28. The Duke of Zhenguo's advice.

The Duke of Zhenguo and the Marquis of Xuanping learned that the emperor had summoned He Xiang, Liu Taishi, and General Song alone, and they guessed that it was about the matter of adding beads to the King of Dai.

  At this time, in the East Palace, the Duke of Zhenguo was talking to the prince.

  While they were talking, the eunuch Lu Cong beside the prince came in and respectfully reported to the prince and the Duke of Zhenguo: "Your Highness, Duke, He Xiang and the others have not come out of the imperial study."

  The prince was surprised and said: "It's almost noon, why haven't they come out yet?"

  After the morning court, the emperor called He Xiang and Liu Taishi and the other three to the imperial study. It's almost noon, and the emperor hasn't let them out yet. What did the emperor and the three of them talk about this morning.

  The Duke of Zhenguo asked directly: "Have you found out why the emperor summoned He Xiang and the others?"

  Lu Cong bent his waist and lowered his head and said: "Duke, the people in Chengguang Hall are too tight-lipped, we can't get any news at all."

  The Duke of Zhenguo also knew that it was difficult to get news about the emperor from the people in Chengguang Hall.

  "Were there any sounds of arguing in the imperial study?"

  Lu Cong replied, "No, I heard from the people in Chengguang Palace that the emperor and Prime Minister He and the other two were chatting very happily, and there was constant laughter in the imperial study."

  The prince was stunned: "Constant laughter?"

  "It seems that the emperor is in a good mood." The Duke of Zhenguo looked at Lu Cong and ordered, "Go and find out again."

  "Yes, Duke." Lu Cong retreated respectfully.

  "Grandfather, didn't the emperor meet with He Xiang and others because of the matter of giving the Dai Wang a pearl?"

  The Duke of Zhenguo stroked his beard and said, "The matter of giving the Dai Wang a pearl has been argued for a few days. Seeing that the Dai Wang is about to return to the court, this matter must be concluded. The emperor summoned He Xiang and others today, it must be for the Dai Wang to add a pearl."

  The prince asked again, "Then do you think He Xiang and others will agree to give the Dai Wang a pearl?"

  "He Xiang, Liu Taishi, and General Song, the three of them should not agree to give the Dai Wang a pearl." The Duke of Zhenguo said with a smile, "In the past few days, Xuanping Hou has been sending people to meet He Xiang and others, just to let He Xiang and them agree to give the Dai Wang a pearl, but He Xiang and the three of them closed the door and did not see anyone."

  "He Xiang and others have never participated in the dispute between me and the Dai Wang." The prince had always wanted to win over He Xiang and others. As long as He Xiang and others support him, he will no longer have to care about the Dai Wang. Unfortunately, it did not succeed.

  The Duke of Zhenguo said, "He Xiang and his people will not participate in the fight between you and the King of Dai, but they still support you secretly."

  "Support me?" The prince was surprised, "When have He Xiang and his people ever supported me?" In the court, He Xiang and his people never showed any support for him, nor did they have any intention of getting close to him.

  "You are the prince, the heir to the throne of a country. He Xiang and his people will not support the King of Dai to add a pearl." In the past few days, the court has been arguing over whether to add a pearl to the King of Dai. The people of the King of Dai's party showed a momentum of determination to win, which made many ministers who supported the prince panic, but the Duke of Zhenguo was very calm from beginning to end, because he knew in his heart that even if the emperor agreed to add a pearl to the King of Dai, He Xiang and his people would never agree. "Prime Minister He and the others know very well that giving the Prince of Dai a pearl will bring harm to the court. Although the Prince of Dai has made many contributions on the battlefield, no matter how many military merits he has, he cannot surpass you. You are not only the emperor's eldest son, but also the legitimate son, while the Prince of Dai is a bastard's son."

  "Back then, it was Prime Minister He and the others who suggested to the emperor that you be made the crown prince. It can be said that you were the crown prince chosen by Prime Minister He and the others. As long as you do not commit the heinous crime of treason, Prime Minister He and the others will not agree to the Prince of Dai replacing you."

  After hearing what the Duke of Zhenguo said, the crown prince felt relieved.

  "That's why you told me not to do anything, Grandfather."

  The Duke of Zhenguo nodded slightly: "Well, it's best for you to do nothing at this time."

  "But, Grandfather, the emperor has always favored and valued the King of Dai. The King of Dai won the Liangzhou victory this time and made great contributions, which are greater than his previous contributions. The emperor cannot possibly reward him nothing. He has received all the rewards he deserves over the years, and even his fiefdom has become larger year by year. The emperor has nothing to reward him with. At present, the only thing he can give him is the beads."   

