Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 767: Chapter 374: To Eliminate Future Troubles

Since Prince Wei returned from Jinling, he has changed; he seems to have replaced the deposed Crown Prince, becoming a new force in the court. Though not entirely new, Prince Wei took over the remnants of the deposed Crown Prince’s influence.

Even though the Crown Prince’s power had been mostly eradicated, some remnants remained. These were once the Crown Prince’s trusted aides whose positions weren’t significant, hence they escaped disaster. They were loyal to the Crown Prince and, seeing him deposed by Prince Chu, were determined to avenge him.

Now, with Prince Wei seeking vengeance for the Crown Prince, they are naturally willing to follow him. Before Prince Wei returned, they were resentful towards him, believing it was his inability to handle matters that allowed Prince Chu to gather evidence against the Crown Prince.

Whatever Prince Wei told them, they not only ceased to resent him but were also very grateful.

The other officials in the court were not particularly surprised by Prince Wei replacing the deposed Crown Prince. To be precise, they weren’t concerned because they knew Prince Wei was continuing the Crown Prince’s work.

The remnants of the Crown Prince couldn’t stir any trouble, so they disregarded them. However, they did not spare Prince Wei’s faction and oppressed them without mercy in the court.

Prince Dai and his faction did not want the Crown Prince to ever rise again. Now, while the Crown Prince is deposed, they intended to thoroughly eradicate his followers, leaving him no chance of recovery.

They initially thought it would be easy to eliminate the remnants of the Crown Prince’s followers, but not only did they fail to suppress Prince Wei’s faction, but they also saw it rise instead.

Previously, when following the Crown Prince, Prince Wei held no significant position in the court, only holding an office in the Eastern Palace. However, just a few days ago, he was reassigned to work at the Imperial Secretariat.

The Imperial Secretariat is a crucial office, overseeing numerous affairs with significant power. Principally, it controls the guardians of the palace gates, attends to the emperor, and all officials such as doctors and chamberlains are under its jurisdiction.

Even when the Crown Prince was still around, he never went to the Imperial Secretariat. Shortly after his return to the capital, Prince Wei was reassigned there.

Many court officials were greatly surprised to see the emperor employing Prince Wei so heavily. It was known that the emperor had never favored Prince Wei, rarely even glancing at him, let alone employing him significantly.

Since birth, Prince Wei had not been favored by the emperor. Had it not been for the Crown Prince saving him, he would likely have perished in the harem. Ministers assumed the emperor wished Prince Wei had never been born, so they were shocked by his sudden favor.

Some ministers wondered if the emperor had lost his mind; otherwise, why would he suddenly favor Prince Wei so heavily?

A few astute ministers believed they saw the truth. They thought the emperor wasn’t truly valuing Prince Wei, but doing so out of guilt for the Crown Prince. In their view, the emperor’s remorse for the Crown Prince led to Prince Wei’s current standing.

Many ministers felt that even if Prince Wei was favored, it shouldn’t have led to him being assigned to the Imperial Secretariat suddenly. That’s the Imperial Secretariat, after all. Was the emperor trying to give the deposed Crown Prince, Prince Jin, another chance?

They speculated that the emperor might first strengthen Prince Wei’s influence, only to have the deposed Crown Prince take over afterward. Could it be that the emperor intended to restore the deposed Crown Prince?

Furthermore, the emperor’s delay in establishing a new crown prince was odd. Upon reflection, they figured it was quite possible the emperor hadn’t forgotten the deposed Crown Prince and intended to restore him.

The more the ministers thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Otherwise, the emperor would have established a new crown prince by now.

At the Prince Dai Mansion, Prince Dai was so enraged that he kicked over all the chairs in the main hall.

The Marquis Xuanping and his son sat beside him with stern faces.

After venting his rage, Prince Dai’s mood slightly calmed, though his expression remained sour.

"Uncle, is it possible that the emperor truly intends to restore Zhao Xuan, that useless person?" After being deposed, Zhao Xuan was considered useless by Prince Dai. He originally thought that after Zhao Xuan became useless, he wouldn’t pose a threat. He hadn’t imagined that wasn’t the case.

Marquis Xuanping looked deeply troubled; he never anticipated events unfolding this way.

