After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

Chapter 494: Death of Shangguan Shu (2)

Qian Chengluo said happily, "My Lord, if this is true, then Princess Chengqian is finished!"

Hengbi shook his head with some worry, "This matter is not that simple. If the princess is not the emperor's biological daughter, then it will affect the queen's reputation and will also implicate the prince!"

Qian Chengluo said, "Didn't the prince and the emperor acquiesce that Concubine Qi is the prince's mother?"

Hengbi frowned and looked at Qian Chengluo, "Acquiescence does not mean yes!"

Zhao Xi chuckled.

The two were puzzled, and Hengbi asked, "Why is the prince laughing?"

Zhao Xi stared, "Does it matter whether Zhao Ying is a dragon? Even if she is, if I ascend to the throne, will she be able to escape from my grasp in the future?"

"The important thing is that this secret can help me get rid of someone."

Qian Chengluo: "Who?"

Hengbi's eyes narrowed, and he obviously guessed it.

He was a little excited, and after a while, he said solemnly, "Your Highness, what a good plan!"

Zhao Xi's expression remained calm. "Shangguan Shu is indeed a difficult person. In order to consolidate the position of his Duke's Mansion, he did not hesitate to... recommend Zhao Ying to my father as the heir. He has great power in the court and the country. If he doesn't fall, I will be worried."

"If Shangguan Shu knew that Zhao Ying was trapped in the palace, her background was being questioned, and her life was in danger, what would he do?"

Hengbi said, "I will do it regardless of the consequences!"

Qian Chengluo also understood, "As long as we force him to take action..."

Zhao Xi said, "The Zhenguogong Mansion has a deep foundation. Shangguan Shu has made great contributions and worked hard. He has great power in the court and the army. My father also loves him deeply. He cannot be easily moved. The only way now is to force him to rebel so that he can lose his trust in my father and then get rid of him!"

Qian Chengluo said, "If we get rid of Shangguan Shu, the princess will really become a fish on the chopping board."

Hengbi doesn't care about this, he only cares about how to make his sixth brother die willingly. He has been lying to him, he wants him to return to his position!

He made a bet with heaven and earth. If his sixth brother won, they would win. If his sixth brother lost, they would also return to chaos.

Hengbi's eyes darkened, "Your Majesty, leave this matter to me. I will make sure Shangguan Shu never returns!"

Zhao Xi stopped him and said, "No!"

Hengbi was puzzled, "Your Majesty..."

"He can die, but not at my hands! Killing him is like killing a meritorious official. By then, all the officials in the court, whether they are senior officials or upright officials, will impeach me!"

Hengbi felt a surge of irritation in his heart, and he lowered his brows so as not to let Zhao Xi see his coldness.

After a while, he reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I'll spare his life."

Zhao Xi nodded slightly and began to make a plan.

"Let Shangguan Zhu pass on this message, and let me see his loyalty to me!"

……

"Your Majesty, do you want to see me?"

After Shangguan Zhu performed the ceremony, he was asked to sit down.

Zhao Xi looked at the wound on Shangguan Zhu's face and couldn't help asking, "How did it happen?"

Shangguan Zhu did not hide it at all, and said angrily, "It's just a family matter. I have some conflicts with my brother."

Seeing this, Qian Chengluo said, "Your Excellency is also a pillar of the court. How could the Grand Tutor be so arrogant and disregard Your Excellency's dignity..."

Shangguan Zhu's eyebrows were dark, and he interrupted in a deep voice, "Let's not talk about my affairs. What's the matter, Your Majesty?"

Zhao Xi shook his head in disapproval. "Today's matter is also about Tingzhi's brother, Shangguan Taishi. Tingzhi, it's your chance to show your skills. Are you willing to pass on a message for this king?"

"What do you mean, my lord?"

Zhao Xi's eyes were dim, and Shangguan Zhu understood what he meant. He immediately knelt down to express his sincerity, "I am deeply grateful for your grace in giving me a new life. I am willing to sacrifice my life for you, even if it means death!"

Zhao Xi nodded slightly, and then casually told Shangguan Zhu about the plan. Shangguan Zhu frowned, "Your Highness wants me to spread false information to force my eldest brother to send troops to the palace and capture him alive?"

"That's right. Since Shangguan Shu is unwilling to follow me, it would be better to have someone else take charge of the huge Zhenguo Mansion. Tingzhi, if Shangguan Shu falls, the Zhenguo Mansion will be yours."

Shangguan Zhu was silent, with no expression on his face, but his violently rising and falling chest revealed his feelings.

