At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

Trust is a luxury for those in power. After all, you can't see into someone's heart. Who knows if there are malicious intentions hidden beneath the surface of flattery?

No one can say for sure.

Therefore, those in power more or less favor their relatives. The reason is not hard to guess: they know the people around them well, and their abilities are secondary. The key is that they are loyal enough.

Moreover, favoritism has another advantage: the cost of betrayal is extremely high, and no one would easily do so.

As far as Chu Ling was concerned, if he had a choice, he would do the same. Abilities can be cultivated, but loyalty cannot; it's too difficult to control.

Even though Chu Ling really wanted to, he didn't have the means to do so.

Chu Ling doesn't have any elders from the Prince's residence.

Throughout history, the crown princes of all dynasties had a solid inner circle, encompassing a wide range of social classes. From the moment they were appointed as crown princes, the interests among them became clear.

Unless it's a serious crime like treason, the crown prince doesn't need to worry about having no one around him, no matter what he does. To put it bluntly, even if someone wants to seize power early, there will be people willing to take the risk.

Take Dayu as an example.

When Chu Ling learned that his elder brother had been named the Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Taizu and the Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and that the people gathered around him were people placed there by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

Chu Ling previously said that there is no kinship in the imperial family, which is somewhat arbitrary. Among some people, their kinship is very strong, just like the Taizu Emperor's relationship with the Taizong Emperor and the Xuanzong Emperor, and the Taizong Emperor's relationship with the Xuanzong Emperor. In a sense, the kinship between them transcends the scope of imperial family kinship.

It's just a shame.

Emperor Xuanzong Chun, on whom high hopes were placed, died less than a year after ascending the throne, which had a tremendous impact. Otherwise, in such a hasty manner, Chu Ling would not have been chosen as the new ruler of the Great Yu.

"What brings you to see me this time?"

Chu Ling scrutinized Xia Wang for a long time before slowly speaking.

Being wary of Xia Wang is something I should keep to myself; there's no need to reveal it.

You can't win someone's trust by pretending to be a ghost or a myth!

Chu Ling is not as easily fooled as a three-year-old.

"This old servant has heard that Your Majesty has recently been practicing horsemanship at the Imperial Garden Training Grounds?" Under Chu Ling's gaze, Xia Wang bowed respectfully.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

Chu Ling countered with a question, but a sense of unease crept into his heart. Was it really so ridiculous that Xia Wang would make a special trip to see him just for this one thing?

"The Great Yu Kingdom was founded on military strength. Emperor Gaozu valued military affairs highly. For Your Majesty, learning horsemanship is only the beginning. Your Majesty must not forget what the roots of the Great Yu Kingdom are."

Xia Wang calmly said, "It's just that the Imperial Garden Training Ground is a bit too small. If you really want to improve your riding skills, you still have to go to the Shanglin Garden."

"Do you think I don't want to?"

Chu Ling laughed, "Do you think that given the current situation, I can really get what I want to do?"

The Shanglin Garden mentioned by Xia Wang was a detached palace and villa of the Dayu Kingdom, located directly north of the capital of Yu. It covered a vast area and was a place for the emperor to play and hunt.

Even if the Yu Palace is the best place, one can easily grow tired of it after staying there for a long time.

Construction of Shanglin Garden began in the mid-Taizu reign, took basic shape during the Taizong reign, and was completed during the Xuanzong reign. However, the Xuanzong Emperor never visited this place.

For the emperor of Dayu, everything that was necessary had to be there. Dayu had more than just Shanglin Garden as its detached palaces and villas, but in terms of scale, it was the largest.

When Chu Ling learned about Shanglin Garden from Ganlu Palace, he thought more than once that he wished he could be in Yu Palace without restrictions and freely enter and leave Shanglin Garden.

Chu Ling valued it so much not only because Shanglin Garden was large enough, but also because the Emperor Taizu left a letter mentioning a treasure trove within the Shanglin Garden.

Knowing this, Chu Ling seemed to know a secret.

When Emperor Taizu proposed building the Shanglin Garden, many people found it hard to believe. The usually frugal Emperor Taizu was going to spend so much money and grain to build a detached palace and villa, which caught many people off guard.

There are people who oppose this.

But not much.

After all, no one dared to easily oppose what the founding emperor wanted to do, and those who did oppose him all died without exception. This made the people of the Great Yu both respect and fear the founding emperor.

In fact, it's only natural for a treasury to be built near Yudu. If it were built in a remote, sparsely populated area, it would attract attention.

Row.

Even if this matter is carried out in secret and not discovered by anyone, the original purpose of building this treasure vault was for the successor emperor to use to consolidate power, even though he was completely sidelined.

If it's to be built very far away, how will we get the materials?

Having spent a long time in Dayu and experienced a lot, Chu Ling dared not underestimate anything that these intelligent people, who belonged to different factions, did. Because if something was actually accomplished without you noticing, the results might not be visible at the moment, but they would become apparent over time.

"If Your Majesty is willing to travel to Shanglin Garden, this old servant will make the arrangements." In this atmosphere, Xia Wang's words made Chu Ling wary.

"You seem to really want me to go to Shanglin Garden?"

Chu Ling remained silent for a moment, scrutinizing Xia Wangdao.

"This old servant would never harm Your Majesty."

Xia Wang remained calm and bowed to Chu Ling, saying, "There is something Your Majesty is looking for in Shanglin Garden, but all this old servant can do is try my best to facilitate it."

"Make your point clearer."

Chu Ling frowned.

Chu Ling understood better than anyone that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Besides, his current identity was that of the Emperor of Great Yu. Even if he just opened his mouth, someone would come to fulfill all his requests.

Of course, this excludes matters related to power.

As for the rest, there are no problems.

Even an emperor who doesn't hold real power and rule personally is still an emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty!

Anyone who dares to underestimate the Emperor is making an enemy of the Great Yu Dynasty!

However, Xia Wang's hasty visit to see him without explanation suggests that Shanglin Garden has something he wants, which inevitably arouses Chu Ling's suspicion.

Don't end up falling into a trap instead of getting a piece of the pie.

There wasn't much freedom in the Yu Palace.

But at least safety is guaranteed.

After speaking with the Empress Dowager, Chu Ling realized that what the three empresses feared most was that something would happen to him. The Great Yu had hastily lost an emperor and hastily chosen him as the successor emperor. But if anything happened to him, it would not be good for the world.

Seeking stability is a common desire.

After all, only when the Great Yu is stable can their various possessions be guaranteed. Without this fundamental stability, no matter how much they possess, it is meaningless.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Under Chu Ling's gaze, Xia Wang bowed and said, "This old servant cannot speak yet. If Your Majesty does not wish to go to Shanglin Garden, then this old servant retracts what I just said."

The atmosphere inside Ganlu Hall changed. Chu Ling stood quietly in place. He knew that this was Xia Wang testing him, but what could this test bring to Xia Wang? And what could it bring to him?