Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 215: The deduction failed, secretly planning for a rainy day
Chu Shizhao took it and looked at it carefully, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"This is... the mark of the Azure Dragon Society!"

The Qinglong Society is a mysterious organization in the underworld, specializing in doing shameful things for the powerful and wealthy.

It seems that his second elder brother not only wants to control the imperial court, but also intends to take over the underworld!

"It's quite interesting. Now it seems that this matter is more complicated than we thought."

Chu Shizhao lowered his head and muttered to himself thoughtfully.

Just then, there was another commotion outside.

"Report!"

A scout came running over, "Your Highness, a large number of troops and horses were spotted thirty miles to the north!"

"how many people?"

"There are about 3,000 cavalrymen heading in our direction!"

Chu Shizhao and Zhang Gan looked at each other.

You know, this time, Zhang Gan originally only brought troops to support Chu Shizhao, and because the matter was urgent, he only brought seven or eight hundred personal soldiers with him this time.

But now, the enemy is coming with great force, and the limited troops in our hands are simply not enough to defeat them.

"Your Highness, what should we do?"

"Pass the order down, all troops on alert!"

Chu Shizhao made a prompt decision.

"General Zhang, send someone to the nearest provincial capital to ask for help immediately."

"Yes!"

But just as Zhang Gan was about to turn around, another scout came running to report: "Your Highness! We have also spotted enemy troops in the south, about two thousand strong!"

Chu Shizhao's face changed.

This is clearly an attempt to surround them!
"It seems like it was premeditated."

Chu Shizhao sneered, "What on earth does my second brother want to do?"

The situation was critical, but Chu Shizhao remained unusually calm.

He quickly marked the enemy's position on the map, analyzed the terrain, and soon came up with an idea.

"General Zhang, get the soldiers ready immediately. We will move overnight."

"Transfer? But Your Highness, where are we going?"

Chu Shizhao pointed to a valley on the map: "Here."

Zhang Gan looked carefully and said in surprise: "Your Highness, are you going to Hutou Valley? The terrain there is dangerous, and..."

"It is precisely because of its steepness that it suits us."

Chu Shizhao explained, "The enemy has a large number of troops and is very powerful. If we fight on flat ground, we will definitely be defeated."

“But once we get into the valley, the terrain becomes our biggest advantage.”

Zhang Gan suddenly realized: "Your Highness, are you going to take advantage of the situation to ambush the enemy?"

"good."

Chu Shizhao nodded slightly.

"The terrain of Hutou Valley is just as its name suggests. The entrance to the valley is narrow, but the interior is wide, which is just right for the enemy to enter in batches. As long as we occupy the advantageous terrain, we can defeat the enemy with fewer troops."

Zhang Gan cupped his hands in admiration: "Your Highness is a master of foresight!"

"Stop talking about this and get ready. We need to get to Hutou Valley before dawn. Time is running out."

Soon, Chu Shizhao's army quietly broke camp and marched towards Hutou Valley under the cover of night.

In order to conceal their tracks, they deliberately left some tents and lit bonfires there, making the enemy mistakenly believe that they were still there.

By daybreak, Chu Shizhao's army had entered Hutou Valley and set up an ambush in a favorable terrain.

Sure enough, when the sun rose, large numbers of rebels swarmed in.

Seeing that the bonfire in the camp was still burning, the leader of these people determined that Chu Shizhao and the others were still resting in Qingfeng Tower, so he ordered his troops to surround them.

By the time these guys realized they had fallen into a trap, Chu Shizhao's men had already occupied the commanding heights at the valley entrance.

"Fire arrows!"

Following Chu Shizhao's order, a rain of arrows poured down from the sky, disrupting the rebels' formation and causing heavy casualties.

"kill!"

Zhang Gan led the cavalry to attack from the flank and directly attack the rear of the rebels.

The rebels were attacked from all sides and were soon defeated.

After a fierce battle, the rebels lost more than half of their troops, and the remaining troops fled in panic.

Chu Shizhao took advantage of the victory and pursued the rebels for dozens of miles, completely defeating them.

"Your Highness, we have accomplished a great deed this time!"

Zhang Gan looked at Chu Shizhao with excitement.

Chu Shizhao did not show any complacency: "This is probably just the beginning, the real killer move is probably still to come."

"So what should we do next?" Chu Shizhao pondered, "I suspect that Qinglong will have other bases on the border."

