Chapter 160: Pig Teammate Pig Teammate
"What is Father planning to do?" The Crown Prince smashed the porcelain and practically roared, "Is he really going to depose me and replace that useless Fourth Prince with me?"
Standing nearby, Imperial Tutor Chu also had a worried look on his face. However, seeing the Crown Prince's rage, he advised, "Your Highness, His Majesty's decree has been issued. The Fourth Prince will lead his army to war soon. Getting angry now will serve no purpose."
The Crown Prince angrily said, "What else can I do? Earlier, you all said that even if the Emperor wouldn't allow me to lead the army, he would definitely not allow the Fourth Brother to have military power. And now, he's about to take charge of hundreds of thousands of troops."
"This matter is indeed unexpected." Taifu Chu was also deeply worried. He really couldn't figure out what the emperor was thinking and why he really let the fourth prince lead the army. Hadn't he always been afraid of the princes touching the military power?
Seeing that he was talking nonsense, the prince became even more anxious: "What should I do now? I can't just sit there and watch the fourth brother conquer the army."
Imperial Tutor Chu shook his head and said, "That's easier said than done. While the Fourth Prince holds the title, it's actually Song Wei who will lead the troops into battle. Song Wei is your Majesty's man, and he won't be easily subjugated or recruited."
The prince's face was gloomy: "What if the emperor has intentions?"
"This..." Grand Tutor Chu was speechless for a moment. He looked up at the gloomy Crown Prince. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he still said, "Your Majesty would never do this."
If the Crown Prince had not made increasingly inappropriate decisions over the years, repeatedly angered the Emperor, and fallen out with the concubines in the harem, he would not have fallen into this isolated and helpless situation.
Especially when he thought about how the prince had whipped Su Fengzhang in a restaurant a few days ago, this incident made Master Chu feel even more chilled.
Although Su Fengzhang's official position was not high, he was the top scholar chosen by the emperor after all, and he had once proposed the revision of the Xuanwu Ceremony. He was quite famous among the literati. Although no one stood up to speak up for him at this time, everyone said privately that the prince was intolerant, harsh to his subordinates, and had no respect for the literati.
They had been building up their reputation for many years, but one incident completely destroyed it. The Fourth Prince was certainly behind this, but in the final analysis, it was caused by the Crown Prince's repeated reckless behavior.
When did the Crown Prince become increasingly unable to control his emotions, becoming extremely violent and no longer willing to listen to their advice? Thinking of this, Grand Tutor Chu also felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Sure enough, the next moment he heard the Crown Prince's cold words: "Father has always favored Concubine Xu and the Fourth Son. I'm afraid that in his heart, Gu Zuo has taken the position of his most favored son."
Chu Taifu was shocked and said quickly, "Your Highness must not think like that. Everyone knows that His Majesty protects you."
"If the emperor truly wanted to protect me, he wouldn't have rewarded Su Fengzhang." The prince sneered, "So-called reward is no different from slapping me in the face."
Just as Grand Tutor Chu was about to persuade him again, he heard the Crown Prince sigh and say, "Well, since it's useless, there's no need to mention this matter anymore. Now we have to think of a solution. We must not let the Fourth Prince really take control of the military power."
Imperial Tutor Chu also frowned and reminded, "With the Xianbei disturbing the border this time, the situation in the northern border is still unclear. We have to wait and see until Song Wei leads his troops to support us."
"Not only has the Fourth Prince been pampered since childhood, he's also not very good at riding or shooting. Although he might gain some credit by following along, it won't be much. Your Highness doesn't need to worry about that."
"Instead of worrying about the Fourth Prince thousands of miles away, Your Highness should think about how to handle state affairs and let His Majesty understand your talents."
Tutor Chu spoke earnestly, but unfortunately the prince became more and more impatient as he listened and quickly sent him away.
Poor Tutor Chu was devoted to the prince, but now he was increasingly disliked. When he walked out of the East Palace, he felt his eyelids twitching, and he was very worried that the prince would do something irrational.
In fact, it was not just the crown prince who was angry. Except for the people from the Fourth Prince's lineage who were excited, all the civil and military officials in the court were confused and didn't understand why the emperor wanted the Fourth Prince to lead the army.
Song Wei was the most opposed, even stating bluntly in front of the emperor, "The Fourth Prince has never led troops or fought in a battle. This Xianbei border disturbance is no small matter. The Fourth Prince is a noble person. If something were to happen, how would I, a humble official, explain this to His Majesty?"
The emperor's face was a little sallow, and it was obvious that the Xianbei's disturbances at the border had kept him awake at night. He rubbed his brow and said, "Although the Fourth Prince has never led an army, don't you still have me?"
"Your Majesty, there is no mercy on the battlefield, and I cannot guarantee that there will be no mistakes." Song Wei groaned in his heart.
The emperor sighed and said, "I have so many sons. The crown prince is the heir apparent and cannot take any risks. The second son died young, the third son is useless, and only the fourth son can do something practical."
"They are princes. They can't stay within the palace walls forever. They don't know the hardships of the battlefield. During Taizu's time, all the princes had to go to the battlefield. Why can't they do the same?"
Song Wei felt helpless. Taizu was able to do it back then because all the princes were good at fighting. But now all the princes are living a life of luxury. How can they be compared?
But he soon realized that the matter was not as it seemed. The emperor insisted on letting the fourth prince lead the troops. Was he actually dissatisfied with him and wanted someone from the royal family to take control of the military power?
