Chapter 81

The Prince's Mansion of the Second Prince, Min Ruoying, is now the busiest place in the capital, Shangjing. With the Crown Prince, Min Ruocheng, being confined, the struggle for the throne between the two princes has come to an end, with Min Ruoying emerging as the clear victor. Since the Min royal family has only these two princes, Min Ruoying's ascension to power has become an indisputable fact.

Those who previously burned the wrong incense and paid homage to the wrong temple now have to quickly make up for their past mistakes. This has led to the streets outside the mansion being packed every day with people eager to enter and pay their respects.

Although it is late, coming is better than not coming at all, at least it shows a certain attitude.

Min Ruoying, of course, holds these people in utter contempt. These people who beg to see him will still crawl at his feet like lapdogs, even if he ignores them and doesn't give them a second glance. With just a nod from him, they will viciously attack those he wants them to, using others' blood to win his favor. There are too many such people, and they will never be in short supply.

On the contrary, those who are truly useful and have great abilities, like Yang Yihé, even now that the dust has settled, disdain coming to flatter him.

Yang Yihé left today.

This made Min Ruoying particularly angry. Min Ruoying did not consider himself a narrow-minded person. Even though Yang Yihé had once strongly supported his elder brother before the emperor and resigned because of it, as long as Yang Yihé stayed in Shangjing, he would still use him. After all, Yang Yihé is the foremost civil official of the Great Chu, and his governance achievements over the years are evident to all. Even as the emperor's health declined and the struggle for the throne intensified, the political situation remained relatively stable, which cannot be attributed to anyone other than the Left Chancellor. Therefore, Min Ruoying felt that he would still need Yang Yihé in the short term after ascending to the throne. As long as Yang Yihé was willing to lower his proud head and help stabilize the political situation, Min Ruoying was willing to give him a good ending.

But Yang Yihé left. This was a statement, a refusal to compromise with him, which made Min Ruoying very angry.

The study was in a mess, and the furious Min Ruoying had almost smashed everything in the room.

"Your Highness, please calm down. There's no need to get angry over an old man who doesn't know the times." Luo Liang sat on one side, calm and composed. "The emperor is right; compared to him, An Ruhai is more important."

"Can An Ruhai be trusted?" Min Ruoying looked at Luo Liang and asked.

"He can!" Luo Liang nodded. "An Ruhai is a key minister of the Great Chu, but from another perspective, he is also a family servant of the Min clan. He is loyal to the emperor and to the Min clan. Once Your Highness ascends the throne, his loyalty to you will be no different from his loyalty to the current emperor."

"Even if he knows the truth of the matter?" Min Ruoying sat down.

"Yes. He fears you, and isn't that a good thing?" Luo Liang said.

"But he doesn't respect me. He might even look down on me." Min Ruoying's breathing grew heavier.

"Your Highness, you are determined to be a great emperor like Emperor Li Qing. Unifying the world requires not only grand ambitions but also a broad mind. In the past, how many enemies once fought against Emperor Li Qing, but they all eventually bowed to him. Now, An Ruhai fears you, but you have plenty of time to earn his respect. When you make the flag of the Great Chu fly across the land, will he not respect you? Will he still think what you did in the past was wrong? These are the inevitable costs of achieving great things." Luo Liang smiled and advised.

Min Ruoying nodded slightly. "The western border indeed needs someone like An Ruhai to take charge. Hearing you say this, I feel much better. The most hateful is Yang Yihé. Unfortunately, the emperor forbids me from taking action against him. Treating old ministers well, isn't that what he means?"

Luo Liang laughed. "Your Highness, the emperor's days are numbered. Can you not wait a few more days? Yang Yihé is the foremost civil official, and most of the civil officials oppose you. After you ascend the throne, you need to establish your authority and make these people recognize that you are different from the emperor. Yang Yihé is naturally the best target."

"That's true, but it's hard to act! Won't people say I am retaliating?" Min Ruoying said with some distress.

"Has Yang Yihé been in charge of the government for many years? Do you really think he is as clean as water, with no problems at all?" Luo Liang sneered. "In his position, whether intentionally or unintentionally, knowingly or unknowingly, finding his faults is easy. Just give a hint to the internal guards, and they will naturally find countless pieces of solid evidence to prove that Yang Yihé is a corrupt official and a great parasite of the court."

"Today, An Ruhai went to see Yang Yihé off. They have a deep relationship. Will An Ruhai be willing to do this?"

"Your Highness, don't forget that by then, An Ruhai will already be on his way to the western border. A new emperor, new ministers. The internal guards will naturally be under your control by then." Luo Liang said.

Min Ruoying nodded slowly. "Yang Yihé, I will make you pay a heavy price for leaving today."

"Your Highness, the real problem now is the Crown Prince." Luo Liang said. "The emperor's intention is clear: to conclude the case of the western border army's destruction, but the case must not involve the Crown Prince. This goes against our initial plan, and the matter cannot be delayed. It must be handled now. How to give an account to the court officials and the people, and how to explain the total destruction of the western border army, are all issues. It's far from being explained by just the Left Commander's mistake."

"I have an idea about this." Min Ruoying pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Luo Liang. "General Luo, take a look at this."

"Princess Zhaohua has returned safely? This is indeed good news." Luo Liang quickly read through the content and clapped his hands in joy. "When Li Zhi personally acted to capture Princess Zhaohua, I knew my strength was insufficient to protect her, and I had to retreat, feeling very guilty to Your Highness."

Princess Zhaohua, Min Ruoxi, is the sister of the Second Prince, Min Ruoying, and they share the same mother, so their relationship is naturally close.

"General Luo, there's no need to blame yourself. You did it for my benefit. But good people will be rewarded. Ha ha ha, Li Zhi personally acted, yet Xi'er managed to escape safely. This is truly a sign of great fortune. If Li Zhi had really captured Xi'er and taken her to Yongdu, I would have blamed myself." Min Ruoying said happily.

"From this, it seems that Qin Feng, who escorted the princess on her escape, is a great hero. Your Highness should reward him well! He is a formidable general." Luo Liang smiled.

Min Ruoying looked at Luo Liang, his expression becoming somewhat subtle, staring at him without speaking.

Luo Liang was slightly taken aback, thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized. "Your Highness, so the method you thought of is the Death Corps?"

"Exactly, the Death Corps!" Min Ruoying's handsome face showed a sinister expression.

(Today there is only one chapter, sorry.)

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