Chapter 1310 - 1146: A Most Clever Scheme
Chapter 1310: Chapter 1146: A Most Clever Scheme
"Senior brother... do you think Prince Jing is suitable?" Gu Chengyu tentatively asked.
"What do you think?" Yin Kun earnestly looked at Gu Chengyu, only then did Gu Chengyu realize that Prince Jing was indeed under evaluation by the other party.
"I don’t have high hopes for him, but he does have considerable ability! As for the future, let’s just wait and see!"
Yin Kun glanced at Gu Chengyu, opened his mouth, but then fell silent. He was different from Jinyu; Jinyu was both courageous and wise, never worried that those in power wouldn’t value him.
From Jinyu’s perspective, it seemed he didn’t plan to pick sides just yet. But how much longer can the Emperor hold on? The Eldest Prince is only eight years old; he thought it’s not wise to pin hopes on him.
...
"Prince, there’s a letter!" A servant entered the room, reporting to Prince Jing, who was leaning against the couch.
Prince Jing sat up slightly, and Xiao Chengzi, standing by his side, quickly came forward to support him, "Your Highness, please be careful, your injuries are still severe!"
The lapel of Prince Jing’s clothes fell open, revealing the white inner garment underneath, which had a faint stain of red, indicating the wound was once again torn open a bit.
"No matter!" With just a slight movement, the wound showed signs of tearing. At that moment, he was caught off guard and was attacked from behind; this time really turned out to be a failed attempt at gaining a small advantage.
Originally, he had calculated that with his martial arts, handling those people wouldn’t be an issue. After taking a sword, he intended to withdraw, but who would have thought he’d be ambushed? Truly despicable cowards using such despicable means.
However, regardless of the circumstances, the goal was ultimately achieved. It just came at a high cost, nearly costing him his life in escaping back. Gasping for breath, he sat up and carefully read the letter.
"Go invite several advisers to discuss matters!" Prince Jing clutched his chest, finding even speaking to be quite laborious.
Xiao Chengzi glanced worriedly at Prince Jing. His lord had suffered serious injuries, yet upon waking, he immediately began handling affairs. Xiao Chengzi was somewhat distressed for his lord.
"Gentlemen, the purpose of inviting you here is that news has arrived from the Capital: Liao Wu has been executed on the spot by the Emperor for treason!" Prince Jing was shocked by this news; he hadn’t expected Liao Wu to have fallen so quickly.
"What?" The several of them looked at each other, slightly stunned, not expecting Liao Wu to be dealt with by the Emperor so swiftly.
"Your Highness, we must accelerate our pace. With Liao Wu dead, the Emperor will certainly turn his attention to handling you and Prince Gong next. Although Prince Gong is gaining momentum, drawing the Emperor’s focus for now, once the Emperor deals with him, then it’s our turn." Adviser Tian Qi stroked his beard as he spoke.
"Yet, our foundation is shallow, while Prince Gong has long been plotting and naturally cannot be compared to. I believe we must conserve our strength, build our forces in secret, and when the Emperor is in a confrontation with Prince Gong, seize the opportunity to act."
Adviser Tao Lei Yuan didn’t agree much, thinking that being too ostentatious at this time wasn’t wise.
Prince Jing rubbed his forehead, "Let’s not discuss this matter for now; I asked you here to discuss another matter."
"Earlier we hijacked a batch of military supplies from Prince Gong, which you are aware of. This time, my contact has reported that Prince Gong has a hidden weapon workshop in Huadong Prefecture. However, given he had just lost a batch of supplies recently, the guards at this weapon workshop must be even more stringent, making it a tough target."
Prince Jing had his own plans. His forces weren’t small, but he lacked military supplies.
Ultimately, the biggest barrier was a lack of Silver! Time was pressing, and he didn’t want to entangle himself with the aristocratic families. These families already contributed greatly, and if pushed too hard, they might start dragging him down.
Having tasted success once, he directed his gaze towards Prince Gong. Anyway, Prince Gong was well-off, so there was no need to be polite.
"But we’ve already forced Prince Gong into a corner; if we repeat the same trick, he probably won’t take it quietly. Moreover, having suffered a loss, he will undoubtedly be more vigilant this time; how can he allow us to rob him again? Furthermore, Your Highness, is this information reliable? Could it be a trap?"
Tao Lei Yuan felt that this wasn’t feasible at this moment; they shouldn’t really push Prince Gong too far. If Prince Jing and Prince Gong clashed, wouldn’t the Emperor stand to benefit from their conflict?
"A trap? Mr. Tao, you may be overthinking it. If it’s a trap, what benefit would Prince Gong gain? Even if we send men and they are all defeated, we’ve only lost a small force."
Adviser Guo Jing thought Tao Lei Yuan was overly cautious; Prince Gong wouldn’t gain much from such a scheme.
"Who knows what he might be up to? Don’t underestimate Prince Gong; he’s far from ordinary. Escaping from the Emperor’s grip and capturing two cities cannot be taken lightly!"
Tao Lei Yuan was a bit displeased, feeling that these people were too superficial.
"The source of this information is entirely reliable, so no need for quarrels," Prince Jing’s tone wasn’t good; he indeed wanted that batch of military supplies, but was wary of forcing Prince Gong into desperation.
"I reckon it’s still unwise to act," Tao Lei Yuan was thinking of the long term, believing that provoking Prince Gong now would be a losing move.
Prince Jing turned his gaze to the others, "What do you all think ought to be done?"
Then these advisers split into two factions: one believed that opportunities mustn’t be wasted as they urgently needed supplies; the other felt it wasn’t the right time to stir conflict and advocated for avoiding the spearhead for now.
Prince Jing sighed; none of these men could speak to his heart. He couldn’t help but think of Gu Chengyu. Though Gu Chengyu’s temperament was completely different from his own, he always seemed to understand without needing words, such a rare confidant!
"Since the Emperor has removed Liao Wu, the border situation is bound to change. Lately, hasn’t the Emperor been busy handling the third prince? Previously he didn’t have the time, which allowed Prince Gong to act so arrogantly. Now that the Emperor wants to deal with Prince Gong, why don’t we give him a little push?"
"Indeed! What a fine plan, leak this information to the Emperor, surely the Emperor won’t just ignore it? Besides, our Prince still holds the moral high ground! Prince Gong attacked our Fengqing Prefecture; our Prince should appeal to the Emperor for aid! Prince Gong is a traitor, while our Prince is not, being loyal to the court; the Emperor can’t just sit back and do nothing."
Tian Qi looked at Prince Jing with admiration, "Your Highness truly is exceptional, not only could it trip up Prince Gong, and we might also profit during the ensuing chaos, it’s simply brilliant!"
Although everyone was aware of the Prince’s intentions, the façade wasn’t completely torn yet. As long as Prince Jing didn’t act against the court, the Emperor couldn’t do much to him.