Chapter 97

A light cough interrupted Qi Yue's thoughts. Only when he saw that the General's expression became normal did the military commander begin to speak: "General, the Third Prince has something to discuss with you and summons you to his tent."

Qi Yue responded. As soon as he heard it was the Third Prince, two stern traces immediately appeared between his eyebrows, and his aura became unfathomable. He stood up and wrapped the folding fan carefully in a silk handkerchief before turning around.

Looking at Qi Yue, treasuring that fan like some rare treasure, the military commander again felt soreness in his teeth. He calmed down well before he came up to Qi Yue and talked about the Third Prince in detail.

"General, the Third Prince has recently collected a lot of local troops. I'm afraid that he wants to come strong."

Come strong? A trace of ridicule flashed in Qi Yue's eyes. He did not know about the Third Prince's recent move to recruit soldiers, but the local troops he had gathered could not compete with the Imperial Guard under the Grand Prince. Even if they reached the Capital, they would end up being captured as rebels.

In order to ensure that the Grand Prince is brought down, Qi Yue has sent a message to the north and deployed some more men and horses to come.

When he walked into the tent of the Third Prince, Yan Lan was standing in front of the sand table with several local officers. When he saw Qi Yue coming, he immediately dismissed several people around him and greeted him with a warm face: "General Qi, come quickly, I have an errand to hand over to you."

Qi Yue saluted and walked forward.

Yan Lan had already received a letter from the Minister of Rites. Although the Minister of Rites was very sure that Qi Yue was definitely not a member of the Grand Prince's force, the doubts in Yan Lan's heart had never dissipated.

For some reason, he always had an inexplicable feeling that this General, based in the north of the country, had something to do with his sick brother.

The Third Prince also scoffed at the rumors that Qi Yue used the army like a god. He had already advised Qi Yue to bring more men and horses. After all, the Imperial Guard in the hands of the First Prince should not be underestimated. Still, the man was arrogant and did not listen, and now he said that there were not enough men. Where is this kind of using the army like a god?

At this time, Yan Lan still does not know the change of the Imperial Guard. The Imperial army before was very good, in his opinion. If he saw the appearance of the army after its transformation, Yan Lan would not have decided to attack the Capital so hastily.

He has now made his plans. Now that he has not yet entered the Capital, he urgently needs Qi Yue's army to help. But even if he uses Qi Yue again, he will not let this person touch his core interest groups but only use him as a tool to fight.

As soon as he sits on the throne, he will secretly murder Qi Yue and take over his Northern army. As for the rumored superior martial arts skills of Qi Yue, Yan Lan did not consider it at all. In his opinion, it was just a problem that could be solved by a cup of poisoned wine.

Keenly aware of the killing intent in the eyes of the Third Prince, Qi Yue simply wanted to sarcastically laugh out loud. This person really can not see the situation. It is the Third Prince himself with the imperial decree seeking shelter with him. Moreover, Qi Yue has the military power in hand. If he wants to overturn the Third Prince and destroy his imperial decree, it is easy to do so.

The Third Prince now not only does not appease him but also has such blatant hostility towards him? Is it possible that he really thinks that Qi Yue is a slave and must serve him as his master?

In fact, the Third Prince is not to blame for the apparent performance. Although he is good at disguise, there is still the matter of age, so in front of Qi Yue, those means of disguise are simply inadequate.

"Oh? I wonder what the Third Prince plans to do?" Qi Yue lowered his eyes to hide the emotions in his eyes and asked the Third Prince with a bow.

Hearing Qi Yue's inquiry, the Third Prince pretended to sigh deeply: " I heard that all the officials and many people in the Capital are blinded by the tactics of big brother and are bent on serving him as their master, not even knowing that my father has been imprisoned for a long time. I am extremely concerned about my father, so it is necessary to form this division to serve the Emperor."

"Coincidentally, I received news from the Capital that Xiangzhou is in serious flooding. My elder brother left the Capital to deal with the flood, so this is a perfect opportunity!" Yan Lan's eyes were unwavering, and he spoke with diligence as if he was going just to rescue Emperor Hongming.

Qi Yue's eyes flashed when he heard the Third Prince's words. The eldest prince personally went south to control the flooding?

The other day he was just subject to assassination, though he was blocked by Xiangfeng. How could the Grand Prince leave during this chaotic period?

Unexpectedly, the Grand Prince made such a risky move for Xiangzhou. Qi Yue thought that even if the Grand Prince left the Capital, he would bring some of his people with him. If he wanted to go south, he would certainly pass through here and cause a lot of commotion. So, if he could seize the opportunity, he would be able to capture the Grand Prince in one fell swoop.

