This New Year in Shuojing City was a double blessing for the Xiao family, but for some other families, it was like adding insult to injury.

At the Prince's Mansion, Guangyan sat in the study, his face full of anxiety.

After Xu Jingfu fell, although some of Xu's party defected to Chu Zhao, the purge by Emperor Wenxuan was so powerful that it also cost him a lot of his troops. For so many years, he had no ability and could only temporarily secure the position of the crown prince by relying on the connections of Empress Zhang's family and Prime Minister Xu. Although it was his own decision to abandon Che Baoshuai, Guangyan regretted it after making the decision.

Guangshuo has been very diligent in front of Emperor Wenxuan these days, and has begun to intervene in all matters of the court. Empress Zhang told him not to act rashly at this time. He was close to Xu Jingfu in the past, and Emperor Wenxuan might be displeased with him. It is best for him to stay at home and behave himself until the storm has passed.

Guangyan responded with his mouth, but he was even more anxious in his heart. If the fourth brother took advantage of his absence to flatter Emperor Wenxuan... who knows what will happen in the future? Xiao Huaijin's power is growing stronger and stronger, how can he fall behind at this time?

Just as he was thinking about it, a servant came to report: "Your Highness, someone outside wants to see you."

Guangyan said, "Come in."

The man was wearing servant's clothes and looked inconspicuous, but when he raised his head, it could be seen that his appearance was slightly different from that of the Wei people.

This is a Uto.

"Your Highness, I am here to deliver a message to Your Highness on the orders of Lord Maningbu."

"Maninbu?" Guangyan narrowed his eyes and asked the others in the hall to leave. Then he looked at the man and said, "Is your envoy still alive?"

Behind the Tianxing Terrace, Emperor Wenxuan had all the envoys from Wutuo placed under house arrest, and he has not said what to do with them until now. Guangyan had tried to have someone pass a message to Maningbu, but the guards were too strict and he never found the opportunity. Unexpectedly, Maningbu's people came to the door themselves.

As if afraid that Guangyan would not believe him, the servant stepped forward and showed Guangyan the seal in his sleeve.

"If you want me to rescue your master, then go back." Guangyan said impatiently, "Father is angry, and I don't want to add fuel to the fire."

"Your Highness has not been to court recently, so I'm afraid you don't know that the Fourth Prince has been very popular with His Majesty recently, and the officials in the court are also willing to support him."

It would have been better if he hadn't said this. Once he said this, Guangyan's face turned ugly. He sneered and said, "Don't I know this?"

"Concubine Lan is taking care of her every day," the servant whispered, "Lord Maningbu asked me to ask Your Highness, are we just going to sit there and wait for her death?"

With a "bang", the prince slammed the teacup in front of him against the wall, "Shut up!"

He was furious. Emperor Wenxuan had favored Concubine Lan for a long time. Guangyan knew that if he was not the eldest son, and if Emperor Wenxuan did not have to worry about the public opinion, he would have appointed Guangshuo as the crown prince long ago, just because Guangshuo was Concubine Lan's son, that bastard!

"If you hesitate, you will suffer the consequences, Your Highness."

Guangyan looked at the newcomer and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The servant bowed his head humbly, "Lord Maningbu asked me to tell Your Highness that the Emperor is old, and now the Fourth Prince is ready to make a move. If this hadn't happened, the position of the Emperor of Wei would have been in Your Highness's pocket. Now that Prime Minister Xu has fallen, Xiao Huaijin has grown stronger. If Xiao Huaijin had joined the Fourth Prince..."

Guangyan's heart skipped a beat; this was exactly what he was most worried about.

In the past, Xiao Zhongwu had always disliked him and often made trouble for him. After Xiao Zhongwu died, his son came! But the current Xiao Huaijin was even more terrifying than Xiao Zhongwu back then. Xu Jingfu failed to eradicate Xiao Huaijin, and now he has created such a disaster!

"Your Highness, why don't you...cut the Gordian knot?"

"How dare you!" Guangyan blurted out, feeling both shocked and angry. "How dare you speak so arrogantly in front of me!"

