Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 201: The two brothers’ thoughts

If he were to train a traitor who plots to usurp the throne, he would become a laughing stock of the whole world.

However, although Emperor Yongjin was still wary of Chu Shizhao, he sincerely agreed with several suggestions for rectification that Chu Shizhao had previously proposed.

"Okay, okay, your suggestion makes sense, but this matter concerns the court system. As for the specific details, I still have to discuss with the ministers in the court before making a decision."

However, Emperor Yongjin had just finished speaking.

The prime minister, who had been standing aside, stood up.

"Your Majesty, you need to think twice before changing the imperial system!"

"I have to admit that I also think that Your Highness's suggestion makes sense, but if you want to implement it, I'm afraid you still have to consider it carefully!"

"After all, this matter involves the interests of many parties, and one move can affect the entire body."

"If anything goes wrong..."

Just as the prime minister was about to explain the pros and cons.

Chu Shizhao, who had already expected the prime minister to stand up and oppose, interrupted.

"Father, the Prime Minister's concerns are exactly what I am worried about."

“Reforms do need to be approached with caution.”

"However, our Great Zhou is now facing many problems, which are already imminent. If we do not reform in time, it may be difficult to maintain long-term stability."

"If you trust me, I will be your pioneer. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."

Seeing that Chu Shizhao was so responsible, Emperor Yongjin couldn't help but feel more admiration for his son.

However, considering that reforming the ancestral system was such a big thing that would not be accomplished overnight, Emperor Yongjin did not directly agree to the other party.

"My prince, this matter is of great importance, let's discuss it later."

"You have made great contributions in disaster relief this time, and I will not treat you unfairly."

"You've been running around outside all day long, you must be exhausted, why don't you go home first?"

"Because of the affairs of the court, I cannot bear to have you and General Hengyi separated for such a long time."

"I don't want General Heng to blame me, the eunuch, because of the court's affairs!"

Emperor Yongjin joked with a big smile on his face.

If it had happened before, Emperor Yongjin would never have shown this side of himself in front of others.

In the past, Chu Shizhao probably wouldn't even dare to think that the Emperor of the Great Zhou, who was too busy to even take care of state affairs, would start to care about his own life.

But now, he not only dared to think about it, but also heard it with his own ears.

However, Emperor Yongjin's temporary goodwill did not let Chu Shizhao let down his guard.

Although the current Emperor Yongjin's attitude towards me has changed, it is absolutely impossible to say that he has no guard against me at all.

But compared to ignoring me before, it is already very rare that my father starts to care about my life.

As long as he works harder, the position of crown prince will be his sooner or later.

……

Anyway, I have already said and done everything I should have said and done.

Feeling that he had nothing to do here, Chu Shizhao immediately bowed to express his gratitude and then left the imperial study.

However, he had just arrived outside the imperial study.

Two figures stopped him at the door.

The two figures were none other than Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren who had been waiting outside the hall for a long time.

Although the two did not enter the imperial study, they were able to hear a general idea of ​​what was happening through the palace gate.

Especially when they heard that Emperor Yongjin, who usually did not show his emotions, actually praised Chu Shizhao one after another.

The two men were immediately furious.

You know, the two of them were with Emperor Yongjin almost all day long, but even so, they had never been treated like this.

On the contrary, his fourth brother, who had been kicked out of the capital long ago, was not only summoned by Emperor Yongjin when he came back, but was even praised more than once.

This made the two people who had been coveting the position of crown prince suddenly alert.

Chu Shiren, who couldn't stand Chu Shizhao being praised by Emperor Yongjin, immediately became sarcastic when he saw Chu Shizhao coming out of the imperial study.

"Fourth brother, you stole the show in front of the emperor today."

As smart as Chu Shizhao was, how could he not hear the sarcasm in his second brother's words.

However, in order to calm the other party down, he could only wave his hands with a smile on his face.

"Brother, you are joking. This is just a fluke. I never thought of being in the limelight."

Seeing him like this, Chu Shiyu on the side snorted coldly.

"Really? I hope you mean it from the bottom of your heart, fourth brother."

