After the initial shock passed, the third prince finally began to calm down and think.
The most beloved son of his father is none other than himself, and he is very confident in this. If it weren't for the fact that the prince was born two years earlier and had the advantage of being the eldest son, the prince's position would have been in his possession long ago. This
In fact, this action is not too reckless. With the preparations made in the past few months, the recent trends in the court are also very beneficial to him. No matter how you look at it, it is the best time to ask for a crown prince.
But why was the father so furious? He almost mercilessly dismissed everyone's petitions and made such a big fuss. It was clear that he wanted to use such actions to warn him not to dream of becoming a prince again in the future.
Bit......
Which part of the process went wrong? Or was it someone who was behind it and he didn't notice it?
After all, Concubine Zheng is a female figure. She can do some conspiracy and planning in the harem, but she is not familiar with the important affairs of the court. She was confused for a moment, but still couldn't figure out the reason. Seeing the third prince's face, he looked somber.
Ning couldn't help but ask: "Zhang'er, have you figured out what went wrong and why your father reacted like this?"
The third prince suppressed his anger, and a coldness flashed in his eyes: "I haven't thought of what it is exactly, but it is obvious that someone is stumbling on me secretly. My father has a grudge against me, so there is a thunderstorm."
anger."
"Who could be plotting against you secretly?" Concubine Zheng asked.
The third prince thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. He frowned and said, "It should be someone from the prince's faction. Who it is, I can't think of it at the moment..."
Not only can’t he figure out who this person is, but he can’t figure out what kind of method this person uses to scheme against him! He lost this game in a really stupid way.
Seeing the lost look of the third prince, Concubine Zheng naturally felt distressed and comforted her in a low voice: "Your father must have been deceived by a villain and had some misunderstanding about you, which is why he is like this. When he gets over his anger, he will naturally
It'll be fine. You don't have to worry, he always loves you, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Having said that, even Concubine Zheng knew that hope was getting slimmer.
Although he was fully prepared, he came back unlucky. Such a result was not only a head-on blow to the third prince, but also a fatal blow to the people of the third prince's faction. Several heavyweights were
It's a shame. Who else will dare to take the lead in handing over such a memorial in the future?
The Third Prince also knew very well that these were Concubine Zheng's words of comfort, but when people are depressed, they always feel better when they hear such words: "Don't worry, Concubine, I won't be depressed just because of this blow..."
..”
Before she finished speaking, a palace maid's voice sounded outside the door: "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine, and Your Highness the Third Prince, Your Majesty has ordered someone to pass on an oral message, asking Your Highness to go to the Imperial Study Room now."
The third prince and Concubine Zheng were both shocked. The emperor had just dismissed all the ministers. Now he ordered someone to call him over... No matter how you think about it, this is not a good idea!
But the emperor's decree has already arrived. No matter whether the third prince wants it or not, he must go to the imperial study room!
The third prince took a few deep breaths and comforted Concubine Zheng in a low voice: "Don't worry, mother and concubine. My father didn't necessarily mean to scold me when he asked me to go. I'll go over now and see what's going on."
A glimmer of water flashed in Concubine Zheng's eyes, and her voice was choked with sobs: "If your father gets angry, you must not contradict him with words. You would rather suffer some grievances and wait until this time has passed before making plans."
The third prince forced a smile and nodded.
No matter how uneasy he felt in his heart, the moment he walked out of Concubine Zheng's palace, the third prince returned to his usual calmness - at least on the surface. Even if he lost, he could not show his dejection in front of others and hold his head high.
Facing it calmly is also a kind of courage.
However, most of this courage flew away the moment he entered the royal study and saw the emperor.
The emperor is sitting in front of a large desk. There is not much anger on his face, but his expression is cold. Anyone who is close to the emperor knows that this is what the emperor looks like when he is really angry...
The third prince's heart skipped a beat, and his mind started spinning rapidly. But a calm and gentle smile appeared on his face: "My son, I have met my father!"
The emperor did not smile as usual, but just glanced at him lightly: "You entered the palace in the morning, right?"
This seemingly meaningless question made the third prince secretly shudder. When the emperor asked this, he was clearly accusing him of secretly instigating the ministers to submit memorials... Of course, this was also the fact. He did
I entered the palace in the morning, happily waiting for the good news.
However, even if there are some things that each other knows well, as long as they don't admit it, it means nothing.
The third prince responded respectfully: "My son, I know that my mother and concubine have been in poor health these days, so I went to the palace to visit her."
When mentioning Concubine Zheng, the emperor's expression softened slightly, but he did not ask how Concubine Zheng was doing. Instead, he talked about the memorials: "Come here and take a look at this pile of memorials."
