Lin Xueyi understood the deep aning behind Prince Wei’s words and said with admiration, "Your Highness is wise."
Prince Wei placed a piece, "Next, Prince Dai will eliminate Zhao Xuan."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xueyi’s hand paused mid-move. He looked surprised and said, "Your Highness ans that Prince Dai intends to send soone to assassinate the deposed Crown Prince?"
"Yes, Prince Dai will certainly not allow Zhao Xuan to be reinstated." Prince Wei curled his lips in a playful smile and said, "The one who wants Zhao Xuan dead the most now is Prince Dai."
"Your Highness, should we stop it?"
"Why stop it?" Prince Wei chuckled, "With Zhao Xuan dead, it is even more advantageous for us." The death of the deposed Crown Prince gave Prince Wei more reason to seek revenge on his behalf.
"Your Highness is right, when the snipe and the clam struggle, the fisherman benefits." Lin Xueyi recalled the emperor’s delay in appointing a new Crown Prince and asked Prince Wei for guidance, "Your Highness, why does the Emperor not appoint a new Crown Prince?"
"That is the brilliance of Father."
Lin Xueyi did not quite understand what Prince Wei ant and humbly asked for an explanation, "I seek your guidance, Your Highness."
"The first benefit of Father not appointing a new Crown Prince has already appeared."
"Are you referring to the matter of reinstating the deposed Crown Prince?" Lin Xueyi asked with a bewildered look, "What good does that do?"
"Father’s heart as a benevolent father," Prince Wei said in a aningful tone, "Father didn’t imdiately dispose of Zhao Xuan to demonstrate his benevolent fatherly heart. Now, by delaying the appointnt of a new Crown Prince, it appears as if he regrets deposing Zhao Xuan. Furthermore, not appointing a new Crown Prince also tests the court officials and ourselves, killing two birds with one stone."
Lin Xueyi looked enlightened and said, "So that’s how it is." He stood up and bowed to Prince Wei, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."
Prince Wei gestured for Lin Xueyi to sit down.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Xueyi sat back down opposite Prince Wei, "Your Highness, does this an the Emperor will not appoint a new Crown Prince anymore?"
"It’s possible."
"Your Highness, the Emperor not appointing a new Crown Prince is beneficial for us." If a new Crown Prince were to be appointed, it would never be Prince Wei, unless all the other princes were dead, leaving only Prince Wei alive. "We share the sa position as Prince Chu and the others."
"What we need to do now is concentrate on our work and avoid unnecessary actions on other matters."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xueyi felt a chill in his heart and imdiately replied earnestly, "Yes, Your Highness."
Not far from Prince Wei Mansion, a similar scenario was unfolding at Prince Chu Mansion.
Ministers supporting Prince Chu also believed the rumors that the Emperor intended to reinstate the deposed Crown Prince. They approached Prince Chu to prevent the reinstatent of the deposed Crown Prince.
The current Prince Chu would never allow the deposed Crown Prince to be reinstated, because in his view, the deposed Crown Prince, who disregarded human life and had rebellious thoughts, was unfit to be Crown Prince again. However, he would not take any actions because, in his view, the Emperor would never reinstate the Crown Prince. He instructed the ministers who supported him to watch and wait.
Seeing Prince Chu so calm, his supportive ministers were reassured.
As for Prince Jing, even if he believed the Emperor would reinstate the deposed Crown Prince, he would do nothing because he knew that Prince Dai and Prince Chu would never allow Zhao Xuan to be reinstated. He had nothing to do but reap the benefits like a fisherman.
Far away in Yangzhou, Zhao Yao also heard about this matter.
Governor Liang asked him what he thought about this matter.
Zhao Yao firmly declared that the Emperor would never reinstate the deposed Crown Prince.
"Yao Yao, why are you so certain that the Emperor will not reinstate Prince Jin?"
"Grandfather, Father ticulously planned for many years to dethrone my eldest brother and remove Duke Zhen," Zhao Yao said, "unless Father loses his mind, he won’t reinstate my eldest brother."
"Indeed." Governor Liang thought his grandson had said a lot, "So who do you think the new Crown Prince will be?"
"I don’t know."
Governor Liang looked surprised, "You don’t know?"
"Father will not appoint a new Crown Prince for the ti being." However, Zhao Yao was certain that the eventual winner would either be his fourth brother or his eighth brother.
"A country cannot go a day without a Crown Prince; how can they not appoint a new Crown Prince forever?" Governor Liang considered not appointing a new Crown Prince to be extrely inappropriate, "The court officials won’t just allow the Emperor to not appoint a new Crown Prince. Not appointing a new Crown Prince is not a good thing, as it will only intensify the struggle among the princes, thus unsettling the court. Once the court is in turmoil, the sufferers are the common people." In the court, any rustle in the grass would cause panic among the people.
"Grandfather, you underestimate my father. With my father, that cunning old fox, in place, the court cannot beco chaotic," Zhao Yao said, "My brothers are formidable, but none are a match for my father."
"Is that so?" Governor Liang had never t the Emperor and had no way of knowing what kind of person the Emperor truly was.
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