If he captures the Grand Prince, the young man called Xiangfeng will be extremely angry with him, right? The mere thought of the man's clear gaze toward him will be mixed with anger, made Qi Yue's s heart feel stuffy.

Not noticing Qi Yue's distracted state, the Third Prince said with a hesitant look on his face: "Although officials around me support my intentions and the army has also gathered strength, my second brother's private army occasionally instigates trouble. In addition, the Imperial Guard is strong, which adds a lot of extra consumption, so now we are extremely short of food and forage."

Food and forage? It seems that this Third Prince is determined to start a war.

Qi Yue's face became even more sullen. He had been at the border for a long time and naturally knew how much harm war could bring to the people. The Third Prince was likely blinded by the throne. The eldest prince, who holds the Imperial Guard and the Central Army, has not come after him, the "Crown Prince" with the holy decree. Still, he thinks he is justified and wants to take the lead in starting the war?

The Third Prince was indeed excited. When he did not know that Emperor Hongming had made him the crown prince, he could still plan patiently and carefully. However, since receiving the decree, Yan Lan has ultimately called himself the master of the Great Yan Empire and could not wait to sit in that position. At present, he can only watch the eldest prince regent and grow his reputation, so he is naturally anxious.

He has even decided that when he reaches the Capital, he will keep Emperor Hongming in the palace for good because of his old age and illness. The Great Yan will need him more as a young emperor.

"I wonder how... Your Highness thinks we should get the food and forage?" Qi Yue asked in a deep voice, his eyes dark and sullen, extremely oppressive.

However, in recent days, Yan Lan's self-confidence has exploded under the praise of local officials, and he is not as afraid of Qi Yue as he was in the past. Instead, he talks eloquently under his gaze: "I heard that General Qi is extremely loved by the people at the northern border. If General Qi asks, he will be able to gather enough food and forage in the north for this battle!

When he heard the Third Prince's words, Qi Yue's anger suddenly surged up in his heart, and his reply came out without any respect: "This is not possible. The northern part of the country has been in drought for more than three years, and the farmland has almost no harvest. The people rely on the surplus grain and the relief food and forage provided by the Northern army to survive. How can the Third Prince have the heart to exploit the people in the northern part of the country who are not well fed or clothed?"

Qi Yue's words are true. The people in the north have great respect for him because after Qi Yue suppressed the Mongols, the surplus of food and forage in the army was distributed to the surrounding people. The army in the north did not even open up farmland for their own sustenance.

But now the Third Prince, who used to have a good reputation, has developed such an idea. The people of the Central Plains are his people, but the people of the north are not?

The way Qi Yue looked at the Third Prince completely changed. The majesty that was deliberately restrained in the past was released without hesitation, shocking the Third Prince's face white.

He began to think about whether this Third Prince is really the best candidate for the Crown Prince? The First Prince personally went to the south for disaster relief, while the Third Prince was thinking about exploiting the drought-stricken people in the north?

He knew that Qi Yue was practically the Emperor of the north, so he really had no love for the people in the north. He was careless enough to reveal these loopholes in his words.

Looking at the equally incredulous eyes of the surrounding officials, Yan Lan felt a moment of weakness and immediately made up for it, "Is that really so? I do not yet understand the situation in the north..."

Yan Lan's panicked explanation made Yang Hui, who had always supported him, turn pale and look at Yan Lan with a gaze full of disbelief.

Do not understand?

The northern part of the country has been in drought for more than three years, and the Third Prince has been involved in politics for three to five years, but he does not understand the drought in the north?

After a long silence, Yang Hui finally came forward to relieve Yan Lan: "The matter of food and forage is indeed urgent. Does General Qi have other solutions?"

"The matter of food and forage will be planned later. In any case, Your Highness should not play ideas regarding the north again." After saying that, Qi Yue did not even salute. He turned around and left the tent, and the scarlet cloak behind him swung up because of his implied anger.

The rest of the people in the tent also slowly excused themselves, leaving only the Third Prince and Yang Hui. A faint embarrassment permeated. The Third Prince looked at Yang Hui's strange eyes and quickly thought of a countermeasure.

Yang Hui secretly sighed and finally cautioned Yan Lan, "Today's situation is serious. Your Highness must not focus on internal fighting. Unite together to be able to fight against the Grand Prince, ah."

After saying these words, Yang Hui also left the tent with his hands behind his back. His hunched back seemed to have suddenly aged ten years.

Of course, he could see Yan Lan's suspicion of Qi Yue. After all, he could have asked for the food and forage from the local officials he had brought in, but he chose to focus on the north, so what was it if not targeting Qi Yue?