Being able to sit in the position of Minister of War, Song Wei must be no fool. He frowned at the thought. He vaguely saw the miserable plight of the He family back then. In the end, he dared not insist any longer and could only say, "Your Majesty is wise. I will obey your command."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction, walked down, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "I let the fourth brother follow you, which is actually good for you. When the time comes, Xu Siyuan will also do his best to take care of the military supplies."
Minister of Revenue Xu Siyuan is Concubine Xu's biological brother and the Fourth Prince's biological uncle. He has always been a staunch supporter of the Fourth Prince, so what the emperor said is true.
Song Wei had no way to express his pain, so he could only try to make the best of it. However, he had already made up his mind that when he got to the battlefield, he would treat the Fourth Prince like a treasure.
The atmosphere in the court was strange and full of discussions. The same was true among the people. Everyone knew that the Fourth Prince was going to lead a large army to fight against the Huns and reclaim his homeland, so all kinds of opinions were said at once.
The Xu family has a good reputation among the people and also has some status among the literati. At the moment, the trend in the capital seems to be that everyone is optimistic about the Fourth Prince, which makes the Crown Prince become increasingly unpopular.
The rumor that the emperor wanted to abolish the crown prince, which had been suppressed before, resurfaced again. This time, no one dared to mention it openly, but it spread more and more fiercely in secret.
Even petty officials like Su Fengzhang were left in peace. Occasionally, when Meng Ting and his men came to visit, they would ask mysteriously behind closed doors, "Hey, Brother Su, do you think His Majesty really wants to depose the Crown Prince?"
Su Fengzhang couldn't help but roll his eyes and asked bluntly, "Do you think I look like someone from the Imperial Observatory?"
Meng Ting laughed heartily and said with some embarrassment, "This is not the rumor that has spread everywhere. Brother Su, you are so good, sitting on the Diaoyutai with such composure. The prince is about to suffer misfortune, don't you feel happy in your heart?"
Having been humiliated before, it was impossible for him to not wish the Crown Prince bad luck, but Su Fengzhang still said rationally: "Don't say that Your Majesty has never expressed the intention to depose the Crown Prince. Even if he did, every dethronement of a Crown Prince throughout the dynasties has always resulted in rivers of bloodshed. If a small person like us gets involved, I'm afraid we won't even be able to save our lives."
When Meng Ting heard this, he said, "Brother Su, you are too self-deprecating. Everyone knows you..."
Su Fengzhang raised his eyelids and looked at him coldly: "Me what?"
Meng Ting touched his nose, feeling uncomfortable continuing. He coughed and changed the subject: "Nothing. Well, since you don't like to talk about this, let's not talk about it. Is the painting you promised me finished?"
"I've finished the painting a long time ago, just waiting for you to take it." Su Fengzhang took out the painting with a smile and opened it for him to see.
Meng Ting leaned over to take a look and praised him profusely, "When it comes to painting, I only admire Brother Su. Hey, why can't I paint to this level? It's amazing!"
Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at him and asked, "Brother Meng, even if you praise me, this is the last time."
Meng Ting chuckled and said, "Okay, okay, even if I get drunk and die from drinking, I will never give you a painting again."
It turned out that Meng Ting came to ask for a painting this time, but he was drunk and agreed to something else. Since that person couldn't get Su Fengzhang's painting, he had to find another way. Everyone in the capital knew that Su Fengzhang's painting was hard to come by, and even with a thousand taels of silver, it couldn't be bought.
Su Fengzhang never sells his paintings, but occasionally he gives them to friends as gifts, which is why Meng Ting did this today.
Meng Ting took the painting away, but left behind a stack of banknotes, forcing Su Fengzhang to accept them. In his words, "This is not a fee, it's my apology. I can't let you clean up my mess for nothing."
Su Fengzhang didn't care about the lawsuit behind them. After all, he just painted a picture for his good friend.
As soon as Meng Ting left, Su Fengzhang handed the box containing the banknotes to Su Zhaoshi. Su Zhaoshi was surprised when she opened it and asked, "Why is there so much silver?"
Su Fengzhang explained briefly, and Su Zhaoshi smiled: "Our Feng'er has made great progress. This painting is really valuable."
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "Mom, since you have money, don't save it. Take Auntie and Huihui out for a walk. Buy any nice jewelry you see in the silver shop. There's no need to save money."
Su Zhao shook her head and smiled, "Mrs. Bai and I are already old enough, there's no need to buy jewelry. But I do want to buy some for Huihui so she can bring it as a dowry in the future."
"If Huihui wants to buy it, then mother and auntie have to buy it too. Apart from anything else, we have to show off when we go out to guests in the future. Don't you think so, mother?"
Su Fengzhang has always understood Su Zhaoshi. Sure enough, after he said this, Su Zhaoshi, who originally thought it was a waste, listened to him. That's right, her son is an official now. If she doesn't have some decent jewelry, others will say that her son is unfilial!
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Come and collect it in advance~
Copywriter:
Shaohui’s mother: I’ll give you 10 million, leave my son
An Yirui: Auntie, you are a little late
Ady An: Auntie, if it was ten years ago, I would have left with one million instead of ten million.
An Yirui: Auntie, why don’t you consider adding another zero
Shaohui: An Yirui, am I only worth 100 million?
Ady An: No, you are not worth it
Shaohui is so angry
An Yirui: Although it is not worth much, I still want to own it
Romance - Domineering Female CEO and Little Milk Dog/Little Wolf Dog Come, Sister Loves You
Click on the author's column on your mobile phone, enter + come, sister loves you + click to collect, sister loves you too
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
