When the prince heard this, his reason, suppressed by anger, gradually returned:
"So, my father's intention to confer him the title of King of the Jin Dynasty is not to overtly praise him but secretly demote him?"
Duke Guo of Qin: "After the incident involving the Xue and Gao families, although His Majesty was dissatisfied with you and treated you coldly in court, he did not give you any substantial punishment. It can be seen that Your Majesty is annoyed with you, but has no intention of changing the throne."
Speaking of this, Qin Guogong sighed:
"The reason why at this juncture, I have conferred kingships on several princes and also conferred the title of Jin Wang is, firstly, to beat you, and secondly, to make Chu Chengyao your whetstone. We have all underestimated it. His Majesty’s determination to take back the salt has led to the current situation.”
The hope in the prince's eyes ignited again:
"Grandpa, are you saying that... my father has no plans to change his reserves, but is disappointed in me because of the salt issue and wants to hang a sharp knife over my head?"
Qin Guogong: "That's it. His Majesty gave the Ministry of Punishment to Chu Chengyao many years ago for this purpose. It was just that because the granddaughter of the Gu family was injured, Chu Chengyao was jointly suppressed by the Gu and Lin families, so he failed to succeed."
Qin Zongliang: "In the past few years before last year, the Duke's Mansion had been going smoothly. Although he was beaten by His Majesty, he kept the rules and acted lowly, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart. That's why he didn't pay attention to the salt tax, which led to the current situation. . My grandson believes that it is time to learn from the pain and make a decision, and act with a long-term perspective in the future."
Although the words put all the blame on the Duke's palace, the three people present were all smart people, so who could not understand the implications of the words.
Duke Qin looked at his eldest grandson and nodded with satisfaction. He turned to look at the prince again, the meaning in his eyes was self-evident.
There was a hint of sarcasm on the prince's face. Regarding the salt tax, he was indeed too confident. He knew that his father was investigating and asked him in private. However, he only asked the Xue and Gao families to pay more attention, but did not stop them completely and simply, so it was a small loss but a big loss...
Speaking of which, his grandfather and cousin both mentioned it to him at that time, but he didn't pay attention to it...
After all, his grandson is the heir apparent, and the Duke of Qin did not embarrass him too much. After agreeing with Qin Zongliang's words, he changed the subject:
"How is Huining's health?"
When the Crown Princess was mentioned, irritation appeared on the Crown Prince's eyebrows:
"With the Grand Master guarding me and the miraculous doctor from Cang Sheng Mountain treating me, my body is much better than before."
Qin Guogong: "The fastest way to stabilize your status now is to give birth to the emperor's eldest grandson. Even if Huining's health is better than before, it will not be easy to conceive an heir for you. Since the princess cannot be replaced in a short time, the legitimate son cannot be born. , we should always think of other ways.”
Prince: "But... it is inconsistent with etiquette to have other heirs before a legitimate son."
Qin Guogong: "Emergency times call for extraordinary measures. You all saw the palace banquet yesterday. His Majesty's health is no longer what it used to be. If he still behaves in an orderly manner at this time, I am afraid that the position of crown prince will be..."
Prince: "Although I have concubines, I don't have any concubines yet..."
Qin Zongliang smiled innocently: "Your Highness, given your identity, it is not easy to find a helpful concubine?"
The prince asked in confusion: "From what you said, it seems like you have someone chosen?"
Qin Zongliang was about to speak when Xue Ren knocked on the door and came in. He saluted several people respectfully and said:
"Your Majesty, please keep an eye on the eldest princess's palace. We just came back with news that the eldest princess has given birth to a baby girl. Mother and daughter are safe. The person who brought the good news should have entered the palace by now."
(End of chapter)
