After all the sacrifices have been made to speed pass, who is still practicing hard skills?

Chapter 385: What is a prince?
After Xu Qiuyue's reminder, Ji Changsheng quickly came to his senses. What he wanted was to make friends with Jiang Che and pull him into his camp, not to offend the other party.

Wouldn't this make Jiang Che unhappy?
His face suddenly looked a little unhappy:
"Qiuyue is right, Mr. Guo, your plan is a little inappropriate."

Guo Tu waved his feather fan, as if he had expected someone to object again, and continued:

"Your Highness is wrong. Guo's plan is not so simple. In fact, there is another mystery."

"What's the mystery?"

Ji Changsheng asked quickly.

"Your Highness's intention was to get Jiang Che to support Your Highness, so he went to Dengxian Tower to personally invite Jiang Che. I can only say that Your Highness is smart and decisive in this matter.

But Jiang Che was not a simple-minded person. He could see what His Highness was up to, so he politely declined. Fortunately, His Highness took the initiative to arrange the banquet before leaving.

As to why Jiang Che refused, according to Guo's inference, it was probably because he did not want to be involved in the fight for the throne too early, not because he did not want to, otherwise, he would not have agreed to attend the banquet at that time.

As for what happened later, Guo didn't know, but I think something unexpected happened, and it was probably the other two princes who deliberately disrupted your arrangements."

Guo Tu talked eloquently and seemed to have said a lot, but to Xu Qiuyue, it was mostly nonsense.

However, Ji Changsheng listened with great interest and motioned Guo Tu to continue.

“And the reason why I asked His Highness to spread the news first and hold Jiang Che back is to prevent the other two His Highnesses from succeeding. As for Jiang Che, he might have some complaints.

But Guo also has a way to make him feel less dissatisfied. "

"Speak quickly, sir."

"Looking through Jiang Che's resume, Guo discovered one thing."

"What's the matter?"

"This person is lustful and lustful by nature."

Guo Tu said in a deep voice with conviction.

"continue."

“Jiang Che was born in an ordinary family, a member of the lower class. Although he has gained luck and fame, he still cannot get rid of the greed of the lower class. Therefore, he acts ruthlessly.

Therefore, this person is lustful by nature. At the Beiling Mansion's wedding, Jiang Che directly married the two legitimate daughters of the Qi family. This alone is enough to show Jiang Che's character. By then, Your Highness only needs to prepare more beauties for him, which will naturally eliminate some of his dissatisfaction.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons. As for the second reason, His Highness needs to explain sincerely that the reason why the news of his attendance at the banquet was spread was entirely arranged by the other two princes.

Tell him that he originally wanted to cancel the banquet, but was worried that it would damage his reputation as the Champion Marquis, so he had to push the banquet forward. This way, he can divert the trouble away, and then, the big thing can be settled!"

Guo Tu waved his folding fan, showing his great dignity.

Ji Changsheng was somewhat moved by Guo Tu's opinion, but still a little hesitant:
"Will Jiang Che believe these words?"

"Whether you believe it or not is secondary. The main thing is to invite Jiang Che to the mansion. Your Highness should be humble and treat him with sincerity. Even if Jiang Che is still dissatisfied, he still has to take your status as a prince into consideration.

Then we can take it step by step, and if we can win his support, things will go much more smoothly.”

Ji Changsheng listened to these words with some hesitation and intention in his eyes. He held the cup in his hand and thought about the feasibility of this matter. Although he was not very good at dealing with people, he was a prince after all and had received royal education.

He wasn't completely brainless, but after Guo Tu's analysis, he felt there was still some hope.

"Your Highness, this matter cannot be handled. Mr. Guo's plan will hardly force Jiang Che out. Instead, it will make him angry. The Champion Marquis became famous at a young age and is full of youthful vigor. I'm afraid he won't consider too many concerns.

If he really doesn't come at that time, it will be your face that will be damaged."

"What Qiuyue said does make some sense."

Ji Changsheng was in a state of hesitation.

Seeing this, Guo Tu's eyes moved, and he bowed and said:
"Your Highness, now the eldest prince and the second prince have both received support from Buddhism and Taoism, and they have a better chance of winning the position of crown prince than you. If you don't use some tricks, the gap will only get bigger.

Although inviting Jiang Che to the banquet is a bit impulsive, it is also a helpless move. If you don't take action, I think the other two princes will never give up this good opportunity.

You can definitely give it a try.”

"But Qiuyue said"

Ji Changsheng frowned, pondering the pros and cons.

"If you are worried, you can ask the Queen to issue an imperial decree. I think it will be safe."

Guo Tu continued to make suggestions.

