Nangong Xiao looked up at Shen Lixue: "What do you mean by that?"
“In the capital now, the Crown Prince, Prince Zhan, and the Fifth Prince are in a three-way power struggle. Their abilities and influence are similar, but there can only be one throne. As the emperor gets older, the struggle between the three will become more and more intense. They need to constantly expand their influence to maintain and strengthen their power…” Bathed in the warm golden sunlight, Shen Lixue slowly recounted.
Nangong Xiao's gaze sharpened: "You mean, you want me to choose one side and support him as emperor?"
"That's right. The Prince of Yunnan has lived in Yunnan for a long time and has a huge influence. The Emperor has always been wary of him, which is why he sent you to the capital as a hostage. The struggle between the three princes will become more intense as it goes on, and their strength will be greatly depleted. The intervention of any major force will become the key to their success or failure. If you become the major force that influences the war and support a prince to ascend the throne, then you will be a great hero, and the matter of sending the Prince of Yunnan's heir to the capital as a hostage can be rescinded."
Shen Lixue's cold eyes flashed with an unusual seriousness: "Of course, the premise is that the prince you support must be a wise ruler, broad-minded, and trustworthy. Otherwise, once he ascends the throne, he will use the method of 'killing the hunting dog after the cunning rabbit dies' to kill all of you meritorious officials. You will really suffer a loss."
Nangong Xiao's beautiful peach blossom eyes sparkled with light. This was indeed a good way to get rid of being held hostage in the capital. However, he needed to open his eyes and find a wise ruler.
The contenders for the throne are the Crown Prince, Prince Zhan, and the Fifth Prince. Dongfang Zhan had schemed against his father and is hostile to them, so they cannot be supported. The Fifth Prince has deceived him for over a decade and is so cunning that no one can fathom him; he might betray him at any time, so he cannot be supported either. That leaves only the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince is straightforward and doesn't talk much, but he has a lot of authority, somewhat similar to the current emperor. Although he is shrewd, he is not treacherous and is a good candidate to be a wise ruler.
However, he is the Fifth Prince's own brother. If he were to fight the Fifth Prince, it would be unwise to show mercy to him out of kinship and leave him a potential source of trouble. If he were to kill the Fifth Prince without any mercy, he would be ruthless. If he could be so cruel to his own brother, then he would be even more so to those of them who are unrelated subjects!
Choosing a wise ruler is truly difficult!
"I need to think carefully and find a wise ruler."
"Finding a wise ruler concerns the lives of the entire Yunnan King's clan, so we certainly cannot rush it. However, you should not be too slow either. The Fifth Prince is becoming increasingly prominent in the capital, overshadowing the Prince of Zhan and the Crown Prince. Those two will not stand idly by. I believe that something will happen in the capital soon."
Shen Lixue didn't know what happened or who it was aimed at, but she could guess that once the incident occurred, it would definitely shatter the Fifth Prince's solitary display of power.
"Whom does Dongfang Heng support as emperor?" Nangong Xiao looked at Shen Lixue and suddenly asked: Dongfang Heng is the God of War of the Azure Flame, with unique insight. The prince he supports must be a wise ruler.
“The Holy King’s Mansion belongs to the royal family and has a sensitive status. We do not intend to get involved in the princes’ struggle for the throne.” Shen Lixue looked at Nangong Xiao calmly: “The struggle for the throne is very cruel. You can choose not to participate. However, the matter of the Prince of Yunnan’s heir being held hostage in the capital cannot be changed.”
To gain benefits, you must make sacrifices and take risks. If you lose, your whole family perishes; if you win, everyone is happy.
"Do you want to bet?"
Nangong Xiao leaned against the car window, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with seriousness, his usual carefree attitude completely gone: "Let this young master think about it carefully!"
The Holy Prince's Mansion is a royal mansion. Whether or not it participates in the struggle for the throne, it is still a mansion. The Yunnan Prince's Mansion is different. If it does not participate in the struggle for the throne, it will never be able to get rid of the situation of the heir being held hostage in the capital. If it does participate, it will have to bear the consequences of the event. If the prince succeeds, the Yunnan Prince's Mansion will rise to prominence. If the prince fails, the entire Yunnan Prince's Mansion and its nine generations will be implicated.
This matter concerns the future of the Yunnan Prince's Mansion, so he must think it over carefully and cannot be careless. Otherwise, the century-old foundation of the Yunnan Prince's Mansion will be destroyed in an instant, and he will be the eternal sinner of the Nangong family.
The night was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Large luminous pearls were inlaid on the walls of the Golden Palace, illuminating the entire palace as bright as day. The emperor, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a crown, stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at the golden, high throne, and smiled slightly. He was the supreme Qingyan Emperor.
Suddenly, a deafening roar came from outside. A white lightning bolt pierced the dark sky and shot into the Golden Palace from the southwest, striking down hard at the golden throne. With a loud bang, the golden dragon throne shattered into dust, and golden smoke filled the entire Golden Palace.
The emperor trembled in shock, staring at the powder filling his eyes, and cried out in alarm, "No!" His desperate roar pierced through the clouds and echoed through the heavens.
