Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 204: The war is rekindled, and we can’t even afford to eat

[Not long after, Chu Shiren decided to test Chu Shiyu. ]

[Chu Shiren invited Chu Shiyu to his house for a gathering, seemingly to reminisce about the past, but in fact there was a hidden agenda.]

[After Chu Shiyu received the invitation, he had some doubts in his heart, but he still decided to go. ]

[He wanted to see what his second brother was up to.]

[The two met in the hall.]

[After a few pleasantries, Chu Shiren suddenly changed the subject. ]

[“Third brother, I heard recently that you have close contacts with the remaining forces of the crown prince. I wonder what you think about this matter?”]

[Hearing this, Chu Shiyu couldn't help but be shocked. ]

[He soon realized that Chu Shiren was testing him.]

[However, thinking of the cooperation between the two, he suppressed his anger and said coldly: "Second brother, you actually believe these nonsense?"]

[“How could I possibly collude with the remaining forces of the Crown Prince?”]

[“There are rumors that you are dissatisfied with me and want to kick me out. What’s going on?”]

[After these words came out, Chu Shiren's face suddenly changed: "Third brother, you misunderstood. How could I have such an idea? It's just that this rumor has spread so widely that I have to ask for clarification."]

[Chu Shiyu snorted coldly: "I think you just believed the rumors and became suspicious of me."]

[“In that case, what else is there for us brothers to talk about?”]

[After saying this, Chu Shiyu stood up and was about to leave. ]

【Seeing this, Chu Shiren tried to persuade him to stay, but Chu Shiyu left without even looking back.】

In this deduction, it is obvious that a rift has arisen between Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu.

Now they hold grudges against each other. Even if they continue to cooperate, they will probably be wary of each other and will not be as united against a common enemy as before.

After figuring out the movements of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu.

Chu Shizhao originally thought that without the interference of these two people, his next reform plan should be able to proceed smoothly.

However, he never expected that new problems would be exposed in the subsequent deductions.

Some ministers who originally supported Chu Shizhao's reforms suddenly changed their attitudes for some unknown reason and began to oppose the reforms in the court.

After investigation, Chu Shizhao discovered that it was the powerful prime minister who was secretly interfering.

Before, Chu Shizhao had always focused all his attention on dealing with Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu.

He did not notice that the Prime Minister, the backbone of the Zhou Dynasty's court, had always been reserved about the reform plan he proposed.

Originally, he was just worried that the reform would affect his image in the eyes of Emperor Yongjin, and during this period, the second prince and the third prince had been secretly interfering.

He also thought that with the interference of these two princes, Chu Shizhao's reform plan would be very difficult to carry out.

However, he never expected that the two princes of the Great Zhou would be so useless.

Just a few random rumors caused the two brothers to fall apart.

But if Chu Shizhao was allowed to continue his troubles, it would not be long before the other party would turn the spearhead of reform towards himself, who was second only to the emperor in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

What he could not tolerate the most was that in Chu Shizhao's reform plan, this guy actually put forward the fallacy that "the power of the prime minister threatens the imperial power."

If the already suspicious Emperor Yongjin knew about this, given the character of the Emperor of the Great Zhou, it would not take long for him to start making things difficult for him!

After some analysis, Chu Shizhao made some adjustments before starting to deduce again.

[In the court, the prime minister, who was the head of all the ministers, took the lead in making trouble. ]

[“Your Majesty, the reforms promoted by His Majesty the Fourth Prince seem to be for the good of the country, but in fact they are full of hidden dangers.”]

[“The reform has been implemented for some time now, but the people have not really benefited from it and are complaining instead.”]

[“I believe that the reform should be paused and reviewed.”]

[Other conservative ministers who had long been convinced by the prime minister also echoed: "The prime minister is right. Your Majesty, you must be cautious in reforms."]

[Emperor Yongjin sat on the dragon throne, looking at the debate in the court with a serious expression.]

[He looked at Chu Shizhao: "Shizhao, what do you think about this?"]

【Seeing that Emperor Yongjin had thrown this difficult question to him, Chu Shizhao pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.】

[“Father, reform is the general trend. Although we are facing some problems now, these are inevitable in the process of reform.”]

