Su Ruojin took everything in, and she looked at Lu Hong calmly, "Prime Minister Lu, even if Yuan Hong is the second prince of Xiaoyue, if he doesn't want to stay in Xiaoyue, I will still bring him back to Da Chu."
Upon hearing this, Lu Hong panicked. "Absolutely not, Your Highness! The current emperor is incredibly cruel at such a young age, and the empress dowager only knows how to bloodily suppress dissent. The very act of choosing a companion for the emperor has already caused widespread public resentment. The imperial advisor, an outsider, frequently interferes in court affairs, relying on his relationship with the empress dowager's cousin."
If this mother and son truly remain in power, the people's hearts will be unsettled, and Bei Li is eyeing Xiao Yue with covetous intent. Xiao Yue will then be in grave danger.
Xiao Yanchu then spoke up, "So, what does Prime Minister Lu intend to do?"
Lu Hong bowed to Xiao Yanchu and said, “Your Highness, although the court appears harmonious on the surface, many ministers, especially those from the late emperor’s time, harbor resentment towards this mother and son. If we can find the Second Prince, I can secretly contact them and work together to support his ascension to the throne.”
“Prime Minister Lu, Ji Yanzhuo has officially ascended the throne. Your actions are tantamount to treason. I don’t need to elaborate on the risks involved,” Xiao Yanchu reminded him.
“Yes, Prime Minister Lu, you are a veteran of two dynasties, so you must know how cruel the struggle for the throne is. Yuan Hong is my brother, and I will never let him take such a risk,” Su Ruojin said.
There were people in the court who opposed Empress Wu and her son, but there were also people who supported them.
As far as Su Ruojin knew, the First-Rank General of the State, who now held the power of 80,000 troops in Xiaoyue, was the elder brother of Empress Wu.
If you want to seize the throne, you must first take control of the military.
Prime Minister Lu was a civil official, and although his second son, Lu Junjie, was a third-rank Tiger Tooth General, he only had 20,000 troops under his command. With such a small force, how could they possibly fight against Empress Dowager Wu?
Lu Hong looked up at Xiao Yanchu and Su Ruojin with a pleading expression, "I beg Your Highness and Your Highness to have pity on the people of Xiaoyue and to give Xiaoyue a wise ruler."
"Prime Minister Lu, how much military power do you control?" Xiao Yanchu asked directly.
The struggle for the throne, to put it bluntly, is a struggle for military power. Without military power, everything else is in vain.
Lu Hong did not hide anything, "Xiaoyue has a total of 200,000 troops. The command of 80,000 troops is in the hands of Wu Taihou's elder brother, General Wu. Some generals are only loyal to the royal family and do not favor anyone. I can control at most 60,000 troops, but if a wise ruler is found, I believe that those neutral generals will definitely abandon the darkness and turn to the light."
Sixty thousand?
That's quite a lot.
When Xiao Yanchu quelled the rebellion in the Great Chu, he only used 30,000 troops.
The struggle for the throne, whether it's a forced abdication or a battle for succession, doesn't actually involve pulling out one's troops to fight. It relies more on planning and strategy, with military power serving more as a form of intimidation from behind the scenes.
For a civil official like Prime Minister Lu to have control over 60,000 troops is already quite remarkable.
The key point is that he revealed all of this to them without reservation, which can be considered a form of trust.
Before, Dap was the second prince, and there was a distance between him and Su Ruojin and the others. But now Yuan Hong is the second prince, the princess's younger brother.
Lu Hong knew very well that if Yuan Hong wanted to take this position, Xiao Yanchu and Su Ruojin would not stand idly by.
He would never let such a good opportunity slip by.
The future of Xiaoyue hinges on this gamble.
Lu Hong had secretly made up his mind that even if it meant his death, he would keep Yuan Hong, bring down the mother and son, and help Yuan Hong take the throne.
“Prime Minister Lu, this matter should not be rushed, but my principle remains unchanged: everything is up to Yuan Hong to decide, and I respect his choice. If Yuan Hong ultimately decides to return to Great Chu, I hope Prime Minister Lu will not obstruct him further,” Su Ruojin said.
Lu Hong sighed and bowed deeply to Yuan Hong, "I hope the Second Prince will show compassion to the people of Xiaoyue."
After saying that, he left with Lu Junyuan.
Su Ruojin gave Xiao Yanchu a wink, and Xiao Yanchu understood immediately, leading Yuan Hong to another room.
Only Aya and Dapu remained in the room.
Dapp kept his head down, and no one could see what he was thinking.
Su Ruojin looked at Aya, who seemed a little dazed, and said, "Aya, Dapu was sad all day yesterday."
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