"Take them down."

Eunuch Zhang saw that his master was "tired of playing,"

and signaled the two matrons to take the two young masters back.

Ji Chengjue sat in his study chair, watching his son and daughter being carried away, and smiled:

"I didn't understand before why the eldest son is most valued at home, receives the most family resources, while the youngest son is often the most favored. Now I understand.

"The eldest son is the father's first time being a father, all the joy of the first time is on him. The expectations for the eldest son, the hopes he carries, are naturally the greatest.

"When the second and third children come along,

"the initial novelty is gone. Again and again, it just becomes like that.

"It's just a few more names under my own on the family tree, just a few more pairs of chopsticks at the dinner table.

"For families like ours, sometimes we don't even eat together, and we don't have to feed them ourselves. How can the feelings not be weak?

"As for the youngest son, it's almost like having a child in old age.

"After middle age, even the greenest tree will eventually turn into dead wood. The earlier children have already grown up.

"When the children grow up, they're not fun anymore. They're not as cute as they were when they were little, and it's annoying to look at them. Every day, they stare at you with their eyes, as if waiting for you to die soon so they can fight for your property.

"And at this time, you have no expectations for the naive little son, at least, not too many. So it's really like raising a child,

"raising a dog, raising a cat, raising a... toy, naturally it's favored."

Eunuch Zhang didn't dare to respond, he just smiled along.

Because his master seemed to be talking about himself, but in reality, he was likely alluding to His Majesty.

The name of the First Prince is Wujiang;

the names of the princes after that all follow the "Cheng" generation.

This is enough to show the great expectations that Emperor Yan placed on him when the First Prince was born.

Moreover, from a young age, the First Prince was raised in the army, playing and frolicking with the rough soldiers.

Since ancient times, any prince who could be involved in military power, who could lead troops out to fight, was definitely favored.

If you say that because they don't like you, they don't want you around, so they deliberately let you lead troops to fight, who would believe that?

If it weren't for the First Prince's first defeat at Wangjiang, which shattered his prestige and almost cut off Great Yan's momentum to sweep across the nations, and if he hadn't married a barbarian princess, then besides the Crown Prince, his own master's rivals for the throne would definitely include the First Prince.

And the more it is at this time, the greater the advantage a prince from the military will have!

Because Great Yan's military is currently strong, a prince with his own background ascending the throne can naturally ensure the military's future interests.

And the Seventh Prince, Ji Chengshen, has indeed been the most favored one in recent years.

However, Eunuch Zhang still asked cautiously:

"Master, the grand court meeting tomorrow, will it be…?"

"As usual."

"Yes, Master." Eunuch Zhang responded.

"Didn't Father Emperor not die? Heh heh, as long as there's still a breath left, even if he has to hold on, even if he uses silver needles to stimulate acupoints, Father Emperor won't allow himself to vomit blood and lose face in front of the barbarian high priest.

"If he really can't hold on, Father Emperor won't even show up. Since he's showing up, Father Emperor will risk dying immediately, and even in the moment before his death, he will maintain his dignity.

"Just vomiting blood,

"let them be happy,

"in the end,

"it's still fooling them."

Ji Lao Liu wasn't guessing, because he said it in a declarative way, he was completely certain.

The older he gets, the more he resembles his father.

Putting aside everything else, just the ability to "judge others by oneself" is enough to make him several streets ahead of others in figuring out the Emperor's intentions.

"Master, is His Majesty doing this on purpose?"

"On purpose, feigning weakness, this is to paralyze the enemy."

Ji Chengjue picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued,

"Some of the Ministry of Revenue's accounts from the other day, seemingly have no problems, the money, food and military supplies escorted to Beifeng Prefecture, at first glance, also have no problems, but some of the materials have a little more.

"It's not very eye-catching, but I smelled a little bit of a different scent."

The maintenance of weapons, the maintenance of bowstrings, the protection of soldiers from frostbite, Beifeng Prefecture actually has a lot of grease, but it needs to be mixed with some other materials to make the grease into a medicinal grease that can prevent soldiers from frost cracking in the cold winter season in the wild.

There are many similar details like this.

Furthermore, how did Sun Youdao guess it?

He relied on the art of emperorship.