"Return to the camp as soon as possible. We must seize the time and try to catch these guys in one fell swoop."

"Yes! I will arrange it right away."

Watching Zhang Gan leave, Chu Shizhao couldn't help but frown.

My second brother is really a source of worry to me.

Originally, he just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to quell the rebellion at the border to make his presence felt in front of Emperor Yongjin.

He never expected that even though he thought he was cautious enough, he still couldn't escape the scheme of Chu Shiren in the end.

However, Chu Shizhao is not a soft persimmon.

He, Chu Shizhao, has never been a coward who would swallow his anger in silence.

Since the enemy had already made the first move, he had no choice but to follow suit.

After Chu Shizhao returned to the camp, he sat in the tent.

On the table in front of him were various clues collected from the robbery.

He was well aware that the matter was complicated and involved serious implications, especially whether to report the situation to Emperor Yongjin, which required careful consideration.

So he took a deep breath and started the system deduction again.

[Chu Shizhao wrote a letter, detailing the robbery at the trading house and the evidence behind it involving Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, and sent someone to deliver it to the capital at full speed. A few days later, Emperor Yongjin received the letter and was furious. He immediately ordered a thorough investigation.]

[The court sent an imperial envoy to the border with the imperial edict. After Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu learned the news, they began to move around in the capital, trying to win over some ministers in the court to plead for them.]

[The imperial envoy arrived at the border and publicly interrogated the relevant personnel at the trading house. Chu Shizhao presented the evidence one by one, but Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu bribed some key witnesses in advance and made them change their testimony in court.]

[The situation suddenly became chaotic, and the imperial envoy was unable to make a decision, so he could only bring all the relevant personnel back to the capital for trial. Although Chu Shizhao was angry, he could do nothing about it. After returning to the capital, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu relied on the power they had won over to engage in a fierce confrontation with Chu Shizhao in the court.]

[Some ministers were deceived by Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu and questioned Chu Shizhao, accusing him of insufficient evidence and deliberately framing the prince. Emperor Yongjin also began to doubt Chu Shizhao, and the matter was eventually left unresolved. Chu Shizhao not only failed to overthrow Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, but was instead put in a passive position in the court.]

After the first deduction, Chu Shizhao looked solemn.

He concluded that the problem with this deduction was that he underestimated the power and response methods of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu in the capital, as well as the complexity of the situation in the court.

Even though the evidence was irrefutable, they still found a loophole.

It seems that before reporting this matter, it is necessary to consolidate my power in the court and win the support of more ministers.

At the same time, further solid evidence must be collected to ensure that Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu cannot make excuses.

[Before sending someone to report to Emperor Yongjin, Chu Shizhao secretly met with several upright ministers who were on good terms with him. He explained in detail the ins and outs of the robbery at the trading house and presented some evidence.]

[After hearing this, the ministers expressed their willingness to support Chu Shizhao. Chu Shizhao then visited several elders who were quite prestigious in the court and explained to them the importance of this matter to the stability of the border and the development of the Great Zhou.]

【The elders were moved by Chu Shizhao's sincerity and clear analysis of the situation, and agreed to speak for him in the court. Chu Shizhao then sent the memorial to the capital. After receiving the memorial, Emperor Yongjin was also furious and ordered a thorough investigation. 】

[The Imperial Envoy arrived at the border, and Chu Shizhao not only presented the previous evidence, but also took out some newly collected key clues, including the communication records between Chu Shiren and the robbers.]

[After Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu learned about it, they still tried to bribe the witness to change his testimony. However, this time Chu Shizhao was prepared and arranged for someone to secretly protect the witness and exposed Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's bribery.]

[The imperial envoy brought all the evidence and people back to the capital. In the court, Chu Shizhao, with the help of the ministers who supported him, debated with Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu. However, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu colluded with some forces and maliciously slandered Chu Shizhao in the court, saying that he was deliberately slandering him in order to compete for the throne.]

[Emperor Yongjin had some doubts about the behavior of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, but under the entanglement of various forces, he only gave Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu a slight warning in the end, and did not impose any substantial punishment. Although Chu Shizhao won some support, it did not achieve the expected effect, and he also spent a lot of energy in this struggle. ]

After the second simulation, although Chu Shizhao had made some preparations in advance and won the support of some ministers, the power of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu in the court was intertwined and difficult to shake easily.

