Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

No matter how King Kang viewed the Minister of Rites who caused the kneeling and begging, tens of thousands of people knelt outside King Kang's palace and spontaneously supported King Kang as the emperor. Once this momentum spread, it shook the whole of Daxia!

Is the imperial decree of succession more important? Or is the public opinion of the millions of people more important?

"How big is the place outside Prince Kang's mansion? Can it make tens of thousands of people kneel down? Are you going to let such rumors spread everywhere?!" Chu Shiqi shouted angrily, picked up the jade plate on the table and smashed it at the old prime minister!

The old prime minister didn't even try to dodge. This behavior had become the norm. Chu Shiqi was always angry with him, but the things he threw at the old prime minister never landed on him, so naturally there was no need to dodge...

"Of course, we've issued a ban prohibiting the spread of this story, but there are always people with inside information... It also caused some people below to question whether this was just a pretense, but..."

The Prime Minister's expression grew worried, and he solemnly replied, "Under the current circumstances, truth or falsehood is no longer important. The spies have sent word that Prince Kang, using the tiger talisman as proof, has ordered the mobilization of troops. Once all the troops are assembled, he will march south..."

Chu Shiqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "After all this trouble, in the end, it's still a competition of who has more troops and horses? If my father were here, I'd have time to amass more troops, and even worse, I might even get the Tiger Tally!"

The old prime minister opened his mouth, but was speechless. They had the support of the major southern families, and they had no shortage of money, power, or even talent. But the only thing they lacked was military power. Therefore, their previous plan had been to win by literary competition as much as possible...

At this point, Chu Shiqi suppressed the gloom in his heart and asked in a deep voice: "How many troops will King Kang have?"

"The news we've received is... Prince Kang has ordered the mobilization of the garrisons distributed across Henan, Hunan, and Shu provinces. However, the garrisons in key cities must remain stationary, and the border troops must remain in their positions to guard against external enemies. He's even ordered the Qin army, already on the march, to return to its positions in the northwest. If the news remains unchanged, the number of troops will likely be less than 100,000..."

The old prime minister stated truthfully that the small number of troops mobilized by King Kang was naturally to their advantage... But understanding the intention of King Kang's actions, the old prime minister was not happy...

Chu Shiqi was also like this after hearing it...

Although King Kang intended to fight them, he still cared about the overall situation of Daxia. Chu Shiqi realized this and looked at himself, now on the dragon boat palace heading to Jiangnan...

He knew very well that moving the capital south would not be a good thing for Daxia...but in order to secure the throne he had just ascended, he agreed.

In a flash, Chu Shiqi suppressed the feeling of guilt. He had already come this far, how could he turn back?

He never had any other choice. From the moment he was born, he was destined to fight!

"Huh... You can only mobilize less than 100,000 troops? Does Chu Shikun think that my threat is less than that of external enemies?"

Even though the Northern Tribe, the biggest threat to Daxia, has been weak in recent years, King Kang himself defeated the Northern Tribe twice...

"How dare he look down on me like that..."

Hatred leaked out from between his teeth, and Chu Shiqi's young face was distorted.

"How dare he look down on me like that!"

"Ah!"

He swept everything off the table with a wave of his hand! Chu Shiqi shouted like a madman: "Immediately issue an order to recruit troops! Gather the southern military advisors!"

"If you don't have enough drill, you'll win by sheer numbers!"

"I already have 50,000 personal soldiers! And 30,000 well-trained imperial guards! As long as I can recruit enough troops, I won't lose to Chu Shikun!"

...

One hundred thousand soldiers, exhausted, marched eastward towards the capital.

The fifth prince, Chu Shihuan, had already reunited with them. He was escorted by the personal soldiers of the Prince of Changtai, that is, the Qin family army. The Qin family army naturally believed that the fifth prince was one of their own and respected him very much.

At first, Chu Shihuan was also delighted. He was a little uneasy about mobilizing the Qin family army to participate in the fight for the throne, but when he saw this well-trained army, he gained a little more confidence.

Until Wei Yu returned to the army... and the Qin family army received an order from King Kang to return to the northwest.

"The Qin army has traveled a thousand miles, and you want to return now?"

"We're not returning, we're just staying put, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The order from our eldest brother is meant to treat us as his subjects. If we openly disobey, it will arouse his suspicion." Chu Shihuan analyzed in a dull tone. All he could hope for was to take advantage of his brother's favorable conditions, which was like playing two halves of the same coin...

The middle-aged general opposite took a sip of liquor and said indifferently, "Station? Until when?"

"I will write a letter to my eldest brother. The Qin army is about to reach the capital. The journey will be extremely costly. As long as I can show my eldest brother that the Qin army can be used by him to conquer Chu Shiqi, and now is the right time to use troops, he should be allowed to continue advancing." Chu Shihuan explained.

"What if he doesn't allow it?"

The middle-aged general's question made Chu Shihuan pause. It was possible... but in front of his eldest brother, he could not directly compete with him in terms of name or power. He could only: "Continue to stay. I will write to consult again."

