Chapter 67: Imperial Prince

"Did the Emperor summon a servant of Yan Wang?"

Jinling City, East Gate of the Gongcheng, Panlou Street outside Donghua Gate.

To the commoners of Jinling, this place is the most prosperous location in Jinling City.

Besides being adjacent to Xiangguo Temple, this street is covered with the mansions of the generals, ministers, and nobles of Great Song.

And to satisfy their needs, the best restaurants, brothels, and jewelry shops in the city are gathered here, pushing the prosperity of this place to an even higher level.

Legend has it in the alleys that the Emperor of Great Song, Zhao Heng, also occasionally travels in plain clothes to feast with officials at the Pan Family Restaurant.

At this moment, at the Xin Wang Mansion located at the end of Panlou Street, the Sixth Prince, Zhao Fang, is sitting in a pavilion, playing a game of chess with someone.

After hearing the report from the mansion's Steward, his hand holding a chess piece hangs in mid-air.

"Yan Wang's man just came out of the palace; this old servant saw it with absolute certainty." The Steward's tone is firm.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fang drops the chess piece and looks at the young man of about thirty opposite him, "Second Brother, what do you think?"

The young man whom Zhao Fang calls Second Brother is none other than the Second Prince of Great Song, Zhao Qu, titled the Prince of Jin.

He and Zhao Fang have always had a close relationship and interact frequently.

"What do I think? I fear Father is sick and grasping at straws, truly believing that a piece of trash like Zhao Xu can accomplish anything in Yanzhou?" Zhao Qu snorts coldly and drops a chess piece.

Zhao Fang nods slightly, "Beating him back then was still too light; it is truly a pity that he was foolish for three years and then recovered."

"Hmph, in my opinion, he was faking foolishness; otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he got better just a few months after arriving in Yan Commandery?" A look of disdain appears on Zhao Qu's long face.

"Hmm, now that Second Brother mentions it, that is indeed the case. But regardless of whether he is truly foolish or faking it, his staying in Yan Commandery is ultimately disadvantageous to us." Zhao Fang knits his brows.

Zhao Qu glares at Zhao Fang, "This is all your own fault. By rights, this Yan Wang should have been you, but you insisted on disliking Yan Commandery for having no profit and chose to become the Xin Wang instead."

"This cannot be blamed entirely on me. My mother, the Imperial Concubine, said that Yanzhou is the territory of my uncle, and going there would be competing with him for profit; she also said Yan Commandery had no profit, which is why she requested the title of Xin Wang for me." Zhao Fang pouts.

Regarding this matter, he has never felt regret.

It is just that now that Zhao Xu has gone to Yan Commandery, and his father seems to have a great intention to support Yan Wang, he feels unhappy.

After all, his ability to be like a fish in water in Jingshi and his current status all rely on his mother's kin, the Yuan Family.

Zhao Qu shakes his head, looking at Zhao Fang with a sense of disappointment that he cannot be molded into something better.

Since the Crown Prince was impeached by the officials and stripped of his position two years ago for his wild and insolent words and actions, the position of the heir has sparked a struggle among the Imperial Princes.

And their father, Zhao Heng, because he was annoyed by the court officials attacking the Crown Prince, has rejected all memorials to re-establish a crown prince for the past two years, delaying the appointment to express his dissatisfaction.

This has made the struggle between the Imperial Princes even more intense.

After all, who does not want to sit on that Dragon Throne?

Amidst the deceit and treachery, the Imperial Princes have gradually formed three factions based on their respective interests.

The first is the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince; the two are born of the same mother and, with the support of the Empress, have been trying to restore the position of the Crown Prince.

The second is the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Prince.

The Third Prince's uncle, Dou Prime Minister, holds power over the court, so his strength is naturally not to be underestimated.

The third is himself, the Sixth Prince, and the Fourth Prince.

To be able to compete with the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, he also has his own capital.

One of the Eight Great Clans of Da Song, the Han Family of Qizhou, is his mother's kin, and the current Great General Han Yu is his uncle.

