Seeing that Shao Fang was just chatting without any focus after he sat down, Dong Sheng got to the point first and asked with a smile: "His Royal Highness came to visit unexpectedly. I must have something to do, right?"
"Haha!" Shao Fang was waiting for Dong Sheng to take the initiative to ask. He smiled leisurely and asked: "Mr. Dong, my father is old, but he has not established a prince for a long time. What do you mean by this?"
Dong Sheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately raised his hand and said: "As a minister, I cannot express my position on the royal family's appointment of a heir apparent."
"Huh?" Shao Fang waved his hand and said, "We are just talking in private, it's harmless."
Dong Sheng looked at Shao Fang, who was pretending to be casual, and secretly laughed in his heart. As the right prime minister of Mo Guo, every strand of his hair would be empty if he pulled it out, and his shrewd mind was far beyond compare. Shao was usually indifferent to him.
Fang suddenly came to visit in person, it must be for the purpose of establishing the crown prince. He pondered for a moment, waved his hands to the left and right, and dismissed all the servants and entourages in the lobby. Then Fang said softly: "Maybe, there is something in your heart.
Doubt it!”
Shao Fang pursed his lips and asked bluntly: "In the opinion of Prime Minister Dong, who will the father finally make as the crown prince?" As he spoke, he leaned forward and looked at Dong Sheng without blinking.
Dong Sheng didn't think too much and said: "The third prince, His Highness Shao Bo, has a kind heart and is highly appreciated by the King of Ning. I think your Majesty may make His Highness Shao Bo the crown prince in the future."
After hearing this, Shao Fang's expression suddenly changed, but he quickly returned to normal. He forced a smile, just said softly, and did not answer any more words.
As smart as Dong Sheng, how could he not see Shao Fang's sense of disappointment. The corners of his mouth moved, wanting to speak, but in the end he swallowed the words back. The old man frowned, picked up the teacup, and took a slow sip.
, praised: "This tea is bitter at first and then fragrant, it is really top quality!"
Shao Fang was not in the mood to discuss tea ceremony with Dong Sheng at this time. Dong Sheng was the minister that his father relied on most, and he also understood his father's thoughts best. Even he thought that his father would make Shao Bo the crown prince, and he basically had no hope. He
He couldn't help but let out a long sigh, stood up, nodded to Dong Sheng, and said, "It's really presumptuous of me to come here unexpectedly, so I'll just..." He gestured to leave, but before he could finish his words of farewell, at this moment, he stood up
Zong Yuan, who was behind him, hurriedly stretched out his hand and quietly grabbed the hem of his clothes. Shao Fang was stunned for a moment, and turned to look at Zong Yuan in confusion. The latter met his eyes, shook his head slightly, and signaled Shao Fang to go ahead.
Sit down and don't leave in a hurry.
Dong Sheng was talking about tea just now, but to Zong Yuan's ears, he sounded more like Shao Fang. Isn't Shao Fang's current situation very difficult? He left hastily before fully understanding Dong Sheng's intentions, fearing that he would
To miss the opportunity.
After receiving Zong Yuan's hint, Shao Fang rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and then sat back on the cave.
At this time, Dong Sheng asked strangely: "Your Highness, are you leaving?"
"No! I just got up and stretched my muscles!" Shao Fang said with a smile.
"Oh!" Dong Sheng responded, raised his gaze, and looked at Zong Yuan behind Shao Fang. This person is not simple. How come he has never seen this person before? Thinking about it, he smiled and asked: "Your Highness, I don't know who this person is.
Sir is..."
Before Shao Fang could answer, Zong Yuan bowed his hands and saluted, saying, "I, Zong Yi, have met Prime Minister Dong!"
Zongyi? Dong Sheng shook his head secretly, never heard of this name.
Zong Yuan asked with a smile: "I don't know something, but I'm afraid that Prime Minister Dong will blame me if I ask. I don't know Prime Minister Dong..."
Dong Sheng smiled, waved his hand and said, "Mr. Zongyi, please tell me if you have anything to say!"
Zong Yuan suppressed his smile and said seriously: "I wonder, what does Dong Xiang think of His Highness Shao Bo becoming the crown prince?"
Oh? Dong Sheng took a breath, not expecting Zong Yuan to ask this. His eyes stayed on Zong Yuan's face for a long time, then slowly dropped to the table in front of him, and he was speechless for a long time.
Shao Fang was also a smart man. When he saw this, his heart suddenly moved. If Dong Sheng supported Shao Bo as the crown prince, he would definitely have expressed his support without thinking after listening to Zong Yuan's question. But at this time, he was so hesitant. Could it be that he
Are they against Shao Bo becoming the crown prince?
Thinking of this, Shao Fang's eyes lit up, and he turned around and glanced at Zong Yuan gratefully. Fortunately, Zong Yuan caught him in time.
He stared at Dong Sheng silently, waiting for his answer.
After a while, Dong Sheng raised his head and asked Shao Fang instead without answering Zong Yuan's question: "Your Highness, what do you think of the current Peng Kingdom?"
"Peng Guo?" Shao Fang looked confused and didn't react for a while.
"It's the former Feng Kingdom." Dong Sheng added.
"Oh!" Shao Fang shook his head and said: "Zhong Tian killed the king and established himself as king, all because of the support of Ning State. He said he was a king, but he was actually a minister of Ning. If the king is not a king, the country is not a country. This is a shame for Feng people.
"
Dong Sheng was very moved when he heard this. He couldn't help but secretly praise in his heart, and sighed quietly: "Just now, Mr. Zongyi asked me what I thought about the appointment of His Highness Shao Bo as the prince. If His Highness Shao Bo is the prince, what if he is Mo?"
