PNB Chapter 265 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (165)
Chapter 265 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (165)
Commander Liu said matter-of-factly.
He had long hoped for a chance to rise in the ranks, but he had been waiting for one. Among the military generals, there were many talented individuals, some older with outstanding military achievements, and others younger who were equally capable.
When Commander Liu was under General An's command, his abilities were mediocre. He could lead troops but lacked strategic acumen. Therefore, after General An passed away, he remained an unknown garrison soldier.
He had been unwilling to accept this all these years, but there was nothing he could do, and he could only sigh at the unsatisfactory aspects of his life.
Unexpectedly, someone handed him a pillow. When Commander Liu heard the news, he felt no fear at all, but rather great excitement.
He feigned hesitation, and Master An seemed extremely anxious to persuade him. The more anxious he became, the more information he revealed, and the more Commander Liu learned...
He thinks he can be his own master?
Commander Liu had no respect for Master An. With a father like General An, how could he be so incompetent? He was truly hopeless!
What future is there if we work for him?
So Commander Liu treated him like a close old subordinate, coaxing him to tell him what he knew. Master An was feeling uncertain and was so frightened that he almost lost his soul, so he quickly told him what he knew.
While Commander Liu was coaxing him, he secretly contacted the Second Prince.
The Second Prince probably didn't want to be blackmailed by the An family. When Master An told Commander Liu and his soldiers to obey his orders, Commander Liu sneered inwardly, but did not refuse outwardly.
He turned and told the Second Prince about it to show his loyalty. What he wanted was real merit for supporting the emperor, not for them to risk their lives and have the credit taken by others.
Liu may lack the strategic wisdom to command on the battlefield, but he handles these matters with remarkable ease and fluency.
He not only betrayed Master An completely behind his back, but also kept it a secret from the soldiers who had worked with him.
The soldiers under his command only knew that they were working for the Second Prince, but only Lieutenant Lu knew the real story.
"Commander...we...we're really not going to take care of the An family's master?" Lieutenant Lu asked cautiously, unsure of what to do.
"What do you care about him? Do you think I'm plotting against him? He plotted against us first!" Commander Liu's eyes flashed with a fierce light.
"He's using our heads as his own achievements to threaten the Second Prince. If he behaves himself, that's fine, but if he has a grudge against the Second Prince, we'll all be rejected by him. How will we be able to stand in the court after that?" Commander Liu sneered.
"His good fortune is his good fortune, and his misfortune is our misfortune. How could General An have given birth to such a stupid and incompetent son!" Commander Liu did not show much respect when he mentioned General An. He always felt that he had enough ability, but General An did not see him or give him important positions, which made him depressed and unsuccessful.
The maternal families of the eldest and third princes are the An family. He is now helping the second prince to frame the eldest prince, and he feels no unease at all. On the contrary, he feels a secret sense of satisfaction.
Since you can't see my ability to fight to the death on the battlefield, then watch how I deal with His Highness the First Prince!
Lieutenant Lu was already worried, but now, for some reason, he was even more anxious: "Could something have really happened to Master An in the palace? Because we..."
“He’s still my maternal uncle, after all. The eldest prince is so indecisive, like a woman. He won’t really kill him!” Commander Liu said crudely.
He would rather follow a vicious person like the Second Prince. He could foresee that if the First Prince were to succeed to the throne, he would still not be given important positions and would never be able to rise in the ranks!
"Alright, stop talking nonsense! What else can we do now?" Commander Liu glared at the fussy Deputy Commander Lu.
Lieutenant Lu fell silent, turning to gaze at the quiet, dark distance. He could only pray in his heart that everything would go smoothly tonight. No matter what, as long as he could get his head home, he didn't really care who ascended the throne...
The direction of the palace in the distance was also a dark shadow, and nothing could be seen. The capital city was exceptionally dark tonight, and not even a lamp could be seen in the houses.
Ji Shuling was getting restless. He paced back and forth in the room, and his secret advisors around him were also on tenterhooks. Although it was supposed to be an uprising, for some reason, they didn't feel any excitement...
Perhaps it's because they all know in their hearts that the so-called loyalty to the emperor and protection of the emperor are just fabricated excuses.
Ever since that imperial edict bearing the Emperor's seal was produced, many people have been feeling uneasy.