There's no reason why Sun Youdao could guess it, but Ji Chengjue, who is the Emperor Yan's蛔虫 (huí chóng, roundworm, meaning someone who knows everything about another person) would be completely unaware.

Looking for evidence with a specific purpose to corroborate his own guesses, he could find clues in many places to match them up.

Ji Chengjue took out a bottle of "Mind Refreshing Dew", poured out a little, and rubbed it on his brow.

At this moment,

a "dud, dud" sound came from under the desk.

Eunuch Zhang immediately stepped forward and walked to the desk.

Then,

an opening appeared under the pen holder, and a piece of paper was thrown out from inside.

Eunuch Zhang picked up the paper, unfolded it,

and said:

"The Seventh Prince has been arranged by His Majesty to serve the sick in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Ji Chengjue nodded when he heard this, and smiled:

"Shu Consort must be so happy that she's lying on the bed crying and laughing, right?"

Ji Chengjue was joking,

but he guessed right;

this wasn't because he was lucky,

but it meant that he, as a prince, had long since figured out the personality and habits of that Shu Consort.

Only when you truly know and understand a person, when that person has no secrets in front of you, can you casually guess their reaction.

Eunuch Zhang opened his mouth and said:

"Master, this servant doesn't know why, but in the past, shouldn't she be more afraid?"

"She should be afraid. With the example of Noble Consort Ming before her, how could she not be afraid? She has been afraid for too long. These days of worrying and being paranoid have tormented her enough. Suddenly, this incident, which should be a surprise, has left her numb with fear, leaving only joy.

"Combined with the scene of Father Emperor vomiting blood at the banquet, it will give her a feeling… that the hard times are over, and dawn has broken."

Ji Lao Liu reached out and touched his pen holder.

In fact,

this kind of information transmission doesn't need to be so complicated at all.

But it was precisely because the one surnamed Zheng said that he liked the feeling of a person sitting there, with the information being thrown out through a pipe, which made people feel very stylish.

Ji Chengjue laughed at him for taking off his pants to fart (doing something unnecessary and complicated),

not even being able to knock on the door of his own study, yet thinking about digging tunnels underneath?

He had screened his own palace over and over again, ensuring it was safe long ago.

But he still made a copper pipe according to what the one surnamed Zheng said.

Even though he could push open the door and have the letter delivered, he insisted on going through this step.

Perhaps,

taking off one's pants to fart,

is a true attitude towards life?

At this moment,

the "dud, dud" sound came from under the desk again.

Then,

just like before, a piece of paper was thrown out from the opening under the pen holder.

Eunuch Zhang stepped forward to look at it,

and reported:

"Master, His Majesty has ordered the Fourth Prince to lead troops into the palace to take charge of the palace defenses."

Ji Chengjue reached out, picked up a salted plum from the plate on the table, put it in his mouth,

and smiled:

"Lao Si (Fourth Oldest), is probably paralyzed with fear on the ground."

"Dud, dud…"

Another letter was thrown up.

Eunuch Zhang picked up the letter, glanced at it,

and reported:

"The Fourth Prince received the imperial decree to take charge of the palace defenses and was paralyzed with fear on the ground."

"Heh heh heh, hahahaha…"

Ji Chengjue laughed.

This delivery of information doesn't mean that one person delivered it twice;

but rather, two people both delivered it in a short period of time, and delivered it here one after another as quickly as possible.

The first one should be someone from Qu Gonggong's side, at least, it has to be Qu Gonggong's confidant, perhaps, Qu Gonggong may even know that he has this confidant, and chose to acquiesce.

Which of the eunuchs and Shang Gongs (female palace officials) who have risen to that level in the inner palace are not shrewd people? They are all the type who use other people's confidants before backstabbing them to get to the top. How could it be so easy to mix in sand?

In terms of the entire inner palace, eunuchs and Shang Gongs, Ji Lao Liu definitely has the best relationship among all the princes.

But,

he's not the pioneer, he's the maintainer of this relationship;

the one who truly forged this relationship,

was his mother.

You have to know that eight out of ten of those who can become red-robed grand eunuchs in the inner palace now were old people from the princes' residences or the Eastern Palace in their early years.

When they were still young eunuchs, when they were still the most apprehensive and cautious,

when they were still the most naive and easily moved and influenced,

it was that woman,

who used financial resources,

no,

it's not just financial resources,

it's not just giving money, but giving something else that is easier to move people than money, money is just an add-on;

it was that woman, who at that time, laid down a bond of ironclad affection for her son.

