Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 154 Winning Hearts and Minds!

The crown prince arrived despite the wind and snow, and his expression was not good.

Jian Xiyan was already in a bad mood, and seeing him like this, she couldn't suppress her anger any longer and directly scolded Changpei.

"There's no need to serve the Crown Prince ginger tea; he's already quite hot-tempered!"

The crown prince paused, looking at the empress, not understanding why she was speaking so harshly.

"Mother, Xingyue has already suffered a severe injury and is unable to walk. How can you bear to make her brave the snow to come and pay her respects?"

Jian Xiyan's head buzzed, and she even saw double.

What kind of bewitching potion did Mei Xingyue give the Crown Prince?

Despite her disfigurement and crippled legs, the prince remained infatuated with her.

She's practically a demoness, an even more terrifying demoness than Bai Xiaoxiao!

"How could I bear to do this? I am your birth mother, and everything I have done is for you!"

"You have been bewitched by this woman, and your behavior in court is erratic and unbecoming of a crown prince. Don't you realize that?"

The Crown Prince, however, seemed unconcerned and even felt that Jian Xiyan's words about Mei Xingyue were too harsh.

"Mother, if it weren't for Xingyue, I would have been deposed as Crown Prince!"

“She risked her life to break into the Fengtian Hall and bought seven days from the Imperial Noble Consort. She has done a great favor for my son and me. What’s wrong with me picking her up?”

Jian Xiyan laughed in anger, her lips trembling as she pointed at the Crown Prince.

"You've gone completely mad! The reason your position as crown prince is so precarious is because of the omen of Mars guarding the planet! If it weren't for that vixen Mei Xingyue, this omen would never have manifested in you."

"How can you be so foolish as to not even be able to distinguish cause and effect, and mistake the instigator for a benefactor?"

"Yue Shan, ever since Mei Xingyue appeared, your intelligence and wisdom seem to have vanished. How can the court officials trust you to be the crown prince when they see you like this?"

Jian Xiyan spoke earnestly and sincerely. For someone as calm and composed as a chrysanthemum, saying so much already showed that she was extremely emotional.

But the Crown Prince seemed not to hear and continued to side with Mei Xingyue.

"Mother, if the Imperial Noble Consort really wants to depose the Crown Prince, even without Xingyue, she will find another reason."

"This was all Li An's betrayal. He wanted to kill Xingyue out of personal revenge! If he hadn't dragged Xingyue into this mess, she wouldn't have had to get involved."

Jian Xiyan looked helpless, knowing she couldn't persuade the Crown Prince.

Her son has been completely bewitched.

"Yueshan, Li An's actions were indeed disloyal to his father and the emperor, but the Mei family was also at fault in this matter."

"If it weren't for their family tormenting Li, why would Li have committed suicide?"

When the Crown Prince mentioned Lady Li, his eyes were filled with hatred, as if the woman he had shared a bed with for many years was an enemy.

"Mother, Li is just like her father, a selfish and self-serving person."

“Li An betrayed me in court, and isn’t the Li family the same?”

"If Ang Lee truly had a good upbringing for his daughter, would his wife have committed suicide to put me in an unjust position?"

"Her death is a relief, but it has caused the entire court to gossip that I am a heartless and cold-blooded person. Both father and daughter are truly hateful."

As the prince spoke, his fists clenched, and veins bulged on his forehead.

When I saw Li's body in the snow that day, any lingering guilt I felt had long since vanished.

The Crown Prince's complaints about Li An and his daughter did not elicit a rebuke from Jian Xiyan.

The Empress also felt that Li An and his daughter's actions were inappropriate.

Li Shi made Jian Xiyan feel that she had misjudged him!

“Alas, I chose Li Shi as your concubine because of her gentle and compliant nature back then.”

"I never expected her to be so fierce. It was just a quarrel between women, but she was willing to take her own life to prove her point."

"Like her father, she probably became pedantic and pedantic after reading too much."

The Crown Prince nodded in agreement, and on this point, the Empress shared his opinion.

However, the Empress changed the subject and started talking about Chen Wenyu.

“Li An is old-fashioned and resentful of you because of the pain of losing his daughter. It will probably be difficult to win him over again. But you must try to win over Chen Wenyu.”

"He remained in power in the court for many years, relying not only on his talent and learning, but also on his skills in being an official."

"The most important affairs of the state are sacrifices. Chen Wenyu is the Minister of Rites and is respected by scholars all over the country. Although he is not a literary master, he is the most prestigious among civil officials."

"If he is willing to fight to the death to support you, most of the civil officials will also stand behind you."

The Crown Prince calmed down and listened attentively to the Empress's analysis. It was rare to see Jian Xiyan so meticulous in her planning.

But what she said was full of wisdom.

The mention of winning over Chen Wenyu reminded the Crown Prince of something.

On the day of the literary ceremony, it was clear that the third-ranked scholar, Chu Tiance, had cheated and there were other motives involved. This matter was of great importance as it concerned the imperial examinations.

It was only because the eldest princess did not investigate further that the matter was dropped.

If this is used to threaten Chen Wenyu, it will surely be able to control this Minister of Rites.

After listening to the Crown Prince's words, Jian Xiyan thought about it carefully and said with some worry, "Chen Wenyu, a civil official, is the least afraid of death. He even dares to carry a coffin to the Fengtian Hall to offer his advice."

"Would threatening him with the matter of cheating in the imperial examinations backfire?"

“I can’t be sure about this either,” the Crown Prince said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “However, we can start preparing now. If Chen Wenyu really doesn’t know what’s good for him, then don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Jian Xiyan remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

She gestured to Changpei with her eyes, and Changpei immediately ordered, "Everyone, step back."

Once everyone in the Kunning Palace was gone, Jian Xiyan spoke up: "Yueshan has not only civil officials, but also military officers."

"The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. Without generals and soldiers, one cannot take the initiative."

"Yue Li failed to reclaim the command of those 500,000 troops this time, and the military officers contributed a lot."

"You must take advantage of these seven days to do your best to win over the military officers. Only with their support can you secure your position."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately pictured Qian Tao, whose disdainful expression was extremely irritating.

It was really difficult to ask him to win over these military generals who looked down on him.

Jian Xiyan naturally knew what the Crown Prince was thinking.

Over the past three years, the Crown Prince has complained more than once that the generals in the army are unruly, all because he, the Crown Prince, is ignorant of military affairs.

But the situation is very complicated now, so even if it hurts, we have to bite the bullet and do it.

The Empress grabbed the Crown Prince's hand, her eyes flashing with a frenzied emotion.

"My son, this is a critical moment for the life and death of us. We must prepare for the worst."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's heart pounded, and he immediately understood Jian Xiyan's meaning.

The Empress was reminding the Crown Prince that if the support of the civil officials was still insufficient, then this army of 500,000 would be the last resort.

The idea of ​​forcing Bai Xiaoxiao to abdicate, which had been interrupted by Bai Xiaoxiao's regency, suddenly had an opportunity to come to fruition!

"I have heard that the military officers will be holding a deer hunting feast in the next few days. Yue Li has accepted Qian Tao's invitation and will be going hunting in the mountains."

"As the crown prince, you should seize this opportunity. Although you know nothing about military affairs, you are especially skilled in riding and archery among the six arts of a gentleman."

"If we seize this opportunity and win first place, we will surely impress the military officers."

"It also lets these people know that hunting, like the imperial court, is a battlefield and a game for men."

"What is Princess Jiang Yueli anyway? In this kind of occasion, she's just a single red flower amidst a sea of ​​green!"