Yang Fan had gone to Fang Province to pick up the Prince of Luling. At first, it was a huge secret that no one in the capital knew about.
When Wei Yong sent back the news, Wu Sansi and Wu Yizong found out.
When Brigade Commander Jia discovered the Prince of Luling's disappearance on the Yellow Bamboo Ridge, Wu Chengsi found out as well, followed by his strategist Zhang Jiafu.
Then, Wu Chengsi called for a clan assembly, so everyone in the Wu clan knew about it.
These people had relatives, friends, trusted aides, and subordinates. At this time, the secret was no longer a secret.
The Wu brothers wanted to mobilize the entire Wu clan's power to deal with the Prince of Luling, so they announced the news to the Wu clansmen. These clansmen were a mix of good and bad, and many of them were profligate, so it was very difficult for them to keep the secret.
Moreover, the assassins sent by the Wu brothers wanted to find traces of Yang Fan's group, but relying on their own strength was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although they had an informant by Yang Fan's side, if they couldn't grasp Yang Fan's movements in time, it would be too late by the time the information arrived.
Therefore, they had to borrow the local powers, and these local powers, whether they were loyal to the Wu clan, inclined to the Wu clan, or forced to submit to the Wu clan, all of them had their own factions and friends. Thus, when they found out about this, it meant that their small group also knew about it.
The current situation was that this matter had already become an open secret. In the bureaucracy, as long as they had some connections, everyone knew about it. Only the wise and farsighted Wu Zhou Emperor was still in the dark. Because she lived deep in the palace, no one told her about this.
Those who wanted to kill the Prince of Luling wouldn't say anything, and those who wanted to protect him couldn't say anything. Evidence? No, it was only hearsay. Moreover, the assassins had already been sent. Even if Wu Zetian believed it, it was too far for her to do anything. The Prince of Luling's life was no longer dependent on the major figures in the capital.
The result would be that he would completely expose himself and break off all relations with the Wu Clan. If that happened, if the Prince of Luling really died, he wouldn't be far from it either. Even if the Prince of Luling managed to make it to the capital alive, he would still have a few years to live as a humble crown prince. During this period of time, he still wouldn't be able to protect them from the Wu Clan's crazy counterattack.
They would not do meaningless things. None of these people in the officialdom were hot-blooded people who did things regardless of the consequences. Even if everyone knew about this battle, it could only be carried out below the stage. But below the stage, they could only be a group of anxious spectators.
When this matter had already begun, the fate of the nation and its future would be decided by those ordinary people who were bathed in blood and killing each other, and not by these high-ranking officials. However, they still sent out eyes and ears. They needed to know first-hand information in time so that they could respond in time.
Therefore, the news that Yang Fan had protected the Prince of Luling and successfully fought his way out of the encirclement and escaped to Dragon's Gate Mountain was only known to them a little later than Wu Sansi and Wu Chengsi. The Prince of Luling was already in the capital, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, so they had a place to use their skills. The various gods and buddhas immediately began to move.
The officials of the Luling Sect were burning with anxiety. They were like a group of dragons without a leader. The leader of their sect, Di Renjie, was suffering from a serious illness. Sometimes he was lucid, sometimes he was muddle-headed, and he was no longer able to manage matters.
But without Di Renjie, no one had the prestige or the qualifications to lead them and make a decision that would decide the future of all of them. Helpless, they could only rush to Prime Minister Di's estate. No matter what, they had to get an idea or a decision from this Imperial Elder.
The officials of the Prince of Xiang's faction were in extreme conflict.
On one hand, the Prince of Luling had clearly returned to the capital to replace the Prince of Xiang. Everyone could see this.
In his years in the Eastern Palace, the Prince of Xiang had suffered the open and hidden attacks of the Wu clan. The Prince of Xiang's Crown Princess and Secondary Concubine had both died because of the schemes of the Wu clan, and the Prince of Xiang's sons had been born from the Crown Princess and Secondary Concubine who had died unjustly. The hatred between the two sides could no longer be resolved.
Wu Zetian's decision to appoint a descendant of the Li clan as heir apparent had been forced by the circumstances and the will of the people. In this case, her best choice could only be the Prince of Luling in the distant Fang Province. She was not willing to let the Prince of Xiang ascend the throne. Once the Prince of Xiang ascended to the throne, he would very likely become the gravedigger of the Wu clan.
But if the Prince of Luling really did die on the road, once Wu Zetian hardened her heart and insisted on appointing a member of the Wu clan as heir apparent even if the world fell into chaos, what would happen then? Perhaps after Wu Zetian's death, there would be a nation-wide war to decide who the country belonged to.
Moreover, it was fine if the Prince of Luling had not yet arrived at the capital. It was fine to feign ignorance and impotence, but now that he was at Dragon's Gate Mountain, if they did not do anything, wouldn't they be scorned by the people of the world? Thus, Yao Chong, Wei Zhigu, and the others hesitantly wanted to help the Prince of Luling return to the city.
But a large number of officials in the Prince of Xiang's faction opposed this.
They believed that if the Prince of Luling returned to the capital alive, he would assuredly be made crown prince. The Prince of Luling was the Prince of Xiang's elder brother and also a descendant of Li Tang, so the people of the world did not care. As long as he lived, the Prince of Xiang would never have a chance to aspire to the throne, nor would he have any reason to rebel against his imperial brother. The throne would essentially be handed over to the Prince of Luling.
