Dugong

Chapter 63 The Death of the Crown Prince
Li Ping'an originally believed that the Crown Prince had a chance to ascend the throne, and as long as His Majesty strongly supported it, the Zhaoyang Palace faction would be nothing.

Whether Princess Yuan is favored or not depends entirely on His Majesty's mood.

The Prince of Zhenbei has 100,000 soldiers from the northern border under his command, and Your Majesty has soldiers from various departments including the Kyoto Imperial Guard, local government troops, and the Pingnan Guard. Moreover, the Zhenbei Army must also obey the orders of the court.

Ultimately, it is Your Majesty who has the final say on who will succeed to the throne.

The Empress, Concubine Yuan, Eunuch Chu, and even all the people or forces involved in the palace fight can only attack their opponents and narrow down the range of choices for His Majesty.

Li Pingan said, "Your Majesty has openly pushed the Crown Prince forward, which will inevitably make him a target of public criticism. Facing the conspiracies and machinations of the Zhaoyang Palace, it is hard to say whether he can hold out to the end."

Eunuch Chu nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement: "Then why do you think His Majesty promoted the Crown Prince's former subordinates?"

Li Ping'an had some guesses in his mind, but as a grandson he couldn't finish his words and had to give Eunuch Chu a chance to teach him.

"Grandson can't figure out the reason, please give me some advice."

"Your Majesty has nurtured the Crown Prince for over thirty years. Even though he has been repeatedly disappointed and heartbroken, he is still willing to give the Crown Prince a fighting chance..."

Eunuch Chu said: "If the Crown Prince can survive, he will be a qualified heir and can easily ascend to the throne.

If they fail halfway and all the people are gone, the prince's old subordinates will naturally disperse and will not be able to cause any trouble.

After the new monarch ascends the throne, he will promote those capable officials who have been demoted and demoted, and he will soon be able to gather a group of trusted ministers!"

Li Pingan was slightly startled: "Risting his life? Could it be that Zhaoyang Palace dares to assassinate the Crown Prince?"

"Why not?"

Eunuch Chu glanced at his grandson and said, "When the Princess Yuan had a miscarriage, you were working at the Ministry of Tribute. Don't you think you didn't know what your grandson was doing?"

Li Pingan asked, "You didn't use any tricks in other areas at that time?"

Eunuch Chu shook his head and said, "The Empress had failed several times in her attempts to murder him, and had already given up hope. She asked her grandson to try poisoning her, but she never thought it would succeed."

Li Ping'an tried hard to suppress the turmoil in his heart, and his suspicions from that year came true.

Back then, Eunuch Sun poisoned the Tribute Bureau, and he followed behind to sabotage everything. Before he could jump ship and betray, news came that Concubine Yuan had a miscarriage.

We originally thought that the poisoning was carried out in other areas besides the Tribute Department, but now we have confirmed that a "third party" is framing the incident.

Li Ping'an knew who it was, but he didn't dare tell Eunuch Chu. He quickly changed the subject: "So, in order to avenge the Empress, Concubine Yuan would murder the Crown Prince?"

"It can't be called revenge, it's just a normal method."

Eunuch Chu said quietly, "Your Majesty has clearly supported the Crown Prince. Ordinary schemes and tricks are of little use. This leaves only one last resort."

The false fight for the throne is full of twists and turns.

The real fight for the throne, physical annihilation!

Li Ping'an had a vague intuition that His Majesty knew that Concubine Yuan was going to murder the Crown Prince, but not only would he not stop her, he might even add fuel to the fire.

Just like when she had a miscarriage, if the Queen couldn’t do it, His Majesty would take action.

Afterwards, all the blame was placed on the Empress. His Majesty severely punished the murderer and doted on Concubine Yuan. He was still a good emperor and a good husband in the eyes of the world.

Li Pingan asked carefully, "Grandpa, how did His Majesty ascend to the throne?"

"The five older brothers before me have died, and now it's Your Majesty's turn."

Eunuch Chu answered casually, as if recalling something, and deliberately added: "Your Majesty did nothing. The cause of death of the princes is clearly recorded in the Imperial Clan Bureau's Jade Records Office."

Li Ping'an couldn't help but shudder, and was not optimistic that the Crown Prince could "change his fate".

"Grandpa, should we inform the Queen and send someone to protect the Crown Prince?"

"Just take good care of it and don't let anything happen to you!"

