Situ Jian committed suicide, which was a serious blow to Emperor Yuan He. He fell ill that night and ordered the prince to supervise the country. All the ministers in the court were deeply saddened when they heard about the King of Jin's rebellion and suicide.
As for the Wang family, they seemed to be keeping silent. After all, they had seen the prince's method of dealing with those who rebelled against the party.
But Situ Ce has never made up his mind on how to deal with the King of Jin's party.
Fu Qingchu brought him a bowl of ginger soup, put a cloak on him, and asked worriedly: "Still you haven't thought about it yet?"
Situ Ce frowned and took a sip of the ginger soup, then wiped the remaining juice from the corner of his mouth, "You saw the situation that day. If we still deal with it like before, I'm afraid Aye's condition will get worse."
Fu Qingchu sat facing him and said, "It's hard to stop Youyou from making such a big noise."
Situ Ce sighed and picked up his pen, "Let Cheng Zhongshu and the others discuss it further."
"Your Highness, I have something to say, but I don't know whether to say it or not." Fu Qingchu looked at him hesitantly.
It had been a long time since I heard her call herself a minister. Situ Ce couldn't help but pay attention to it and put down his pen. "Is there anything else that should be discussed between you and me?"
"Although His Highness has weakened the prestige of several major families due to the Su Junruo case, the Su family is still weaker than other clans. The Wang family relies on the imperial concubine and the King of Jin to have considerable influence in the court. If This matter can be used to attack the Wang family, which is more effective than killing ten Su Junruo." Fu Qingchu said solemnly.
"It's not like I haven't considered what you said." Situ Ce sighed, "It's just that among the saints, if I do this, what's the difference between me and those who kill them all?"
"When King Jin wanted to kill you, he didn't take the brotherhood into consideration." Fu Qingchu thought for a while, "Ci does not control the army. Your Majesty knows the stakes better than I do."
Situ Ce lowered his eyes and said nothing.
"Your Highness..."
Seeing that Situ Ce didn't speak, Fu Qingchu held his hand and said, "Don't miss this opportunity, it will never come back."
Situ Ce turned to look at her, smiled helplessly, and patted her hand, "I know."
Fu Qingchu was a little puzzled, knowing that he was still so hesitant?
"Remember the night I decided to keep you?" he asked with a smile.
Fu Qingchu didn't know why, "Remember."
"You said it was Emperor Wu who deserved to die. But throughout the ages, how many people have dared to actually kill their father? Even the third child didn't dare when he had the chance. The 'scourge of witchcraft' is indeed the conflict between the emperor and the prince. You are right. It’s not wrong, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.”
"Your Highness, please make it clear."
Situ Ce stood up, walked to the window, opened the window, looked at the boundless night, and said in a deep voice: "Emperor Wu opened up the territory and expanded the territory, and fought so that there were no more Xiongnu in the future, but in the later period, he became aggressive. But Emperor Wu still thought about it. The prince has been dealing with political affairs for a long time, so how could he not know that the Qin Dynasty was already overthrown? The political disagreement between father and son was the key reason for the death of Prince Wei."
When Fu Qingchu heard this, he was immediately enlightened.
No emperor can tolerate his heir changing his national policy, and no father likes an unworthy son.
"After Huo Qubing died, Wei Qing was marginalized. After Wei Qing's death, the conflict between the emperor and the crown prince became obvious. You said that night that Prince Wei should not just think about killing Jiang Chong, but go straight to Ganquan Palace. Let’s not discuss whether he has the ability to go straight to Ganquan Palace, but let’s talk about the fact that Xu Zhen has been transferred away from Shuntian Gate, and now the gatekeeper is Lu Lingsheng, and I have no interaction with him.”
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu's heart sank.
Emperor Yuanhe was already on guard against Situ Ce.
"I was impulsive and ruined His Highness's arrangement." Fu Qingchu's face was filled with self-blame. How could she not have thought of it? By asking Xu Zhen to come, she was clearly telling Emperor Yuan He that the imperial army had an affair with the prince.
"This has nothing to do with you. If it hadn't been for Xu Zhen that night, you and I would have been the dead souls of Lao San." Situ Ce said calmly.
