Inside the palace.
Prince Ning received confirmation from the emperor that his trusted second brother, whom he thought had no ambition for the throne like him, had been secretly plotting against the crown prince and had made many mistakes over the years.
"Is Second Brother really with Ye Wantang?"
Although it has been confirmed, it is still hard to believe.
When Ye Wantang plotted against him, did Second Brother ever think of helping him?
Prince Ning thought about it carefully, and it seemed that he had never done so before.
But he always regarded his second brother as someone even closer than his father, ranking him second only to his mother in his heart.
He even attempted to assassinate the crown prince. He knew perfectly well that his mother was worried about the crown prince, yet he watched as his mother fell ill from worry and said nothing.
Why?
He asked another question.
Why did you do that, Second Brother? Is the dragon throne really that good?
But Father Emperor was clearly unhappy sitting there, and Second Brother didn't have the ability either.
The emperor patted him on the shoulder and told Prince Ning about the Zheng family's instigation. "On the surface, he was deceived by the Zheng family, but in reality, all the deception was essentially self-deception."
Does the second son really not know what kind of people the Zheng family are?
He's not stupid; he could see it too. He just needed a reason to fight for it.
"Father has failed in his duty to educate his son and feels deeply frustrated. Third son, do you have any plans for the future?"
The matter of Prince Yun was a great blow to the emperor, so he wanted to ask his third son what he was thinking in order to avoid repeating the same mistake.
Prince Ning was not truly foolish; he understood the deeper meaning behind those words and quickly replied, "Father, I do not have that ability. What I desire most is to stay by my parents' side and not worry about food or drink."
"Didn't you just say you wanted to be a magnificent general? Your father sees that you're quite close to Helian, so why don't I talk to Prince Dingyuan and ask him to take you as his apprentice? You can go to the border with Helian to gain some experience..."
Before the emperor could finish speaking, Prince Ning shook his head like a rattle-drum, "Father, fighting is so tiring. If I weren't forced to, I wouldn't want to go."
"The Great Abyss is teeming with talented individuals, many of whom are more gifted than I am. Father Emperor is wise and mighty; perhaps we should nurture them properly."
He felt tired just watching Helian Qing practice various things every day.
If he were truly sent to the border town, given his status as a prince, he would undoubtedly have a place in Helian's army.
When the crown prince ascends the throne, it won't be a good thing for his younger brother, who holds military power.
Even if the Crown Prince is broad-minded and won't be wary of him, what if his nephew ascends the throne in the future? Would he not be afraid of his uncle?
Once he gains real power, will his own children become ambitious as a result?
Prince Ning only wanted a peaceful life and did not want to be involved in this endless vortex.
The emperor could tell he was telling the truth, so he sighed and didn't bring up the topic again, only saying, "Go and see your mother."
Prince Ning hesitated and asked, "May I go to Prince Yun's residence to see my second brother? Just once."
The emperor nodded without objecting, thinking that it might be good to have Prince Ning persuade his second son.
When he arrived at the Empress's place, Prince Ning transformed into a well-behaved child, sitting down at her feet and hugging her knees.
She threw a tantrum and cursed the late emperor, then said some things to make sure the crown prince was his own brother, and finally promised to advise Prince Yun. This made the empress smile, and then she left the palace for Prince Yun's residence.
Not long after he left, Xie Tingzhou returned to the palace and went straight to the Imperial Study.
“Father, although Li Heng is behind the Su family, the evidence against the Su family is not enough to completely bring down Li Heng.”
The emperor nodded. "Indeed. Do you have any thoughts?"
"Now that Father has entrusted this matter to Li Heng, and the Su family are Li Heng's people, Li Heng will definitely try to get leniency for them in order to appease the Su family."
"Father, perhaps it's best to let things take their course and spare the Su family's lives for now. Only when Father finds more evidence to punish Li Heng should the Su family come forward to testify."
This can act as the final straw that breaks the camel's back.
The emperor agreed, saying, "However, Vice Minister Su knowingly broke the law, and his crimes are not light. If he is not executed, it will be difficult to appease public anger."
The rest of the Su family could be exiled.
Xie Tingzhou said, "Minister Su must also know that he cannot escape punishment. Li Heng is worried about being suspected by his father, so he dares not save Minister Su's life."
But they will definitely use the rest of the Su family as leverage to make a deal with Vice Minister Su, so that he will commit suicide in prison.
All they needed to do was have Minister Su fake his death to deceive Li Heng, and then come out to identify him when the time was right.
Upon hearing this, the emperor knew that he already had a plan, so he simply said, "I'll leave this matter to you."
After discussing government affairs for a while, Xie Tingzhou suggested having dinner at the Empress's palace.
The emperor glanced at the few remaining memorials on the table, tossed half of them to Xie Tingzhou, and said, "Finish them and we'll go together."
After the Crown Prince returned, he was much more relaxed. In the past, he rarely had time to dine with the Empress at this time.
Xie Tingzhou didn't dawdle and sat down opposite him. The father and son each went about their own business, and as dusk approached, they arrived together outside the Fengyi Palace.
When the Empress learned that they were coming to dine, she ordered people to prepare their favorite dishes in advance.
The emperor felt sorry for his wife and held her hand, saying, "Just let the servants take care of things. It's not worth your trouble."
You must take good care of yourself. When the Crown Prince marries and has children, you, his grandmother, will be quite busy.
Mentioning this, the Empress's smile deepened, "My son's marriage is a busy but joyful occasion."
As soon as the words were spoken, the thought of King Yun inevitably came to mind, and it felt as if a needle had pricked his heart.
Not wanting to spoil the Crown Prince's mood, she quickly composed herself and discussed matters related to the marriage proposal with him.
Xie Tingzhou listened carefully and was pleased to see that the Empress was thorough in everything she did. However, after serving the Emperor and Empress some food, he said, "The cost of marrying a wife for the Crown Prince is not low; I'm afraid the national treasury will be emptied."
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