Palace life is gray.

When many grand eunuchs take a nap, or stare at the candlelight in a daze, they can't help but recall some warm scenes from their lives. This is human nature. Who would like to ruminate on painful things when they have nothing to do?

And in that kind of warm scene, there will inevitably be that woman who has no airs and has a very warm and gentle smile.

The other message naturally came from someone close to the Fourth Prince.

The person who can see the Fourth Prince's most embarrassing appearance must be the confidant who came in and helped him up.

"Master, why did His Majesty let the Fourth Prince take charge of the palace defenses? And the Seventh Prince too. Is he trying to pull all the princes in to have a competition?"

Ji Chengjue shook his head

and said:

"Since Lao Si (Fourth Oldest) said at the roast duck restaurant that day that he wouldn't fight for that position, then he is bound to have no fate with that position. He is not even as good as Xiao Qi (Little Seventh).

"Neither Father Emperor nor the two princes will allow a prince who lacks responsibility at a critical moment to sit on the future dragon chair of Great Yan.

"The news from Yingdu hasn't arrived yet, but I think that Ran Min should be promoted."

"Master, is His Majesty…"

"A father, no matter how little he cares for his son, is still the one who laid the egg, heh heh."

Ji Chengjue stretched,

took another salted plum and threw it into his mouth,

"He's afraid that I'll be driven to desperation, right?"

"Is His Majesty guarding against you, Master?"

Ji Chengjue's eyebrows raised slightly,

and said:

"Used to it."

Long since… used to it.

"However, I just want him to see with his own eyes how I will take down the Crown Prince whom he stands in front of him at tomorrow's grand court meeting!

"The old man has been wise and famous all his life,

"but there's just one thing,

"he can't do anything about it,

"he's been in the back garden for too long to recuperate, and after returning this time, it's impossible for him to make a big move to clean up.

"Now,

"is the time the old man is most afraid of,

"he not only wants to create a better situation, but at the same time, he will carefully protect the current situation that is not bad.

"Back then,

"when the armies of the Southern and Northern Princes entered the capital,

"in fact,

"the aristocratic families had already yielded. Circumstances were stronger than people. The old man could have cleaned them up calmly, but the old man didn't. He insisted on trampling on the aristocratic families and sweeping them away completely.

"Now he,

"doesn't have that courage anymore.

"The Son of Heaven,

"must have the means to deal with it!"

Ji Chengjue picked up another salted plum, playing with it between his fingers;

"A good show, is he going to arrange things inside and out again? Zhang Banban."

"This servant is here."

"I'm actually not worried about tomorrow's grand court meeting. What I want to know now is something else."

"Whatever you command, Master, this servant will have people investigate it immediately."

At this time,

some intelligence networks can no longer afford to worry about exposure or not, just like the messages that were delivered tonight. It's not that they can't be delivered, but they're too fast. Being fast makes it easy to make mistakes and may expose things.

But it doesn't matter, because the decisive battle has already arrived.

Once you lose,

what's the point of keeping so many cards in your hand?

"You can't investigate this. Even if you throw in all our manpower in the capital, you still won't be able to find out. And even if you do find out, you won't be able to send back the news because it's too far away.

"By then,

"the situation in the capital will have been decided."

"What does Master want to investigate?"

"I want to know whether the Southern and Northern Princes will still be in the capital after dawn."

"…" Eunuch Zhang.

"The Marquis of Pingxi's residence, the Marquis of Andong's residence, is it just a coincidence that they're both arranged next door to the two princes' residences? The Marquis of Pingxi's residence is better, they're all newly renovated residences. And looking at the relationship between the Prince of Jingnan and the one surnamed Zheng, living together is normal.

"But what about Lao Da (First Oldest)?

"Lao Da has been to Beifeng Prefecture,

"but now that Prince Zhenbei's son has been found,

"what face does Lao Da have to take the initiative to go up to him?"

"Master, the Marquis of Andong's residence was established long ago," Eunuch Zhang reminded.

"Yes, indeed. Hidden signs reveal distant events."

Ji Chengjue leaned his head back,

tossing the salted plum in his hand,

"The old man is good at his work. It's a pity that I can't throw a piece of silver as a reward like when I was listening to storytelling in Nan'an County."

