Xiao Yan nodded: "Beiling has been too chaotic recently, and the border war is about to break out. If things in Beijing were not too difficult, Long Tingwei should have stayed in the northwest to fight the enemy with the Zhen'an Army."
The prince said anxiously: "But they are gone. What if my father wakes up and goes back on his word..."
The purpose of the Longting Guard was to protect the royal family. He thought that Xiao Yan had brought people into the capital and found a way to go to Shang Qin, the traitor, just to leave the Longting Guard in the capital and give it to him.
If he, the prince, has no real power, how can he intimidate the court? How could his father not dare to touch him easily?
But he didn't expect that Longtingwei's people would actually return to the northwest! "
The prince said urgently: "Master Xiao, you have no personal soldiers except for the black armored guards. Liu Tong Enneng has tampered with the fourth camp on the outskirts of Beijing. Di Tao alone may not be able to suppress them."
"The Longting Guards only obey the emperor's orders, and there are Zhen'an troops stationed in the northwest. It would be better to leave General Fu and the others in the capital so that they can respond at any time..."
Xiao Yan looked at the prince: "His Royal Highness also said that the Longting Guard only obeys the emperor's orders. You are the prince now, not the emperor."
The prince's face froze.
Xiao Yan softened his tone: "This time we were able to persuade the Longting Guards to use us, but it was because too many people died in vain due to floods in the South. His Majesty's actions made the world angry. In addition, Shang Qin sat on the Longting Guards but ignored them. In the border war, we only fought for power and profit, which was in vain as Taizu Gu Taizu’s original intention of creating the Longting Guard was in vain. Fu Yue and others conspired with us to seize the power of the Longting Guard.”
"They only brought more than 10,000 people to the capital. The Longting Guards' large force is still in the northwest. Once Shang Qin died, the Longting Guards were leaderless. If they don't return to the northwest in time to rectify the army, there will be chaos in the northwest, not to mention Your Majesty. Still alive.”
"Once the old cases in the Southland are thoroughly reviewed and His Majesty promises to provide justice to those who died in vain, what excuse will Longtingwei have for disobeying the Holy Order?"
"Your Highness left them in the capital. Do you want to give His Majesty a butcher's knife that can bite you and me at any time and kill you and me?"
The prince's face turned pale: "I thought General Fu and the others would listen to your orders..."
Xiao Yan: "The minister is just a son of the He family, not a member of the royal family. Previously, in front of the palace gate, His Highness's people were mixed with the imperial army. They should have heard that the Longting guards did not obey the orders of Hu Fu."
The prince suddenly stiffened, and there was panic in his eyes: "No, I'm just worried about your safety..."
"Your Highness, there is no need to explain." Xiao Yan said calmly, "You are the crown prince, so it is right for you to leave more escape routes for yourself. With your current status, only by being cautious can you save your life."
"Director Xiao..." The prince's face was tense.
Xiao Yan smiled: "What Wei Chen said is true."
"Wei Chen has taken advantage of His Highness before, so His Highness should be worried about Wei Chen. It's just that if you know what Long Tingwei said in front of the palace gate, you should understand that they only obey the emperor's orders and not Hu Fu, and Wei Chen doesn't have much regard for them. A lot of restraint."
"If you want to use them, you can transfer them back to the capital after you ascend the throne in the future. Instead of hoping for the Longting Guards, you might as well run the court smoothly."
He speaks sincerely and means everything he says.
"Except for the common people and those who died in vain in the old case in the Southland, the courtiers are the ones who are most shocked. What your Majesty did has completely lost the hearts of the people. On the contrary, the fact that you are not afraid of your own safety for the sake of the country and the people can make them obey."
"Now that you are the prince and are in charge of the government, if this thorough investigation can be carried out impartially, deal with the disobedient ministers, and arrange the next vacant official positions, you will be able to gain a firm foothold in the government and win the hearts of the people. If you can seize this opportunity to win the support of the courtiers, then no one can shake your position as the crown prince."
"You are the crown prince, don't worry about immediate gains and losses, look more to the future."
The prince was awakened by Xiao Yan's words, and he suddenly realized that he only wanted to take Long Tingwei as his own, and to take power for himself, but he forgot that he was now the prince and no longer the one who was not valued by the emperor. A humble prince with no confidence.
He took half a step back, bowed and saluted Xiao Yan.
"I am lonely and narrow-minded. Thank you, Governor Xiao, for your advice."
Xiao Yan stretched out his hand to help the prince stand up: "The minister and your highness share weal and woe."
The prince was full of gratitude: "I will never forget Governor Xiao's kindness."
