Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

Lin Xiaoyue was shocked when she saw the huge crowds of people in front of the mansion. Then she saw the endless red notices pasted around the wall, the piles of gold and silver, and the endless discussions around her. Only then did she realize that the emperor had staged such a big show to win people's hearts.

I sighed in my heart again and again, it turns out that we should not underestimate the wisdom of the ancients.

……

While outside, people were busy distributing reward money, while in the palace, the emperor asked Doctor Li and Doctor Qiao to examine and bandage the prince's wounds, and then there was a warm show of affection between father and son.

It was not until all outsiders had left and only the emperor and the crown prince were left in the room that the father and son sat face to face, drinking bitter medicine as tea, and chatting while playing chess.

The prince placed the chess piece on the board and briefly recounted in a calm tone how the third prince had lured him up the mountain in the name of hunting and then ambushed and killed him.

The emperor raised his eyes slightly, glanced at the prince, and then fixed his gaze on the white jade chessboard, "Don't worry, my son. Your father has punished him to guard the imperial mausoleum. This is to spare his life and give him a chance to repent in front of our ancestors."

The prince changed into a moon-white uniform. His face looked pale due to blood loss, and he looked a little sick. "I understand now. I hope that the third brother can reflect on his past in the imperial mausoleum and turn over a new leaf."

"Alas, I came to the border this time because I wanted to see Emperor Tiansheng with my own eyes, and I also wanted to take you back with me when the war came to an end and you gained some experience. After all, as the future crown prince, you cannot be in danger for a long time. Although your seventh uncle is in charge of the border, the Kingdom of Jin and Tiansheng should not be underestimated either."

It must be said that even though the emperor had gunpowder weapons in his hands, he was still cautious and understood the principle of caution. He did not become blindly confident because he had powerful weapons in his hands, and he did not want to attack other countries and unify the world, leaving a strong mark in history.

"Father, I want to stay in the frontier for a while longer."

The prince knew that the emperor had favored him since he was young. He had obtained the royal love that other royal brothers had never received effortlessly since he was born.

Although the emperor's mind is hard to predict, he never has to guess the emperor's thoughts like others do. Whatever the emperor says is what it is, and he never has to guess the emperor's intentions in a roundabout way.

Therefore, he also expressed his views to the emperor, "Father, although I encountered many dangers after arriving at the border, I also saw the bloody storm that the court had never faced.

But here, I saw the soldiers guarding the border risking their lives to protect the beautiful rivers and mountains, sacrificing their heads and shedding their blood. They endured the severe cold and loneliness of the border for many years, in exchange for the stable and happy life of the people, and the prosperity and bustle of the world.

I finally understand why the Seventh Uncle would rather give up wealth and glory and flatter the ministers in the court, and why he would advance and retreat together with the soldiers on the border.

Even when I couldn't go to the battlefield, I would rather stay in the villa and tend the fields with the retired soldiers, working from sunrise to sunset, and living a peaceful and carefree life."

The prince's eyes revealed an admiration and worship that could not be concealed, which was the respect for the strong that could only be truly expressed after personally going to the battlefield.

The emperor saw this and shook his head slightly, "But you are the crown prince, you have to shoulder the burden of a country. The emperor led the army in person just to temper your will. Now that this goal has been achieved, you should not stay in this dangerous place for long."

The prince lowered his eyes, feeling a little frustrated. How could he not know that his father intended to pass the throne to him?

However, he still wanted to argue, "I am aware of my future responsibilities, but my father is now in his prime, and I have come to the border, so I want to gain more experience." The prince paused, as if thinking of something, and raised his eyebrows with conviction, "What's more, Tiansheng and Jin are now defeated. If we take advantage of the victory, maybe I can make great contributions to my father's great cause of unifying the country and go down in history."

Hearing this, the Emperor raised his eyebrows and almost made the Crown Prince laugh. This kid of his had always been dignified and steady, and now he had only been out for a few short months, how could he have changed so much? This... this... it was obvious that he had been led astray by the Seventh Uncle.

The Seventh Prince, who was in Shuanglong Pass, was inexplicably put in a pot. He sneezed loudly, tightened his cloak, and looked up at the sky. Why did he have the illusion that someone was thinking about him? ? ?

The general beside him asked with concern, "Seventh Uncle, do you want to go to your room to rest for a while? The envoy from Tiansheng can't say anything good anyway, so just stay in your room and leave the peace talks to us."

"Tsk, counting on you?" The Seventh Uncle rolled his eyes at the elderly general beside him and said with a curled lip, "Forget it, you are good at fighting, but as for negotiation... I'm afraid you will sell yourself out and have to help the other side count silver."

"This……"

The general who was being scolded beside him was not angry at all. Instead, his expression froze. He reached out and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, unable to speak.

Behind the two men, a row of civil servants and military officers all covered their mouths and chuckled. It turned out that the Seventh Prince's mouth was still as powerful as ever.

Then I thought that the envoy Tiansheng was getting more and more courageous. He was defeated by the Seventh Prince's sharp tongue several times, but he was getting more and more courageous. He was really like an old man going to the toilet in the middle of the night without lighting a lamp - he was looking for shit.

However, they were not the ones "looking for shit". These civil servants and generals could not help but have their eyes shining. They were very excited and rubbed their hands wildly. There was something fun to watch again. Let's go, let's go, let's go quickly. Today they can watch the Messenger of Tiansheng vomit blood in various ways. It's interesting.

……

The prince was still playing Tai Chi with the emperor, but with little success. The father and son were in a stalemate when a eunuch outside came to report quietly, "Your Majesty, the deputy commander of the Yulin Army is here to report."

"...Let him in."

After entering the inner room, the deputy commander of the Yulin Army did not dare to look any further and respectfully bowed and paid his respects to the emperor and the prince.

"Why are you back?" The emperor looked nonchalant, holding a chess piece in his hand, hesitant to put it down.

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards was afraid to stand up after failing to complete the emperor's order. He lowered his head and apologized, "I am guilty. The third prince was kidnapped on the way, and we were unable to bring him back. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The emperor was slightly surprised. His dark eyes swept over the blood-stained clothes of the deputy commander of the Yulin Army. He looked extremely embarrassed. The emperor's majesty emerged spontaneously, which made people tremble with fear. "What's going on?"

The deputy commander of the Yulin Army felt nervous and dared not lie, so he had to tell the truth about what happened on the road.

The emperor and the prince did not expect that the person who kidnapped the third prince was not his uncle Shen Zhigao, but the traitor Qian Hui. It was unexpected that Qian Hui, who had been on the run and could not be captured, was secretly colluding with the third prince. This was something the emperor and the prince had never expected.