In the temple.

Father and son are opposite.

Xiong Huai looked at the dusty Prince Heng, and asked in a flat tone, "Have you already seen your queen mother?" ”

The prince held his breath and replied in a low voice: "Back to my father, my son has already met the queen mother." I didn't want to, I didn't see my mother for a month, but I found that my mother suddenly lost a lot of weight. ”

"yes!" Xiong Huai nodded, and then sighed: "Your queen mother has broken her heart for your two brothers during this time, and the widow is worried about state affairs and has no time to take care of the queen, so that the queen is becoming more and more emaciated and the widow is worried. It just so happens that the prince is returning to Yingdu, so I will accompany your mother more during this time, so that she can be a little relieved! ”

"This..." The prince froze suddenly.

He rushed back to Yingdu thousands of miles away, but he was to share his father's worries! It's for the feudal lord of Danxi!

As a result, his father asked him to accompany his mother.

How can a husband be in love with his children?

Although he was not happy in his heart, his father opened his mouth, and the prince did not dare to resist, so he had to respond: "Yes, father!" ”

Xiong Huai advised: "Also, don't be like your unfilial brother and make your mother angry." ”

The crown prince replied aggrievedly: "Yes, father! ”

Xiong Huai nodded with satisfaction, and then waved his hand: "Go, accompany your mother more." ”

"Yui!" The prince responded, but his body did not move, and he still knelt in front of Xiong Huai.

Xiong Huai's eyes shrank, and he immediately asked in a deep voice, "Why don't you go soon?" ”

The prince hesitated for a moment, but finally asked: "Father, the sons heard about the Song Dynasty, the ministers..."

Before he finished speaking, Xiong Huai interrupted: "Prince, the matter of the Song Dynasty will be dealt with by the widow, and the prince does not have to interfere in this matter." ”

"This..." When the prince heard Xiong Huai's refusal, his mind was immediately confused.

Then, Xiong Huai's face sank, and he said with a straight face: "The prince should go and accompany the queen first, this matter is much more important to the prince and the widow than the matter of the Song Dynasty!" ”

Seeing that Xiong Huai was already angry, the prince immediately bowed his head and responded: "Only! ”

Xiong Huai looked at the back of the prince leaving, muttered for a long time, and then spoke: "Please come to the Taifu and Ling Yin, the widow has something important to entrust." ”

As soon as the words came out, Xiong Huai immediately stopped Li Qiudao, who was going to give the order: "Wait! ”

Xiong Huai thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Forget it, Taifu is old, so there is no need to invite Taifu!" ”

"Yui!"

···

Prince's Mansion.

The prince returned to the mansion and was bathing when a messenger reported outside: "Prince, Ling Yin asks to see him outside the mansion." ”

"Ling Yin?" The prince was stunned for a moment, and immediately responded: "Please order Yin later, Gu will arrive later." ”

"No."

Soon after, the prince came to the hall and saw that Jing Li was sitting in the guest seat with his eyes closed, and immediately stepped forward with a smile.

"Ling Yin!"

"Prince!"

After the ceremony.

Jing Li pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Dare to ask the prince, return in a hurry, but go back for Gongzi Zilan?" ”

The prince nodded horizontally and said: "That's right, Zilan did such a foolish thing, and she was worried about her father and queen mother, so she rushed back to Yingdu from Huaiyin to fulfill her filial piety." ”

Jing Li nodded and said: "The prince's filial piety is commendable, and the king and queen will definitely feel it." ”

When the crown prince heard this, he remembered the diametrically opposed attitudes of the king of Chu and the queen, and was immediately silent.

Seeing this, Jing Li said: "The minister asked to see the king not long ago, but found that the king was not happy about the prince's return, I don't know why the prince is wrong?" ”

"This..." The prince's face froze, and he couldn't respond.

Seeing this, Jing Li muttered: "Prince, after the minister left the palace, he thought about it and gained a little, so he came to ask to see the prince." ”

The crown prince immediately bowed: "Please let Yin instruct!" ”

Jing Li nodded and said, "Prince, since the king learned about Gongzi Zilan, in the past ten days, every time he discussed with the ministers, his eyes were constantly worried. However, when the prince returned today, when the minister asked to see the king, he found that the king's eyes had returned to calm.

Yes, the minister secretly thought that the king was still very happy about the return of the prince, but he was worried about his business. ”

Prince Heng perked up, paused, and asked, "I don't know what Ling Yin thinks his father is worried about?" ”

"It's for the prince!"

"Me?"

Jing Li nodded: "What the king is worried about now is not in the countries outside the Chu State, but in the Chu Kingdom. In order to deal with the war of various countries against Chu, the king has been preparing for several years, and the grain and grass equipment are abundant, and the armies of various countries are blocked by our Chu army, and the work is fruitless, which is the proof.

The reason why the king was worried about the state of Chu was because the situation in the country was beyond the expectations of the king and his ministers. According to the previous estimates, the million-strong division of our Chu State can hold out with the million-strong army of various countries for two to three years if there is enough material support to defend the dangerous place.

No, after only half a year of fighting, the war-weariness in the country was high, and the call of the ministers and the common people for a quick victory became louder and louder, so that every time the ministers discussed the matter, they were divided into two factions and quarreled with each other. ”

Jing Lijiang paused for a moment when the prince was thoughtful, and then continued: "Prince, the ministers are fighting with each other, and the king is not worried, the only thing the king is worried about is that the ministers will involve the prince."

The way to be a king lies in being impartial, so that most of the courtiers can be united, as long as there is no internal chaos, the enemy countries abroad cannot treat my Chu country as a matter of arguing in the Chu country for half a year, but the king has never made a sound. This is not only because the king has doubts, but also because, at this critical moment, the king needs to unite all his ministers.

The king is still like this, and the prince, as the prince, needs to be like this. ”

Saying that, Jing Li said meaningfully: "Prince, you are the prince of the country, and now the ministers are divided into two factions, I don't know where the prince intends to stand." ”

The crown prince was silent, he knew that Jing Li was not talking about the ministers of the court, but the differences between Jiang Han and Jiang Huai Fengjun.

The controversy over the Song Dynasty has developed to the present, and it is no longer simply arguing about the pros and cons of the Song Dynasty, but also mixed with the interests of the East and the West.

If he is a prince, then he only needs to stand on one side, but he is the prince and the prince, and he wants not half of it, but all of it, and there is no opposition from the feudal king.

If he offended half of the feudal monarchs before he ascended the throne, then after he ascended the throne, if he wanted to re-win those feudal monarchs who did not obey the call and establish the majesty of the king of Chu, I am afraid that it would take a long time and a price.

So, whatever way he stands, it's wrong.

Originally, he had jumped out of this whirlpool, but after Zilan became the queen, he came back and fell into this whirlpool again.

Thinking of this, the prince shook his head again.

No, it's not that he fell into it again, but after accepting the bribe of Dan Xi's feudal monarch, after Zilan became the queen, he had no choice. In other words, he did not jump out of this whirlpool from beginning to end.

Then, the crown prince remembered that not long ago, in order to appease the Jianghuai feudal monarchs, he accepted their heavy gifts.

As a result, the front foot received the gift, and the back foot Zilan was king.

This... It's fate.