Chapter 1349: It’s His Turn to Make a Move
Chapter 1349 -1185: It’s His Turn to Make a Move
“I understand!” Ge Yuan replied without turning his head, feeling full of helplessness in his heart.
“Over there are the ladies, presumably the Princess is among them. Later, you must seize the opportunity. He is merely a minister, and surely cannot outmaneuver you.”
Listening to the endless chatter of the person beside him, Ge Yuan sat down and poured himself a bowl of tea. His fingers holding the tea bowl turned slightly white, and Ge Yuan felt genuinely stifled in his heart. He, a dignified Prince, was forced to this point by these courtiers.
Gu Chengyu hurried to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters and upon entering the hall, he immediately spotted the Emperor lying on the bed.
Seeing the Emperor’s flushed face, Gu Chengyu sighed. The Emperor’s poisoning was likely aggravated just now by his extreme agitation, which triggered the poison in his body.
“Quick! You must administer the needles to the Emperor!” Xiao Quanzi pulled Gu Chengyu to the Emperor’s bedside, saying anxiously.
Gu Chengyu took the silver needles handed over by Director Zhang, quickly infused them with inner strength, and administered two needles.
After a quarter of an hour, as Gu Chengyu watched the Emperor’s complexion gradually recovering, he checked the Emperor’s pulse and immediately realized the Emperor’s condition was even worse than he had thought.
The Emperor finally caught his breath, enduring the suffocating pain in his chest, and said to Gu Chengyu, “Go to the Taiji Palace!”
Gu Chengyu was a bit stunned. “Your Majesty, you are so exhausted, it’s better to rest and recuperate now! As for the negotiation, there is no need to rush, you mustn’t overexert yourself.”
The Emperor shook his head. “If this matter is not resolved, how can I be at ease? Stop persuading, let’s go!”
The Emperor struggled to sit up, and Gu Chengyu helplessly could only step forward to assist. The Emperor’s health was truly unable to hold on for much longer at this moment. If the poison acted up again suddenly at the banquet, and the courtiers and the envoys from Da Xing saw it, it would surely cause a commotion! Da Xing may even change their mind unexpectedly.
“Don’t worry, once the negotiation is settled, I will leave the banquet!” The Emperor was aware of his own body and even felt somewhat better than before.
…
“Prince! The court is negotiating with Da Xing, intending to sign an alliance between the two countries. The envoy from Da Xing has already arrived in the Capital, and the court will soon focus on dealing with us.”
Lu Chen looked at Prince Gong, who was sitting opposite him in deep thought. During this period, because of emulating the court in buying Ding, they spent quite a bit of silver money.
Prince Gong rubbed his forehead, currently troubled about Silver. To accomplish great things, silver is needed everywhere.
“The negotiation isn’t significantly affecting us, Da Xing won’t help the court deal with us. On the contrary, if we can negotiate with Da Xing, we’ll have one less worry. However, we indeed cannot let the court have a free hand to deal with us, we still need to come up with a plan.”
Prince Gong thought of Prince Jing. Although this person allied with him, he had been quite restrained recently. Could it be that he was frightened by the officials sent by the court to guard Fengqing Prefecture?
“Prince! I think that if Da Xing and Dayan really succeed in negotiating, even if we join forces with Prince Jing, it would still be a notch below in dealing with the court. Perhaps, we should also intervene, causing their negotiation to break down, so the court would become chaotic, allowing us to seize the opportunity.”
Lu Chen pondered for a moment and then suggested an idea.
Prince Gong suddenly looked up at Lu Chen, “Are you saying that if the two countries fail to negotiate, the court will start dealing with Da Xing, giving us a breather? But Da Xing is so ambitious, if they take advantage, it will be even harder to deal with them in the future.”
“Prince, that’s something for the future; it’s better to focus on the present. I heard the envoy of Da Xing brought a Princess to the Capital. If we…” Lu Chen walked to Prince Gong’s side and whispered in his ear.
After hearing it, Prince Gong frowned and, after a moment of hesitation, finally nodded.
…
“Prince! A message has arrived from the other side!” Xiao Chengzi came hurriedly into the study room, carrying a letter towards Prince Jing, who was reading a book.
Prince Jing immediately took it. After confirming the seal was intact, he opened the letter to read.
“Indeed, big brother still can’t resist being incited! Does he really think the Princess went to the Capital merely for marriage alliance?” Prince Jing chuckled lightly and then shook his head.
“Prince, Gu Chengyu has already discovered that we were behind the poisoning of the Emperor again. He also caught the hidden guards we left in the Imperial Palace.” Xiao Chengzi spoke angrily about this matter, for those hidden guards were some of the deepest agents left in the Capital by the Prince, yet Gu Chengyu managed to root them out.
“It was my impatience, I shouldn’t have drugged him again. We’ve waited so many years, what’s another year and a half? However, even if Gu Chengyu reveals us, it doesn’t matter, we can revolt just like our elder brother. But we must prepare quickly; the second brother is already at his wits’ end, and we must hasten to the Capital.” Prince Jing aimed precisely at the opportunity, knowing Prince Gong wouldn’t realize he had poisoned the Emperor, and was still scheming slowly.
“Prince! The court has been making a big purchase of Ding lately, where did they get the silver? Wasn’t it said that the National Treasury is empty, and even the Emperor is frugal?” Adviser Tian Qi was somewhat perplexed by this, as the court had spent quite a bit on purchasing Ding recently.
“Gu Jinyu is so capable of making money, surely he has thought of another excellent way to bring in money. I suspect he intends to propose a mutual market at the border through the negotiation. Once the market is opened, it benefits both countries, and the second brother’s purse will fill up too.”
Prince Jing had long seen through Gu Chengyu’s intentions. In fact, the two of them should admire each other; who else in the world could compare with their strategic minds?
“Therefore, the negotiation between the two countries must not succeed!”
“We don’t need to take action on this; isn’t there someone else to handle it? It’s convenient, as it allows me to secretly rush back to the Capital. Anyway, Fengqing Prefecture is heavily guarded; with their watch, no one will suspect I’ll go to the Capital. As for the army, you stay there waiting for my order.” Prince Jing said to the people behind him.
No more waiting; once the third is dealt with, the second won’t last long, leaving only him and the eldest brother.
“I had you send news of our alliance with Prince Gong back to the Capital so that the eldest brother would be in front, and we just need to reap the benefits! Moreover, he is courting death by emulating the court in buying Ding, making him the court’s primary target. I will feign illness during this period, and you all stay low-profile to avoid raising suspicions.”
Prince Jing sneered, no longer intending to hide; it was his turn to make a move. Gu Chengyu, you will regret your initial decision.
“Since Gu Chengyu has already traced the repeated poisoning of the Emperor back to you, it won’t be long before the court moves against you. The Holy Decree might already be on its way; it’s time for us to act. With Prince Gong covering the frontline, our battlefield lies elsewhere!”
The group exchanged smiles, their eyes glittering with a determined ambition.