I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

Everyone turned their attention to Chu Suiliang.

Upon seeing this, Chu Suiliang spoke up:

"What? Am I wrong? This Prince Ji has targeted us time and time again, ruining our plans."

We don't know what we did to offend him.

"Dengshan, you must not speak recklessly," Gao Lixing quickly reminded him. Although there were no outsiders here, they still had to be careful of eavesdroppers.

"It's alright. We do have some disagreements with Prince Ji. At first, we got along quite well with him, but in recent years, there have been constant frictions."

Prince Ji enjoys the deep trust of His Highness the Crown Prince, and after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Prince Ji will continue to act recklessly for decades to come.

This isn't a good thing for us." Changsun Wuji, however, didn't seem to care; the people outside were all his men anyway.

Even if they heard it, they wouldn't go around spreading it.

"Unfortunately, several attempts to target him failed. Prince Ji enjoys the Emperor's favor, and the Emperor even made concessions to the aristocratic families for Prince Ji's sake."

Gao Jifu felt a little regretful.

“This Prince Ji must be eliminated, otherwise it will be very disadvantageous for us.”

Prince Ji also supported the imperial examination system and valued and promoted scholars from humble backgrounds.

Xu Jingzong said fiercely. They are all interest groups representing various forces, and they are strongly opposed to important students from poor families.

It's just that I can't say it out loud.

The cake is only so big; if one more person from a poor family comes along, there will be one less spot available.

"Hmph, never mention this matter again. If Prince Ji finds out, do you know what will happen to you?"

You might fall asleep tonight and never see the dawn again.

Gao Jifu snorted coldly and reprimanded Xu Jingzong without any politeness. He didn't want Xu Jingzong to implicate him.

"I simply don't believe he would be so audacious as to assassinate a high-ranking official of the imperial court."

Xu Jingzong was very unconvinced. This was Chang'an, the capital city, right under the emperor's nose. Even if Prince Ji had a lot of guts, he wouldn't dare to do this.

Changsun Wuji then picked up his teacup, gently scraped off the tea leaves, and calmly asked:

"You dare not? Then tell me how my mansion caught fire? And how did the mansions of several other officials in Chang'an also catch fire?"

Could it be that I, an old man, have incurred divine punishment?

One of my family members died, and it was Prince Ji who did it. Do you really think he can cast spells and incantations?

"This... was my oversight."

Upon hearing Changsun Wuji's words, Xu Jingzong recalled the lightning strike incident from last year. The Crown Prince's residence was struck by lightning, causing widespread rumors. In the end, Prince Ji intervened, resulting in several officials' residences in Chang'an being struck by lightning.

In addition to the fire, several people died.

Everyone knows it's Ji Wanggao's doing, but there's no evidence.

Popular belief, however, says that King Ji used magic to summon wind and rain.

"Duke Zhao, Minister Xu is right. We must find a way to deal with Prince Ji, otherwise even the Crown Prince may not be able to suppress him in the future."

"At that time, Prince Ji will act even more recklessly, which will indeed be very disadvantageous for us."

Chu Suiliang expressed his opinion, believing that Xu Jingzong was right and that Prince Ji, Li Shen, must be eliminated, otherwise it would affect their interests.

"Easier said than done." Changsun Wuji put down his teacup, his expression somewhat helpless.

"Gentlemen, now that Prince Ji has succeeded, dealing with him is no easy task. Assassination and framing have already been tried."

As a result, King Ji became increasingly powerful, and equally increasingly vigilant.

His Majesty's favor towards Prince Ji is unparalleled, and ordinary mistakes can no longer pose a threat to him.

Unless he commits treason, no other charges can convict him; His Majesty will protect him.

Despite the magnitude of the Xizhou workshop incident, His Majesty ultimately did not pursue the matter further and even sacrificed some interests to protect it.

Where do you think there's still a chance?

Changsun Wuji analyzed the pros and cons for everyone, also reminding them that minor matters could no longer harm Li Shen.

"Are we going to wait until Prince Ji rebels?" Xu Jingzong asked, his voice trembling with anxiety.

“I don’t believe Prince Ji would rebel,” Gao Xingli said before Changsun Wuji could speak.

"Why are you so certain, Brother Gao?" Chu Suiliang immediately asked.

“My father once said that Prince Ji was very likely to become a treacherous minister, but he would never rebel. Prince Ji was a smart man. He knew that even if he rebelled, no one would support him.”

My father once said that Prince Ji's treatment of us was actually a way of showing His Majesty that even if we were to enter court as officials, we would still be isolated subjects.

Gao Xingli explained. These were words that Gao Shilian had said to him before his death.

Although he didn't understand why his father was so certain, he always remembered it.

"That's not necessarily true. Prince Ji is now very wealthy, which may make him ambitious, after all, he is richer than a country."

Chu Suiliang did not think Gao Shilian was right.

Prince Ji has money, people, and the Emperor's favor. How could he not be tempted by that position?

Didn't Li Tai, the King of Wei, also harbor disloyal thoughts back then?

"No, Uncle is right. It's impossible to wait for Prince Ji to rebel. Prince Ji's behavior all along has proven to outsiders that he doesn't want that position."

Moreover, he has made too many enemies; even if he wanted that position, it probably wouldn't be easy.

Changsun Wuji agreed with Gao Shilian's words.

Over the years, he had come to know Li Shen quite well. Li Shen had offended almost everyone in the court, so seizing the throne would not be easy for him.

"Does that mean we have no chance?" Chu Suiliang said, somewhat unwilling.

Factional disputes are essentially about seizing on each other's weaknesses, either to frame or slander them.

However, Prince Ji is deeply trusted by His Majesty and the Crown Prince, so this is not feasible. The only option is to wait for Prince Ji to make a mistake himself.

But now it seems that won't work either.

"That's not necessarily true. We're not the only ones who want to deal with him. We should just observe from the sidelines."

When the opportunity arises, we'll give it a push; everyone gets sleepy sometimes.

Changsun Wuji smiled slightly. No one is perfect; there will always be opportunities.

His words were accepted by everyone, who expressed their agreement.

"Alright, since His Majesty has given us a warning, we shouldn't visit each other too frequently in the future. Now is a critical time, and we should prioritize the overall situation."

Do your job well and wait for the new emperor to ascend the throne.

As for Prince Ji... he should wait for the right opportunity and not act rashly, lest he bring trouble upon himself. Everyone, go back.”

Changsun Wuji gave everyone a final reminder.

Everyone stood up and bowed to Changsun Wuji.

"I am resigning."

After saying that, they all left, except for Gao Lixing.

"Auxiliary Machine, do you think His Majesty might be planning to take action against us?" Gao Lixing asked with some concern.

"Hehe, don't worry, we are both related to the imperial family, and the Crown Prince is connected to both of us. His Majesty will not touch us."

So don't get too close to them, lest you get dragged into it.

Don't forget, the Empress is still alive. You and I are both the Crown Prince's uncles, the most trustworthy people we can rely on.

Changsun Wuji smiled gently.