LRAB Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Wang You was stunned by what he heard; the Prince of Yong had responded so quickly.
Moreover, the Prince of Yong's actions could very well thwart the Prince of Yan's plans.
After all, Prince Yong took the initiative to ask the Emperor to grant a marriage between Qi Heng and Rong Feiyan. The Rong family would be extremely grateful to Prince Yan, but they also need not worry that Prince Yong would retaliate against them in the future.
Although the Rong family's status was not as high as before after the emperor's death, Rong Feiyan was able to marry into the Qi family, so the Rong family's future would not be too difficult.
Under such circumstances, would the Rong family still risk helping the Prince of Yan to rebel?
However, the way the Prince of Yong responded made it clear that the Prince of Yan was behind it all.
Moreover, judging from the Prince of Yong's performance in the original drama, he doesn't seem to be that perceptive at all.
Wang You found that he understood the current situation less and less.
"Why would His Highness Prince Yong do this?" Wang You couldn't understand it and couldn't help but ask the question that was on his mind.
"It was my sister who asked our father to go," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You frowned slightly. Did the Princess of Jiacheng realize that this matter might be related to Prince Chong, or did she take a fancy to him and therefore want to get away with it as soon as possible?
Regardless, the Prince of Yong has broken the deadlock; now it's up to the Prince of Yan to make his move.
"Your Highness, don't forget what you promised me," Wang You said.
If Zhao Sheng can keep his word, he has no worries.
Although he had a solution, there were too many variables in persuading Zhao Zongquan to come to the capital.
Secondly, although he was able to save Zhao Zongquan at a critical moment like Gu Tingye and gain his trust.
However, he was not of military background and did not have Gu Tingye's identity. Even if everything went according to plan and he obtained the blood edict and military tally, he might not be able to mobilize the troops in the western suburbs camp.
The western suburban camp has 400,000 imperial guards. If they had the military tally and the blood edict, they could mobilize the army, and Zhao Zongquan's first reaction would not have been to flee.
When the blood-written edict was delivered to Zhao Zongquan, everyone else was overjoyed, but Zhao Zongquan's face was ashen, and he showed no intention of obeying the edict.
In the end, Gu Tingye told him that the Prince of Yan already knew about the blood edict. Regardless of whether he obeyed the edict or not, the blood edict had already confirmed his status as the crown prince. After the Prince of Yan ascended the throne, he would definitely eliminate him in order to cover up the truth.
Even if the attempt to become king fails and another member of the royal family succeeds, the same thing will happen.
Knowing there was no way out, Zhao Zongquan chose to obey the imperial edict to suppress the rebellion.
The reason he dared not accept the offer was not because he was cowardly, but because he knew the difficulty of mobilizing troops based solely on these resources.
That's right, the western suburban camp recognized the imperial edict and military tally.
However, the generals in the western suburban camp must have already known about the changes that had occurred in Bianjing.
They might not obey the imperial edict if they didn't know the situation inside Bianjing.
The reason is quite simple: firstly, the blood edict was not an official imperial decree; the only evidence it had was the cloth and the military tally.
However, the palace had already been taken over, and no one knew who had the military tally.
As long as the authenticity of the blood edict is questioned, they can remain completely inactive.
Rebellion is a capital offense, and regardless of the outcome within the city, the emperor is most likely doomed.
Ultimately, whoever inherits the throne will not be held accountable.
Needless to say, the Prince of Yan was not ordered to suppress him, which allowed his rebellion to succeed. Therefore, he would not take action against the generals in the western suburbs camp.
Other members of the imperial clan would not do so; if they were to obey the imperial edict, Zhao Zongquan would be the one to ascend the throne.
Moreover, punishing those military officers for this would be tantamount to admitting that the blood edict was real.
Will he also hand over his throne to Zhao Zongquan when the time comes?
Therefore, whoever succeeds to the throne will not do anything to them; on the contrary, in order to control military power, they will have to win them over.
Obeying the imperial edict might seem like a chance to gain merit, but the emperor is being coerced. Who knows if he will compromise and issue another decree when they send out troops?
At that point, their campaign would have turned into a rebellion.
If a military general has a high degree of control over the army, then they can still take a gamble. Even if something unexpected happens along the way, they can still help Zhao Zongquan ascend the throne.
However, military generals have very little control over their troops. If the emperor issues another decree and they do not obey, their soldiers may mutini.
Rather than doing that, it's better to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
Gu Tingye was able to mobilize troops because of the Gu family's reputation.
The Gu family held considerable prestige in the military, and some military officers had served under Gu Yankai in their early years.
Secondly, the Gu family is a noble family, and Gu Tingye's appearance represents the attitude of the noble families of Bianjing in the eyes of many.
After they send troops, the nobles in Bianjing will help them coordinate from within and without.
