Who put the yellow robe on me?

"Yes, I understand." The voice of the twelfth prince Jiang Zhan was full of unwillingness. Although he lowered his head, the anxiety between his brows could not be concealed.

The Master Consort sat on the sandalwood chair in the Qinglian Palace, frowned slightly, and said coldly: "Don't just think about brute force, the road to succession requires more brains."

There was a hint of blame in her tone, but more of it was the helplessness of being disappointed in someone.

Jiang Zhan lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists. He certainly understood his mother's teachings, but every time he thought of his situation in the court, he was filled with resentment and resentment.

Seeing that the Sixteenth Prince Jiang Chen had successively solved several major cases, including the case of refugees outside the city, the case of traitors in the Western Regions, and the case of arson in the Autumn Examination, his popularity in the court was growing. The dissatisfaction in his heart surged like a tide, almost drowning him.

"Mother, I understand this." Jiang Zhan's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes flickered with resentment. "But watching the Sixteenth Prince gain more and more popularity in the court, and I am powerless to do anything, how can I be willing to accept this?"

The Master sighed softly, slowly stood up, walked to Jiang Zhan, reached out and gently stroked his shoulder, and said earnestly: "Zhan'er, your mother knows that you are unwilling in your heart.

You grew up in the army, and have been through life and death with the soldiers. Naturally, you are used to solving problems with force.

But this court struggle was far from comparable to the bloodshed on the battlefield. The Sixth Prince Jiang Fu and the Ninth Prince Jiang Yu were both as cunning as monkeys, calculating everything they did.

You must understand that relying solely on martial arts skills and a few victories will not give you the upper hand in this battle for the throne."

Although Jiang Zhan nodded in response, he was still depressed. He recalled the scene in the martial arts training ground in his mind.

The Sixteenth Prince looked so weak and called "Twelfth Brother" so humbly, but he took advantage of his underestimation of his opponent in the competition and "beat" him by some means. The more Jiang Zhan thought about it, the angrier he became.

"This Sixteenth Prince, his cunning and ability are in no way inferior to the Sixth or Ninth Princes, and even..." Jiang Zhan's heart suddenly tightened, and he thought angrily, "Although he has no foundation, he can repeatedly disrupt the situation. If he continues like this, he will sooner or later become a serious problem."

He sighed deeply, but his heart was still unsettled. He knew very well that among all the princes, he had never been valued by Emperor Liang.

The identity of the mother concubine is even more embarrassing. As a princess married into the Former Yan Dynasty, her existence has always been regarded as a symbol of the politics of the two countries. What is even more regrettable is that the Former Yan Dynasty was destroyed by the Western Regions two years ago.

"Today I went to the military camp to find the Sixteenth Prince. I originally thought that I could take the opportunity to put down his prestige, but I didn't expect that he would plot against me." Jiang Zhan felt depressed. Thinking about the scolding from his mother just now, he felt that his self-esteem was hit even more.

"Perhaps what Mother said is right," he said with a wry smile, "The road to succession is just like what happened today in the martial arts training ground. It doesn't rely on brute force, but on tactics."

"Methods... I get a headache just thinking about them." Jiang Zhan came from a martial arts background and was not good at conspiracies and tricks. Instead, he felt that this kind of thing made him dizzy and confused. He couldn't help but shook his head vigorously.

Seeing her son like this, Shi Fei couldn't help but feel a little worried. Could it be that this child has become stupid because of the slap I just gave him?

She knew that Jiang Zhan was straightforward and used to solving problems with strong force on the battlefield, but the power struggle in the palace was far from being resolved by swords.

She had just scolded Jiang Zhan harshly in order to make him understand that the road to succession cannot rely solely on passion and force, but also requires scheming and strategy.

"Zhan'er, mother is not blaming you." Master Concubine's tone softened, "It's just that the situation is complicated now. You must learn to protect yourself and find your place in this chaos."

Jiang Zhan felt a little relieved when he heard his mother's words of comfort, and his expression softened a little: "Mother, I will remember this!"

The Master nodded, then sighed softly and said, "Actually, Mother knows that you don't like these power struggles, but... we are in the imperial family, and there are some things that we cannot escape.

However, the time left for you is running out..."

Jiang Zhan felt his mother's care, and the resentment and depression in his heart gradually dissipated a little. He stood up, bowed deeply to his mother, and said happily, "Mother, I won't let you down."

After saying that, he left Qinglian Palace with a happy smile on his face.

He was scowling just now, but now he's beaming with joy. It's over. Zhan'er was really stunned by my slap...

……

Jiang Chen was carried by four guards and slowly walked into the military tent.

Every step he took seemed to be taken with all his strength, and he kept groaning as if he had suffered a fatal injury.

Seeing this, Dianzhang quickly untied his clothes and carefully examined his injuries...

"Your Highness, you shouted so loudly just now, I thought you were seriously injured, but it turned out to be just a superficial wound." Dianzhang breathed a sigh of relief, but then said with a helpless smile.

Jiang Chen looked around and made sure that there was no outsider in the tent before he breathed a sigh of relief. The painful expression on his face disappeared without a trace in an instant.

He shrugged and gave a helpless smile: "They're all gone? Hey, this scene is really tiring to act out."

Hearing this, the four guards couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Xu Ningce patted Jiang Chen's shoulder and laughed so hard he fell backwards. "Master, your acting skills are incredible! The Twelfth Prince was fooled around by you today, and he's probably still savoring it!"

Deng Yunde also teased, "Yes, the Twelfth Prince is usually arrogant on the battlefield. I didn't expect that he would be tricked so easily by you today. I guess he would never have thought of it in his dreams."

Although Zhong Xiaodan remained calm, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Jiang Chen looking so relaxed.

Just when everyone was laughing happily, the curtain of the tent was suddenly yanked open, and Wang, the steward of the Zhong Mansion, walked in with an anxious look on his face.

His appearance made everyone quiet down instantly, and all eyes were focused on him.

When Zhong Xiaodan saw the look on Butler Wang's face, his heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself that something had happened.

Steward Wang glanced at everyone, paused for a moment, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhong Xiaodan, calling out "Second Young Master"...

But he then looked at Jiang Chen and the others, seeming a little hesitant, not knowing whether he should speak in public.

Seeing this, Zhong Xiaodan smiled slightly, waved his hand, and said, "Don't worry, Steward Wang. If you have anything to say, just tell us. We are all family members in the tent."

Steward Wang then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Second Young Master, the master has just received a secret report that there has been a sudden movement among the Northern Qiang. The master requests that the second young master return home immediately."

"What?!" Zhong Xiaodan's face turned pale when he heard this, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

He knew that the unusual movements of the Northern Qiang were no small matter, and that this might foreshadow a large-scale border conflict or even a war.

As a large family guarding the northern border, the Zhong family has always been in constant conflict with the Northern Qiang. The eldest son of the Zhong family has just returned to Beijing a few days ago, and such news cannot be ignored.

"Quick! Quick! Quick! Go back home immediately!"