He suddenly opened his half-closed eyes and saw a peaceful and serene scene before him: sandalwood tables and chairs, a carved bed, deep blue curtains, and dark blue brocade quilts. Everything indicated that this was his bedroom, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, not the Golden Palace where he held court. Outside, the stars twinkled, and there was no thunder or lightning.
It was all a dream!
The emperor's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was instantly relieved. Only then did he realize that his nightgown was completely soaked.
"Your Majesty!" The eunuch on night watch outside the door heard the emperor's exclamation and rushed in to check the situation.
"I'm fine." The emperor gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said coldly, "I need to bathe, change my clothes, and attend court!"
What? A dragon throne struck by lightning?
The officials stood in the Golden Palace, slightly stunned, quickly processing the emperor's account of his dream. Lightning striking the dragon throne—this dream was far too unusual.
The emperor's majestic gaze swept over the assembled ministers: "What do you all think this signifies?"
The ministers exchanged glances and lowered their heads in thought. It wasn't that they wanted to avoid the question, but rather that while they were quite adept at governing the country and handling emergencies, they were completely clueless when it came to interpreting dreams. How could they answer the emperor?
Let's remain invisible and observe the situation!
Dongfang Zhan lowered his eyelids slightly, stepped forward, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that thunder is born from the heavens, and lightning is produced by thunder. The lightning striking the dragon throne should be a sign that a severe natural disaster will befall Qingyan!"
These words caused an uproar. Qingyan had indeed been in turmoil in recent years, with floods in Jiangnan and a severe drought in Xiangxi. These were natural disasters with a great impact, and there had been no warning beforehand.
Now that the emperor has dreamt of lightning striking the dragon throne, if it is indeed, as Prince Zhan said, an omen of a natural disaster, then that disaster must be extremely severe, affecting even the emperor's throne. How could they, as ministers, possibly remain unscathed?
The ministers had different expressions, but they were gradually beginning to believe Dongfang Zhan's words. Even the emperor's gaze deepened, as if he was pondering the possibility of what Dongfang Zhan had said.
The Fifth Prince's gaze darkened. He stepped forward and said loudly, "Father, as the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Recently, you have been worried about the drought in Xiangxi and have been thinking about making it rain there. That's why you dreamed of thunder and lightning. As for the lightning striking the throne, it's probably because you feel guilty and blame yourself for the drought in Xiangxi. The idea of a severe natural disaster is too mystical and seems somewhat unrealistic."
The Fifth Prince made great contributions in western Hunan, and the Emperor made an exception and allowed him to attend court early to participate in government affairs. In the past half month, he has also offered many excellent suggestions, and the court officials have a better impression of him. His words and actions have also become quite persuasive.
Some ministers nodded in agreement with his opinion. Floods, droughts, and crop failures were severe disasters that Qingyan could handle perfectly well. What other serious natural disasters could threaten the emperor's throne?
The emperor was so concerned about the drought in western Hunan that he was exhausted and anxious, which is why he had those strange dreams.
"Fifth Prince, it's better to believe something is true than not to believe it is not. Natural disasters are not just floods and droughts. As far as I know, eighty years ago, an earthquake occurred in Tangbei. All the houses collapsed in an instant. The people didn't even have time to escape and were crushed to pieces..." Dongfang Zhan said slowly, his tone solemn.
The older courtiers also changed their expressions slightly. Although they had not experienced the earthquake, they had all heard about it. It was truly a case of countless deaths and injuries. More than half of the people in Tangbei died in the earthquake. Corpses were everywhere, with severed arms and legs mixed in with the collapsed houses. It was a horrific sight. If the earthquake had occurred in the capital, the tragic consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Third Brother," the Fifth Prince said, "I read in a book that earthquakes occur only once every hundred to several hundred years. Only eighty years have passed; earthquakes couldn't possibly be happening this frequently." He used the book's contents to refute Dongfang Zhan's conjecture.
"The people need a peaceful and tranquil living environment. If we make baseless rumors and wild guesses to confuse people, they will live in constant fear. How can Qingyan prosper and how can the people live? If the people are overwhelmed and riots break out, then we will have created a natural disaster."
The Fifth Prince's words made perfect sense, and several ministers echoed his sentiments. The most deadly thing in the world is a rumor that has no origin. When natural disasters strike, there is nothing they can do. But if they create their own natural disasters and destroy Qingyan, that would be courting their own destruction.
The Prince of Huai stood quietly. He could not deny that what the Prince of Zhan and the Fifth Prince said made a lot of sense. However, he was even more aware that these two insisted on their own opinions not only for the sake of Qingyan, but also because they were openly and secretly fighting each other and trying to suppress the other. Who would not want the throne of the emperor?
First it was Prince Zhan, then the Fifth Prince. The Empress's two sons and Prince Zhan, born to Consort Li, were now locked in a fierce battle. They would not give up until they were dead.
She glanced at Dongfang Heng, who stood there calmly, his expression indifferent and serene, as if he hadn't seen the fierce battle between the Prince of Zhan and the Fifth Prince. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes; he was truly composed.
"Fifth Brother, let's set aside the earthquake for now. Do you know of another natural disaster that can take lives in an instant?" Dongfang Zhan said in a low, enigmatic voice.