Phi-Fic Chapter 643 Just in case 1?
Chapter 643 Just in case 1?
After returning to Xingzhou, King Ming was depressed for several days.
Even after receiving the emperor's decree of investiture, he didn't seem particularly happy.
How could he sleep soundly after losing 100,000 shi of grain for no reason?
He had originally raised a lot of private soldiers in Xingzhou, which was very expensive. He finally managed to raise 100,000 shi of grain, but unexpectedly, it all went to Duanmu Chuze for nothing.
It would be truly remarkable if the Ming King were genuinely pleased.
"Your Highness, the loss of 100,000 shi of grain this time is not a big deal; we can always find another way. The key issue is the attitude of Prince Chang Le towards this matter."
One of the advisors beside the Prince carefully observed the Prince's expression and spoke slowly.
King Ming was slightly taken aback. "Fourth brother's attitude? Tell me, what have you figured out this time?"
"Your Highness, Prince Chang Le knew that you were the mastermind behind all of this, but he did not choose to expose it to the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Instead, the Crown Prince's men made things worse and caused considerable trouble for the Xie family."
The King of Ming's brow twitched, and he seemed to understand his words somewhat.
This time, if others didn't know it was him, at least Duanmu Chuze knew. But he clearly supported the Crown Prince, so why didn't he report it to them? Was it because he didn't have solid evidence, or did he simply not intend to report it?
“Your Highness, Prince Chang Le is the youngest of the princes, and also the most favored by the Emperor and Empress. Not only has he made great achievements on the battlefield at a young age, but he is also governing Yanzhou well. If he speaks, he will certainly carry some weight.”
King Ming frowned; he too was somewhat unable to fathom Duanmu Chuze's thoughts.
“That’s right, you’re right. If he had spoken, it would have been much more convincing than any false testimony fabricated by the Xie family. But he didn’t say anything. That means, deep down, he still doesn’t want his brother to fall into poverty.”
“Prince Chang Le is young, so he naturally values family ties more than you and the Crown Prince. Just from his attitude towards the Princess Consort, we can see that Prince Chang Le is a person who values loyalty and righteousness. Such a person would naturally not easily let his family suffer.”
"Last time I left Xingzhou without permission, it was this kid who reminded me, otherwise, I'm afraid something really bad would have happened. Hehe, this fourth brother is quite interesting."
"Your Highness, please forgive my disrespect, but with someone like Prince Chang Le assisting the Crown Prince, Your Highness's great cause will likely be difficult to achieve."
King Ming's face darkened. "What do you mean?"
The strategist knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness," he said, "I dare not show the slightest disrespect. However, the abilities of the Prince of Changle are well-known. Moreover, if we truly intend to lead our army to threaten the Crown Prince, we will inevitably have to pass through Yanzhou. Do you think the Prince of Changle will allow us to pass?"
"If he won't let me pass, I naturally have other ways. This matter is nothing." King Ming waved his hand dismissively.
“But Your Highness, have you considered this? Even if we don’t pass through Yanzhou, will the Prince of Changle turn a blind eye? I have had people investigate and found out that although the Prince of Changle has been focusing on governing Yanzhou these past two years, he has not been careless in military matters at all.”
Ming Wang's expression changed instantly, his eyes sharp and filled with shock. "You mean to say that Duanmu Chuze's vigorous support for local industry, agriculture, and commerce over the past two years has been nothing more than a facade?"
"Your Highness, these are all just my guesses. For specific details, I would like to ask Your Highness to send someone to Yanzhou to investigate carefully."
King Ming took a deep breath. "Well done, Duanmu Chuzhe. I underestimated you. Very well! I'll see what you've been hiding in Yanzhou."
The strategist's prediction was correct; Duanmu Chuze had indeed not neglected military affairs in the past two years.
However, some things can be found out, while others may not.
When Duanmu Chuze returned to Yijing Garden, Mu Xinnuan was breastfeeding her child.
"How can this kid eat so much? He's like a pig."
Mu Xin Nuan rolled her eyes at him, "Duanmu Chu Ze, watch your mouth! Don't forget, he's your son."
Duanmu Chuze smiled ingratiatingly and sat down opposite her. After watching the child finish eating, Mu Xin Nuan lowered her clothes, covering her snow-white, plump figure, and couldn't help but swallow hard.
The wet nurse took the child outside, leaving the couple to talk there.
"What's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind?" Mu Xin Nuan tied the sash of her clothes and looked up to ask him.
Duanmu Chuze raised an eyebrow and sighed, "We might be in some trouble."
"what?"
"We robbed the Ming King of 100,000 shi of grain this time. Do you think the Ming King won't take any action?"
"You're not just afraid of his retaliation, are you?"
Duanmu Chuze nodded. "More importantly, what do we want to do with so much of his grain? If it were two years ago, it might have been to provide relief to disaster victims. But in the past two years, Yanzhou has enjoyed favorable weather, and our own granaries have been filled by more than half. We are not short of grain."
A glint appeared in Mu Xin Nuan's eyes. "A Ze, tell me, are you hiding something from me?"
"It's not a big deal. It's just that the number of soldiers in our camp is slightly more than the number I reported to the court."
A little bit?
Mu Xin Nuan glanced at him sideways, naturally disbelieving his explanation.
Duanmu Chuze touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, "Okay, there are tens of thousands more."
Tens of thousands? Mu Xin Nuan's eyes widened immediately. Tens of thousands, or just a little bit? But the Emperor sends people to check the number of soldiers every year. How did he manage to hide it?
"Have you forgotten about the construction of Chang Le Fang? Many soldiers were dressed as ordinary civilians and worked there. And the same thing happened in Xingwen District later."
"I see, but that still doesn't require tens of thousands of people, does it?"
"Furthermore, the border defense line of Qishan is too long. Even if people from the imperial court came down, it would be impossible to walk through the entire area. That's why they were able to keep it from tens of thousands of people. It's not a problem at all."
"Then why are you doing this?" Mu Xin Nuan couldn't figure out what he was planning to do.
Having known him for so long and lived with him for several years, I naturally know that he is not someone who values power excessively. Otherwise, he wouldn't have avoided the emperor and refused to attend court back in the capital.
"I'm just doing this as a precaution."
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes darkened; his words, "just in case," really made people think of many things.