Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1098 The Battle for Succession
Zhaoyang Palace is the palace where Shu Guifei, also known as Diao Chan, lived.

Diao Chan is urging Liu Tai, the Marquis of Lushangting, to study. Liu Tai is extremely intelligent and can be said to be gifted. He is not even six years old this year, but he can recite the "Book of Songs" by heart and has also dabbled in many Confucian classics. Even Lu Zhi, the president of the Imperial Academy, is deeply amazed. Liu He also loves his third son very much.

"Duke Ling was a wicked man, so he ordered all the ministers to stay in the inner court, and then he would stand on the platform and draw his bow and shoot it, and then he would walk and deflect the ball, and that was all he did for fun..."

Liu Tai recited the Gongyang Commentary very fluently, and his twin sister Liu Shu, who was standing beside him, was also listening with great interest on her fair, tender, round face with a little baby fat.

But Diao Chan's eyes were a little dazed, staring straight ahead in a daze, with a hint of worry between her brows.

"Your Highness..." A palace maid came over and said, "The Grand Tutor is here."

Diao Chan hurriedly said, "Father is here, come in."

Wang Yun, whose hair and beard were already white, lowered his head and walked in, bowing deeply: "This old minister pays respect to the Imperial Concubine Shu."

"Father, please get up quickly." Diao Chan personally helped Wang Yun up, and then said to the children, "Tai'er, Shu'er, come and meet grandfather."

The two little kids, Liu Tai and Liu Shu, walked up to Wang Yun in a proper manner and saluted respectfully.

"I met my grandfather."

"Haha, good. Have you two made any progress in your studies recently?"

Liu Tai replied respectfully, "Grandfather, I am currently reading Gongyang Chunqiu Zhuan and my younger sister is studying The Book of Songs - Erya. Please test us."

Wang Yun twisted his beard and said in a soothing tone, "Well, you have always studied hard, so I trust you. You two can leave first, and I will come back to test you later."

"Yes." The two of them bowed again and left the room.

As soon as the two men left, Diao Chan's dignified appearance immediately disappeared. She pulled Wang Yun to sit aside with an anxious look on her face.

"Father, save me..."

Wang Yun looked at his daughter with displeasure on his face, and scolded her: "As a noble concubine, how can you behave like this? No wonder His Majesty has been a little distant from you in the past two years."

Diao Chan cried and complained: "Father, you know that Your Majesty has begun to neglect me. I am no longer young and beautiful, and it is difficult for me to hold Your Majesty's heart. Now Your Majesty is marrying the Wusun Kingdom again and wants to marry that Wusun Princess into the palace. I see that she is a seductive woman. How can I stay in this palace in the future?"

When Wang Yun heard the name of Princess Wusun, he frowned slightly, but his brows relaxed in an instant.

"Although His Majesty has agreed to take Princess Wusun into the harem, it is still the period of mourning for the Queen Mother. His Majesty has said that within three years, no new people will be canonized in the harem. Why are you jealous of such a woman?"

Diao Chan shook her head repeatedly: "According to the rules of the palace, the continuation of the royal family's offspring is the top priority. Even during the period of mourning for the Queen Mother, although new concubines cannot be appointed, they can still be favored to continue the royal bloodline. The Wusun Princess is in her prime. She shot Dian Wei with an arrow that day, which made Your Majesty very happy. I think even if she is not appointed, it won't be long before Your Majesty will climb onto her jade bed sooner or later. How can my daughter gain a foothold in the future?"

After saying this, she seemed to be very sad and lowered her head and sobbed.

"Okay, okay, why are you crying?" Wang Yun shouted, and Diao Chan finally stopped crying.

"Your current crisis does not come from that foreign princess. If you really want to consolidate your position in the harem, you must look to a higher level."

Diao Chan was startled and murmured, "Father, could it be that you mean..." Then she shook her head in panic, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Queen and His Majesty are so affectionate, and everyone knows it. Her brother Zhang Yong is a pillar of the court and has made outstanding military achievements. Moreover, the Queen has been in charge of the harem for more than ten years, and she has managed everything in an orderly manner without any mistakes. How can my daughter compete with her?"

Wang Yun said angrily, "After so many years in the palace, you are still so ignorant."

Diao Chan lowered her head after being scolded by him.

Wang Yun sighed, "You will never be able to win the position of Queen. But the position of Queen Mother may not be possible."

Diao Chan was even more shocked: "Father, you want Tai'er to do..."

“Shh…” Wang Yun quickly made a gesture to silence the man. “It’s fine if we both know what’s going on. There’s no need to speak out.”

Diao Chan was extremely happy at first, but then she looked embarrassed.

"But a few days ago, the eldest prince suddenly returned to the palace. Your Majesty originally thought that he had died, but now he is out of danger and is extremely happy. Looking at your Majesty's expression, I am afraid that he is determined to make him the crown prince..."

"Hey, daughter, you only know one side of the story." Wang Yun smiled very confidently.

He walked to the desk and flipped through the book Liu Tai was reading.

"Your Majesty is now in the prime of life, and the world has not yet been unified, and your achievements have not yet been completed. Your Majesty has no intention of appointing a crown prince, nor does he need to do so. Your Majesty's reputation is growing. Once you achieve the supreme merit of uniting the four seas, your name will be recorded in history, and you can be compared with Guangwu, Xiaowu, and even Gaozu. A tyrannical emperor must have a stronger desire for power than others. At this moment, how could he appoint a crown prince to take away his authority?"

Diao Chan was delighted when she heard this: "If that's the case... then Tai'er's chances are much greater, aren't they?"

"That's right." Wang Yun said, "Tai'er is young now, but he is smart and studious. He has always been known as a child prodigy in the capital. It would be disadvantageous for him to be appointed as the crown prince now. If Tai'er grows up in seven or eight years, it will be different."

Diao Chan thought for a moment, "So, what we need to do now is to accumulate strength for Tai'er so that we can use it for him next year?"

“It’s natural to do this, but it doesn’t have to be this far.”

As Wang Yun spoke, he picked up the brush and began to splash ink on a piece of rice paper.

Diao Chan was curious, so she walked over and her eyes immediately lit up.

There were four words written on the rice paper: "I advance, he retreats."

Wang Yun put the brush in place and said with a smile, "We need to accumulate strength, so the opponent's strength should naturally be depleted as well."

Diao Chan nodded and said, "Yes, yes, that's right. The eldest prince has great prestige in the army. With General Zhang Yong, many generals in the army support him to be the crown prince. This is indeed a big hidden danger. If they don't obey Tai'er, even if he can be appointed as the crown prince in the future, Tai'er will find it difficult to keep the throne if the army is unstable."

Wang Yun put his hands behind his back and said, "In the past few years, my father has united with various major families to establish nearly a hundred private schools in various states and counties, and has recruited many great scholars and young talents. These people can be Tai'er's wings, whether they are building momentum among the people or serving as officials in the court. As long as I and my colleagues work hard to promote these people to the ranks, it will not be difficult for them to become a group of generals or even take charge of military affairs in a few years."

"In addition, the eldest prince has suffered repeated defeats since the army went out to fight, and he may have been lacking in morals. Your Majesty may not pursue the matter, but we are the ones who eat the emperor's salary and are loyal to him, so we cannot sit idly by and watch..."

As he spoke, an inexplicable smile emerged on Wang Yun's face. Diao Chan's previous nervous expression was completely relaxed at this moment. She returned to her usual calm appearance with a smile on her face.

(End of this chapter)