Chapter 141 Xiao Zirui admits his defeat
That day, Xiao Changheng was going to go to the Prince's Mansion alone.
But just before leaving, Yun Qingqing suddenly appeared and asked to go with him. When asked why, she just said that she had something to do.
Xiao Changheng looked at her for a moment, met her frank gaze, and finally didn't ask any more questions. The two of them set off together.
The carriage stopped in front of the Prince's Mansion.
The Crown Prince was under house arrest now, and the front and back gates were guarded by imperial guards. When they saw the Regent's carriage arriving, they saluted respectfully without greeting the imperial guards, and someone took the initiative to go in and pass on the message.
Soon the steward of the Prince's Mansion appeared and politely welcomed the two in.
Yun Qingqing looked at the familiar scenery around her along the way, feeling a slight stagnation in her heart.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Changheng suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"It's nothing." Yun Qingqing shook her head calmly, "I'm just revisiting the old place and thinking of some old things."
The original owner's emotions had not appeared for a long time. It was probably because this place carried too many of her memories, including the fire that changed everything.
However, Yun Qingqing didn't worry too much about her emotional fluctuations. She came here today for something else to do.
She pulled her hand back calmly.
Xiao Changheng's eyes darkened and he said no more.
After walking for a while, Yun Qingqing suddenly noticed a figure passing by not far away.
She turned her head and saw a shivering figure hurried away.
Is that...Su Yurou?
Yun Qingqing narrowed her eyes, making sure she was not mistaken.
She was just surprised that Su Yurou seemed to be surrounded by dark clouds, and it was obvious that she was extremely unlucky. It had only been a short time since they last saw her, so how could she become like this?
But then she thought again, she married Xiao Zirui, that unlucky guy, and was suppressed by Yun Bailian and became a concubine. She was also despised because she caused herself to be cursed by the mantra.
Especially Xiao Zirui, since he is in the royal family, he has some luck, so even if he is plagued by bad luck, he can still suppress it to some extent.
But the closer people are to him, the more likely they are to get into trouble.
Thinking about it this way, it’s not surprising that Su Yurou is like this now.
Thinking of this, Yun Qingqing suddenly asked the housekeeper:
"Is Yun Bailian here? I need to talk to her about something."
The butler replied respectfully:
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess is hosting a poetry appreciation event by the Little Mirror Lake today and is not at the mansion."
Yun Qingqing couldn't help but snort:
"She's still in the mood for a poetry appreciation?"
Because of the grain and fodder issue, her brother, the crown prince, had been cursed by the people of the entire city, impeached by the entire court, fined and confined to his house, and even his own mother had asked to go to a Buddhist temple to meditate and atone for her sins.
Why is Yun Bailian holding a poetry appreciation meeting at this time?
It's really stupid and has a surprising angle.
The housekeeper naturally heard the sarcasm in her words and quickly explained:
"This poetry appreciation event was organized by the Empress to provide an opportunity for young talented men and women to communicate. The previous two events were very successful and were widely sought after by the sons of aristocratic families and the daughters of wealthy families."
"Today's event was scheduled half a month ago. It would be unreasonable to cancel it at the last minute. The Crown Princess has always been the one to organize it, so she went. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also supports this."
Yun Qingqing remained silent, and the housekeeper said cautiously:
"In fact, before you left the capital, the Crown Princess also sent you an invitation to the poetry appreciation party."
"Oh... forget it. I don't have the time and I'm not interested." Yun Qingqing thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.
But she was busy with the affairs of Tianming Pavilion at that time, and it was impossible for her to be interested in any activities organized by Yun Bailian, so she threw the invitation away as trash.
She had something to ask Yun Bailian today, but it wasn't important, so it didn't matter since she wasn't there.
As he was talking, he arrived at the gate of Xiao Zirui's courtyard.
Before entering the yard, I heard the sound of something being smashed.
And Xiao Zirui's roar:
"Get out! Get away from me!"
Xiao Changheng's face darkened slightly. He signaled the butler and the guards behind him to step back, and he turned his wheelchair and walked in.
When she was almost at the door of the room, a pen holder flew out from the open door and headed straight for Yun Qingqing's face.
Yun Qingqing's eyes darkened and she was about to raise her hand when she was suddenly pulled aside by Xiao Changheng.
He stretched out his big hand and caught the pen holder steadily, his face as gloomy as water, and threw it back.
The pen holder came flying with great force, hitting Xiao Zirui squarely on the shoulder. He cried out in pain, turned around and glared as if he wanted to curse, but after seeing who was coming, his expression froze and he became speechless.
Xiao Zirui lowered his eyes, suppressed the resentment in his eyes, and said coldly:
"Is the emperor's uncle here to laugh at me?"
Xiao Changheng walked in with an expressionless face and raised his hand towards the trembling servants in the room. The servants quickly retreated as if they had been pardoned.
