Chapter 195 Palace Affairs
In fact, it doesn't take much of a brain to figure it out. Song Ziying is smart and has the eldest son by her side. But since the others have already entered the Eastern Palace, they definitely can't be eating free rice.
How could they survive if they didn't fight for it? But if they started fighting, it was almost inevitable that the Crown Princess would lose control and take action, otherwise her position would be in jeopardy. But if she pushed too hard and lost her sense of proportion, the Emperor and Empress wouldn't just sit there and watch.
This is a vicious cycle.
In the final analysis, it was because the Crown Princess was confused by the Song family and made a stupid move, which led to the current situation where it is impossible to undo the damage and she regrets it too late.
Fortunately, these things have nothing to do with me for the time being. The most urgent thing now is to work hard and develop quickly, lay a solid foundation and gain a firm foothold as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, if there is a change in the court one day, Dongling Mansion will not know what to do.
Jiang Wan's eyes were full of thoughts and considerations. Even if he had many ideas in his mind, he had to do it step by step.
I just hope that the day when things change will come later.
******
Capital city.
The emperor has been in a bad mood recently and has dealt with several guys in the court who like to jump around, most of whom are on the side of the prince.
Today, the Ministry of Revenue filed a complaint against the Ministry of Works, claiming that an investigation revealed that the river tax funds allocated two years ago were no longer in the correct accounts, suggesting they must have been misappropriated. The Ministry of Works, naturally, denied this, and the two sides argued for a long time, each claiming their own reasons. Finally, the case was referred to the Dali Temple for investigation.
The prince's personality had also changed significantly. If he had been a gentle, smiling fox before, he was now a young tiger that was gradually becoming calmer. He had no intention of refuting the emperor's orders.
After the court session, Duke Ping asked to see him.
"Your Highness, why are you silent today?"
There was confusion and anger in Song Qingshan's eyes. He could feel that the prince was becoming less and less receptive to the advice and suggestions of his father-in-law, which inevitably made him a little anxious.
The prince still smiled and was easy-going.
"What Duke Ping said is illogical. The Ministry of Revenue reported this to His Majesty, and Father ordered a thorough investigation. Isn't this a perfectly normal thing to do? Why should I speak out to stop it?"
Duke Ping paused, his voice becoming somewhat deep.
"Zeng Qingchao, who is in charge of this matter, is one of my subordinates who went out."
"so what?"
"He's one of ours."
"No, he is from the imperial court!"
The prince's face turned cold.
"As officials of Dayu, you are all members of the imperial court. I believe I am not as harsh in my treatment of others as my father, but I certainly do not have the inclination to raise rats for the imperial court or the people.
If he doesn't move much, you can make him sell everything he has to make up for it. If he moves a lot, then let the whole Zeng family pay for it with their lives!"
"Prince!"
"What's the point of calling me? Don't ask for favors you shouldn't ask for. I hope Duke Ping will have some sense of propriety."
Every word he said was merciless, and the rage in Duke Ping's eyes was boiling.
"I'm doing this for your own good! You're already a fully grown crown prince, and that will only make the Emperor wary of you. Furthermore, you have older brothers and younger brothers, and they all have the right to snatch what's in your hands!
If we don't gather some power under our command, and the emperor changes his mind one day, how will you be able to resist? My Prince!"
The prince remained silent with an expressionless face. All that could be heard in the room was the Duke of Ping's heartbroken and earnest words.
"I am your father-in-law. You and my daughter have been childhood sweethearts. How could I not wish you the best?
Even if it is just from the perspective of interests, I am definitely looking forward to you taking the position smoothly day and night so that I can also become the father-in-law of the emperor and enjoy the glory.
How could this old minister possibly have second thoughts about Your Highness?
Yanxiu, my wholehearted protection of you is the same as Jiang Huailiang's protection of Li Chengxiu. Do you know that?"
The prince's eyes dimmed slightly and he sighed slowly.
"Father-in-law, I naturally know your loyalty.
But the most taboo in the court is to form cliques for personal gain, not to mention that my Dayu has a limited foundation. If I were really as you say, focusing only on cultivating the power of my own subordinates, without caring whether the government is fair and just, and whether the people would suffer.
So what kind of a prince am I?"
Duke Ping moved his lips slightly and wanted to say something else, but the prince waved his hand solemnly.
"No need to say more, this matter is not negotiable. If it is found that Zeng Qingchao is indeed suspicious, don't ask whether the emperor will forgive him. I will definitely not tolerate him!"
Seeing the prince's firm attitude, Duke Ping knew that this matter would not end well and he would have to return empty-handed in the end.
After everyone left, the prince was alone in the palace, lost in thought for a long time. He was wondering what role the Song family played in this matter.
It is undeniable that some of what Song Qingshan said just now was true. He really hoped day and night that he, the crown prince, could successfully ascend to the throne. But if he said that the Song family was sincere to him, even a dog would believe it!
Haha, even the wife who shares the same bed with me has unfaithful thoughts, let alone the father-in-law?
He was still comparing himself to the Duke of Ling. How could he compare? Jiang Huailiang really treated Li Laosi as his own son and brought him up hand in hand on the battlefield.
What did Song Qingshan plan for me, Li Laosan? He was planning to drug me and have a woman! Oh, and now his daughter has followed her father's lead and started drugging me!
The prince blinked in frustration.
I stood up and walked to the window, looked up at the sky outside, and took a few deep breaths to slowly calm the anger and sadness in my heart.
It doesn't matter. She's just making preparations to prevent me from having children. What's the big deal?
It really doesn't matter. It's just that Chang Yuning was unlucky and fell into my trap again, resulting in two deaths.
Hehe, Princess Consort, why did you insist on destroying the girl I've loved so much for so many years? Give me back the innocent and lovely Song Ziying!
I slammed my fist against the window frame. It turns out my heart still aches. But it really doesn't matter. One day, I will completely root out the woman who has taken root in my heart for so many years!
A tear fell silently.
"Third brother."
The queen, who was standing outside the door, sighed and called out.
"Mother, why are you here?"
The prince quickly blinked his eyes and calmed himself down, then turned and walked to the door to help the queen into the hall and sit down.
"But Li Xun is too noisy and disturbs you. Why don't you take him back and raise him yourself?
Mother, you haven't looked well lately, which may be due to being too stressed out.
I can take good care of children myself. Didn’t I take care of the fourth child when he was little? Don’t worry, I can do it.”
"What are you good at?"
The queen rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.
"As the crown prince, you don't think about handling state affairs, sharing the emperor's worries, and working for the welfare of the people. Instead, you spend every day thinking about competing with an old woman like me to take care of the children. What do you mean?"
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