Chapter 141: Deliberate Deception
But seeing his sister frowning, Shen Shaoyu comforted her: “Don’t worry, I always feel that there is something strange about this matter, it shouldn’t be that simple.”
Shen Shuyao also nodded.
Last time, because the emperor was ill, everyone thought that the second prince was going to ascend the throne, but the capital welcomed King Liang.
What is the result?
Now the grass on King Liang's grave has grown three feet high.
Not only Chen Shuyao and her brother thought so, but even the court officials had learned their lesson this time.
He still went to court every day to present memorials and did his job conscientiously, without rushing to worship any master like before.
Even the second prince, who suddenly received an imperial edict to be in charge of supervising state affairs, did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.
When Zhu Ruijing first heard about his father's arrangement, he was very excited, but when he thought of the great loss he suffered last time, his blood gradually cooled down.
For several days, he looked at the memorials submitted to his desk, which he could write freely on, as well as the Zichen Palace where his father lived. His mind turned again and again, and finally he decided to keep silent.
After the court officials left that day, someone stopped him in the palace corridor and asked, "Second Prince, please wait a moment?"
This person was none other than the father of the Second Prince's wife Shi Qiuyue, Shi Tainian, who was granted the title of General of the Cavalry.
Seeing that he obviously had something to say, Zhu Ruijing let his father-in-law into his residence in the palace.
After the palace door is closed and everyone has left.
Zhu Ruijing then said to the other party, "General, you really shouldn't have come to see me privately! My father is ill right now, and making friends with court officials is a taboo."
Shi Tainian is only in his early forties. Princess Shi Qiuyue is his eldest daughter. This cavalry general is still in his prime.
He coughed dryly twice, glanced at the servants in the room, then looked at the Second Prince in front of him and said, "I would like to ask about Your Highness's eldest daughter. A few days ago, I met someone in the palace and heard that she has been having a loss of appetite recently..."
"General, that's not necessary. The princess has been feeling unwell these days, and it's all due to morning sickness..." Zhu Ruijing said, waving at the people in the room. When only he and Shi Tainian were left, he whispered, "What's going on?"
The Second Prince's residence is outside the palace. If you have anything you want to ask, you can just go directly to the prince's residence.
Or let Mrs. Shi come to visit her beloved daughter, so there is no need for the father-in-law to come here specially.
Shi Tainian smiled, and seeing that the hall was now cleared, he whispered, "Has Your Highness been attending to the Emperor these days?"
Zhu Ruijing saw the other person's small eyes shining brightly at this moment, but he said calmly: "Not yet! Father said that he needs to rest and recuperate for a while, and just told me to take care of state affairs."
Not to mention taking care of him, he hasn't even seen him these days.
After reviewing the memorials after court each day, Zhu Ruijing would go to the Zichen Hall, but he was always blocked outside by Eunuch Liu who was beside his father.
Shi Tainian was obviously not surprised by this result. He twirled his beard and smiled, saying, "Perhaps he really is ill this time."
Zhu Ruijing's heart tightened when he heard this: "Why do you say that, General?"
Shi Tainian, who was standing before him, slowly spoke, "Who would use the same strategy twice? Second Prince, why don't you think about it? Would you or I do the same? Your Majesty has grasped the psychology of these people, knowing that they are hesitant to act rashly because of the incident with Prince Liang last time."
After a pause, he said quietly, "I'm afraid he's really sick this time, and he wants to use this method to hold on until the guy from Duke Cheng's Mansion comes back."
The emperor is an old fox, his truth and falsehood are intertwined, making it hard to figure him out.
But since Shi Tainian was able to be appointed as General of Cavalry, he must have read some military books.
When two sides are facing each other, there is a saying that they deliberately set up a false formation. In addition to luring the enemy into deep territory, they also bluff and take advantage of the enemy's suspicions until reinforcements arrive.
Zhu Ruijing was shocked when he heard this.
Is that so?
Isn’t the emperor testing him?
He was not waiting for a potential enemy to appear so that he could be captured, like when King Liang returned to the capital.
Or maybe the emperor was really sick, so he deliberately pushed him to the front and set a trap that looked similar to the last time.
Zhu Ruijing was filled with passion at the old general's words.
He still had some sense. "My father has asked me to be regent. My brother is already old. How can I be any worse than him? Why do we have to take such a risk? What if we are wrong or something goes wrong? The cost is not worth it."
After hearing this, Shi Tainian laughed and said, "Second Prince, you are mistaken. The emperor did not really value you when he asked you to be regent. He wanted you to be a target and protect the people he wanted to protect. It was the same last time, and it will be the same this time."
"Others may be confused by your highness's previous reputation, but I will not. What I value is the enterprising spirit in your highness's eyes. As a royal man, fighting for that position is to save his life. Moreover, why did the last incident implicate the queen? Doesn't your highness know this? You have to fight for it whether you want to or not. If you want that person to hand the throne to you, the chances may be very small." Shi Tainian paused and said.
After saying this, the man was seen sitting in the seat opposite him in a daze, not moving at all.
Shi Tainian smiled, then turned and walked out.
After the cavalry general left, Zhu Ruijing did not call anyone in.
He pondered Shi Tainian's words over and over in his mind, and the more he pondered, the more frightened he became.
Yes, as a prince, if you don’t fight, you will die.
Just look at what happened to King Liang. Even after so many years, his brothers still haven't let him go.
Just keep everything firmly in your hands.
This is the only way, and it must be this way!
Zhu Ruijing cannot be fooled by the little sweet treat given by the other party.
Chasing the carrot is not the point; eating it in one bite is the real thing.
In the evening, the second prince Zhu Ruijing went to his mother's place under the cover of darkness.
The once radiant Empress Feng now had her long, dry hair loose and was leaning in front of a table, counting grains of rice.
She counted and forgot, and read the numbers upside down. When she saw him, her expression was indifferent, as if she was talking to a stranger.
Zhu Ruijing called her mother, but she ignored him.
He reached out and disturbed the rice grains. The other party was not angry, and finally simply fell back on the couch.
When he leaned over to look again, he saw his mother facing him, saying quietly, "So you've been using me all along, but you...even if you love her, she won't forgive you...Hahahahaha...Retribution! Retribution! It's really retribution..."
A burst of crazy and weird laughter rang out in the cold palace.
Zhu Ruijing stood up in a panic, and even after he walked away, he could still hear the creepy noises behind him.
But he clenched his fists tightly.
The mother lost.
But he hasn't yet.
Everyone wants to be a chess player, not a chess piece in the hands of others.
His father, the emperor, had been planning and scheming all his life, but he was naive and unwilling to give up his love.
There are only two sons in total. Zhu Yanqing is not as good as him in any way. What qualifications does he have to compete with him?
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