tkworld Chapter 451 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 9
Chapter 451 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 9
The next day in court, Emperor Zhenyou asked Li Yuanke to observe the administration of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, instructing him to pay attention and for his ministers to cooperate more.
Li Yuanke had been looking forward to this day, but when it finally arrived, he still couldn't believe it.
A person's destiny can indeed be changed, as long as one's power is strong enough.
Li Yuanzhi never expected that his home would be burgled while he was away on a business trip.
The crown prince position that was within his grasp vanished without a trace.
The Prince of Jin's mansion investigated thoroughly, but still couldn't find out who those robbers were.
That evening, Li Yuanke was drinking with Cen Yin and Yun Yue at his residence. He had someone bring Shen Shixi over. It's unclear whether he got tipsy after a couple of drinks or what, but he said, "There are some things that outsiders don't know, but you two need to know."
He put his arm around Shen Shixi beside him and said, "The repeating crossbows and powerful crossbows in the army, as well as the great weapons you mentioned that saved our lives, are all thanks to Xi'er; she was the one who planned everything in the capital while I was away for three years. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Shen Shixi was somewhat surprised and said, "Li Yuanke, are you drunk?"
Li Yuanke said, "This little bit of alcohol won't get me drunk. No matter what the future holds, these things need to be known by someone. Even if I'm gone one day, there will always be a few words about me in the history books, so people will know that you were there for me."
Cen Yin and Yun Yue were quite surprised and toasted Shen Shixi. Shen Shixi raised her teacup and clinked it against theirs, saying, "We're all in the same boat, there's no point in saying this!"
Cen Yin and Yun Yue quite liked this young girl; she was very young, but her speech and actions were truly mature.
Li Yuanke handled several tasks in the Six Ministries. He wasn't particularly outstanding, but he completed each and every task perfectly, which made Emperor Zhenyou realize that this boy was extraordinary.
Grand Tutor Shen is a very upright person, and this is not his style of doing things. If he can do something well, he will do it to the best of his ability. He will never do something that seems like it has been done but has not actually been done. Even if it seems like it hasn't been done, it has indeed been resolved.
This gave Emperor Zhenyou room to maneuver. If Emperor Zhenyou wanted to praise him, he could, but he didn't steal anyone's credit, nor did he show off how capable he was, making others look bad.
It is certain that Li Yuanke's ability to handle affairs was not taught by Grand Tutor Shen; since there was no one to teach him, it must be his own skill.
In this light, Li Yuanke was indeed far superior to Li Yuanzhi. Li Yuanzhi was utterly spineless, listening to the Pei family internally and to Prime Minister Pei externally, completely lacking his own opinions.
It's unclear whether Prime Minister Pei is getting senile, but during the Dragon Boat Festival, he actually went up and shot two arrows. When Emperor Zhenyou saw how vigorous he looked, he realized that he wasn't much older than Prime Minister Pei and that Prime Minister Pei looked like he could live for several more decades. He couldn't help but feel a little envious.
What emperor doesn't want to live a long life?
Jealousy can drive a woman mad, and it can also make an emperor feel unbalanced.
Li Yuanzhi requested permission to take a concubine, who was Pei's cousin. Emperor Zhenyou was furious when he saw this, so he simply betrothed one of the legitimate daughters of the Marquis of Jiaqing to Li Yuanzhi as a concubine. He also thought that Li Yuanke's household only had one concubine and two maids, and there had been no movement after they entered the household.
He simply bestowed the daughters of the Duke of Wei, the Grand Secretary, and two minor officials upon the King of Wu, and urged them to marry, saying, "When the King of Jin was your age, he already had a legitimate son. It's time for you to marry a principal wife."
Li Yuanke said, "Your Majesty, I do not wish to marry a principal wife for the time being. Even if I were to marry, I would prefer to marry someone as virtuous as Mother. Recently, I have been reading the 'Wenzhen Inner Instructions' compiled by my brother, the Thai King, and I miss Mother very much. Without Mother, I would not be where I am today."
"What do you mean by that?"
"When I was seven years old, my mother told me that I was getting old and if I continued to be playful and naughty, I would achieve nothing in the future and would always regret it. Only then did I realize my mistake."
These words stirred up Emperor Zhenyou's longing for Empress Wenzhen. He thought to himself, why be so fixated on the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children? Empress Wenzhen had always taught her illegitimate sons the same thing: no matter who gave birth to them, they could only recognize Empress Wenzhen as their mother in the end.
