kvmb Chapter 496 Why Don't I Guess with You?
Chapter 496 Why Don't I Guess with You?
"I promised Qingqing I'd accompany her to the Miao region. It just so happens that Elder Meng is from there. Once Zhiyi arrives, we'll set off immediately," Lu Yangyang said, her brow furrowed.
"Before this, I really didn't expect that His Highness was hiding so deeply, stirring up trouble in the shadows everywhere, without any bottom line. Who knows what even more unbelievable things he might do? He's simply insane."
Lu Yangyang had never had a deep impression of the Crown Prince before, and even the entire capital would subconsciously overlook him.
If it weren't for the fact that several later cases indirectly involved the First Prince, they probably would never have realized that the truly insidious one was not the Third Prince who was stirring up trouble on the surface, but the First Prince who was hiding behind the scenes and seemingly being used.
Who would have thought that he was the one who was taking advantage of others!
However, many things require evidence, and without evidence, no one can openly do anything to His Highness.
Moreover, Zong Que was already under His Majesty's full surveillance at the time, and could not possibly know what the Crown Prince was doing in secret.
If it weren't for the strikingly similar methods used in this case of the elixir, she would never have imagined that the Crown Prince could commit such a heinous act.
“What has been done will always leave a trace. I will first send a message to Yan Yue and tell him to be more vigilant.” Zong Que said gently, “It’s just that my father sent people to Jiangnan but they couldn’t find me. He will definitely send people to the southwest, which may shake up the military affairs in the southwest. Zong Ke’s going to the southwest may have been a coincidence at first, but it may not have been.
Lu Yangyang exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, he might have gone there on His Majesty's orders?"
Lu Yangyang pursed her lips, but couldn't help but ask, "Has His Majesty gone mad?"
Zong Que chuckled, looking up at her lively little face. He couldn't help but reach out and take her hand, gently patting it. "It's not that he's gone mad, but Zong Ke's little tricks are nothing more than clowns in his eyes. He knows the Northwest is untouchable. If he touches the Northwest, he'll be in a very passive position if a war breaks out in the future. So he's not in a hurry to take back military power in the Northwest. As for the Southwest, it has always been a turbulent place. When Yan Yue's marriage didn't go through, Yan Yue returned to the Southwest. He backed down, and then found an excuse to transfer his uncle away from the Southwest, leaving Yan Yue, a young general with no real power base, there. What do you think was the reason?"
Lu Yangyang blurted out instinctively, "Taking advantage of troubled waters?"
“He divided the military power in the southwest, transferred his uncle away, and left the incompetent Yan Yue there to appease the soldiers and keep them from going into chaos. But at the same time, he wanted them to start making a ruckus so he could plant his own people in the middle. Then he sent Zong Ke to stir up trouble in the southwest. If Zong Ke’s ambitions became too great and he couldn’t control him, he would take the opportunity to get rid of Zong Ke. But if Zong Ke could let go in time, he could pretend nothing had happened and keep Zong Ke back in the capital to continue to help him hone the successor he wanted.” Zong Que analyzed with her, “So the Emperor may not have given him a decree, but letting him go to the southwest was itself an implication. Otherwise, it would just be a marriage alliance. Zong Ke is under house arrest; how could he really leave the capital under the pretext of a marriage alliance?”
Lu Yangyang understood. To put it bluntly, the Crown Prince was nothing more than a pawn in the Emperor's hands.
The reason why Crown Prince Zongque's position was stable before was not only because of his own reputation and status, but also because the General of the Southwest was his uncle, the General of the Northwest was his study companion, the two important border areas were under his control, and the Grand Tutor Lan, a model for scholars, was his mentor. He truly held great power and had the support of the people, which is why the emperor both loved and hated him and was full of fear towards him.
If it weren't for that accident that left him crippled in both legs, causing the court officials to waver, it would have been impossible to break through the barrier of deposing the crown prince.
After deposing the crown prince, the emperor needed time to completely dismantle Zong Que's power in a short period of time, so he had started making plans long ago.
The Crown Prince's underhanded actions secretly caused great trouble for the Northwest. The Emperor may have been very angry at the time, but afterward, upon reflection, he would realize that the Crown Prince was a useful pawn.
When it comes to imperial power politics, the emperor is the most masterful.
Having figured out the key points, Lu Yangyang couldn't help but look at Zong Que with some confusion: "Why is Your Highness telling me all this?"
Lu Yangyang didn't just start to feel this way now; it was from a very early age when His Highness never shied away from talking to her about matters of power. In fact, if it weren't for His Highness, she would have been completely ignorant about these things. Later, she was able to come to her senses and think of many things because His Highness hadn't shied away from these matters in the past, and even took the initiative to explain them to her, which allowed her to glimpse some of the intricacies.
At first, she was only interested in participating, learning and thinking because she was curious about the capital and everything in the outside world.
But as time went on, she gradually noticed something was wrong. It seemed that His Highness had been deliberately instilling these things in her. Why was that?
Her original dream was simply to become a doctor, but she always felt that things were gradually taking an unpredictable turn.
Zong Que listened to her question, chuckled softly, and gently tightened his grip on her fingers.
As before, Lu Yangyang squatted down, leaned forward slightly to meet his gaze, and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Zong Que looked into her eyes and said softly, "After I injured my leg and couldn't stand up, everyone in front of me was only in one of two states: either they knelt in front of me, not daring to look me in the eye, or they stood a little distance away from me, looking down with pity, pity, or contempt. Before that, I never thought that one day I would be so bored as to observe how others looked at me."
"And you always try to look me in the eye, so that I can see your eyes the moment I open them, without me having to deliberately look down or up, without me having to observe you quietly."
"So, Yangyang, there's nothing I need to deliberately hide from you. Power politics is just a tool; you can use it or not, you can think about it or not. But I'll tell you the information I can let you know directly, so why make you guess? I'm physically limited, and there are things I can't involve you in. I can't always be by your side, nor can I constantly remind you, lest you miss something and fail to be alert. Since that's the case, since I trust you, why should I beat around the bush and make you guess their intricacies? Why don't I guess with you?"