Chapter 212 A man dresses up for the one he pleases.
After my aunt Huayang became a widow, she kept her childhood sweetheart, a bodyguard, by her side, which caused discontent throughout the Qin Prince's mansion.
Only my grandmother insisted on agreeing, and what was the result?
The Prince of Qin's mansion has only talked the talk for years; they've never dared to actually do anything about it.
Ye Jing laughed upon hearing this: "Yes, the Empress Dowager is wise."
**
The next day, Pei Yanchi received the battle report, and the results were naturally significant; all the raids were basically successful.
However, the eldest prince led his men into the mountains, and Lei Ming has already sent people to search the mountains. There should be results soon.
After reading the battle report, Ye Jing said, "General Lei underestimated the enemy."
"With such a plan, the eldest prince still managed to escape; His Majesty must be displeased."
Pei Yanchi didn't say anything, but got up to deliver a message to the Crown Prince.
As for the eldest prince, that's not his concern.
His business here went very smoothly, and the enemy's military deployment map that Huaiqing sent greatly shortened the duration of the battle.
It's a no-brainer that he deserves the credit for this.
As for commanding the war, whether it's good or bad, that's none of my business.
The war ended much faster than expected.
Pei Yanchi and Ye Jing relaxed.
Pei Yanchi looked at Ye Jing and said, "You have injuries on your face, and your hair is a little gray... This... isn't very good."
Ye Jing asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"You used to be so dashing, but now you look much older. Won't Chen Jiatao like you anymore?"
One sentence sealed Ye Jing's fate.
After a long pause, Ye Jing stroked his chin and said, "Hmm... This is the most useful thing you've said since you arrived yesterday."
He then got up and left.
"Where are you going?" Pei Yanchi pressed.
"Go and tidy yourself up, and try to regain your former elegance as soon as possible."
Pei Yanchi watched his retreating figure and laughed.
It turns out that even scholars dress up for those who appreciate them.
Five days later, the eldest prince was captured, and the army prepared to return to the capital.
The Crown Prince was overjoyed to receive news from Pei Yanchi and Lei Ming that the war was progressing very smoothly.
He immediately went to find the eldest princess with the good news.
The eldest princess is visiting the emperor at the Taiji Palace.
The emperor gradually regained consciousness after being unconscious for five days. He has been recovering well recently and is now able to lean back on the couch to listen to Yongning tell him stories.
Yongning visited him every day, telling the emperor amusing stories to relieve his boredom.
He embellished the story, vividly recounting the events of the day of the palace coup, which the emperor listened to with great interest.
After this incident, the emperor's mindset seemed to have undergone a significant change.
He seemed to see the crown prince's growth and also accepted his own physical limitations.
His attitude towards the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling became more amiable.
They were quite pleased to see the Crown Prince arrive with good news.
The group discussed what to do about the northern border now that the war in the south had ended.
The eldest princess was rather radical, thinking that since troops had already been dispatched, they should finish the job in one battle and launch a direct attack on the northern border.
Furthermore, Prince Rui has already been captured, and the Northern Territory is being managed by Ye Zhen and the unseen Xiao Zhi, so there is nothing to worry about.
The emperor, however, still hoped to play it safe, after all, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.
Let's first spread the news of Prince Rui's death, continue to instigate infighting among Xiao Zhi, Xiao Li, and Ye Zhen, and then reap the benefits when the northern border is in chaos.
The two expressed their opinions, and finally both looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince remembered what Xie Yunman had said to him on the day after the palace coup.
Upon learning that Prince Rui was already in the imperial prison, Xie Yunman immediately suggested that the Crown Prince send someone north to sow discord between Ye Zhen and Xiao Zhi.
Furthermore, it was predicted that the war on the southern front, involving the Crown Prince, would soon come to an end.
Once the war on the southern front is over and the instigation in the north has been completed, then we will march north.
