Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 199: Prepare for a rainy day, use deduction as a sword to face the political intrigue

After hearing what Chu Shizhao said, the second prince and the third prince, who had previously pointed their guns at Chu Shizhao,

The next second, his face changed involuntarily.

It was obvious that their target at this moment had unconsciously shifted from Chu Shizhao to each other.

In this way, Chu Shizhao resolved the crisis easily.

However, these two idiots still don’t know that they are being used.

Since these two guys came to him on their own initiative, Chu Shizhao, who already had some plans in mind, would naturally not let them go easily.

I saw that the second prince and the third prince were looking at each other with unpleasant eyes.

At this moment, Chu Shizhao suddenly started to act like a drama queen and started to cry poor in front of his two brothers.

It’s not easy to see this “good-for-nothing” brother of mine.

As the popular candidates for the future crown prince of the Great Zhou, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu would naturally not miss the opportunity to win over Chu Shizhao.

Immediately, the two of them said that they would send another batch of supplies later.

Listen to the two of them promise.

Chu Shizhao immediately stated that after the disaster situation here stabilized, he would write a letter to his father and say a few good words for his two brothers.

Although he said this, in fact, what Chu Shizhao was thinking about at the moment was how to use the resources sent by these two guys to speed up the progress of disaster relief work.

……

the next period of time.

Chu Shizhao and his men worked hard from dawn to dusk every day.

The floods in Jinyang area were finally brought under control.

Even the previously damaged dams and river channels were successfully repaired.

As the lives of people in the disaster-stricken areas gradually return to normal.

Chu Shizhao's lofty image of serving the people wholeheartedly has been firmly established in the hearts of the people.

As the disaster relief work progressed smoothly, Chu Shizhao's reputation in the disaster area became more and more famous.

In the imperial study of the palace.

"Prime Minister, I heard that Chu Shizhao was quite effective in disaster relief in Jinyang, and the people praised him highly."

The Prime Minister nodded slightly.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has really done his best in this disaster relief effort. In this respect, he is comparable to..."

Halfway through his words, the prime minister seemed to realize something and quickly shut up.

However, although he did not finish his words, how could Emperor Yongjin, who had been the emperor of the Great Zhou for so many years, not understand the meaning of his words.

The other party was clearly comparing Chu Shizhao with Chu Shixu, who had previously rebelled.

When Emperor Yongjin thought of Chu Shixu, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Indeed, judging from the flood relief work this time, the fourth brother is indeed better than Chu Shixu.

However, in the heart of Emperor Yongjin, Chu Shixu was, after all, the heir to the throne whom he had carefully cultivated for many years.

To be honest, if he were asked to change suddenly, he would find it somewhat difficult to accept it.

But Chu Shizhao did make great contributions to flood relief this time. It would be a bit unreasonable for me, as his father, not to show any appreciation.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongjin first sighed, then turned to the prime minister and said.

"Pass on my order, and have Chu Shizhao return to the capital to report on his duties as soon as possible after the disaster relief is completed."

"I'm a little tired, please leave first!"

……

In the disaster area of ​​Jinyang.

Chu Shizhao soon received the imperial edict from Emperor Yongjin.

So, after arranging the follow-up matters of reconstruction in the disaster area, he immediately led his men back to Beijing in accordance with the imperial order.

However, although it was legitimate for Chu Shizhao to return to Beijing to report on his work, he did not feel relaxed along the way.

The capital city, as the center of the storm, if he doesn't plan carefully, who knows what situation will greet him.

So before that, he must plan carefully.

[Chu Shizhao and his entourage returned to the capital in a grand procession. As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they were surrounded by a group of ministers. Led by the third prince Chu Shiyu and the second prince Chu Shiren, they all smiled and warmly welcomed Chu Shizhao.]

Chu Shiyu spoke first: "Fourth brother, you have worked hard along the way. This disaster relief effort is a great achievement. Father will definitely reward you greatly."

Chu Shizhao responded modestly: "Third brother, you are too kind. I have only been doing things for my father and the people. It is not worth mentioning."

[At this time, Chu Shiren said something with a veiled meaning: "Fourth brother is so capable, I'm afraid he will shine in the court in the future."]

Chu Shizhao knew that the two men seemed to be welcoming him, but in fact they were testing him. He smiled and replied, "Brother, you are joking. Shizhao is still young and has a lot to learn from the brothers and ministers in the court."