The third prince was stunned for a moment, and then walked over under the emperor's cold gaze. The pile of memorials was the same pile that was thrown on the ground before, and now it was picked up one by one. The emperor did not speak.
, just using his eyes to signal the third prince to read the memorial.
The third prince tried his best to suppress all the panic, pretended to be calm and picked up a book, then opened it and started reading.
The first memorial was written by my uncle Zheng Yun. There is no need to go into details about the content of it, everyone knows it. But what is shocking is the vermilion imperial approval at the bottom of the memorial.
Since the prince is mediocre and incompetent, who can replace him?
The third prince only felt two sharp and substantial gazes falling on his face, as if they could see through all his hidden thoughts. That kind of invisible pressure could only be noticed by the person involved.
Beads of sweat gradually appeared on the third prince's forehead. At this moment, he suddenly realized something in his heart. This time, he probably didn't want to get away easily. The emperor's posture made it clear that he wanted to launch an attack. Although he
I still don’t know what I did wrong, but the most important thing right now is not this, but letting the emperor calm down...
The third prince was also a man who made prompt decisions. After thinking this through, he stopped reading the memorial and knelt down with a plop: "Father, please calm down. I know I was wrong."
"Are you aware of your mistake?" The emperor repeated slowly, his eyes still cold: "Since you are aware of your mistake, then tell me where you went wrong?"
The third prince lowered his head, so he could not know what the emperor's face was like at this moment. He could only infer from the emperor's calm and cold voice that if he did not reflect deeply, he would probably never want to step into this royal study again...
...
"My son shouldn't even think about the position of prince." The third prince said seriously: "You shouldn't instigate everyone to submit a memorial, which will make your father very angry. This is because your son and minister are unfilial..."
"It's not wrong for you to want to be the prince." The emperor unexpectedly interrupted him: "If you don't dare to have such ambition as my son, it would be too cowardly and useless."
Hearing these words made people's hearts skip a beat. Instead of feeling calm, the third prince became more and more frightened: "My father said this, it really puts my son and minister to shame."
The emperor fell silent, as if waiting for something. The third prince was worried that he would make mistakes if he spoke too much, so he simply remained silent.
In such silence, the third prince seemed to hear the emperor sigh. This sigh contained too many complicated contents. It seemed to be angry and dissatisfied, but more importantly, it was full of disappointment.
The third prince is of course a very smart man, otherwise he would not have been favored by the emperor for so many years. He intuitively realized that he must have missed something very important. But what was it? His mind was in confusion.
I couldn't think of anything at all. I subconsciously raised my head and glanced at the emperor.
Then, the third prince was shocked by the disappointed and angry expression on the emperor's face. He opened his mouth and said without thinking: "Father, what exactly did I do wrong? Please tell me clearly!"
The emperor looked at the third prince who was kneeling upright with a complicated look: "Don't you know what you have done?"
What the hell happened?!
For the first time in his life, the third prince experienced this unspeakable feeling of suffering. The depression and resentment in his heart could not be described in words: "Father, sons and ministers should not form cliques for personal gain, and get to know important ministers of the court outside the court...
....”
"It's now, and you still haven't told the truth?" The emperor was completely disappointed when he saw that he always refused to tell the truth, and his face became cold again.
I don’t know what’s going on at all, what should I say?
The third prince was full of grievances, but had no place to complain. He could only kneel and listen to the holy teachings. He was secretly furious. If he found out who was behind the plot, he would never spare this person!
The emperor's patience was exhausted, and he didn't want to say anything more. He said in a deep voice: "Since you haven't thought clearly about where you went wrong, I will give you time to think about it slowly. From today on, you don't have to think about it again."
I'm going to court. I'll stay in your house with peace of mind. When will you figure it out? When will you come see me again?"
He actually wanted to put him under house arrest in the prince's mansion.
The third prince felt a chill in his heart. He was so proud when the prince was fined and grounded more than a month ago. He didn't get it first, and it was his turn so soon...
Thunder, rain and dew are all due to your kindness! Even though the third prince was filled with sorrow, he could not say more than a word at this time and responded respectfully.
The emperor's slightly tired voice came from behind the desk: "I'm tired too, please kneel down!"
The third prince had no choice but to kneel down and quietly retreat from the imperial study.
The moment he walked out of the imperial study room, his legs were a little weak and his heart was at a loss. But more than that, he was filled with incomprehension and anger that he couldn't express.
In this game, he lost inexplicably and completely without even knowing his opponent! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
