Chapter 64: The child in the Prince Yan’s Mansion will have a “battle for the crown prince”…
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Zhou Li dismounted and saluted, being more cautious and restrained than when he was in front of King Qi. When his brows were slightly lowered, he showed some of the difficulties of meeting the emperor.
King Qi had lived a life of luxury while his father and brother had been away fighting for many years. He was still young and had been pampered. After all, he was born the second son of a fiefdom lord and had never suffered any hardship. Although he had developed rapidly in recent years and had shown signs of striving for power, he did not have a sharp edge.
As both of them are from the "military" family, Zhou Li naturally respects King Yan more for his outstanding military achievements in the founding of the country.
Prince Yan looked at him from his horse, with no intention of using force or oppression to humiliate him. "Isn't Wei Tingzhong here?"
His eyes seemed to be looking for Wei Tingzhong, but they were directly locked on the carriage, the curtain of which was swaying slightly.
Inside the carriage, Yan Siqing had already put down his hands, one hand resting on the soft cushion on his legs, the other hand supporting his forehead, his eyebrows slightly drooping, his complex expression concealed.
This is the man who hid his mother for more than ten years.
He is also Jiang Hui's father.
She was a little distracted because she inevitably thought of the tragedy of that year, but was pulled back by the sound outside. It was because Zhou Li, in addition to respect, chose to take the initiative.
Zhou Li: "His Royal Highness is seriously injured and dying. Lord Wei must stay and take care of him."
With his only son in such a state, how can Prince Yan take care of the things here? Shouldn't he go up and take a look?
It wasn't a lie; that was the principle. It was just that the Crown Prince didn't want him to look after it, so he packed up and followed behind.
But what Zhou Li wanted was to avoid direct contact with Prince Yan.
After all, he still didn't know what Prince Yan meant.
Many people knew the truth, but no one said much, so Zhou Li dared to set a trap with words.
Prince Yan didn't even blink, "With so many people in the White Horse Temple, he was still seriously injured and dying. So, Lord Zhou, are you going back to Chang'an to face the consequences?"
Zhou Li: “…”
Prince Yan knows!
He knew how many people were hiding in the White Horse Temple.
That’s right. Prince Yan’s influence in the Ministry of War over the years has been like a towering tree with luxuriant branches and leaves. It’s not surprising that he knows about any armed mobilization.
Including the Jinwu Guard and the Shen Ce Army, many of them had served as his subordinates.
"I am indeed guilty. I will return to Chang'an immediately."
Zhou Li wanted to leave, and he waved to the team behind him, asking them to go first.
Prince Yan: "This prince means that you go first."
Zhou Li was shocked.
Turning to look at Prince Yan, he saw that Prince Yan pulled the reins, and the horse moved slowly and walked towards him little by little.
Zhou Li was nervous and bowed, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has ordered me to take my men back to Chang'an immediately..."
He took the initiative to step forward and block the straight line of horses, and also blocked the route of the carriage where Prince Yan and Yan Siqing were.
Prince Yan was almost there.
There's no intention of stopping.
Zhou Li intuitively felt that the dark horse was so majestic that even the hot breath it exhaled seemed to carry murderous intent.
The palms of his hands were wet with sweat as he bowed, but he gritted his teeth and refused to retreat, and was about to be knocked down by the horse...
"Jian Wuliang has worked so hard for so long, yet he still hasn't figured out that your brother Zhou Yuanxing was killed because he met Zhao Yue in a brothel. Zhao Yue knew that he and the Marquis of Dongling and the others were engaged in a life-threatening business, and he deliberately dragged him into the business to drag you down. In the future, if anything goes wrong, you have to work on his behalf to avoid being implicated. Besides, you hold the important position of Governor of Chang'an, which will be of great use to you in the future. As a result, Zhou Yuanxing fell for it and often met with him at Fanxianglou. Zhao Yue put him in charge of some purchasing matters, promising him huge profits."
What Prince Yan said was neither too loud nor too soft, and many people heard it.
I was shocked, but I didn't dare to make a fuss.
Just because I can't afford to offend anyone.
Zhou Li was shocked, the sweat on his palms turning cold, but he still didn't step away. He just said coldly, "Is there any evidence for what Your Majesty said?"
Prince Yan said, "You, your father, and even the important officials in the court, as well as me, are all subjects. We do not have the ability to overstep the authority of Your Majesty. It is only because of the Ministry of War's authority that we are investigating the old case of Snowman Gou, which is indirectly related to this matter. If we trace the source, we can deal with it together. Otherwise, your Zhou family will not be able to leave the gate now."
"Do you hope that I will recommend you to His Majesty?"
So, although he clearly had such a clue, he remained silent and watched everything in the White Horse Temple with cold eyes.
Even his only son was there.
Zhou Li looked up at the horse and the high and mighty prince.
There was sweat on his forehead.
In order to drag him into the water, Zhao Yue and his men carefully arranged and secretly set a trap. Prince Yan also took advantage of this weakness. What did he want to exchange with him?
