Chapter 405: Palace Schemes

Jinling.

In the Imperial Garden, Mi Yan and Yang Feng stood before Zhao Heng.

Gazing at the emperor who was admiring the flowers, Mi Yan said, "Your Majesty, in this subject's opinion, this personal expedition must not happen."

Ever since Zhao Heng had agreed to the personal expedition in the imperial court, he had tried to dissuade him for days, but all his efforts were rebuffed by Zhao Heng.

Yet he still refused to give up; this time, when Zhao Heng summoned him and Yang Feng, he spoke out once more.

Zhao Heng frowned, "Imperial Uncle, there is no need for further words. Since I have already agreed to the personal expedition, how can I retract my decree? A monarch does not speak in jest."

Mi Yan said urgently, "Your Majesty, this subject is thinking of Your Majesty's safety. This Northern Expedition against Xiliang is an unprecedented great war, and the Northern Di will certainly participate. Moreover, besides their invincible cavalry, the Northern Di now possess artillery."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng's pupils contracted.

During this period, news had been continuously arriving from the North Territory.

Besides the Northern Di manufacturing artillery, in the matter of the Third Prince, Xiliang was the accomplice, while the Northern Di was the mastermind.

Upon learning this news, the debt for the Third Prince would naturally fall mostly on the heads of the Northern Di.

It was just that this matter was too great an humiliation for Great Song; even with the Northern Di's involvement, this Northern Expedition had to be fought.

This concerned the face of the Royal Clan and the dignity of Great Song.

Otherwise, how would the powerful clans view the Royal Clan, and how would the people of Great Song view the Imperial Court?

In future history books, how would he be recorded?

He feared he would only become a joke in the mouths of future generations.

This was something he could not tolerate under any circumstances, so the matter of the Northern Expedition was not affected by the involvement of the Northern Di.

Most importantly, the Dou Family, the Xiao Family, and other powerful clans did not choose to retreat this time.

In his view, this was extremely rare.

In recent years, it was rare for the powerful clans and the Royal Clan to work together in unity.

If this opportunity were not seized, the Northern Expedition would never be accomplished.

And he would carry this shame to meet the Late Emperor beneath the Yellow Springs.

Therefore, when Dou Wei spoke eloquently in the imperial court, urging him to lead the expedition in person and command the various forces, he had agreed immediately.

After all, the powerful clans would not take orders from Yan Wang, and Yan Wang would not take orders from the powerful clans.

Only he could command with authority.

"Therefore, this Northern Expedition is all the more necessary. If we do not take this chance while the powerful clans are sending troops to deal a heavy blow to the Northern Di and suppress their arrogant spirit, how will the Royal Clan independently deal with the Northern Di in the future?" Zhao Heng's expression was solemn, "There is no need to persuade me further; my mind is made up."

He then looked at Yang Feng, "Duke of Yi, are you also here to persuade me?"

Yang Feng said, "Not so. This old subject knows Your Majesty will not change your mind. I only came this time in the hope of following the imperial carriage on the expedition to avenge the men of my Yang Family."

"Duke of Yi, you..." Mi Yan stomped his feet in anger upon hearing this.

He had originally thought Yang Feng would persuade the emperor just as he had, but he had not expected him to add fuel to the fire.

Yang Feng said sternly, "Censor Mi, this Northern Expedition concerns not only the Third Prince but also the rise and fall of Great Song. Xiliang and the Northern Di have just formed an alliance, yet they still harbor mutual suspicion. The Northern Di have mastered the Art of Cannon Casting, but it has only been a short time. If we continue to drag this out, waiting until Xiliang and the Northern Di are as one,

and the use of artillery becomes proficient, it will be the time of our Great Song's downfall."

Zhao Heng nodded slowly.

To say he felt no fear at all in his heart regarding this war would be impossible.

But as Yang Feng said, this Northern Expedition was not just for the Third Prince.

If they could not take this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Xiliang and the Northern Di, the future of Great Song would be bleak.

Therefore, the Northern Expedition was also an adventure he had carefully considered.

