The winner was king and the loser was bandit.
Since Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had placed his life on the Crown Prince's side, he would not allow anyone who could disturb the Crown Prince's peace of mind to live.
"The Crown Prince must remain calm. Wan Chong … don't blame me for being ruthless!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping glanced at the closed doors of the study. His eyes flashed with a cold glint.
He was the Prime Minister.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping knew what the Crown Prince and the Emperor were thinking. As such, someone had to carry the burden.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong did not speak. He did not care about being the Minister of Law. In fact, as long as he was in power, he could have as many ministers as he wanted.
In his heart, there was only one thing that could truly threaten him. That was Fang Zhengzhi.
No!
Fang Zhengzhi had to die!
This Crown Prince had taken such a large risk and endured for so long. Now that we've reached this situation with great difficulty, there can't be any accidents at this time.
…
The next day, morning.
Flame Capital Palace, morning assembly.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong presented a memorial to the Emperor. He requested that the Emperor hold a banquet for the elderly. He also requested that the banquet be held by the Ten Mile Lake to comfort the Great Xia Army.
All of the officials agreed.
Emperor Lin Mubai praised Crown Prince Lin Tianrong for his actions. He also ordered Crown Prince Lin Tianrong to organize the banquet and draft a list of names.
King Duan was silent.
After the morning assembly, all of the officials congratulated Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and expressed their opinions. They listed out the most prestigious names for Crown Prince Lin Tianrong to participate.
King Duan remained silent.
In the evening, the night slowly fell and the Flame Capital City gradually became dark.
King Duan's residence was lit.
However, compared to the Eastern Palace's Crown Prince Fu, in just over a year's time, the originally bustling and extravagant Duan Wang Fu had become much quieter.
King Duan, Lin Xinjue, sat behind his desk, wearing a loose sleeping robe. He also held a letter in his hand. However, compared to the letter on the Crown Prince's desk yesterday, this letter was unscathed. In fact, there weren't even many wrinkles on it.
In the spacious study, other than King Duan, Lin Xinjue, there were only two people seated.
One of them was Elder Wen, who wore a black and white Taoist robe and had a few wrinkles on his face. The other was naturally Mister Hua, who was dressed like a scholar.
"Your Highness, did you summon us here because of the Crown Prince's request for the Thousand-Year Banquet?" Mister Hua waited until King Duan put down the letter before asking.
"Mm. Apart from the Banquet of the Thousand Elderly, there is news from the Northern Lands as well." King Duan nodded and placed a sandalwood incense stick on the table.
"Chi Hou sent a letter?" Mr. Hua gently sniffed the faint fragrance that filled the study room, then looked at the letter on the desk and guessed.
"Yes, Chi Hou wrote a letter saying that Yan Qianli had left Western Liang and is now heading to the capital with Chi Hou and the others. Fang Zhengzhi is also with them. Chi Hou had wanted to meet Yan Qianli in the Northern Mountain Village but could not find the opportunity." King Duan quickly recounted the contents of the letter.
"You've never met him before? It seems like Yan Qianli feels that the timing is not right. "Mister Hua slowly fell into deep thought when he heard this.
"You are right. However, Yan Qianli must be won over. Chi Hou wants me to go out and welcome Yan Qianli, preferably before the Crown Prince does. I did not expect the Crown Prince to request for the Banquet of the Thousand Elderly. This way, not only will we gain the upper hand, but the Crown Prince will also be in charge of welcoming Yan Qianli."
"Your Highness, your analysis is correct. Even if you go to welcome Yan Qianli now, the Emperor will still hand this matter over to the Crown Prince. After all, Yan Qianli will definitely be the host of the Banquet of the Thousand Elderly. Your Highness, even if you put in so much effort, you will only be able to serve as a foil."
"Mister Hua is right. That is why I disturbed Elder Wen and Mister Hua in the middle of the night. I hope that the two of you can teach me a lesson."
"We have already lost the initiative. Given the current situation in the court, it is almost impossible to fight the Crown Prince head-on. Therefore, we can only retreat."
