In Xingdeok Palace, the prince was playing chess with the eighth prince while chatting with him about spring hunting.
Although the Eighth Prince was able to get out of bed and walk around, his injuries were not fully healed and he still couldn't go out for a while, let alone go for spring hunting.
The prince felt it was a pity that the eighth prince could not go to the spring hunt.
"Brother, this is the first time that King Dai has returned to Beijing to participate in the Spring Hunt in the past few years. He will definitely make a splash at the Spring Hunt and win the Spring Hunt." The eighth prince reminded the prince, "King Dai will also take the opportunity to humiliate you. .”
The prince smiled carelessly: "Uncle told me not to worry about the acting king."
When the eighth prince heard the prince's words, his hand that was about to drop paused, and then dropped it again as if nothing had happened.
"The Duke of Zhen said that. Does he have any plans for the spring hunting?"
The prince raised his lips and smiled mysteriously: "Uncle has an arrangement."
The Eighth Prince asked curiously: "What is the arrangement?"
"You'll know after the spring hunting is over." The prince deliberately let it slip and smiled mysteriously.
After hearing this, the Eighth Prince smiled with interest and said, "It seems that Duke Zhen is going to do something big for the Spring Hunt."
The prince nodded slightly and said with a smile: "That's right, just wait and see the good show."
"It's a pity that I can't participate in the spring hunting, otherwise I could witness a good show with my own eyes." The eighth prince's tone was full of regret.
"It's indeed a pity." The prince said, with a guilty look on his face, "If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't have..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the Eighth Prince.
"Brother, don't say such things again."
Seeing that the eighth prince was a little angry, the prince smiled slightly: "Okay, okay, no more. By the way, eighth brother, what prey do you want?"
"Prey?" The Eighth Prince thought for a moment and said, "Deer, probably."
"Deer?" The prince was slightly stunned by this answer, and then asked in confusion, "Why a deer?"
"Because venison is delicious." In the past few days, Zhao Yao often told the eighth prince that venison was delicious, especially roasted venison. The Eighth Prince, who didn't care much about eating, was a little moved by what Zhao Yao said.
"Venison is delicious?" the prince said amusedly, "This is not something you would say." After saying that, he immediately thought of someone, "It was my tenth brother who told you."
In the past few years, the eighth prince has been with the prince and often dines with him. The prince still understands his temperament and appetite relatively well.
The prince thought that he had no appetite, but the eighth prince cared less about food than he did.
The eighth prince said with a surprised look on his face: "Eldest brother actually guessed it."
"You never care whether the food tastes good or not. It must have been my tenth brother who told you."
The Eighth Prince smiled and said: "In the past few days, my tenth brother has been telling me about spring hunting. This is the first time he has officially participated in the hunting. He is very excited. He also said that he wants to hunt a fox for me, and he will do it for me when the time comes. Cloak. He also said that if I’m lucky, he’ll hunt a deer for me and let me eat roasted venison.”
After hearing this, the prince sighed: "My tenth brother is really nice to you, my eighth brother."
"That's because I usually bring him delicious food from your eldest brother." The Eighth Prince said deliberately, "As long as anyone gives him delicious food, he will think that he is a good person."
"Hahahaha... Tenth brother is still a child, and it's normal to like to eat."
The eighth prince did not want to talk to the prince about Zhao Yao's affairs, so he changed the subject calmly and said: "For the Zhongshu Ling and Grand Minister who were previously vacant, my father has arranged for others to serve. It is a pity."
"It's a pity, but it's not a bad thing for us that our father didn't let the person who acts as the king take office." Regarding this matter, the prince took a tolerant view.
"However, I don't think the Dai Wang will give up like this." The Eighth Prince analyzed, "The Dai Wang will definitely find a way to arrange more of his own people in the court, and he will also win over the civil servants in the court."
The prince sneered and said: "Wenchen is not something he can win over just because he wants to." As he said that, he thought of another thing, "I'm worried about whose daughter my father will marry to the king next." Concubine."
The Eighth Prince said: "Father should not grant any more marriages to the king for the time being, after all, Kong Taichang's youngest daughter just died."
"Not for the time being, but after a period of time, the father will definitely give the king a new marriage." The prince clutched the chess piece in his hand tightly, and his expression became gloomy, "I'm afraid that the father will also find a wife for the king. We have a good marriage, and I'm worried that my father will find someone from among the civil servants."
"My father will probably never marry the daughter of the Kong family to the king again." The eighth prince said, "Currently, the only civil servants in the court who have status are the Kong family and the Li family. It is impossible for my father to marry the daughter of the Li family. Be a concubine for the King of Dai. Other civil servants are not as influential as the Kong and Li families. Even if the father grants a marriage, they will not be able to help the King of Dai. Brother, you don’t have to worry."
The prince felt that the eighth prince's analysis was reasonable, and his frown relaxed a little, but his expression was still ugly.
