We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Upon hearing the news, Li Che's first reaction was to raise the corners of his mouth.

But he soon realized that the prince was not only his enemy, but also the fourth brother's biological brother.

The corners of his grinning mouth narrowed again...

In order to take care of your brothers, you should not get too excited.

"Tell me in detail, what happened?" Li Che asked.

Li Lin said in a deep voice, "Since autumn, the prince's leg disease has become more serious. His legs are even covered with pustules. He is now unable to walk or get out of bed."

"The royal physician suggested amputating his legs with an axe to save his life and relieve his pain. But the prince refused and, in a rage, killed the physician who had suggested the idea."

The corner of Li Che's mouth twitched.

It's simply the otherworldly version of Hua Tuo's death!

However, the imperial physician was very bold in saying that the success rate of using this medical method in this era is lower than the accident rate of surgery in later generations.

Li Che collected his thoughts and continued to ask, "And then?"

"The prince's condition continued to worsen, and the pain in his legs even made it impossible for him to stay awake. In the end, my father acted decisively and ordered the imperial physician to amputate his legs. It is said that the prince resisted fiercely..."

Li Che shook his head.

Of course there would be fierce resistance. It would be difficult for a prince with a hidden illness to ascend the throne, let alone have both legs amputated.

Emperor Qing may have wanted to save the prince's life, but for the prince, amputating his legs would completely eliminate the possibility of succession to the throne, so he certainly would not agree.

Thinking of this, Li Che frowned, sighed, and felt a headache for some reason.

If the prince died, Li Che would be responsible for at least 80% of the seafood he sent.

But he didn't feel any guilt. This damn bad prince had attacked him more than once, and dying on his sickbed was already a good thing for him.

However, Emperor Qing's seemingly decisive decision was actually the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The imperial doctors may not know the true cause of gout, but Li Che knows it clearly.

Severe gout does require amputation to save life, but that is because an infection has occurred, and other treatments are still needed after amputation. It does not mean that the patient is cured just by removing the tophi.

In a case like the prince's, even if the amputation is successful and the bleeding is stopped, it will be of no use.

Gout is a manifestation of uric acid accumulation in the bones. If the problem of high uric acid is not resolved, symptoms such as hyperuricemia will still appear even after amputation, and the pain of gout will still appear in various joints.

His weakened body after the amputation would only make his situation more difficult. Emperor Qing's decision could be said to have directly cut off the prince's last chance of survival.

Although the original owner was forced to death by Emperor Qing, and he had no family ties with this adopted father, Emperor Qing had been quite nice to him in the past two years.

Li Che silently decided that it would be better to keep this matter deep in his heart. There was no need to tell anyone about it, so as not to leave Emperor Qing with the reputation of "killing his own son".

Seeing Li Che lost in thought, Li Lin sighed, "The Crown Prince is my brother after all. Although he deserves this fate, I can't help but feel uneasy."

"The most important thing is that the country cannot be without a crown prince for a single day. If anything happens to the crown prince, the entire court will immediately advise the emperor to appoint another crown prince."

"In fact, my father has already ordered the Prince of Qin and I to return to the capital. I should have left half a month ago, but it was the princess who repeatedly urged me to wait until you return before making a decision."

"Yeah." Li Che nodded. "Sister-in-law, this is a very wise move. Especially at times like this, we should not act rashly."

Seeing that Li Che still had a normal expression, Li Lin became a little anxious: "Did you really not understand, or are you pretending to be profound with me?!"

"The Emperor summoned the two of us to the capital. Together with the Prince of Jin who has been in the capital, there are now three princes in the capital! If anything happens to the Crown Prince, the Heir will be chosen from among these three."

"But...why didn't the Emperor let you return to the capital? You are clearly the prince he favors the most!"

Li Che smiled lightly: "Of course I know about this."

"Then why aren't you anxious at all?" Li Lin's eyes widened. "The Crown Prince has no children. According to the law, the eldest son and the legitimate son should be appointed as heirs. The King of Qin is the eldest son, and I am the legitimate son."

"Father knows I have no desire to succeed the throne, so won't the throne fall to the second son? How can a tyrannical king like him shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

Upon hearing this, Li Che looked at his brother helplessly.

Li Lin's personality is suitable for being a border commander. He has muscles all over his head, but his political sensitivity is too low.

"What's that look in your eyes? It's exactly the same as the way the princess looks at me?" Li Lin said dissatisfiedly.

"Royal brother, you...you'd better not dwell on these issues in the future. If you dwell on them too much, I'm afraid your underdeveloped brain will completely break down."

After teasing Li Lin for a few times, Li Che sighed and said, "The relationship between the Crown Prince and the Emperor is not as simple as you think. Inheritance is only part of it, the greater part is hostility."

"The Crown Prince has a group of loyal followers. The Eastern Palace is like a small imperial court, and with the added bonus of orthodox legality, no matter what their previous relationship with the Emperor was, the moment they become Crown Prince, they will immediately become the biggest competitor for imperial power."

"Any monarch would suppress the crown prince, but my father is still in his prime and has just witnessed the bright future of Feng State. He can't even win me over yet, so how could he possibly push me into that position?"

"You mean..." Li Lin widened his eyes, as if he had figured something out.

"That's right. There's nothing new under the sun. My father kept that useless Crown Prince around to concentrate power and divert the hatred of the other princes. Now that the Crown Prince's shield is gone, he'll definitely use this tactic again and choose another prince to push into the open."

"That person definitely won't be me, not because he wants to pass the throne to me. But because if I take the throne now, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the court and make the prosperous Feng State uncontrollable."

"Once my relationship with my father and the court deteriorates, science, navigation, and the British Empire will no longer be relevant to Daqing."

"So...someone needs to act as a shield for you?" Li Lin took a breath.

You guys who play politics have such dirty hearts!

Li Che rubbed his temples. Actually, he was not good at playing politics.

It’s just that I have memories of my past life and with the vast history of five thousand years as a mirror, I still understand a little about these eternal political schemes.

The struggle for the throne has always been like this.

Emperor Qing chose the crown prince as the heir apparent, but did not train him wholeheartedly. Instead, he allowed him to act recklessly, which doomed him to choose a bloody path of succession.

"What should I do?" Li Lin gritted his teeth. "Sixth Brother, you know me well. I would rather die than be a puppet sitting on the throne of the Crown Prince!"

Li Che smiled and said, "Don't worry, my father knows the relationship between you and me, and he will most likely not attack you."

"If you're truly worried, I have another solution... It's a bit insidious, though, and it won't be good for your reputation."

"What's the solution? Tell me!" Li Lin stood up suddenly. "Never mind the reputation, I don't want to rot in that empty East Palace like the Crown Prince!