"Young master, this way please." Eunuch Liao led the way as Xie Cheng Dong entered the study room. He felt warm and comfortable. There were glass windows and a huge bookshelf, filled with books and paintings. In front of the screen, there was a tea table and a chair. King Lu was seated on the chair, looking very spirited. His eyes were slightly dark and his face was pale. He wasn't very calm. His voice was gentle, "Rise."
At this point, only the three of them were in the study room. There were guards standing guard in the distance.
Seeing that Xie Cheng Dong's attitude was still respectful, King Lu had a strange look on his face. He took a sip of tea and sighed, "I'm at the end of my road, and have been demoted to a Canton King. Why are you still so respectful?"
His expression was one of desolation and desolation, and no one could tell how deep his emotions were.
Hearing King Lu's words, Xie Cheng Dong laughed out, "Of course not. We Daoists can observe fate energy, and know that King Lu is the future Son of Heaven. Although there will be setbacks, it's just a temporary setback, and not a big deal. As long as we have a good plan, King Lu's fate will return to you."
"Haha, I'm pleased to hear these words of yours. But how can fate be so simple? I've already lost my title as a Prince. How can fate be like that?"
King Lu laughed out as he sipped on his tea. He was calm and composed.
Xie Cheng Dong looked at King Lu and nodded his head in approval. Such a demeanor was worthy of being invested in. He then lowered his voice, "King Lu feels that you're at the end of your road, but that's not necessarily the case. At least there's a glimmer of hope. It's not impossible to rise again."
King Lu stared at Xie Cheng Dong, his eyes blazing as he asked, "What do you mean? What do you have in mind? "
"King Lu, listen to me." Xie Cheng Dong bowed, "This matter is simple. When things reach an extreme, they will move in the opposite direction. I wonder if there's anyone else who can speak up for me?"
"Of course there's someone who can speak up for me. It's just that most of them won't be willing to help me." King Lu's face was gloomy, "Even if these people speak up for me, they might not be able to change anything. The Crown Prince has the support of the Emperor."
"King Lu is right. But they don't speak up for you. On the contrary, if they don't speak up for you, how many of them will do that?" Xie Cheng Dong asked.
Hearing this, Eunuch Liao roared in anger, "How dare you! Do you want to put my Lord in danger?!"
"Let him speak." At this point, King Lu's interest was piqued as he waved his hands.
"Prince, this person is a traitor." Eunuch Liao looked at Xie Cheng Dong in front of him and said hatefully, "Your Highness is already in a bad situation, and now he wants to make it worse."
When Xie Cheng Dong heard this, he wasn't in a hurry to explain himself. He glanced at King Lu and noticed that he was smiling. However, he couldn't tell what was in his eyes. Was it hatred, doubt, or hope?
Xie Cheng Dong then said, "The Emperor is in his twilight years, and his body is deteriorating. This time, the Crown Prince has won a great victory, and that is the case. But the hearts of father and son are connected. Would the Emperor be closer to the official, or to the Prince?"
"Although it is said that if the prince breaks the law, the commoners will be punished the same way, but His Majesty has already punished him. If there are many people who want to speak up for the Crown Prince and kill His Highness, think about it. Wouldn't His Majesty feel that the Crown Prince's wings are full and his claws and teeth are sharp, making people tremble in fear?"
"Or could it be that the Crown Prince doesn't want to bear the crime of killing his brother and wants an official to do it? As long as His Majesty suspects the Crown Prince, His Highness' path would be much smoother. "
"Just like that, you can topple the Crown Prince?" Eunuch Liao was excited, "You're a Daoist, and you're full of schemes. I've misunderstood you."
"Of course not. The Crown Prince has an expert by his side. If the Crown Prince was overbearing and wanted to kill His Highness, the Emperor would be disgusted and not strip His Highness of his title."
"Now that the Crown Prince is magnanimous, the Emperor is much more at ease." As he spoke up to this point, Xie Cheng Dong sighed, "After this battle, the Crown Prince's position is stable, and won't be in chaos for a short period of time."
"Besides, the officials are loyal to him, and it would be difficult to topple him with schemes alone. After all, if His Majesty wants to depose the Crown Prince, he would have to consider the opinions of the officials."
"The Crown Prince is magnanimous, and the Crown Prince follows the rules. The Crown Prince is innocent, so why should the Emperor depose him?"
"The capital's foundation has been uprooted. His Highness has to leave the capital and take control of the army. Only then would he be able to protect himself." Xie Cheng Dong then continued, "Hence, the first step is to show weakness, and make the officials submit a petition to kill His Highness. Even if the Crown Prince doesn't participate, it would still create a huge commotion."
"The Emperor is naturally uneasy. However, this plan isn't enough. We need another plan."
"Oh, Mister, please speak." King Lu addressed Xie Cheng Dong as' Mister ', which meant that his attitude towards Xie Cheng Dong had changed. He leaned forward and looked at Xie Cheng Dong.
"The plan is to injure yourself to gain sympathy. His Highness will gradually become thinner and thinner. After reading the petition to kill him, he will spit out a few mouthfuls of blood and fall sick. It would be best if he becomes as sick as a piece of dried wood. All we need to do is to secretly spread the news, or arrange for someone to submit a petition to say that His Highness is in pain. His Highness, what do you think the Emperor would think?"
"We have to fight for the Emperor to visit us."
"His Highness would say, 'Father Emperor, that I might not be able to serve you anymore.'
"Father and son are connected by heart. What do you think the Emperor would think when he sees His Highness in such a state? Would he think that he has gone too far in suppressing you?" Xie Cheng Dong spoke as he picked up a teacup and placed it next to King Lu.
