eurekapd Chapter 178 The Brainless Prince Xuan
Chapter 178 The Brainless Prince Xuan
Prince Chen's laughter subsided, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Prince Xuan's actions are tantamount to digging his own grave."
"What Father Emperor cares about most is the various examinations for selecting talents in the court. This time, his actions are a disgrace to Father Emperor. Once the news reaches Father Emperor's ears, his position as a prince will probably be in jeopardy."
“Your Highness,” Yun Shang said calmly, “we currently have no concrete evidence.”
Prince Chen rose and paced back and forth in the study, his expression grave.
"What methods do you have to make him lose his composure?"
"However, although it is highly likely that Prince Xuan was behind Zhou Yi's cheating this time, it is hard to guarantee that there is no other person behind him."
Yun Shang asked, "Does Your Highness suspect Prince Qi?"
“It’s not a suspicion.” Prince Chen curled his lips and sneered, “My elder brother loves nothing more than using others to do his dirty work. Although Prince Xuan is ambitious, he is simple-minded and won’t easily cross Father’s line.”
"Unless someone said something to him behind his back."
"After all, he's not only simple-minded, but also easily influenced."
"King Qi is used to using King Xuan as a weapon, so he might try to protect him."
Prince Chen frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. "If Li Mubai were to fight me openly and fairly, I would still respect him. But to secretly trip me up like this is simply the act of a despicable person!"
He was furious. Over the years, he had genuinely treated the King of Qi as his elder brother, but the King of Qi had always been hypocritical in his treatment of him.
Yun Shang did not respond to this.
He knew that Prince Chen was just grumbling a few words in his frustration, but after all, he and Prince Qi had not yet reached the point of completely severing ties.
As expected, Prince Chen quickly changed the subject again, "Leaving aside Prince Qi for now, Prince Xuan has targeted me time and time again. Does he really think I'm a pushover?"
Yun Shang lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Your Highness, we can start with Prince Xuan's confidants."
“Prince Xuan acts impulsively, and he won’t handle many details himself; he must have delegated them to his trusted confidants. We’ll try to capture one of them, pretend to get evidence of Prince Xuan’s collusion with Prince Qi from him, and then deliberately let the news leak out.”
"We can first keep an eye on those around Prince Xuan who frequent brothels, taverns, and casinos. These places are crowded and conspicuous, making it easier for us to carry out our plans. After capturing them, we can find someone skilled at imitating handwriting to forge letters between Prince Xuan and Prince Qi, deliberately making Prince Xuan think that we obtained these letters from his confidants."
Prince Chen nodded slightly, his expression softening: "This plan is feasible, but Prince Xuan's confidants are not so easy to capture, and if we alert him..."
A barely perceptible smile curved Yun Shang's lips. "Your Highness, what we need is to stir up trouble and alert the enemy."
Prince Chen suddenly raised his eyes, a dark glint in them. "You mean..."
Yun Shang's voice was calm and unhurried, "This sword of Prince Xuan can be used not only by Prince Qi, but also by us."
……
Just as Prince Chen and Yun Shang were plotting, Prince Xuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan in his palace.
He summoned his advisors and shouted, "You bunch of useless fools! How did things turn out like this? Did you leave any traces that you shouldn't have? If Father finds out, I'll be in big trouble!"
The staff members exchanged glances, then silently lowered their heads and remained silent.
Prince Xuan was furious, and they didn't dare remind him that it was clearly Prince Xuan who insisted on sending someone to switch Yun Shang and Zhou Yizhi's exam papers.
They were practically ready to die trying to dissuade him, but it was no use; Prince Xuan remained obstinate.
Now that the truth has come out, they are the ones who should be blamed.
Several of the staff members wanted to complain.
Although they are not very capable and cannot catch the eye of other princes, can they really live a few more years by following Prince Xuan, a simple-minded prince?
Prince Xuan was completely unaware that his advisors were already plotting their resignations. After venting his anger, he glared at his advisors and said, "You all better think of a solution for me! All you do is tell me 'this is not allowed, that is not allowed,' but when something really happens, you can't utter a single word!"
"What use are you to me?!"
The staff exchanged glances.
One of the advisors said cautiously, "Your Highness, we have done our best to clean up the mess... We have also sent people to the Hanlin Academy to inquire carefully. Zhou Yizhi and Zhou Wang have both been imprisoned, and Hanlin Academy scholar Li Kangnian has gone to the palace to request the Emperor to conduct a thorough investigation. It seems unlikely that the investigation will be traced back to Your Highness."
"However, if Your Highness is still worried, perhaps... you could seek help from Prince Qi?"
Prince Xuan frowned in deep thought, his face full of conflict and hesitation.
King Qi treated him the best among his brothers, and always thought of him in everything he did.
He's in trouble now, and his third brother will definitely help him!
Seeing this, another aide chimed in, "Your Highness and Prince Qi have always been close, and Prince Qi is resourceful and wise. He will surely find a way to help Your Highness resolve this crisis."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xuan no longer hesitated and immediately strode out, declaring, "I'm going to Prince Qi's residence!"
Several staff members watched his retreating figure, exchanged glances, and sighed in unison.
The prince trusts Prince Qi too much; even if they rack their brains to come up with ideas, Prince Xuan might not necessarily follow them.
But King Xuan believed everything the King of Qi said without question.
It seems they won't be staying in this palace for long.
"What are your plans, Lord Yi?"
"I think the same as Lord Zuo. Let's find an opportunity to resign from our posts to the Prince..."
Prince Xuan was unaware that his advisors were already plotting their escape.
He rushed to the Prince of Qi's residence.
The servants of the Prince's residence said that Prince Qi was receiving guests in his study, so Prince Xuan could only wait patiently in the side hall.
He was an impatient person by nature, and after waiting for half an hour, he kept asking his personal guard, Feng Zhu, to urge him on, but Feng Zhu's urging was to no avail.
The two waited for a full half hour before a servant came to invite them to the study.
Xuan Wang's thoughts were written all over his face. He had been waiting for so long and was getting impatient, so he kept a gloomy face and didn't give Qi Wang a good look.
King Qi was sitting in the study on a carved round-backed chair, sipping a cup of tea. When he saw King Xuan's gloomy face, his eyes darkened.
He stood up, greeted Prince Xuan, and said with a smile, "Who made you angry? Tell your third brother, and your third brother will avenge you."
Prince Xuan's expression remained unchanged, his face still showing anger, and his tone was not good either, "It is still because Third Brother is valued by Father that he has an endless stream of guests even at home."
The King of Qi suddenly realized, "So he was angry with me."
"It's my fault, it's my fault. I've kept you waiting, Fifth Brother."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xuan's expression turned sour.
He was about to speak about the Zhou Yizhi matter when he heard the King of Qi say, "However, Fifth Brother, you have wronged me this time. I was just discussing with someone in the study for so long, trying to figure out how to resolve this Zhou Yizhi cheating case."
Prince Xuan was astonished, "Third Brother, you've already..."
"Since this is a discussion, why won't Third Brother let me in to listen?"
King Qi said, "Li Kangnian has only temporarily detained Zhou Yizhi and Zhou Wang. They haven't been interrogated yet, and no one knows that this cheating case is related to you. If you come in to listen, wouldn't that just be telling those people that you are involved in this matter?"
Prince Xuan understood what Prince Qi meant, and his face immediately showed emotion and shame. "So it turns out that Third Brother is already thinking of a solution for me. I was actually angry because Third Brother treated me poorly just now. I really shouldn't have done that."