"Your Highness, please spare my life," the servant leaned forward, "Those who achieve great things do not care about trivial matters. Being kind to others is being cruel to yourself. Otherwise, with your Highness's kindness, the Fourth Prince might take advantage of it. But now," the servant's voice seemed to contain temptation, "if Your Majesty stops driving the imperial carriage, you will be the emperor in name only!"

The legitimate emperor!

Guangyan: "Shut up!"

It was like opening a magic box that seduced people. Thoughts that had not previously occurred to me, now being lightly prompted by someone, inevitably surfaced in my mind.

He understood what Manningbu meant, but although he had fought with Guangshuo in the past, he had never thought of killing his father. Although Emperor Wenxuan favored Guangshuo, he treated him well. Although looking back at the previous dynasties, there were many cases of fathers and sons killing each other, and brothers killing each other in the palace, Guangyan thought that he didn't need to do this.

Emperor Wenxuan had few children, and the Wei Dynasty always valued rules. When the time came, Emperor Wenxuan would naturally pass the throne to himself. Empress Zhang and Guangyan thought so, but year after year, day after day, the wait seemed endless. Emperor Wenxuan seemed to be deliberately avoiding something. He waited and waited, but not only did he not receive the imperial edict, but he also waited for the gradual rise of Guangshuo.

In the past few years, he had secretly contacted the Wutuo people. Wasn't it because he was becoming more and more insecure? If Emperor Wenxuan had just followed the rules, why would he have ended up like this? As a result, he was restricted in many ways until now, and in this war for the throne, he had unknowingly gone from being a winner to a loser.

If Guangshuo continues like this...

His heart was stirred by evil thoughts, so he decided to go all out...

The servant kneeling on the ground saw the changes in the expression on the prince's face and kindly advised: "Your Highness, I have brought all the words of the Lord. Your Highness might as well think about it carefully. As long as you sit in that position, everything you have done now will be worth it. Throughout the ages, who has accomplished great things, which road has not shed blood?"

"Your Highness, please think twice!"

Guangyan was provoked by his words and became impatient. He shouted, "Alright, I know what you are talking about! Get out now!"

The servant left quietly, just as he had done when he came. Guangyan looked at the broken pieces of the teacup scattered all over the floor, a trace of gloom gradually creeping into his eyes.

After a while, he seemed to be awakened and hurriedly left the hall.

After Guangyan left, the maids from the Prince's Mansion came in and cleaned up the residue on the ground. A beautiful maid came out from the back of the hall and smiled softly, "I'll be there."

"Miss Yingxiang." The maids did not dare to compete with her. Everyone knew that the most favored maid in the prince's mansion was Yingxiang. The prince had even argued with the princess over her, but Yingxiang was gentle and never gave the servants a hard time. She got along well with the other maids.

Ying Xiang half-knelt down and gently picked up the fragments on the ground. Her expression was as gentle as ever, and her long drooping eyelashes concealed the strange emotions in her eyes.

Maninbu's people actually encouraged the prince to kill the king?

This is not a good time.

…

The Chu family was too quiet at night.

Since the fall of Prime Minister Xu, the three legitimate sons of the Chu family, who were originally afraid of Chu Zhao, have gradually become arrogant. Chu Zhao no longer has Xu Jingfu to support him, and even though he is still an official in the court, who knows how long he can last? Who knows when Emperor Wenxuan will blame Chu Zhao for his resentment towards Xu Jingfu.

Mrs. Chu would occasionally make some sarcastic remarks when she saw Chu Zhao. As for Chu Linfeng, he hardly ever saw Chu Zhao anymore, which was completely different from the warm and caring attitude he had shown towards Chu Zhao before the incident.

Chu Zhao himself was not affected by these things, and he still did what he had to do every day. The wound on his chest had not yet healed completely, and he was recuperating in the mansion. He rarely met with his colleagues, and cleverly avoided this critical period.

The confidant came in and took out a letter from his bosom and presented it to him, "Fourth Master, there is news from Miss Ying Xiang again."

Chu Zhao took the letter, opened it and read it. It was fine at first, but when he read to the end, his expression changed slightly.

