Time Travel: The Useless Prince, First Destroy the Princess

Not long after he left, he returned to the doorway to report, "Your Majesty, Yang Ke is outside the palace requesting an audience!"

Liu Yan took a sip of water and said, "Let him in!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Hong had just finished speaking.

A man with his hair tied in a bun and wearing a black robe walked in.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" He knelt down and saluted.

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Ke stood up.

"Please sit down!" Liu Yan knew that he must have something to do.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

"This isn't a court meeting, so just say it! Is someone bringing up the solar eclipse again?"

"Your Majesty, the solar eclipse is a matter of great concern, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop it!"

Yang Ke has a square face and speaks in a very serious tone without a trace of smile.

"That's something else!"

"Yes, the Prince of Song held a grand banquet yesterday!" Yang Ke said as he took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Liu Yan respectfully with both hands.

"Prince of Langya, Prince of Nanqing, Prince of Dongping, Prince of Shanyin, Prince of Hejian, Prince of Xinyang."

Liu Yan read it out.

Yang Ke didn't say anything.

"All six kings went to see him. This one-word king has a lot of face!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Yang Ke agreed easily.

"How is Prince Song doing lately? Didn't he catch a cold before the New Year?"

Liu Yan asked again.

"Your Majesty, Prince Song has recovered from his cold and is doing well!"

"Tell me, are these seven kings meeting to celebrate King Song's recovery from a serious illness?"

"Your Majesty, I told you about my youth, including my drinking and prostitution!"

"Haha, my uncles and brothers! They are all old, but they still like to sing and dance. That's great!" Liu Yan sneered.

"Yes!"

"Is King Song also fooling around?"

"The King of Song drank, but he didn't visit prostitutes!"

"The Sima family's daughter is indeed very strict!" Liu Yan nodded. "Why didn't Sima Bei go?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Qi is ill at home!"

"Haha! You're sick at home, so it's embarrassing for your father-in-law to go with you to visit a prostitute!"

Liu Yan laughed.

Yang Ke didn't say anything. They both knew the reason why Sima Bei didn't go.

It can be seen that Liu Yan is dissatisfied with Sima Bei.

"By the way, has the poisoning case in the East Palace been concluded?"

"It's over!"

"Has the mastermind behind this been found?"

"I found it!"

"Oh?" Liu Yan seemed a little surprised.

"The mastermind is none other than you!"

"It was not anyone else but the imperial chef who poisoned the food?" Liu Yan said with a sneer.

This reason is very far-fetched.

"That's right. The imperial chef was often harassed by the Crown Princess, so he held a grudge against her and plotted to poison her and kill her!"

"Do you believe it? Where did a royal chef get the red beak?"

"I had my suspicions, but before I could ask for clarification, the imperial chef bit his tongue and committed suicide!"

"What about his family?"

"The royal chef's family has already passed away!"

"Who recruited him into the palace?"

"It's the former eunuch Zhu Qing!"

"Zhu Qing? I have some impression of him. He's been dead for three years now!"

"Yes!"

"That means, they are all dead and there is no evidence!" Liu Yan frowned.

"There are no other clues at the moment!" Yang Ke paused. "I've found out that Zhu Qing's hometown is in Hejian, and he has no relatives alive!"

"Okay! Since that's the case, there's nothing we can do! Prince Hejian has had a good relationship with Prince Song since childhood!" Liu Yan said, and let out a long sigh.

"Yes, the King of Hejian and the King of Song have a good relationship!"

Yang Ke repeated.

Liu Yan stared at Yang Ke and said, "You and I both know that the poisoning was aimed at the Crown Prince! Not the Crown Princess!"

"I dare not speculate!"

"You and I are from the same sect. Isn't your wisdom clear to me? If you weren't absolutely sure, you wouldn't have come to see me today. There's no need to hide it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I do believe the poisoning was aimed at the Crown Prince, and the mastermind must be one of the kings!"

"Just say it's the King of Song!" Liu Yan snorted. "If it weren't for the divine protection that helped me overcome the disaster last year, I'm afraid this Jing Dynasty would have been his!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! When Your Majesty was in danger, the other kings did plot to have Prince Song take the throne, but Prince Song repeatedly declined!"

"Refuse? It must be Sima Bei's idea!"

"I really don't know this!"

"Alright! Sima Bei is just blinded by greed, so you don't have to worry. If I hold him accountable, he'll die ten times over!"

"Your Majesty is merciful!"

"Look at me now in good health, yet they actually set their sights on the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince may be mentally retarded, but he is my only son after all. As long as he is here, the throne cannot be taken by outsiders. If the Crown Prince is gone, the throne will be in jeopardy!"

"Your Majesty is right!"

"Send more people to the Crown Prince to ensure everything goes well!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have something else to report!"

"Say it!"

"Recently, I have a deputy guard general, Ma Zhuang, who is a self-proclaimed warrior, strategic, and extremely brave. He can pull a 40-jin crossbow and a 5-jin bow. He has a clean background and never curries favor with the powerful. I believe he can protect the Crown Prince from close range!"

"I have complete trust in the person you've chosen. Where is he?"

"I am taking him outside the palace!"

"Let him in!" A hint of joy flashed across Liu Yan's face.

Soon, Ma Zhuang, dressed in a gray gown, walked in quickly.

He fell to his knees with a thud three meters away, making such a loud noise that even the stones on the ground shook.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"

Liu Yan nodded. This guy was two heads taller than Zhang Hong outside the door.

He has a strong build and a broad waist, and you can tell at a glance that he is extremely brave.

Yang Ke is really good at selecting people. Judging from the situation, a dozen or so ordinary people are no match for him.

"How old are you? Where is your hometown? How did you come to Luojing?" Liu Yan asked three questions.

"Your Majesty, I am twenty years old. My hometown is Huiyuan. I joined the army at the age of twelve and followed the Pinglu Guard to suppress the rebellion. Later, due to my meritorious service, I was promoted to sergeant and then squad leader. In the third year of Xianning, I fought in the Battle of Changye and killed a hundred rebels. I was promoted by the Pinglu Guard and transferred to the rank of Nanling Pass Commandant! I was also promoted by Lord Yang to the rank of Deputy Yamen General!"

Liu Yan nodded. He killed hundreds of people alone and had strong fighting ability.

It's absolutely appropriate to protect my son.

"I appoint you as a fifth-rank Tiger Guard Lieutenant General and transfer you to the Eastern Palace as a guard. Go find General Tang Dan of the Left Guard!"

Ma Zhuang was originally a seventh-rank deputy guard general. When he was promoted to the fifth rank, he was immediately excited and kowtowed in gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Do your job well, and get out!"

Ma Long kowtowed again and left.

This promotion is so easy!

Transferred to the Eastern Palace, that is to protect the prince!

The crown prince is the future heir to the throne?

Then will I have a chance to get promoted again in the future?

Ma Zhuang walked and thought, his heart was pounding!

"Prince Song is young, my younger brother, and he has a good heart. However, I'm afraid he might be misled by my uncles and brothers and make a big mistake. Please pay more attention to it. If there is any disturbance, report it to me immediately!"

After Ma Zhuang left, Liu Yan spoke to Yang Ke again.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Okay, go back!"

"I'm leaving now!" Yang Ke stood up, bowed and left quickly.

Liu Yan sighed. For the succession to the throne, he was only one step away from killing his own flesh and blood!