Chapter 1244 You have quite the appetite!
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Yuan's brows furrowed immediately.
He had previously brought up this matter with Yuwen Ye, and although the latter's last words were "I can consider it," based on his understanding of his second son, when he was willing to consider something, it almost meant he had agreed. The only problem was probably how to persuade or appease the meritorious officials of his Qin Prince's Mansion.
But all of this was not impossible for him to accomplish.
unless……
He looked at Yuwen Ye with a solemn expression, wanting to say something, but hesitated for a moment and did not speak immediately. Then he heard Yuwen Ye say indifferently, "Third brother seems to care a lot about whether I go to Luoyang or not."
Yuwen Cheng said, "Of course."
Why?
“Second Brother, if you stay in Chang’an, you are the Prince of Qin in the Western Capital; if you go to Luoyang, you are the Prince of Qin in the Eastern Capital. How can I not care?”
Yuwen Ye asked, "Is there any difference between the Prince of Qin in Xijing and the Prince of Qin in Dongdu?"
Yuwen Cheng smiled, a slight smirk playing on one corner of his lips. "Of course it's different. If you go to Luoyang, you'll naturally have the final say on the appointment and deployment of officials there. But in Chang'an, it's Father Emperor who makes the decisions. However—"
At this point, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Today should have been the day Shen Tu Tai and Pei Xing Yuan went to Luoyang, but the Emperor's decree couldn't even mobilize these two people."
"..."
"They're still at the Prince of Qin's residence, aren't they?"
Upon hearing these words, Yuwen Yuan's face darkened.
Sometimes, being willing to compromise is one thing, but the resentment and anger of accepting compromise is another. Yuwen Yuan certainly wanted to balance the power between his two sons, but the fact that he, as the emperor, was offended was also one of the reasons why he chose to send Yuwen Ye to Luoyang.
No emperor likes a minister whose achievements overshadow his own, even if that minister is his son.
Seeing Yuwen Yuan's grim expression, Shang Ruyi instinctively wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she decided not to make any rash moves.
This was, after all, a serious matter for the court, and as the Princess Consort of Qin, she couldn't speak up directly. Moreover, a major reason why Yuwen Yuan couldn't mobilize Pei Xingyuan was that she had Tao He intervene through Tao Wanyin. This matter was extremely sensitive, affecting not only her but also the concubines in the harem. If Yuwen Yuan discovered it, or if Yuwen Cheng singled her out, the emperor's attitude towards her would be uncertain. She absolutely couldn't implicate Tao Wanyin.
So she kept her mouth shut.
Yuwen Ye understood Yuwen Cheng's provocative intention and calmly said, "They are not in the Prince of Qin's residence."
Yuwen Cheng sneered: "Where is it?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I am still serving in the imperial court."
Yuwen Cheng frowned.
Yuwen Ye was clearly feigning ignorance. Both of them were officials of the court, and even if they were confidants of the Prince of Qin's mansion, they still held positions in the court. Yuwen Cheng snorted coldly, about to say something more, when suddenly he heard Yuwen Yuan's deep voice say, "Yan Jie, that's enough."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng immediately stopped.
He turned to look at the emperor, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds." Then he shut his mouth.
But the topic had already been raised and the conversation had reached this point, so there was no reason to back down. Moreover, what Yuwen Yuan cared about most these days was whether Yuwen Ye would leave or not, but now seeing Yuwen Ye's attitude made him feel increasingly uneasy.
At this moment, he finally looked at his second son and said in a deep voice, "Feng Chen."
Yuwen Ye raised his head: "Your subject is here."
Yuwen Yuan said, "Since everyone is here today, why don't you tell me whether you are going to Luoyang?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's aura deepened.
She had long seen that Yuwen Cheng was deliberately trying to stir up trouble today—but unlike Yuwen Qian's seemingly indifferent attitude, Yuwen Cheng, like Yu Mingyue with her solemn expression and piercing eyes, definitely did not want them to leave Chang'an for Luoyang.
These two people are enemies to them at heart. Just look at the tricks Yu Mingyue played behind their backs during the battle of Fufeng. She wanted to kill Yuwen Ye from the very beginning. As for Yuwen Cheng, he no longer regarded his half-brother as a brother. To him, Yuwen Ye was his enemy, nothing more.
even--
Judging from the fanatical glint in his ferocious eyes, Shang Ruyi vaguely sensed that he wanted to get rid of Yuwen Ye even more than Yuwen Qian did.
But people don't get up early without a reason. He wouldn't harm his half-brother just for the sake of a half-brother, unless there was something to gain!
profitable……?
Just as Shang Ruyi's mind was in a whirl, yet a glimmer of inspiration seemed to be flickering within her, Yuan Gan, who had already climbed down from Yuwen Ye's lap, raised the small jade bowl and placed it over his face, pouring the last bit of syrup into his mouth, let out a satisfied sigh of "Ah!" Shang Ruyi suddenly remembered something.
Just now, when Yuwen Yuan saw Yuan Gan's cuteness and obedience, he was overjoyed, but at the same time he urged the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to have a grandson. Although he had this grandson, he could not be satisfied with this. After all, his biggest concern had always been the eccentric Yuwen Qian. He had finally waited for him to return to the world after wandering around, and he had finally waited for him to get married. The next thing was naturally to have children. After all, as the Crown Prince, his offspring were also related to the future of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
But before he could finish his urging, Yuwen Cheng interrupted him.