…
When they came out of Yulongtai, bright lights could be seen everywhere in the palace. The patrolling guards they met on the road all gave way to Xiao Yan and his entourage. The palace people also retreated to both sides, saluted respectfully and called "Governor Xiao".
Tian Qing held a lantern to lead the way. The dim light fell on the palace walls on both sides, and the shadows of Tang Ning and Xiao Yan overlapped.
Seeing Xiao Yan holding the handkerchief and wiping the hand that had just helped the prince with disgust, Tang Ning laughed: "The prince has too many thoughts, I'm afraid he can't be trusted."
Xiao Yan threw the brocade handkerchief aside, and then held her hand to avoid the protrusions on the ground: "I know that he has been wary of me for a long time, and I'm afraid he won't completely believe me, but after he gets other help, he can secure his position as the crown prince. Until he can compete with Emperor An, he can only rely on me."
The prince is too short-sighted, arrogant, and ambitious but does not have the temperament to match it. The "Edict to Sin" written on his behalf is the biggest stain in his life.
As long as Emperor An survives, his indifference to Emperor An and his eagerness for imperial power will be enough to make him unpopular.
Tang Ning thought thoughtfully: "That's why Brother asked him to take advantage of Emperor An's serious illness to recruit courtiers?"
Xiao Yan said "Yes": "Of course there are some people in the court who have no bottom line and do whatever they want, but those who are really in power want the Wei Dynasty to last. No one will like someone who is unfilial, unvirtuous, and stupid. Fortunately, Daxi Gong also likes to kill everyone."
In order to try his best to win over him, and for the character he set tonight, the prince will definitely investigate the old cases from twenty years ago, and even try his best to clear up the He family. However, there are too many past events involved in the past, and the annihilation of the He family is even more complicated. Many people are involved, and once a thorough investigation is carried out, the whole country will be turned upside down.
The prince was a man of great merit and arrogant. He not only wanted to be a wise man in the court and win the hearts of the people, but also wanted to thoroughly investigate old cases so that he could take advantage of the opportunity to deploy his own people, so he would never give up.
Xiao Yan wants to use the prince to reverse the He family's case, and also wants to use him to appease some people's hearts.
As he led Tang Ning out, he looked at the palace gate not far away and whispered:
"There are too many moths in the court, and those who occupy important positions are occupying important positions. Although I can use the military power to force them to obey, the government is rotten, the soldiers are short of food, and the power of the family cannot be underestimated. I will force them to die by pulling out the firewood, and the big people will be hurt." Wei Genji.”
"It's better to use the hands of the prince to eliminate some of the courtiers, and then use the old case of the He family to force the family to give in. As long as they don't kill them all and leave them with hope, they can vomit blood and peel off a layer of skin, and they can bring down the Wei Dynasty in a short time. The national treasury is abundant and the DPRK and China will be restored to life as soon as possible."
Xiao Yan's eyebrows were filled with worry: "It is imperative to move south from Beiling. There will be a war in the spring of next year at the latest. The treasury of the Wei Dynasty is empty and the court is in chaos. The internal worries must be resolved as soon as possible in order to cope with the upcoming war. .”
"Take a step back, keep the family, and let an unpopular, stupid, and arrogant prince appease them. In exchange for having enough food and supplies when the Beiling army goes south next year, the army on the border will not be short of food and drink. It's worth it."
Tang Ning listened to the words of the man beside her and looked at his sharp profile, feeling her heart shake.
She knew how much Xiao Yan hated those people in the court.
The hatred for killing his father, the hatred for seizing the throne, and the blood debt of annihilating the clan, he wished he could kill all the people in the family, he wished he could take the life of Emperor An, and kill all the people who had betrayed the late prince and the He family in order to avenge them, but he never Blinded by hatred.
He has gone through life and death step by step to reach the present, and it is clear that he can realize his long-cherished wish at his fingertips. As long as he takes a step forward, he can surpass thousands of people.
But he didn't.
Tang Ning pursed her lips lightly, feeling a dense pain in her heart.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Yan saw the person beside him suddenly stopped, turned around and said softly: "But it's cold?"
Tangning shook his head: "It's not cold."
She held Xiao Yan's hand and looked down at the old and new scars: "Does the wound still hurt?"
Xiao Yan saw the distressed look in her eyes that couldn't be concealed. Her dark eyelashes, which were depressed by the moonlight, were slightly drooped. When the ends of her eyes stretched out, there was a faint smile in her eyes.
"pain."
Tangning had a look of panic on her face, and the next moment she was pulled into his arms.
"But if Tang Ning coaxes it, it won't hurt anymore."
