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

The third prince just listened to everything the eldest prince said.

The eldest prince is still the same, but he always feels that he is performing for the emperor.

It's just that he couldn't figure out the reason and had no evidence.

Logically speaking, among the many princes, the eldest prince's mother's family is the most prestigious.

Not only is his biological mother the current queen, but his grandfather is also from the prestigious Xue family of the dynasty.

The Xue family is full of civil officials. They control the most prestigious academy in Jiuzhou State and have disciples all over the world.

Whether it was the prince's tutor, the Grand Tutor, or the Ministers of Rites and Personnel, they were all from the Xue family.

It is worth mentioning that the daughters of the Xue family also married very well.

The third prince glanced at Xiang Hongxuan beside him.

Among the girls of the Xue family, the one who married the best was undoubtedly the queen.

The second is General Xiang’s wife.

That’s right, it’s Xiang Hongxuan’s stepmother, Xiang Peiqin.

I heard that it was this stepmother's idea that Xiang Hongxuan went to Quzhou in place of his father.

Once gone, it will be several years.

It's just gossip from people in the capital, there's no evidence.

Because of this relationship, the relationship between the Third Prince and Xiang Hongxuan gradually faded since several princes intentionally or unintentionally competed for the position of Crown Prince.

The entire Xiang family is on the side of the queen.

To be on the side of the Queen means to stand on the side of the eldest prince.

How could the Xiang family allow Xiang Hongxuan to interact with the third prince?

The third prince did not know that the eldest prince would also meet the emperor.

He and Xiang Hongxuan only had a few brief chats on the way, and the content was that they didn't know what the emperor was doing.

Who knew that after entering Beijing.

He couldn't even go back home to pack up, he had to go to the palace with everyone immediately.

After entering the palace, the emperor did not appear immediately.

Instead, he made them wait in vain for nearly an hour until the eldest prince and Miss Shen arrived at the door, and then the emperor appeared.

He watched from a distance and saw that the emperor's spirit and energy did not seem like that of a person who had been ill for a long time.

His complexion was normal and his figure was not thinner at all.

To tell the difference.

I just had an additional coughing problem than before.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but Eunuch Gao was waiting by the side with a cup of tea.

It's impossible not to be disappointed.

He originally thought...

All is ready except for the opportunity.

However, he has waited for so many years and he can afford to wait.

This time, the emperor asked him to bring Xiang Hongxuan and the Shen family into the palace with the eldest prince. This was definitely not a casual decision.

The emperor asked the eldest prince how the inspection went.

He made a lot of jokes and talked nonsense.

He didn't know how the eldest prince and Shen Tingyao met, but he knew that even so, the emperor was satisfied with the eldest prince.

Is it his turn to speak?

He certainly wouldn't talk about the Qiang people.

However, the emperor knew that the Xiang army was ambushed, the grain camp was burned, and Pan Ye and the second prince both died.

Of course, these were also the information received from the spies sent out earlier while we were on the road.

Otherwise, when he arrived in the capital, he really didn't know what to say.

Now, Xiang Hongxuan, the Shen family, and the Qiang tribe are his trump cards.

Although he did not ask about Xiang Hongxuan's family affairs, he knew that Xiang Hongxuan's attitude towards him had softened a lot during his time in the military camp.

He could also feel that Xiang Hongxuan and the Xiang family army must be on his side.

As for the Qiang royal family, he had an agreement with them, so he was not afraid that the Qiang would go back on their word.

The most troublesome family now is the Shen family.

What arrangements the emperor will make for the Shen family will depend on tonight.

He must make good use of these cards.

As for the throne, it is definitely a matter of time.

The third prince was thinking about this while trying to figure out how to answer the emperor's question.

"Reporting to the Emperor, there have been constant conflicts on the border of Quzhou recently, but they are all small-scale and under control by General Xiang."

The emperor laughed and said, "I didn't even read the memorial you wrote carefully. I was not feeling well at the time and had been lying in bed for a long time."

"Well, I know that General Xiang is brave and good at fighting. If you have anything else, please continue."

The third prince's eyes flashed.

He continued, "The Second Prince colluded with the Qiang people to attack our army and burn our camp."

The emperor seemed to be hearing it for the first time.

He slapped the dragon throne in anger.

"Humph! Bastard! He should have been killed then. How dare he betray his country to such an extent."

"He is a prince, yet he did such a heinous thing for the throne, which made the Xiang army feel disheartened. He deserves death!"

"You two, and since I'm not here, you're responsible for telling him, Boss."

The emperor's voice became more and more excited as he spoke. This time he didn't cough or ask for tea.

Seeing the emperor speaking excitedly, the eldest prince and the third prince showed expressions of concern and panic.

"Father, calm down."

Shen Maoshan and Shen Zhizheng were not qualified to persuade the emperor, so they could only lower their heads even lower.

Xiang Hongxuan couldn't just sit back and watch, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

The emperor looked at the three people talking and snorted in his heart.

Each one is better at acting than the other!

"In the Nine Provinces, the descendants of the Zhao family will not tolerate anything that violates moral principles. Since you are brothers, you should unite against the common enemy."

"The Qiang have been invading many times, the Western Regions are active, and even the Southern Barbarians are starting to eye us covetously. If you guys don't unite as a team, won't some people take advantage of you?"

"Yes, Father, I will follow your instructions."

The emperor looked at the eldest prince and the third prince, and this time he started coughing.

Then he smiled and said, "Haha, I know the Third Prince is a good person. I went off topic when I was talking about that bastard Second Prince just now. Please continue."

The Third Prince lowered his head and frowned, saying, "Yes."

"The border of Quzhou is relatively stable now, all thanks to General Xiang and the Shen family."

When Xiang Hongxuan heard this, his eyes paused.

He knew that the Third Prince was testing him.

He wanted to see what the emperor's attitude was towards him and the Shen family.

After all, they didn't intend to tell anyone about their visit to the Qiang tribe.

They had not discussed the matter and had no time to discuss it in detail.

This was the tacit understanding between him and the third prince.

What is unknown now is how much information about the Qiang people Pan Ye told the emperor.

The emperor was a little confused when he heard this, "Oh? The Shen family?"

When the Third Prince heard the Emperor's question, he took the initiative to say, "It is the Shen family."

The emperor was obviously more interested in this topic. "Tell me, what did the Shen family do?"

As soon as this question was asked, everyone in the hall secretly held their breath.

No matter who it is, they all hope that the Shen family can take advantage of this opportunity to make a comeback.

The Third Prince naturally knew these things, and the Emperor certainly knew them better than anyone else.

However, he still acted as if he didn't know.

Some of it was funny, but no one laughed.

"Your Majesty, you may not know that the Shen family helped Quzhou grow new crops, solving the problem of food shortage in Quzhou."

"Oh? It's so amazing."

"Then tell me about your visit to the Qiang tribe."