Although they followed the Second Prince, they still held a sense of awe in their hearts due to the long-standing imperial power and majesty.
They really were doing... a heinous crime. This thought crossed many people's minds when they saw the imperial edict.
"Why is there no movement at all? Is Ji Shuqin really going to be a coward?" Ji Shuling said angrily.
From the moment he started his rebellion, it was as if he were performing a one-man show. He originally thought that Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin would confront him, but unexpectedly, even now, he has not even seen the faces of those two people!
what is going on!
Do they really think I wouldn't dare touch them? Or do they think they can keep delaying indefinitely by hiding in the palace?
"How is the Third Prince's residence? Ji Shumin is truly cold-hearted and heartless. How could he so carelessly put his wife in danger? I don't believe that Ji Shumin didn't know I was keeping an eye on the Third Prince's residence!" Ji Shuling said bitterly.
"Bring me the Third Prince's wife. I'm going to take her with me to visit my Third Prince later..." Ji Shuling squeezed out through gritted teeth.
"Your Highness, this...isn't this inappropriate?" Using women and children to threaten someone is a tactic, but it's already questionable to use it on enemy generals, let alone on one's own brothers!
It's really quite despicable, especially using women and children as a threat under the guise of a righteous act. If people find out, it will be ridiculed. The Second Prince shouldn't have made this move.
"What's wrong with that?" Ji Shuling snorted coldly. "Everyone in the capital says that the Third Prince and the Third Prince's wife are very much in love. I really want to see if someone like Ji Shumin has any feelings at all! I've been quite curious about this for so many years!" the Second Prince said quietly.
If it's fake, it will expose the hypocritical and cunning nature of Ji Shumin. If it's real, Ji Shuling really wants to see Ji Shumin begging for mercy and trying to please him, especially... for a woman!
"Go! Bring her here!" Ji Shuling said with great interest.
After a while, the person who went to the Third Prince's residence returned with a look of horror: "Second...Second Prince, the people guarding the Third Prince's residence have all...all disappeared!"
"What do you mean 'disappeared'?!" Ji Shuling slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"They're all gone! There's no one around the Third Prince. I don't know where everyone went!" The man went to the ambush site, but there wasn't a soul in sight, not even a ghost! Not a trace remained.
No news came back, not because there was no unusual activity, but because... their people were gone.
"How could there be no one here!" Ji Shuling's heart skipped a beat!
He must have sent a considerable number of people to watch over the Third Prince's residence, and to wipe them all out... and so quietly, who did it? How many people must the other side have to be able to eliminate all of their own men...?
Ji Shuling's hair stood on end as he looked out into the endless night, feeling as if some great mystery was hidden within, but it had not yet revealed its true nature.
"Did you go inside and take a look?"
"This humble official... has no such presence." How could he dare to go in and look? It was like a ghost town. He walked around in a panic for a while, then hurriedly ran back, fearing that he too would not return: "But it seems that the lights in the mansion are as usual."
"What about elsewhere?" Ji Shuling asked calmly, ordering someone to investigate elsewhere.
However, they discovered that the people guarding the Marquis of He'an's residence had all disappeared without a sound, as if they had vanished into the cold wind. The Marquis of He'an's residence, on the other hand, seemed to remain untouched, its lights glowing softly.
Ji Shumin had long anticipated what he would do! That was the only thought left for Ji Shuling.
"Where are the rest of the people?" Ji Shuling suddenly became worried. Had all the people she had gathered just disappeared for no reason?
He knew it was impossible, but the thought just kept popping into his head.
"Commander Liu sent someone to see you, and you just met him," the aide whispered, sensing that the Second Prince seemed to be quite paranoid about this turn of events.
"The Second Prince's tricks are nothing but petty schemes to shake us. If the First Prince and the Third Prince truly had such ample manpower, why would they be hiding here?" someone stepped forward and said.
"You're right... Proceed according to the original plan. Send someone to tell the army that they can begin their march to the capital!"
The deadline given by Ji Shuling is fast approaching.
Inside the palace, Lord An thought someone would come to rescue him soon, but the longer he waited, the more uncertain he became.
Not only did no one come to his rescue, but even the eldest prince and the third prince ignored him.
He was locked in a room, feeling uneasy and anxious.
