Not only his own troops, but also the entire Nan'an Prefecture and several surrounding areas were turned against him, and he actually amassed an army of 100,000.
The imperial court has just quelled a rebellion in the southern borderlands. The situation was already unstable, so raising an army at this time was quite opportune.
At the Third Prince's residence, Shu Xiufeng went to the main courtyard and, upon seeing Wang Fu, asked, "What happened?"
Wang Fu was just as anxious as he was, but she waved for the man to leave before saying, "Your Highness, what's the rush? Although I don't know why my grandfather suddenly raised an army, he would only support you."
"Don't try to fool me! Think about it yourself, is that even possible? If he fundamentally rejects my father, then what am I?" Since my father usurped the throne, what about him?
Before Wang Fu could explain further, the Third Prince pinched her cheek and said, "I'm telling you, your grandfather has no chance of succeeding."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Wang Fu was thrown to the ground, but she didn't rush to get up.
A feeling of immense fear rose in her mind.
By any measure, it looks like she's been abandoned.
Fortunately, she finally met the people from Nan'an Prefecture in less than half a day.
They urgently summoned the Third Prince.
The newcomer was a woman who knelt before Shu Xiufeng: "Our Prince instructed me to apologize to you first. Raising an army was a last resort. It's no secret that Your Highness has a private army; His Highness the Crown Prince already knows. Now that things are somewhat calmer in the Southern Frontier, the court is certainly short of money and grain. Furthermore, the passing of Princess Rongyu and the Third Prince have been brought up again. There are also rumors that His Majesty killed the former Crown Prince's two sons."
"In this way, the Empress Dowager will also be on our side. The Prince said that he is the son of Emperor Jingming and the younger brother of Emperor Jingrun. There is no way he will become the emperor. He will definitely give his full support to the Third Prince. The Prince has only one wish: to be able to retire in the capital and be buried in the Shu family's mausoleum. And then posthumously honor his mother as Empress."
“My maternal grandfather went to Nan’an Prefecture when he was young, and he always missed my mother. It’s a pity that his mother passed away early… and her funeral arrangements were not good.” Wang Fu wiped away her tears.
The Third Prince didn't speak, but his expression softened considerably.
The woman then said, "Besides, the Prince himself said he wanted to support you, but now that the Crown Prince's position is increasingly secure, it's probably not easy to make a move. Unless His Majesty abdicates, when will he have another opportunity?"
Shu Xiufeng waved his hand: "I'm not stupid. Your prince is clever and tries to fool me with these words. Fine, I'll let it go, but isn't the princess your prince's flesh and blood?"
"Although we princes have many grandchildren, we only love Miss the most. How could we neglect her? It's just that the opportunity is rare, which is why things have turned out this way. Otherwise, we should have made arrangements beforehand."
Shu Xiufeng waved his hand: "I understand."
Back in the backyard, the woman kowtowed to Wang Fu and said, "His Highness ordered me to stay and protect you."
“Grandpa took a risky move. Why didn’t he tell us beforehand?” Wang Fu frowned.
"Firstly, there's no time; secondly, His Highness's health is failing." To be precise, his days are numbered.
After scheming for half his life, how could he be content?
Wang Fu asked him in detail and had a clear understanding of the situation.
Wang Fu was naturally on the side of the Prince of Nan'an. The Third Prince was just a puppet, but they needed him now.
Naturally, you should reward him and let him know that he is fighting for himself.
Wang Fu began to ponder what to do.
This time, Shu Zhongjing couldn't possibly want to lead the army in person, and his body couldn't handle it either.
If he doesn't go, he naturally won't allow the crown prince to go either.
This time, troops from Bailu Prefecture and Qu Prefecture were mobilized, and General Huo from Bailu Prefecture was leading the troops.
The imperial edict has been issued, but whether or not a prince should be sent to supervise the army has not yet been decided.
Anyway, the generals will get there quickly.
Compared to the previous campaign in the southern border region, this time it was indeed a bit more difficult, and the supplies were not gathered as quickly, but after all, Dayan was a prosperous place.
These are not major problems.
The most deadly thing is the public opinion.
Shu Zhongjing's reputation is terrible these days.
After this incident, Empress Dowager Jiang locked herself in the Longevity Palace and refused to see anyone. She appeared to be extremely heartbroken.
Shu Zhongjing, whose health was not yet fully recovered, did not faint this time, but he suffered from headaches and dizziness all the time, and even his liver hurt.
At this point, who cared whether Consort Zhen was innocent or not?
Shu Zhongjing was never a pioneering ruler, but merely an emperor in a peaceful and prosperous era.
The successive rebellions threw him into disarray.
In addition, my health is not good, so I am completely unable to calm down.
But the more agitated he became, the more dizzy he felt, and the less he could do anything.
In times like these, it's only natural that His Highness the Crown Prince should step up.
It was at this moment that Shu Chengfeng's calm and composed demeanor won the admiration and trust of the court officials.
Shu Zhongjing still sent people from the Cao family out, this time it was Cao Yue, the nephew of Consort Zhen.
Shu Chengfeng did not stop him at all.
He even volunteered for the mission several times.
He didn't want to leave this time; leaving Beijing now would not be a good thing.
But the more he volunteered for the campaign, the more His Majesty disagreed.
If the suppression of this rebellion is successful, the Crown Prince will have accumulated too many military achievements.
It wasn't until mid-February that Yan Nangui finally saw Shu Chengfeng again.
This person must have been extremely busy these past two weeks.
I've lost a lot of weight.
Seeing her sitting in the yard sunbathing, he asked someone to bring her a soft chair as well.
He lay down to rest for a bit: "I'll have lunch here with you."
"It's been half a month, and besides the Crown Princess, you're the only one who's come to visit me. If I have to pay my respects tomorrow, I'll be the envy of everyone," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"You're good, I'm happy to have you here."
"Your Highness has lost quite a bit of weight. No matter how busy you are, you must take care of your health. I heard that Your Highness has been leaving early and returning late these days," Yan Nangui said.
"I don't want to be like this either. Wouldn't it be better to rest every day? But I have no choice." Shu Chengfeng sighed, "It's a pity that His Majesty won't allow me to go to the battlefield."
Yan Nangui scoffed, "You're just trying to fool me. You don't want to go to the battlefield."
Shu Chengfeng laughed: "Nonsense, making achievements and establishing a career is a man's ambition. Why wouldn't I want to?"
"It's true that it's a man's ambition to achieve great things, but if a prince of a country only thinks about achieving great things, then when he ascends the throne, he will be a warmongering, ambitious emperor. It will be the common people who suffer." Yan Nangui said lightly.
Shu Chengfeng opened his eyes: "You do know a lot. I didn't realize you had the world in your heart?"
"What use is it for me to have the world in my heart? I'm nothing more than a canary in Your Highness's backyard," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"Nonsense. If you have the world in your heart and constantly offer advice, wouldn't that be good too?" Shu Chengfeng closed his eyes again.
"You believe that yourself? I advised you, and you listened to me? And then you made all sorts of correct choices? Let's not even talk about whether I'm that capable or not. If you listened to me in everything, you would have been eaten by now," Yan Nangui said.
“You…” Shu Chengfeng sighed.
"Then tell me, why don't I want to go to the battlefield?"
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