"My younger brother is idle, and he misses his father in his heart, so he doesn't dare to slack off." The fourth prince bowed his head and said.

That's a really interesting thing to say. He came early, because he was worried about the emperor and didn't dare to slack off, and if he came late, he naturally didn't miss the emperor so much, so he slacked off. The third prince said, "The fourth brother has been sensible and filial since he was a child, and among the brothers, you are the most pure and filial, and the third brother is really ashamed." ”

He generously admitted this, but the fourth prince was a little caught off guard, and looked up at him in shock. The third prince smiled at him, and then turned to the emperor, "The son will come and read the excerpt for his father, and let the fourth brother take a rest." Although the son is not as pure and filial as the fourth brother, the father should also give his son a chance to show his son. ”

The Emperor nodded slightly with his eyes half-closed.

The fourth prince had no choice but to stand up and give up his position to the third prince. Then the third prince began to recite without distraction. He read very clearly, but the speed was not slow, and when he reached the critical place, he would stop and give the emperor time to react. It is much better than the four princes of different government affairs.

The fourth prince stood next to him for a while, and had to quietly withdraw.

Only then did the emperor open his eyes and ask, "I have been in poor spirits lately, and I forgot to ask you, have all the things in Haizhou been arranged?" ”

"Father, rest assured, the son has made proper arrangements when he comes, and there will be no problems." The third prince said, "When I arrived in Haizhou, my son knew that the profits of Haimao were so terrifying. This has become the lifeblood of the country, and the son will be careful. ”

The emperor let out an "um" and suddenly asked, "Do you already have an answer to what I asked you last time?" ”

"I can't hide anything from my father." The third prince put down the fold in his hand and said, "My son does have a little idea, but I don't know if it's right or not, and I ask my father to teach me." ”

Then he said his answer, "My father is wise and martial, and the sons born are naturally handsome and talented. Therefore, the son felt that he should use them all to live up to his father's years of training. ”

"Oh? Aren't you afraid? ”

"There is a cloud in the art of war: know yourself and know your opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles. If I could get to know them well and know what they wanted, I wouldn't have to be afraid. "The three princes are categorical.

As long as you know the weakness of the other person, you can grasp this weakness and make the other party obey your orders, and you can't get rid of it. This is the human heart. It doesn't matter if you do what you like, whether it's to hold on to your shortcomings, or even if it's just a simple deterrent...... As long as you can achieve the goal, it is the right way.

It doesn't matter if the other party is a courtier or a brother.

The Emperor finally opened his eyes.

In one sentence, the three princes spoke the core of the four words "Emperor's Mental Art": control.

How do you control it? Throughout history, it is easy to see that the emperor is unwilling to let the court have only one voice, and a certain minister is too outstanding, so he promotes people who work with him.

There are many ministers who do practical things, but because they are so bored, they consume their time and energy, and in the end they fail to do anything. And those who overcome all difficulties, can overpower the other party even in such a situation, and cover the sky with one hand, in the end, they all become powerful ministers and traitors, and in the end there is almost no good end. - Even if he did a lot of practical things, even if the emperor supported him in the first place.

This is because it is beyond control, so it has to be sacrificed. Even if it has a negative impact, it will not hesitate.

But after all, the loss is too great. Every court that falls into the party/strife will eventually fall from the inside, and finally be broken by people. Therefore, every emperor may want to find a better way: to control the court and avoid attrition.

The best of both worlds may exist in this world, but it probably does not include the government. The emperor and the ministers—the prime minister, to be exact—seemed to represent the imperial court, as a whole, but in reality they were opposites.

There is only one power, and if the prime minister has more power, he will divide the emperor's, and if the emperor wants to hold the power alone, the prime minister's power will be suppressed. Therefore, this kind of struggle can never be stopped, and as long as there is a struggle, this kind of internal friction will always exist and cannot be eliminated.

But even if you can't eliminate it, it's good to be able to optimize it. The words of the third prince are equivalent to putting forward a new idea. As for whether it can be done, and whether it will give rise to other problems, we will not consider it for the time being. Only if he can say such things, it means that he has the qualifications to be an emperor.

The emperor looked at his third son with a complicated look in his eyes.

In fact, he is too busy and is not close enough to each child, although there are several sons, but the relationship between father and son is so weak that it makes people sigh. When the enterprising spirit is not enough in his later years and wants to enjoy the joy of family, he realizes that it is too late.