"I...I need to see the Empress. Please secretly go to the Empress and inform her of my presence. I'll give you as much silver as you want!" Master An pleaded with the guards at the door.
He felt that only the Empress could save him now.
The guards at the gate didn't even glance at him.
"How long are you going to keep me locked up! Let me out!" Master An was gradually breaking down. He had only been taking advantage of the Second Prince's power and believed his words. Now he knew in his heart that the Second Prince would not care about him. From beginning to end, he had been using and deceiving him!
His two nephews, though somewhat cold-hearted, never intended to kill him. The Second Prince has practically pushed him into a fire pit, deceiving him so cruelly.
Master An finally realized his mistake, but what good was it? Only through comparison and experience could one truly distinguish who was good and who was evil.
"I want to see the First Prince, or even the Third... the Third Prince! Let me see them!" Master An was now begging for mercy. No matter what, he hadn't done anything wrong. He could tell them about the number of troops outside the capital to atone for his sins, as long as he didn't lose his life!
But still no one saw him.
Just when he was in despair, a sound came from outside, the door was opened, and Ji Shumin appeared in front of him with a half-smile.
"I heard my uncle wants to see me?"
Ji Shumin had only been at Lu Liruan's place for a short while when a palace servant came to report that the eldest master of the An family was making a huge fuss and insisted on seeing him.
"So impatient?" Lu Liruan blinked. She hadn't warmed up yet; it was really cold at night. She had only been sitting by the heater for a short while when the commotion started again.
“Indeed…” Ji Shumin sighed, “My uncle is frightened when he thinks about it now.”
"How is the Empress Dowager?" Ji Shumin asked softly as he stood up, put his cloak back on, and asked gently.
"The Empress Dowager is well, but I'm worried about Father and Mother." Lu Liruan got up with him and stuffed a small hand warmer into his hands.
"The Marquis and his wife will be alright, Li Ruan, don't worry." Ji Shumin lowered his head and nuzzled Lu Li Ruan's hair. The two were of one mind, and they felt at ease just being by each other's side.
"I know, you should go now, the night isn't over yet." Lu Liruan stepped back on his back and stood at the door watching him leave.
Just as Master An was making the most of his commotion, Ji Shumin suddenly appeared before him. He was momentarily embarrassed. When he entered the palace, he had tried to maintain the airs of an elder, but he had long since lost all face as an elder.
"Uncle, have you figured it out? Your so-called former subordinates of the An family have long since lost all connection with the An family. They were just using you as a stepping stone; they've already established their own factions," Ji Shumin said slowly and deliberately.
"Yes... I understand." Master An looked extremely dejected. When he was inciting the army, he felt that he had some of his father's commanding presence, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
Now that his nephew had called him out on to his face, Master An felt extremely ashamed, but he absolutely could not afford to offend this nephew...
Ji Shumin seemed to see what he was thinking, and stopped humiliating him. Instead, he smiled softly and said, "Uncle was also deceived by villains..." He couldn't help but laugh out loud as he said this, clearly talking nonsense.
"But if one wants to atone for their sins, there are ways."
"What solution! I know I made a mistake! Third Prince! I know I was wrong!" After being left hanging for so long, Master An was now willing to agree to anything.
"It's simple, just do what you did to your elder brother again..." Ji Shumin's tone was cold, his beautiful eyes filled with sarcasm and frost.
"Your Highness, the master of the An family has come out of the palace," someone reported.
"He was accompanied by people, probably guards from the First Prince's side."
"Don't worry about him, he's useless now. I guess Ji Shuqin didn't know what to do with him, so he released him. Ha, what a woman's kindness!" Ji Shuling mocked.
"The army has entered Beijing!"
"Alright, follow me!" Ji Shuling roused himself, ready to march straight to the palace with the army.
But just as the army entered the streets of the capital, Lieutenant Lu suddenly asked Commander Liu, "Commander, isn't that the master of the An family?"
"Huh? What's he doing here?" Commander Liu's eyes flashed with anger.
Before he could say anything, the escorting Master An, gripping the reins tightly, shouted, "The imperial edict is real! I was forced to say those words! The imperial edict is real! The Emperor's will decrees that His Highness the First Prince should ascend the throne! The imperial edict is real—"
His voice was incredibly loud and piercing in the silent night sky!