The political situation in Nantai is tense now. The crown prince is dead, and the sixth prince, who had the best chance of becoming crown prince, has also been diagnosed with madness. The officials and civil servants have different thoughts and are no longer entirely on his side.
The old emperor had a very difficult time during this period, almost besieged on all sides.
What's most disheartening is his own younger brother, the Prince of Liang, who was the person he trusted the most and even entrusted with military power. Now, the Prince of Liang is the one causing the most trouble.
The old emperor had few children, while the Prince of Liang was the opposite, with three adult sons and five or six younger ones. In comparison, the old emperor had no advantage.
Most importantly, he doesn't have much power left.
If the King of Liang were to actually raise an army in rebellion, he would have no chance of resisting.
This position was hard-earned for him, and he would give it to his son in the future; he would never give it up so easily.
But... he was still somewhat unwilling to cooperate with someone he knew might be the one to kill his son.
Even so, he didn't destroy the letter, but instead kept it.
The next day, the imperial court was still filled with the smoke of battle, and he was completely on the defensive.
The Prince of Liang stepped forward boldly and said in a blunt tone, "Brother, you have been in poor health for many years. We should first determine the successor. Otherwise, what will happen to the whole country if something happens to you?"
Before the old emperor could speak, all the other court officials knelt down and said in unison, "Please make a decision as soon as possible, Your Majesty!"
"You, you all..."
The old emperor felt a chill in his heart. He looked at the Prince of Liang and never expected that his most trusted younger brother would become the one who drove him to the most extreme.
The ministers below were all kneeling on the ground, only King Liang was standing, even with a smile on his face, as if he was showing off to him.
The old emperor looked down at the people below, all the civil and military officials, and found that not a single one of them was protecting him.
When exactly did the King of Liang begin to win over people's hearts behind his back?
He also had sons, but apart from the sixth prince, the other children were still young and not yet ready to assume important responsibilities. These people were eager to have him abdicate and hand over the throne to a more capable person.
Do they really think he's so easy to bully?
“Your Majesty, I am only thinking of you. Now that I am in my prime, I can naturally help you solve your problems.”
His intentions were all too clear; he was practically forcing the old emperor to write an abdication edict.
The old emperor gritted his teeth and, after a long silence, finally said, "I'm not dead yet! Court adjourned!"
After he finished speaking, the old eunuch beside him hurriedly helped him leave, and the successor was once again left out.
But King Liang was not in a hurry; he was confident that he would take that position.
Other princes certainly wanted a share of the spoils, but he was the old emperor's own brother, born of the same father and mother. The old emperor trusted him from beginning to end, giving him power and honor. Over the years, he had indeed fulfilled his duties as a younger brother, and even thought that he would assist the crown prince when he succeeded to the throne.
But man proposes, God disposes. The capable crown prince is gone, the sixth prince has this problem, and the other princes are too young. He cannot serve a mere child as ruler.
Moreover, he is the legitimate second son, so why can't he take that position himself?
He felt that he had done everything he could for his elder brother, the emperor.
It doesn't matter if the old emperor is unwilling to give in now; he can just wait it out. Even if the old emperor refuses to abdicate until his death, he can still take the throne himself. The other vassal kings are no match for him.
The old emperor hurriedly returned to his palace and sat on a soft couch, panting heavily.
An elderly eunuch anxiously brought him tea, but he calmly waved his hand and said, "All of you, leave."
At this critical juncture, the old emperor became even calmer and did not lose his temper or throw things as he used to, knowing that his body could not withstand such anger.
Now, he must consider his son's future; the throne must absolutely not fall into the hands of the Prince of Liang.
Almost immediately, he thought of the letter from the previous night. He went to find it himself, read it over and over again, and then sighed sarcastically to himself, "It seems that we still have to cooperate with our enemies."
He clutched the letter tightly in his hand, then burned it clean over a candle flame. He went to his desk, picked up a pen, wrote a letter, and then had his confidant deliver it to Shunyu Casino.
The old emperor's agreement to cooperate was entirely within Lu Baichuan's expectations, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. It seems that the political situation in Nantai is much more serious than he imagined.
The old emperor was a straightforward man; he didn't even dwell on their identities, replying with just two words: conditions.
Lu Baichuan was straightforward, replying: "One million taels of gold to buy Nantai's stability for ten years."
This amount of money is enough to empty the South Thai treasury to the point of being completely depleted, after all, South Thailand is not a very wealthy country.
Without money, even if the people of Nantai wanted to make a living, they couldn't.
There was no response to the letter, and Lu Baichuan assumed that the old emperor was unwilling to spend so much money. However, seven days later, in the middle of the night, a group of uninvited guests arrived in the courtyard of Shunyu Gambling House, in pairs, carrying boxes.
The boxes were opened one by one, each filled with glittering gold, leaving everyone stunned.
Qin Jian, in particular, was unaware of Lu Baichuan's contact with the old emperor. At first, she thought assassins had arrived, and since the guards in the shadows didn't react, she assumed they had all been silenced. She was so shocked that she came out to check, only to find that they were all just delivering money.
What's going on?
Qin Jian stared blankly at Lu Baichuan, wondering what this kid was up to behind his back again.
Lu Baichuan did not answer him immediately, but instead took a letter from the other party's leader and opened it in front of them.
The old emperor agreed to his request, with one condition: kill the Prince of Liang.
Lu Baichuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, then said to the leader in the Southern Thai language, "Go back and tell your Emperor that it will be as he wishes, and that the cooperation will be pleasant."
The other person didn't say anything, just nodded and left.
Qin Jian could no longer resist snatching the letter from his hand and reading it, then his expression instantly changed.
"Are you crazy?!"
The life of the King of Liang is not something anyone can take. He has been on the battlefield, has real skills, and his subordinates are all elites. It would be difficult to even get close to him.
If they actually go through with this deal, they could very well lose more than half their lives.
Qin Jian was a little angry. This guy made such a decision without consulting him!
"I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly sober right now, and this is our chance."
Lu Baichuan calmly explained that he knew it was wrong to act on his own initiative, but if he told Qin Jian in advance, Qin Jian would definitely stop him, so it was better to act first and inform him later.
The matter was already settled, and even if Qin Jian objected, he couldn't change the reality.
Qin Jian angrily kicked a tree beside him to vent his frustration, then asked through gritted teeth, "Who are they?"
P.S.: Something came up today and I'm a little late with the next chapter. Don't worry, read it tomorrow!
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