Chapter 235 A dragon gives birth to nine sons.

"Your Majesty is right." Li Chengze gently agreed with the eldest prince's words.

Li Chengzong relaxed a little after hearing this, and a smile appeared on his face. "I have seen a lot on the battlefield, and as I grow older I gradually believe in a lot of things. Now Fan Xian is fully grown, and after the battle of Xuankong Mountain he has won the favor of the emperor. His power will not be taken back in a short time."

"Plus, he was able to survive such a serious injury inside the palace. I can't think of anything else that could stump him."

What the eldest prince didn't say was that he himself was now involved in the fight for the throne.

Li Chengze fell silent. He was thinking about the reason why the eldest prince came to his palace before going to Jiangnan. The eldest prince had the blood of the Dongyi people. Since he was a child, he deliberately stayed away from Kyoto and the palace, and even farther away from the throne. But now he was transferred back to Kyoto by His Majesty in advance and became the commander of the imperial guards to protect the safety of the palace.

This is a temptation and also a warning!
The eldest prince, who was trapped in the quagmire against his will, would naturally not have no reaction. He must have come here this time to show goodwill to himself and to form an alliance.

He wants to resist!

"Speaking of this, I haven't yet congratulated my royal brother on taking on the position of commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards." Seeing that the atmosphere between the two had become a little more harmonious, Li Chengze immediately spoke out tentatively.

"I was originally the General of the Western Expedition, but now I've been demoted by two ranks. Why should I be happy?"

"That's not right!" Li Chengze smiled and shook his head, correcting him: "Although I have been demoted two levels, I have entered the central government after all, guarding my father and keeping him in the emperor's heart. How can this be compared to a general position on the border?"

"Humph!"

Li Chengzong just snorted coldly without further explanation.

Emperor Qing's intention of transferring him back to Kyoto to guard against the Ye family was very obvious. But now that everything was done, it was impossible to transfer him back.

If a war were to break out with Northern Qi later, he would be in an awkward situation where he would be in a dilemma of whether to go or not!

If he went, the princess who was far away in Xinyang would be very happy, and Emperor Qing would be very unhappy, and vice versa! If you think about these things carefully, it is not difficult to analyze these details. This brother of mine is asking questions knowing the answer!
As sons of Emperor Qing, they know their father too well!
The eldest prince himself had been in the west for more than ten years and had fought countless battles with the Hu people. However, seeing the current trend, Qing Kingdom actually had the intention of forming an alliance with the Western Hu. He didn't know what the battles he had fought before were worth. Was it considered a benefit to the people?
I hope the subsequent battle with Northern Qi will also have its significance!

"I won't take action against Fan Xian for the time being, but the Crown Prince and the Princess..." Li Chengze understood what the eldest prince meant, but for the sake of their ambitions and ideals, the two were destined to part ways at the last moment.

"They certainly don't need you to worry about them."

The eldest prince stood up, smoothed the armor on his body and said, "Now that I have finished my business here, I will go to Jiangnan. I will trouble my brother to send the eldest princess back to my palace later."

"It's natural!"

Li Chengze also stood up to see him off.

When the eldest prince walked to the entrance of the hall, he stopped abruptly and said, "Don't trust the Ye family too much!"

After that, he strode away.

The second prince was left standing there, frowning and thinking.

······
The eldest prince came to the second prince's mansion openly today. In addition to warning the second prince not to act rashly, he did it more for the Supervisory Council to see. He was conveying a message to the Supervisory Council and expressing his own attitude.

The attempt to show goodwill to the Second Prince was fake. When Ye Ling'er was talking with the Second Prince, she did not choose to stay where she was, which made the First Prince more certain that the Ye family would not help the Second Prince!

Considering what the emperor did to the Ye family during the incident at Xuankong Mountain, the Ye family is likely to choose Fan Xian in the end! Previously, they were planning to stick together for warmth, or to put it bluntly, to seek shelter from Fan Xian, but after Fan Xian's identity was exposed, they would directly turn to full support!

Remember that a lean camel is bigger than a horse!

As for her mother, Ning Cairen, who had received great kindness from Fan Xian's mother, Ye Qingmei, she had always been biased towards Fan Xian. At the beginning, she just tried her best to protect Fan Xian, but Fan Xian grew very fast and didn't need her protection at all, which made people not see the relationship between the two clearly.

Things are different now. He is his brother and has the status of a prince.

He would never get that position in this life, so why not support Fan Xian with all his strength? This could be considered as a kind of resistance from the eldest prince to Emperor Qing, a desperate struggle against his helpless fate!
Given the Second Prince’s suspicious character, his last sentence was the most crucial, and it also determined the Second Prince’s fate!
"do not blame me!"

The eldest prince said silently in his heart: Blame it on your own ambition!

As for the movements of the Overwatch Council, when the eldest prince arrived at the south city gate, he received a report from his adjutant: the Black Cavalry did not go out, only two teams of people left Kyoto.

What the eldest prince didn't know was that in a valley outside the capital, dozens of seventh-rank tiger guards were also heading south of the Yangtze River.

"Get on the horses! March!"

Smoke and dust rose up, and thousands of imperial guards left. As for the eldest prince's former subordinates, they had already been dispersed by Emperor Qing, leaving only a deputy general to follow him.

Eight days later, Fan Xian, who was far away in Jiangnan, learned about all this.

On the second floor of a shop belonging to the inner treasury, Fan Xian was smiling bitterly in silence.

You are so good, Li Ang. You came here secretly before, but now you are completely at odds with me this time?

Fan Xian was a little confused for a moment, but more excited. He understood how terrifying Li Ang was, whether it was his profound master level or his unpredictable divination ability.

"Uncle, it looks like we're going to be busy."

"What are your plans?" Wu Zhu didn't even turn his head, and his voice seemed unchanged.

"I can't really say what I have planned. It's nothing more than dealing with the enemy as they come." Fan Xian understood his current crisis, but he was not panicked. He had a good hand, and with Uncle Wu Zhu by his side, there was nothing to be afraid of.

His identity was exposed too early, and it became difficult for him to do what he wanted next.

The most important thing for this trip to Jiangnan is to check the accounts, get familiar with the operation of the inner treasury and then take over the whole thing. Now that his identity has been exposed, it is still unclear what the palace means, and he is not sure whether the inner treasury will be handed over to him by Emperor Qing. Before the results come out, he will not do useless work.

Fortunately, he had accumulated a large amount of wealth from smuggling with Northern Qi, and had also started his own business in secret. Even if he lost the inner treasury, it should be enough for a short period of time.

"We don't have to think about anything else now. The person who comes to kill me may be on the way."

Wu Zhu finally reacted after hearing this. He answered mechanically, "The people who came this time may be the culprit who killed the young lady. They will not let you live. Be sure to leave someone alive."

"Uncle," Fan Xian said helplessly, "You should say this to yourself. Don't act too quickly. This way you can leave one or two tongues unturned."

Wu Zhu nodded silently.

Fan Xian smiled slightly, wondering how many of his 'brothers' wanted to kill him this time?
(End of this chapter)