Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Holding Princess Zhaoyang's hand, Jia Lian walked back and sat down in a round-backed chair, while Princess Zhaoyang leaned against the table.

In the past, when they met in private, Princess Zhaoyang would sit directly in his lap and pour out her heart to him.

They also knew that although Princess Zhaoyang said she didn't care, she actually did care in her heart.

Jia Lian didn't say anything; some things should be left to time to decide.

"Erlang, why did you call me over so urgently? Is something urgent?"

Princess Zhaoyang was very perceptive; she could tell what Jia Lian was thinking just by looking at his expression. Feeling a little embarrassed, she cut straight to the point.

Jia Lian's expression turned serious. He stared at Princess Zhaoyang for a long while before slowly speaking:

"I want to help the Fourth Prince ascend to the throne."

His first words were earth-shattering, causing the composed woman to freeze in shock.

Princess Zhaoyang stared blankly at Jia Lian, as if trying to confirm whether he was joking.

But she quickly realized that Jia Lian wouldn't joke about something like that.

So she fell silent.

Jia Lian did not press her, knowing that he needed to give Princess Zhaoyang time to think.

The tent was quiet for a while, but Princess Zhaoyang did not let the silence last long.

"What is Erlang's reasoning?"

Princess Zhaoyang was somewhat puzzled.

She knew her brother better than anyone else, and she believed that Jia Lian certainly did too.

He cannot be called a useless person, but at the very least, he would definitely not be a qualified candidate for emperor.

Making an unsuitable person, or even someone who never even considered becoming emperor, is clearly not a good thing for either him personally or for the country.

Princess Zhaoyang believed that Jia Lian was aware of this principle.

For a fleeting moment, Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help but wonder if power could truly bewitch people, causing even an outstanding young man like her to swell with ambition amidst the series of events at Tiewang Mountain.

But she quickly sorted out her thoughts and asked Jia Lian for his reasons.

She and Jia Lian were not just ordinary lovers; they had experienced many things that seemed fantastical to ordinary people.

Their bond was forged in the crucible of life and death; it was a true friendship and spiritual communion.

Jia Lian didn't mind that she was a woman and was willing to entrust her with important responsibilities, and she didn't mind being a woman who silently supported him despite being a princess.

Perhaps it was because of this trust that Jia Lian was so unreserved and frankly revealed his "ambition" to her.

Therefore, she could believe that Jia Lian must have had sufficient reasons for making such a significant proposal, rather than it being a whim.

"The Crown Prince did not die in the chaos of battle, but was deliberately murdered by the Third Prince. Is this reason acceptable?"

Princess Zhaoyang was one of Jia Lian's political allies, and also the most special one. Jia Lian had his own way of speaking with her.

If Jia Lian told Princess Zhaoyang that he was going to deal with the Third Prince, Princess Zhaoyang would probably object and try to dissuade him.

Therefore, he chose to go a step further and bring up the fourth prince, which would not only demonstrate his determination but also stimulate Princess Zhaoyang's other ideas, causing her to think in a series of ways and saving him the trouble of explaining.

As expected, Princess Zhaoyang's thoughts were immediately disrupted by the two questions Jia Lian posed, and she stood up abruptly.

"Where did you get this news about Erlang? Is it true?"

"Absolutely true." Jia Lian said solemnly.

Princess Zhaoyang's expression visibly changed.

As a royal princess, she grew up carefree. But as she grew older and more mature, she began to realize that the world around her was not as wonderful as she had thought when she was a child.

It wasn't until she herself was caught up in those whirlpools that she came to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the seemingly casual phrase in unofficial historical accounts, "There is no kinship in the imperial family."

She knew about the long-standing rivalry between her eldest and third brothers.

In her eyes, it didn't matter whether the Crown Prince or the Third Prince succeeded or failed, or what their final fate was, because that was their destiny.

Therefore, she could accept the ending where the Crown Prince made a mistake, lost his life, and the Third Prince ascended to the throne.

However, she could not accept the truth that the Crown Prince died at the hands of the Third Prince, and that even when the Crown Prince was clearly defeated, the Third Prince had deliberately rushed to kill him.

The eldest brother, after all, is the elder brother of all the princes and princesses.

How could the Third Prince, who has always been known as a wise and virtuous king, be so ruthless?

The power struggles within the imperial family have been an unavoidable phenomenon throughout history, a fact she had long accepted.