"Do you think my father will choose one of the generals to marry?" As soon as he finished speaking, his face became very solemn for a moment, "Do you think my father will choose one of the four generals?"
The four generals mentioned by the prince are Song Dekang, Shen Hu, Chu Ying, and Zhang Gong. The four of them have been with Emperor Zhou Wu since childhood and are Emperor Zhou Wu's confidants.
"No." The Eighth Prince replied very firmly, "Father will never let the four generals participate in the fight between you and the King. Furthermore, the King has made great achievements on the battlefield and has military power. No support from military commanders is needed.”
"It's best this way." The prince still felt uneasy, "I'm worried that my father felt that he had wronged the king because of Kong Taichang's little daughter, and then wanted to compensate the king and give him a good marriage."
He added, "With my father's love for the king, even if I don't choose one of the four generals, I will choose one of the four generals' subordinates." This is what he is most worried about. "Father has always loved Dai Wang, and he has made exceptions for Dai Wang not once or twice."
The eighth prince had never considered the situation the prince mentioned.
"Probably not. The four generals are only loyal to the father, and their subordinates will only be loyal to the father. If the father chooses one of the four generals' subordinates, it is tantamount to telling everyone that he wants the king to act ..." The Eighth Prince said this and did not continue, but the meaning was obvious.
"Brother, my father would not be so confused." The eighth prince said again, "Even if my father really wants to replace you as the crown prince, my father will not do it so blatantly. If he really does this, then It will definitely arouse opposition from civil servants.”
"Really?" The prince would lose his mind whenever he faced matters concerning the king. "You also know that my father never cares much about etiquette."
"My father doesn't care about etiquette, but he can't care about the opposition of ministers and people." The eighth prince continued, "Besides, my father doesn't want to cause chaos in the court."
The prince still frowned and said nothing.
"Brother, even if my father wants to replace you as the king, he will not do it at this time. He will help the king slowly plan." The eighth prince comforted the prince and said, "Brother, don't worry, my father will never replace you." Choose one of the four generals’ men to marry you.”
When the prince heard this, he finally felt at ease.
"That's good."
"Brother, there is one more thing, that is, the background of Princess Side cannot be higher than that of Princess Dai." Otherwise, where the Princess Dai would be, the Marquis Xuanping would be placed.
"You're right." A smile finally appeared on the prince's face.
"Brother, since Duke Zhenguo has arranged everything for the spring hunting, then you should enjoy the spring hunting." The eighth prince said very thoughtfully, "Since the king came back from Liangzhou, your strings have been tight. Don't dare to relax for a moment. I was sick because of praying before, so you really need to relax this spring hunting."
This sentence touched the grievance deep in the prince's heart. The tip of his nose felt sore and his voice was choked as he said: "Eighth brother, you still understand me..."
The eighth prince said something to comfort the prince again, which moved the prince very much.
The prince and the eighth prince played chess for a while before leaving. Before leaving, he told the eighth prince to have a good rest.
The eighth prince personally sent the prince to the gate of Xingdeok Palace. When he could no longer see the prince, he turned back to Xingdeok Palace.
After returning to the courtyard, Yu Hai hurriedly asked: "Your Highness, what is the Duke of Zhen going to do on the spring hunt?"
"have no idea."
"Can't you guess?"
"The methods of Duke Zhen are unpredictable and difficult to guess." The eighth prince really couldn't guess what Duke Zhen was doing during the spring hunting.
Yu Hai guessed: "The Duke of Zhenguo will not send someone to assassinate His Highness the King, right?"
The Eighth Prince glanced sideways at Yu Hai, "The Duke of Zhen is not that stupid."
"That's right. So what exactly is Duke Zhen going to do?" Yu Hai was extremely curious.
"We'll find out when we wait until spring hunting." The eighth prince was not very curious.
"Your Highness, don't we do something on the Spring Hunting?" Yu Hai said, "After all, the Spring Hunting is a good opportunity, and when the time comes we can still blame the Duke of Zhen."
The Eighth Prince shook his head slightly: "Although the previous assassination was successfully concealed, with my father's wisdom, I may have noticed something. For the sake of safety, we should not do anything during this period."
Yu Hai was frightened by the Eighth Prince's words and asked with a horrified look on his face: "Your Highness, do you think the Emperor has noticed you?"
"That's not true, but with my father's intelligence, he must have known that the real mastermind behind the assassination of the prince was not Dong Jin and the Yangzhou aristocratic families." The eighth prince never dared to underestimate Emperor Wu of Zhou.
"Your Highness, the Emperor doesn't really doubt you, does he?" Yu Hai turned pale with fright, "This... this... this..."
"Father will not doubt me, but he should have guessed that the real mastermind behind the scenes is in the capital." The Eighth Prince said, smiling vaguely, "There are too many suspects in the capital, and there will be no turn. You can't reach me." The Eighth Prince was very confident in his hiding skills. He believed that no one would suspect him, the unpopular prince.