Silence fell in the study for a moment.

"We can't find out the movements of the Southern and Northern Princes. There's only one person who can know."

"Master, are you talking about Marquis Zheng?"

"It's him. Tian Wujing will hide it from everyone, but he won't hide it from him."

"This servant will have the people at the Marquis's residence…"

There are eyes and ears in the Marquis's residence, but they have already greeted the female housekeeper of the Marquis of Pingxi in advance.

Everyone knows it well, leaving someone to pass on messages.

"I'm just afraid that the one surnamed Zheng won't dare to tell me."

"Master…"

"I'm even more afraid that the one surnamed Zheng will dare to tell me."

Daring not to tell him is because this is clearly the Emperor's will, and Marquis Pingxi, who was originally watching the fire from the other side of the river, has also been pulled into the game.

The Emperor's anger, at the final moment, and in this Yan capital, once he enters the game, it is equivalent to actively deviating from the ruler, which is an extremely great risk.

This is a completely different nature from taking the lead and supporting the scene for himself at the grand banquet.

The Emperor's will must be for him to keep it a secret.

If he dares to say it, it is deceiving the Emperor.

The one surnamed Zheng has always liked to protect himself, treating his life as more important than the sky, so it is normal not to pass on this information to him.

Moreover, in terms of the country, the people, and the great cause of Great Yan, there is a tenable foothold.

But,

if the one surnamed Zheng sells the imperial decree under these circumstances to tell himself,

this means that

the one surnamed Zheng's plans

are big.

He has a reason why he has to do it, or he has an opponent he really wants to get rid of.

Because,

only hatred, only when you want to kill someone, when you really want to eliminate someone, can this concentrated hatred make a person go to such an extreme;

he doesn't lack stability and glory now, so naturally he won't be in a hurry.

"Do you know why I chose that one surnamed Zheng back then?"

"It must be because Master has a discerning eye."

"Bullshit, I'm not a god, how could I know he could fly so high?"

Ji Chengjue smiled,

"Because he seems to be the same kind of person as Ran Min, but he is completely different from people like Ran Min, provided that you can really be regarded as a friend by him."

At this moment,

there was a knock on the study door.

Eunuch Zhang got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

A dwarf in black, standing at the door, smiling.

Eunuch Zhang's eyes narrowed immediately.

"Third Master?"

Ji Chengjue obviously recognized Xue San. Not familiar, but the people around Zheng Fan are too distinctive.

Xue San walked in,

didn't kneel,

just bowed,

fortunately, whether he kneels or not, the height is about the same.

"Your Highness, my Marquis asked me to come and inform you of something."

"Speak."

"My Marquis said, do you still remember the agreement we made back then?"

"I remember."

Zheng Fan placed the cup on his cup, and then the two slapped hands.

"Good. What the Marquis asked me to bring is: the Southern and Northern Princes will leave the capital before dawn, heading west."

Ji Chengjue heard this,

took a deep breath,

and closed his eyes.

He wasn't shocked by the news, but shocked by Zheng Fan's purpose.

What exactly is it

that made the one surnamed Zheng abandon his previous style and join in so deeply?

Xue San spoke again:

"My Marquis also said that there are 10,000 Jingnan iron cavalry outside the capital, and the Prince of Jingnan's command token, the Prince of Jingnan, gave it to him long ago."

"Although 10,000 iron cavalry are strong, this is the Yan capital," Ji Chengjue reminded.

Inside the capital, there are all kinds of capital battalions. Outside the capital, there is also a Zhenbei army.

"My Marquis's meaning is that even if he really loses playing at the card table, he can take your Highness's family and break out of the capital region."

A fallback,

he guaranteed everything for himself.

The one surnamed Zheng has always liked to deny responsibility after getting what he wants. Why is he being so considerate this time?

"Does your Marquis have anything else to say?" Ji Chengjue asked.

"There's one last sentence, it's a bit disrespectful."

"It doesn't matter, speak."

"My Marquis said:

"Brother, I rarely trust someone, I want to be true brothers with you.

"Xiao Liuzi (Little Sixth),

"it's up to you

"to decide."

——————

There's another chapter tonight. I'll try to be faster, and then, I'll ask for monthly votes again!