  In the past few years, Liangzhou has not been peaceful, and the rebels of the previous dynasty have been harassing Liangzhou. Before the King of Dai went to Liangzhou, other soldiers had also gone to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion and won, driving the rebels out of Liangzhou. As a result, they did not rest for two days, and the rebels came back again.

  Liangzhou has a special geographical location. The terrain in the state is steep and tortuous, and there are many mountains and forests. Once the rebels were defeated, they fled into the mountains. It is really difficult to catch them all in one fell swoop. You can only wait for them to come out and beat them.

  For so many years, the rebels in Liangzhou have been playing cat and mouse with the army of the court, which made the court very annoyed with them, but they could not completely eliminate them.

  The rebels have been hiding and have not developed into a great strength, but last year, the power of the rebels suddenly expanded a lot, and there were 200,000 or 300,000 troops at once.

  Originally, in the eyes of the court, the rebels in Liangzhou were just snakes and rats. Although hateful, they were not enough to become a major concern for the court. However, when the rebels in Liangzhou became 200,000 or 300,000 troops, it was a great threat to the court.

  Neither the emperor nor the ministers allowed the Liangzhou rebels to grow again, let alone occupy Liangzhou.

  Liangzhou is right next to Yongzhou, that is, at the gate of the capital. Once Liangzhou is controlled by the rebels, it is like a knife stuck at the gate of the capital. The most important thing is Liangzhou, which is rich in products, whether it is food, minerals, or horses.

  Losing Liangzhou is a fatal blow to the court, so the emperor sent the King of Dai to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion. Before the King of Dai went to Liangzhou, the emperor gave him a death order, asking him to completely eradicate the Liangzhou rebels.

  The King of Dai did not disappoint the emperor. When he arrived in Liangzhou, he first gave the rebels a warning. In the next few months, the King of Dai fought with the rebels countless times, and each time he defeated the rebels.

  The rebels did not expect that although the King of Dai was young, his combat ability was very strong, much better than the soldiers who came to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion before. They were no match for the King of Dai.

  The victory in Liangzhou was a complete victory. The rebels hiding in Liangzhou were uprooted without sparing any of them.

  The King of Dai completely eliminated the rebels in Liangzhou, which solved a major problem for the court and was a great achievement.

  "The Prince of Dai has made too many contributions, and his arrogance is becoming more and more arrogant, even threatening you. If you give him more beads, he will inevitably become more arrogant and complacent. Then he will cause chaos in the court and shake the peace of the world. This is not what Prime Minister He and others want to see." The Duke of Zhenguo said firmly, "

  Prince He and others will never agree to give Prince of Dai more beads." "I'm just afraid that my father will..." Thinking of the emperor's favor and reuse of Prince of Dai in recent years, the corner of the prince's mouth raised a bitter smile, "Grandfather, you also know that in recent years, my father will give Prince of Dai whatever he wants. My father has always said that Prince of Dai is most like him. I'm afraid that in my heart, my father has long wanted Prince of Dai to replace me."

  "Even if the emperor thinks so, he dare not do it." The Duke of Zhenguo comforted the prince, "You are the prince appointed by the emperor himself. As long as you do not commit treason, the emperor will not dare to depose you. Besides, Prime Minister He and others will not agree. Don't worry about the matter of Prince of Dai adding beads."

  "Grandfather, once the King of Dai returns to the capital, our situation will become dangerous." The prince narrowed his eyes slightly, and a trace of cold murderous intent flashed across his eyes.

  The Duke of Zhenguo understood what the prince meant. He waved his hand and said disapprovingly: "The King of Dai has made great contributions this time. He must not get into trouble on his way back to the capital. Once he gets into trouble, you will be the first to be suspected, and your reputation will be ruined."

  "I... really don't want the King of Dai to return to the capital." Once the King of Dai returns to the capital, his situation as the prince will become embarrassing.

  "It's not a bad thing for the King of Dai to return to the capital." The Duke of Zhenguo said meaningfully, "Let him suppress you, let him be proud and arrogant."

  Hearing this, the prince asked in surprise: "Let the King of Dai suppress me? Grandfather, haven't I been suppressed by the King of Dai enough in the past few years?"

  "Appropriate display of weakness will have unexpected effects..." The Duke of Zhenguo said something to the prince softly.

  The prince was stunned. After he finished listening, he showed a look of sudden enlightenment on his face, and then said in surprise: "Grandfather, your trick is really great."

  "Let's wait for the King of Dai to return to the capital."

  (End of this chapter)