me."
Looking at Chen Shi's enthusiastic demeanor, it's as if he wasn't the one who had been indifferent just moments before. It has to be said that being an emperor is a skill; at the very least, you have to know how to act.
Wang Xi clearly dared not question the emperor's actions, and replied with "Yes." He then hurriedly went out to fetch someone.
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