But accepting it doesn't mean she agrees with it.

So, when the situation on the mountain was tense, before she decided to help her father, she first inquired about her father's attitude towards her grandfather.

She was relieved to receive the promise that he would not harm her, which is why she wholeheartedly helped Emperor Ningkang quell the rebellion.

Ultimately, wasn't the reason she wanted to calm things down as soon as possible and kill as few people as possible? Most importantly, she didn't want her closest relatives to actually come to blows.

On this point, her father and she shared similar ideas, so the two naturally took the same stance without prior discussion or planning.

Given this premise, one can imagine the shock Princess Zhaoyang felt upon hearing that the Crown Prince had been deliberately murdered by the Third Prince.

She didn't consider the possibility that Jia Lian was deceiving her.

She felt very disappointed.

This incident not only made her once gentle and caring third brother appear sinister and unfamiliar, but also ruthlessly shattered the beautiful illusion she had been trying so hard to preserve for the imperial family.

In her disappointment, she also began to understand why Jia Lian had made that suggestion.

Proud as he is, he would probably find it difficult to accept such a treacherous and wicked person as his ruler.

With a sigh, Princess Zhaoyang said, "Even with your and my help, I'm afraid Ling'er wouldn't be a match for my third brother. Ling'er..."

Princess Zhaoyang shook her head, seemingly filled with resentment at the thought of her unfortunate younger brother.

Upon hearing Princess Zhaoyang's words, Jia Lian felt relieved, knowing that she had agreed to help him.

Indeed, on one side is a hypocritical villain who murdered his elder brother, and on the other side is his own younger brother, so choosing is not difficult.

The difficulty lies in making the choice and then bringing it to fruition.

He took Princess Zhaoyang's hand and said softly, "You've been too harsh on the Fourth Prince. Although he's a bit playful and childlike, he's a wise man."

He may be muddle-headed about small things, but he always has a clear sense of right and wrong when it comes to important matters.

In my opinion, although the Fourth Prince lacks some of the domineering aura of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, he possesses far more of the bearing of a ruler and the virtue of a benevolent person.

Princess Zhaoyang blinked, quite surprised that Jia Lian, who rarely praised others, actually had such a high opinion of her foolish younger brother.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian smiled enigmatically.

What imperial demeanor or benevolent spirit? Anyone can have it if they're willing to talk about it. At least, the Fourth Prince is a harmless person, so there's not much to worry about him betraying us in the future.

"Moreover, after this upheaval and the death of the crown prince, the future political situation will certainly be very unstable."

To put it bluntly, under such circumstances, it would be difficult for His Majesty to truly trust any of the princes.

If one day in the future His Majesty uses the Fourth Prince to temper the Third Prince, as before, even if the Fourth Prince is willing to back down, given the Third Prince's decisiveness and ruthlessness, the Fourth Prince may not be able to escape unscathed.

Therefore, rather than entrusting our fate to a fickle person, we should take the initiative and control our own destiny.

Jia Lian said seductively.

Princess Zhaoyang, upon hearing this, suddenly asked, "Second Prince, your words are so resolute; do you have some plan in mind?"

"It's not a sure thing, but I do have some ideas..."

Just as Jia Lian was about to explain, Zhang Yong's voice came from outside the tent, saying that Zhou Er and Tian Liang were requesting an audience.

Jia Lian patted Princess Zhaoyang's hand and said, "These two are the ones who leaked the information to me."

He stood up and gestured for Princess Zhaoyang to sit down, while he stood aside.

In front of outsiders, he had to give Princess Zhaoyang face. Besides, wouldn't it be more legitimate for his own sister, Princess Zhaoyang, to seek justice for her elder brother?

Princess Zhaoyang noticed the details and found them both funny and touching.

But she quickly put those aside, sat up straight, and became solemn.

Jia Lian said something that truly struck a chord with Princess Zhaoyang: if the Third Prince was indeed that ruthless and vicious, and if the Fourth Prince were to clash with him one day, her foolish younger brother would indeed find it difficult to survive at the hands of the Third Prince.

In this world, besides her grandmother, the person she was closest to was her mentally challenged younger brother, and no one could hurt him.

……

After Emperor Ningkang awoke, he recuperated briefly before summoning his ministers to discuss matters.