Thinking about this, Shang Ruyi began to understand.
So that's what he was thinking...
So she smiled and reached out to prepare the cup that a palace maid had already filled with wine for her again. Just as she was about to say something, Yuwen Ye suddenly reached out and pressed her hand down.
"...!"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and turned to look at him. She saw Yuwen Ye calmly looking at Yuwen Qian and saying, "Your subject said that it is worth considering."
Yuwen Yuan stared intently at him: "After considering it for so long, haven't you come to a decision yet?"
"..."
“I remember you are not an indecisive or hesitant person.”
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "It's not that I'm indecisive or hesitant, but rather that I'm not going to Luoyang alone. There are many things to prepare, and these are not things that I can handle alone."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall understood.
He's about to set conditions.
At this moment, Yuwen Qian asked, "What does my second brother need?"
Yuwen Ye turned to look at him and said, “Brother, do you know that Luoyang is located in the heart of the Central Plains, with flat terrain on all sides and lacking natural barriers? It is extremely vulnerable to attacks from all sides. If we cannot control the passes and passages, I will be no different from Liang Shide and Xiao Yuansui if I go there, becoming another sitting duck.”
When he said this, he emphasized the words "next".
Hearing this, everyone understood perfectly. After all, he and Yuwen Cheng, who had taken down the previous target, had set out from Chang'an. If he became the next target, everyone knew who would be the first to attack him.
Yuwen Qian said, "That's natural."
Yuwen Yuan understood: "You are to control the passes around Luoyang, which is the proper thing to do. Luoyang is a place of constant warfare, and I sent you there in the hope that you can defend Luoyang well."
Yuwen Ye turned to look at him again and said, "Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty to issue an edict appointing Xue Lin as the garrison commander of Tongguan, Mu Xian as the garrison commander of Hangu Pass, and Cheng Qiao as the garrison commander of Wuguan Pass. With them guarding these passes, even if I cannot rest easy in Luoyang, I can at least protect my wife and children from being caught in the flames of war again."
"..."
For a moment, the entire lobby fell silent.
Yuwen Qian's face remained calm as always, as if he had expected him to make such a condition. He didn't even show any expression of joy or anger after hearing this. He just looked at Yuwen Yuan indifferently. Yuwen Cheng and Yu Mingyue exchanged a glance subconsciously, and Yu Mingyue almost immediately showed an expression of anger.
Yuwen Cheng also curled the corners of his lips.
Even if he was utterly incompetent militarily, and the Battle of Luoyang was practically a rout before Yuwen Ye even launched his attack, who in the world didn't know the importance of Tongguan? And who didn't know that Tongguan's importance was relative to Chang'an?
Yuwen Ye actually wants to take Tongguan!
Both men were filled with shock and anger, but Yuwen Yuan remained calm and composed. His brows furrowed slightly, and a surge of anger seemed to rise in his eyes, only to quickly fade away.
The demands made by Yuwen Ye can be described as "ruthless".
Regardless of the generals guarding Hangu Pass and Wu Pass, the choice of the general guarding Tong Pass is extremely accurate. The current general guarding Tong Pass, Chu Zhengfei, was the Left Valiant Guard Commandant under Yu Dingxing in his early years. Therefore, Tong Pass is almost within Yu Dingxing's sphere of influence.
Now, when it comes to replacing someone, who to replace them with is a very important matter.
Xue Lin was the second son of Xue Daotong, the chief secretary. Xue Daotong was originally a confidant of Yuwen Yuan. His eldest son, Xue Jing, served as the Grand Tutor in the Crown Prince's Palace, while his second son followed the Prince of Qin on his military campaign. Clearly, the Xue family was betting on the two most likely candidates to seize the throne. Therefore, Yuwen Ye stationed Xue Lin at Tongguan. Firstly, this would prevent Chang'an from taking action against him, because Xue Daotong would not abandon his son should any trouble arise. Secondly, after the baptism of the Battle of Hulao Pass, Xue Lin had developed great respect and loyalty for Yuwen Ye. This bond forged in the fires of war was different from the relationship between ordinary rulers and ministers. Placing him there would also prevent him from being bribed by the people of Chang'an.
More importantly, out of respect for Xue Daotong, Yuwen Yuan could not refuse this request.
Sure enough, after a brief silence, Yuwen Yuan said, "It's not impossible for you to make Xue Lin the garrison commander of Tongguan."
"..."
"It would be best to entrust Hangu Pass and Wu Pass to your people."
Yuwen Ye stood up and said, "Thank you for your permission, Father Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng's brow furrowed again.
He wasn't surprised that Yuwen Yuan would agree to the proposal. After all, the people Yuwen Ye suggested were all carefully selected, and the court couldn't refuse them for either reason or emotion. He just found it strange—that was all?
This seems inconsistent with Yuwen Ye's meticulous style of doing things.
As expected, after expressing his gratitude, Yuwen Ye did not sit down immediately, nor did he lower his clasped hands.
Seeing him like this, Yuwen Yuan said, "You have another request?"
Yuwen Ye replied, "Yes."
"you say."
"Your Majesty, I request that you grant me Shangdang and Puban."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's expression changed drastically. Not only him, but also Yuwen Qian, Yu Mingyue, and Yuwen Cheng, who were sitting opposite him, all changed their expressions.
The next moment, Yuwen Cheng let out a cold laugh: "Second brother, you have quite the appetite."
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