"Retreat?! Over the past year, I have nowhere to retreat to. The Crown Prince's men are all in the Six Ministries. More than half of the officials in the various prefectures are now the Crown Prince's disciples. There is also the military. The military used to be my military, but what about now? At least thirty percent of the generals are loyal to the Crown Prince. How can I retreat? "
"We can only retreat for now." Mister Hua shook his head.
"The fight for the throne has always been one of survival. Once I take this step, I have no other choice. I hope that the two of you can help me … this time!"
"This … Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry? We do not have any chance of turning the situation around. "Mister Hua looked troubled.
"Please teach me!"
"Elder Wen, what do you think of this?" Mister Hua's lips twitched as he looked at Lin Xinjue. In the end, he sighed and looked at Elder Wen.
"Take a step back, and the sky will be clear." Elder Wen said.
"What do you mean by 'take a step back'?" Mister Hua's expression changed when he heard Elder Wen's words. He was not disappointed by Elder Wen's suggestion. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised.
"Some things are clear when you take a step back." Elder Wen said.
Lin Xinjue's eyes brightened when he heard this. He seemed to understand the meaning behind Elder Wen's words. However, he did not disturb him. Instead, he continued to listen.
"Elder Wen, please continue." Mister Hua continued.
"The Banquet of the Thousand Elderly is just a facade. The Crown Prince has many scheming officials around him. The Left Minister is one of them. Your Highness, with the Left Minister's foresight, why would he waste so much effort on something that does not have a clear sense of urgency?"
"Does not have a clear sense of urgency? What do you mean, Elder Wen? "Lin Xinjue asked.
"There is a clear sense of urgency, urgency, and slowness. Distracting Yan Qianli is indeed the most important thing. However, Yan Qianli is extremely cunning. He has not left Western Liang for the past twenty years. His goal is to avoid the fight for the throne. As such, he will not choose until the last moment. It is almost impossible to take down Yan Qianli in one fell swoop!"
"Elder Wen is right, but are we just going to sit back and do nothing?"
"Your Highness has not taken a step back yet."
"Still not taken a step back?"
"Yes, if Your Highness had really taken a step back, then you would be looking at something else."
"You're looking at something else?" Lin Xinjue did not understand. Elder Wen did not explain further, so he looked at Mister Hua.
Mister Hua had already closed his eyes.
He had no choice but to calm down.
The study gradually became silent. It was so silent that even the sound of the wind could be heard. The candlelight flickered in the wind.
After some time, Lin Xinjue's eyes finally lit up.
"Elder Wen, are you talking about Fang Zhengzhi?"
"Your Highness has finally taken a step back!" When Old Wen heard this, he slowly stood up and bowed to King Duan.
"I am ashamed. Actually, I have always looked down on this person. That is why I have always neglected his existence. I have always felt that … Sigh, please enlighten me, Elder Wen!" Lin Xinjue looked at the bowing Elder Wen and felt a tinge of guilt.
"Yes, Your Highness, we understand your intentions. However, compared to harming Yan Qianli, harming Fang Zhengzhi is more important." Elder Wen advised.
"Elder Wen, do I really have to beg that guy?"
"That's right."
"Is there any other way, for example …"
"There is no other way. Only Fang Zhengzhi can distract the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince is distracted, Your Highness will have a chance to rise again!"
"Then … what should I do? Fang Zhengzhi is now a wanted criminal. Even if the Emperor doesn't kill him immediately, I can't go out to welcome him! "Lin Xinjue asked.
"If I am not wrong, Fang Zhengzhi will not be able to enter the capital so easily!" Elder Wen nodded and continued.
"What do you mean?"
"The Crown Prince's invitation for a banquet is probably a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"
"Lure the tiger away from the mountain? Yan Qianli is lured away from Fang Zhengzhi? However, once he passes the Ten Mile Lake, he will only be half a day away from the capital. It is almost impossible for the Crown Prince to set up an ambush. Furthermore, with Chi Hou by Fang Zhengzhi's side, there shouldn't be any accidents. "Lin Xinjue was puzzled.
"Hmm, this is also what I can't figure out. Have you figured it out, Mr. Hua?" Elder Wen nodded again and looked at Mr. Hua, who had his eyes closed.
"Haha …" Mr. Hua slowly opened his eyes when he heard Old Wen's words. Then, his lips curled into a smile as he shook his head.