As the situation on the mountain became clearer, the ministers who had accompanied the emperor up the mountain could naturally come before Emperor Ningkang to receive his orders, and Emperor Ningkang no longer had to rely on only a few anxious people to command, as he had done at the beginning.

With the help of these ministers, the mountain became noticeably more orderly.

However, while the internal troubles were temporarily relieved, external troubles followed one after another.

"Your Majesty, news has come from the foot of the mountain that Yun Guang, the military governor of Chang'an, is leading a large army toward Tiewang Mountain. He is the second military governor to arrive after Tao Ran, the military governor of Guanning, and both of them have more than 10,000 troops."

Currently, both armies are being held back by the Beijing garrison twenty li outside the mountains, and it seems the two armies intend to join forces.

As the news spread throughout the palace, the officials and ministers discussed it endlessly.

Emperor Ningkang frowned, surprised that after so many years, his father still had such a high level of influence in the army, and actually managed to summon several armies to come to the aid of the emperor in just one day.

An old minister anxiously advised: "Your Majesty, the situation on the mountain is critical. I urge Your Majesty to set off as soon as possible and return to the capital. Only in this way can everything be resolved smoothly."

Many others seconded this view.

In fact, as soon as Emperor Ningkang woke up, someone suggested that they return to the capital as soon as possible.

After all, the capital city was heavily fortified and not easily threatened by ordinary rebels. Moreover, there were still a large number of troops and personnel available in the capital, so once they returned to the capital, they would be completely safe.

However, Emperor Ningkang was physically weak, and having just defeated his father, he was unwilling to drag his ailing body back to the capital in a sorry state.

There's no need for that.

Putting aside the fact that he still has tens of thousands of elite troops under his command, he doesn't believe that the "rebel army" would dare to attack him without the Emperor Emeritus's authorization.

As Emperor Ningkang had predicted, although Guan Ning Jiedushi Tao Ran had arrived at the foot of Tiewang Mountain early on, he had not received any news from the retired emperor. When he was met with a tight guard from the capital garrison, especially when the enemy produced Emperor Ningkang's edict claiming that the rebellion on the mountain had been quelled, he did not dare to advance any further.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to actually abandon the army and go to Iron Net Mountain alone to "pay homage" as the imperial edict stated.

Tao Ran dared not act rashly, but there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be any reckless fools behind her.

Therefore, Emperor Ningkang is now indeed planning to return to the capital as soon as possible.

"Report!"

"Urgent report from Juyong Pass! Prince Teng, the commander-in-chief of nine provinces, is leading tens of thousands of troops on a rapid march and is less than eighty li from the city gate!"

This news instantly threw countless people in the hall into a panic.

The Emperor Emeritus has actually summoned the border troops!

Although these court officials usually ignored the border troops and repeatedly cut back on their supplies.

However, when they actually heard that the border troops might march into the capital, few were not afraid. After all, everyone knew that the army, forged in the harsh and cold borderlands, was far more formidable and powerful than the wealthy soldiers in the capital region.

Emperor Ningkang's face also instantly darkened.

Unexpectedly, his father actually mobilized the border troops as well. Sending border troops to the capital was hardly something a mature emperor should do.

It seems this coup has thoroughly enraged his father. His father also wants to take this opportunity to thoroughly cleanse the court and the country, at least to erase all the achievements he has made over the past seven years!

Fortunately, after gaining control of the situation on the mountain, he immediately dispatched his trusted confidants to take over Juyong Pass—the most formidable pass closest to the capital. Otherwise, if the border troops had been allowed to advance unimpeded, it would have been a real problem.

Seeing that many people sitting in the hall were in a state of panic, Emperor Ningkang slammed his hand on the table.

"What's the panic!"

"Feng Sheng, you are hereby ordered to personally lead 10,000 troops to reinforce Juyong Pass. Remember, if Prince Teng does not launch a strong attack on the pass, you should only appease him, not provoke him, and simply keep him outside the pass."

Too many soldiers have already died on Iron Net Mountain.

If the Imperial Guards were to fight the border troops again, that would truly shake the foundations of the nation.

Therefore, Feng Sheng was given several imperial edicts to deal with Wang Ziteng. It would be best if Wang Ziteng could "lay down his weapons," but even if that wasn't possible, keeping him calm for now would be acceptable.

These foreign troops, who have come to protect the Emperor Emeritus on his orders, are still unclear about the situation. If he can stall for time and wait for the situation to become clear, it will be much easier for him to appease them.