However, Wang Youke did not have this status; he only had a grandfather who was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
This identity might be useful to scholars, but military officers wouldn't accept it.
Therefore, even if he could get Zhao Zongquan into the capital, it would be difficult for him to mobilize troops.
Without any troops, Zhao Zongquan and his few men were practically committing suicide.
"Don't worry, Ziqian, I will definitely do what I promised," Zhao Sheng said firmly.
Wang You nodded: "I believe in the Crown Prince!"
For now, he has no choice but to believe. Even if Zhao Sheng breaks his promise, the Prince of Yong cannot simply put him under house arrest right away.
At worst, we can prepare in advance and escape from the Song Dynasty.
"It's getting late, I need to go back and see if there's any news from my father."
Zhao Sheng said, "Ziqian, remember this: you must get married before your father becomes the crown prince."
"I understand!" Wang You nodded.
Zhao Sheng left in the same way as last time.
Wang You didn't rush to leave, but instead began to consider the current situation.
He couldn't tell his family about these things, and he couldn't push for marriage.
The Sheng family is currently preparing for Sheng Changbai's wedding, which has delayed Sanlan's marriage.
The Sheng family will only start preparing for Sanlan's wedding after Sheng Changbai gets married.
"This matter needs to be carefully planned," Wang You murmured.
"What did you say?"
When the Prince of Yan heard Zhao Lin's report, he exclaimed, "The Prince of Yong has entered the palace to ask the Emperor to grant a marriage between the third daughter of the Rong family and the son of the Duke of Qi."
Are you sure you didn't mishear? He wasn't asking the Emperor to grant a marriage between the Princess of Jiacheng and the son of the Duke of Qi?
"Father."
Zhao Lin smiled wryly and said, "This news was brought back by an informant in the palace, and it's absolutely true."
Although spying on the palace was a serious crime, officials in the court could more or less find out news from inside the palace.
There are actually very few real secrets in the palace.
However, even if court officials knew about many things, they would pretend not to know.
As the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan vied for the throne, they naturally bribed some people in the palace.
"Has the Emperor agreed?" the Prince of Yan asked anxiously.
"The Emperor has already agreed."
Zhao Lin said, "Consort Rong had actually pleaded with the Emperor before, but he did not agree. It was only after Prince Yong entered the palace to request that the Emperor finally agreed."
"I underestimated him."
The Prince of Yan sneered, "I didn't expect him to be so decisive!"
He never took the Prince of Yong seriously. If it weren't for the fact that the Prince of Yong had many offspring, he felt that the throne would definitely be his.
He was surprised by the Prince of Yong's decisiveness and was unsure whether the Prince of Yong had been hiding his true abilities or whether someone was advising him.
"Father, do you think the Prince of Yong has noticed something?" Zhao Lin asked worriedly.
"What's the panic?"
The Prince of Yan rebuked him, saying, "The sky won't fall. If he really knew something, he would have entered the palace to denounce me, not to ask the Emperor for a marriage."
Although he said that, the King of Yan was very serious inside.
Prince Yong may not have evidence, but he must have some suspicions, otherwise there would be no reason for him to ask the emperor to grant him a marriage.
As for trying to win over the Rong family, that's simply impossible.
If they had no intention of rebelling, the Rong family had absolutely nothing to offer in terms of winning them over.
"Stop everything and see how things go," said the Prince of Yan.
Wang You guessed correctly; he was indeed the one who stirred things up behind the scenes.
He knew very well that a normal rebellion had no chance of success.
The Song Dynasty was too wary of military generals, making it impossible to win over the generals in the western suburbs camp and have them rebel against him.
However, the number of troops inside the city was too small. Even if he controlled the city defense camp and the troops of the five cities, this small force would not be able to break through the palace.
There is only one way to rebel: enter the palace and take control of the emperor.
However, to achieve this, one must have an inside agent within the palace.
Moreover, this person's status cannot be too low. The palace is heavily guarded, so it's useless to win over low- or middle-ranking generals.
His only targets were the Chief Inspector and the three Deputy Chief Inspectors of the Palace Guard.
The Chief Inspector of the Palace Guard was the Duke of Cao, the younger brother of Empress Cao, and it was impossible for him to win him over.
Of the remaining three deputy chief prosecutors, only two are likely to be won over.
The easiest one is Rongxian.
Therefore, he had been sending people to monitor the Rong family. When he learned that the Rong family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family, he remembered a message he had received earlier that the Prince of Yong also intended to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family.
So he secretly spread the word, intending to incite conflict between the Prince of Yong and the Rong family.
This gave him the opportunity to win over the Rong family.
The Prince of Yan could not place all his hopes on the Rong family, and had been investigating the generals of the city defense battalion and the Five City Garrison during this time.
The plan is to find weaknesses in these people and then win them over through coercion and enticement.
