Chapter 251 Double Standards
The eldest prince's unhesitating words made the fifth prince wonder, "Isn't this behavior quite normal, Boss? Could it be that I was wrong?"
Thinking of this, the Fifth Prince stared at the First Prince with a burning gaze, and said suspiciously, "Boss, you don't want me to be the first to take action, do you? Are you planning to let me lead the charge while you reap the benefits?"
The eldest prince had no such intention at first, but the fifth prince's sudden reminder piqued his interest and he couldn't help but think about it.
But before he could even formulate a response, the Fifth Prince surprised him with another powerful move, adding another huge advantage. "It's not impossible for me to lead the charge, provided you agree to one condition of mine."
The Fifth Prince's words were so tempting that the First Prince eagerly asked, "What are the conditions? As long as it's within my power, I will agree to it!"
"I want my eldest brother to hand over the gang of scum who framed the former crown prince." The fifth prince said this, his eyes fixed on the eldest prince, a meaningful smile on his lips. He continued, "Is my eldest brother reluctant to do so? After all, my eldest brother has put a lot of thought into this matter."
The eldest prince was indeed tempted, but when it came to carefully planning the plot to frame the former crown prince, he actually didn't put in much effort.
However, he was impeached several times by several imperial censors, and he himself said some bad things in front of the emperor, but such things should not be mentioned.
But this also meant that his deal with the Fifth Prince could not be reached.
How could he be willing to do this?
So the eldest prince tentatively asked, feeling uneasy, "If I told Fifth Brother that I only ordered my censors to impeach Third Brother, would you believe me?"
"I don't believe it." The fifth prince's answer was so resounding and decisive that it almost made the eldest prince faint.
Although the eldest prince was annoyed, to be fair, if he were in the fifth prince's position, he would probably not believe it either!
Wait, maybe someone knows!
The eldest prince suddenly remembered that Chu Ci knew everything about the secret room under his study. So, she must know a lot about the former crown prince as well, right?
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. So the eldest prince suddenly changed the subject: "To be honest, when I deposed the former crown prince, I didn't expect it to be so easy."
Seeing this, the eldest prince quickly suggested, "Perhaps the Fan family and Princess Yixin know some inside information. Why don't you go and ask them?"
Chu Ci was completely speechless and thought to himself: Do these people think they are gods?
So she simply rolled her eyes and said helplessly, "Your Highness, even though you weren't in the court at the time, have you really stopped investigating since returning to the capital?"
"Do you dare to say with all your heart that you haven't found the real culprit behind this?"
"Otherwise, why were you hunted down so miserably? You should know the reason very well."
The Fifth Prince, he knew, what did he know? He looked at Chu Ci with a bewildered look on his face: "Just the second prince's evidence full of loopholes? The civil and military officials are not blind? And my mother..."
Chu Ci heard this and slowly shook his head, his expression solemn. "However, the truth is, even if the civil and military officials today are not blind and understand, they dare not go against the emperor's wishes."
"As for the Queen, if it weren't for you, she might have thrown everything at the stake. But because of you, she's overwhelmed with concerns and can't do anything. She's terrified that her actions will bring disaster upon you and make your situation even more difficult."
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince felt as if he had suffered a heavy blow. He stood there in a daze, his expression full of disbelief and deep frustration.
Even the eldest prince seemed a little dazed, his eyes empty as he muttered to himself, "So, what happened back then wasn't at all due to the powerful tactics of the Second Brother and me? Was it purely because of Father's suspicion of the former Crown Prince?"
"There are no fathers and sons in the royal family. Haven't you already understood this principle?" Chu Ci couldn't help but roll her eyes at this. She really didn't understand why these two were being so pretentious.
Chu Ci's expression was too obvious, the undisguised disgust and speechlessness were clearly revealed on his face.
The grief and anger that the eldest prince and the fifth prince had originally felt in their hearts were instantly blown away by Chu Ci's actions, as if by a gust of wind, disappearing completely without leaving a trace.
However, the two who had regained consciousness began to think endlessly: "If the emperor knew about the dethronement of the crown prince, then what the second brother did, would he..."
The eldest prince couldn't utter the three words "I understand" no matter what he did.
His lips trembled slightly, and his throat seemed to be choked by something. His heart was full of entanglement and fear, for fear that once he said these words, some things would never be undone.
Although Chu Ci knew that most people were hypocritical, it was rare to see someone so hypocritical as to completely ignore the suffering of others.
Chu Ci rolled his eyes again and said unhappily, "He doesn't know that even if your father was incompetent, he wouldn't let the 'traitors of the previous dynasty' do what they want. Do you think the royal system of checks and balances is so foolish and blind?"
Although Chu Ci pointed at their noses and scolded them mercilessly, for some reason, their mood inexplicably improved a lot.
The Fifth Prince was reminded of his responsibilities at this moment, and said with a firm gaze, "Since that is the case, I will immediately write a memorial upon my return and report this matter to my father."
"Princess Yixin, could you lend me your eagle? It will be much faster to transmit messages."
Chu Ci nodded slightly.
After receiving the promise, the fifth prince wanted to turn around and leave.
Unexpectedly, the eldest prince suddenly pulled him back: "Wait, I always feel like I forgot something important, fifth brother, do you know?"
The eldest prince frowned and searched hard in his mind.
The fifth prince paused slightly when he heard this, but he was not a worm in the eldest prince's stomach, so how could he really know?
So, his eyes fell on Chu Ci again.
Chu Ci was almost emoted by these two brothers, so he had to force a fake smile and said unhappily, "You two, do you think I'm a god? Do you know everything?"
The eldest prince: ...
Fifth Prince: ...
Today may be the most shameless day of their lives.
The eldest prince looked distressed, his brows furrowed. "I really feel like I've forgotten something extremely important, but I just can't remember it. This feeling is terrible!"
Seeing that the eldest prince was not lying and was not acting, Fan Jingrui had a flash of inspiration, but it quickly disappeared and he was unable to catch it.
He could only ask tentatively: "Can you tell me what it is about? Perhaps we can help you think about it together."
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