"It used to be Prince Mo, but now …"
"Since there is no one amongst the princes who is fit to serve, then it is more likely that the candidate in the Emperor's heart is wavering. In terms of battle achievements, Prince Mo was beneath the King of Yan; in terms of power and intelligence, King Mu was not inferior to the King of Yan; the Queen had decided to support the King of Chen's position; this spring incident was to help him establish his might, and it was likely that there would be more activities in the future. She had long since thought that the crown prince might not be able to stand up straight and would be looking for an escape route for herself. "
The empress's move was the best. If the emperor died, the crown prince would succeed to the throne, and she would take sole control of the power; if the emperor did not die, Xiao Yiyan would become the legitimate son, giving him an advantage over the other princes. If there were a few more opportunities to achieve merits like the one in the Spring Festival, Xiao Yiyan's popularity would rise immediately.
"Actually, I think there is another possibility." Gu Qingli's voice was particularly loud amongst the group of men. All eyes were on her.
"No one is willing to give the throne to the Emperor. Even the Emperor is no exception." She said softly, "This year has just passed the Year of Destiny. It is fine to say that he is not young, but it is also possible that he can remain in power for a dozen or twenty years. When the court officials and princes all wanted to lay their hands on the crown prince's throne, did they ever think about who would be the greatest threat to a reigning monarch in the imperial court? The other princes? Is it the Empress, Imperial Concubine Lan, or Imperial Concubine Ling? "
She lightly smiled. "It's not that. It's the emperor himself!"
His single sentence caused everyone to be frightened, and their expressions were all different.
"What does the Emperor do when he feels his throne is threatened?" She looked at Xiao Yi Xiu and said, "Actually, you already know very well that you have done a great job." Imperial Concubine Lan had taken action against you. With the Emperor's planning skills and deep intelligence, how could he not know about it? Even if they didn't know it previously, they would have realized it later on! Why did he acquiesce to this act? "Because you have won a higher voice in the court than the Emperor himself!"
"The battle for the throne has never been just between brothers, or uncles, or even between father and son, it has always been similarly heartless!"
She sighed, "All these years, have you ever wondered why there wasn't a single doctor in the entire forbidden garden who could suppress the poison in your body? Why was Luo Qingyun so adamant to not help at all? He was afraid that she would be dragged into a dispute with the imperial family. Even if he had the medical skills to heal you, she would not be exposed! Perhaps everyone thought that it wasn't just Imperial Concubine Lan who stopped them, but the Empress and Imperial Concubine Ling as well … However, very few people would think that, since the imperial physicians are unwilling to help, the ones who actually listen to orders are those who can rule the entire world. "
Xiao Yi Xiu was silent. Actually, he had thought about all of this in his dreams countless times in the middle of the night. However, he still had a vague kinship towards the person who held the imperial power in his hands and was at the pinnacle of the world. If all of this could be cut off, then what was there for him to linger around?
The secret chamber became so quiet that even the friction of her clothes could shake one's eardrums. More than half of the people here had already started to hold a whole new level of respect for the wangfei. For some people, being able to conquer others with just a few words was definitely not a myth.
"It's not like the Emperor didn't know that the crown prince had mediocre talent from the very beginning and had never surpassed anyone. He was the eldest son of the crown prince. It sounded reasonable, but what about the truth? He had only placed the crown prince at the heart of the struggle, causing more people to feel unwilling to accept the crown prince's mediocrity and be moved by his misdeeds … You say that this is an opportunity for the emperor to see the talents of the princes and princes, but it is also an opportunity for everyone to focus on the crown prince.
"If it wasn't for the fact that I was the eldest son and Yi Xiu, my royal brother would have gone to bed at night and wouldn't be able to eat and drink. He is afraid that he won't be able to live for long. After all, there aren't many people who would be willing to serve as Crown Prince for dozens of years."
Xiao Yi Xiu said slowly, "Thus, this time, I shall gather everyone to discuss how I should deal with the matters of the imperial court. I hope everyone present will do their best to oppose me in the throne room, with the exception of Imperial Uncle Sixteenth." After Prince Yi had returned to the capital in a low voice, he had only been managing the residence the Emperor had given him. He had never returned to the imperial court.
"..." Available... What the Prince needs is not support, but opposition? " He Zhenkun was the most baffled. He had fought bravely on the battlefield, but his scheming was lacking.
"That's right, it's an objection. At the very least, we must put aside our relationship with you, your highness." Han Yifei nodded in agreement.
Rong Zifeng laughed, "There are a lot of people in the court who are trying to force the prince to join the government, it is not our place to join in on the fun. Now that the King of Yan had made his move, the number of people who wanted to support him was definitely not small. Other than those who supported him back then, there were naturally a few more … A power that we do not know about. "
"At a time like this, the Emperor really needs a puppet that can make him feel at ease, one that can replace the crown prince as the target of public criticism. Only by doing so can he make up his mind to cripple the crown prince and thus conceal his intentions."
Xiao Yixiu smiled gently at first, but then his black pupils darkened as he stared at Gu Qingli, "It seems like I'm the perfect puppet for you."
Gu Qingli smiled until she felt a bit guilty. "I didn't say anything …"
After the meeting in the secret chamber, everyone departed from the secret chamber. The strongest part of the secret passage was that there were a total of eight different exits. Everyone would leave through different exits, and no matter who followed one of them, they would not implicate the others, and it would be difficult to connect them.
Gu Qing Li wanted to escape from Xiao Yi Xiu's sight, but he didn't hesitate to grab hold of her and sit down on his lap.
The faint smile made Gu Qingli feel guilty. She laughed dryly a few times. "It's dark in this secret room, so there's no wind in the room. Let's go out and talk first …"
"The best thing about this place is that no matter how loud you shout, no one outside will hear you."
Gu Qing Li's entire body was instantly scalded with embarrassment. As she resisted his assaults, she could not help but hear his embarrassing words. She complained in a low voice, "You're too shameless."
"We're husband and wife, why should we be ashamed?" When he thought about how the two of them had been secretly having an affair recently because of Gabriella, he felt a little unhappy and snorted, "I'm not very happy with you lately. I'll punish you well today."
He casually pushed her onto the long table. The cold table made her feel uncomfortable. She murmured, "It's too hard. It's uncomfortable."
Helplessly, he picked her up and carried her back to the rosewood bench. He had been too weak to sit for long, so the benches were not only finely carved and spacious and comfortable, but also covered with a soft tapestry that made it easy for him to recline and lie down at any moment.
Gu Qingli's face turned even redder. No matter how spacious or comfortable the bench was, it wouldn't be enough for two people to lie down flat. He actually wanted to play with such difficulty? Before she could refuse, his long, soft hand had already touched her shoulder, and he leaned over to kiss her.
She couldn't do anything but bury her face in his chest in embarrassment and shyly protest a few words. Gu Qing Li, who had remained calm when meeting the officials a moment ago, had already disappeared, leaving behind this gentle and shy little girl in his arms.