The Minister of Rites has already sent news of Qi Yue's trustworthiness, but the Third Prince still treats Qi Yue in this way. Is it possible that he does not trust them as court officials? How come he didn't find the Third Prince so suspicious before?

Thinking of the news from the Minister of Rites, Yang Hui sighed again from the heart. He is, after all, an official appointed by the Emperor and is naturally concerned about political affairs. He was worried when he learned of the flooding in Xiangzhou.

The north has been in drought for many years. Now that the prince has taken over the throne and the court is in disarray, the whole Great Yan Empire is about to reveal its ruin if they are not careful. At this time, the southern part of the country is flooded, and the disaster is serious. It is also in Xiangzhou, where the governor has been acting arbitrarily and corruptly, so how can Yang Hui not worry?

Originally, Yang Hui was extremely worried that after the planned assassination of the first prince, he would focus on dealing with the Third Prince and neglect various matters of disaster relief, sending only a small official to the area.

The best scenario Yang Hui can think of is to send Wei Lin, an important minister, to disaster relief.

Thinking of this, Yang Hui sighed heavily again.

Not to mention the identity of the governor of Xiangzhou, the weather and the harsh local environment will be able to stop a wave of officials. However, the physically sick and frail prince is determined to go for disaster relief personally, making Yang Hui both shocked and impressed.

If he was the First Prince, he would not dare to leave the Capital under the watchful eye of the Third Prince.

The sky drizzled with light rain, bringing Yang Hui penetrating coolness. It rained all around the Capital, and the south was sure to get heavy rain. Turning to look at the tent of the Third Prince, Yang Hui's gaze is full of complexity.

His favored candidate for the crown prince plotted to provoke a human disaster for his own benefit when a natural disaster occurred in the country. Meanwhile, the eldest prince, whom he had previously scorned, had his heart set on Xiangzhou and went to the relief effort regardless of his own safety.

Yang Hui stood in the drizzling rain looking at the blurred imperial city, silently asking in his heart: Your Majesty, Your Majesty, did we really choose the right one?

Emperor Hongming was in an unusually irritable mood today, knowing nothing about the Third Prince's plans.

Even though Wei Lin continued to report the court affairs one by one, as usual, the suffocation in Emperor Hongming's heart did not dissipate at all because the restrictions on himself were relaxed.

He took two sips of medicine, waved his hand, and pushed the bowl away. He glared at Chen Bing, who was waiting respectfully: "Where is the eldest prince? Call him over to me!"

Wei Lin has now completely single-mindedly planned for the eldest prince. He was afraid that Emperor Hongming would know that the eldest prince had left the Capital for disaster relief and then make a move, so he did not explain the prince's whereabouts.

Emperor Hongming frequently asked to see the eldest prince today, but the response was delayed. The previous doubts raised because of the reminder of Eunuch Su all dissipated, only remaining an increasingly burning anger.

He thought that the child might have some hidden agenda, but now he feels that the boss is hesitant to talk to him and is clearly weak-minded. After all, what hidden feelings can prompt him to do such treacherous things?

Emperor Hongming squeezed the purse he had been wearing around his waist. This purse was sewn for him by the Empress herself when she was alive and was originally placed by Emperor Hongming with great importance. However, there was no shortage of women around him, and there were seven or eight points of resemblance between Concubine Shu and the Empress, so it was mostly Concubine Shu's embroidered purse that he was wearing before.

However, after a serious illness, Emperor Hongming, who felt his end was near, thought most often of his Empress Yuan Yuan.

Therefore, Emperor Hongming took out all of the Empress' relics and put them around to see. Until then, Emperor Hongming realized that a double will always be a double, and Concubine Shu can never replace Yuan Yuan.

But because he has always seen her as a substitute for the Empress, Emperor Hongming, from time to time, still feels a sense of guilt towards Concubine Shu and cannot help but take a little more care of her and the Third Prince.

Looking at the delicate flower pattern on the purse, Emperor Hongming thought of the Grand Prince and his current situation. He could not help but sigh: Yuan Yuan, our Sa'er, how did he become like this now?

"Your Majesty, the Grand Prince is busy with his affairs. I'm afraid he can't find the time to visit you." Chen Bing stalled Emperor Hongming's request as usual, but this time thoughtfully said, "The Grand Prince is afraid that you are bored, so he specially asked his servant to bring two people to relieve your boredom."

Once he heard this, Emperor Hongming frowned suspiciously. What could that sinful son have in mind?

Chen Bing clapped his hands, and Emperor Hongming saw a very familiar-looking palace maid and the old imperial physician who had long since retired to his hometown, being brought up.