Chapter 151 The Presence of a Prime Minister
"What about the northern border? Has he sent anyone there recently?" Xiao Ling asked.
"We haven't found anything yet, but we've already obtained the people and butterflies from the Duke of Zhenguo, and we're making preparations."
The prince answered.
Xie Yunman didn't speak, but kept frowning as she thought about something.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Xiao Ling asked him:
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
"I'm wondering, since you said the Crown Prince has already betrayed us and colluded with the Northern Border, why would he still go to the Western Regions to contact the border troops?"
Xie Yunman looked up at Xiao Ling and asked.
After hearing this, the crown prince replied, "There are only two possibilities."
The first possibility is that the troops in the northern border have been completely controlled by Prince Rui, and the elder brother lacks the ability to mobilize them.
Therefore, they wanted to seek external assistance from the Western Regions border army.
The second possibility is that he wanted to attack the capital from two sides.
The Emperor had guessed this possibility and had already sent an imperial decree to Xue Yong, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, ordering him to bring people from the south to provide support.
As for the troops in the east, they have already been deployed.
However, if our people can keep up with the men he sent to the north, they should be able to figure out his intentions.
Xiao Ling frowned and replied, "Since we can't figure out his intentions for the time being, let's make arrangements according to the worst-case scenario."
Xie Yunman suddenly tilted his head and asked, "Could it be a feint, a diversionary tactic?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling and the Crown Prince suddenly turned to look at him.
Xie Yunman explained, "What he might want is for you to transfer all your troops back to the capital so that he can take advantage of the situation and seize territory."
"No way, he doesn't want the capital? He doesn't want the whole country?" the Crown Prince asked, puzzled.
"Aren't there enough spies in the palace?"
"If His Majesty and the Crown Prince both die from poisoning, the capital will inevitably fall into his hands sooner or later."
Xiao Ling scoffed, "Tch, does he think the Second Prince and the Third Prince are dead?"
"Since ancient times, it has always been a struggle between the eldest sons of the legitimate wife. Without a crown prince, he is the eldest son."
He still has troops under his command, while the second and third princes have nothing. How can they unify the court?
In his view, if things reached that point, the world would be his for the taking.
Neither the Crown Prince nor Xiao Ling spoke. After a long silence, the Crown Prince asked:
"So what should we do?"
Xie Yunman thought for a moment and said, "The best course of action now is for Prince Pei to persuade Ye Jing to surrender."
This allowed Ye Jing to successfully infiltrate the Crown Prince's inner circle.
If this move goes smoothly, the eldest prince will be no threat.
But if this move fails and Ye Jing rebels and sides with the Crown Prince, we still have two more options.
One approach was to have the Crown Prince's wife find out who was in charge of contacting the Northern Border and send someone to keep a close eye on the situation.
If we can keep up, we can get a glimpse into his relationship with the Northern forces.
Secondly, we still need to intensify the interrogation of our spies here. If we can capture the leader of the spies, we will naturally be able to glean some information from him.
If we successfully glean these three or four points, we will naturally be able to deduce how things will unfold next.
Looking at Xie Yunman, who was speaking eloquently, Xiao Ling began to believe that he was indeed smarter than himself.
It seems my wife wasn't exaggerating; this annoying fellow does indeed have the makings of a prime minister.
The three of them then engaged in in-depth communication and exchange regarding this basic idea, and came up with a more detailed strategy.
The sky was gradually getting dark again.
Xiao Ling and Xie Yunman rose to bid farewell to the Crown Prince.
Back at her residence, Xie Yunyu was about to go to sleep when she turned around after washing up and saw Xiao Ling had returned.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you back at this time? I thought you were still staying at the East Palace today."
Xiao Ling looked at her and laughed, "Hey, the palace is nowhere near as comfortable as home."
Xie Yunyu smiled and tried to hug him, but Xiao Ling dodged her.
"You're too dirty, go wash up first."
Xie Yunyu quickly asked, "Have you eaten?"
"No."
After Xiao Ling finished speaking, he walked towards the bathroom. He had stayed up all night at Dali Temple yesterday and felt that his whole body was covered in the bloody smell of the dark atmosphere of Dali Temple.
