Chapter 354: What grudge, what resentment?

"It is precisely because the Prince of Zhong cultivated the Dao, recklessly snatching the only opportunity to seek longevity, while Your Majesty was exceptionally indulgent and kind to him, that the Prince of Chu mistakenly thought Your Majesty was already old and could no longer wield a sword, which is why he dared to raise an army to rebel. Otherwise, in the past, even if you gave the Prince of Chu a hundred guts, he wouldn't have dared to rebel."

Yu Zhaoan's reasoning, at first hearing, was extremely absurd—so absurd that it made people burst into laughter.

But thinking about it carefully, why did the Prince of Chu have the guts to submit a memorial insulting the old Emperor, and why did he have the guts to raise an army to rebel at this time? Naturally, it was because the various chaotic phenomena brought about by the aftermath of the deposed Crown Prince affair gave the other party confidence.

In the past, the Prince of Chu's impression in the court was that of an honest, duty-bound, mediocre person with no particular skills who wouldn't harm the common people. Such a princely member of the Imperial clan fit the court's requirements very well and made people feel at ease.

Yet, it was this very honest man who, once he stopped being silent, raised an army to rebel, sweeping through the entire South. The wealthy lands of the South would all fall into his hands. With more money and grain, he could raise more troops. With more troops, he could occupy more territory.

The Imperial Court's troops, however, were retreating steadily.

At present, only the troops led by Chen Guanfu still had the strength to fight, holding the city and not surrendering with their troops.

The Chen family is loyal!

The father and son, one in the North and one in the South, actually managed to resist the rebels for the Imperial Court, not letting them enter the heartland of the court to cause harm.

With rebellions happening in both the North and the South, why did the court officials still have the heart to argue, wanting to kill Yu Zhaoan first regardless of everything else? Naturally, it was because the Great Gan territory was vast, rich in products, and populous. Those little thieves and little disasters in the North and South could not shake the foundation of the Imperial Court.

The court officials were just that confident.

"Absurd and ridiculous!"

Regardless of whether Yu Zhaoan made sense or not, opposing him was the right thing to do.

"Prime Minister Yu's ability to make far-fetched connections is truly breathtaking."

"If Prime Minister Yu cannot think of a way to quell the rebels, he should just shut up; why must he make a fool of himself and be laughed at?"

"It is a failure for the Jixia Academy to have taught a person like you."

"I am ashamed to be an alumnus and classmate of yours."

Yu Zhaoan smiled coldly, "Each of you discusses major military and national affairs based on personal grudges; how much more brilliant are you? You can oppose me, but you cannot deny that the Prince of Chu dared to rebel precisely because of the effective demonstration by His Highness the Prince of Zhong. Your Majesty, please issue an edict to severely punish the Prince of Zhong, confine him, destroy the Daoist temples in his mansion, and drive away all the Daoists. Additionally, issue an edict for Chen Guanfu to command the Southern troops, giving him the authority to control the troops of several Southern provinces, and have him organize troops immediately to resist the Prince of Chu; he must be stopped south of the Great Lake."

"Chen Guanfu can be allowed to command the Southern troops. But in this matter, the Prince of Zhong is so innocent. Your Majesty, please do not implicate the innocent!"

"Since the Crown Prince was deposed, the Prince of Zhong has always kept to his duties and made no mistakes. I implore Your Majesty to consider the Prince of Zhong's loyalty and pure filial piety and not pursue this."

"His Daoist temples can be destroyed, and the Daoists driven away. Please, Your Majesty, do not believe the villainous words of Prime Minister Yu, lest you pain your kin and gladden your enemies."

The officials offered their advice one after another.

Everyone present was a clever person; perhaps they hadn't thought that deeply, but from the old Emperor's eyes, they could guess that the old Emperor, bewitched by Yu Zhaoan, really had developed a murderous intent toward His Highness the Prince of Zhong. The officials panicked and pleaded for mercy one after another.

How innocent the Prince of Zhong is!

He hadn't done anything, yet he was saddled with a huge pot of blame.

All of this was Yu Zhaoan's fault.