"If I had told you King Jin's plan earlier and mobilized your guards, this matter would not have happened." Fu Qingchu felt guilty, but nothing he could say at this time would help.
Situ Ce sighed, "I didn't expect him to be so crazy. Even if you told me, I wouldn't prepare in advance. Fortunately, you didn't discuss it with me and made preparations in advance, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."
Fu Qingchu knew that he was trying to comfort himself. If she had discussed it with him and insisted on mobilizing the guards, Situ Ce would have agreed.
She was so distraught that she couldn't help but slap herself hard. Situ Ce was so frightened that he rushed over to hold her back, "What are you doing?"
Fu Qingchu looked at him with tears in his eyes, "If I hadn't been so self-righteous, I wouldn't have caused His Majesty to be suspicious of you. If I had told you earlier, wouldn't there have been a complete plan?"
"Where did so many people come from in the world?" Situ Ce looked at her with a distressed look on his face, "If I knew he would be so heartbroken, I shouldn't have kept him after the Rebellion of King Zhao."
"But you already knew that Yun Shen was being forced, why didn't you tell him?" At this point, Fu Qingchu was also puzzled. Since Yun Shen had already been found, why didn't he investigate further?
"Because of the birthmark." Situ Ce frowned and sighed, sitting next to Fu Qingchu.
"birthmark?"
Several prince rebellions revolved around the authenticity of his identity, and that birthmark was the key to it. Regarding that birthmark, Fu Qingchu still doesn't know whether it is true or false.
She believed he was true and didn't care whether he was true or false, but now that he said this, she felt a little panicked. The birthmark is fake. Failure to protect it will cause some trouble in the future.
"The birthmark was there when I was born, but when I was three or four years old, it gradually faded away, and completely disappeared when I was five years old. My mother asked the doctor, and the doctor said it was normal. However, my mother and I were outside the womb. Life, my birthmark kept growing and disappearing. In addition, I was not in good health, and I got seriously ill. A child died in the Zhang family. When these things are added up one by one, who would believe it? Am I really me?
"As a prisoner, my mother could only ask Yun Shen to come and give me red tattoos. Over time, the color faded, so I had to touch up the color. If His Majesty knew about this and had doubts about my identity, Yun Shen would endure the severe punishment. Do you want to live there? Based on Lao San’s temperament, do you think he will admit that he forced Yun Shen?”
Speaking of these past events, Situ Ce couldn't help frowning and sighing, and said softly: "Don't blame yourself. You helped me lead the snake out of the hole and completely put an end to this rumor. It's not easy."
Fu Qingchu burst into tears after hearing this. She reached out and touched the spot where his birthmark was, feeling extremely distressed.
When she was working as a female worker, even a needle prick would hurt her. But in order to prove that he was his father's son, he was pricked by thousands of needles. She couldn't imagine how he survived at a young age. She couldn't imagine how he had been able to dodge over and over again for so many years with his weak body.
When she first met him, she thought he was like a lofty ruler, a god who treats all things like a wolf. Slowly I realized that he was just an ordinary person, an ordinary person who was so fragile that a cold wind could make him uncomfortable for a long time.
He rolled up his sleeves to wipe her tears and said in a deep voice, "Don't cry anymore. This has been the case in the imperial family since ancient times."
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu felt even more sad, both for Situ Ce and for her future children.
Situ Ce took her into his arms and comforted her softly: "You don't have to worry too much. The saint and I don't have political differences. It's just about the third child. I can't make him sad, otherwise he may not be able to reach you." The effect I wanted.”
"But the saint already has a grudge against you." Fu Qingchu stood up and looked at him worriedly.
"That doesn't mean I will be crippled. Aye, he is just a little sad that I am trying to win over Xu Zhen and be so guarded against him." Situ Ce said calmly.
Speaking of this, Fu Qingchu felt more and more regretful.
"What kind of person is that Lu Lingsheng? Can I win over him?"
"He is the grandson of the eldest princess, and his temperament is quite stable. This aunt loves the saint very much. We cannot win over his grandson."
"At the very least, let him be on our side."
Situ Ce was a little confused, "What do you think?"