The court began discussing the succession, and the discussions were in full swing.
Grand Tutor Shen also had many students and old friends throughout the court. Now he had no choice but to stand up and compete with Prime Minister Pei. The battle was so fierce that he couldn't sleep at night, fearing that if he was not careful, there would be a bottomless abyss behind him.
Li Yuanke has visibly lost weight, while Shen Shixi continues to go shopping every day, looking for food. If she does anything and gets chased and beaten by Shen Xianzhang, she moves into the Wu Prince's residence.
They lived a very carefree life.
However, no matter how much she climbed trees to catch birds, went into the water to catch fish, or fought with Yang Tingyue who came to visit after hearing that she was there, she never saw any of Li Yuanke's other concubines besides Yuan and Guo.
In the twenty-second year of Zhenyou, with the birth of the eldest son by a concubine of the Prince of Wu, Lady Du, the struggle for the throne was nearing its end.
Shen Shixi sent a message to Li Yuange, asking him to come to the Shen family. When Li Yuange arrived, he heard that she was still in her courtyard, so he went to find her.
Li Yuanke had been to Shen Shixi's courtyard countless times. He would carry her there on rainy days when he didn't want to get his shoes wet, and on windy days when he was afraid of the cold. Not to mention snowy days, he would also carry her there on sunny days when it was too hot.
He had all the swings in the yard made by his own people.
"Brother Yuan Ke!"
When Li Yuanke came in, Shen Shixi ran over. Instead of clinging to him like before, she took his arm and pulled him to sit down like a friendly older brother.
Li Yuanke took a jewelry box from Li Gui and handed it to her, saying, "Qingfenglou has just received some new jewelry. I had someone reserve the ones that suit you before sending them over."
Shen Shixi opened the box and saw quite a few pieces of jewelry inside. She picked up a few and held them up on her head, asking, "How is it?"
The girl was ten years old, not yet fully grown, but her future beauty was already evident. Li Yuanke's eyes deepened slightly, and he nodded, "Beautiful!"
Shen Shixi only made a fuss for a moment, then ordered everyone to leave, leaving only Li Gui guarding the door. She squatted down in front of Li Yuanke and said...
"Brother Yuan Ke, the Emperor will probably summon you for a talk soon. You must agree to whatever conditions he proposes."
If he doesn't bring it up, then you should. First, the Pei family has a second daughter, who may not be a great person, but at least she has the surname Pei; second, she is my eldest sister. It's not that she's insisting on marrying you, but that's why I'm bringing this up.
Whether in the inner palace, the inner court, or the imperial court, the most powerful weapon held by those in power is only one: checks and balances.
Bringing them all into the Eastern Palace was Li Yuanke's way of showing the emperor that he would use the Shen and Pei families to check and balance each other in the court.
The position of the principal wife must not be relinquished for the time being; holding onto it is a bargaining chip that can be used to exchange for greater benefits in the future.
Li Yuanke remained silent for a long time. He wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that this was indeed a very useful strategy. However, he still felt uneasy.
The position of principal wife will definitely come from one of these two in the future, which is like cutting off a piece of his own flesh for him.
Shen Shixi stood up, put her hand on his shoulder, and leaned half of her body against him. "Brother Yuan Ke, I can only ask you to make do for now. Now is the time for a crucial battle. Whether you like it or not, every position around you is a resource and needs to be exchanged for benefits."
Every step you take is like walking on thin ice, like standing on the edge of an abyss, so every step must be carefully calculated. It's not something that can be changed by your personal will; you have to be willing to sacrifice what you must, and reason comes first.
Li Yuanke grasped her hand in return. At that moment, his heart ached. "Xi'er, will I become someone I don't even recognize in the future? Will I be willing to abandon everything, even my closest relatives, for the throne? What should I do then?"
Shen Shixi understood his unspoken meaning and smiled, "No, the fact that you can say such a thing means you won't become that kind of person! Brother Yuan Ke, don't be afraid, this is only temporary, I'll be with you!"
Li Yuanke felt a little better, and tightened his grip. "Fine, you have to keep your word!"
Before Li Yuanke had even left the Shen family's residence, people from the palace arrived, demanding that Prince Wu come to the palace for an audience immediately. Instead, he refused to leave and sent for Cen Yin.
Cen Yin arrived with his men, and he entered the palace under their escort. Sure enough, they were attacked halfway there.