[“Most of the people’s complaints are because some policies have not been fully implemented in the early stages of reform.”]

[“I am already working on resolving these issues. I believe that soon, the people will be able to see the results of the reforms.”]

[“As for suspending the reform, I think it is absolutely impossible. Once it is suspended, all previous efforts will be wasted, and those who intend to undermine the reform will succeed.”]

【Seeing Chu Shizhao's confidence, Emperor Yongjin nodded slightly: "What you said makes sense, but now the ministers are quite controversial about this, I also need to consider it carefully."】

Looking at the results of this deduction, Chu Shizhao's mood suddenly became extremely heavy.

It seems that if he wants his reforms to proceed smoothly, it is obviously unrealistic to confront the prime minister directly.

As the prime minister of the Great Zhou, his influence on the other party is greater than that of himself, a prince who has already been enfeoffed, whether in terms of connections or the right to speak in the court.

If one wants to dismantle the other party's secret sabotage, perhaps one must start with those ministers in the court who have suddenly changed their attitudes.

[Before discussing politics in the court, Chu Shizhao first found several ministers who were more likely to use WeChat to talk to them, in order to understand their true thoughts.]

【At Lord Zhang's residence.】

Chu Shizhao looked at him sincerely: "Master Zhang, I know you are worried about the reform."

[“However, our Great Zhou is facing many problems now. How can we maintain long-term stability without reform?”]

[“Although the reform may affect the interests of some people, in the long run it will be beneficial to the country and the people.”]

[“You are highly respected in the government. If you continue to support reform, you will make greater contributions to the country.”]

[After listening to Chu Shizhao's words, Lord Zhang pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice: "Fourth Prince, your words make sense, but some problems that have arisen during the reform process force me to be cautious."]

Chu Shizhao said quickly, "Don't worry, sir. I have already formulated a series of measures to solve these problems."

[“For example, we will strengthen supervision over the implementation of reforms to ensure that policies are accurately implemented for the people. We will also increase publicity efforts for the people to let them understand the benefits of reforms.”]

【…】

【After Chu Shizhao's efforts, the attitudes of some ministers softened, but some still persisted in their opposition.】

[At the same time, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu also wanted to take advantage of the situation after learning that the conservative ministers opposed the reform.]

【Chu Shiyu secretly colluded with conservative ministers in an attempt to suppress Chu Shizhao together.】

[Chu Shiren was watching from the sidelines. He wanted to see if his third brother's plan would succeed before deciding on his next move.]

Chu Shizhao came back to his senses from the deduction.

Although this deduction successfully solved the trouble brought by the prime minister, Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren who appeared at this time became new variables. Although these two guys did nothing now.

But Chu Shizhao always felt that these two guys might be variables in determining whether his next plan could proceed smoothly.

Thinking about this, Chu Shizhao immediately decided to adjust his strategy.

New deductions continue to unfold.

【Chu Shizhao continued to communicate with those ministers whose attitudes were wavering, and to win their support.】

[On the other hand, Chu Shizhao called Oh Hengyi to discuss how to deal with these two annoying guys Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu. ]

[Heng Yi frowned slightly and analyzed with a serious face, "Your Highness, the situation is complicated now. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. The Second Prince and the Third Prince may show up and cause trouble at any time."]

[“Based on my understanding of our Majesty, although he has ordered the prince to be imprisoned, looking at the whole world, I am afraid that every father would not want to watch his sons fighting each other.”]

[“So, I think we can secretly send someone to monitor the other party first, and see if we can secretly solve the troubles created by these two guys without affecting the progress of the reform.”]

[Hearing this, Chu Shizhao nodded in agreement: "You are right. In addition, we should increase our efforts to win over ministers who support reform, so that they can support us more firmly in the court."]

Just as Chu Shizhao was about to continue the deduction.

At this moment, a panicked figure suddenly rushed in.

"Your Highness! His Majesty has sent someone to summon you to the palace to discuss matters!"

Hearing this, although Chu Shizhao felt a little unhappy, he could only give up for the time being and immediately got up and left the study.

