Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 908: Chapter 41: Targeted by the Southern Wei People

In the study of the Prince Han Mansion, Zhao Yao was reading the secret letter handed to him by He Lianfang. This secret letter came from the capital, and its content was about the truth behind the murder of the deposed Crown Prince’s family.

After reading the secret letter, Zhao Yao felt both surprised and not surprised.

Seeing Zhao Yao finished reading the letter and remained silent, He Lianfang raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Don’t you have anything to say?"

Zhao Yao put down the secret letter in his hand, his tone very calm, "Uncle, what do you want me to say?"

He Lianfang carefully observed Zhao Yao’s expression, noticing that he didn’t seem surprised by the content of the letter, and was slightly astonished.

"It seems you are not surprised by the culprit behind the murder of the deposed Crown Prince’s family."

Zhao Yao looked at He Lianfang, then sighed softly, "No, it’s not too surprising. Picking this moment was the best timing for Eighth Brother to act against the deposed Crown Prince." He had long guessed that Eighth Brother would kill the deposed Crown Prince, so he wasn’t surprised at all. Moreover, killing his eldest brother now could just blame it on Prince Dai or Prince Jing.

"You guessed all along it was Prince Wei?" He Lianfang was somewhat surprised, "Didn’t you previously suspect it was Prince Dai or Prince Jing?"

"Prince Dai and Prince Jing also have motives to kill my eldest brother; I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out it was either one of them behind it." To be honest, except for him, everyone else had motives. "But compared to Prince Dai and Prince Jing, Eighth Brother had more reason." He guessed it might be Eighth Brother, but he didn’t want it to be Eighth Brother.

Seeing the complexity on Zhao Yao’s face, He Lianfang teased, "What, are you scared by how ruthless your Eighth Brother is?"

Zhao Yao shook his head, "I am somewhat worried about Eighth Brother."

"Worried about Prince Wei?" He Lianfang looked at Zhao Yao, then mocked, "The deposed Crown Prince’s family was killed by Prince Wei. Weren’t you previously upset and angry about it? Why, after finding out the culprit is Prince Wei, are you concerned about him instead of seeking justice for the deposed Crown Prince’s family?"

Zhao Yao pretended not to catch He Lianfang’s sarcastic tone, slightly frowned, and said, "Eighth Brother would indeed kill the deposed Crown Prince, but he would never be so cold-blooded and ruthless as to kill the entire family. I think it wasn’t Eighth Brother’s intention not to spare even my eldest brother’s wife and young children, but rather a decision made by the Southern Wei people."

"Are you so sure rooting out is not Prince Wei’s order?"

Zhao Yao nodded, his tone firm, "Eighth Brother would never kill young children."

He Lianfang showed an intrigued expression, "Unexpectedly, Prince Wei is someone who can still be soft-hearted about children."

"Uncle, young children are innocent. Besides, Eighth Brother is not a cold-blooded and unfeeling person." Most importantly, Eighth Brother had once held several of my eldest brother’s kids. Those kids liked Eighth Brother very much and were close to him. "It must have been the Southern Wei people who took it upon themselves to root out the family. It was definitely not Eighth Brother’s idea."

"Prince Wei has been married for several years now." He Lianfang said meaningfully, "Yet Prince Wei has no children at this time."

"Uncle, you can’t assume Eighth Brother would be ruthless to children just because he doesn’t have any." Zhao Yao defended Prince Wei, "Eighth Brother does not have children because he’s had poor health since he was young. Although he has been recuperating over the years, he hasn’t fully recovered, and there are still differences compared to our healthy bodies." When it comes to the matter of offspring, he has always worried about Eighth Brother. After arriving at Swamp Prefecture, he sent all kinds of tonics he found to Eighth Brother, but he doesn’t know if Eighth Brother took them properly.

"You truly believe in Prince Wei." He Lianfang said, pulling out another secret letter from his bosom and handing it to Zhao Yao, "Read this letter carefully first."

"Another secret letter?" Zhao Yao took the second letter from He Lianfang with a puzzled look, "What is this secret letter?"

He Lianfang emphasized, "Have a good look."

Zhao Yao opened the letter and studied it intently. After a while, his expression changed. However, he quickly regained his composure.

"Is this secret letter real?"

"What do you think?" He Lianfang, seeing Zhao Yao’s face darken, said playfully, "Your good Eighth Brother almost made you take the fall for it. Do you still want to defend him?"

"It’s not Eighth Brother; Eighth Brother would never blame my eldest brother’s death on me." Zhao Yao resolutely stated, "It was the Southern Wei people who wanted to frame me."

"Do you firmly believe that Prince Wei wouldn’t harm you?"

"Yes, Eighth Brother would absolutely never harm me!"

He Lianfang couldn’t understand where Zhao Yao’s confidence came from, making him believe Prince Wei wouldn’t harm him, "Why would the Southern Wei people falsely accuse you?"

The question left Zhao Yao stunned. He frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "The Southern Wei people have noticed me."

"You’re Prince Wei’s good brother; it’s not surprising the Southern Wei people noticed you," He Lianfang said. "Prince Wei values you as his brother, and the Southern Wei people should know that. They know Prince Wei cares about you, so why would they slander you?"

"It’s quite simple; the businesses I’ve been involved in have made the Southern Wei people jealous," Zhao Yao said with a serious expression. "The Southern Wei people are quite adept at business. Over the past twenty to thirty years, their business has grown larger and wider, but they haven’t been able to enter the glass trade. The glass trade is extremely profitable yet rare, and the Southern Wei people want to get into it, but I haven’t cooperated with Eighth Brother on the glass trade."