[After entering the palace, Chu Shizhao came to the imperial study to meet Emperor Yongjin. Emperor Yongjin sat on the dragon throne with a dignified look. Seeing Chu Shizhao, he nodded slightly: "Shizhao, you did a good job in the disaster relief in Jinyang this time."]

[Chu Shizhao knelt down and thanked: "Thank you for your praise, father. I was just doing my duty."]

[Emperor Yongjin then asked: "Did you encounter any difficulties during the disaster relief process?"]

[Chu Shizhao reported the local gentry making trouble, the problem of material allocation, and the remnant forces of the crown prince causing trouble one by one.]

[After hearing this, Emperor Yongjin's face darkened: "How dare these traitors do such atrocities! You handled it very well."]

[However, the Minister of Personnel at the side suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, although the Fourth Prince has made contributions in this disaster relief, is he too tough in handling some matters? For example, if he directly takes the local gentry to the capital, will it cause dissatisfaction among some families?"]

Chu Shizhao's heart tightened. He understood that the Minister of Personnel was setting a trap for him. Before he could answer, Emperor Yongjin looked at him and said, "Shizhao, what's your explanation for this?"

Chu Shizhao said calmly, "Father, the situation was urgent. If strong measures were not taken, the flood would have been difficult to control and the victims would have suffered. Those gentry, for their own selfish interests, did not care about the lives of the people and instigated riots. If I did not deal with them decisively, there might be chaos. As for the dissatisfaction of the family, I believe that as long as it is for the sake of the Great Zhou and the welfare of the people, they will understand."

[Emperor Yongjin nodded slightly, seeming to approve of Chu Shizhao's answer.]

[But at this time, a minister in the court stood up and echoed the Minister of Personnel: "Although the Fourth Prince's starting point is good, this move may indeed affect the relationship between the court and some families. I hope Your Majesty will think twice."]

[Chu Shizhao fell into a passive position, and the attitude of the people in the court towards him began to become subtle. ]

Chu Shizhao thought about the results of this deduction for a moment and found the problem.

I had previously only thought about helping the victims and had not considered that my actions would affect the vital interests of many ministers in the court.

It seems that he must consider in advance how to deal with these potential objections.

[Also at the city gate, Chu Shizhao responded to the greetings of Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren with a smile: "Third brother, second brother, the disaster relief work was successfully completed thanks to the support of the two brothers in the capital. Shizhao is very grateful."]

[Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren were slightly stunned. They didn't expect Chu Shizhao to bring up this matter on his own initiative. They didn't know how to respond for a moment.]

[Entering the Imperial Palace's Imperial Study, Chu Shizhao meets with Emperor Yongjin and reports the disaster relief situation in detail.]

[On the side, the Minister of Personnel was about to speak, but he took the initiative to say: "Father, during this disaster relief process, we did encounter many difficulties, especially the problems of the local gentry."]

[“I may have handled it hastily at the time. After careful consideration on the way back, I feel that I should appease these families first before taking any action.”]

[“It’s just that the flood was so severe at the time, and I was only focused on resolving the disaster as quickly as possible, so I neglected this point. I hope your Majesty will forgive me.”]

[After hearing this, Emperor Yongjin's expression softened: "You are not wrong to realize this. When you do things in the future, please be more thoughtful."]

【The Minister of Personnel saw this and wanted to criticize him, but he couldn't find a suitable reason.】

[At this time, Chu Shizhao said again: "Father, the success of this disaster relief is also inseparable from the support of the ministers in the court. Shizhao would like to thank you all. To show my gratitude, Shizhao is willing to donate some of the materials saved from this disaster relief to the court for construction in other places."]

[After these words were spoken, many ministers in the court changed their attitude towards Chu Shizhao, and felt that he was sensible and took the overall situation into consideration.]

[However, the Third Prince Chu Shiyu suddenly said: "Fourth brother is so generous, but I wonder if the accounts of the saved materials are clear?"]

【Chu Shizhao: "Don't worry, Third Brother. All the accounts are recorded in detail and can be checked at any time."】

[Chu Shiren also said sarcastically: "I hope so. Don't let anything go wrong and make a fool of yourself."]

Chu Shizhao remained calm: "If you have any doubts, you can send someone to investigate. Shizhao will cooperate at any time."

[Although Chu Shizhao handled the situation well, the undercurrents in the court still existed, and the various forces were not completely vigilant against him.]

