Chapter 772: First Volume, Chapter 772: Eastern Hunting and Regency

First Volume, Chapter 772: Eastern Hunting and Regency

In the end, the seventh prince is still too young—he possesses the decisiveness of youth and years of cultivated patience, but lacks experience; many times, his so-called clever decisions bring unexpected disasters.

After deep deliberation, the Liang Emperor finally made up his mind: the throne must not pass to the seventh prince—but… there was an alternative.

He suddenly flung open the door of the Imperial Study, looked at the Imperial Guard and, not far off, Li Yong chatting with Wu Chi, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and waved his hand: "Seventh Prince, come here."

Li Yong showed no hesitation, walking straight to the Liang Emperor's side, clasping his hands in a bow and kneeling deeply.

"Son-Minister pays homage to His Majesty—how did your discussion with Grand Commandant Qin go?"

The Liang Emperor pretended not to hear, only giving orders: "In half a month, I shall hold the Eastern Hunting. During this time, you shall oversee state affairs."

Eastern Hunting is a unique activity of the Liang royal family, typically held once a year, but since the Liang Emperor ascended the throne, it was abolished—after all, it drains the people's resources and wastes precious time.

Now, reviving Eastern Hunting gives Li Yong a chance—to see whether he has the ability to hold power firmly.

Eastern Hunting will last three months; during this time, if Li Yong conquers Jiangnan Lin Family or severely cripples them, he will have passed the test.

At that point, the Liang Emperor's Eastern Hunting becomes an Eastern Migration—he will depart as Retired Emperor to the Eastern Ancestral Land.

Otherwise, the Liang Emperor will return to Jingdu and reclaim full authority!

Li Yong's goal is the throne, but seeing Qin Tianhu beside the Liang Emperor, he knew well: as long as the Qin Family remains loyal to the Liang Emperor, a military forced palace coup is utterly unrealistic.

Even if he could temporarily seize the palace, he would likely be slain by Reinforce-the-King forces within days.

Though overseeing state affairs falls far short of Li Yong's goal, it is currently the best outcome possible.

Moreover, Li Yong wanted to test himself—could all his years of concealment and accumulation truly qualify him to be Emperor of Liang?

"May Your Majesty's Eastern Hunting be successful, this minister vows to spare no effort, to serve Liang with all his strength, until death."

The Liang Emperor cast a long, deep look at Li Yong, said nothing, and silently turned back into the Imperial Study.

Wu Chi immediately dismissed the Imperial Guard; this standoff ended for now with Li Yong's preliminary success and the Liang Emperor's strategic retreat.

Qin Tianhu, with Zhao Yulong, walked away, but soon was stopped by Li Yong.

"Grand Commandant Qin, the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue have delayed implementing the campaign against Jiangnan Lin Family. Now that I am overseeing state affairs, suppressing the Lin Family's traitorous faction must be prioritized immediately. I shall rely on the Qin Family's continued diligence."

Li Yong's implication was clear: the campaign against Lin Family must be carried out by the Qin Family—this is the Tiger to Devour Wolf strategy.

What he did not know was that this tactic had long been exhausted by the Liang Emperor.

Qin Tianhu gave a slight bow, barely a gesture of respect: "Your Highness, the suppression of Jiangnan Lin Family must be decided by Manchu Civil and Military. Though I am Minister of War and Grand Commandant, I am merely a court official. I have long since relinquished control of family matters—please discuss this with Feng'er."

Hearing this, Li Yong's eyes flickered with displeasure: "Is the Qin Family not famed for unwavering loyalty? I wish to grant the Qin Family glory and merit, yet Grand Commandant Qin delays and evades—is this not hypocrisy?"

"Or does Grand Commandant Qin serve only His Majesty, and hold me, this Regent Prince, in utter contempt? Am I, the Regent Prince, worthless before you?"

What a high hat!

Qin Tianhu remained calm, unmoved: "Your Highness may send word to Feng'er—now, Feng'er is Patriarch of the Qin Family. Moreover, Qin Feng has been enfeoffed as Tianlu Marquis, granted lands in the Northern Border; sending men and resources is his decision. I, in the Northern Border, likely cannot even speak a word on the matter."

Li Yong's gaze sharpened, his voice low and cold: "Since I hold supreme authority, I may directly strip Qin Feng of his Tianlu Marquis title!"

Li Yong radiated menace, attempting to force Qin Tianhu into submission through power and presence—after all, as Regent Prince, he must wield the bearing of a sovereign!

What he did not realize was that from the moment the Liang Emperor decided to appoint Li Yong as Regent, Qin Tianhu had already foreseen Li Yong's transformation.

After all, being a Prince and being Emperor are entirely different things.

Qin Tianhu bowed again, speaking with solemn gravity: "If Your Highness truly wishes to strip Qin Feng of his Tianlu Marquis title, simply draft the Royal Edict. Not just the Tianlu Marquis—do you not also hold the power to strip me of my Grand Commandant and Minister titles at will?"

With that, Qin Tianhu said no more, turning and leaving without looking back.

Watching Qin Tianhu's retreating back, Li Yong's eyes grew colder—he had expected Qin Tianhu would not yield easily; he merely wished to test how much weight he carried in Qin Tianhu's eyes.

The truth proved Qin Tianhu did not regard him at all.

Wu Chi, also watching Qin Tianhu depart, spoke in a hushed tone: "Qin Tianhu fails to recognize the times. Why not strip him of the Grand Commandant title and appoint loyalists?"

At this, Li Yong let out a light scoff: "Whether Grand Commandant or Tianlu Marquis—these titles are valuable only because they are held by the Qin Family. If I remove them, I become the one at a disadvantage. As for the Qin Family, do you think they care whether they hold these titles or offices?"

"Especially Qin Feng—whether or not he is Tianlu Marquis, he remains the Qin Feng's Army."

Wu Chi sighed softly: "Without the Qin Family's support, conquering Jiangnan Lin Family before Eastern Hunting ends is unrealistic."

Li Yong said nothing, only smiled faintly—he had already planned everything.

…

Several days later, on the Official Road to Wang Du, within the Northern Di territory, Qin Feng lay comfortably in his carriage, legs crossed, idly flipping through secret reports delivered by the Brocade Uniform Guard.

"The Emperor's Eastern Hunting, Seventh Prince overseeing state affairs—hmm, earlier than I expected."

Ning Hu, seated cross-legged beside him, hearing Qin Feng's muttering, was startled: "What? Seventh Prince overseeing state affairs? That's too sudden!"

Qin Feng shrugged, tossed the report to Ning Hu, and spoke lightly: "It's just a matter of sooner or later. Li Yong fears that if he ascends the throne, he'll become the Son of Heaven—forced to cut through chaos swiftly."

Ning Hu was baffled: "Who is the Son of Heaven? I've never heard of him."

Qin Feng grinned: "Simply put—he's the nominal sovereign, but the regional kings ignore him completely. In short, a mascot."

Ning Hu roughly understood Qin Feng's meaning, scanning the report as he muttered: "The royal family has Palace Guards, Imperial Guard, Jingji East and West Camps, Garrison Army, Central Plains Imperial Party—all these unshakable foundations. At worst, they could control half the empire—why such paranoia?"