When Yu Hai heard this, his heart that had just been suspended immediately returned to its original place.
"That's good." If His Highness is suspected by the Emperor, then His Highness will be finished.
"By the way, let our people protect the tenth brother secretly." The eighth prince was worried that what Duke Zhen Guo did during the Spring Hunting would affect Zhao Yao's safety.
"Your Highness, the Fourth Highness is here, and the Tenth Highness will be fine..." Before he finished speaking, Yu Hai received a cold look from the Eighth Prince, which frightened him so much that he quickly shut up.
The Eighth Prince said coldly: "Go and do it."
"My servant will go and give the orders right away." After Yu Hai finished speaking, he hurriedly withdrew.
The eighth prince sat back at the desk, looked at the chess game he and the prince had just played, and raised the corner of his mouth to sneer. Then, he reached out and picked up a white piece at random, and the chess game immediately changed. Kuroko, who had just won, immediately lost.
After ruining the chess game, the eighth prince sat at the desk and read.
After a while, he heard Zhao Yao's lively and energetic voice coming from the window.
"Bago, I'm here to see you!"
The corners of the eighth prince's mouth raised slightly.
After a while, Zhao Yaofeng walked in furiously.
When the Eighth Prince saw Zhao Yao walking in with a bright smile on his face, he asked with a smile: "What good thing happened to make you so happy?"
Zhao Yao sat down opposite the eighth prince and said with a smile: "Nothing good happened. I just want to go for spring hunting tomorrow. I feel happy."
At this time, Yu Hai came in with a cup of tea.
"Your Highness, please have tea."
"Thank you." Zhao Yao took the tea and took a few sips.
"Are you so excited to go spring hunting tomorrow?"
"Of course I'm happy, but it's a pity that you can't go, Bage." Zhao Yao held his face in his hands and said to the eighth prince, "Bago, I haven't been in the palace for the past three days. You should be good in the palace and don't miss me too much."
"The paddock is not very safe. You should pay attention to your own safety and don't go to the forest alone..." Although the eighth prince knew that the fourth prince would accompany Zhao Yao, he did not believe that the fourth prince could protect Zhao Yao, so he He told Zhao Yao many things in a nagging manner.
Zhao Yao listened carefully and immediately assured the Eighth Prince that he would pay attention to safety.
After talking to the eighth prince for a while, Zhao Yao left.
Just as he was leaving, the Eighth Prince stopped him: "Tenth Brother, stay away from King Dai and Brother Three Emperors."
"Bago, I understand." Zhao Yao said, "Besides, I won't play with them." After saying that, he left Xingde Palace.
Zhao Yao didn't take the eighth prince's advice to heart at first, but when he returned to Kunde Hall, he suddenly felt that the eighth prince Zhejun's advice had a profound meaning.
Bago specifically told me to stay away from King Dai and Brother Sanhuang. Is Bago trying to interfere with the Spring Hunt?
Uh... It's definitely not a trivial matter for Starling to take action.
What's going to happen to myna again?
Isn't it another assassination?
Mynas aren't going to cause trouble on the first day of spring hunting, are they?
If so, spring hunting will definitely end early.
No, it was my first official spring hunting trip...
Myna, if you want to do something, can you do it on the last day of spring hunting? Let me play on spring hunting for two days first.
Tongxi saw Zhao Yao suddenly stop, his expression became heavy, and he asked with concern: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Yao turned his head and looked at Tong Xi with a sad face: "Tong Xi, I'm afraid Chun Lie will be uneasy."
"It's not peaceful?" Tongxi asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, why do you say that?"
"Let's talk after entering the palace." Zhao Yao called Liang Zhaoyi as soon as he entered the Kunde Palace.
Seeing Zhao Yao's crying face, Liang Zhaoyi thought something had happened and couldn't help but asked nervously: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Zhao Yao said with a grimace: "Mother, I'm afraid something will happen to Chunlie."
When Liang Zhaoyi heard this, her heart suddenly sank, and she immediately asked, "What's going to happen to Chun Lie?"
"Bago is probably going to cause trouble during the spring hunt." Zhao Yao told Liang Zhaoyi what the eighth prince said to him, and then told Liang Zhaoyi his guess.
Liang Zhaoyi felt that Zhao Yao's guess was correct, "I'm afraid this spring hunting is really not peaceful."
"Ba Ge is not going to assassinate the king this time, right?" After all, Ba Ge had already sent someone to assassinate the prince last time. Now it's the second brother's turn.
"It's possible." Liang Zhaoyi sighed softly, "Since the Eighth Prince has reminded you, when you arrive at the paddock tomorrow, you should stay far away from King Dai and the Third Prince."
Zhao Yao lay on the table and sighed quietly: "The good spring hunting is gone..."
I have something to do today, so I only have time to update one chapter.
I will add another chapter tomorrow.
Finally, please vote for me!
(End of chapter)