King, I’m afraid that today’s Peng Country will be the tomorrow of our Mo Country!”
Shao Fang was holding a teacup and pretending to drink tea. After hearing Dong Sheng's words, he was shaken. The teacup in his hand fell straight onto the table and the tea spilled all over him.
Seeing this, the armor guards on both sides hurriedly stepped forward to help him wipe it. Shao Fang waved his arms and pushed all the armor guards who came forward away. Then he looked at Dong Sheng, stood up silently, and walked away.
When he came near, he straightened his clothes, raised his hands, gave a deep salute, and said in a trembling tone: "Xiang Dong's words are true knowledge and insights. He is really the pillar of the royal court and the pillar of my great Mo!"
Regardless of whether Shao Fang was acting out of true feelings or for show, as a prince, it was extremely rare for him to be able to treat his courtiers with such respectful courtesy.
Seeing this, Dong Sheng leaned back and almost fell over on the mat. The old man stood up quickly, walked around the table, stretched out his hands to help Shao Fang up, and said in a trembling voice: "What are you doing, Your Highness?
This...this is killing an old minister!"
Shao Fang's eyes were red, and he choked and said: "Ning Guo's ambition is obvious, and its target is definitely not Feng Guo. However, all the ministers in the dynasty followed Ning Guo's lead, flattered and begged for mercy. Only Prime Minister Dong had a far-sighted vision.
Knowing everything clearly, it is true that God will not destroy our country!"
Shao Fang could say such words, which also made Dong Sheng very surprised. He sighed repeatedly in his heart. It seemed that he underestimated this Second Highness. His Highness Shao Fang was by no means an incompetent person! Dong Sheng hurriedly saluted and said: "Your Highness
To put it seriously, at least there are His Highness and veteran officials above the royal court who think alike."
All this time, Dong Sheng has not expressed his position on the matter of establishing a crown prince. It is not because he is greedy for the favor of the princes, but because he feels that as a minister, he should not interfere with the king's establishment of a crown prince. This is a family matter of the royal family, and the ministers are outsiders. Furthermore,
He was not optimistic about which prince would be suitable to be the crown prince or the future King Mo.
The eldest prince was born blind. No matter how talented and capable he is, he can't even read memorials. How can he be the king of a country? The second prince, Shao Fang, is gloomy and moody. He can't tell whether his abilities are good or bad. Once
If you become a king, you may become a tyrant. Although the third prince Shao Bo is benevolent and righteous, he is just like the current king. He is indecisive, lacks independent opinions, and is easily controlled by others. If he is a king, he will have good ministers and assistants around him.
Forget it, if the treacherous minister succeeds, the country of Mo will be destroyed. And there is a more important point. Shao Bo is too close to Ning Guo. If he is allowed to preside over the government, the country of Mo will suffer in the future. As for the other princes, they all have their own shortcomings.
, one is not as good as the other. In Dong Sheng's heart, there is really no one who is the best candidate for crown prince.
How could Shao Fang not be impressed by what he said at this moment?
Of course, Shao Fang had never thought that Ning State could threaten Mo State before. This was all Tang Yin's indoctrination into him. Last night, Tang Yin mentioned more than once that if Feng State was completely destroyed by Ning, then Ning State's next goal must be
Mo Guo and Tang Yin's ideas coincided with Dong Sheng's. Shao Fang learned what he had learned and put it into practice, so he said it smoothly and it hit Dong Sheng's heart.
Now there is no need for Shao Fang to take the initiative to ask for help. Instead, Dong Sheng took the initiative and said: "Your Highness has great talent and great strategy. Mo country is very lucky, and Mo people are very lucky. I am willing to assist Your Highness in your quest for the throne!"
These words made Shao Fang so excited that he almost jumped up into the sky. He even wondered if he was dreaming.
Who is Dong Sheng? The support of Dong Sheng is not just the support of a right prime minister, but the support of a large group of important ministers. Above the royal court, Dong Sheng's power is not small, and there are many ministers who follow his lead.
, if you can get the support of such a faction, why worry about not being able to become the crown prince yourself?
Shao Fang bowed to the ground again and said urgently: "With Dong's help, great things can be accomplished!" After saying this, he suppressed his excitement and said with a worried look on his face: "It's just that my father has made a decision.
The third brother is the crown prince, I..."
Dong Sheng smiled and said: "Although the decision has been made, there are still variables before the edict is announced. Even if the edict is announced, the crown prince is not unshakable."
"Oh?" Shao Fang became energetic and asked hurriedly: "Is there any way for Prime Minister Dong to change his father's decision?"
Dong Sheng nodded, but immediately shook his head and said with a smile: "Your Highness, don't rush. This matter needs to be discussed over a long period of time. You have to take your time."
Seeing that Dong Sheng was confident, Shao Fang felt relieved and stopped asking questions. He said seriously: "Dong Xiang is willing to help me. If I become a king in the future, I will definitely give Dong Xiang a title and a fief, so that the Dong family can be passed down from generation to generation."
, all are powerful!"
His promise was serious enough, but Dong Sheng didn't care about it at all. He smiled lightly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for thinking so highly of me. I don't care about glory and wealth, but I just don't want to be a minister like Peng Chen!" Zhong Tian said to Ning Guo
If you call yourself a minister, even the monarch is a minister, so what do the ministers below mean to you?
Shao Fang didn't think anything of it, but Tang Yin and Zong Yuan felt the same way. At this time, Tang Yin suddenly said: "If Mr. Dong wants to protect the country of Mo from the threat of the country of Ning, we should join forces to fight against Ning!"