With the firearms provided by Yan Wang, if they won, Great Song would have avenged the Third Prince and recovered the lost Qinzhou and Yongzhou.

If they lost, they would rely on the artillery to hold the mountain passes and recuperate.

"Sigh." Mi Yan had nothing more to say.

Since even Yang Feng agreed with this Northern Expedition and Zhao Heng's personal command, perhaps he really had overthought it?

It was just that, out of his sensitivity to officialdom, he could not believe in any way that Dou Wei had proposed this truly for the sake of Great Song.

He Prince Mansion.

Zhao Mu sat in the pavilion, his gaze cold and gloomy.

The nearby servants all held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

During this period, eight servants had already been beaten to death.

The current Third Prince was capricious and far more ruthless than before.

Some malicious servants said in private that the Third Prince had simply stopped pretending, changing from a hypocrite into a true villain.

"How is Your Highness's mood today?" At this moment, a voice came, and Dou Wei walked over slowly.

Hearing the voice, the Third Prince withdrew the coldness in his eyes and stood up to bow to Dou Wei.

Since returning to Great Song, he had kept himself locked in the prince mansion.

Only from Dou Wei's mouth could he learn about the situation in the imperial court.

Therefore, the thing he looked forward to most every day was Dou Wei's arrival.

"Uncle, please sit." After saying this, Zhao Mu suddenly realized his voice had become much more feminine, and a shadow crossed his face.

But he still tried hard to force a smile.

Now, the only person he could count on was this uncle of his.

Therefore, he did not want to make a fool of himself in front of Dou Wei.

"Uncle, is there any fresh news from the imperial court recently?" Zhao Mu asked, masking his abnormality.

Dou Wei naturally noticed the change in Zhao Mu's expression, but he deliberately pretended not to see it.

After all, no one wants to bring up unpleasant matters.

Sitting opposite Zhao Mu, Dou Wei said, "It is nothing major; it is just that the Han Family and the Wang Family are making a fuss about money and grain, haggling over prices. Although I persuaded them to send troops, they do not want to suffer any losses."

He paused, then added, "Also, Mi Yan has gone to the palace again to dissuade the Emperor from leading the army on a personal expedition."

"This Mi Yan is truly an eyesore," Zhao Mu said with a cold snort upon hearing this. "He must not ruin our plans."

"Heh, Mi Yan has been an official for too short a time; he fundamentally does not understand your Imperial Father. It is useless; he cannot persuade him. Besides, this Northern Expedition is a matter of great righteousness, and even Yang Feng supports it," Dou Wei said.

Zhao Mu nodded.

In order to persuade the Emperor to lead the army on a personal expedition, his uncle Dou Wei personally visited Xie Duan.

By supporting the Crown Prince's restoration, they exchanged it for Empress Xie whispering in Zhao Heng's ear, which also led to this matter of the First Prince overseeing the state.

The Wang Family is a fence-sitter; seeing the trend of the Xiao Family, Dou Family, and Xie Family uniting, they immediately leaned toward the Dou Family and agreed to the matter of sending troops, but they demanded that the Imperial Court provide the money and grain for the Northern Expedition.

The Han Family could not hold out alone; although they were unwilling, they could only follow along and send troops.

But since his uncle promised him the throne, how could he allow it to be given to the First Prince?

They are simply waiting for an opportunity.

For this Northern Expedition, his uncle not only wants to use this war to heavily strike the Xiliang and Beidi to avenge him, but at the same time, he is also pacifying the borders for the Great Song, so that he may ascend the throne steadily in the future.

Of course, there is another goal, which is to openly trigger chaos in the Imperial Court.

That is to find a way to make his Imperial Father fall into an enemy camp during the personal expedition.

If this can be achieved during the war, the Dou Family naturally will not need to adopt more cruel methods to seize the throne.

And once the Great Song's emperor is captured and there is no heir apparent.

To whom the throne belongs will depend solely on the power struggle between the influential clans.

This is the reason why his uncle currently only agreed to the First Prince overseeing the state and did not immediately agree to the First Prince's restoration.

And with the Dou Family's cultivation in Jingshi over these years, he believes that he will absolutely not lose.

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