"This is absolutely not allowed."

Ji Changsheng refused immediately.

If it was just a case of setting Jiang Che up, there might be room for maneuver and explanation, but once the imperial decree was used, it would be like bullying, and even a clay man would get angry.

What’s more, he is a peerless genius like Jiang Che.

Guo Tu raised his eyebrows, a hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and continued:
"I am a person of limited talent and knowledge, and this is the only plan I came up with in a hurry. If Your Highness does not adopt it, I have no other plan. If the princess has any ideas to invite Jiang Che, please share them."

Xu Qiuyue narrowed her eyes:

"In my opinion, this matter needs to be considered in the long run and should be done slowly and not too aggressively."

"The only way to win over Jiang Che as soon as possible is to press harder."

Guo Tu retorted.

Ji Changsheng listened to the suggestions from both sides and found that both made sense. For a moment, he didn't know how to make a choice. After a moment of silence, he looked at Yan Zhou and Hu Yang again.

"What do you think we should do?"

Yan and Hu looked at each other, both of them showing a thoughtful look. After a long time, Yan Zhou stepped forward and said:

“Although what the princess said is safe, it is not stable. If it is delayed too long, accidents are bound to happen. Although Mr. Guo’s words are a bit radical, if we follow his ideas to appease Jiang Che.

Maybe it will work.”

"In that case, let's spread the word and see. If Jiang Che agrees, then we'll do it. If Jiang Che still sends someone to refuse, then I'll clarify it. What do you think?"

Ji Changsheng looked at them and asked.

Xu Qiuyue frowned, always feeling that this was not possible. All this was based on the premise that Jiang Che gave face to Ji Changsheng, but what if Jiang Che didn't give face?
Judging from what we saw today, Jiang Che was obviously arrogant. Even when facing the prince, he remained indifferent and obviously did not take the prince's identity too seriously.

But before she could speak, Guo Tu stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, I have a good opinion!"

"Your Highness, I have a good opinion!"

"Your Highness."

"Hahaha, Ji Changsheng is such an idiot. He is so eager for quick success. Hahaha." In the eldest prince's mansion, Ji Changqian burst into laughter after learning about this.

"But it is precisely because the Third Prince is eager for quick success that gave Your Highness the opportunity to take action." A young man in a brocade robe beside Ji Changqian echoed.

"Mr. Sima is right. It is precisely because Ji Changsheng has no brains that he can be guided at will by me." The smile on Ji Changqian's face gradually faded.

back to normal.

Yes, everything Ji Changsheng did this time was actually under his guidance.

In fact, he was the first to get the news about Jiang Che and Lu Jieyun's gathering at Dengxian Tower, because Dengxian Tower was his property, but after learning about this, he did not take action immediately.

Instead, he judged that Jiang Che had no intention of intervening in the fight for the throne for the time being. If he went there rashly, it would only lower his status and would not have any good effect. However, he did not want to miss such an opportunity.

So he used some chess pieces and informed Ji Changsheng of the news. As expected, Ji Changsheng fell into the trap and learned that he had a chance to meet Jiang Che.

Without hesitation, he went to Dengxian Tower in person to invite him.

Everything went as expected and Jiang Che indeed rejected the invitation. But the problem was that Jiang Che did not reject it in person, but declined it politely.

Thus, his chance came again.

To be precise, it was Guo Tu, whom he arranged to serve as Ji Changsheng's aide, who accurately seized the opportunity, understood his intention, and immediately began to set a trap for Ji Changsheng.

Lift Jiang Che up directly.
If it was an ordinary official, there would be no omissions in doing so, but the question is, is Jiang Che an ordinary person? He is a ruthless man who crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

A peerless genius who has defeated all the heroes in the world, who is able to govern a place and defend the border, and who is also a new noble in the court valued by both the King of Patrons and his father, such a person has his own set of principles for doing things.

It is difficult to lead people in this way, as not only will it not make them compromise, it will actually have the opposite effect.

He did this for only one thing, which was to make Ji Changsheng completely lose the qualification to compete for the throne.

As the legitimate son of the former queen and the eldest son of the entire Zhou court, it was natural for him to become the crown prince. However, it was because Ji Changsheng's mother sat on the throne of queen.

This marked the beginning of a struggle for the throne that lasted nearly twenty years.

Things originally belonged to him, but he had to fight with other people for them. Of course he felt resentful, but he didn't dare to express his resentment to the emperor, and he didn't even dare to think about it.

It can only be attributed to Ji Changsheng.

This time, as long as Ji Changsheng makes a grudge with Jiang Che, it will not only make Ji Changsheng have one more enemy, but also undermine the reputation that Ji Changsheng has worked so hard to establish.