After a moment, he threw the letter into the burning stove and pressed his forehead lightly with his fingers, as if he had a severe headache.

"The Fourth Young Master?" the confidant asked cautiously.

Chu Zhao waved his hands and said nothing.

He really didn't expect Guangyan to be so anxious, nor did he expect Ma Ningbu to not forget to instigate at this juncture. If Guangyan had a little bit of brains, he would not be led by the nose by Wu Tuo. Unfortunately, in these years, just like Emperor Wenxuan relied on Xu Jingfu, Guangyan had long been accustomed to leaving everything to Xu Jingfu. Once Xu Jingfu fell, he had no opinion.

"Fourth Young Master," the confidant looked at his expression, thought for a long time, and finally couldn't help but speak: "Fourth Young Master is very talented, and now the Prime Minister is gone. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is impulsive and reckless, but the Fourth Prince knows how to keep a low profile. Now the situation in the court is different from the past. Good birds choose trees to roost in. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is incompetent, so why don't you follow the Fourth Prince..."

This is an extremely outrageous statement, but Chu Zhao has always treated his servants very well, so his subordinates are always a little more courageous than his other confidants.

Hearing this, Chu Zhao let go of his hand and looked at the oil lamp on the table.

The flame in the oil lamp was slightly shaken by the cold wind blowing in through the window. He said, "If Xiao Huaijin wasn't here, of course I could do it. But now, even for Xiao Huaijin's sake, the Fourth Prince won't use me."

Even if the remaining remnants of Xu Jingfu surrendered, they seemed to be no match for Xiao Jue. At this juncture, Guangshuo needed Xiao Huaijin's strength, and because Xiao Zhongwu and Xu Jingfu had been enemies to the death, Guangshuo would never give up Xiao Huaijin and choose himself.

"But if we keep going down this path..."

"It's not that I want to go down this path forever," Chu Zhao interrupted him, "It's me, there is no other way to go."

Perhaps this was destined many years ago when he first met Xu Jingfu and became his disciple.

"What should we do now, Mr. Four?"

"I need to go to the Prince's Mansion." A hint of sadness flashed across his brows.

Although it seemed that Manibu's words might have caused the prince to have other thoughts, and his words might not be useful, since they were already in the same boat, if something happened to the prince, he would not be safe either.

We can only do our best.

…

In Kunning Palace, Empress Zhang sat quietly on the couch, closing her eyes and listening to the zither player playing the zither.

The sound of the zither is clear and peaceful, and can soothe people's depression. Since Xu Jingfu's accident, she often suffers from insomnia at night, and can sleep very little every day. Once she closes her eyes, her eyelids often twitch violently, as if foreshadowing something is going to happen.

Emperor Wenxuan's health was getting worse and worse. He didn't attend court every few days. Lin Qingtan visited him several times and just said that he would be fine if he took good care of himself. But Empress Zhang always felt that it was not the case. She was also a little anxious.

Xu Xiang fell, which was unexpected to everyone. Although everyone knew that there would be a battle between Xu Jingfu and Xiao Jue, no one expected that Xiao Jue would use his military skills on the frontier battlefield and his tactics in the court, and evidence after evidence would nail his opponent to death on the prison board.

Empress Zhang had no idea whether Xu Jingfu's incident would affect Guangyan.

As for her husband, Emperor Wenxuan, Empress Zhang sometimes felt that she could see him clearly, and sometimes, she felt as if she had never known her.

Emperor Wenxuan was still the crown prince at the time, but he relied on the fact that he was the legitimate son of the late empress and thus obtained the position of crown prince. Empress Zhang, as the daughter of the prime minister, also had many fantasies about her husband before she got married.

But it was not until she became the Crown Princess that she realized her husband was just an ordinary man who indulged in poetry and singing every day. He had no ambition, no political talent, and no natural dominance of a royal family. If he were stripped of his identity, he would be no different from those ordinary men on the street.

Empress Zhang was an ambitious woman, but her ambitions had been satisfied too smoothly. Because her husband, the emperor, was too mediocre, she eventually lost interest in being jealous in the harem.