……

When he came to the palace with the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict.

At this moment, more than a dozen figures have gathered in the palace.

Among these people, except for a few new faces, the rest are basically old acquaintances.

Hengyi, Dou Li, Huangfu Jian, Ma Su'an, Prime Minister, Minister of War Lu En...

Basically, all the powerful figures who command heavy troops are present in the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Looking at this scene, Chu Shizhao could no longer help but understand that something must have happened.

Just as he was wondering what had happened.

At this time, Emperor Yongjin, who was sitting on the dragon throne, saw that most people had arrived, and then he handed a report to everyone.

Chu Shizhao finally understood after reading the contents of the report.

It turned out that a small country in the north suddenly launched an invasion of the border of Great Zhou, and the border war situation became tense.

Emperor Yongjin then urgently summoned his ministers in the middle of the night to discuss countermeasures.

In the main hall.

Emperor Yongjin looked at his ministers below with deep concern.

"The border war is urgent now. What good plans do you have?"

A minister stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should immediately send a large army to the border to repel the enemy."

Another minister said: "Your Majesty, sending troops is important, but we must also consider the supply of food and supplies to ensure that the soldiers on the front line have no worries."

Chu Shizhao also stood up and said, "Father, I think that in addition to sending troops and ensuring food and supplies, we can also send people to understand the enemy's situation."

"Let's see if we can resolve this dispute through diplomatic means. If we can defeat the enemy without fighting, that would be the best."

After hearing this, Emperor Yongjin nodded slightly.

"Shi Zhao's suggestion is good. But who in the court can take on this important task now?"

Chu Shizhao's heart moved, he felt that this was an opportunity.

"Father, I am willing to go to the border to understand the enemy's situation and try to resolve the issue through diplomatic means."

Emperor Yongjin hesitated: "Shi Zhao, you have just dealt with the flood. If you go to the border now, wouldn't it be too hard?"

Hearing this, Chu Shizhao waved his hand slightly.

"Father, as a prince of the Great Zhou, I should help you solve your problems."

"Besides, the Great Zhou has just experienced a civil war, and the capital still needs you and my father to take charge of the overall situation. In this case, I am afraid that I am the most suitable person!"

"If I can resolve the war by going to the border, it will be considered as my contribution to the stability of our Great Zhou."

It seemed that Chu Shizhao had made up his mind.

After thinking for a moment, Emperor Yongjin finally agreed to his request.

"Well, since you are so determined, I will leave the task of quelling the rebellion at the border to you."

After coming out of the court and returning to his mansion, Chu Shizhao immediately began to prepare for the trip to the border.

However, before leaving, he might have been a little worried about the capital.

To ensure that my plans can proceed smoothly while I am away.

He first explained to Hengyi the relevant matters he had deduced earlier, and then led the army out of the capital.

……

As Chu Shizhao led his troops away.

Chu Shiren, who was originally worried that he could not handle his younger brother, could not help but feel secretly proud after learning that Chu Shizhao had gone to the border to quell the rebellion.

In his opinion, this was a godsend opportunity to bring down Chu Shizhao while he was away from the capital.

"Hmph, fourth brother, you are courting death, so don't blame me, your brother, for being ruthless!"

"Everyone knows that the situation at the border is complicated. You will be in great danger if you go there."

"If I run into an assassin, killer, enemy spy, or something like that on the road, that would be reasonable."

In the study, while Chu Shiren was talking to himself, a "good idea" had already emerged in his mind.

At the same time, the third prince Chu Shiyu.

When he learned that Chu Shizhao had gone to the north to quell the rebellion, he showed a completely different expression.

"My fourth brother has been showing off as always for so many years. I don't know what's so good about this border. Not to mention the wind and sun, if you're not careful, you might even lose your life!"

"But it's better that he's gone. That way, I don't have to keep an eye on him like a thief every day!"

……

Chu Shizhao's side.

After he led his army out of the capital, he headed north and soon arrived at the border.

After arriving at the border, Chu Shizhao immediately met with the general guarding the border, intending to learn the details of the current situation from him first.

(End of this chapter)