"This……"

Hengbi on the side fanned the flames, "Tingzhi, don't hold a grudge. Maybe you brothers have some friendship, but you no longer owe him anything when he hurt you."

Shangguan Zhu stood up suddenly, "Yes, I don't owe him anything anymore."

"Why are we both sons of the Duke's Mansion? He is the Crown Prince and can afford to marry a princess, but I can't even enter the palace!"

"My talent and wisdom are not inferior to his, why should I always be under his shadow?"

"He has repeatedly harmed me. If he hadn't designed to expose my syphilis, how could I still be ridiculed by others?"

"When the queen was captured, he was still trying to trick me into joining the game... Your Highness, you can rest assured. I will pass on the news!"

Zhao Xi's expression was calm, with a satisfied smile on his lips. He assured again and again, "Tingzhi, don't worry. I won't let you be known as an unkind and unjust person. I will spare Shangguan Shu's life!"

Shangguan Zhu's breathing was slightly short, and he nodded repeatedly, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty!"

……

The next day, Zhao Xi brought Zhao Zihua and Master Wufa into the palace.

Concubine Gang was feeding medicine to Emperor Jianxi.

The Yangxin Palace had become the world of Concubine Chou. Emperor Jianxi had not attended court in a long time. He was getting weaker and weaker, and his complexion was getting uglier. Concubine Chou served by his side every day, feeding him medicine and... blowing his hair.

One day.

"Your Majesty has only one legitimate son, Prince Ding. Why not let Prince Ding temporarily supervise the country? Your Majesty can also take good care of your health. Your Majesty is like this, and I feel sorry for you."

As a result, King Ding became even more powerful.

Another day.

"Princess Chengqian is really getting more and more arrogant. I heard that Princess Chengqian blamed you for neglecting the Empress and called you a tyrant!"

“How dare you! Cough cough cough…”

"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself..."

"Immediately announce that Princess Chengqian's words are rude and she is ordered not to enter the palace in the near future, lest she anger me!"

Concubine Qi looked at Wu Yonggui who was leaving and smiled tenderly, "Your Majesty is wise."

One more day.

"Your Majesty is ill, why not appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to rectify the foundation of the country?"

This was the only thing that Emperor Jianxi did not agree to immediately, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs."

Concubine Gang didn't dare to say anything more, but secretly curled her lips, showing some disgust towards Emperor Jianxi.

These days, she appeared to be a noble concubine with unlimited glory. Even the queen kept away from her. Even the favored Princess Chengqian was defeated by her with just a few words. She could be said to have gotten what she wanted.

There's only one bad thing.

Zhao Rui is too old, and is no longer the same young man he was. He can’t give his concubine real favor, and he has to have her serve him medicine every day!

If it was the Zhao Rui of the past, she could still treat him as an equal, but now, she just hopes that he will die soon!

Although the court officials had objections to Emperor Jianxi's favoritism towards Concubine Gang, seeing that Emperor Jianxi was not in good condition and estimated that he would not live long, they just let it go.

Although he was sad that the old emperor was about to pass away, he did not hesitate to compliment the new emperor.

Zhao Xi was doing very well. Even Imperial Tutor Yang and Prime Minister Yin spoke for him and asked him to be named Crown Prince, reversing their previous opposition.

The trick here is, firstly, that Emperor Jianxi was in really bad condition, and secondly, these two people knew that Shangguan Shu had asked Emperor Jianxi to appoint Zhao Ying as his heir.

Ridiculous!

How can a woman sit on a high platform, above all the people?

This woman Zhao Ying is really restless!

They had seen it a long time ago!

Because of Emperor Jianxi's past favor for Zhao Ying, the two were afraid that Emperor Jianxi would become confused before his death, so they were in a hurry to decide on the crown prince.

Emperor Jianxi, however, always practiced Tai Chi.

Your heart is unpredictable. If you can’t figure it out, try again later.

But there were indeed undercurrents in the court.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, after tinkering with something for a while, Master Wufa said that Emperor Jianxi's life had already been extended and could not be extended any further, but his life could be borrowed.

Emperor Jianxi asked, "How can I borrow longevity?"

"I need to find a close relative to perform a spell to extend my lifespan. It would be best if it is my own child."

Emperor Jianxi fell silent upon hearing this. Looking at Zhao Zihua's sneaky expression, Concubine Gang knew that she had the same bad intentions as herself.

Concubine Gang came up with a plan, "The prince is precious, Your Majesty, why don't you try with the princess?"

Emperor Jianxi only has one princess, so who else could Zhao Ying be?

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Zihua's eyes lit up.