Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

He asked himself whether he was inferior to the crown prince in terms of intelligence or strategy. The only difference was that the crown prince was the son of the late Empress Yuan, and was an indelible mark in his father's heart.

But he had no choice in where he was born, so why did his father not even glance at him?

He hated the fact that he had to compete with the crown prince for priority over this matter. During the morning court session, when his father announced that the crown prince would lead the army in person, he resolutely disregarded his own safety and proposed to go to the border together.

"Your Highness, someone just reported that the Seventh Prince has returned to the Shuanglong Pass camp. We over there should restrain our actions. Otherwise, if the Seventh Prince finds any evidence against us, the consequences will be disastrous." Shen Zhigao said with a grim expression.

Speaking of Shen Zhigao, he is thirty-seven years old and has won the title of one of the five generals at the border. However, he is different from the three civilians under the Seventh Uncle, who were promoted to veterans guarding one side by relying on their real abilities and outstanding military exploits. He was born in a noble family in the imperial city, parachuted to the border, and was promoted to his current position all the way thanks to the relationship with Concubine De. Therefore, when the Third Prince was parachuted to the border, how could Shen Zhigao, as his uncle, not do his best to help him quickly gain a foothold in the army.

But in the end, the five generals at the border, leaving aside the rebel Qian Hui, Yang Zhongguo, Han Yong, and Zhan Zhongyong were veteran generals who had fought with the Seventh Emperor's uncle through thick and thin. Even though he had worked hard at the border for more than ten years, he was unable to integrate into their group. And the number of troops under his command was only about 120,000, which was still a little short of the others.

Now, Shuanglong Pass is guarded by only him and Yang Zhongguo. Logically, their positions are equal, but their prestige in the army is very different.

What made him most depressed was that after the rebel general Qian Hui fled with his personal soldiers, there were still 120,000 soldiers under his command who became vagrants and scattered soldiers, with no one to take over. Originally, Yang Zhongguo still had the idea of ​​bringing them under his command.

However, the sudden appearance of the Seventh Uncle, who easily captured all the soldiers, made him so angry that he almost smashed all the ornaments in his study. He had to pretend to be smiling in front of the Seventh Uncle, which made him very angry.

After the Seventh Prince Uncle had finally left the camp for unknown reasons, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to help the Third Prince build momentum and win over the people, but at this critical moment, the Seventh Prince Uncle came back again. He had just set up the plan, but it failed before it could work. The successive setbacks made Shen Zhigao feel that everything he did was in vain, and he was very upset.

The Third Prince was also very unhappy, and said with a gloomy face, "Uncle, we must find a way to divide them. No matter what, we must make the three generals turn to our side."

However, if this were so easy to accomplish, they would not have been able to do it without the Seventh Prince being involved, and even if they took many actions, they would still gain nothing.

Shen Zhigao's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He knew that the Third Prince was dissatisfied with him, but what could he do? For more than ten years, he had tried thousands of methods, both soft and hard, but the three generals had followed the Seventh Prince for many years and had gone through countless battles. Their loyalty to the Seventh Prince was deeply rooted in their bones, and he could not easily shake them.

How could he explain all this to the Third Prince? He couldn't just tell him, 'Your uncle has been around for more than ten years, and he still can't handle those rough, brainless ruffians who can only fight you head-on with swords and guns.'

Doesn't he want to lose face?

Before the Third Prince and Shen Zhigao could come up with a plan, a messenger came in and told the Seventh Prince to select 5,000 soldiers and send them to the most dangerous Baihu Pass in the south, which borders the Jin Kingdom, and the Gucheng Pass in the north, which borders Tiansheng, to defend against foreign enemies. He also said that since the two princes had come to the border, they should show some strength and let the soldiers on the border see which prince was better.

The order from the Seventh Prince's uncle was like thunder, and the Third Prince's face immediately turned black. He picked up a tea bowl beside him and threw it at the messenger, angrily saying, "This is too much. You actually put this prince in danger!

With a dull "bang", the messenger's head was smashed and blood gushed out.

Seeing this, Shen Zhigao hurried forward to hold the emotional Third Prince, and whispered, "Your Highness, please do not be impulsive." He raised his voice and ordered the soldiers outside to take the messenger to the military doctor to bandage his wounds. After everyone left, he lowered his voice and said to the Third Prince, "Your Highness, it is useless to get angry at this time. The Seventh Uncle's move may seem dangerous, but there is a chance of turning around."

The furious Third Prince paused after hearing this, "What do you mean?"

"Your Highness, look, the prince has also been sent to a dangerous place, and you two are at different dangerous places. In this way, perhaps we can..." Shen Zhigao said as he made a gesture of silencing someone at his neck with his hand, and a cunning and cruel light flashed in his narrow eyes.

The third prince gradually calmed down after hearing what Shen Zhigao said. Slowly, the anger in his eyes faded, and a hint of sinister calculation appeared. He was also angry for a moment, but fortunately his uncle's words woke him up.

Although he was also in danger, he would never sit still and wait for death. If he could take this opportunity to get rid of the prince, then his chances of ascending the throne would greatly increase.

……

At this time, Lin Xiaoyue, the Seventh Prince and others came out of the military camp and took the group of people with them to the mansion where the Seventh Prince was staying in the city.

The people in the palace had already received the news that the Seventh Prince Uncle had returned to the city, and now they were all waiting in front of the palace gate to welcome the Seventh Prince Uncle back.

From afar, one could see a large group of elite armored guards riding tall horses, heading towards the mansion gate with great vigor.

"Here they come, it's the Black Armor Guards, the Emperor's uncle is back."

A dozen elderly servants in the general's mansion rushed out and knelt down to welcome their master home.

Speaking of this place, it was once the residence where the Seventh Prince stayed when he was guarding the border. It is located in the most prosperous area of ​​Shuanglong Pass and has the largest mansion.

Even though the Seventh Uncle left the border later, this majestic building remained deeply rooted and no one dared to set foot in it.

The old servants guarding the mansion were all retired former subordinates of the Seventh Uncle. Since they had no relatives left in the world, they simply stayed to guard this dusty house for the Seventh Uncle.

"Welcome the Emperor Uncle"

"Everyone, get up. Don't bother me with those nonsense. Lao Jiu, go and get me a clean room so this girl can stay overnight."

The Seventh Prince dismounted from his horse, threw the reins in his hand directly to the person leading the group, and waved his hand to let Lin Xiaoyue follow him in first.

Upon seeing this, the steward called Lao Jiu hurriedly stepped aside and respectfully welcomed the person in.

Lin Xiaoyue's mouth twitched. This old man seemed like a different person when he arrived at the border. He pretended to be serious and had a stern face. There was no trace of the imperial city at all. He was shameless yesterday at the Salted Fish Villa, trying to flatter her and persuade her to take his group of elderly people with him and rely on her for support in his old age.