The matter of the crown prince sounded a wake-up call for the emperor. Even between father and son, sometimes they turn against each other. And he himself was dying, and seeing that he was dying, his son was still so young and vigorous, even if he had to be gentle and frugal, it also made the emperor feel threatened.

What's more, no matter which son it is, he has not hidden his ambitions. The reason why he is so respectful to him is just because the decision is still in his hands. But occasionally, such as just now, no matter how restrained it is, it will still show a bit of edge, which makes people feel dazzling.

But fortunately, because the feelings are not heavy, the emperor can make a relatively fair judgment.

Among the sons, the third prince Yuan Ke is already quite good. And today's words made the emperor feel that he had underestimated him before, or maybe ...... It's that he's disguised too well.

Once the emperor becomes suspicious, there will inevitably be many more twists and turns in his mind. Even now lying in the hospital bed, he still can't help but think about it.

If this son was hiding before, then what was he for, and who was he guarding against? And now that he can stand in front of him, who is behind him to support and help him? The more he thought about it, the more complicated the emperor's eyes became when he looked at the three princes.

After answering, the third prince was a little excited when he saw that the emperor finally opened his eyes. At least my father's cousin xiàn seems to care a lot about his answer.

But the emperor just looked at him and didn't make an evaluation for a long time, which inevitably made the three princes feel worried. It was a shame that he could only keep his head down, not daring to look at the emperor, otherwise when he saw the emperor's eyes at this moment, I was afraid that cold sweat would break out all over his body.

Rao is so, and now he feels full of trembling, which is more frightening than standing on the surface of a lake covered with thin ice.

After a while, the emperor slowly spoke, "The idea is not bad, someone taught you?" ”

This sentence was an understatement, but the three princes' hairs stood on end in an instant. What does this mean? Does he know his relationship with Fuwangfu? Or is it just a temptation?

But these thoughts did not prevent him from answering, "No, it is a little shallow opinion of my son." It's just that I don't know if it's right yet, so please comment on my father. ”

Fortunately, the emperor was willing to speak, and the conversation seemed to be back on track. Although the third prince was still full of nervousness, he was also a little more sure of coping.

But the emperor probably didn't let him go with it, and instead of commenting on the meaning of the third prince, he said, "This idea is interesting, but my time is short, and I can't see it anymore." I just don't know who can watch you for me......"

Or is it an allusion to the fact that there is someone behind him.

Of course, the third prince knew that the emperor was jealous of the Fu Wangfu. In fact, is he himself afraid? Of course there is. But now that he hasn't even sat in that position, naturally he can't talk about any jealousy. King Fu's Mansion is now one of the forces he relies on.

So his attitude is naturally different from that of the emperor.

He immediately knelt down and said, "Father, don't say that, you have inherited the mandate of heaven and have the imperial doctors to take care of you, and you will definitely get better soon." Don't say such things that make your son sad. The son is just talking nonsense, if he makes his father sad, it is the son who is unfilial. ”

vaguely avoided the emperor's question.

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at him for a while, and said, "Get up, what are you doing on your knees?" Is that scary? ”

"It is natural for a son to kneel to his father, and it is also happy for a son to kneel when he can hear his father's teachings." The three princes flattered.

After that, the emperor did not ask the question again, but said something else. The third prince breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and finally fooled it. If the emperor continued to ask, the third prince was really not sure if he would be able to resist the past.

At least when he exited the inner chamber, he felt like he was drenched in sweat. It was never because of the heat. -- There are ice stickers in the four corners of the room, and high icebergs are piled on them, exuding a hint of coolness. The smoked incense is filled with mint, and the smell is also cool.

The fourth prince was sitting next to him, talking to the minister in a low voice. The third prince listened for a while, and found that he was just talking about poetry, so he snorted slightly and found a place to sit down. However, after he turned his head, the fourth prince looked up at him almost immediately, his eyes heavy.

There is only one throne, everyone is a competitor, and now that it has reached the last moment, no one will stay. It is important to express Xiàn in front of the emperor, but the actions in private have not decreased in the slightest. If you can directly step on a competitor, your chances of winning will naturally increase.

However, since he had already said such things to the emperor, the third prince could not choose this method.

What he has to do is to turn his words into reality. Otherwise, it's just an empty promise. If you can't do it now, you may not be able to do it in the future. If a person does it now, then after becoming the emperor, it is needless to say.