"I've also heard about the Lu family. There don't seem to be any high-ranking officials in the family."
"It's not impossible. Lu Lingsheng's father, Lu Yan, once served as a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but his ability was limited, and he was later transferred to Honglu Temple. Do you mean to be promised a high salary and a high salary?"
"The eldest princess is the eldest princess, and Lu Yan is Lu Yan. If Lu Lingsheng has a calm personality, he will definitely not be willing to just be the leader of the forbidden army." Fu Qingchu thought for a while and said, "Human beings will have weaknesses."
"Forget it, let's take a look again." Situ Ce said solemnly, then picked up the pen and wrote the word "further discussion" on the memorial about Situ Jian's rebellion.
…
Let's talk about Emperor Yuan He, who has almost never been to court since he fell ill. He only reported to Ziyang Palace after Situ Ce and Cheng An settled the matter.
After hearing about the handling of King Jin's party, he remained silent for a long time. Cheng An glanced at Situ Ce and considered: "Now that the King of Jin is dead, many things are no longer corroborated. Dealing with them will only cause unnecessary turmoil. I thought that dealing with the staff and cronies of the King of Jin would suppress the impact of the situation." To the minimum, the government can stabilize the situation."
"Yes." Emperor Yuan He responded, "You and the Crown Prince will discuss this matter later, and we will stop here today."
Emperor Yuanhe said this, and Cheng An had no choice but to bow and leave.
"My son, please retire."
"The prince stays."
Situ Ce turned around, bowed his head and stood below to obey.
Emperor Yuan He looked at his son with helplessness in his eyes, "Come here."
Situ Ce stepped forward as instructed, "Aye ordered."
"How are you feeling lately?"
"It will be great if we return to Aye."
Emperor Yuanhe thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Is it because I replaced Xu Zhen that you have doubts in your mind?"
Hearing this, Situ Ce's heart sank, and he knelt down and said, "I don't dare."
"The Forbidden Army is all yours, why don't you dare?" Emperor Yuan He sighed and said, "You know better than me how many people in my palace are loyal to you."
Situ Ce felt nervous and did not dare to reply.
"Although my end is approaching, I am not confused yet. Don't be afraid, get up." Emperor Yuanhe said harmoniously, "Although Xu Zhen is yours, his father Xu Jingguang is not. He rose to prominence in the Taizong Dynasty. He had meritorious service in destroying the Turks, and last year he was the first to do so in the Western Expedition to Houliang. He was an upright and proud man, and the people he looked down upon the most were Cheng An and other literati.
"Cheng An has taken over Fu Zhonghua's position again. He is on good terms with Fu Huaiping. You ordered the Fu family to be killed. Do you think he will obey you?"
"So, Aye wants to banish the Xu family and his son?"
At this moment, Situ Ce understood everything.
The reason for replacing Xu Zhen was not to be wary of him, but because he was afraid that he would not be able to suppress Xu Jingguang, so he took this opportunity to exile his father and son to prepare for his accession to the throne.
He couldn't help but shed tears and wished he could slap himself twice.
"If I don't banish him, how will he be loyal to you in the future?" Thinking of this, Emperor Yuan He couldn't help laughing at himself, "I think that as a father, I have tried my best to treat you. I don't think so. The third child complained that I was partial, and you thought I was too caring..."
"My child knows I'm wrong, my child knows I'm wrong." Situ Ce said with tears in his eyes.
Emperor Yuan He stretched out his hand, and Situ Ce hurriedly knelt in front of his father. Emperor Yuan He smiled and touched his son's head, "This is the only way a father can help you."
"Father……"
Situ Ce fell on his father's lap and burst into tears.
"However, I think that girl from the Fu family is really good. She has Cheng An, your two uncles, and Xu Jingguang. If you ascend the throne in the future, you will be much more secure. You can do whatever you want in the future, and you don't have to worry about me anymore. .”
Situ Ce was in agony, but he didn't know what words to use to express his inner regret, and he cried until he couldn't stop crying.
Emperor Yuan He patted his son's back gently and said, "Cry, cry, you will soon be the monarch of Jing Dynasty, and you can't cry anymore."