"You haven’t cooperated with Prince Wei on the glass trade?" He Lianfang was quite surprised, thinking Zhao Yao had collaborated with both Prince Chu and Prince Wei on the glass business. It was unexpected that Zhao Yao hadn’t worked with Prince Wei. "Why didn’t you collaborate with Prince Wei on the glass business?"

"Eighth Brother refused." In Zhao Yao’s mind, Prince Chu and Prince Wei were equally important. He collaborated with Prince Chu on the glass trade, so he could not fail to cooperate with Prince Wei.

"Prince Wei refused?" He Lianfang looked puzzled. "The glass business is extremely profitable; why would Prince Wei refuse to cooperate with you?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it’s because of the Southern Wei people." The reason Prince Wei refused Zhao Yao was certainly not due to the Southern Wei people; that was Zhao Yao’s own conjecture. "Although Eighth Brother is aligned with the Southern Wei people, he has always been wary of them. Eighth Brother’s refusal to cooperate with me on the glass business is a safeguard against the Southern Wei people." His second uncle once told him that the Southern Wei people had caused him trouble in business, though that ceased later. Over the years, his second uncle’s business had grown larger, and now with the addition of glass and eyewear, the Southern Wei people would certainly be jealous.

He continued, "The Southern Wei people want to use Big Brother’s family’s death to falsely accuse me and take the opportunity to swallow all my businesses, especially the glass business."

He Lianfang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you certain the Southern Wei people are targeting you just to seize your business?"

"It’s not just about grabbing my business; it’s also because of Eighth Brother." Zhao Yao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his expression thoughtful. "The Southern Wei people see Eighth Brother valuing me, and I am close to Fourth Brother. In their view, I would become a stumbling block for Eighth Brother in the future."

He Lianfang didn’t realize Zhao Yao saw it so clearly and profoundly said, "You have a clear vision."

"Sigh..." Zhao Yao sighed heavily, his face weighted with concern. "Although I haven’t directly interacted with the Southern Wei people, judging by their actions over the years, they are not good people. Eighth Brother’s cooperation with them is akin to plotting skin with a tiger; I worry that Eighth Brother might be harmed by the Southern Wei people in the future." Eighth Brother presumably knew how insidious and dangerous the Southern Wei people were, so he has been secretly wary all along.

"Without the Southern Wei people’s support, Prince Wei would be nothing," He Lianfang felt that rather than worrying about Prince Wei, Zhao Yao should focus more on himself. "Before Prince Wei succeeds, the Southern Wei people will certainly not harm him; instead, they will consistently support him. You don’t need to worry about him; you should focus on yourself. The Southern Wei people targeting you means they know everything you have done, and Prince Wei is certainly aware."

"Eighth Brother knew, and so be it," Zhao Yao wasn’t worried about his dealings being known by Prince Chu and Prince Wei. "Fourth Brother also knew, but they’ve never questioned me, which shows they don’t care about what I’m doing."

"You just mentioned that the Southern Wei people believe you’re obstructing Prince Wei; even if Prince Wei stands by you, they will try to secretly eliminate you. What are you planning to do?"

"If they intend to deal with me, I certainly won’t sit and wait to die; I’ll naturally strike back. I am not a pushover," Zhao Yao said coldly. "If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them; if people offend me, I must retaliate." Although the Southern Wei people were Eighth Brother’s men, it did not mean he would tolerate them. Previously, they caused trouble for his second uncle, but since no harm came to his second uncle and they stopped causing trouble afterward, he let it go for Eighth Brother’s sake.

This time, the Southern Wei people intend to frame him for killing Big Brother’s family, which is intolerable! If he doesn’t retaliate, the Southern Wei people would actually think he’s easy to bully.

"Considering the situation, Prince Wei refused the Southern Wei people’s suggestion and didn’t let you become the scapegoat," He Lianfang wasn’t surprised by this but was amazed that Prince Wei didn’t take the opportunity to frame Prince Dai or Prince Jing, directly leading to the capture of the Southern Wei people responsible for killing the deposed Crown Prince’s family.

"I said, Eighth Brother wouldn’t harm me." Zhao Yao slightly raised his chin, showing a face of pride. "And speaking of which, even if Eighth Brother really wanted me to take the blame, the first person to disagree would be Fourth Brother. Besides, Father wouldn’t believe it either."

Finishing his words, Zhao Yao seemed to recall something and let out a snicker.

Seeing Zhao Yao grinning foolishly, He Lianfang said disdainfully, "What are you laughing at?"

"I’m laughing at the stupidity of the Southern Wei people."

"The Southern Wei people are stupid, and how are they stupid?"

"They falsely accuse me of killing Big Brother’s family without considering if anyone believes it." Zhao Yao pointed to himself and said, "To the court officials, I’m just a straw bag prince; how could I have the ability to kill Big Brother? Moreover, what good would it do me to kill Big Brother’s family? Most importantly, I am far away in Lingnan."

"Since they want to frame you, they naturally prepared ample evidence. Whether anyone believes you are innocent, does it matter?" He Lianfang mocked. "Prince Dai or Prince Jing could conveniently use you to clear their suspicions. With their help, you being implicated isn’t out of the question," he said, casting a meaningful glance at Zhao Yao. "You, the Prince Han who is far away in Lingnan, are the best scapegoat."

Zhao Yao: "..."