Jiang Tu would never plead for the Prince of Zhong; he wished for the Prince of Zhong to die. When the Prince of Zhong was Crown Prince, the two of them didn't get along.

However, all the officials were pleading for mercy; if he didn't plead, would he appear too cold and ruthless? Too maverick? He remembered the last time he wanted to share the old Emperor's worries, and the old Emperor almost killed him. Fortunately, he ran fast.

What if...

Jiang Tu was very confused at this moment. He suddenly discovered that he couldn't fathom the old Emperor's thoughts. He felt very fearful and panicked inside. What to do? What exactly should he do?

The old Emperor's eyes were gloomy; were they aimed at the court officials or the Prince of Zhong?

It was impossible to see through!

"The Prince of Zhong affair can be discussed later. Chen Guanfu is too young and lacks prestige; he is not enough to control the troops of several provinces. A more capable general must be chosen. My subjects, does anyone have a candidate?"

The troops in both the North and South were in the hands of the Chen father and son; just thinking about it made people shudder.

The old Emperor could never make such a mistake.

He glanced at Yu Zhaoan; had Yu Zhaoan not thought of this, or was he doing it on purpose?

Yu Zhaoan was burying his head, quiet at this moment, not arguing with the officials. It seemed the purpose of today's small court meeting had been reached.

After discussing back and forth, they finally selected an old general from the court to lead the army south. Chen Guanfu would be the deputy general, responsible for gathering troops and raising grain and fodder before the old general arrived, to block the Prince of Chu's army.

As the officials walked out of the Taiji Palace, several young officials surrounded Li Liangcheng, muttering and cursing Yu Zhaoan.

"Li Xiang, Yu Zhaoan is just a rat dropping; he cannot be indulged!"

"He used the Prince of Zhong as a sacrificial flag for no reason; he clearly harbors malicious intent."

"I think he is clearly acting for His Highness the Prince of Jin. Compared to the Prince of Zhong, the Prince of Jin isn't even fit to carry his shoes."

"As long as Li Xiang gives the order, we will risk our lives to pull Yu Zhaoan off his horse. We cannot tolerate this treacherous villain continuing to harm the court's discipline."

"A treacherous official and villain, everyone should kill him. Yu Zhaoan is no longer the Yu Zhaoan of the past; he is now the greatest treacherous villain in the court. We must kill him even if it costs us our lives."

"Risking your lives for what? Stop talking nonsense, all of you." Li Liangcheng coughed several times, "You don't do your jobs, but you only think about risking your lives. Look at yourselves; do you look like Imperial officials? Don't just look at what's in front of you; look to the future. What you see and hear may not be true. Thinking more about the deeper meaning won't hurt."

After saying this, Li Liangcheng flicked his sleeves and left.

A bunch of idiots!

Several officials looked at each other, not understanding.

"What does Li Xiang mean? Why didn't I understand?"

"Li Xiang seems to be defending Yu Zhaoan."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Stop talking nonsense and disturbing my Dao heart."

"Have you ever thought about why Yu Zhaoan suddenly targeted His Highness the Prince of Zhong for no reason?"

"How is there no grudge? Yu Zhaoan and the Prince of Jin are senior-junior brothers."

"So what if they are senior-junior brothers? They didn't have much contact before, and since Yu Zhaoan was released from prison, they have cut off contact even more. I don't believe Yu Zhaoan is working for the Prince of Jin. Today's matter is of no benefit to the Prince of Jin; it might even implicate His Highness the Prince of Jin."

The officials couldn't guess, everyone had their own claims, and no one could convince the other, so they simply dispersed.

Clang, clang, clang...

Inside the Prince of Jin's mansion, in the heavily guarded study where idlers were not allowed to enter, sounds of shattering came one after another.

His Highness the Prince of Jin was aggressive, his anger soaring to the heavens, so angry that he smashed the study, leaving a mess on the floor.

"Yu Zhaoan, he deserves to die! He is clearly framing this Prince. What grudge, what resentment—why does he want to hurt this Prince so much? Could it be that this Prince wasn't good enough to him, or is he still holding a grudge about being interrogated by the Brocade Uniform Guard?" ===== CHAPTER 355 =====