Steel Dynasty - Chapter 41

[Chapter 41 Queen Zhao’s Thoughts]

“Ahem, I don’t have such a surly son who abandons his fiefdom and runs away.” Xiao Wenxuan put down the emerald wine glass and coughed twice.

“Your Majesty, take care of the dragon body!” Empress Zhao was worried for a while and raised her hand to pat Xiao Wenxuan’s back.

Over fifty years old, Xiao Wenxuan’s health is getting worse day by day. The imperial doctor uses countless medicines, but Xiao Wenxuan’s health has not improved at all. It is precisely because of this that all the princes in Chang’an City have their own thoughts in their hearts.

This time Queen Zhao would agree to Concubine Zhen’s request so easily, not just for the perfume. As the mother of the country, how could she be so superficial.

Her real intention was to provide more outside support for the prince. After all, the prince was now gradually losing ground in the battle for the throne.

Now among the nine princes of the Dayu Kingdom, the third prince and the fifth prince are from the same mother, so they naturally support each other. The second prince, the sixth prince, and the ninth prince are hugging each other. The fourth prince is an extremely smart man. Now besides being with the eighth prince He was walking very close, and the one he was trying to win over was the Seventh Prince Xiao Ming.

However, because of the remoteness of Xiao Ming’s fiefdom, the fourth prince was aloof from Xiao Ming. She saw this clearly and wanted to use this opportunity to find a vassal prince who was away to support the prince.

She knew that if she wanted the prince to ascend the throne, only the support of the Zhao family was not enough. When Xiao Wenxuan ascended the throne, in addition to being the prince, he also received the support of most of the vassal kings. Even so, there were still some The prince was dissatisfied and rebelled.

When he first ascended to the throne, Xiao Wenxuan put on his own armor and led a military expedition. It took him five years to defeat King Ming, the strongest among the vassal kings at that time.

It is precisely because of this that Xiao Wenxuan is extremely suspicious of his brother, which is also the reason for Prince Ning’s unjust case, but no one dares to mention a word about this case in front of him.

“The princes don’t give me any peace of mind. Sooner or later, I will be mad at them. How can I take care of myself? The prince, for example, is in his thirties. He spends all his time in sensuality. He is uneducated and has no skills at all. He doesn’t look like a prince at all. , this morning, I asked him what to do if the people have no food to eat? “

“Your Majesty, although Yi’er is not talented, he is kind after all,” Queen Zhao defended the prince. After all, he is her son. In his eyes, no prince could compare to him.

“Kenhou! Huh, he is indeed kind. He said that the people had no food to eat, so they could eat mutton and beef. What a bastard. Such an incompetent prince, how could you dare me to hand over the world to him? Now every day the ministers have to report to me to depose him. Prince, establish another crown prince!” Xiao Wenxuan scolded.

Queen Zhao’s face turned blue and white, and she said sternly: “Your Majesty, the prince is the eldest son after all. Even if he is incompetent, he cannot be abolished. Once the prince is deposed and the princes fight for the heir, wouldn’t it mean that the princes will kill each other? , After all, all the princes are surrounded by noble families. If they cannot control it, the world will fight against each other. “

Xiao Wenxuan suddenly sighed, “It is precisely because of this that I did not abolish the prince, and I received a secret report from Pang Yukun. A few days ago, King Qi was assassinated. “

“Assassination!” Queen Zhao exclaimed, “Why didn’t Sister Zhen say a word to me?”

“I guess King Qi didn’t tell Concubine Zhen about this. He was quite sensible. , I will consider Concubine Zhen’s feelings.” Xiao Wenxuan said, “Although Pang Yukun said only a few words about this matter, the target of his speculation was directly on the third prince and the fifth prince.”

Empress Zhao rolled her eyes. This matter can be used as an excuse. She said: “Your Majesty, before the prince is deposed, the other princes can’t help but kill each other. If the prince is really deposed, the consequences will be disastrous.”

Xiao Wenxuan experienced fratricide before ascending to the throne. The last thing he wanted to see was himself. His son will also follow his path, and he said: “Don’t worry, I will not depose the prince, but now the prince is alone among the princes. If he wants to secure this position, he will not be able to do it without support.”

These words touched Empress Zhao’s heart, and she said: “Your Majesty, isn’t Prince Qi the most suitable candidate? Among all the princes now, he is the only one who has not clearly chosen who to support, and there is no one behind Prince Qi and Concubine Zhen. The nobles support him, and the threat to the prince is very small.”

“I have been thinking about this matter during this period. Pang Yukun’s letter said that King Qi has changed a lot now and seems to be managing the fiefdom with care. Pang Yukun will not lie to me. If it is true. In this way, we can support Prince Qi to restrain the other princes,” Xiao Wenxuan said.

Queen Zhao was overjoyed that Xiao Wenxuan’s ideas coincided with hers. The prince did not know how to win over other princes, so she could only help the prince. “In this case, why doesn’t the emperor allocate silver to King Qi like he did to other princes?” “What?”

Xiao Wenxuan had always been hesitant before coming here. If Xiao Ming was incompetent, no matter how much money he allocated to him, it would just be a waste. He was suspicious by nature, and he did not believe everything Pang Yukun said.

Until today, the confidant he sent to Qingzhou came back to report, which confirmed what Pang Yukun said.

But even so, he never thought about supporting Xiao Ming. Those powerful princes were enough to worry him, and it was Queen Zhao’s reminder that made him think clearly.

Now that the battle between the princes has taken shape, he can only balance each other among the princes. Now the prince is the weakest. Although he is not sure that King Qi can turn back the prodigal son, he can only give it a try.

He said: “I also understand the nature of King Qi. I can’t say it’s just a show. I will allocate part of the money to him for the time being. If he uses the money in a good way, I will seriously consider supporting him. If he is still the same as before. “Don’t expect Prince Qi to do anything to help the prince, because he can’t help himself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Empress Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. For the sake of the prince, she had no choice but to help Xiao Ming.

Xiao Wenxuan sighed, drank the wine in the glass, and suddenly smiled: “I have to say that the wine sent by King Qi is to my taste. I hope he will not disappoint me.”

“The emperor likes it, Qi. “

Wang will definitely be very happy.” Queen Zhao filled another glass for Xiao Wenxuan.

Because of the good wine, Xiao Wenxuan stayed overnight at Fengming Palace. The next day, Queen Zhao went to Bishui Pavilion in person and told Concubine Zhen about the money the emperor would allocate to King Qi.

However, she did not tell Concubine Zhen what she was planning, but she believed that with Concubine Zhen’s intelligence, she would not fail to see why she was so devoted to helping Xiao Ming.

The influence of perfume and fine wine spread in the palace, Xiao Wenxuan agreed to allocate silver, and the two things Xiao Ming hoped for were successfully achieved.

Li San waited for the good news and purchased some things. He then met Qin Mu and headed to Qingzhou impatiently.

(End of chapter)