strictlysupreme Chapter 120 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 51
Chapter 120 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 51
Small poor.
Ling Yi gently brushed her fingertips across his slightly reddened eyes: "Don't worry."
In the spring of their sixth year in the northern desert, Prince Rui and his wife returned to the capital.
They brought with them three thousand additional imperial guards, nearly two thousand laborers to manage the supplies, and a thousand servants and escorts of local specialties.
A procession of six thousand people, each on horseback, marched in a grand procession toward the capital.
When the remaining spies of the two princes in the capital learned of this news, their expressions changed.
That old ninth brother!
Whose laborers, skilled in archery and horsemanship, are managing the supplies and even carrying horse-slaying swords?
And your servant?
What? Are all the maids in the Prince's mansion big and burly, carrying spears?
This isn't a trip back to Beijing to visit relatives; it's clearly a trip to Beijing to show off and swagger!
When Xiao Xian learned of this news, he was filled with such regret that he felt like his guts were about to burst.
As the emperor's energy waned and only two princes remained capable of managing affairs of state, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were temporarily placed under his jurisdiction.
It was at that time that he truly learned in detail what achievements Lao Jiu had made in the northern desert.
Tax revenue surpasses that of Jiangnan, population growth has been the highest for years, and there were zero incursions by barbarians last year!
Compared to such brilliant achievements, his meddling in the court seemed like trivial matters.
That down-on-his-luck prince, forced to leave the capital, eventually became someone no one dared to underestimate.
If the court officials' admiration was mixed with fear of future regional separatist regimes, then he, the most likely successor to the throne, was filled with nothing but apprehension.
The matter in the northern desert is important, but compared to this vast world, it is insignificant!
And now that place is on the right track, it can continue to prosper even without Lao Jiu.
So, at his suggestion, the supplies and provisions for the northern deserts were delivered later and later, and the requests for credit in the northern deserts were also delayed more and more.
What he wanted was to destabilize Lao Jiu's position in the northern desert and force him to return to the capital in a sorry state.
Xiao Xian once thought this would be a long process.
But who could have imagined that Xiao Yao would suddenly request to return to the capital, and bring back so many soldiers with him?
how?
Is he planning a rebellion?
Father is still alive!
He looked intently at his advisors: "Gentlemen, have you come up with any prudent solutions?"
The advisors looked at each other, and after a long while, one of them spoke up: "His Majesty has given permission for Prince Rui to lead his troops back to the capital, and there is nothing we can do to stop him now."
Seeing that Xiao Xian's expression had turned cold, he quickly added, "However, foreign troops are not allowed to enter the city!"
"The troops he brought back, even the Imperial Guard, have to rest and recuperate in the camp outside the capital. As long as we guard the city gates, they cannot threaten His Highness at all."
Xiao Xian's expression softened somewhat, and he said coldly, "Now, what I fear is not Xiao Yao, but my father!"
The aging emperor had watched his sons fight tooth and nail all these years without uttering a word.
Although he now holds some control over the court's fate, he is still not the crown prince.
Without this title, he would never be able to surpass his brothers, and he would always be at risk of being overturned by adversity.
Xiao Yao's actions in the northern desert over the years have made him even more wary.
That's no longer the carefree old man who used to eat, drink, and have fun; he's grown into a wolf!
Thinking about this, he felt a little regretful.
Why did you push for Lao Jiu to leave the capital back then?
He should be kept under close watch and made to remain just a spoiled brat!
But in this world, what is so certain?
If the Ninth Prince had stayed in the capital, who knows if he wouldn't have developed ambitions amidst the brothers' infighting?
After much thought, I still couldn't find a single solution to this annoying problem.
Suddenly, Xiao Xian remembered the words his concubine Qingxi had shouted with all her might when she was assassinated.
Kill her!
She wanted to kill the maid who knew about the past, but didn't she also want to kill the ninth prince who threatened her?
With a flicker of his eyes, Xiao Xian suddenly had an idea.
How could he forget the biggest disadvantage of Lao Jiu compared to him?
His principal wife was a traitor from the previous dynasty!
As for his concubine?
A concubine and a principal wife are naturally very different. He could temporarily excuse himself from being deceived, hand Qingxi over, and put her in prison to be well cared for.
When he ascends the throne in the future, he will compensate Qingxi!
Now he has people in the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Imperial Clan Court. He believes that Qingxi will not be wronged.
The traitor we captured that year, we've raised him until now, and he's finally proving useful!
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and suddenly said, "You may all leave."
That evening, a memorial he had submitted through the cabinet was delivered to the emperor's desk.
The cabinet ministers have now been replaced. They have a vague bias in their hearts but have learned from past lessons. They do not dare to openly cross the emperor's bottom line, but only submit their memorials to the emperor.
On his sickbed in the warm pavilion, the emperor looked at the memorial and sneered.
His third son was resourceful and courageous, but he always lacked a certain magnanimity.
How could he do such a despicable thing!
He exposed the matter of the Ninth Prince's wife to the public, thinking it was to cut off his path to the throne, but little did he know that he was revealing his own mean and ungrateful nature.
Being harsh and ungrateful is not necessarily a bad thing for an emperor, but you haven't even become emperor yet, and you're already acting like this. Aren't you afraid that your subordinates will be disheartened?
"Since he's so eager to eliminate the traitors of the previous dynasty, let's arrest his concubine first!"
The emperor sneered, "Put him in the prison of the Prefect of the Capital."
He was exhausted and delegated many tasks to his sons, but he always managed to maintain perfect control over the Jingzhao Yin (Prefect of the Capital) and the military power inside and outside the palace.
Xiao Xian never expected that the emperor, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb for so long, would give him such a warning at this moment.
"Your Highness, Prince Qing of the Imperial Clan Court passed away last night in his residence."
As the Prefect of the Capital led away the tearful Qingxi in handcuffs, the Prince's steward hurriedly arrived to report the death.
Xiao Xian suddenly looked up: "How is that possible?"
Prince Qing was the youngest son of the late emperor, and was about the same age as him. How could he have died so mysteriously?
He suddenly turned to look at Qingxi, who was being led away in shackles, and the Prefect of the Capital, who showed him no respect, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Father, what exactly are you doing?
Could it be that he favors the ninth prince and wants to pave the way for him?
He suddenly sneered. Could it be that all his years of hard work and dedication in the capital, managing state affairs for his father, were less valuable than that of a beloved son?
When you need him, you'll have him serve you hand and foot; when you don't need him, you'll want to kick him aside. Dream on!
His eyes flickered, and he called over an aide and whispered a few words to him.
While he was busily preparing to guard against the emperor's betrayal, little did he know that another team, also in shackles, had arrived in front of Xiao Yao's convoy.