However, since the emperor was still unconscious, the crown prince followed Xie Yunman's advice.
Seeing that both of them were looking at him, he spoke up:
"Your Majesty, on the second day after Prince Rui was captured, I ordered everyone in the Northern Territory to sow discord between Xiao Zhi and Ye Zhen."
The news I received in the past two days is that Ye Zhen is already dissatisfied with Xiao Zhi, and the two have already had two conflicts.
Xiao Zhi mainly felt that since there had been no news of Prince Rui for so long, something must have happened, and he should send troops immediately.
But Ye Zhen felt that with 200,000 troops stationed along the northern border, it was understandable that news wasn't getting in; they should patiently wait for updates.
The eldest princess laughed upon hearing this: "Prince Rui is truly shrewd all his life, but he made a foolish mistake for a moment."
He entered the capital alone and was worried about the northern border, so he must have split the tiger tally in his hand in two, with Xiao Zhi and Ye Zhen each holding half.
Since these two disagree, they naturally can't mobilize troops.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "My aunt's prediction is correct."
Therefore, although the troops in the north were in a state of concentration, they did not make any moves to move south.
If we want to launch a surprise attack, we need a detailed and thorough strategy.
"Not every time will we be so lucky as to obtain the Crown Prince's military deployment map."
The emperor felt a headache coming on as soon as he heard the words "eldest prince," and his face instantly darkened.
"Never mind, we'll discuss this matter at the morning court tomorrow."
Let's talk about how to deal with our rebellious son, Xiao Lin, first.
The emperor had asked the crown prince this question before, and when the crown prince answered, the emperor got angry and took his anger out on him.
This time, the crown prince refused to speak, no matter what.
The princess had no choice but to say, "The laws of the court will certainly not tolerate him."
Seeing the emperor's gloomy face, the eldest princess thought for a moment and asked:
"What does Your Majesty wish to do? Spare his life?"
The emperor did not speak, but simply looked at the crown prince.
The Crown Prince sighed: "Then spare his life, demote him to a commoner, exile him to Lingnan, and if he is pardoned, keep him under house arrest for life?"
The emperor closed his eyes.
The eldest princess and the crown prince exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding the emperor's thoughts.
The next morning, the emperor, despite his illness, went to court.
The Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess remained seated on opposite sides.
This morning's court session announced the progress of the war in the south and discussed military issues in the north.
Finally, the issue of what to do with the eldest prince came up.
The emperor, unusually, said a few words, seemingly wanting to spare the eldest prince's life.
However, not one of the dozens of court officials in the hall supported the emperor's opinion.
People like the Duke of Zhenguo have personal grudges and simply want the eldest prince dead.
Others considered the laws of the dynasty and believed that the eldest prince should die.
Another group of people were watching the Crown Prince's expression, believing that the Crown Prince wanted the eldest prince dead.
In short, everyone opposed it.
The emperor knew from the beginning that this would be the outcome, but seeing it with his own eyes was a different story.
I was so angry that my heart and liver ached, and I clutched my chest with one hand, panting heavily.
Seeing this, the crown prince had no choice but to speak up and state his opinion on how to handle the situation.
However, it still met with opposition from the majority of people.
Seeing his courtiers so enraged, spitting as they spoke, the emperor could no longer contain himself.
He stood up and started arguing with them.
"You want my son to die so that future generations will record me as a tyrant who killed his own son."
I am unaware of your intentions.
Upon hearing this, all the court officials knelt down.
The crown prince also knelt down.
Only the eldest princess was supporting the emperor beside the dragon throne, afraid that he might actually faint from anger.
The Minister of Rites, who was at the head of the group, had white hair and beard, and immediately burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, your words have pierced the heart of this old minister."
If you look through the history books of all dynasties, you'll see that the fate of every rebel was either death or the extermination of their entire clan.
If there is even one exception, then what the old minister said is false.
"Your Majesty may simply take my head."
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