"Heh..." The middle-aged general laughed and murmured, "So the Chu family is all like this, timid and cowardly."

"What did you say?!" Chu Shihuan was surprised, wondering if he had heard it wrong. The Chu family was a royal family, and derogatory words were disrespectful! It was a crime of deceiving the emperor!

The middle-aged general put down the empty wine jar, stood up steadily, and approached with his tall and burly body carrying a strong smell of alcohol!

"You are not as good as Chu Wei. At least she promised me fame, wealth and status, and shared my warm bed with me. But you, you have never said a single nice word."

Chu Shihuan suddenly realized that Wei Yu's weathered face had never shown any respect, but a few days ago he mistakenly thought that he was as close to Qin Tao...

He chuckled awkwardly, seemingly relaxed, and said, "My uncle drank too much. His private conversation with the imperial aunt shouldn't be told to my nephew."

However, this attempt at compromise, an attempt to give way and let the matter go, was ignored by Wei Yu. He continued coldly, "The Qin army has mobilized so many troops for you, and now we have to return empty-handed? Why?"

The middle-aged general was very close, looking down at the young prince from above.

"Based on your hypocritical feelings towards Qin Tao?"

The breath of alcohol and intimidation hit Chu Shihuan in the face. He looked at him and realized that he was not the monarch in charge of the Qin family army, but just a poor man living under someone else's roof...

Chu Shihuan stepped back and looked away, arguing sincerely, "It's not a false gesture. Qin Tao saved me from danger, and I've already remembered it. If I succeed, I will repay him with gratitude."

"How do you repay a debt of gratitude?" Wei Yu asked bluntly.

Chu Shihuan paused... Qin Tao was already the Prince of Changtai, and the 100,000-man Qin Army was a threat to the Great Xia court's heavy troops. His father had previously stationed the Qin Army in the northwest, far from the capital, probably with this in mind. What could he possibly promise the Qin family...

"Haha, regardless of whether repaying kindness with kindness will lead to the dog being abandoned after the rabbit is dead..."

The middle-aged general didn't need his answer and continued with disdain: "How can you achieve great things if you obey King Kang's orders blindly?"

He had already revealed his ambition to Qin Tao, but he hadn't expected Wei Yu to be so contemptuous. Chu Shihuan couldn't help but look embarrassed and argued again, "My eldest brother was born with the rightful authority. Many provinces in Zhongzhou have already submitted to him. He has even led the army to conquer the northern tribes twice and won. He is enough to shock the court and the people! I am not well-equipped. If I openly confront my eldest brother, I will be like an egg hitting a rock!"

"You don't even have the ambition to establish your own faction. You are such a coward, yet you still dream of ruling the world?"

He beat around the bush, but Wei Yu repeatedly spoke rudely. Chu Shihuan could no longer hold back and angrily shouted, "If I establish myself, my family name will be Chu, and my eldest brother will also be Chu upon the throne! Whoever rules the empire will remain a member of the Great Xia royal family! How can I allow you to be so presumptuous?!"

The middle-aged general fell silent upon hearing this, and looked at the arrogant prince with a deep gaze.

Chu Shihuan couldn't discern the complexities in the other person's eyes, believing they were being warned. As princes, they had ambitions for the throne, a duty that could not be spoken of openly. While things seemed turbulent at the moment, most of the subjects were actually silent. After all, no matter who won, the Great Xia Dynasty would still be theirs! But if an outsider rebelled, it would mean overthrowing the dynasty! They would be met with a united front and suppressed!

Chu Shihuan then asked, "General Qin is very ambitious. Does the Imperial Aunt know this? If General Qin's disrespectful words were to get out today, would they be misunderstood as treason? Would the eldest Imperial Brother abandon Chu Shiqi and suppress the rebellious general first?"

Hearing this, Qin Shuangyu smiled and said in a deep voice, "You don't want to confront King Kang openly, isn't it because you think that even if you can't achieve anything great, you can still live a life of wealth and glory?"

"If today's conversation gets out, you will be the first one to be accused of usurping the throne."

"Even if Prince Kang doesn't bother with you now, after you pacify Jiangnan and ascend the throne, can you rest easy?"

Chu Shihuan's eyes widened. If his ambition was exposed, his eldest brother would certainly not let him off easily. His thoughts were exposed, and Chu Shihuan shouted angrily: "What do you want?!"

The young prince grew increasingly furious, but the middle-aged general commanding a large force paid no heed. He said coldly, "The Qin army will continue its march into the capital. You will announce it to the world and ascend the throne."

Chu Shihuan was filled with shock and anger. Wei Yu actually had such rebellious intentions! It was also unbelievable that he actually wanted to use his status as a prince as a cover to make him a puppet emperor. How could such a crude plan possibly succeed?

After a moment of silence, Chu Shihuan asked word by word, "What if I don't?"

"The Ninth Prince is staying in a suburban retreat ten miles north of Taiyuan City. If you want to return, go to Taiyuan."

The middle-aged general threatened indifferently: "If you can't accomplish anything great, your brother will do it instead."