Now that everything is laid out, what should we do?
"Your Majesty, you could have done this privately..."
Zhou Li was puzzled by this.
It's very strange that among all the Jiang royal family members, only Prince Yan is the most like Your Majesty, brave and aloof. But perhaps because they are in high positions, they don't need to use sharp blades to force others to advance or retreat. In fact, they don't need to do anything, just stand there and make a move, and the other party will not dare to hide.
Zhou Li did not understand Prince Yan's behavior because he knew that Prince Yan had such power.
Prince Yan was indifferent.
"So this king asked you to go before His Majesty and apologize. Going by yourself is already your best choice."
"Everyone will know about this sooner or later. Rather than handing the sword to your enemies, it is better for you to bear the blame yourself."
Zhou Li suddenly realized that he was very perceptive and realized that the words King Yan had just mentioned were: Your brother was set up...
The words seemed to be picking him and his family out.
But speaking of the law, if the emperor really wants to punish someone, it's fine, but it depends on how he evaluates it and whether there are people who refuse to give in.
But if he took the initiative to apologize, it would have a special meaning to all the officials. It would be an act of sacrificing one's own relatives for the sake of justice, and those who wanted to impeach him would be more cautious.
Zhou Li lowered his head. "Your Highness, are you not like those people behind you who want to control me?"
He was quite straightforward, simply because the gap between his level and King Yan's was too big, and it was best for the lower-ranking person not to play tricks on the higher-ranking person.
It was as if he had just lied to try to trick Prince Yan away, but the other party just said a few words and left him helpless.
Prince Yan seemed to have a good impression of Zhou Li. His attitude was quite amiable and not harsh or cunning. At least he seemed to have a much better temper than Jiang Hui.
He said, "There aren't many outstanding talents in this dynasty, so if we can keep one, it's a winner."
"Aren't you leaving yet?"
The horse moved forward. Zhou Li took a deep breath, looked very hesitant, and finally gave way.
Sudden!
"Ah, uncle!"
A clear cry of joy suddenly came, and then Xie Rong jumped out of a carriage, saluted King Yan, and wanted to block in front of Yan Siqing's carriage.
The Xie family was really afraid that Prince Yan was determined to share the power of Prince Yan's Mansion with other families.
Before he could reach him, Prince Yan glanced at him.
Xie Rong stopped.
He doesn't dare.
Prince Yan easily controlled Zhou Li, let alone Xie Rong. No matter how slow he was, he understood the oppressive feeling in Prince Yan's eyes - the glory of the Xie family came from their surrender back then, but how long the glory could last really depended on his decision.
Do those in lower positions still dream of interfering with the distribution of power and wealth among those in higher positions?
Xie Rong didn't dare to go any further, but Prince Yan had already reached the carriage.
Xie Rong thought he would lift the curtain, but he didn't.
He just frowned across the curtain, and no one knew what he was thinking. People from other palaces were watching him. They were panicked because they all knew that Zhou Li and Wei Tingzhong had imperial edicts on them, and they were ordered to bring Yan Siqing into the palace.
Is Prince Yan just coming to take a look, or...
The curtain was drawn aside.
With her slender green fingers supporting the curtain, she looked across at the distance. Yan Siqing's brows were calm and she didn't say anything. Her eyes were neither scrutinizing nor looking at someone who was senior, but at least they were filled with calm scrutiny.
In certain relationships, the level of power and status cannot determine her attitude towards others - she and this person may be separated by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
just in case.
Therefore, she was unable to express humility first, nor could she treat him fairly like she sometimes did towards Jiang Hui.
After all, what happened back then had nothing to do with him as a young boy.
Prince Yan saw the coldness in her eyes.
None of them spoke, and they were all silent, with only the sounds of the gentle rain and the rustling bamboo forest nearby.
After a while, Prince Yan told Xiaoyun, who was driving the carriage, "Return to the palace."
Xiaoyun couldn't figure out whether to follow Zhou Li to the palace or return to the palace with her master.
Because no matter which side they stand on, it seems impossible for them to treat Miss Yan kindly.
Xiaoyun knew that she had already betrayed Yan Siqing and was hesitating because she didn't want to let Yan Siqing fall into crisis again and again.
Yan Siqing inside was surprised. She didn't expect Jiang Rong to come and take her away personally.
Jiang Hui was concerned about the emperor's authority and could only restrain Wei Tingzhong in a roundabout way, but Prince Yan wanted to use force?
Zhou Li turned his back to them, struggled for a while, then turned around and walked over, suddenly half-kneeling on the ground.
"Your Highness, after careful consideration, I believe my family's guilt is undeniable. I will now plead guilty before Your Majesty and request a thorough investigation by the Dali Temple. No leniency will be shown."
"But if your Highness has come here today to take away the people in the carriage, then I cannot sit idly by."
The matter of that beastly brother really got out of hand. As the emperor's favorite, he might still have his life and a little future, but his family...