The biggest omission was that Chu Shizhao did not consider that Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu would use the dispute over the throne to divert attention and thus influence the decision of Emperor Yongjin.

This time, Chu Shizhao felt that when he reported, he had thought of a strategy in advance to deal with the relevant remarks about the dispute over the throne, and further expanded his influence in the court and won the support of more neutral ministers.

[Before Chu Shizhao prepared to report to Emperor Yongjin, he spent a lot of time and energy communicating with many neutral ministers in the court. He used various methods to show them his ideas on governing the country and his loyalty to the Great Zhou, winning the favor of many neutral ministers.]

[At the same time, Chu Shizhao prepared a detailed response to possible remarks about the dispute over the throne. He wrote a memorial to explain his views on the throne, emphasizing that he was devoted to the Zhou Dynasty and had no intention of competing for the throne. He just hoped that the court could handle this incident fairly and maintain stability at the border.]

[After everything was ready, Chu Shizhao sent the memorial to the capital. After seeing the memorial, Emperor Yongjin ordered a thorough investigation. The imperial envoy came to the border, and Chu Shizhao presented more comprehensive and conclusive evidence, including witnesses, physical evidence, and communication records.]

[Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu tried to use the same old trick again, bribing the witnesses to change their testimony, but they were discovered and exposed by Chu Shizhao. They also tried to confuse the public by using the dispute over the throne, saying that Chu Shizhao framed them for the throne.]

【Chu Shizhao immediately took out the speech he had prepared before, refuted it righteously, and stated his position. In the court, the ministers who supported Chu Shizhao spoke one after another, accusing Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu of their evil deeds.】

[However, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's followers tried their best to defend them in the court, and the two sides got into a fierce quarrel. Emperor Yongjin was upset by the chaotic situation in the court. Although he was very dissatisfied with the behavior of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, he was worried that severely punishing them would cause turmoil in the court. ]

[In the end, Emperor Yongjin only ordered Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu to reflect on their mistakes behind closed doors, and did not impose any substantial punishment on them. Although Chu Shizhao gained some reputation in the court, he did not achieve his goal of completely overthrowing Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, and in the process, the conflict with Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu further intensified.]

This time, although Chu Shizhao made better preparations and had more support in the court, he still failed to achieve the desired results due to Emperor Yongjin's concerns about the balance of the court and the tenacious resistance of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's forces.

This time, he placed all his focus on Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, but ignored Emperor Yongjin's grasp of the balance in the court and the bottom line of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's forces.

It seems that I have to find a way to understand Emperor Yongjin's specific ideas about the balance of power among the various parties in the court, and at the same time find key evidence that can completely defeat the forces of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu in order to be more confident.

【Chu Shizhao secretly contacted the confidants around Emperor Yongjin through his confidants, trying to understand from them the Emperor Yongjin's views and bottom line on the balance of power in the court. After some efforts, Chu Shizhao learned that what Emperor Yongjin was most worried about was that the fighting between the princes would lead to civil unrest and affect the stability of the Great Zhou.】

【Chu Shizhao adjusted his strategy accordingly. In the memorial he prepared for the report, he emphasized that if this incident was not handled fairly, it would cause turmoil on the border, which would in turn affect the stability of the entire Great Zhou. At the same time, he stated that he only wanted to maintain the justice of the court and peace on the border, not for personal gain.】

[He also continued to investigate the connection between Chu Shiren, Chu Shiyu and the robbery, and finally found a key piece of evidence - a warrant written by Chu Shiren himself about planning to rob the trading company.]

[Chu Shizhao sent the memorial and evidence to the capital again. When Emperor Yongjin saw it, he was shocked. The imperial envoy came to the border, and Chu Shizhao presented all the evidence one by one, including the crucial warrant.]

[After Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu learned about this, they were horrified. They tried to destroy other related evidence, but Chu Shizhao had already arranged for someone to monitor them and record all their actions.]

[In the court, Chu Shizhao elaborated on the crimes of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu in front of many ministers, and emphasized the serious threat this matter posed to the stability of the Great Zhou.]

[Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's followers tried to refute, but they were powerless in the face of the hard evidence. After weighing the pros and cons, Emperor Yongjin finally made up his mind to severely punish Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu.]

[However, in the process, although Chu Shizhao successfully overthrew Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, he also aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of some other ministers in the court. They began to secretly unite and regarded Chu Shizhao as a potential threat. Chu Shizhao fell into a new isolation in the court. ]

(End of this chapter)