To win over officials in this way is considered extremely childish by the real big shots, and it will also reduce their optimism towards Ji Changsheng.

This naturally gave him an opportunity.

Winning over Jiang Che is also his goal, but it is not the only goal. After all, he has the support of Xuantian Wuji Palace behind him. Even without Jiang Che, he still has great hope of competing for the throne.

Therefore, this time he pulled the opponent into the chess game without hesitation. It would be best if he could use him, but if not, he had to make some use of him.

This is the way to be an emperor.

"Now that the third prince has begun to spread the news, should we take advantage of the situation to spread the news?" Sima Zhang continued to ask.

Ji Changqian shook his head:

"You can't be too obvious when plotting against the Third Brother. You don't really think that others won't be able to see it afterwards, do you?"

"So we're just going to wait like this?"

"Just wait. If we don't move, others will. This is a good opportunity. The second, fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers can also see some problems with this matter.

It will naturally push forward with the trend!"

"We just need to wait and see what happens and reap the benefits."

As Ji Changqian expected, after Ji Changsheng spread the news that Jiang Che would attend a banquet at his house the day after tomorrow, the news quickly spread among some small circles in the capital.

It immediately caused quite a stir.

Who is Jiang Che?

Number one in the world!

First on the martial arts list!

Number one in martial arts!

He is an unparalleled genius who is expected to become a Martial Saint, a new noble in the court favored by King Kaoshan, and the Marquis of Champion appointed by the Emperor himself. He is the real confidence of the court in facing the envoys from the Northern Barbarians who are coming to visit and seek war.

And what about the third prince Ji Changsheng?

He is one of the strong contenders for the position of crown prince.

They suddenly got together. Does it mean that Jiang Che supports Ji Changsheng?
At the beginning, some people felt that Ji Changsheng had extraordinary means. He was able to win over Jiang Che, the new noble in the court, so quickly, which made the other princes feel a sense of urgency.

But later, several princes discovered some truths.

It turned out that Jiang Che was not completely sure about attending the banquet, but Ji Changsheng was using a trick to frame Jiang Che in order to achieve his purpose of inviting Jiang Che.

Faced with such a good opportunity, the other princes would naturally not let it go. On the one hand, they spread the news secretly, and on the other hand, they blocked the news.

To publicize means to publicize in the capital.

The blockade means blocking the channels around Jiang Che, so that he cannot detect the matter in a short period of time.

For a while, undercurrents surged in the capital.

Half a day later, Jiang Che got the news.

It was not that the princes did not block the news thoroughly enough, but after Lu Jieyun learned about the matter, in order to avoid involving himself, he directly sent someone to deliver a letter to Jiang Che.

At the same time, Chen Qingfang also sent someone to deliver a letter.

Looking at the two letters with roughly the same content, Jiang Che's face became a little gloomy.

He really didn't expect that Ji Changsheng was so brainless. After he declined, he still wanted to force him to come to the party in this way, just for a banquet.
Who the hell is he?!

Not to mention that Jiang Che had no feelings for Ji Changsheng originally, even if he had a good impression of him, it had completely failed at this moment.

He hated the feeling of being arranged.

Why did he climb up step by step so desperately?
Isn't it just about controlling your own destiny?
In the end, some people still used such despicable means to make him compromise.

This is absolutely impossible.

Wasn't Ji Changsheng certain that he would be forced to attend the banquet at his house under pressure?

Jiang Che decided not to go.

He is just a prince who has not yet gained power and is not qualified to be compromised.

No, to be precise, even if Ji Changsheng was the crown prince, he was not qualified to make him compromise. The only ones who could make him compromise were either the emperor or a strong person like Ji Chengdao whose cultivation was far superior to his.

While thinking, Jiang Che was suddenly stunned. He carefully read the contents of the letter between Lu Jieyun and Chen Qingfang again, and a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes.

Ji Changsheng is a prince no matter what. Is he really useless for being so brainless? Or is someone deliberately guiding him? Treating him as a chess piece?
It's no wonder Jiang Che is so suspicious. The matter seems simple, but it's not that simple when you think about it carefully. He is a suspicious person and will naturally think about it from all aspects.

It is obvious that there is little possibility that he will compromise, so why would Ji Changsheng do that?
If I don't go, Ji Changsheng will definitely lose face and become enemies with me. Then who will be the real beneficiary?

Who can benefit from it?
Officials?

emperor?

Or are they a few princes who want to suppress their brothers?

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The first few chapters are a bit dragged out, but that's not just empty talk. It's laying the groundwork for the subsequent plot.

(End of this chapter)