"It's good that one should do something."
Li Xingye's eyes lit up, and he praised loudly, "You too have lived a hard life since childhood. I thought you had forgotten your roots after becoming a juren and an aide to this official. Very good, very good."
This was the third time Li Xingye had praised Zhao Lin today. He continued, "I admire people like you. However, you shouldn't get involved in what's coming next. You should do something else."
"Yes, sir. I will take my leave."
Just as Zhao Lin and Su Di were about to leave, Li Xingye said from behind, "Whether the Crown Prince or Prince Yu's men come to you, don't agree to their request. We are only loyal to the Emperor and will not get involved in their affairs. Following the Emperor is a good thing, but it's not suitable for us."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir." Zhao Lin thanked again.
Back home, Sudi complained, "See? The Crown Prince's people are already hostile to you. Although Prince Yu's people spoke up for you this time, they can't always look after you. The most likely scenario is that they'll leave you alone once this case is over. If the Crown Prince takes revenge on you then, who will save you?"
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Wealth and honor are achieved through risk. Even the prince cannot stop me."
Zhao Lin has always had an adventurous spirit, which is why he was able to build such a large fortune from a child of a poor family in his previous life.
Now that I know time is running out, I won’t hesitate to give it another try.
Sudi sighed and said, "You are too anxious."
Zhao Lin just smiled and didn't answer.
Are you anxious? Maybe.
Ever since leaving the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, Zhao Lin has actually been very anxious.
Because this is a strange world, a world where people are eaten without leaving any bones. Without the ability to protect yourself, the final result will definitely be tragic.
So Zhao Lin has been studying and practicing martial arts hard.
I thought I could pass the imperial examinations step by step, then use my connections to find a vacancy, leave Shengjing Prefecture, which was a place of trouble, and go to other places to be a carefree minor official, doing some small business by the way, and that would be how my life would be.
Who knew that the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion would not give in, and there was also the matter with Fu Liqing.
Since ancient times, it has been the most difficult to accept the favor of a beautiful woman.
Fu Liqing has helped Zhao Lin so much, and Zhao Lin is not the kind of ungrateful person, so naturally he also wants to help Fu Liqing.
So Zhao Lin had to race against time to climb up.
Establishing a crown prince is the best opportunity.
However, because of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, Prince Yu was eliminated first.
But now that he has offended the prince, it is not a good option.
"Who do you think can better inherit the throne besides the Crown Prince and Prince Yu?" Zhao Lin asked.
Sudi was stunned at first, then angrily said, "How dare you get involved in this? Don't you know you'll lose your head?"
Zhao Lin laughed and said, "If the one I support becomes emperor, won't I be able to save my head?"
Sudi glared at Zhao Lin and said, "The emperor has a lot of sons and daughters now, but only three of them are truly useful, or qualified to compete for the throne."
"The first is Crown Prince Li Jingxian. Needless to say. He has the status, and his maternal grandfather is the King of Dingnan, one of the four kings of the current dynasty. He once led a large army to quell the rebellion of the Baiyue people in the south and holds great prestige within the army. As long as he survives, the Crown Prince's position will be as secure as a rock."
"The second one is Prince Yu, Li Jingzhong. He is the emperor's second son and by far the most capable. His mother is Consort Yue, and his grandfather was once the prime minister. Although not as good as Prince Dingnan, he was once the head of the civil service and held a very important position among the literati. Moreover, Prince Yu is quite favored by the emperor. In his early years, he had considered changing the crown prince, but was blocked by the ministers. This is also why the second prince was made a prince at an early age, and now that he has come of age, he has never moved out of the capital to his fiefdom. The emperor does not want him to go. Of course, whether he has other plans is unknown."
"The third is the Sixth Prince Li Jingyi, the Emperor's only third adult son. Li Jingyi's mother is only a Zhaoyi, but Li Jingyi is extremely talented in both civil and military matters, and has a team of loyal followers. Although he can't match the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he still has a chance, albeit a smaller one."
"In short, if we talk about who can inherit the throne, it can only be one of these three people. The others basically have no chance."
Zhao Lin was surprised and said, "You seem to have a very clear understanding of the situation in the court."
Sudi said proudly, "Of course. I have my own ideals, right?"
Zhao Lin laughed and said, "So it seems that the only choice is the Sixth Prince?"
"Why not choose the Second Prince, Prince Yu?" Sudi asked curiously. "You've done him a small favor by exposing the truth about Guo Maoliang's death. Prince Yu has always been eager to seek out talented individuals and is renowned for his respect for the wise and humble. He is also generous and kind, possessing the qualities of a wise ruler. If you were to join him now, he would surely welcome you."
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "I don't like Prince Yu."
"Why?" Sudi was even more confused.
Zhao Lin said, "Prince Yu is too foolish. The Emperor is still in his prime, yet he's already rushing to seize the throne and win over civil and military officials. Now that the Emperor needs him to balance the Crown Prince, it's nothing. When the Emperor no longer needs him, that will be his doom."
Su Di was stunned and said, "Do you also think that the emperor kept him in the capital to balance the prince?"
"What else could it be?" Zhao Lin asked, "The Emperor killed many of his brothers to seize the throne. He's not a merciful person, so how could he possibly keep someone like Prince Yu in the capital? If Prince Yu had been honest, it would have been fine, but he's actually colluding with civil and military officials, and doing it so blatantly. The Emperor hasn't punished him yet. Either he doesn't take it seriously, he's overly doting on him, or he has ulterior motives. Which do you think it is?"
Facing Zhao Lin's question, Su Di smiled and said, "I'm relieved that you can think of this. At least you won't be easily cheated in the future."
Zhao Lin laughed: "Do you think I look like that kind of person?"
Sudi asked, "So you're planning to join the Sixth Prince?"
"No."
To Sudi's surprise, Zhao Lin actually denied it.
Su Di was stunned, then he heard Zhao Lin say: "It's not about surrendering, it's about supporting an obedient emperor for fun."
"You...want to be a powerful official?"
Sudi widened his eyes and looked at Zhao Lin in disbelief.
"Why not?"
Zhao Lin asked Sudi in return.
Sudi looked around hurriedly and shouted, "Stay away! Don't disturb me and your master."
The maids and servants around hurriedly retreated and closed the study door.
Sudi lowered his voice and said, "You know, being a powerful official never ends well."
Zhao Lin said calmly, "That's because they're incompetent. If I became a powerful official and appointed you as the Great General of the Nation, who would dare to object, since we're one civil and one military?"
"real?"
Sudi narrowed his eyes: "Did I take it seriously?"
Zhao Lin laughed and didn't answer.
But he kept repeating in his heart: "Are kings, princes, generals and ministers of different races?"
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