Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 728: Chapter 357: Cooperating with the Li Family to Eliminate the Crown Prince_4

Inside the Prince Dai Mansion, upon hearing the news of Prince Chu’s assassination and his subsequent disappearance, Prince Dai first felt great joy but then found it somewhat regrettable.

After Marquis Xuanping learned of this news, he hurriedly went to see Prince Dai.

"Your Highness, the death of Prince Chu is not good news for us." Marquis Xuanping did not want anything to happen to Prince Chu, as he was waiting for Prince Chu to return to the capital with evidence of the Crown Prince’s copper theft. Now that something had happened to Prince Chu, the incident of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen stealing copper would not simply fade away.

"He’s already dead; what else can we do?" To Prince Dai, Prince Chu was also a troublesome figure. For him, Prince Chu’s death was not entirely a bad thing. However, the timing of Prince Chu’s death was indeed not ideal. But now that Prince Chu was dead, they were helpless.

Seeing Prince Dai’s indifferent demeanor, Marquis Xuanping couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

"My dear nephew, Prince Chu must have discovered evidence of the Crown Prince’s copper theft. If he could return to the capital safely, we could use this issue to hold onto the Crown Prince. Even if the Emperor doesn’t immediately depose the Crown Prince, his reputation will be completely ruined, and by then we can fan the flames to bring him down."

"Uncle, what’s the point of saying all this now that the Fourth is already dead?" Prince Dai replied irritably, "Who would have thought the Fourth was so useless."

"Your Highness, even though Prince Chu is dead, we can still manipulate some things."

Upon hearing Marquis Xuanping’s words, Prince Dai’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly looked at his uncle.

"Uncle, what do you plan to do?"

Marquis Xuanping stroked his beard, smiling as he said, "We can cooperate with the Li Family."

"Cooperate with the Li Family?" Prince Dai did not initially understand but quickly realized, "The Fourth is dead, and the Li Family won’t let this go unpunished. They will definitely seek revenge for him."

Marquis Xuanping nodded gently, "That’s right, we can join forces with the Li Family to eliminate the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen."

"Would the Li Family be willing to cooperate with us?" Prince Dai wasn’t too optimistic, "The Li Family has always looked down on me as a coarse military officer. Why would they possibly cooperate with us?"

"Times have changed. At this moment, the Li Family will definitely want to cooperate with us because only by cooperating with us can they eliminate the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen." Marquis Xuanping spoke with great confidence.

Prince Dai thought Marquis Xuanping made sense and smiled, saying, "Then we will cooperate with the Li Family."

"I will go to talk to Minister Li."

Prince Dai said, "I will have Mother Consort speak with Princess Li."

"Yes, have the Noble Princess Consort talk with Princess Li." Marquis Xuanping laughed, "The Li Family has the backing of most of the scholars in the country. By cooperating with the Li Family, our chances of bringing down the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen are very high."

Prince Dai stood up and solemnly bowed to Marquis Xuanping, "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle."

Marquis Xuanping quickly got up to assist Prince Dai, "Don’t worry, Your Highness, I will definitely persuade the Li Family to cooperate with us."

Many ministers who supported Prince Chu, upon hearing about his assassination, rushed to see Minister Li.

Minister Li had just received a letter from Princess Consort Li, learning that Prince Chu was unharmed, which eased his mind. Knowing that many ministers were coming to see him, he immediately put on a heavy expression.

In the palace, after Lady Liang heard about this incident, she was greatly shocked and hurried to find Princess Li. Not only her, but other concubines also went, even Noble Princess Consort Rong came to visit Princess Li.

Qiu Sang told Lady Liang and the others that Princess Li, overwhelmed with grief, needed to rest.

Hearing this, Lady Liang and the others did not stay to disturb her, deciding to visit again after Princess Consort Li had rested. However, Noble Princess Consort Rong did not leave.

Returning to Kunde Hall, Yu Meiren and Lady Pan asked, "Sister, did something really happen to Prince Chu?"

Lady Liang was unsure of the situation in Jinling. However, seeing Princess Li’s grief-stricken state and poor health, she guessed it was likely true.

"I’m afraid something really did happen to Prince Chu."

Yu Meiren and Lady Pan both turned pale and showed signs of unease.

"Sister, is Yao Yao alright?" Yu Meiren was the first to think of Zhao Yao.

Lady Liang reassured Yu Meiren and the others, "Yao Yao is fine."

"That’s good." Although Prince Chu’s incident frightened Yu Meiren and the others, they weren’t too saddened. If something had happened to Zhao Yao, they would have been as distressed as Princess Consort Li. "How could something happen to Prince Chu?"

"This is not something we can discuss." Lady Liang hoped that nothing had happened to Prince Chu. If anything should happen to him, Yao Yao may not be able to bear it. Most importantly, the situation in the capital would surely change.

Seeing Lady Liang’s grave expression, Yu Meiren and Lady Pan quickly shut their mouths, not daring to ask more questions.

"In the coming days, both the capital and the palace will be unstable; we must be cautious in word and deed."

Yu Meiren and the others felt a chill in their hearts, their faces revealing anxiety and unease.

Lady Liang comforted Yu Meiren and the others with a few more words before they were partially reassured and returned to their rooms.

Once Yu Meiren and the others had left, Gui Xing finally spoke, "Luckily, Your Highness went to Yangzhou. If His Highness were still in Yangzhou, with his relationship with Prince Chu, I’m afraid Your Highness couldn’t bear it."

Lady Liang furrowed her brows, her expression slightly grim, "If Yao Yao learns something happened to Prince Chu, he will likely rush to Jinling immediately."

Zhao Yao, who had been forcibly sent to Yangzhou by Prince Wei, also heard about Prince Chu’s assassination and disappearance.

"Your Highness, did something really happen to Prince Chu?" Tong Xi couldn’t believe something had really happened to Prince Chu.

"With Fourth Brother’s abilities, how could he possibly have been killed by Li Jue and his men?" Zhao Yao did not believe that Prince Chu had been assassinated and killed, "I suspect Fourth Brother has already found the whereabouts of the Crown Prince’s stolen copper."

Tong Xi was shocked, "Ah, it’s fake?"

Zhao Yao nodded slightly, "Fourth Brother staged the whole thing to throw the Crown Prince and the others off track."

Tong Xi let out a long breath, "It’s good that nothing happened to Prince Chu."

"Pack up; we’re heading to Jinling immediately."

"What? Your Highness, we just arrived in Yangzhou; why are we going to Jinling again?" Tong Xi asked in surprise, "If Lord Wei learns you went to Jinling again, he will be extremely angry."

"Something happened to Fourth Brother. Wouldn’t it be strange for me, as his brother, to stay unmoved in Yangzhou?" Zhao Yao smiled, "I must cooperate with Fourth Brother, to make this play convincing, so the Crown Prince and the others truly believe Fourth Brother is dead. And, of course, I need to go back to settle accounts with Li Jue."