Chapter 1147: Chapter 719: And You?_2
The night breeze softly caressed, clouds drifted away in an instant, letting the moonlight cascade down like a waterfall.
Li Yucheng took a deep breath and spoke in a calm and low voice:
“Third Young Master, I understand everything you’ve said, but before being the Crown Prince, I am first a mber of the Imperial Family.”
“….”
Xu Yuan raised his brows slightly, looking at this Crown Prince with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
I may desire to ascend the throne, but if it ans becoming a puppet to outsiders, I would rather die.
It is the pride of the Imperial Family.
Although Xu Yuan felt sowhat displeased, he still couldn’t help but regard the other with a touch of admiration.
But Li Yucheng cannot afford to refuse.
If we intend to annihilate the sects, the conflict with the Imperial Family must be postponed; in other words, the Pri Minister’s Mansion must find a mber of the Imperial Family of sufficient weight to collaborate.
Li Junqing is out of consideration.
Li Zhaoyuan is not favored.
It’s impossible to, like with Cangyuan, support the Sixth Prince who is still in swaddling clothes.
After pondering briefly,
Xu Yuan drained his cup of fine wine in one gulp and sighed:
“Crown Prince, I now understand your intention.”
Li Yucheng smiled and stood up to bow, his deanor relaxed and carefree:
“Third Young Master, I appreciate your kindness, but there are so things one cannot relinquish.”
Xu Yuan hurriedly waved his hand and said:
“Hey, hey, I haven’t finished speaking yet, Crown Prince, don’t be so quick to send away.”
Li Yucheng’s gaze grew slightly sharp, as he stood without resuming his seat:
“Oh? Third Young Master, speak freely.”
Although Xu Yuan had yet to discern this Crown Prince’s capability, his re pride alone was enough to earn his respect.
Not lingering in his seat, Xu Yuan also stood and motioned toward the direction of the courtyard gate:
“Since we’ve both risen, let us discuss as we walk.”
Li Yucheng paused briefly in silence, then smiled and nodded:
“Since my father is aware of Third Young Master’s discreet eting with tonight, there’s no need to conceal anything from others. But may I ask, Young Master, what brings you here?”
The two walked side by side along the stone-paved path through a grassy lawn, their long hair shimring under the moonlight.
After leaving the courtyard gate,
Xu Yuan glanced at the deep and shadowy forest path ahead, speaking softly:
“Although Li Zhaoyuan towers like the midday sun, Crown Prince, you are certainly not without options.”
Li Yucheng, walking on the right side, replied with a smile:
“Third Young Master refers to Qingyan, that little girl?”
Xu Yuan gave him a peculiar sideways glance:
“It seems the Crown Prince already knows.”
“Yunqing told .”
Li Yucheng chuckled, turning back to glance at him, his strides light and his tone gentle yet commanding: “Before leaving on his journey, he speculated on Father’s imperial intentions for .”
They stepped into a dimly lit path, the light fading.
Xu Yuan raised his brows and quirked his lips with curiously:
“What did that boy say?”
“It seems Third Young Master has quite the friendship with Yunqing.”
“Just drinking buddies.”
“Drinking buddies wouldn’t lend him troops.”
Amidst the shifting shadows of the forest, Li Yucheng gave Xu Yuan a deep look and, under Xu Yuan’s faintly surprised gaze, leisurely explained:
“Don’t misunderstand, Yunqing didn’t tell about it directly. But he arranged for to et him in this place before leaving the capital today. Yet instead, Third Young Master ca. Doesn’t that itself say much?”
At this juncture,
Li Yucheng subtly shifted the topic back:
“Before leaving, Yunqing remarked that Father is quite conflicted nowadays.”
“Conflicted?”
“Indeed, conflicted.”
Li Yucheng appeared to curve his lips faintly in the shadows of the trees:
“The conflict between standing as Emperor and standing as man.”
“….”
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
This was the first he had heard of such a matter.
Li Yucheng smiled faintly, narrating in a tone like casual conversation:
“Ensuring the continuation of Imperial Family legitimacy is Father’s responsibility as Emperor. To achieve this, he must eradicate your Pri Minister’s Mansion.”
At these words, Li Yucheng cast a glance at Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan made no response, nor showed any expression, his deanor composed, as though listening to a tale unrelated to himself.
Seeing this, Li Yucheng continued:
“Yet as a re man, Father has his own ideals, for which he has devoted his life.”
“But these duties and ideals utterly conflict, leaving Father caught in hesitation.”
Xu Yuan smiled faintly:
“That is quite the novel perspective.”
“Indeed, I shared the sa skepticism initially—how could Father, such a man, fall prey to such naive doubts.”
