Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 124 - 114: Too Clever by Half_2

The Emperor closed his eyes, his expression devout as he chanted scriptures to pray for the late Empress.

Zhao Yao, while reciting and praying, was quietly observing his royal brothers. He noticed that each of his brothers appeared deeply pious, as if they were sincerely praying.

He had to admit, his brothers’ acting skills were truly remarkable.

The Crown Prince was assassinated, and the Second Brother was the most likely suspect. Many people probably thought he did it; even the Crown Prince must have believed that the Second Brother sent the assassin.

Despite being suspected by many, the Second Brother remained calm and unruffled. However, to be fair, since the assassin wasn’t sent by the Second Brother, he naturally stayed composed.

Even if the Second Brother was not responsible, wasn’t he afraid of being framed?

Father Emperor assigned Duke Zhen and General Shen to investigate the assassination. Duke Zhen couldn’t possibly do nothing. With Duke Zhen’s methods, even if the Second Brother wasn’t responsible, he would ensure the Second Brother became a suspect.

Even if the Second Brother wasn’t responsible, once he was truly suspected, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t clear his name.

As for the Third Brother... forget it.

But the Eighth Brother... what exactly was he planning? And where did he get a suicide squad?

In recent years, the Eighth Brother aligned with the Crown Prince, but secretly, how many things had he done? Moreover, how much power had he quietly amassed for himself?

The Eighth Brother, being only in his teens, had already orchestrated so many things for himself and hid them so well... truly... he was too monstrous.

He always thought that among the royal brothers, the Fourth Brother was the smartest, but now he realized that the Eighth Brother was the most astute. The Fourth Brother excelled academically, but in political affairs, he couldn’t compare to the Eighth Brother.

Although he didn’t know what exactly the Eighth Brother had done in recent years, judging by the assassination incident this time, the Eighth Brother’s actions were significant and possibly involved a nationwide scheme, gathering many people or forces.

To be honest, even he couldn’t accomplish what the Eighth Brother had done.

The Eighth Brother was indeed like those legendary cunning beings.

With the Eighth Brother’s intelligence and tactics, no one could match him. Despite the fierce struggle between the Crown Prince and the Second Brother, ultimately the winner wouldn’t be them, nor the Third Brother.

The Fourth Brother probably had a chance to compete with the Eighth Brother, but he thought the Fourth Brother lacked the Eighth Brother’s ruthlessness, and might not be a match in the end. There’s another possibility that the Eighth Brother, being too ruthless, might eventually be trapped by his own schemes, losing to the Fourth Brother.

Whether it’s the Fourth or Eighth Brother, both were kind to him. Although he didn’t wish for the Fourth and Eighth Brothers to become enemies, they inevitably would unless one of them decided to forgo vying for the throne.

Neither the Eighth nor Fourth Brother overtly expressed ambitions for the throne, but he knew they both desired it.

As royal offspring, they considered their status noble and capable, so why shouldn’t they strive for the throne?

A prince who doesn’t wish for the throne is not a good prince.

No prince would not wish to sit on that throne.

Of course, he was an exception, unlike his brothers with worldly ambitions. He genuinely believed sitting on that throne brought no benefit, just weariness.

In the future, whether the Fourth or Eighth Brother ascended the throne, his days would be easier.

Regarding the future contest between the Fourth and Eighth Brother for the throne, he had better not meddle. Besides, it wasn’t his place to interfere. In the end, if one loses, he would plead for mercy on their behalf.

Zhao Yao, after pondering these matters for a while, ended up with a headache. Gathering his thoughts, he stopped dwelling on such issues. He was merely an innocent child, unaware and ignorant of everything.

After closing his eyes and chanting for a while, Zhao Yao felt drowsy. He quickly pinched his own thigh hard; having accidentally pinched too hard, he nearly cried out in pain.

The Fourth Prince noticed Zhao Yao’s action and barely held back his laughter.

The pinch temporarily chased away the sleepiness, and Zhao Yao continued pretending to be devoutly chanting and praying.

In the Crown Prince’s Courtyard, the Eighth Prince awoke.

Yu Hai just received a letter and handed it to him for review.

After reading the letter, the Eighth Prince’s brows immediately furrowed, and his once pale face turned solemn.

Seeing his expression, Yu Hai quickly inquired with concern, "Your Highness, has something happened?"

The Eighth Prince handed the letter to Yu Hai, instructing him to burn it over a candle.

Yu Hai didn’t read the content of the letter and directly burned it.

"I hadn’t expected Father Emperor to have long known something was amiss with the rebellion in Yangzhou," the Eighth Prince said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "Father Emperor is indeed shrewd and calculating."

Yu Hai was astounded by this statement: "Your Highness, did the Emperor know about the Yangzhou matter long ago?"

"I fear Father Emperor sent Xie Shi to Yangzhou to quell the rebellion as a guise," the Eighth Prince weakly replied, "Father Emperor truly is cunning and strategic."

An involuntary anxiety crept into Yu Hai’s heart: "Your Highness, if the Emperor knows about the Yangzhou affair, doesn’t that expose what we did? Yet you seem so calm."

"Father Emperor only sensed something amiss with the rebellion in Yangzhou but didn’t discover anything else," the Eighth Prince stated calmly, "Our dealings haven’t been detected."

Yu Hai breathed a long sigh of relief upon hearing this: "That’s good." He had barely said this when he suddenly remembered something, and his face grew tense again, "Your Highness, could the people from Yangzhou betray you?"

"No, they won’t," the Eighth Prince stated with certainty, "They don’t know who I am."

"Indeed, it is my overthinking," Yu Hai conceded, then asked, "Your Highness, since the Emperor noticed something unusual in Yangzhou, what should we do next?"

"Have them withdraw, then kill those people," the Eighth Prince remarked lightly.

"Yes, Your Highness." Yu Hai thought of the matter concerning General Ning Yuan and asked again, "Your Highness, what about the issue with General Ning Yuan?"

"Proceed as planned," the Eighth Prince considered the matter of the daughter of Kong Taichang secretly entering monastic life and instructed Yu Hai, "Tomorrow, let Prince Dai know about Kong Yao secretly entering Bodhi Temple."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Eighth Prince, after talking for this little while, could hardly endure anymore and fell asleep with closed eyes.

Yu Hai walked over to the bed and carefully tucked in the corners of the quilt for the Eighth Prince.

Looking at the Eighth Prince’s completely bloodless face, Yu Hai’s eyes were filled with deep concern.

The Prince’s health was never good, and now, having suffered such severe injuries, he might have harmed his fundamental health, taking three to five years to recover.

Alas, the Prince was truly too harsh on himself.

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