eurekapd Chapter 176 The Difference between Lord and Subject
Chapter 176 The Difference between Lord and Subject
"Oh? Really?" Emperor Wen's voice sounded a little erratic, as if carrying an elusive emotion. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the Third Prince, as if judging whether what he said was true.
After a moment, Emperor Wen sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "It's hard for you to still consider the face of the royal family! In that case, then go back first." After that, Emperor Wen waved his hand, signaling the third prince to leave.
After the Third Prince left, Emperor Wen asked thoughtfully, "What do you think of what happened today?"
Kong Boda walked out slowly from behind the screen and said in a low voice: "I only know that this is exactly what Your Majesty wants to see!"
Emperor Wen smiled slightly, his lips curled up slightly: "Well! Then go find out who it is and put the account book in the study of the third brother!"
Kong Boda hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth: "Your Majesty, it is the wise king Chu Shiyou!"
Emperor Wen raised his eyebrows, and said with a bit of surprise: "Oh? Does he also want to get involved in this prince's dispute?"
Kong Boda quickly shook his head and explained, "As far as I know, that's not the case. Someone secretly threw the account book to the wise king the night before. After reading it, he became restless and lost his appetite. In the end, he had no choice but to order someone to hand the account book over to the third prince!"
Emperor Wen stroked his chin and said to Kong Boda thoughtfully, "The Crown Prince actually used Li Mingjie to sell private salt. His purpose is obvious, which is to stockpile troops! However, it is far from enough to just bring down one Li Mingjie, because there may be countless "Li Mingjies" in the dark! If we want to thoroughly investigate the stockpiling of troops, we will have no way to start without solid evidence!"
Emperor Wen thought for a moment and said, "You should immediately hand over the account book to Li Mingfu and warn him that if he dares to attack the An family army again, I will never let him off easily and will make Li Mingjie pay the price for his actions!"
After Kong Boda left, Emperor Wen summoned Gao Rui to meet him: "Go and invite the virtuous king to the palace!"
Not long after, the virtuous king came to the palace. At this moment, he was very nervous and followed Eunuch Gao closely, and asked tremblingly: "Eunuch Gao, because the princess is pregnant and the fetus is unstable, I have asked for leave from Your Majesty to stay at home with her. I wonder why Your Majesty summoned me at this time?"
Eunuch Gao glanced at the virtuous king with a half-smile on his face, and said slowly: "At the morning court today, the crown prince and the third prince accused each other. I guess the virtuous king is not aware of this matter yet, right?"
When the wise king heard this, he was struck by lightning. His legs became weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
Eunuch Gao said with a smile on his face: "Oh my goodness! My virtuous king! You must walk carefully! Don't fall down, otherwise His Majesty will blame me for not taking good care of you!"
The virtuous king wiped the sweat from his forehead with his wide sleeves, bowed to Eunuch Gao and thanked him: "Shiyou thanks Eunuch Gao for your reminder!"
Eunuch Gao stepped aside and humbly replied, "How can I bear the gratitude from you, the virtuous king? Your Majesty specifically told me to tell you that as an uncle, you should interact more with your nephews! After all, relatives can only become closer if they visit each other more often!"
After hearing this, the virtuous king nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood: "Shiyou has already remembered it in his heart!"
After the virtuous prince entered the imperial study, he immediately knelt on his knees and kowtowed to Emperor Wen to apologize: "Your Majesty! I am guilty! I sent someone to put the account book of the illegal salt trafficking in the study of the third prince. I really don't know who abandoned this account book in my room in the middle of the night. I am terrified... I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen could not help but frown slightly, rubbed his forehead with his hand, and sighed, "Shiyou! Get up quickly! Has the morning sickness of the virtuous princess improved? I will send the imperial physician to accompany you back to the palace later to prescribe some medicine for the virtuous princess to stabilize the pregnancy!"
The virtuous king still lowered his head, not daring to look up at Emperor Wen, and replied tremblingly: "I am terrified!"
Emperor Wen saw this, and smiled softly, "I know you are always timid and cowardly! No problem, get up quickly! I will not punish you as I think you have done nothing serious this time!"
After hearing this, the virtuous king kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been pardoned: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace!"
Emperor Wen looked at the virtuous king with a smile and said in a gentle voice: "Please sit down! I haven't talked with you for a long time. Now you are about to become a father, so you must not be so timid in the future!"
The virtuous king sat down slowly, and Emperor Wen smiled and pushed a plate of steaming hot roasted chestnuts in front of him: "My brother, do you remember? You loved these small snacks the most when you were young! Come and have a taste, I specially ordered the imperial chef to make them for you!"
The corner of the wise king's mouth twitched slightly, but he still replied politely: "Thanks to your majesty for the gift!"
Emperor Wen sighed softly and continued, "Some time ago, I sent Luo Xiaoliu to the Jiangnan region to look for a miraculous ointment that can heal scars. Yesterday, I received a letter from him sent by carrier pigeon, saying that he had found such a miraculous thing. In this way, Shiyou will not have to wear the mask anymore in the future!"
When the virtuous king heard this, tears suddenly sparkled in his eyes, and he shouted with a slightly trembling voice: "Brother..."
Emperor Wen couldn't help but laugh heartily when he saw this: "Since I ascended the throne, you seem to have never called me 'big brother' like you did when we were children!"
The virtuous king raised his hand and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and responded in a serious tone: "There is a difference between the monarch and the minister! I would like to thank your majesty for your great grace!"
Emperor Wen stood up from the dragon throne and walked slowly towards the virtuous king. His steps seemed a little heavy. His eyes revealed a kind of firmness and determination, but also a hint of helplessness.
When he came to the virtuous king, Emperor Wen stopped and stretched out his right hand, holding a golden imperial edict in his hand. This imperial edict exuded a solemn atmosphere, as if carrying the weight of the entire country.
Emperor Wen handed the imperial edict to the virtuous king. His voice was deep and powerful: "I have thought about it again and again, and I think it is most appropriate for you to deliver this imperial edict to the Duke's Mansion! As a representative of the royal family, you can go there in person to show all the ministers that I value the An family very much!"
The virtuous king took the imperial edict, his hands trembling slightly, as if he felt the importance and pressure of this task. However, there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes, and his lips moved, as if he was about to speak but stopped.
Emperor Wen was very sensitive to the strangeness of the virtuous king. He frowned slightly and asked with concern: "Shiyou, what do you want to say? Just say it!"
The virtuous king took a deep breath, calmed himself down a bit, then carefully considered his words and said, "Your Majesty, Li Mingfu's power is now at its peak and growing stronger day by day. Your Majesty should be wary of the rise of the power of the foreign relatives, lest they control the court and shake the foundation of the country!"
After hearing the words of the virtuous king, Emperor Wen could not help but sigh. A trace of worry and helplessness appeared on his face. He knew that what the virtuous king said was true. However, it was not easy to completely eradicate the Li family, and it required a long-term plan.
Emperor Wen patted the virtuous king on the shoulder and said earnestly: "I do want to completely eliminate the Li family! But this matter is of great importance and involves a wide range of people. We can't be impatient! We must act cautiously and find the right time. However, you have a long-standing friendship with the An family, so you can get to know them more. Through the An family, perhaps we can find some breakthroughs."
The virtuous king bowed his head respectfully and replied, "I will obey the imperial edict!" He understood Emperor Wen's intention and felt the great responsibility he shouldered. He decided to follow Emperor Wen's instructions, maintain close contact with the An family, and jointly deal with the current situation.