"Yanzhou is, after all, our capital; it cannot be underestimated. You should still send a letter to Prefect Yuan, telling him to find a way to get rid of Zhao Xu. When the time comes, I will have my uncle find a way to deal with that old thing Mo Di. Once Yanguan is in our hands, Father will have no choice but to appoint me as the Crown Prince." Zhao Qu checkmates the Sixth Prince's path with a chess piece and says slowly.

"Of course, no matter what, we cannot let a piece of trash like Zhao Xu stain our eyes." A cold glint appears in Zhao Fang's eyes, "However, my uncle is very shrewd;

I fear he has already taken action."

"That is for the best. You have Prefect Yuan keep an eye on it." Zhao Qu waves his hand and rises to leave.

Zhao Fang sees Zhao Qu to the door and turns back, his expression suddenly turning cold.

"Hmph, once my Yuan Family controls Yanguan, will the position of the heir still be your turn?" Zhao Fang sneers.

He only clings to the Second Prince to keep warm, and the other Imperial Princes are no different.

Who is truly better than whom?

Sneering again, he looks toward the North Territory and says, "Zhao Xu, you are truly stupid. If you had kept faking foolishness, perhaps you could have kept your life. Now, you must die; who told you to be an eyesore? Yanzhou, what an important place, how can you be allowed to take root?"

……

Wei Wang Mansion.

The Third Prince, Zhao Mu, respectfully pours a cup of tea for Dou Wei.

"Does Uncle know that Father met with Yan Wang's servant?"

"Who in Jinling City doesn't know now? The Emperor is intentionally doing this for everyone to see." Dou Wei blows on the scalding tea.

Zhao Mu nods and says with schadenfreude, "That is what I thought, too. The expressions of the Second Prince and the others must be very wonderful right now."

Dou Wei shakes his head, "Do not be so optimistic yet. The Ninth Prince is all alone in Yan Commandery, and the Emperor's reach is too short. If the Yuan Family really wants to deal with him, I fear he may not be able to hold on."

"Then isn't Father harming Zhao Xu by doing this?" Zhao Mu knits his brows.

Back then, among all the Imperial Princes, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Sixth Prince bullied Zhao Xu the most.

The three of them were the most direct cause of Zhao Xu's madness.

Of course, the other Imperial Princes also treated Zhao Xu very badly, just not as cruelly as those three.

Although he disapproved, he never stopped it; after all, Zhao Xu was too humble among the many powerful Imperial Princes and was not worth him taking action.

But now that Zhao Xu has gone to Yan Commandery, it is different. For him, at the very least, he can be used as a pawn to deal with the Second Prince and the others.

"This is where the Emperor is shrewd. Yan Wang is making ice and selling wine; anyone with eyes can see it. If he doesn't take action, Yan Wang will die even faster. Meeting Yan Wang's servant is telling some people that he still acknowledges Yan Wang as his son." Dou Wei shakes his head.

"So that is how it is. Uncle understands Father the best." Zhao Mu praises, "Then do we need to befriend Yan Wang?"

"Just send someone to Yan Commandery with a meager gift, saying it is to congratulate him on his recovery. If he truly becomes a force to be reckoned with in the future, it will be convenient to deal with him later. If he dies, this bit of Silver is nothing."

Zhao Mu nods. If for nothing else, even being able to annoy the Second Prince's group is good.

……

At this moment, Yan Commandery.

Zhang Kang looked over the letter that had come from Fanyang, a look of secret delight appearing on his face.

"Hahaha, Heaven is helping me. I never expected that the Yuan Family would also wish to borrow the power of the Northern Di to eliminate Yan Wang. Hmph, if the Yuan Family does not send Cavalry to Yan Commandery for this Autumn Hunt, and my Zhang Family acts from within to coordinate with them from without, that Yan Wang will truly be unable to escape even if he had wings," Zhang Kang laughed incessantly.

During this period, he had watched every single thing Yan Wang did, and hated it in his heart.

For every bit of control the Yan Prince Mansion gained over Yan Commandery, he felt a bit more fear.

However, so what? Yan Commandery would eventually be his Zhang Family's.