"Second brother, third brother, we are all brothers. Let's not lie to each other in front of the real person. With your talents, the future crown prince of our Great Zhou will definitely be born from one of you two."

"As for me, you don't need to worry at all."

"Don't forget, I have already been enfeoffed. According to the ancestral system of our Great Zhou, a prince who is enfeoffed cannot inherit the throne!"

"I think you all should know this!"

"So, Second Brother and Third Brother, please stop wasting your time on me. You might as well use your time to do something more useful!"

Seeing Chu Shizhao express their true thoughts so bluntly, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu could not help but stand there in a daze for a moment.

Previously, they were only worried that their younger brother would compete with them for the position of crown prince, but they forgot that this guy is now the Prince of Jin and has no qualifications to inherit the position of crown prince.

It seems that I have chosen the wrong target!

Looking at the two idiots in front of him lost in thought, Chu Shizhao curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

These two guys are really easy to fool. I was just talking casually, but they actually took it seriously.

Rules are dead, people are alive.

Whether he can become the crown prince or not, ultimately depends on Emperor Yongjin.

As long as he nods, any ancestral rules can be changed at will.

Thinking of this, Chu Shizhao no longer paid attention to these two idiots and turned around and left the palace.

……

After returning to his palace in the capital, Chu Shizhao first spent some time with Hengyi, whom he had not seen for a long time, and then told him roughly what had happened in the imperial study.

"After several things that happened during this period, we have now successfully attracted the attention of our father. As long as we act according to the plan, the position of crown prince will be mine sooner or later."

Chu Shizhao showed off to Hengyi with some pride.

However, seeing how proud he was, Heng Yi poured cold water on him. "Your Highness, it seems that your impression in the heart of the emperor has improved, but the second and third princes will definitely not give up. Just in case, I think we need to prepare in advance."

Hearing this, Chu Shizhao smiled faintly.

"Don't worry about that. I've already thought of it."

"I have already arranged it."

"Now, there is only one thing we need to do, which is to gain the support of as many ministers as possible."

"By the way, regarding the reform of the system, the Prime Minister opposed it in the Imperial Study today, but I think this is a good opportunity for us to establish our prestige in the capital."

"Once this plan is implemented..."

Before Chu Shizhao could finish his words.

At this moment, a subordinate suddenly came to report from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the Third Prince's Mansion and the Second Prince's Mansion have sent invitations to invite you to a banquet tonight."

Chu Shizhao's mouth corners slightly raised: "It seems that they have listened to what I said today."

"I just didn't expect these two guys to get restless so soon!"

As he spoke, he immediately took the invitation from his men: "Tell the person here that I accept this invitation. I will definitely be there on time tonight."

……

At night, Chu Shizhao first went to the residence of the third prince Chu Shiyu.

When I entered the mansion, Chu Shiyu was already waiting in the hall.

Seeing Chu Shizhao, Chu Shiyu immediately came forward with a smile.

"Fourth brother, please prepare some wine for today and chat with me. Sit down."

""

After Chu Shizhao took his seat, Chu Shiyu ordered people to serve the dishes and pour the wine.

After three rounds of drinking, Chu Shiyu said, "Fourth brother, the reform proposals you put forward in front of our father today were very bold."

Chu Shizhao understood what he meant and replied with a smile: "Third brother, the situation in my Great Zhou is complicated now. As a vassal king of the Great Zhou, I naturally hope to contribute to the court and let the people live a good life."

However, after hearing his words, Chu Shiyu sneered.

"How easy is it to reform?"

"Fourth brother, you are not so naive as to think that you can change all this with just one word from you, right?"

"Don't let the fox get away without you catching it."

Chu Shizhao pretended to be helpless and said, "Third brother is right. Shizhao was impulsive and may not have considered it thoroughly. I hope that third brother can give me more advice in the future."

Chu Shiyu was slightly satisfied when he saw Chu Shizhao's humble attitude.

"Fourth brother, as long as you don't act too aggressively in the future, we can still talk to each other."

"Besides, if you really want to reform, you can wait until you become the crown prince one day."

