bookbashuk Chapter 140 The Villain Accuses First
Chapter 140 The Villain Accuses First
Chapter 140 The Villain Accuses First
But is that even possible?
Most of the Imperial Guard generals were relatives of the empress, and the rest were people from respectable families.
If Chong Wang doesn't have enough leverage to directly sway them, he'll be reported to the authorities.
After all, this is a great achievement.
What bargaining chips does the King of Recharge have?
At most, we can only promise what will happen after the matter is accomplished.
But those imperial guards commanders weren't stupid either; there were still 400,000 troops stationed outside the city.
The chances of him succeeding in becoming king are extremely slim; who would be willing to go crazy with him?
Li Shimin also placed a trusted confidant in a position unknown to others, without thinking of bribing him on the spot.
It is clear that this approach is simply not feasible.
"I know the chances are slim, but I have no way out."
The Prince of Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Not gambling means death, but gambling offers a sliver of hope. I have no choice!"
Mr. Wu wanted to persuade him again, after all, he was a staff member of Prince Chong, and if Prince Chong rebelled, he would surely die. However, seeing the murderous intent in Prince Chong's eyes, he stopped himself from speaking.
"Sir, is there any way you can help me?"
The Prince of Yan said, "If this succeeds, the position of Grand Chancellor will be yours."
"Let alone the eldest son, even being granted the title of king requires being alive."
Mr. Wu smiled bitterly to himself, but said aloud, "Your Highness, this matter needs careful consideration; I need some time."
"Then sir, please go down and think it over carefully. I await your good news!" said Prince Chong.
"I shall take my leave!"
Mr. Wu bowed and withdrew, wishing he could immediately report Prince Chong.
But he knew that since the Prince of Chong dared to say these things to him, he probably wouldn't be able to leave the palace for a while.
Even if he leaves the palace, someone will follow him. Unless he is suicidal, he will have no chance to report him.
At this point, he somewhat understood the Prince Chong's thoughts.
Prince Chong is like him now; he knows that rebellion is almost impossible to succeed, but if he is reported, he will surely die.
Mr. Wu cursed inwardly, thinking that it was impossible for Prince Chong to rebel without any preparation.
Ke Chongwang only asked him to help with the planning, but did not reveal his own trump card.
Not long after Mr. Wu left, Zhao Lin walked in hurriedly.
"Father!"
Zhao Lin bowed and said, "I have sent people to all the officials who previously supported my father, but they all refused to see me."
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"Oh."
Prince Chong sneered, "You were all barely pleading your loyalty to me before, and now that the Emperor hasn't even officially conferred the title of Prince Yong, you're already trying to sever ties with me?"
"Father, those people are despicable, but the current situation is very unfavorable for us. How should we deal with it?" Zhao Lin asked anxiously.
Those who haven't tasted power have no idea how alluring it can be.
Despite his noble status as the heir apparent, before the Emperor selected the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Wang, the young noblemen of Bianjing would at most politely address him as "Heir Apparent."
In reality, nobody took him seriously at all.
Ever since Prince Chong became a candidate for crown prince, the attitudes of those young noblemen towards him have completely changed.
They surrounded him every day, flattering him to the extreme.
The thought of continuing in the same way as before, or even being placed under house arrest for life, filled him with panic and resentment.
"What's the panic? The sky hasn't fallen yet."
The Prince of Yan sneered, "The Emperor has not yet officially conferred the title, so the outcome is still uncertain."
"But the Emperor has kept the officials who support the King in the palace and hasn't touched a single one who supports the Prince of Yong. His attitude is already very clear," Zhao Lin said anxiously.
Throughout Bianjing, countless people are discussing the crown prince.
The sons of officials also discussed it quite a bit in private.
However, the emperor kept the fathers and grandfathers of some officials in the palace because some of their sons said that Prince Chong was more suitable to inherit the throne. This was simply unreasonable.
"You have people spread rumors that Prince Yong is already secretly preparing his coronation robes," said Prince Chong.
"Will this work?"
Zhao Lin hesitated and said, "If we get caught, the consequences will only be more serious."
No one would believe such baseless rumors.
After all, the Emperor has already indicated that he has chosen the Prince of Yong, so naturally someone will prepare the coronation robes. Why would the Prince of Yong prepare such a thing in private?
"Go when I tell you to, but do it discreetly," Prince Chong scolded.
He knew, of course, that most people wouldn't believe him.
However, such rumors spread quickly, and once they are spread, they will cause a lot of discussion.
It's impossible to overthrow the Prince of Yong through such means, but it's possible to delay the time for the official investiture.
He must make as many preparations as possible before the official appointment is made.
Once the emperor issues the decree to confer titles, his hopes of winning over some military generals will be completely dashed.
He just didn't plan to tell Zhao Lin about these things.
