Silence

Prince Ning was completely stunned.

Speaking of Prince Ning, although he was born into an imperial family, his scheming skills are far beyond those of his peers.

However, he was protected very well since he was a child. He is extremely smart, but also somewhat naive.

"How could this happen? Father, why would he do this?"

He couldn't figure out whether he was his father's biological son or the most favored son.

But why is he so defensive about himself?

"Why do you do this? Because he is in his prime, and because your uncle is too powerful."

"Think about it if you become the crown prince and he is still in his prime, it may not be a big deal at the beginning, but as time goes by, will you be willing to be squeezed all the time?"

Prince Ning shook his head, who wants to be crushed?

Especially for the No. 2 position in the world, it would be really frustrating to be suppressed in the previous period.

"So, if you want to ascend to power, your uncle must hand over all military power and eliminate His Majesty's fear."

"But do you think that's possible?"

"Even if your uncle is willing, I will not agree, because the military power in your uncle's hands is the talisman of our mother and son. If it is gone, how can our mother and son protect themselves in this deep palace compound?"

You must know that many of the concubines in Emperor Hongwen's harem had profound backgrounds.

Especially Concubine Dong Guifei, who was demoted some time ago. Even though she was demoted, the power behind her was very strong. If the power behind her were to move.

Emperor Hongwen was afraid that he would let her ascend to the position of imperial concubine again in an instant.

In addition to Concubine Dong Guifei, there were several young concubines standing behind them, either from aristocratic families or nobles.

Emperor Hongwen is still young now, who knows if another prince will be born in the future?

If there is no protection from the power of the Zhenguo government, what if Prince Ning is allowed to become the crown prince?

Are there not many princes who have been deposed since ancient times?

Prince Ning nodded understandingly. It was absolutely impossible to give up military power. It was his only backing. If it was gone, what would be the use of becoming the crown prince?

"In that case, shouldn't I gather more strength? Why are you still..."

"Silly boy, you should accumulate strength, but you have to accumulate it secretly. Lu Yaoyao's energy is too great. Your purpose in asking to marry her is too obvious."

"How could your father not see this?"

"What you have to do now is to hide your strength and bide your time."

The queen paused and continued, "Next year you will be serving in the Sixth Department. If your father asks you which department you want to go to, don't choose the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue. Both of these goals are too big. The best choice is

The Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Rites.”

"Another point is that during your tenure, even if you want to win over courtiers, you have to hide it carefully and slowly accumulate strength."

"Since your father is afraid, we can only transfer the power on the surface to the underground."

This was the result of her discussion with Duke Zhen. She wanted to wait for King Ning to enter the Sixth Division and secretly accumulate strength.

The Zhen Guogong delegated power little by little. In this way, their power was transferred from the ground to the underground.

This can greatly lower Emperor Hongwen's alertness and wait until the time is right to take over the position of crown prince.

"My son, I understand. Thank you very much, Queen Mother, for reminding me."

King Ning also understood everything at this time.

"Mr. Zeng's proposal is very good. Although he didn't succeed this time, he sincerely considers you. You must not neglect it after you return."

"Learn from him well."

"My sons and ministers will save it."

He came here in good spirits and returned in despair. When Prince Ning came, he almost ran away. Now that he left, he felt a little decadent.

Returning to the palace, Zeng Guang immediately came over to inquire. As a result, Prince Ning's words frightened Zeng Guang to death, and he quickly bowed down.

"I took it for granted and almost made a big mistake. I beg you, Your Majesty, to punish me."

"Sir, what's wrong with you?"

Prince Ning shook his head, personally helped Zeng Guang up, and said with a smile, "I feel your thoughts, sir."

"I am aware of Sir's talents. You just arrived in the capital not long ago and have not observed the situation carefully enough."

Quite a bit, cold sweat broke out on Zeng Guang's back.

This was true at the time. His understanding from all parties in the capital was still a bit too one-sided.

As for Prince Ning, he took it a little too much for granted.

After all, in the past few years, Emperor Hongwen's love for Prince Ning was almost universally known. He was so impressed that he naturally took it for granted.

When he heard the words of the queens recited by King Ning just now, he thought of many things in an instant.

It seems that Prince Ning's situation is not as good as he originally imagined, and is even a bit dangerous. If you are not careful, you may not get good results.

"The Empress has analyzed a lot. I almost harmed His Highness. In the days to come, I will definitely get to know the situation of each family in the capital. This kind of mistake will never happen again."

"I believe sir."

Prince Ning still believed in Zeng Guang's talent. Although there was a mistake this time, as a person who knew the situation in the capital, he did not expect this. How long had he been here?

"I heard that Prince Ning entered the palace?"

In the imperial study, Emperor Hongwen asked Wang De beside him without raising his head.

"Yes, I went to Fengqi Palace, dismissed the servants, and spent half a quarter of an hour alone with the Queen."

“I wasn’t in a good mood when I left.”

Emperor Hongwen nodded and did not continue speaking.

The next few days were quite peaceful. After what happened last time, Prince Ning already understood the meaning of the Queen's words, and Zeng Guang was there to guide him.

He has been much more low-key when he arrived recently.

The strangest thing is the Han family. During this period, their business in the capital has suffered a huge impact.

Almost no salt collected from the surrounding areas was sold, and even if the price was lowered to the same level as snowflake salt, no one would care.

Those people would rather wait for Snowflake Salt than patronize them.

In the end, the Han family had to lower the price again. It cost a lot to ship so many goods, and it was impossible to return them all.

After all, more will be consumed this time.

It's better to just sell it at a reduced price and get more or less back.

It's a pity that even if they lower the price than snowflake salt, no one will patronize it.

It is worth mentioning that after learning the news, Patriarch Han was uncharacteristically not angry, nor did he shout and arrange for someone to deal with Lu Yaoyao.

For such stability, Lu Yaoyao was also happy and at ease.

It was freezing cold outside, and she had no intention of going out for a walk or doing anything.

After all, she has done a lot this year, and now she is taking a break.

"Miss, the second master is here."

Qiu Yu walked in from outside and reported loudly.

"Second uncle is here? Where is he?"

Lu Yaoyao put down the book in her hand and stood up to walk out, but before she went out, Lu Kang walked in from outside with a smile on his face.

Behind him was a middle-aged man about the same age as him.

After looking around, Lu Yaoyao frowned slightly. She had never seen this person before and didn't recognize him at all.

Why did the second uncle bring him here?
Chapter completed!