After being rejected, he emptied the mansion and went into exile

Pan Ye glanced at everyone and saw that no one reacted.

He then unfolded the imperial edict and read it again.

"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor declares that if General Xiang leads his troops, the Third Prince will be the Grand Commander. General Xiang and Pan Ye will each serve as his right-hand man."

"If this war can be quelled, please return to Shangjing City immediately. I will reward you according to your merits."

Pan Ye: "Third Prince, please accept the order."

The third prince came to his senses, then stood up, lowered his head slightly, and took the imperial edict with both hands.

The third prince looked up at the kneeling people. He saw that Xiang Hongxuan still had his head down, making it impossible to see his expression.

The Third Prince said to the crowd, "Everyone, stand up."

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief."

The third prince held the imperial edict in his hand, deep in thought.

Could this be the purpose of Pan Ye’s trip?

He arrived in Quzhou at about the same time as me, and he actually kept the imperial edict with him all the time.

He had tested Pan Ye more than once, but Pan Ye was still very stubborn.

It was not until today that Xiang Hongxuan received news from the front and reported to him that he wanted to lead his troops forward.

The unusual behavior of the Qiang people this time must be taken seriously.

So he decided to go together.

Unexpectedly, just when Xiang Hongxuan was reviewing his troops, Pan Ye came out with the imperial edict.

On the way, the third prince kept wondering what his father was thinking.

He felt that this time he seemed to be unable to understand the emperor's thoughts.

After all, as a prince, he was ordered by the emperor to inspect Quzhou. If troops were to be sent, his opinion would definitely be sought.

Even if the emperor did not issue an edict, Xiang Hongxuan would give him a title to allow him to participate in this matter.

Then why did the emperor issue an imperial decree?

It is better to let Pan Ye keep it secret and not announce it until the troops are about to be dispatched.

Also, as a general, Xiang Hongxuan must follow his arrangements regarding marching and fighting.

The emperor actually let Pan Ye and Xiang Hongxuan work together as his right-hand men.

He rode on his warhorse and looked at Pan Ye beside him.

This made him suspect that the emperor sent Pan Ye to supervise him.

Or perhaps, he was here to supervise him and Xiang Hongxuan.

As for what to supervise...

What on earth is the Emperor suspicious of...

What on earth does he want to do...

The third prince Zhao Chengyan really couldn't figure out the reason. This was the first time he felt that the emperor was very unfamiliar.

Usually the emperor was quite polite to him.

Since he was a child, his academic performance has been the best among his brothers.

The one who had the best seat was the second prince.

The second prince, Zhao Chengyun, was only two years older than him.

Whether in terms of talent or martial arts, the second prince performed the best among the four princes.

He knew how to survive in the royal family since he was a child. As a prince like himself whose mother had no family background, he had to rely on other powerful princes to survive.

Or you have to act crazy and stupid.

Crazy?

There is already one.

That is the eldest prince.

But the eldest prince was the queen's child, so no one cared whether he was really crazy or just pretending.

Sometimes he was very envious of the eldest prince.

He has been getting into trouble since he was a child, but he can still live very freely in the strict imperial palace.

The eldest prince is more afraid of the queen than the emperor.

This is the common secret among the princes.

Therefore, the eldest prince only wanted to have a good time and did not care about other people's opinions.

If the Queen had not been anxiously urging the Emperor to appoint a crown prince in the past two years, the eldest prince would have acted even more crazily.

Since he couldn't act crazy, he could only act stupid.

In the palace, a real fool cannot survive.

Rather than saying you are stupid, it is better to make yourself appear dumb and mediocre.

He knew that this was the only way to live in peace.

The fourth prince is young and has been quiet since childhood.

He looks just like the Third Prince, 'not capable of any important task'.

This gave the second prince an opportunity to show his abilities.

When he was in school, the second prince was the best academically.

How good is it?

Even the eunuchs and palace maids knew that among the emperor's princes, the second prince was the smartest.

Normally, the second prince would fight for any opportunity to show up.

The eldest prince and the second prince have not gotten along since they were young.

Just like the Queen and Lady Xue don't get along.

The emperor treated the empress and Lady Xue equally.

I went to the Queen today, and I will definitely go to Madam Xue tomorrow.

I rewarded Madam Xue today, and I will definitely reward the Queen with the same thing tomorrow.

If the queen is punished, Lady Xue will take power.

When Lady Xue made a mistake, the Queen took over the management of the harem again.

In short, it is hard to tell who is taller or shorter between the two of them.

They both believed that the emperor was the most supportive of them and would be most partial to their own children.

Gradually, the eldest prince and the second prince also thought so.

The Third Prince also thought so at first...

Until the emperor fell ill.

However, he was not sure whether the eldest prince had any intention of becoming the crown prince.

The second prince definitely has it.

The emperor first discussed the issue of appointing a crown prince with his ministers, but then refused to acknowledge it.

Specifically arrest those ministers who participated in the establishment of the crown prince.

Shen Maoshan was one of the people who was implicated inexplicably.

In this situation, the Queen and Lady Xue could no longer sit still.

The two of them framed each other and did a series of evil things.

The emperor finally got angry.

This time he was no longer as fair as before, but instead openly protected the queen.

He even began to ignore the second prince.

He always felt that the second prince was forced to commit treason by the emperor.

Of course, the second prince’s ambition is definitely one of the reasons.

In short, since Mrs. Xue was confined to her house, she was then sent to the cold palace.

The second prince never shows off in front of the emperor.

I heard that on the day the Second Prince escaped from the palace, Lady Xue...

No, it was Concubine Xue who committed suicide.

After the second prince escaped, the emperor seemed to remember his son.

But he had doubts for a moment.

The reason why the emperor thought of him was most likely because of Xiang Hongxuan.

……

Xiang Hongxuan noticed the Third Prince's undisguised gaze shifting between him and Pan Ye.

"Stop. Rest for a quarter of an hour."

They had not stopped since they set out in the evening.

They had already traveled half the distance, and the soldiers had not yet stopped to drink a sip of water.

As soon as Xiang Hongxuan gave the order, the soldiers rested on the spot without any hesitation.

It was originally said according to the imperial edict.

The commander-in-chief of this march and battle was the third prince.

But they only listened to General Xiang.

Anyway, the Third Prince also looked like he was following General Xiang's orders.

As for Commander Pan...

Someone looked over secretly and saw that he still had a cold face and didn't say anything.

Xiang Hongxuan and the third prince looked at each other.

The third prince understood, and the two of them found a place to talk.

"Third Prince, if you have something to say, just say it."

The third prince did not make any excuses nor did he blame Xiang Hongxuan.

Instead, he asked his question.

"Hongxuan, what do you think the Emperor means?"

"I dare not speculate on the Holy Will."

The third prince glared at Xiang Hongxuan.

Xiang Hongxuan: "What else could it mean? It's just a check and balance between us."