manynovel Chapter 411: Divine Calculation, She Dare Not Disobey
Chapter 411: Divine Calculation, She Dare Not Disobey
"Sir, you've come at the right time. Have you thought of any good ideas?"
"Your Highness!" Zhong Houliang glanced at Lin Yue, and the prince waved his hand to let Lin Yue go out to guard.
Lin Yue glanced at Zhong Hou Liang, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
It was not until Lin Yue left that Zhong Houliang asked, "Your Highness, don't you think this is strange?"
"What do you mean?" The prince was stunned.
"Your Highness! As soon as Tong Huaian returned to Tongzhou Prefecture, the Fourth Prince began investigating the matter. He started by investigating the grain and fodder sent to the border by the Ministry of Revenue, and then followed the clues to find out that someone at the border was training private soldiers. One thing led to another, as if it was planned. It was too smooth."
"Are you talking about Jiang Youzhen?" The prince was not stupid and immediately thought of Jiang Youzhen, but he felt it was unlikely.
"A farmer's son..."
"Your Highness, do you still think so? Tong Huaian returned to Tongzhou Prefecture, and within three to five days, the Fourth Prince made a move here. It only takes two to three days for the pigeon to send the news from Tongzhou Prefecture back to the capital, and with the deployment, the timing is just right."
Seeing that the prince still didn't believe it, Zhonghou Liang said anxiously: "Your Highness! Our current situation is really worrying. If the retreat at the border fails, how will the emperor deal with you? Have you ever thought that the court will never tolerate raising private soldiers, and treason is an unforgivable crime!"
"Then it was you who proposed to intercept Jiang Youzhen's apprenticeship, and now you say that it was Jiang Youzhen who did it. Doesn't this mean that she found out that it was me who did it? Isn't this a case of self-defeating?"
The prince just felt that the aide in front of him was very strange. It was you who made the suggestion, but now you are suffering from it.
"I have already told Your Highness to be careful and prudent before. I am afraid that you have revealed your identity somewhere and Jiang Youzhen has noticed it." Zhonghou Liang did not dare to complain that the people sent by the prince were unreliable, so he could only explain.
“But the people who were sent came back saying that Jiang Youzhen must have believed it, otherwise they would not have been able to escape unscathed.” The prince always felt that Jiang Youzhen was not that powerful. Could she be a god?
"The poison was taken from Yunyang Pavilion by that person. Who can guarantee that he won't leak the secret? Besides, it is very possible that Jiang Youzhen deliberately let our people go to paralyze us."
"Does she have such ability? The Second Brother has been active at the border frequently, but he has not found anything, let alone me. How can she do that? Does she have any talented people under her control? How can she know my movements?"
Seeing that the prince still didn't believe it, Zhonghou Liang could only shake his head and sigh.
"Your Highness! You must believe that there are such smart people in the world who can deduce the truth from clues from all sides. This is called divine calculation!"
But the prince still felt that Zhonghou Liang was exaggerating. "So what do you think we should do now? Father has already sent an imperial envoy to the border. Although he has sent people to intercept them, Father is suspicious by nature. I'm afraid he has already sent a secret envoy. Now the situation is urgent."
Zhong Houliang calmed down at this moment, "Your Highness! We shouldn't have cherished her talent in the first place. If we had gotten rid of her, there wouldn't be so many problems. Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to do it once and for all!"
His eyes lit up and then he made a gesture of wiping his neck.
"This won't help our situation much, and we have to distract ourselves by sending people to deal with it. What if something unexpected happens? If I don't fall this time, I'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with her later."
Zhong Houliang did think of something, "Then why don't you arrest her, Your Highness? Since she was the one who exposed the matter, let her solve it herself. I believe that with the threat of her family, she won't dare to disobey!"
At this moment, a dark shadow flashed outside the study, and the prince in the study was still asking Zhonghou Liang how to contact the queen.
"My uncle is just holding a sinecure now. If he held an important position, the emperor would be a little wary. It's a pity that the power of your majesty's family has been weakened too much by the emperor in recent years. Fortunately, wasn't your second uncle appointed by the emperor as an imperial envoy and transferred to the post of Jiangnan Salt Inspector two years ago? We are not without bargaining chips!"
Zhonghou Liang pondered it carefully, and after a long time, he said, "The Queen treated Lord Zhan well, and Lord Zhan's appointment as the Salt Inspector was also based on the reputation of Duke Zhan's Mansion. Perhaps we can find a way from there. He must not watch Duke Zhan's Mansion get implicated, otherwise his life in Jiangnan will be difficult."
Being the Imperial Salt Inspector was a lucrative job, but it was also very dangerous. Countless officials had been killed while inspecting the salt route. If one was not backed by a top family, who would dare to take on this job?
Although Zhan Renhe was born out of wedlock, the queen treated him well. Seeing that he had some ability, she found a job with real power for this half brother.
Now that the Eastern Palace is in turmoil, Duke Zhan's Mansion will inevitably be implicated. It is now Zhan Renhe's turn to contribute.
"But now it's too late to write to Jiangnan. Water from afar can't quench a nearby fire."
The prince certainly understood this truth. Although Zhan Renhe had some estrangement with his family in recent years, how could he not lend a helping hand when the family was about to collapse?
The Salt Inspector has found too many things, and it is impossible for him to get away with it unscathed at the moment. However, if he can get hold of something that is used against other factions, especially the fourth brother, in exchange for something like that, he will be able to catch his breath.
"Don't panic, Your Highness! The Queen and the King's Uncle must have something good in their hands."
"But my father has placed my mother under house arrest in the palace, and my uncle has been temporarily sent to Yun Province to quell the unrest in the mines. He has no idea what happened in the capital."
Duke Zhan, the uncle of the emperor, had made great contributions to the late emperor with the old duke. After the old duke passed away, the uncle of the emperor inherited the title. And because Duke Zhan was a military commander, he was ordered to guard the border.
It was just that three years ago, Duke Zhan was plotted against by a villain. Fortunately, he was saved by his loyal subordinates. However, his leg was injured and he could no longer lead troops to fight.
Afterwards, the emperor ordered him to return to the capital to recuperate and transferred him to the Capital Guard Command as commander.
What is the Jingwei Command? It is responsible for protecting the capital and guarding the palace!
It sounds like an important position, but compared to the previous situation where the king's uncle was in charge of a large number of troops at the border and had a hundred people to respond to his orders, this job seems unimportant.
More than a year ago, a remote area of Yunnan Province, which was rich in mineral resources, came into conflict with the government due to the divisions among local forces.
The emperor is far away! Most of the officials sent were killed.
After that, there were frequent disputes in Yun Province. Half a month ago, local forces killed the imperial envoy sent by the emperor, and the emperor was furious. It happened that the emperor's uncle had recovered from his injuries, so he was sent to Yun Province to quell the rebellion.
"This incident happened by chance, just when the Ministry of Revenue's grain and grass were discovered. This is a deliberate attempt to transfer the King's uncle away, leaving His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with nowhere to turn for help!"
Zhonghou Liang sighed. In terms of ability, it can now be seen that the second prince and the fourth prince are definitely the best.
It’s a pity that none of them were born to the Empress.
"Your Highness, why don't you summon the ministers to discuss this matter at night? I remember that the Dali Temple's Left Junior Minister Wei Xiyuan's in-laws are from a prominent family in Jiangnan. Why don't you summon him?"
Wei Xiyuan is a member of the prince's party, but he has just joined the prince. The prince has been testing her, fearing that she might be a spy from other princes.
"Too slow!" The prince shook his head.