Just like Emperor Wenxuan's ordinary and stable life, as long as her son Guangyan ascended the throne in the future, she would be the empress dowager, falling from one supreme position to another.

Empress Zhang always thought so until Concubine Lan appeared.

Emperor Wenxuan doted on Concubine Lan very much. Empress Zhang did not take the emperor's favor seriously. There were countless new beauties in the palace every year, and she did not need to care about each one. But Emperor Wenxuan's doting on Concubine Lan was actually sincere.

This is very unsightly, especially since Concubine Lan also gave birth to a son.

Over the years, Empress Zhang had tried to get rid of Concubine Lan and her son, but this seemingly docile woman was extremely cunning, and she managed to escape every time. Guangshuo actually grew up safely. If Guangshuo had not known what was good for him and had always avoided the prince's edge, Empress Zhang would not have let it go.

As long as Guangyan's position was not shaken, it would be fine to let the mother and son live a little longer. She thought so, but this delicate balance was instantly broken after Xu Jingfu's death.

Queen Zhang sensed a hint of danger.

The sound of the zither suddenly broke, and a palace maid came to announce: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

Queen Zhang opened her eyes and Guangyan walked in from outside.

"All of you, go away." She waved her hand, and the zither player and the palace maid retreated together. Empress Zhang looked at Guangyan approaching and couldn't help complaining, "Didn't I tell you not to come to the palace these days to avoid causing trouble? But you are afraid that things are not chaotic enough, so you come to my palace. What are you doing?"

"Mother," Guangyan looked at her anxiously, "If you didn't let me enter the palace, how would I know that the palace is about to sink Guangshuo's world!"

"What are you talking about? Who told you that?" Queen Zhang sat up slightly, looking nervous.

"Don't worry about who told me." Guangshuo asked, "Is father not in good health? Mother, didn't father tell you a single word about the crown prince? I heard that Guangshuo went to father's bed every day to talk to him. Who knows how eloquent he is!" He said bitterly, "If I can trick father into turning his head, then I will have failed!"

"Shut up!" Empress Zhang shouted, and then she looked around and saw that there were no servants around, so she breathed a sigh of relief and said angrily, "You are so outspoken, but I don't know how many eyes in the palace are watching you."

"Mother," Guangyan said disappointedly, "I think that bitch Concubine Lan can't wait to take action, why should we care so much!"

When mentioning Concubine Lan, Empress Zhang's expression also turned ugly. She has been conceited all her life, and she boasts that no one in the harem can rival her. Even if Emperor Wenxuan favors Concubine Lan, Concubine Lan still has to be submissive in front of her all these years. But the situation in recent days broke her original idea. That woman... That woman is not only uncompetitive, but also has great ambitions! She has been so cautious in front of her all these years, and it was all just a pretense. When the time came, her true colors were revealed. The funny thing is that she was actually deceived by her!

Seeing that Queen Zhang's expression had changed, Guang Shuo licked his lips anxiously and suddenly leaned in and said, "Mother, I don't want to wait any longer."

Zhang came to his senses, looked at him and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Now that Xu Jingfu is dead, Father must have given up on me. Plus, I don't know what that bitch Concubine Lan said to Father... If this continues, Father will definitely appoint Guangxiao as the crown prince... I can't let that happen!"

"You want to..."

"As long as my father is gone now," Guangyan's eyes flashed with madness, "the throne should be mine!"

Zhang Huang subconsciously covered his mouth, "Do you know what you are saying?"

"Of course I know!" Guangyan whispered, "Mother, think about it, if Guangshuo becomes the emperor, what will happen to me? What will happen to you, mother? If father really has me in his heart, he would have passed the throne to me long ago. Since he is ruthless to me, don't blame me for being ungrateful! At worst, when I become the emperor in the future, I will burn a few more incense sticks for him every year!"

Empress Zhang was shocked and angry, but before she could say anything, Guangyan's legs went limp and he knelt before her, begging: "Mother, please save me and help me achieve my great cause!"

She looked uncertain and didn't say anything for a while. After a long while, she sighed and said, "Please let me think about it."

But that look clearly showed compromise.