Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 391 Power
After Laba, the festive atmosphere gradually became stronger. Just when everyone was busy preparing for the New Year, at the morning court, a minister petitioned the Emperor to appoint Prince Zuo as the crown prince.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, complex emotions flashing in his eyes.

The appointment of a crown prince is a national event that affects the rise and fall of the dynasty.
He knew all of this, but he didn't want to establish a crown prince. "Establishing a crown prince is related to the foundation of the country, and it cannot be done rashly. I need to think it over carefully. Let's not discuss it today. Do you have anything else to submit?"

The emperor was obviously reluctant to discuss the issue of appointing a crown prince, but one of his ministers disagreed and stepped out to say, "Your Majesty, appointing a crown prince is a matter of national importance and requires careful consideration. However, Prince Zuo is virtuous, talented in both civil and military affairs, and is deeply loved by the people. He is truly the best choice for the crown prince. I beg Your Majesty to appoint Prince Zuo as the crown prince as soon as possible for the future of the country."

The emperor's face darkened. "Prince Zuo is indeed excellent, but the position of Crown Prince is not trivial, and many factors need to be considered. I will make my own decision, and you don't need to say more."

There was already anger in his tone and he glanced at Prince Zuo with displeasure.

Prince Zuo had a bitter look on his face. He really wanted to be the crown prince, but he also knew that this would have to wait for the right time, and now was obviously not a good time.

These two ministers were not helping him, but were harming him, but he could not say anything to defend himself.

The atmosphere in the court suddenly became tense.

The emperor's eyes swept over the ministers, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent, fearing that they would touch the emperor's reverse scale and end up with their heads and bodies separated.

Prince Zuo originally wanted to gradually gain the emperor's favor by slowly accumulating merits and popularity, and eventually ascend to the throne of crown prince.

But now, he was forced to stand at the center of the storm and became the target of public criticism.

At this time, an old minister slowly stepped out. He had white hair but was in good spirits. He bowed deeply to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

The emperor nodded slightly, indicating that he should continue.

The old minister took a deep breath and said slowly, "Your Majesty, the matter of appointing a crown prince is indeed related to the future of the country and should not be taken lightly. Although Prince Zuo is virtuous, the position of crown prince is a heavy responsibility and requires a deep moral reputation to be competent. This old minister believes that this matter needs to be considered in the long run and should not be rushed."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a chorus of agreement in the court.

The emperor's expression also eased a lot. He nodded and said, "What the old minister said is very true. The matter of appointing a crown prince does require careful consideration. I will think carefully before making a decision."

"Your Majesty is wise," said the old minister.

The atmosphere in the court eased, and some ministers came forward to discuss other matters, and the matter was finally put to rest.

After the court session that day, Prince Zuo returned to his residence and discussed countermeasures with his staff, "Those two people did not join me. Their actions did not help me at all, but instead put me in danger. It is really despicable!"

Prince Zuo slammed the table angrily, his face showing a terribly gloomy expression. Although there was only the Eleventh Prince who was not to be feared, as long as he had not sat on the throne, he had to act carefully, as he did not want to capsize in the gutter.

"Please calm down, Prince. His Majesty only has two sons left now, you and the Eleventh Prince. Anyone with a brain would know to support you, Prince, and would never choose that yellow-haired brat, the Eleventh Prince. In my humble opinion, those two ministers are probably taking the opportunity to show their goodwill to you." One of the aides speculated.

After hearing what his aide said, Prince Zuo's anger subsided a little. He narrowed his eyes slightly and thought carefully about what his aide said.

Indeed, most people in the court have now secretly stood on his side, and the rest are just waiting and watching, not daring to express their opinions easily.

The two ministers' behavior seemed to be trying to curry favor with him and get closer to him.

Not everyone is like Yun Hao, who doesn't care about the merits of following the dragon. Thinking of this, Prince Zuo's expression eased, "What you said makes some sense, but they acted too recklessly."

"The prince is right. Those two ministers may also want to test the prince's attitude and see if the prince is worthy of their allegiance." Another aide added.

"Those two ministers were indeed not careful enough. However, they were eager to show their loyalty, so they acted like that. Why don't you go with the flow, accept their kindness, and then secretly give them a warning so that they know their limits?"

Prince Zuo listened, and a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. "Okay, as you said, I will secretly warn them to let them know the limits. However, the eleventh prince should not be underestimated. Although he is young, His Majesty is very fond of him, so we can't take it lightly."

Upon hearing this, the staff hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Prince. After all, the eleventh prince is still young and his mother's family is weak, so he won't be able to achieve anything. As long as you take steady steps, the throne will be yours sooner or later."

After hearing this, Prince Zuo felt even more proud and laughed loudly, "Well said, as long as I proceed step by step, the throne will be mine sooner or later. But we still have to be vigilant and always be on guard against those who want to cause chaos in secret."

Although all his brothers died and only the eleventh prince was left, the throne was already in his pocket, but he could not get carried away.

At this time, Yun Hao was also discussing this matter with his confidants, but Yun Hao felt that these two ministers were not trying to show goodwill to Prince Zuo. "There must be someone behind them, or they are supporting someone else."

"The eleventh prince?" Wang Yan asked uncertainly.

“It’s not the Eleventh Prince.” Yun Hao denied. Those two ministers were already quite old, and they were probably unwilling to wait for the Eleventh Prince to grow up.

"But His Majesty has only two sons. If he doesn't support Prince Zuo or the Eleventh Prince, who should he support? You won't wait for His Majesty to give birth to a Twelfth Prince, will you?" Wu Cheng didn't like to use his brain. He usually just listened and didn't talk. But at this moment, he couldn't help but interrupt.

"What if something happens to Prince Zuo and the Eleventh Prince? Who will succeed to the throne?" Yun Hao asked calmly.

Wang Cheng and the others stared in astonishment. After a while, Xu Mao asked carefully, "Sir, did you find anything?"

Yun Hao nodded and said slowly: "When checking Prince Rong and his men, we discovered another force, but it does not belong to Prince Xianli, Prince Zuo, and Prince Bao, so who does it belong to?"

After being reminded by Yun Hao, everyone reacted immediately and looked at each other with horror in their eyes.

“If something happens to Prince Zuo and the Eleventh Prince, and His Majesty cannot have another prince, all the royal family members can compete for the throne.” Xu Mao said.

"Who is the master behind this force?" Wang Yan asked distressedly.

"It cannot be confirmed at the moment, but there are two people who are worthy of suspicion, one is Prince Zhuang and the other is Prince Ying." Yun Hao said solemnly.

As soon as Yun Hao said this, everyone's expression changed.

Prince Zhuang and Prince Ying are both members of the royal family and have high status. If they had already placed hidden men in the court in an attempt to fight for the throne, then the fight for the throne would probably become more and more intense, and by then, there would probably be rivers of blood.

Xu Mao took a deep breath and said, "Sir, what should we do next? If this really involves Prince Zhuang and Prince Ying, this matter will be very difficult."

“No matter how difficult the case is, we have to investigate it.” Yun Hao didn’t want to keep using his private soldiers, so he handed the matter over to Wang Yan and the others.

"Understood, sir." Wang Yan and others accepted the order.