Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Third Uncle will arrive tonight, but Thirteenth Uncle might be a day or two later."
Zhu Shuang was slightly taken aback, and quickly asked, "Nephew, is it you who gave him the timeframe?"
“Uncle Thirteen may have missed the deadline; I only just received the report myself.” Zhu Xiong Ying feigned helplessness, saying there was nothing he could do. “However, Uncle Thirteen has had a hard time this time, traveling all the way from Kaiping to get here; it must have been a long and tiring journey!”
Zhu Shuang gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Fine! Fine! This Prince Dai is indeed of noble status, daring to even miss his military duty!"
Seeing that Zhu Xiong Ying only smiled and remained silent, Zhu Shuang felt even more that this nephew was not easy to deal with. Just like the Crown Prince, he usually seemed refined and elegant, but he was ruthless and had a sharp mind.
This time, the thirteenth prince will likely be punished, or perhaps not by his nephew, the crown prince. However, the thirteenth prince may not be able to withstand the wrath of the emperor and the crown prince.
Zhu Shuang thought it best to protect himself. Just a few years ago, he almost lost his princely title and barely managed to return to his fiefdom. In the past two years, the Prince of Yan was reassigned, the tenth prince committed suicide by fire, and the fifth prince was imprisoned in Yingtian Prefecture for leaving his fiefdom without permission…
Zhu Shuang thought it best to play it safe. He was having a great time in Xi'an and didn't want to get involved in any trouble because of his troublesome younger brothers. After all, he had learned his lesson the hard way, and he needed to be careful and sensitive about these things.
After all, there are some things that he, as a mere prince, can't say or do. Those are matters that only the emperor, the crown prince, or perhaps even the grandson of the crown prince can intervene in.
Zhu Shuang looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said, "Father still favors the Crown Prince. We received the imperial decree and immediately led the troops here. Crown Prince, are we going to launch a northern expedition against the desert?"
Zhu Xiong Ying didn't hide anything, saying, "It's just for border patrol and deterrence; it's not suitable for a large-scale military operation right now. I'm sorry to trouble you, Second Uncle, who has come all this way and yet hasn't been able to make any significant contributions."
"Merit?" Zhu Shuang laughed loudly, appearing extremely arrogant. "What merit do I need? Nephew, if I were to achieve merit, you might feel uneasy! It's alright, your second uncle will run errands for you and give you some encouragement. I'll just be a prince!"
It's really impossible to have a conversation now, because what started as a casual chat about everyday things has somehow turned into a lot of backstabbing and probing.
Even with your own nephew or uncle, it's impossible to have a proper conversation; there's just no way around it. After all, royal matters are inherently complex, especially those concerning imperial and royal power, which naturally require even greater caution.
You get used to it. Zhu Xiong Ying had indeed long been used to these things.
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