Knowing son Moruo father.
Doesn't he know his own son's character perfectly well? If this gets out, everything will be over.
"My lord~"
When Madam Wang saw Sheng Hong get out of the carriage, she cried and rushed towards him.
Sheng Hong was in a daze. Only when he heard Wang Da Niangzi crying did his eyes regain a little color. He patted his wife and bowed to Old Madam Sheng.
God knows how much torment he endured during that day and night in the palace.
The eunuch said that the emperor wanted to see him, and he went excitedly.
However, he was taken to a room and locked up by the eunuch.
At that time, Sheng Hong sensed that something was wrong and wondered what he had done wrong to deserve such treatment from the emperor.
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But no matter how much he thought about it, he still couldn't figure it out, and the more he thought about it, the more afraid he became.
During this period, he was not allowed to eat or drink anything, and he was even prevented from using the outhouse.
The Emperor had not seen him until more than an hour ago.
Sheng Hong immediately knelt down to admit his mistake, but the emperor asked him what he had done wrong, and Sheng Hong did not know how to answer.
As a result, the emperor asked him if he often said at home that Chongwang was more suitable to be the crown prince, otherwise why would his son say such things to others?
Sheng was so angry he almost urinated, and kept saying he didn't, begging the officials for mercy.
In the original drama, it was Sheng Changbai who said that while chatting with Sheng Hong after hearing Minglan's words.
The purpose was to make Sheng Neng pay more attention to Minglan.
Although Sheng Changbai was focused on his studies and seemed to have no interest in the affairs of his family, he actually knew everything in his heart.
Minglan's attempts to conceal her talents could not escape his notice.
When Sheng Hong was questioned by the Emperor, he suddenly remembered Minglan's words.
Because Wang You spoke of this timeline first, Sheng Changbai didn't tell Sheng Hong about it.
Faced with the official's questioning, Sheng Fang's mind went blank, and all he knew was to kowtow and beg for mercy.
But the official said nothing and left.
Upon hearing the door close, Sheng Hong collapsed to the ground.
He even imagined his family being exiled three thousand miles away by the authorities, and him dying on the way to exile.
Under this torment, another half hour passed before the eunuch opened the door and let him out, informing him that he could go back.
If he hadn't still retained some rationality, Sheng Hong would probably have burst into tears of joy.
"It's good that you're back."
Grandma Sheng said, "Look at your troubled face, go wash up and get rid of the bad luck."
"A mother who worries about her son's exhaustion deserves to die!"
Sheng Hong bowed and said, "I will pay my respects to Mother after I have bathed and changed my clothes."
"The whole family was worried sick. The fact that you were able to get out was thanks to Madam Wang going to the Wang family and asking You-ge to ask Minister Hai for help."
"You should first reunite with Madam Sheng and the children, and prepare a generous gift to express your gratitude to the Wang family," said Old Madam Sheng.
Logically, he should also go to the Hai family to express his gratitude, but Hai Wenqing was invited by Wang You, and it was also a favor that Wang You owed.
Therefore, Sheng could not bypass the Wang family to go to the Hai family to express his gratitude.
"Yes!" Sheng Hong replied and went to Wei Rui Xuan with the help of Madam Wang.
Before Sheng Hong had finished bathing, a commotion arose outside.
Lin Xiaoniang knew that if Wang Da Niangzi spoke ill of her in front of Sheng Hong, she would be in trouble.
Moreover, although she did not commit adultery, she planned to sell the farm and shop and run away.
In truth, it's also a betrayal, the difference being that one involves the body and the other the soul.
Therefore, she ignored the servants' attempts to stop her and forced her way into Wei Rui Xuan.
When Madam Wang learned of this, she immediately ordered her to be driven away, but Sheng Hong came out of the bathhouse.
"Second Young Master, Second Aunt has arrived. Madam requests that you go to the main hall," the maid reported.
"understood."
Wang You nodded and got up to go to the main hall.
Upon entering the main hall, one sees Wang Min and Sheng Hong seated in the main seats, with Madam Feng and Madam Wang seated on the left and right at the head of the table.
"You're here. Your uncle was able to return safely thanks to you," said Madam Wang with a grateful expression.
"Aunt, you're too kind. We're all family."
Wang You smiled. Before, when Madam Wang visited him to pay New Year's respects, she didn't look too happy because he hadn't married Ru Lan.
At this moment, he completely forgot about what had happened before.
If it were Lady Kang, even if she had helped her, she would probably still hold a grudge.
"Is your uncle alright?" Wang You asked, bowing.
"I was just a little frightened, but I heard that those who were left in the palace with me had their titles stripped, while those who weren't were exiled."
"The Emperor hasn't said how he intends to deal with me, so it's hard to say for now," Sheng Hong said bitterly.