The third prince was actually faintly worried. Because he really can't make up his mind about how to do it.

However, in fact, he was not asked to bother much, and that night, a fire broke out in the library of the Four Princes, and a large number of books that he had worked so hard to accumulate and was proud of over the years were buried in the fire. All night, the four princes were organizing people to put out the fire and save the books, but what they snatched out was still only a small half of them.

Hearing this news, the third prince knew that someone had done it for him. It's a very strange feeling. Because he hadn't even gotten word yet, but the other side had apparently already known his thoughts, and had done it beautifully.

Of course, this matter could not make the four princes obey him immediately and stand behind him, but it could contain the energy of the four princes, distract him, and make him unable to work the throne without distractions. It's not a good idea, but it's immediate, and it's quite deterrent.

At least the third prince himself can't think of a better one.

When he entered the palace on this day, the emperor's eyes looked at him with subtle changes. is ruthless, and can find an entry point, this mental means, even the emperor himself, is nothing more than that.

Yuan Ziqing made a good start for the three princes, but he did not continue to participate in the next matter, but let the three princes gather the people around him, discuss the results, and then implement them. These plans have more or less had a little effect, stifling the energy of others.

Although the third prince himself had to put a lot of energy into it, this was originally the exam question given to him by the emperor, and it didn't matter how much effort he put into it. But for others, this may not be the case.

However, in just half a month, the situation in the capital has changed again.

At this time, the other princes all showed their declining appearances, and there were more and more people standing on the side of the three princes. Every time the third prince entered the palace to serve the sick, the expression on his face became more and more high-spirited, which was in stark contrast to the dying emperor.

On this day, the emperor finally decided to summon all the princes and important ministers to the Taiji Palace.

Although the oracle did not say what it was for, everyone understood at a glance that this was the final decision on the storage position.

As for the candidates, most people actually have speculations in their hearts.

When everyone's eyes were focused on the palace, the three of them finally left the Three Princes' Mansion and went to the remote courtyard to reunite with King Fu and Yuan Ziqing.

Yuan Ziqing was really shocked and angry when he knew that Mei ran back before, why did he send people away? It's nothing more than that the situation is changing rapidly, and no one can say that they can definitely succeed. In order to have no worries, he sent all his family away. As a result, these three people were so bold that they ran back again!

Fortunately, his brain is not too bad, and he knows that the team that followed the three princes has never been discovered. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Ziqing actually didn't plan to do everything for the third prince to that point, at most he came up with an idea behind the scenes. But now that the family is with the third prince, there is no way out. He had to put a lot of effort into it.

However, when he saw the three of them at this time, he had no intention of reprimanding.

It's just that when she was alone with Meiban, she couldn't help but say to her, "You promised me before that you would go to Haizhou in peace, why did you suddenly want to come back?" ”

Meibian didn't mean to sell Zhou Yingyue, so he said, "It's just that considering that Haizhou may have already gotten the news, if it just passes, maybe it will become a turtle in someone else's urn, so I simply find another way and pick a path that the other party can't think of at all." ”

"Besides," she raised her head to look at Yuan Ziqing, "Actually, I regretted it as soon as I got out of Beijing." In times like this, I should stay with you and deal with you no matter what happens. How can you escape by yourself and let you stay and cope? ”

When Yuan Ziqing heard her words, he could only reprimand helplessly, "Nonsense, you stayed here to really distract me." Besides, there are so many relatives, and someone has to take care of them. And our Xiao Jiu, if something happens to you and me, what will he do? ”

"I know all of this, but I won't leave you in any case. No matter what happens, we face it together as a family, and if there is a discord, it is always a family. Eyebrow insisted.

Yuan Ziqing had no choice but to say, "Don't say it, this time the incident has passed, and it will naturally be a good day in the future, and there will be no time when we need to be separated." Even if you want to go, I won't let you go. ”

Only then did his eyebrows turn into joy, and he raised his hand to touch his face and said, "You have lost weight." ”

"I'm already thin." Yuan Ziqing held her hand, "It's you, looking at it, your complexion is much worse, you must have been running all the way, and you have been worried since you entered Beijing." When things are settled, it will take a while to have children. ”

"Okay." At this time, the eyebrows naturally did not come up with him, and immediately nodded obediently.

But Yuan Ziqing has already seen from this incident, and Meibian is not a person who will obediently listen to his arrangement. Once something happens, I'm afraid it will still be on its own. It seems that if you don't put people around and watch, you can't do it.

Then Yuan Ziqing asked them again about what happened after they left Beijing, where the elders and children had settled...... The husband and wife had enough of parting feelings, and then they quietly snuggled together.

Although they have only been separated for a few months, they are very unaccustomed to it. Yuan Ziqing held the person in his arms, and his mind floated. Meiban said that she was unwilling to leave him again, in fact, why was he willing to send Meiban away? If it weren't for her safety, he would have liked to keep her in front of him and be seen at all times.

In this quiet embrace, each other's hearts seem to have gradually calmed down, no longer full of restlessness.

……

At this time, the palace has also reached the most critical time.

The emperor seems to be much more energetic today than before, but everyone knows that this is a return to light. After this period passes, it will be the limit.

But no one dared to mention it, they all listened to the emperor's orderly arrangement.

The emperor first called all his sons in, and Haosheng told him a lot of words, and finally left the three princes alone. At this point, there is no longer any doubt about the ownership of the storage location. As for the emperor leaving the three princes alone, I think it is appropriate to teach him face-to-face and instruct him to be the way of the king.

However, the relationship between the father and son in the inner room is not as harmonious as everyone thinks.

The emperor leaned on the head of the bed, staring at the third prince with blazing eyes, and his first sentence was full of malice, "Don't think that you have a chance to win, even at this moment, I have a way...... Lift someone up! ”

The eyes of the three princes flickered. The recent shun lì made him a little fluttering, and he felt that the throne was left to me. Especially the endless flattery of the people around him, making him look as if he really wanted to be. However, the emperor's words were like a basin of ice water poured down, pouring him cold on his heart.

He's not an emperor yet.

As if hearing what he was saying, the emperor said coldly, "Don't say that you are not the emperor yet, even if you are, do you think you can do whatever you want?" ”

"The son is stupid, please teach your father." The three princes finally knelt down willingly, no longer treating the emperor as an unimportant dying person, but still a multi-thousand-powered venerable who could decide life and death with a word.

The emperor looked at the third prince and said slowly, "You are young...... Even if he becomes the emperor, he will still be constrained everywhere in the court. Your plan was good, but now, I'm afraid you can't do it! When the time comes, what are you going to do? ”

He didn't wait for the third prince to answer, but continued, "There are ministers of prestige in the court, ambitious courtiers, and your elder clan relatives...... Everyone has their own ideas and wants you to do what they want! Although I have removed many for you, I will always keep the people who do the work...... However, whether you control them or become their puppet is up to you. ”

"Rest assured, my sons will live up to my father's trust." The third prince said in a deep voice.

The emperor snorted, and suddenly said, "I remember, you used to have dealings with the Fuwang Mansion?" Did the blessed king also point to you? He stared at the third prince, "At this point, I don't ask you how you got here, you can't lie!" ”

The third prince was slightly shocked, lowered his head and said, "Yes." ”

The emperor's eyes were a little dazed, "Sure enough, ......"

The third prince was worried and didn't know what would happen. After hearing the emperor's silence for a while, he spoke slowly.

"Supporting you to ascend to the throne is really a great achievement, at that time, how do I plan to reward your uncle Wang?" He asked.

When the emperor ascended the throne, he received the support of King Fu, so he had already made him a prince, and allowed Yuan Ziqing not to be demoted to the throne, which can be described as a great honor. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he still relies on his support, but he has no seal.

Unless the three princes make up their minds to seal the territory, no other rewards will be enough to offset this achievement.

The emperor's question set off a huge wave in the hearts of the three princes. After all, King Fu can't come to help him because he wants to be a good person, he always has to ask for something. But he has already reached this position, except for the emperor, who is the most noble, what else do you want to ask for?

Thinking about it like this, I couldn't be at peace for a moment in my heart, and I couldn't wait to let King Fu stand in front of him immediately and let him answer this question.

The emperor did not continue, but closed his eyes and said, "I have passed the throne to you, but there is one thing for you to do. ”

"The father has a life, and the son will never give up."

Only then did the emperor suddenly open his eyes, and a ray of light burst out of his eyes, and he spit out four words categorically: "Get rid of King Fu!" ”

It was as if a thunderclap was falling from a silent place, and it was as if a new door was opening in front of his eyes. The third prince was slightly dizzy in front of him, and then he heard the emperor's tired voice: "Go and call the Zaifu to come in and draft an edict." ”