Five years after ascending the throne, the late emperor passed away due to illness.
On his deathbed, the late emperor repeatedly urged his son not to forget the initial layout, and not to be blinded by riches and prosperity, neglecting to deal with the aristocratic families.
In the late emperor’s view, as long as the aristocratic families were not thoroughly eliminated, the court would not be completely stable, and ordinary people would never have their day.
The late emperor harbored deep hatred towards the aristocratic families.
Zhao Zheng promised the late emperor that he would definitely eliminate the aristocratic families, ensuring they wouldn’t control the court and harm the people again.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he continued the layout, gradually eliminating the aristocratic families. So far, all powerful families have been eradicated, even the leading Xie family has fallen. Since then, the capital has no more aristocratic families.
With the downfall of the Xie family, Prince Jing was demoted, leaving only Prince Chu and Prince Wei to contend in the court.
The ministers all know that the next contest is between Prince Chu and Prince Wei. It’s hard to say who will win or lose.
In the Prince Chu Mansion, Yang Ling and Prince Chu were discussing the next steps.
"Your Highness, Prince Wei is even more difficult to deal with than we imagined." Yang Ling only now understood everything happening in the capital, "Prince Wei first eliminated Prince Dai and Prince Han, and then Prince Yue. Now Prince Wei has also removed Prince Jing and the Xie family, his thods... truly chilling."
To be honest, these two matters made Prince Chu realize that Prince Wei’s thods were even more unfathomable than he had imagined. He never underestimated Prince Wei, always considering him a formidable rival, but never expected he had underestimated him.
"Your Highness, these matters..." Yang Ling paused here, showing a worried expression, "Your Highness, I always thought we had a lot of information about Prince Wei, but it seems it is not the case."
Prince Chu slightly frowned and said: "I underestimated him."
"Your Highness, not ntioning other matters, but the rebellion of Prince Dai and Prince Han is not sothing an ordinary person could orchestrate." Yang Ling was shocked by Prince Wei’s ans, "Prince Wei not only has unfathomable sches but also cunning thods, truly hard to handle."
Prince Chu said: "et the maneuver and dismantle it."
Yang Ling thought of Prince Jing who was sent back to his domain, showing a hint of doubt in his expression.
"Your Highness, why would Prince Wei spare Prince Jing? That’s not like his style." Initially, he thought Prince Jing would die unexpectedly on his way back to his domain, but unexpectedly Prince Jing returned safely. "Could it be Prince Jing is still useful to Prince Wei? Prince Jing is proud and arrogant, fundantally disdainful of Prince Wei, even if he was demoted to Commandery Prince, he wouldn’t collaborate with the low-born Prince Wei."
Concerning this matter, Prince Chu also couldn’t understand, not knowing what Prince Wei’s true intentions were.
"Your Highness, His Highness Prince Han should know sothing." Yang Ling still recalled that before Prince Dai and Prince Han’s betrayal, Zhao Yao specifically ca to warn Prince Chu to be cautious. "Prince Dai and Prince Han conspired together, His Highness Prince Han seed to know beforehand, otherwise he wouldn’t have co to you early and said those words."
Prince Chu initially guessed Prince Han would rebel, but didn’t expect Prince Yue and Prince Dai to also be involved.
"Even if my tenth brother knows sothing, I can’t ask him. We have long agreed that he wouldn’t involve himself in the matters between and Prince Wei."
Yang Ling knew about this matter, so he didn’t ntion the distant Zhao Yao in Swamp Prefecture.
"Your Highness, still send soone to watch Prince Jing." Prince Wei wouldn’t let Prince Jing go for no reason, he must be planning sothing, they must be prepared.
Prince Chu nodded lightly: "Mm, send soone to watch him."
"Your Highness, why don’t we strike first?" Instead of passively waiting for Prince Wei to act, why don’t they take the initiative?
Prince Chu slightly shook his head: "Let’s wait and see."
"Your Highness, striking first will gain the upper hand, being late will lose the opportunity."
"With Prince Wei’s thods, he is waiting for us to act first." Prince Chu said, "Wait and see, respond to change with no change."
Yang Ling thought there was so truth in Prince Chu’s words and agreed by nodding, "Then let’s wait and see."
At this mont, the Emperor in the Imperial Study was playing chess with Pri Minister He.
"Lao He, do you think the fourth or eighth will strike first?"
Pri Minister He said, "I don’t know."
The Emperor glared at Pri Minister He and laughingly scolded: "Old fox."
Pri Minister He clasped his fists and made a bow to the Emperor: "I’m not as cunning as Your Majesty."
The Emperor openly accepted Pri Minister He’s praise, "Thank you for the complint."
Pri Minister He wasn’t witnessing the Emperor being shaless for the first ti, ignored him, and continued playing chess.
"There are a few small fry left, wait a while and deal with them all together." The small fry the Emperor ntioned were the second-rate and third-rate families in the capital.
"Your Majesty, was the cooperation with the Xie family back then your idea or the late emperor’s idea?"
"Of course it was the old man’s idea."
Pri Minister He didn’t believe it, "It was your idea."
The Emperor denied, "It wasn’t."
"Regardless of whose idea, the cooperation and marriage alliance with the Xie family was a brilliant strategy." At that ti, Zhao’s family joined hands with Xie family, he and Lao Liu thought the late emperor and the current Emperor did it to appease the families, not to ally with them, unexpectedly, it was to deal with Xie family. "This ga was laid out for decades, I admit my inferiority."
anwhile, Zhao Yao far away in Swamp Prefecture finally snapped out and realized that the Emperor’s marriage alliance with the Xie family was a conspiracy.
"It must not be Grandpa Emperor’s idea, definitely the cunning father’s strategy." Grandpa Emperor indeed had great tactics in warfare, but concerning court matters, the elder was not that far-sighted.
Initially targeting the Xie family, still letting the Xie family propose the marriage alliance happily, thinking their family would regain their status and power in the new dynasty seeing that there would be Empress, unexpectedly it was a deep pit.
The forr Duke and his son didn’t understand until their deaths that they were fooled by the cunning father, causing the Xie family to fall from the leader of aristocratic families to being the commoners they once despised.
Spiteful, so spiteful.
Having said that, I have to admire the cunning father’s foresight and layout ability.
Compared to being deceitful and sinister, no one can compare to the cunning father.
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