Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Prince Li

The Prince Li, who had always appeared as a carefree poet, uninterested in power, and deeply loved by the Emperor, his beloved youngest son.

Prince Li!

Huangfu Yuxuan could see that if the Crown Prince could successfully complete the disaster relief efforts, even if the task wasn’t perfectly executed, it would still be commendable in front of the Emperor, securing his position as Crown Prince.

How could Prince Zhuang and Prince Li not see this as well?

Prince Li’s vassal land was far, and though he was in the Capital City, relying on sending messages for tasks was ultimately inefficient.

Prince Zhuang’s fief, although in a different region from the disaster site, was only two counties away. He not only contributed silver and dispatched people for relief, but also undertook two other significant actions.

First, he spread the news about his contributions and relief efforts. The rumor eventually reached the Capital and the ears of the Imperial Censors. They documented it in memorials to the Emperor, who then became aware of his good deeds in the affected areas.

The second action was carried out in secret.

Much like the first, it was executed successfully.

Interestingly, while the second act was underway, Prince Li’s men caught wind of it. Perhaps at Prince Li’s direct order, the outcome of the second act turned out better than expected.

He returned to his study and spoke in a stern voice, “Come!”

Immediately, a man in grey stepped into the room; he was Sang En, the personal aide of Huangfu Hanyu.

Huangfu Hanyu asked, “Have you not found the person yet?”

Sang En bowed his head and replied, “Your Highness, not yet! It’s said that on the day Prince Liang was demoted, there was a purge in the Prince Liang Mansion, and several attendants who accompanied him on the relief mission were executed. Perhaps the person is already dead!”

“Alive, I want to see the person; dead, I need to see the corpse!”

“Yes!”

After Sang En left, Huangfu Hanyu frowned. The person who had lured Prince Liang into indulging in sensual pleasures, arranging for him to abduct a beautiful village woman, had disappeared.

That person was someone Huangfu Hanyu had planted beside Prince Liang, who had been there for twelve years and finally played a crucial role at the most critical moment.

Indeed, the second act was designed to cause Prince Liang to fall into debauchery and commit grave errors!

When the brother of the village woman came to the Capital to seek justice, he had originally arranged for protection, but later realized that people from Prince Li were already providing protection, so he withdrew his own men. Would it not be better for Prince Li to take charge of the matter?

Even the involvement of the Capital Governor and the appearance of the Right Minister were results of Prince Li’s schemes, which expedited the presentation of the case before the throne.

All that talk about being indifferent to power and loving poetry and painting? It was all an illusion to please the Emperor.

As a prince, the greatest talent was acting!

However, Prince Li could not have anticipated that the one who would ultimately gain the position of Crown Prince was him.

In the end, all scheming and planning were likened to a game of chess, a board full of pieces, where one sees who can think farther, plan more meticulously, and arrange a more complete layout.

How could Prince Li compare to him in this regard?

While Prince Li was dreaming of becoming the Crown Prince, he was unaware that everything had already fallen into his hands.

So, surely Prince Li was unwilling to accept this outcome?

He could not eliminate Prince Li, but he could send him away from the Capital to his fief.

As long as Prince Li returned to his vassal land, he would no longer pose any threat.

After accompanying the Emperor for lunch, Prince Li returned to his mansion, his face no longer showing the carefree smile.

It’s been over half a month since the new Crown Prince was appointed, yet Prince Li’s heart still felt it was unreal.

Ever since the Crown Prince left the Capital for disaster relief, coincidentally also in Ningzhou, he had people keep an eye on the Crown Prince’s every move and report back quickly. It wasn’t easy, but he found that the Crown Prince misbehaved, forcibly took local women, and even committed murder, attempting to eliminate any witnesses. He immediately had people assist the victim, personally escorting them back to the Capital to file a complaint, fulfilling his wish to dethrone the Crown Prince.

Everything went very successfully.

Over the years in the Capital, he also cultivated a favorable image, warm, benevolent, talented, and virtuous. The Emperor clearly liked him; why, then, in the matter of the Crown Prince position, was he not considered? Where did it all go wrong?

While this prince, who stayed in the Capital, was not appointed, it was Prince Zhuang, far away in Qingzhou, who rushed back and was appointed.

He was once so close to becoming the Crown Prince. He even managed to pull the Crown Prince down from that position, yet it was another who benefited in the end?

Of course, it’s no surprise that Prince Li felt indignant.

In recent days, Prince Li had been secretly investigating this matter.

The results almost made him cough up blood.

Since he had cultivated an image of being only interested in poetry and not in power, he couldn’t break it. So, to bring down the Crown Prince, he used indirect means.

For instance, he would mention snippets from family letters to the Emperor, casually bringing up a point now and then.

And when talking about Prince Zhuang’s charity work, he naturally had to mention it for topic expansion.

He went through so many twists and turns, racking his brains to maintain his image while making the Emperor dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. It would be no exaggeration to say he exhausted himself in these months.

But the Crown Prince position was given to Prince Zhuang.

He thought the Emperor had become muddle-headed, not recognizing his efforts, not understanding his hard work and effort, and completely overlooking his achievements.

But today, during lunch, a single sentence from the Emperor made him feel nauseous, as if he had swallowed a hundred flies.

The words exchanged between him and the Emperor kept echoing in his ears, sounding like a giant bell, overwhelming his mind.

Prince Li, in the name of filial piety, had the palace maids and eunuchs dismissed, ensuring he personally served the Emperor at one meal every day for nearly a year, and there were always talks between father and son.

It was through those conversations that he carefully pondered over the Emperor’s heart, earning even more affection from the Emperor.

The Emperor said, “I am getting old. As one grows old, they do not wish to see turmoil, especially not the discord between brothers or siblings turning against each other. In my prime, I sent you princes to your respective vassal lands to fulfill your duties. They were all filial and made me proud. Unfortunately, your eldest brother was unworthy; I hesitated for a long time over this until he committed acts worse than animals, proving unfit for his position. Only then did I decisively act, and this decision pained me deeply!”

Prince Li obediently replied, “Father, you are wise. By sending each of my royal brothers to their respective lands, none could threaten the Crown Prince. With the Capital stable, the nation is stable, and with a stable nation, the people are at peace!”

The Emperor smiled slightly and said, “You are right. Throughout history, many dynasties didn’t fall due to external threats but from internal strife. It’s often because the Crown Prince is weak, while the princes are strong. I cannot allow such situations to endanger the foundation of the nation.”

Prince Li added food to the Emperor’s plate and said, seemingly unintentionally, “Father’s concern for the state affairs makes you a benevolent ruler, which is why our Nanxia Country is peaceful and prosperous!”

The Emperor shook his head and laughed, “Chan’er, your character is as modest as your name, and you do speak well, but you’re maybe a bit too indifferent by nature. At sixty, among the grandsons, it is your third son, Jinglun, who stands out the most. I believe if there ever needs a change, with Jinglun around, Nanxia can thrive for another two generations.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep