Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1186 - 174: Fourth Brother Let Eighth Brother Go to Qingzhou, and That Was His Defeat

Word of Prince Jing's demise reached the capital, yet it barely caused a stir in the imperial court. Many officials had long anticipated his passing. That he lingered for a time before succumbing instead struck some as peculiar.

Whether Prince Jing's end was truly accidental, or otherwise, held no interest for the civil and military officials assembled. A commandery prince already out of favor was hardly worth the court's focused attention.

The Emperor himself did not issue a decree to thoroughly scrutinize the circumstances of Prince Jing's so-called accidental death. He merely ordained that the prince be buried with considerable honors, accorded the rites befitting a first-rank prince.

Prince Jing, being the Emperor's own kin, was destined for interment within the Imperial Mausoleum. Consequently, his earthly remains required transport back to the capital, and his funeral rites were to be conducted there.

An imperial order was dispatched, tasking Prince Wei with journeying to Prince Jing's fief, escorting the deceased's remains back to the capital for proper burial.

The court officials engaged in prolonged debate over this arrangement orchestrated by the Emperor. To many, dispatching Prince Wei at this juncture clearly signaled an attempt to remove him from the succession race.

At present, only Prince Chu and Prince Wei remained viable contenders among the imperial princes in the capital. Their contest for the heir apparent's position was an open spectacle. To order Prince Wei away from the capital at such a critical juncture, was this not a veiled maneuver to disqualify him from the contest?

Prince Wei's extended absence from the capital would undoubtedly benefit the officials who backed Prince Chu. They could seize the opportunity while Prince Wei was away to systematically dismantle his faction. By the time he returned, his influence within the court would be utterly dismantled.

The ministers loyal to Prince Wei harbored deep anxieties regarding his departure from the capital, yet they found themselves powerless against the Emperor's decree.

Prince Chu's faction rejoiced, perceiving the Emperor's actions as favorable to Prince Chu, and believed that with Prince Wei's absence, Prince Chu's ascension to Crown Prince was a near certainty. However, neither Prince Chu nor Yang Ling shared this optimistic outlook.

Within the secluded study, Prince Chu convened with several trusted ministers to dissect the true motivations behind Prince Wei's mandated departure from the capital.

As a pivotal strategist within Prince Chu's inner circle, Yang Ling was, naturally, in attendance. He harbored a strong conviction that Prince Wei's decision to leave the capital at this precise moment concealed deeper intentions and should not be underestimated.

"Your Highness," Yang Ling began, his tone measured, "Considering Prince Wei's cunning intellect and his established methods, even if His Majesty commanded him to Qingzhou to escort Prince Jing, he could have devised a means to refuse. Yet, he complied without demur. This suggests an underlying agenda." Qingzhou served as Prince Jing's demoted domain after his fall from princely status to that of a commandery prince. "There must be something of significance in Qingzhou, or a particular matter requiring his personal attention there, that compels Prince Wei to undertake this journey."Minister D concurred. "Indeed. While Swamp Prefecture and Qingzhou are geographically distant, both serve as vital ports. It's plausible Prince Han possesses knowledge pertinent to Qingzhou." What Minister A had articulated struck the core of the matter. None could claim a deeper understanding of Qingzhou than Zhao Yao. In earlier times, Qingzhou was the very fiefdom Zhao Yao had selected for himself. Consequently, he had long ago arranged for his maternal uncle to establish business ventures there. Currently, Zhao Yao's uncle had ascended to become a prominent magnate in Qingzhou, wielding extraordinary wealth and influence. The Liang family could readily be identified as a distinguished aristocratic lineage within Qingzhou. Moreover, prior to Zhao Yao's departure for Swamp Prefecture, numerous undertakings were entrusted to his uncle's care in Qingzhou. This included the construction of merchant vessels over the years. At this very moment, his uncle continued to oversee the construction of both merchant ships and warships for Zhao Yao within Qingzhou.