freenovelworld Chapter 357: A Traitor Within?
Chapter 357: A Traitor Within?
“Brother, please don’t say that! This is my own choice. In my heart, you are the best successor to the Great Yong. Although my second brother is quite capable, he is too narrow-minded and ruthless. He will not be a wise ruler.”
Duanmu Chuze smiled somewhat embarrassedly as he spoke, "Since I have chosen my elder brother, I will naturally do everything in my power to help him. Nowadays, outsiders only know that Father Emperor values the Mu family, but there are probably only a few people who truly understand that the Mu family is indirectly helping the Crown Prince. After all, the Mu family has always been known for its upright character and has always been somewhat pedantic in its approach to officialdom."
The Mu family is indirectly helping the Crown Prince!
Such a sentence left the Crown Prince speechless for a long time!
Originally, the Crown Princess intended for her two nieces from her maternal family to marry into the Chang Le Prince's household as concubines or secondary consorts. Her purpose, of course, was to win over Duanmu Chuze, in case he left the capital and their relationship cooled down in the future.
But Duanmu Chuze's words today caused the Crown Prince's heart to surge like waves!
"Fourth brother, have you mentioned these words to anyone else?"
"How could that be? However, Father Emperor is certainly aware of this matter. Otherwise, do you think Mu Chang'an's promotion would have been so smooth?"
The crown prince nodded and said nothing more.
"Brother, I will go and guard Yan for you. It may seem poor, but it is the most remote part of our Great Yong! If Third Brother goes there, and if he reaches an agreement with Second Brother and they collude with the Tartars, then the future of our Great Yong will be in grave danger!"
"Father Emperor obviously considered this point, which is why he sent you to Yan." The Crown Prince nodded and sighed softly. "I had overlooked this matter! Phoenix Mountain, the natural barrier of our Great Yong, is located there. If the Tartars intend to invade our Great Yong, they will not be able to do so from the border, but they are very likely to cross Phoenix Mountain to attack. Moreover, the people at Phoenix Pass are unfortunately the Second Prince's men now."
"Don't worry, brother. After I arrive in Yan, I will naturally try to win over the soldiers at the border. If I can't win them over, I'll just kill them! If such people are left alive, they might become a hidden danger."
"I understand, elder brother. Fourth brother, it will be hard on you! Yan is not only poor, but also a place where power struggles are fierce, and there are 200,000 troops stationed there. It won't be easy to subdue the generals there."
“I understand. Although Phoenix Pass is not within my fiefdom, I am still a prince of the Great Yong Dynasty, and the son of my father. I cannot stand by and watch them collude with outsiders to destroy the foundation of my Great Yong Dynasty! I will do everything in my power to ensure that my elder brother becomes the next emperor without any pressure.”
"Good brother!" The Crown Prince stood up, went to Duanmu Chuze's side, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Having a brother like you makes me feel much better!"
Unexpectedly, Duanmu Chuze said with some guilt, "Brother, please don't talk about this! It was my fault that Duanmu Chen had this problem. If I hadn't caused his allergic reaction, those rumors wouldn't have spread. But don't worry, brother, leave this matter to me. I will naturally find a way to quell the rumors."
As he spoke, a mischievous smile appeared on Duanmu Chuze's face. "However, before we quell the rumors, can we use this incident to get Father to give Second Brother a good beating?"
"Huh?" The crown prince didn't understand for a moment, and laughed, "You little rascal, what mischief are you up to now?"
"Where did I get the bad idea?" Duanmu Chuze said innocently. "These rumors outside are clearly detrimental to your Crown Prince's Palace. Besides my second brother, who else has the ability to spread such rumors? How many ordinary people dare to criticize the royal offspring?"
The crown prince understood his intention, shook his head and chuckled, the satisfaction in his eyes was evident.
"You little rascal, you're really clever! What was clearly a bad thing, you managed to turn into something beneficial for my Crown Prince! You're quite capable!"
"What's wrong? It's just that I feel guilty. Speaking of which, brother, please tell Chen'er that although he's about the same age as me, I'm still his elder. My Anuan will be calling me 'Auntie' in the future. So, tell him to give up any improper thoughts!"
By the end, the smile on Duanmu Chuze's face had almost completely disappeared, replaced by a solemn and cold expression.
"Don't worry! Your elder brother will take care of this matter for you! You don't know yet, do you? The Empress Dowager and I have already discussed it, and we will issue an imperial decree to Chen'er to arrange the marriage in the next two days. You can go to your fiefdom with peace of mind, and then wait to marry Mu Nuan."
"Really?" Duanmu Chuze asked with delight. "So, Chen'er won't compete with me for A'Nuan anymore?"
The crown prince's face darkened, and he feigned annoyance, saying, "Would I lie to you? Alright! Let's go. Since you're here today, why don't you stay and have a few drinks together? Let your brother see if your courage has grown, your martial arts skills have improved, and your alcohol tolerance has also increased?"
"Ha ha!"
A burst of laughter came from inside the study, while the palace servants outside breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Crown Prince was in a good mood, which meant that the matter concerning His Highness the Grandson would probably not provoke too much anger from him.
At a glance from a palace maid, someone immediately went to Prince Changsun's place, where the Crown Princess was currently keeping watch.
Sure enough, the Crown Princess's expression improved considerably upon receiving the news. Looking at Duanmu Chen, who was alright but still needed two more days of rest, she said with some concern, "You were clearly tricked this time. You can't be so careless in the future."
"Yes, Mother. I have troubled you with your worries; it is my fault for being unfilial."
"Alright! Don't say such things in front of your mother. Didn't the palace servant just say that the Crown Prince is in a good mood? It seems he won't punish you severely for this. You should think carefully about who might be plotting against you?"
"Who else could it be? Judging from the rumors outside, it's easy to guess that it's someone from the Second Imperial Uncle's faction."
"Weren't you with several young masters from the General of the State's mansion that day? Oh, and that Young Master Xu too? They're not on the Prince of Ming's side! While they can't be said to be on the Crown Prince's side, they're pretty close. How could this be?"
"It seems they've been keeping an eye on their son's schedule all along."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be that there was a traitor among her son's men?
"Guards! Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!"
"Yes, ma'am."