When King Lu heard this, he stared at Xie Cheng Dong and sighed, "Good plan. You're so knowledgeable, and yet you're able to say it out loud. I'm both surprised and delighted."
Xie Cheng Dong laughed, "His Highness, I'm not done yet."
King Lu paused, as he suppressed the excitement in his heart, "Mister, please continue."
Eunuch Liao looked at King Lu as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"This is a tactic of injuring oneself to gain the confidence of others. The Emperor might console you, saying that the Crown Prince is benevolent, and won't do anything to you. You just need to rest and recuperate."
Hearing these words, King Lu knew that this was very likely. He then looked at Xie Cheng Dong, "Mister, how do you think I should deal with this?"
"King Lu, you can't retort. You have to say, 'Your son understands.'"
"When the Emperor leaves, you're going to cry out loud. You're going to tell everyone around you that the Crown Prince is benevolent and benevolent, and I've always known that. However, the officials are treating your son as a traitor, and they're furious. It looks like I don't have many more days to live."
"I believe that the Emperor will know what King Lu has said. Even if he doesn't, he can send someone to inform the Emperor."
"Father and son are connected by heart. Not to mention the fact that the Emperor likes King Lu even more. He even praised King Lu and bowed deeply to me. Now that King Lu has fallen to such a state, wouldn't the Emperor empathize with you?"
"As long as we can gain the Emperor's sympathy, many things can be done."
"At this point, if someone were to suggest that King Lu should surrender to the Emperor, the Emperor would most likely agree."
"The capital city is too big, and the capital city is too small. King Lu has to jump out of the capital city in order to survive. Everything that the Emperor says and does will be seen by the Emperor. As long as he surrenders to the Emperor, he will be able to command an army, amass wealth, and collect grain. This is his destiny."
"Phew!" At this point, King Lu's entire body was trembling uncontrollably. After some time, he let out a long sigh and said, "Mister Xie's plan is very good. But is it really impossible for me to fight for the position of Crown Prince?"
King Lu was still somewhat unwilling to give up.
"King Lu, I'll say this again. If the Crown Prince is too overbearing and wants to kill King Lu, and tries to recruit people from all over the palace, only then would King Lu have a chance to make a comeback."
"Although the Crown Prince has already won, he has a magnanimous attitude. Although the officials are loyal to him, he doesn't want to reveal himself and try to recruit the officials. A few days ago, he even wrote a memorial to the Emperor."
"This magnanimous, studious, humble, and wise Crown Prince. Unless the Emperor has gone mad, who else would be able to get rid of him?"
"At first, there was still the option of using military force. But now that the Crown Prince has uprooted him, this capital city is like a trapped dragon."
"If King Lu continues to stay here, you will slowly wither away. You won't have another chance."
"Only when you leave the capital city will you be able to see the sky and the sea." Xie Cheng Dong spoke earnestly. He had already made up his mind. If King Lu didn't listen to him, then he would have to give up. He then bowed slightly and didn't speak further.
King Lu pondered for some time. Of course, he didn't want to give up on Xie Cheng Dong. However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that Xie Cheng Dong's words made sense. His eyes flashed as he spoke, "Mister's words have enlightened me. Since I've obtained the mandate of heaven, I have to have you as a True Sovereign. If I don't confer the title, I won't be able to repay you."
"King Lu has the mandate of heaven. This humble subject is only trying his best." Xie Cheng Dong didn't claim credit for himself as he bowed once more. He then heaved a sigh of relief.
"Good, good. Liao Pan, go and arrange for someone to attack me. This is a good plan. Time doesn't wait for me, and I can't delay any longer." Since King Lu had made his decision, he acted swiftly and instructed eunuch Liao to make the necessary arrangements.
King Lu thought for some time before he looked at Xie Cheng Dong and asked, "Mister Xie, do you have anything else to say after this?"
Xie Cheng Dong laughed as he lowered his eyelids, "Of course there is."
"When King Lu hears news of your departure, you can recover from your illness and bid farewell to the Emperor. Your words must be sincere. Halfway through your journey, arrange for someone from the relay station to give King Lu some fish that isn't fresh!"
"Fish that isn't fresh?" King Lu's eyes flashed.
"Yes, King Lu, along the way, the Imperial Court has its own rules and regulations."
"It doesn't seem like the Emperor would want to reduce the supply of fish. Even the relay station wouldn't agree to it. That would be a crime punishable by death. However, if you were to provide fish that isn't fresh, this is within the rules and regulations."
"Besides, this person has to say that King Lu isn't a King, but a Canton Prince. In the future, there might not even be a Canton Prince. What's wrong with eating this fish?"
"At this point, King Lu can't refuse or get angry. He wants to eat the fish that isn't fresh, and then sigh, 'I don't know if my descendants will be able to eat this fish!'
"When the Emperor hears this, he will definitely be heartbroken. In order to balance things out, he will definitely restore King Lu's title. In fact, he might even increase King Lu's military power. When that time comes, King Lu will be able to protect himself. If anything happens, he will be able to bring his troops back to the capital and fight for the throne."
King Lu thought for some time before sighing, "That's the only way. So what if I suffer a little? It's just that I'm still able to lay low. "
As he spoke, he was silent for some time before he stood up and bowed deeply, "Mister Xie, in the past, when you came to my palace, I was filled with disdain. But now, it seems like you're a Nation Scholar, and a military advisor to the world. I dare not disregard your etiquette. Now that I'm in a dire situation, I have no choice but to borrow Mister Xie's wisdom.
"Since King Lu has invited me, how would I dare not comply." Xie Cheng Dong bowed as well, his heart was filled with joy.
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