…
As the flowers grew more and more luscious, the capital became more and more lively.
The news of the Emperor's order to hold a banquet for the elderly spread throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Immediately, countless elders who had been in seclusion stepped out of their doors.
Horse carriages rushed to the capital from all over the place.
Other than that, the provincial examinations had ended and the imperial examinations were about to begin. The bright red announcement board was pasted on the roads of the four prefectures.
Countless candidates received the blessings of their families and friends. After the banquet, they began to pack up and prepare for their journey to the capital.
As such, the streets of the Great Xia Dynasty were filled with people of all ages.
"Grandfather, I heard that the Emperor is hosting this banquet. I heard that Prince Yan is the chief guest and the banquet is being held at the Ten Mile Lake. Didn't you participate in the battle of the Ten Mile Lake? What does the Prince of Yan look like? Have you seen him before? "A young voice rang out from within the carriage.
"Haha … Prince Yan, it's been decades. Back then, I was just a lowly general in the army. I never had the chance to see him." An old voice replied.
"I heard that Prince Yan is very domineering. Even the Emperor has to treat him with respect."
"Yes, that is true. During the Battle of the Ten Mile Lake, the Yan Family contributed greatly. 30,000 Yan Cloud Cavalrymen rushed from Western Liang to Yan Capital in less than seven days. If not for that, Yan Capital would have been destroyed. It can be said that without the Yan Family, there would be no Great Xia!"
"From Western Liang to the capital? Seven days … isn't that … too fast? Normally, it would take at least a month and a half to travel from Western Liang to the capital. Even if they traveled day and night, it would take at least 15 to 20 days. Seven days … isn't that too much? "The young voice was filled with disbelief.
"That's right, no one expected the Yan Cloud Cavalry to reach the Flame Capital City in seven days. The Emperor didn't expect it, and neither did the Demon Race. However, that battle was really intense. The 30,000 Yan Cloud Cavalry fought against 150,000 Demons for three days and three nights. The 30,000 Yan Cloud Cavalry were almost wiped out in that battle. Even the Yan Family only had King Yan left. However, the 150,000 Demons were also heavily injured by the Yan Cloud Cavalry. I'm afraid that less than 50,000 Demons returned to the Blood Shadow City."
"Grandfather, how long will you be staying in the capital this time?"
"Haha … if you can make it to the Imperial Examinations, I will wait for you to finish the Court Examinations before returning."
"Really? Grandfather, don't worry. I will definitely pass the Imperial Examinations. Not only that, but I will also bring glory to you and the family in the Court Examinations! "
"Good, grandson has grown up and knows how to bring glory to the family!"
…
Amongst the countless troops heading towards the capital, there was one troop that stood out the most. Countless officials came out of the city to welcome them.
The bright armor also shone with a dazzling brilliance under the scorching sun.
3000 Yan Cloud Cavalry and 2000 Red Pinion Squad. This was a spectacular scene. It was even more spectacular than an army of tens of thousands.
This was because he was an elite, a one-in-a-million elite.
Countless candidates and passersby watched from both sides of the road. They all hoped to see the legendary Yan Cloud Cavalry charge over a thousand miles.
However, in the end, they were all disappointed.
This was because, for some reason, this troop of elites did not move quickly. In fact, it could even be said that they were moving very slowly.
They would stop at every place they passed.
After that, they would set up camp and rest for a day before continuing their journey towards the Flame Capital City. It was as if they were admiring the scenery along the way.
Initially, the citizens did not understand why. However, after a while, they seemed to understand.
Because they all saw a person, a person riding a tall warhorse in the middle of the group. Then, they all smiled in tacit understanding.
"He probably doesn't want to die so soon, right?"
"That's right. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't rush to Flame Capital City right?"
"If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? This guy made such a high profile appearance in Huai An County. Did he not expect this to happen? "
"Forget it. No matter what, he contributed to the battle of the Southern Region. Sigh … However, isn't this fellow a little too daring? He even dared to climb into the bed of the Southern Region's princess? Furthermore, after the matter was exposed, in order to avoid responsibility, he even killed the Southern Region Crown Prince and injured the Crown Prince. This … is too audacious! "
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