Perhaps because he spends a lot of time in Buddhist temples, he has a particular fondness for the smell of incense and candles and is very sensitive to the smell of blood.
Then she thought that her two children were still young, so she should go to places like Dali Temple less often in the future.
After taking a shower, Xie Yunyu had already had someone bring over the food.
Two simple side dishes, a bowl of noodles, and a bowl of soup, with a fresh and elegant color combination.
On this hot evening, with the moonlight as clear as water, Xiao Ling enjoyed a rare and pleasant meal.
After finishing his meal, Xiao Ling remarked, "I've never been one to crave much food since I was a child, which is why I've always been quite thin."
My mother and grandmother often said I was picky, that I disliked fish and meat because they were fishy, beef because it would get stuck in my teeth, and mutton because it had a strong gamey smell.
It wasn't until after we got married that I realized it wasn't that I didn't like eating meat, but that they just didn't cook it well before.
Last winter, I gained quite a bit of weight eating with you.
I've been so tired lately, I've fallen down again.
This fish soup is much better than the one in the palace; there's no fishy smell at all.
Xie Yunyu laughed and said, "After you finish your busy work these next two days, I'll make you some more nourishing food and try to help you regain the weight you've lost."
Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Okay."
The two of them went out together and, taking advantage of the cool night air, strolled along the corridors of the mansion to digest their food.
"By the way, I have some good news for you: your daughter can sit up now."
Xiao Ling laughed when he heard this: "Xi'er can eat and sleep well every day, and she looks a whole size bigger than Zheng'er. I'm not surprised at all."
After saying that, he asked, "How has Zheng'er been lately?"
"So far, he seems to be quite intelligent, but his physique is a bit weaker than that of ordinary children."
It didn't eat much, and wasn't very active; its big eyes just kept rolling around, as if it was thinking about many things.
Xie Yunyu laughed when she talked about her son.
Xiao Ling pursed her lips upon hearing this: "Do you think his personality is more like your brother's or mine?"
Xie Yunyu subconsciously wanted to say, "I've never seen you when you were little, how would I know if you look like me?"
But then he remembered that Yuan Zheng already looked a lot like his second brother, and if they were to talk about their personalities being similar, Xiao Ling would probably be jealous for no reason again.
So after thinking for a moment, she said, "Mother said that Zheng'er is just like you when you were little, weak and not fond of moving, but smart."
Sure enough, these words successfully cheered Xiao Ling up.
Xiao Ling reached out and took Xie Yunyu's hand, happily continuing forward.
Looking at him, Xie Yunyu sighed inwardly:
No wonder people say that male psychology is child psychology.
Xie Yunyu asked him again, "Is the situation in the palace still not good? Why haven't we seen Mother come home yet?"
"My uncle is ill, and my grandmother is worried. She has nightmares every night, so my mother stays in the palace to keep her company."
Xiao Ling explained, then asked another question.
"Speaking of the situation in the palace, let me ask you, how were you able to determine that His Majesty had been poisoned with that so-called aging poison?"
Xie Yunyu replied calmly, "On the day of the palace banquet, everyone was focused on Yongning, and His Majesty was surrounded by the Empress and other consorts."
I dared not rush forward to check.
But when Yongning was rescued, I saw the imperial physician taking His Majesty's pulse, so I took a closer look.
Although the symptoms of a stroke are quite obvious.
However, His Majesty's dark circles under his eyes, slightly purple corners of his mouth, and dry lips do not seem to be entirely signs of a stroke.
So before we left, I took another closer look, and the more I looked, the more something seemed off. When I got back, I kept having doubts about it.
Later, news came back that His Majesty had fainted twice.
I was thinking of giving you, Mother, and my second brother a heads-up since we're all trapped in the palace.
Then he looked up at Xiao Ling and explained:
"Actually, I'm not really sure either, but something just doesn't feel right."
Looking at her anxious eyes, Xiao Ling suddenly smiled:
"I understand your thoughts. You want to save people, but you're afraid of offending them."
My uncle is, after all, the emperor. If he makes a wrong judgment, it could lead to a major disaster.
The reason you finally spoke up was because you were worried about me, Mother, and my second brother.
I understand.
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