But if the Prince of Luling died, the Prince of Xiang would at least have a fifty-fifty chance of retaining his position as crown prince. Even if Wu Zetian was determined to make a nephew of the Wu clan crown prince, once Wu Zetian died, the Prince of Xiang could use the hearts of the people and Li Tang's prestige to rebel against the new emperor, giving him a fifty-fifty chance of recapturing the empire.
Based on this calculation, if the Prince of Luling died, the Prince of Xiang would have a seventy-five percent chance of ascending to the throne. If the Prince of Luling lived, the Prince of Xiang would not even have a ten percent chance. This argument had a great deal of support in the Prince of Xiang's faction. Although Yao Chong and Wei Zhigu were the leaders of this faction, they did not dare to go against the will of the majority, so the matter was dragged on.
But there was another faction in the capital that was paying close attention to this matter: the Taiping Party. Princess Taiping did not care which of her brothers became emperor. As long as they were descendants of Li Tang, she would support them. She had long ago learned that Yang Fan had secretly welcomed the Prince of Luling back to the capital and that the two Wu clans had mobilized all their forces to stop him.
Although she was burning with anxiety, she could do nothing at the time. Even if she charged into the palace and told the truth to the emperor, the emperor would not have enough time to think of a countermeasure. And if the Prince of Luling died on his way back, she would have to face the all-out counterattack of the Wu clan. If she waited patiently, once the Prince of Luling really did die, she could still use the dual opportunities of Princess Li Tang and the Wu clan's daughter-in-law to create as many opportunities as possible for her brother, the Prince of Xiang.
After weighing the pros and cons, Princess Taiping could only clench her teeth and endure.
But now that Yang Fan had escorted the Prince of Luling to the capital, she could no longer endure it. Her elder brother was on Dragon Gate Mountain, and so was her lover. If she acted now, there was a high chance that she could save them.
Thus, Princess Taiping immediately dispatched all her people to Yi Que and the Dragon Gate. Meanwhile, she quickly rode to the Imperial Palace to see the emperor. The horse was waiting outside the palace gate. Once she saw the Empress, she would immediately go to the Dragon Gate.
By this time, the Luling clique had already arrived at Prime Minister Di's estate. Di Renjie was sleeping, his son attending to him by his bed. Upon hearing the purpose of these officials, he knew that the matter was urgent and could only wake his father.
Di Renjie was still relatively clear-headed, and when he heard these officials explain their purpose, he immediately grew anxious. He had no time to reprimand these officials for being muddle-headed. He immediately had his family carry a soft sedan chair to Dragon Gate Mountain.
The protector had come, so the demon had naturally come as well!
Wu Sansi rose early in the morning. When he heard that the Prince of Luling had been found on the road from Yingyang to Luoyang, he was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised that the Prince of Luling was truly lucky. Even after being surrounded and intercepted, he had still managed to reach the vicinity of Luoyang. He was delighted that now that his tracks had been found, this distance was like the distance between heaven and earth. As long as he could kill him first, what was done could not be undone. No matter how angry his aunt was, there was nothing she could do.
Wu Sansi immediately arranged for his men to strengthen the surveillance on the road from Yi Que to Luoyang, while he himself rode to the Dragon Gate. Before leaving, Wu Sansi sent someone to deliver a message to Wu Chengsi as well. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. If he dragged this sickly man along, he would have more confidence in dealing with his aunt's displeasure.
When his men arrived at King Wei's Mansion, they found nothing. It turned out that Wu Chengsi had already received the news and was rushing to the Dragon Gate in a carriage. The two brothers were of one mind this time. Before leaving, Wu Chengsi also sent someone to deliver a message to him, but the two messengers found nothing. Wu Chengsi, on the other hand, ran into Wu Sansi along the way.
Wu Chengsi was lying sickly in the carriage. The jolting of the carriage made him drowsy, until a guard's cry came from outside, "Someone is coming! Ah! It's King Liang's flag! "
When Wu Chengsi heard this, he immediately called for his men to stop the carriage. Wu Sansi stopped in front of the carriage and asked curiously, "King Wei? I even sent someone to your mansion to send a message. So you've already received the news. "
Wu Chengsi was so agitated that his face turned red. First, he let out a heart-wrenching cough, then said while gasping for breath, "Reconsider! You … you must reach the Dragon Gate as soon as possible. You don't have to worry too much. Just charge up the mountain and kill Luling. As long as he's dead … cough cough cough, in front of aunt, it's up to you and me to talk. What's done can't be undone, and aunt can't … cough cough … do anything! Cough cough cough … "
Wu Sansi cursed in his heart, "You've already become like this. I'm afraid you'll cough to death on the road before Li Xian dies, yet you're still thinking about the throne!" However, he put on a smile and comforted him, "Don't worry! The enemy is right in front of us. You and I will work together. No matter what, we can't let the Wu Empire fall into the hands of outsiders! "
Wu Chengsi's eyes glistened with tears. He said emotionally, "Reconsider! The future of the Wu Clan is in your hands! "
Wu Sansi felt like vomiting, but he replied emotionally, "Don't worry, elder brother! I'll be going now! "
Wu Sansi whipped his horse and led a group of guards towards the Dragon Gate like a gust of wind. The horses' hooves kicked up a cloud of dust, and Wu Chengsi coughed violently again. Fortunately, he didn't choke to death.
…
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