This time, Chu Shizhao eased the hostility of the ministers in the court by taking the initiative to admit his mistakes and show goodwill.

However, many people still felt suspicious about the difficulties posed by their two brothers.

It seems that if he wants to do things perfectly, he has to find a way to divert the focus of the conflict between these two guys so that these two guys can't keep targeting him.

[At the city gate, Chu Shizhao saw Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren, walked up quickly, took Chu Shiyu's hand and said, "Third brother, I encountered a lot of difficulties in the disaster relief in Jinyang this time. It was all thanks to the supplies you provided me before that I was able to solve a lot of problems smoothly. Thank you very much."]

Chu Shiyu was stunned, but he couldn't deny it, so he could only smile and say, "You're too polite, brother. We all work for the court."

[Then Chu Shizhao turned to Chu Shiren and said, "Brother, I heard that you have been paying close attention to the disaster in Jinyang in the capital. I am so grateful to you. If it weren't for your support, I'm afraid I would still be soaking in the mud."]

[Chu Shiren responded with an awkward smile: "Of course, of course."]

[After entering the imperial study, Chu Shizhao reported the disaster relief situation and said to Emperor Yongjin sincerely: "Father, the credit for the success of this disaster relief is not actually mine. Especially my second and third brothers, they gave me a lot of help this time."]

Chu Shizhao said, "I suggest that after this incident, Father should reward them to encourage more ministers to serve the court."

[After hearing this, Emperor Yongjin nodded with satisfaction: "You are thoughtful. I will consider this matter."]

[The Minister of Personnel stood up and was about to speak, but Chu Shizhao spoke first: "Mr. Minister of Personnel, during this disaster relief process, I referred to your previous article on water conservancy management and benefited a lot from it. Following the methods in your article, I saved a lot of time and manpower in building dams and digging rivers. It really helped a lot."]

[The Minister of Personnel was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "It's a good thing that the Fourth Prince can put his knowledge into practice."]

[Other ministers in the court saw that Chu Shizhao was so good at winning people's hearts, and their impression of him gradually changed.]

[At this time, a minister stood up and praised Chu Shizhao: "Your Highness has devoted all his efforts to disaster relief this time, and he is so humble and polite. He is truly a pillar of our dynasty."]

[Third Prince Chu Shiyu and Second Prince Chu Shiren saw this and although they were unhappy, they could not get angry.]

[However, after leaving the court, Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren still felt that Chu Shizhao was too threatening...]

As the deduction ends.

Although Chu Shizhao seemed to have done everything perfectly, he won the favor of most people present.

But the more he did this, the more unhappy Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren would be.

It seems that in addition to the court, he also needs to make some plans in other places.

It would be best if I could find something to hold against these guys. That way, even if they dislike me, they probably wouldn't dare to attack me easily because they are afraid of the consequences.

[On the way to the capital, Chu Shizhao arranged for his confidants to deliver secret letters to Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren respectively.]

[In the letter to Chu Shiyu, Chu Shizhao hinted that Chu Shiren was secretly colluding with some forces in an attempt to compete for the position of crown prince, and deliberately suppressed Chu Shiyu's power in the distribution of disaster relief supplies.]

[In the letter to Chu Shiren, it was stated that Chu Shiyu had private contacts with some foreign forces with ill intentions, and was preparing to unite ministers in the court to deal with Chu Shiren.]

[After arriving at the capital, at the city gate, Chu Shizhao still greeted Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren enthusiastically, but he could sense some subtle changes in their attitudes.]

[Entering the Imperial Palace's study, Chu Shizhao reported on the disaster relief situation and described in detail how he had skillfully dealt with various problems. He also casually mentioned that he had discovered some signs of foreign forces stirring up trouble in Jinyang.]

[After hearing this, Emperor Yongjin's face became serious: "Have you investigated this matter thoroughly?"]

Chu Shizhao replied: "I have only discovered some clues and am still investigating. However, I feel that this matter is of great importance and needs to be taken seriously by the court."

[In the court, the ministers heard about this and started discussing it.]

[Chu Shizhao noticed that Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren still had flickering eyes]

[At this time, Chu Shizhao said again: "Father, during this disaster relief process, I also found that some ministers in the court colluded with local forces to seek personal gain. I have obtained some evidence, but considering the stability of the court, I have not made it public yet."]

(End of this chapter)