When he retreated just now, he did not do it for himself, but for the Zhou family.
But now he regretted it, because Prince Yan knew that His Majesty would be furious. The former was extremely powerful and involved in the military, and His Majesty was arbitrary in the government. The confrontation between father and son would only lead to disaster.
Zhou Li was unwilling to see such a situation. After all, the empire of this dynasty had only been established for a short period of more than ten years, and there were many hidden dangers. There were also many disasters left over from the previous dynasty. If there was more trouble, the country would not care and the people would be uneasy.
So Zhou Li knelt this time.
"Your Majesty, please think twice."
This time, Prince Yan did not ponder for long or examine Zhou Li. He did not even glance at him. He just said it casually in front of everyone.
"I'm here to take my own child home, why would I think twice?"
Zhou Li was stunned, even forgetting the rules of respect and etiquette, and asked sharply, "What did you say?!"
How is this possible!
Xie Rong: “?”
Xie Juanshu in another carriage not far away was also silent. How could this be possible?
So is this good or bad for her Xie family?
Could it be that this person is not Yan Siqing from Yancheng at all?
Or was Yan Siqing not a child of the Yan family from the very beginning?
This is so weird.
There is absolutely no clue to prove anything.
etc!
Xie Juanshu suddenly recalled what happened back then - no one understood why Prince Yan chose an extremely inconspicuous concubine's daughter from a branch of the illegitimate family.
Although it was a top family, during the chaotic times, it was on the verge of collapse because of Queen Xie. In addition, the family had many branches and not every member of the Xie family was precious.
But Prince Yan suddenly promised the concubine his daughter in marriage and arranged it on his own. When His Majesty found out, he was a little angry, but it eventually went ahead.
From then on, there was only one hostess in Prince Yan's mansion, because Prince Yan was away on military campaigns all year round, and it was common for him not to return home for several years. But when power was delegated, the entire mansion was controlled by this hostess, and Jiang Hui was also there at that time.
It can be said that no one does not envy the former Princess Yan.
But many people also felt that Prince Yan did not really like Princess Yan. Perhaps she was just old enough to get married, have children, and inherit the palace. All women in the world were the same in his eyes.
Now it seems that there is something unusual going on.
Xie Juanshu felt a headache, "Why do you have to... choose this most difficult path?"
Marriage is the first choice for aristocratic families to form alliances. Countless children have been controlled for their entire lives for this reason, but in return they gain fame, wealth and honor, so it cannot be said that they have suffered any loss.
She wasn't unwilling, she just couldn't do it.
She was in such a dilemma, what about the "Mr. Yan" in the carriage?
By the way, is this person a man or a woman?
If it was a woman... Jiang Hui would have no choice but to stop before it was too late.
If it is a man.
Then there will be a "struggle for the crown prince" in Prince Yan's Palace.
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Yan Siqing in the carriage was stunned, staring at the powerful prince with her usual serious expression and eyes. She suddenly felt that this man seemed not very similar to someone else, but in fact he was very similar.
For example, this habit of not playing by the rules.
After all, they are father and son.
But what was he thinking?
Yan Siqing was puzzled for the second time, but he heard some movement behind him.
It seemed like Ruo Zhao exclaimed.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Prince Yan was not blind. He had already seen Jiang Hui's carriage approaching, and he also saw the look on the latter's face when he heard what he said.
Jiang Hui, who had supported his sick body and suddenly lifted the curtain, was already standing on the carriage frame, standing tall, looking at his father and the carriage in front of him. He could not see the people in the carriage, but he could see the hand that lifted the curtain.
She was tall, with slender fingers and joints like onions, but they did not have the bulging veins of a man's fingers. Instead, they were smooth and delicate, like sculptures that had been placed under the riverbed to be washed and moistened for countless years.
He still remembered those two times... She pushed his waist with great force, but it was just like tickling, but her fingers seemed to measure the sensitivity of his waist through the fabric.
It was more than just a tickle, it was the most powerful weapon that could hurt his mind.
She struggled, moaned softly, gasped, clenched her fingertips, and found that she could not push him away. Occasionally, she grabbed the hem of his clothes.
A light bump on the waist.
However, he did not regret the things that made him violate secular ethics and gentlemanly virtues, and was willing to be a disgrace.
Now.
It's more than a mess.
Jiang Hui wasn't sure if this was a clever ploy from his father or the truth. His heart and lungs were beating like a poison in his bones. His eyes suddenly felt sore. He held onto the crossbar at one end of the carriage, lowered his head to take a breath, adjusted his mind, and then looked up again.
Father and son looked at each other.
Prince Yan had a blank expression on his face, but his brows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about something, and then he turned his head to look.
Yan Siqing pursed her lips slightly, leaving red marks on them with her teeth, and loosened her hand.
She heard shouting outside.
It seemed that someone vomited blood again and fell off the carriage.
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The curtain fell again with a click, and she sat alone inside, with beads of blood on her lips.
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