It's uncertain whether the Prince of Yong has noticed anything, so we have to suspend these matters.
"yes!"
Zhao Lin responded and left in a hurry.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
When Zhao Sheng returned to the Prince of Yong's residence, a maidservant greeted him as soon as he entered, saying, "The county princess requests that the young master go to the Brocade Pavilion."
"Did she say what she wanted to see me about?" Zhao Sheng asked.
"The county princess didn't say anything, she only said that the young master must go there," the maid said.
"knew!"
Zhao Sheng responded and went to Jinxiu Pavilion.
Jinxiu Pavilion is the residence of the Jiacheng County Lord, and its area is larger than that of his own eldest son.
There is also a small lake in the courtyard, where dozens of koi carp are kept.
As Zhao Sheng entered Jinxiu Pavilion, he saw the County Magistrate of Jiacheng scattering fish food into the pond.
"Look how fat these fish have become, feed them less."
Zhao Sheng's lips twitched when he saw the plump koi in the pond.
Koi are normally considered more attractive when they are slightly plump, but the ones raised by the Master of Jiacheng County are excessively fat, which ruins their aesthetic appeal.
These fish swim very slowly; they're obviously too fat to swim anymore.
Don't you think these fish are adorable?
Princess Jiacheng handed the box containing fish food to the maidservant, clapped her hands, and said, "You may all leave!"
"You know what, he looks adorable, but I don't really like him," Zhao Sheng said, shaking his head.
"Nobody asked you to appreciate it."
Princess Jiacheng reclined in the rocking chair on the side of the room and looked at Zhao Sheng, saying, "You went to see Wang You and told him everything, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, and his left hand unconsciously tightened. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Sister, I don't understand what you mean."
"You just met Wang You at Zhouqiao. Do you need me to tell you the time of your meeting, the style of the painted boat you were on, and when you left?" Princess Jiacheng said calmly.
"Are you spying on me?"
Zhao Sheng's face turned grim.
"It's not about surveillance. You never usually go boating on the Bian River, but you suddenly did last time."
"I knew it was just a ruse to deceive you," said Princess Jiacheng.
Zhao Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I went to see Ziqian. You asked me to stall for time, but I still need to know when he plans to get married, right?"
Princess Jiacheng swayed lazily in her rocking chair and said, "But you just lied. You told him all the demands I made, and even came up with solutions for him, right?"
"No, since I promised you, why would I tell Ziqian?" Zhao Sheng denied.
"Big brother, after all these years, you still can't shake the habit of clutching your left hand when you lie," said Princess Jiacheng, looking at Zhao Sheng's tightly clenched left hand.
"I--"
"Alright, stop explaining."
Princess Jiacheng said, "He refused, right?"
Seeing Jia Cheng's calm expression, Zhao Sheng tentatively asked, "What would you do if he refused?"
"Hehe, I want the man, and I want his heart. Guess what I'll do?" said Princess Jiacheng.
"Don't you dare do anything reckless!"
Zhao Sheng said urgently, "Father is at a critical moment right now. Although the Sheng family is not of high social standing, it can still be considered a scholarly family, and they are also related to Minister Hai by marriage."
"If I were to harm her, wouldn't Wang You hate me to death?"
Princess Jiacheng rolled her eyes at her, closed her eyes, and said, "Big brother, go back. I'm going to take a nap."
"Are you sure you won't do anything reckless?" Zhao Sheng asked, still worried.
Princess Jiacheng ignored her upon hearing this.
"I'm finding it increasingly difficult to understand your thoughts. I just don't understand why you're fixated on Ziqian when there are so many talented people in the world."
After Zhao Sheng finished speaking, he waited for a while and saw that she seemed to be really asleep and could not react at all. He sighed and turned to leave.
He has no other choice but to send someone to keep an eye on her.
After Zhao Sheng had walked for a while, the Princess of Jiacheng called out, "Someone come here!"
A maidservant hurried over and bowed, saying, "Princess."
"Send someone to Zhouqiao to order a painted boat; I'm going to cruise the Bian River tomorrow morning," Princess Jiacheng instructed.
"Yes!" the maid replied and left.
Zhao Sheng became tense upon learning that the county magistrate of Jiacheng had sent someone to the Zhouqiao Wharf to book a boat.
He ordered his men to keep a close watch on the actions of Princess Jiacheng and her servants.
However, no abnormalities were found.
The next morning, when the county magistrate of Jiacheng went out, he was worried and sent several people to follow and monitor him.
Princess Jiacheng arrived at the dock by carriage. Shortly after boarding the boat, it sailed away from the dock and leisurely cruised on the Bian River.
Half an hour later, the boat docked at a small pier in the south of the city, and two women got off the boat.
The people monitoring the ship did not recognize the identity of the people boarding, but they remembered Zhao Sheng's instructions and hurriedly went back to report.