Li Yucheng nodded in agreent, but his next words carried a trace of complexity: a mix of jealousy and lant:
“Yet Yunqing, that boy, has always understood Father best. Whenever he caused trouble within the palace, he could manipulate Father’s mind to escape punishnt.”
Xu Yuan still refrained from giving a direct opinion and instead teased:
“Among you princes, isn’t Li Zhaoyuan the one said to most resemble Father?”
“Resembling him and understanding him are two different matters. Take your Pri Minister’s Mansion’s Eldest Young Master for instance—does he truly understand the Sword Saint?”
Li Yucheng countered smoothly with a faint smile, shaking his head as he sighed:
“This ti, I think Yunqing may really be right.”
“He said Father’s summoning of Qingyan back to the palace is the clearest sign of his hesitation.”
As they spoke, the two erged from the forest’s shade.
A river cascading from the mountain’s summit appeared before them, flowing gently through the valley, its surface shimring with waves under the moonlight.
Following the river’s course,
Xu Yuan gazed at the occasional splashes on the surface of the Si River and remarked:
“Summoning Qingyan back to the palace—isn’t that to prevent her from switching loyalties at the last mont?”
“Third Young Master, you jest.”
Li Yucheng’s fingers lightly brushed the wooden railing lining the river valley as he gently replied:
“Qingyan did once declare her intention to honor her widowhood for you, but she is still a mber of the Imperial Family. To assess her in that manner—isn’t that an insult to her?”
Xu Yuan certainly understood this and responded:
“Just a jest. Let guess what Yunqing said.
“Your Majesty summoned Qingyan back to the palace with two motives:
“First, to give Li Zhaoyuan confidence, rendering Qingyan, stripped of her military power, completely non-threatening to him.
“Second, to allow you, her brother, an opportunity to approach her—am I correct?”
Li Yucheng nodded decisively and said:
“Yes, if I were to gain Qingyan’s support, many matters would be resolved, and I would be preliminarily equipped to collaborate with your Pri Minister’s Mansion.”
Xu Yuan asked: “So did she agree?”
Li Yucheng shook his head:
“She refuses to see .”
“What?”
Xu Yuan furrowed his brows.
For the first ti tonight, he felt genuine surprise.
Based on his understanding of the Wrapped Chest Princess, given her disdain for the sects, when faced with the option of choosing between the Crown Prince and Li Zhaoyuan, she would surely select the forr.
Li Yucheng’s starry eyes remained as serene as a lake as he softly said:
“I don’t know why either,
“Yunqing told that Zhao Yuan had previously attempted to assassinate both you and her at the Northern Frontier. Moreover, Zhao Yuan has allied himself with the sects Qingyan detests most. Securing her support logically should not be difficult.
“But the reality is, she refuses to even et .”
“…”
Xu Yuan quickly considered the potential motivations of the Wrapped Chest Princess, his thoughts finally settling on one likely explanation.
“Sothing must have happened during the campaign to eliminate the sects at the Northern Frontier.”
Li Yucheng was one step ahead, voicing this conclusion softly: “Zhao Yuan’s stance on the sects has evidently undergone a significant shift. Perhaps this is the reason.”
The Crown Prince’s words pulled Xu Yuan’s mood down slightly.
Li Yucheng gazed at the vast night sky, his tone calm yet tinged with faint laughter:
“The claim that Zhao Yuan resembles Father is no joke. He is indeed remarkable. Placing myself in the sa situation, I could never achieve what he has.”
“Qingyan is also an extraordinary woman.
“A feud to the death is dwarfed by ideology—perhaps she believes Zhao Yuan would accomplish more than I ever could.”
“…..”
Xu Yuan remained silent, his brows furrowing deeply.
He was utterly perplexed by the Wrapped Chest Princess’s odd attitude.
If Li Qingyan chose to support Li Zhaoyuan, then the Crown Prince route would be as good as dood. Either they would need to cooperate with Li Zhaoyuan, or they would have to confront the Imperial Family head-on.
But if the relationship between the Pri Minister’s Mansion and the Imperial Family were to fracture, with Lady Wen waiting in the shadows, the Pri Minister’s Mansion was highly likely to et the sa fate as Cangyuan.
The most critical question amidst such circumstances:
What would his father choose?
If Li Zhaoyuan truly showed willingness to align himself against the sects, then his thods and ambition did make him the best candidate for collaboration with the Pri Minister’s Mansion….
Li Yucheng observed Xu Yuan’s expression, raised a hand, and patted his shoulder, speaking calmly:
“Enough, tonight we’ve delved too far. Father has yet to make his decision. Between the throne and idealism, even in hesitation, Father would most likely choose the forr. The chance of war between us outweighs the possibility of continued cooperation.”
Xu Yuan answered without hesitation, lifting his gaze to say:
“Your Majesty must understand—my father has no intention of seizing the throne.”
“What about you?”
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