Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1136: Chapter 148: Time to Close the Net (Part 2)

Tong Xi whispered, "Your Highness, Prince Chu has long been excluded by the Emperor."

Zhao Yao: "..." What Tong Xi said was very true, leaving him speechless.

"Ah... What Fourth Brother is doing will only make Father more determined to choose me, which isn’t a good thing for me." He doesn’t want to be Emperor; he truly doesn’t. Fourth Brother wants to be Emperor and could do well. Why won’t Father choose Fourth Brother?

Tong Xi glanced at Zhao Yao and cautiously said, "Your Highness, I believe the Emperor is not wrong."

Zhao Yao listened and glared at Tong Xi.

Tong Xi shrank his head and continued, "Your Highness, besides you, the other princes don’t pay attention to the commoners." His Highness is the only one who sees everyone as human. In His Highness’s eyes, whether a farmer, a merchant, or even us eunuchs, they are all people. "Your Highness, you once said the world belongs to the people, not the Royal Family, nor the great families and scholars." It’s actually not surprising that the Emperor chose you.

Zhao Yao leaned on the table, sighed deeply, and said, "Ah... Fourth Brother and I are different. He was influenced by the Li Family since childhood and thinks the world belongs to the scholars, which is normal."

"This is the main difference between you and Prince Chu." Tong Xi knows Zhao Yao doesn’t want to be Emperor, so he never tried to persuade him. In his mind, he hopes His Highness can become Emperor. Not for himself but for the people of the world.

No matter if His Highness becomes Emperor or not, as his personal attendant, he will have good days ahead. If His Highness becomes Emperor, the people of Great Zhou will have good days ahead.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has chosen you; you cannot escape."

Zhao Yao sneered coldly, "Hmph, you’ll see if I can escape." He is determined not to become an overworked Emperor.

Tong Xi sighed helplessly in his heart: Ah, Prince Chu and Prince Dai are fighting desperately to get the throne, but his own His Highness, even when the Emperor has given the throne to him, he is not interested. Truly, some die from drought while others drown.

At that moment, the Hidden Guard suddenly appeared in the study and handed Zhao Yao a secret letter.

Zhao Yao opened the secret letter, and immediately his expression turned cold.

"Is the information confirmed?"

The Hidden Guard replied respectfully, "Confirmed."

Tong Xi saw Zhao Yao’s unpleasant expression and quickly asked with concern, "Your Highness, what happened?"

"Prince Han colluded with the Xiongnu, planning to invade Great Zhou during the New Year." Zhao Yao smirked inwardly; Prince Han truly did not disappoint him. "Prince Han wrote a letter to Prince Dai, asking Prince Dai to rebel in the capital and cooperate with him from inside."

Tong Xi was shocked: "Prince Han really wants to rebel?!" Although it was long expected that Prince Han would plot rebellion, it was unexpected that he would truly dare to do so.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Zhao Yao held the secret letter over the candle’s flame to burn it, "It was anticipated."

All of this was under Zhao Yao’s control.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

"Proceed according to the original plan." Zhao Yao looked at Tong Xi and instructed, "Send someone to inform Prince Dai to turn the tables."

"Your Highness, what about Emperor, should we notify him?" Tong Xi asked again, "And should we inform Prince Chu and Prince Wei?"

"Father is already aware." Zhao Yao said, "Now that I’ve received the message of Prince Han and the Xiongnu planning to invade Great Zhou, Father should have also received it. As for Fourth and Eighth Brothers, don’t notify them; the fewer people know about this, the more genuine it will appear."

"I’ll go inform Prince Dai." Tong Xi replied and then retreated.

Just a while ago, Prince Dai received a secret letter from Prince Han, informing him that the Xiongnu would send troops southwards to invade Great Zhou on New Year’s Eve. When the Xiongnu troops approached the capital, Prince Dai was to coordinate with Prince Han from inside the capital.

After reading the letter, Prince Dai smirked sarcastically, "Fifth Brother, you really didn’t keep me waiting."

At this moment, there was a knock at the door, followed by a voice, "Your Highness, it’s me."

Recognizing the familiar voice, Prince Dai said, "Come in."

A short man in a servant’s uniform walked in. He had ordinary looks, no distinctive features; whether in a crowd or alone, he wouldn’t attract attention.

The short and very ordinary man whispered something to Prince Dai. After listening, Prince Dai nodded and gestured for him to leave.

After the short and ordinary man left, Prince Dai chuckled lightly, "My Tenth Brother is really extraordinary; I must act well in this play." With that, he wrote a secret letter to Prince Han, arranging the time for the rebellion.

Meanwhile, the Emperor in the palace also received news of Prince Han colluding with the Xiongnu to rebel. He received it faster than Zhao Yao.

The Emperor instructed the Dragon Guards to notify Chu Ying, letting him cooperate with Prince Han and their act.

"Do you think I should pretend to fall ill in advance?"

Sun Kui was still startled after listening to the conversation between the Emperor and the Dragon Guards and hadn’t recovered. Hearing the Emperor’s words made him even more uneasy.

"Emperor, why pretend to be ill?"

The Emperor smiled, "To make them lower their guard, adding some excitement to this act."

Seeing the Emperor’s expectant expression, Sun Kui found himself at a loss for words.

"Emperor, aren’t you worried at all?" After all, this is a rebellion; it’s no trivial matter. "I only hear about it, and I’m terrified."

The Emperor looked disdainfully at Sun Kui, "You really have some nerve; haven’t you experienced rebellion before? What’s there to fear?"

"Emperor, I’m not afraid of anything happening to me, but I’m worried for you." Sun Kui had experienced the rebellions, insurgencies, and chaos of the previous dynasty, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared. He considers his life cheap, and his death inconsequential, but the Emperor must not fall into peril. If harm befalls the Emperor, the country will be in chaos.

"I won’t be in danger." The Emperor had arranged everything, waiting for Prince Han and the Xiongnu to take the bait; now that they have, it’s time to close the net. "During the New Year, there will be a good show. You can watch it with me."