novelhk Chapter 117 The Ninth Prince Must Be Eliminated
Chapter 117 The Ninth Prince Must Be Eliminated
Seeing Emperor Liang's shameless expression, Yang Ling cursed inwardly. "Why didn't you just give me a way out? Why did you have to spell it out and hurt the relationship between father and son?"
"Your Majesty, I have prepared a great gift for you. It is something that Your Majesty has been longing for, so it is natural that it must be prepared carefully."
Yang Ling raised her head and looked at Emperor Liang sitting there with a serious expression. Upon hearing this, Emperor Liang's expression relaxed slightly.
In truth, both of them knew that the deep bond between father and son, and the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, were not important.
Emperor Liang wanted the firearms in Yang Ling's possession, while Yang Ling wanted to use Emperor Liang to deal with the dissidents in the court.
The two had long since engaged in a transaction of mutual benefit.
"As expected, he is my own son. Now that he knows what I want, I wonder when I will be able to see him?"
Emperor Liang had no patience to deal with Yang Ling here. Since the other party had already made his point clear, there was no need to hide anything anymore.
Yang Ling cupped his hands in greeting, his expression becoming more respectful. "There are too many things to bring into the palace. Everything has been placed outside the city. Father Emperor can have it retrieved at any time if he wishes."
"Very well, since you've put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony!" Emperor Liang's face showed a satisfied expression, but he immediately asked, "What are your plans after you return to the capital?"
In fact, people in the court are already very dissatisfied with Yang Ling. Although the Ninth Prince has not done anything outrageous since returning to the capital, he is still a figure to be feared.
The power of the Crown Prince, the Seventh Prince, and Vice Minister Lü has been greatly restricted.
Yang Ling looked at Emperor Liang's expression, but his face still showed little respect.
Instead, she gave a faint smile.
"Your subject has no grand ambitions, I just want to stay in the palace for a while and then return to my fiefdom."
Upon hearing Yang Ling's words, Emperor Liang nodded in satisfaction. Although there were opinions about Yang Ling among the court officials, in the eyes of these outside officials, their targeting of the Ninth Prince was merely a ploy to gain favor with the Crown Prince and the other princes.
They were completely unaware of the Ninth Prince's true strength. It's likely that very few people in the entire court and the country were wary of Yang Ling's true identity and power.
"Haven't you ever thought about staying in this palace in the future? Liangzhou is a harsh and cold place after all!"
When Emperor Liang said this, a loving expression appeared on his face, but Yang Ling sneered inwardly, thinking that the old man probably wouldn't feel at ease even if he stayed in his fiefdom.
Yang Ling looked at Emperor Liang with a respectful expression, "Your subject is not interested in court affairs. I still prefer Liangzhou, a place far from the emperor's reach."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liang's smile deepened, but it lacked any real kindness; beneath the smile lay an undisguised chill.
After all, he was the emperor, so his thoughts were naturally not as simple as those of a normal person.
"I've heard that you've governed Liangzhou very well, and you have an army of 500,000 under your command. Have you ever thought about returning to the Central Plains to become a king one day?"
The previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense. Yang Ling snorted inwardly; he knew this old guy wasn't so simple.
However, since things have come to this point, there is no need to worry too much. He has enough confidence that Emperor Liang will not easily take action against him.
"Father, what are you saying? What I'm doing is guarding the border for you. Aren't those people your soldiers?"
Emperor Liang nodded slightly. Although the Ninth Prince's words were full of flattery, he could sense the integrity in the other man that was not tempted by power and wealth.
"Of all my princes, you are the one who makes my life the easiest."
Emperor Liang nodded in satisfaction, but did not continue the discussion. He then spoke again.
"Don't go back tonight. I've prepared a family banquet. Let's have a good chat, father and sons!"
He spoke loudly, and the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince outside the door naturally heard him clearly.
Although the two of them dare not make a move directly now, this family banquet looks more like a trap.
……
At this moment, outside the imperial city, Wang Xiangshu couldn't wait any longer and led a masked man in black to a restaurant.
"Your Excellency, what's making you so nervous?"
The two entered the private room, and the masked man then removed his veil. This man was none other than Liang Hui, who had arrived in Liangzhou a few days earlier.
"The Ninth Prince's relationship with His Majesty is extremely delicate right now, so it might be difficult for us to make a move!"
Wang Xiangshu frowned. Although he was still looking forward to seeing the Ninth Prince's strength, such a prince was far too dangerous for him.
This is also detrimental to their subsequent plans.
Upon hearing this, Liang Hui's expression visibly tensed up.
"The Ninth Prince's morale is high right now, and the Crown Prince and the other princes have already stopped. Only the civil officials in the court dare to impeach him, and no one else dares to take action. If we take action now, it will probably cause a lot of trouble."
Having already clashed with the Ninth Prince in Liangzhou, Liang Hui was naturally aware of the prince's strength.
"What should we do now?" Upon hearing Liang Hui's words, a look of worry appeared on Wang Xiangshu's face.
After a moment of contemplation, Liang Hui said, "Actually, we can also use someone else to do the dirty work."
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangshu frowned, unsure of what Liang Hui meant.
At this moment, Wang Xiangshu felt that this woman was extremely dangerous. Now that she was talking about using someone else to do his dirty work, he had to be careful.
A smile appeared on Liang Hui's face, but it was filled with murderous intent. Wang Xiangshu, seeing the expression on Liang Hui's face, was immediately alarmed. Could it be...?
“Minister Lü is the best knife. Since His Highness the Crown Prince cannot take action now, we can only send Minister Lü.”
Liang Hui smiled slightly. This Minister Lü never gave the Crown Prince a kind look. Regardless of whether this plan succeeds or not, Minister Lü will die in this conspiracy.
What I need to do now is to make proper arrangements for Vice Minister Lü. Only in this way can I push him into the limelight and have him killed by the Ninth Prince.
Although Emperor Liang had never intended to take action against the Ninth Prince, his own plans had already been in the works for some time.
"In that case, we'll wait for Vice Minister Lü to make his move. If he succeeds, we can use him to do our dirty work. If he fails, we can still get rid of this threat for His Highness the Crown Prince."
Liang Hui smiled slightly, while Wang Xiangshu was completely stunned.