……

Autumn is the season of punishment and killing, when all things wither.

The autumn wind in the 46th year of Wude was much colder than in previous years. His Majesty left the Qinzheng Hall early and moved to the Wendiao Hall to handle government affairs.

September 23rd. Chou hour.

The lights in Wentiao Hall were bright.

Emperor Wu De slowly woke up from the couch and turned to look at the Ninth Prince who was busy reviewing memorials beside him.

"Zhe'er, how long have I slept?"

"Three-quarters of an hour."

Zhao Zhe answered without even looking up. It was his first time in Wendiao Palace, and he felt uneasy every time he answered, fearing that he might say something wrong and cause trouble for his mother.

Everyone knew that Concubine Shu was not favored in the palace. Even the eunuchs and maids in the palace dared to act arrogantly, not to mention that the emperor often mocked and bullied her.

Growing up in such an environment, Zhao Zhe was cowardly and gentle by nature rather than gloomy and vicious, obviously because of the careful teaching of Concubine Shu.

Emperor Wude sighed and said, "My health is really failing. Last year, I could still stay up all night. How many memorials did I approve?"

Zhao Zhe replied, "Seventy-two volumes, less than half."

"It's always the same old stuff. I've been studying for half a year, so why are you still so slow?"

Emperor Wu De picked up the memorial that Zhao Zhe was reviewing and glanced at it. There were seven or eight hundred words on it. It started with greetings to His Majesty about his health, then boasted about the prosperity of the country in the middle, and finally flattered His Majesty.

"There's only one useful sentence in the entire article. The white tiger has appeared in Changyang County. Since it's an auspicious sign, all we need to do is order hunters to hunt it down. Why bother thinking about it for so long?"

Zhao Zhe mustered up the courage to retort, "Father, the white tiger is ferocious, and hunters may suffer casualties if they hunt it..."

Emperor Wude interrupted, "The county government will pay compensation, but this is not something you should consider."

Zhao Zhe continued, "In recent years, the government has frequently offered auspicious signs to the government, and it has become a trend. There may not be any white tigers in Changyang County. If you arbitrarily approve the hunting and killing, the county magistrate will definitely search the mountains.

If they find it, it will be a waste of money and manpower; if they don't find it, they will pretend it's a good omen and deceive the emperor!"

Emperor Wu De raised his eyelids and said, "Then how do you say I should approve it?"

Zhao Zhe pondered for a moment and replied, "Order the pacification department's spies to investigate whether the auspicious sign is real or not. If it's real, we'll send martial arts masters into the mountains to capture it. If it's fake, we'll hold the Changyang County Magistrate accountable."

Emperor Wu De said: "These are just some minor matters, not worth mobilizing the Pacification Bureau..."

Zhao Zhe interrupted, "What the emperor considers a trivial matter has become a disaster for the people of Changyang County. Countless people have lost their husbands and children, and some have even had their families destroyed."

"Humph, you're getting bolder and bolder. You actually dare to interrupt me."

Emperor Wude snorted coldly and taught him, "If you keep reviewing memorials like this, even ten emperors would be too busy to handle it. You must learn to focus on the big things and let go of the small things."

Zhao Zhe said, "That's something for your Majesty to consider. I'm very happy that I can save three or five people by reviewing this memorial."

Emperor Wu De stared at Zhao Zhe's round, tender face for a long time, then lay back on the couch and dozed off.

"Then it's up to you. Continue reviewing."

Zhao Zhe reminded him, "Father, it's time to send me back to the palace."

Emperor Wude waved his hand and said, "Mr. Wei has gone out of the palace on business. You will return later. Is it more important to accompany your mother than to accompany me?"

Zhao Zhe had no choice but to continue reviewing the memorials, reading them word by word, fearing that he would miss or misread any sentence.

Until around the hour of Mao.

A figure suddenly appeared in Wendiao Palace. He was wearing a long green robe and had a thin and cold face. It was Eunuch Wei who had returned from his business.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Highness. A fire broke out in the imperial estate outside the city. Rui Ge'er was unable to escape and unfortunately perished in the flames."

"..."

Emperor Wude was silent for a long time, then he sighed and said, "Do you know who plotted this?"

"The mastermind is likely the Iron Palm Gang, but there are also traces of the Beggars' Gang."

"Please, sir, take everyone and wipe them out. And spread the word in the martial arts world that no gangs will be allowed in the capital for the next ten years!"

(End of this chapter)