"you!"

It was such a blunt threat!

But Wei Yu clearly revealed Chu Shixuan's hiding place, and Chu Shihuan didn't dare to gamble...

The Qin army continued to march towards the capital.

However, Chu Shihuan still wrote a letter to King Kang under Qin Shuangyu's supervision. After all, the food and fodder for their march were still supplied by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

...

Prince Kang's Palace in Henan Province.

In the study, after King Kang read the letter, the Minister of Rites said, "Your Majesty, your servants..."

"This king has not yet taken charge of the throne." King Kang said coldly.

The ministers in the study paused for a moment, then all nodded in agreement, saying it was just a greeting of morning and evening.

The Minister of Personnel readily accepted the suggestion and continued, "Your Highness, we suspect that the Eighth Prince will be stubborn and will fight. At that time, we fled the capital to avoid disaster. Princess Taihua and the Prince of Changtai generously assisted us, so we negotiated and mobilized the Qin army..."

King Kang sneered silently. He knew that these people had thought he was dead, so they planned to support Chu Shihuan...

Chu Shikun suddenly understood that these people needed an emperor who could allow them to keep everything they had and even allocate more benefits to them. These people believed that they could get the most by following him, but if he was not there, there would be Chu Shihuan, and if Chu Shihuan was not there, there would be others...

Although it was understandable, it still seemed like a case of one minister having two masters. Several ministers avoided talking about the fifth prince Chu Shihuan and only talked about the Qin family army.

"The Qin army has been stationed at the border for years, a seasoned force, incomparable to the inland city defense forces. They've already marched a thousand miles, consuming a great deal of food and fodder." The Minister of Revenue advised, "Your Highness, why not use them? This will allow for a quick victory and put down the rebellion sooner rather than later."

"Where are we going after marching a thousand miles? I heard that the Qin army is now in Changshan?" King Kang asked in a deep voice.

The ministers were stunned, and the Minister of Personnel was shocked. "It's obviously faster to march by boat from the Dahe River, but the Qin army turned back from Luliang, went through Taiyuan, and crossed the Taihang Mountains on foot! Could it be... that they were trying to avoid Henan Province..."

The ministers had just deliberately avoided talking about Chu Shihuan, but they noticed that the Qin army's actions were different. The one they should be most suspicious of was the Fifth Prince, who was in the Qin army and had improper intentions! This was even more of a sin for them, raising a tiger to cause trouble!

Thoughts raced, and the Minister of Personnel immediately turned to the Minister of Rites and asked tentatively, "Sir Shen, do you know what His Highness Huan is thinking?"

"this…"

The Minister of Rites was overwhelmed. He was being classified as a member of the Fifth Prince's side and was being pushed out to take the blame!

His expression changed rapidly for several breaths, and the Minister of Rites said sadly, "At that time, His Highness Huan was being hunted by the Eighth Prince's men. In a rage, His Highness Huan beat his pregnant wife, causing this minister's granddaughter, Shen Yuqin, to miscarry..."

"Yuqin once cried to me, wanting a divorce. I felt sorry for my granddaughter...but the divorce..."

"Since ancient times, marriages have been decided by parents. With the late emperor no longer around, His Royal Highness Prince Kang is the eldest son. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. I had originally planned to ask His Royal Highness Prince Kang to make the final decision after all the important matters were completed, and to allow my granddaughter Yuqin to divorce..."

This paragraph was extremely tactful. It not only pointed out the situation at the time, but also showed that he and the fifth prince were no longer of the same mind and that he had already accepted Prince Kang as his master.

The Ministry of Rites is being judged by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue these days as a group of opportunists.

However, the words of the Minister of Rites seemed to be of some use.

King Kang did not make a decision about Chu Shihuan's family affairs. He just lowered his eyes slightly, making it difficult to see his expression, and his voice could not tell whether he was happy or angry. He said: "Issue another urgent order. If the Qin family army does not want to return empty-handed, they must turn around within three days, cross the river, and march south of the Yangtze River."

After all matters were agreed upon, the ministers withdrew.

In the study, Chu Shikun looked at the letter still spread out on the table and sighed impatiently.

The beauty who had been quietly sitting in the corner stepped forward, letting her master lean back in her arms, and massaged her temples to soothe her body and mind...

...

In the capital, the eighth prince moved the capital to the south of the Yangtze River with great fanfare, and the originally prosperous capital suddenly became desolate.

The building was not completely deserted, but most of the old ministers left behind by the Eighth Prince were people who did not like to have fun.

So much so that in the night, many places full of lights and wine were dark and closed, but some government departments still had lights on.

"Boss, don't investigate anymore. It doesn't matter why the late emperor died. Now it's all about fists. If you lose, you're a sinner, and if you win, you're justice." Duan Chou persuaded.

"Winning is not justice." Gu Qinglian retorted solemnly.

Duan Chou felt helpless towards this stern boss and asked, "What is that?"

Gu Qinglian was stunned by the question. After a moment, he said to himself, "I won, but I just won."