"Is the emperor delaying the establishment of a new crown prince in anticipation of Zhao Xuan, that useless person?" Prince Dai’s face flushed with anger, veins bulging on his forehead.

Marquis Xuanping comforted Prince Dai, "Perhaps it’s not like that."

"Uncle, wasn’t it obvious when the emperor assigned the eighth prince to the Imperial Secretariat?" Prince Dai hadn’t initially considered this, but the rumors growing recently made him believe it. The emperor’s constant delay in appointing a new crown prince also supported his belief. "You know how the emperor has always felt about the ninth prince, don’t you?"

Marquis Xuanping was, of course, aware. Everyone knew the emperor disliked Prince Wei the most. After he came of age and was enfeoffed, the emperor didn’t even grant him a fiefdom, clearly showing his distaste for Prince Wei. But now, the emperor was uncharacteristically favoring Prince Wei.

There’s a saying that when something is too unusual, there must be underlying deceit. The emperor’s unusual favor towards Prince Wei indicated hidden motives.

"The emperor is now favoring the eighth prince to prepare for Zhao Xuan’s possible comeback." The more Prince Dai thought, the angrier he became, cursing aloud, "Hell, is the emperor mad, thinking of restoring Zhao Xuan? What’s so good about that useless Zhao Xuan? Why would he restore him? What does he see in him that’s better than me?" How could Zhao Xuan become Crown Prince so easily, while his struggle was arduous?

Marquis Xuanping quickly stood to stop Prince Dai from cursing the emperor.

"Your Highness, please keep your voice down..."

"I won’t." Prince Dai fumed angrily, "Zhao Xuan is just a useless wretch, inferior to me in every way. Yet the emperor would rather restore that wretch than appoint me as Crown Prince. Does the emperor truly love me?" After shouting, Prince Dai’s eyes reddened, and tears welled up. "From childhood, the emperor has always loved me, favored me, or so I believed. Yet now my face feels slapped." Prince Dai spoke while slapping his own face firmly.

"Everyone assumed that with Zhao Xuan deposed, I would immediately become Crown Prince. But what happened? The emperor didn’t appoint me immediately." Prince Dai’s face was full of grievance and unwillingness. "Now the emperor would rather restore that useless Zhao Xuan than appoint me as Crown Prince, making me a laughingstock, a huge laughingstock..." Before finishing, tears streamed down Prince Dai’s face.

Witnessing Prince Dai’s blend of anger, grievance, and sorrow, Marquis Xuanping was heartbroken, his own eyes moistening.

"Does the emperor truly love me?" Prince Dai cried, "The emperor truly loves Zhao Xuan. In the emperor’s heart, only Zhao Xuan is his son."

"Your Highness, it’s not true..." Marquis Xuanping embraced Prince Dai, patting his back to soothe him, "The emperor cherishes you, he definitely won’t restore Prince Jin."

"Uncle, let’s not deceive ourselves further." Prince Dai’s eyes filled with hatred. "The emperor only cares for Zhao Xuan. I absolutely cannot let Zhao Xuan be restored." He suddenly looked fierce, declaring with grit, "The crown prince position is mine, and I absolutely will not let Zhao Xuan take it again."

Marquis Xuanping held Prince Dai’s hand tightly, asserting, "Indeed, we absolutely cannot let Prince Jin be restored."

Prince Dai wore a sullen expression, "Father, if you are heartless, don’t blame me for being unrighteous. You forced me."

Marquis Xuanping was startled by the intense hatred in Prince Dai’s demeanor, "Your Highness, what do you intend to do? You wouldn’t..." The words "rebel" hung unsaid.

"Uncle, what are you thinking? I wouldn’t revolt." Prince Dai snarled, "I want to kill Zhao Xuan. Once he’s dead, let’s see how the emperor restores him." He initially intended to spare Zhao Xuan, seeing him made useless, but the emperor’s thoughts on restoring him changed his mind. Given the emperor’s lingering attachment to Zhao Xuan, he had no choice but to be heartless. "I didn’t want to eradicate completely, but the emperor forces my hand to kill Zhao Xuan."

Marquis Xuanping’s heart, previously in his throat from fear, finally settled, "Indeed, this will eliminate future troubles."