"Brother-in-law, since the Emperor hasn't said anything, he probably won't pursue the matter. After all, the child is just being ignorant, and the Emperor is always lenient," Wang Min comforted him.
"I hope so."
Sheng Hong sighed and looked at Wang You, saying, "This time, it's all thanks to You-ge'er for getting Hai Shilang's help; otherwise, I'm afraid I would have ended up like those people."
"Having received such great kindness from Vice Minister Hai, I should personally visit to express my gratitude. Brother You, please inquire about a convenient time."
"I'll ask the teacher later," Wang Youying replied.
Sheng Hong and Madam Wang did not stay at the Wang family for long. After they left, Wang You went to the Hai family and told them about Sheng Ji's desire to come and express his gratitude.
"No need for thanks, after all, we'll be family from now on."
Haiwen asked Sheng Hong what he was worried about. He was afraid that if something like this happened to the Sheng family, the Hai family would be unwilling to marry off their daughter. So he simply made his intentions clear.
"From now on, I'll have to call my third sister 'cousin-in-law' whenever I see her," Wang You said with a smile.
"Things aren't settled yet, so you can't talk nonsense," Hai Wenqing said, glaring at him.
"The student understands."
Wang You laughed and said, "There are no outsiders here."
Hai Wenqing shook his head and said seriously, "Now that the provincial examination is over, the palace examination will be held in a few days. After the palace examination, I will present the School of Mind to His Majesty for review. As long as His Majesty does not object, we can begin to promote the School of Mind."
Promoting a new field of knowledge is not something that can be done casually.
If such a thing is done without the government's approval, it's easy for people to find a pretext for it.
"Following Professor Mei's last wishes, I can't help her for the time being. Thank you for your hard work, Professor," Wang You said.
"Who says you can't help?"
Hai Wenqing said, "I have discussed with Yongshu that we are going to make your four admonitions public."
At that time, you will have immense prestige among the younger generation, and your efforts to promote the philosophy of mind will greatly benefit it.
Previously, he and Ouyang Xiu had kept Wang You's identity a secret. Now, the four admonitions have been regarded as guiding principles by many young scholars. Once Wang You's identity is revealed, he will surely be sought after by those scholars.
"Won't this have any negative consequences?" Wang You asked worriedly.
"Won't."
Hai Wenqing shook his head and said, "If it had been made public at the time, it would have hindered the spread of your four sentences."
But now that it has spread and been accepted by many people, it has no impact anymore.
The reason is simple: Wang You was young at the time, and if it were made public, it would be accompanied by all sorts of doubts.
This questioning, in essence, is not about whether it was written by Wang You, but rather about the inability to accept that someone younger than them could utter such philosophical words.
This is like a child trying to teach an adult a lesson; no matter how reasonable the child's words may be, most adults will not agree with them.
Otherwise, if you were to discuss this principle with someone and say that you agree with a child's reasoning, wouldn't you be laughed at?
Moreover, the phenomenon of underestimating age has existed since ancient times.
But things are different now; Wang You's words have been recognized and praised.
Now that it's been announced, they can't turn around and belittle Wang You.
After all, they had already accepted Wang You's words, so wouldn't it be a slap in their own face to belittle Wang You further?
Whether they did it willingly or not is completely irrelevant.
Moreover, in order to prove their judgment, they would not only praise Wang You, but also elevate him to a very high level.
Only in this way can one prove their intelligence and foresight.
At this juncture, Wang You's support for the School of Mind will likely garner acceptance of it among many younger scholars.
As for the older generation of great Confucian scholars, we have to rely on him and Ouyang Xiu.
"The student understands and will prepare well from now on," Wang You said solemnly.
"This is a handwritten copy of the philosophy of mind completed by Sheng Yu. Take it back and study it carefully, so that you don't end up with a unclear understanding of the philosophy of mind yourself." Hai Wenqing pushed a thick pile of books on the table toward Wang You.
Wang You felt a headache when he saw such a thick book.
Although he proposed the philosophy of mind, it doesn't mean he was completely familiar with it.
As mentioned earlier, for the philosophy of mind to be accepted, it needs to be discussed in detail.
Simply put, it tells the world what the philosophy of mind is, why it is necessary, and what its value and significance are.
"Don't worry, teacher, I will study it carefully when I get back," Wang You assured him.
As evening fell, Mu Jie'er returned home from school and went straight to Wang You's residence.
Upon learning that Wang You was in the study, she stopped the maid who was about to report, quietly pushed open the door, and tiptoed in.
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Peeking over, she saw Wang You reading intently. She slowly approached, intending to scare him, but then Wang You spoke.
"What do you want to do?"
"Second brother, you scared me!"
Mu Jie'er was startled and said coquettishly, "I came to deliver a letter to you out of kindness, and you actually scared me."
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