"When the time comes, Third Brother will definitely support you strongly!"

Seeing that the other party was still dreaming of becoming the crown prince, Chu Shizhao could not bear to point it out, and just followed his lead and said, "Third brother, what you said makes sense. If I become the crown prince one day, I will ask you to help your useless fourth brother!"

After chatting for a few more words, Chu Shizhao got up and said goodbye on the pretext of something.

After leaving Chu Shiyu's mansion, Chu Shizhao went to the mansion of the second prince Chu Shiren.

At Chu Shiren's mansion, after some greetings.

Chu Shiren got to the point: "Fourth brother, you are really not interested in competing for the position of crown prince after returning from disaster relief this time?"

I have to say, compared to the third brother who has no scheming at all, he, the second brother, still has something.

However, in order to dispel the other party's concerns, Chu Shizhao could only pretend to be innocent.

"Second brother, I have made it very clear during the day. Now, as a vassal king of the Great Zhou, I only want to do something practical for the court and the people. I have no other thoughts."

However, Chu Shiren didn't believe what Chu Shizhao said at all.

"Fourth brother, there's no one else here, why are you still pretending to be such a fool with your second brother!"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I've heard all the reform proposals you made in the Imperial Study. In my opinion, this is just a way for you to win people's hearts."

"I, your second brother, am not that idiot that the third brother is."

"What nonsense is that vassal kings cannot compete for the crown prince? This is just to fool the third brother."

Seeing that the other party seemed to be certain of his guess.

Chu Shizhao could only continue to explain with an innocent look on his face and waved his hands.

"Second brother, you really misunderstood."

"Fourth brother, I just saw the problems in my Great Zhou and want to do my best to solve them."

"If this makes my second brother unhappy, then I will just not mention it again from now on."

But even if Chu Shizhao tried his best to pretend to be a coward.

Chu Shiren on the opposite side was still staring at Chu Shizhao.

"Fourth brother, no matter whether what you said today is from your heart or not, I, as your elder brother, would like to advise you not to have any messy thoughts. Otherwise, don't blame me, your second elder brother, for not considering the brotherhood between you and me!"

Chu Shizhao said respectfully: "Don't worry, second brother, I am still very pure in heart."

"I dare not even think about the position of crown prince. If you ask me, looking at the current situation of the Great Zhou, my eldest brother has been imprisoned. Except for you, my second brother, no one else can even think about the position of crown prince!"

……

After returning home, Chu Shizhao did not tell Hengyi about the banquet, but went back to his study to think over things.

Chu Shizhao sat in the study, the candlelight flickering. He took a deep breath and started the system deduction again.

[While Chu Shizhao was promoting reform, the brothers Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu seemed calm on the surface, but they were constantly plotting in secret.]

[On this day, Chu Shiren invited Chu Shizhao to his house for a chat. Chu Shizhao happily went with a few of his confidants.]

[After entering Chu Shiren's mansion, the two exchanged pleasantries. Chu Shiren suddenly sighed, "Fourth brother, now that you are leading this reform, you really have a long way to go. I have heard recently that many people have complaints about the reform. Do you understand?"]

Chu Shizhao was alert in his heart, but his expression remained calm: "Third brother, in the early stage of reform, there are bound to be some problems. But these problems are temporary. Once the policies are implemented steadily, the people will see the benefits."

Chu Shiren nodded slightly, but then changed the subject: "That being said, there are many ministers in the court who have complaints about this. How do you plan to deal with this, fourth brother?"

Chu Shizhao smiled and responded: "Don't worry, Third Brother, I will communicate more with the ministers and explain the pros and cons of the reform in detail. I believe that as long as everyone is dedicated to the Great Zhou, they will eventually support the reform."

[At this time, Chu Shiyu also suddenly visited and said with a smile: "Oh, I came here by chance. I just happened to hear you talking about reform. Fourth brother, I came up with an idea recently. If the reform can cooperate with the family forces, it will surely be more effective. What do you think?"]

[Chu Shizhao knew in his heart that these two were testing him. If he easily agreed to cooperate with the family forces, he would probably fall into their trap.]

(End of this chapter)