He looked at Xiao Zirui quietly for a while, and said calmly:
"The Jingji Military Command sent 5,000 elite soldiers to Yunwu Mountain the day before yesterday to suppress the bandits."
Yunwu Mountain is a hundred miles away from the imperial capital, and is in front of the route where the food and grass were robbed that day.
Xiao Zirui curled the corners of his mouth in a mocking manner:
"So, those bandits who stole the fake food supplies carefully prepared by the Emperor's uncle must have been apprehended and executed?"
Xiao Changheng's eyes were cold:
"This morning, I received a message from General Qin that the stronghold had been massacred. Nearly two thousand people, young and old, men and women, were killed."
"Oh, that's what they deserve." Xiao Zirui said calmly.
Xiao Changheng stared at him:
"Without the imperial court taking any action to suppress the bandits, an entire stronghold of 2,000 people was killed. Doesn't the Crown Prince find it strange at all?"
Xiao Zirui's expression paused:
"What does the Emperor's uncle want to say? I'm in such a state of despair now that I don't have the mood to think about those things!"
Xiao Changheng looked at him for a moment and sighed.
He retracted his gaze, placed a handwritten note on the table, and said in a light voice:
"I have discussed this with my brother. Starting today, you will step down as commander of the Tiger Guard Battalion. I will look for another suitable candidate. You can lead the troops after you grow into a qualified crown prince."
Xiao Zirui's pupils trembled violently, and he shouted in a lost voice:
"What! You're taking this opportunity to seize my military power? I don't believe this is not the will of the Emperor! You're lying!"
Xiao Changheng just waited quietly for him to calm down without saying much.
Until Xiao Zirui rushed out regardless of anything, shouting "I want to see my father", Xiao Changheng's eyes turned cold, and he raised his hand and knocked him back three feet with a burst of energy, and he fell to the ground.
Xiao Zirui finally saw the coldness in his eyes, and he shuddered and lowered his head.
Xiao Changheng said in a deep voice:
"You know best why you lost your position as the chief commander of the Tiger Guard Battalion! You should be thankful. If it weren't for the fact that the bandits in that mountain have committed so many evil deeds, I would definitely not let you go this time!"
"If you still refuse to accept and insist on going to the palace to see your father during your confinement period, then go ahead!"
"Let's see if you can keep your position as crown prince!"
Xiao Zirui took a deep breath and suddenly grabbed the handwritten note on the table. His hands trembled as he read the contents on it.
"Father... He really wants to strip me of my military power! Could it be that he also..." He also wants to depose the crown prince.
He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but found the answer in the Regent's eyes.
Xiao Changheng sighed slowly and said earnestly:
"You should understand that you are the crown prince that your father has devoted all his efforts to cultivating. It's understandable that there are political disputes in the court on a daily basis, but when it comes to the country and the people, as the crown prince, you must always put the country and the overall situation first!"
"At this point, don't you understand how much of a blow this incident has dealt to your father?"
Xiao Zirui lowered his head, clenched his fists tightly, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Uncle, I know I was wrong."
Xiao Changheng's expression eased slightly, he nodded, and called Nan Zheng in:
"Bring the things here."
The Southern Expedition Commander's men brought up a large box.
Xiao Zirui stared at the box in a daze:
"Uncle, this is..."
"These are the books I have selected for you. They will help you become a qualified crown prince and a future wise ruler. You won't be able to leave the house for the next few days, so please read these carefully."
When Xiao Zirui opened the box, the first book that caught his eye had a cover that read "On Virtuous Government".
I flipped through a few more books, all of which were about benevolence, virtue, and the way of a gentleman from ancient times to the present.
He accepted it respectfully on the surface, and then respectfully saw Xiao Changheng out the door, but in fact, he was almost gritting his teeth.
The emperor has already decided to depose the crown prince, so he can only pretend to be obedient and not give anyone else an excuse to use against him.
When he was alone in the room again, he kicked the bookcase hard.
As a result, he didn't kick over the bookcase, but he almost hurt his foot and was grimacing in pain.
Xiao Zirui grabbed the book "On Virtuous Government" and wanted to tear it to pieces, but he didn't dare to do it in the end, for fear that he would not be able to explain if the Regent suddenly asked about it one day.
He threw the book back with a dark face and said through gritted teeth:
"Xiao Changheng, just wait! He's just a cripple. Sooner or later, I'll ascend the throne, and then we'll settle the score!"
…
Yun Qingqing and Xiao Changheng walked out of the Prince's Mansion and got on the carriage.
Xiao Changheng looked at her and asked:
"Didn't you say you had something to do? How's it going?"
He even looked at her before he came out, but she did nothing from beginning to end and just followed him and left.
But now, sitting face to face with him, he noticed that Yun Qingqing was frowning, looking as if she was thinking about something.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com