boyutpedia Chapter 153 Unbelievable
Chapter 153 Unbelievable
Chapter 153 Unbelievable
In the original drama, even if the Prince of Yong's mansion hadn't taken any action against Rong Feiyan, it's hard to say whether the Rong family would have sided with Prince Chong.
But there is still a possibility.
After all, the Rong family's wealth and status depended on Consort Rong. It's hard to say whether the Rong family can retain their titles after the new emperor ascends the throne.
Moreover, this was done despite some conflict with the Prince of Yong's residence.
No one can guarantee that the Prince of Yong will not seek revenge after ascending the throne.
Moreover, in order to preserve their wealth and status, it is not impossible that the Rong family would choose to support Prince Chong, even if it meant offending Prince Yong, in the face of Prince Chong's attempts to win them over.
Chong Wang could even do things targeting the Rong family to put pressure on them.
The Rong family offended Prince Yong and soon became the target of their attacks, making it hard not to suspect Prince Yong.
He had always believed that Prince Chong's rebellion was due to Prince Yong's actions against Rong Feiyan, which gave Prince Chong an opportunity.
But upon closer examination, if that were truly the case, it would be far too hasty.
However, judging from the fact that Chong Wang later rebelled, it did not seem like a hasty action.
It should be noted that in addition to the Palace Guard, there were also two other military units in Bianjing City: the City Defense Battalion and the Five City Garrison.
When Prince Chong rebelled, he also won over these two armies.
Considering all of this, it's clear that Prince Chong had been preparing for a rebellion for some time, and the Rong family was likely just another pawn in his scheme.
He just didn't expect the Prince of Yong to be so stupid, pushing the Rong family completely to his side, saving him a lot of trouble.
Otherwise, if he wanted to frame someone, there was a certain possibility that his plan would be exposed.
Thinking of this, Wang You frowned.
If Prince Chong had actually taken action, and without Gu Tingye persuading Zhao Zongquan to come to the capital, Prince Chong might have actually succeeded.
Rationally speaking, Prince Chong is actually superior to Prince Yong in many aspects.
Moreover, most emperors who obtained their thrones illegitimately share a common trait: they want to wash away the stain of their illegitimate accession.
For example, Li Shimin and Zhu Di.
From the time they ascended the throne until their deaths, both of them were diligent and conscientious.
However, both of them also made some foolish decisions, such as Li Shimin building the Daming Palace and pursuing immortality.
Some might say, wasn't the Daming Palace built for Li Yuan?
Construction of the Daming Palace began, and Li Yuan died after only laying the foundation.
After Li Zhi ascended the throne, construction resumed, and upon completion, it became the power center of the Tang Dynasty, where subsequent emperors resided and conducted their affairs.
This shows how enormous and luxurious the Daming Palace was.
Although Li Yuan was still in good health when Li Shimin issued the decree to build it.
Given Li Yuan's age at the time, how much longer could he live?
Such a massive palace complex requires a very long time to build.
Once it's built, how many days can Li Yuan stay there?
It is clear that Li Shimin built the Daming Palace for himself, but fearing that the officials would object, he built it in the name of Li Yuan.
The ancients valued filial piety. When Li Shimin built a palace for his father, how could his ministers possibly advise him against it?
Advise Li Shimin not to be filial to the retired emperor?
Even if Li Yuan died during the construction process, he could still continue to complete the project on the grounds that it was more than halfway done.
But he never expected Li Yuan to die so quickly, before the foundation was even laid.
At this point, his ministers had no reason to advise him anymore. After all, such large-scale construction was wasteful of resources and manpower, and he had only laid a foundation. The cost of sinking was not high.
Li Shimin used Li Yuan as a pretext, but he had no choice but to stop it.
Zhu Di frequently launched wars during his reign, which exhausted the people's strength.
If it weren't for his capable eldest son cleaning up his messes, he might have ended up like Emperor Yang of Sui, losing his kingdom due to frequent wars.
Furthermore, he ordered Zheng He to sail to the Western Ocean to promote the Ming Dynasty.
It's not that Zhu Di's voyages to the West were wrong, but rather that his motives were problematic.
Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean included sending gifts to small countries along the way, promoting the Ming Dynasty, and encouraging those small countries to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
They were incredibly generous in order to attract those countries to pay tribute.
This caused a lot of laughs at the time.
Many foreign merchants would casually claim to be envoys of certain countries, present gifts to the Ming Dynasty, and then swindle rewards from the Ming.
A careful look at their lives reveals that they were constantly striving to prove themselves, even suppressing their desires.
After all, they were not properly appointed to their positions. If they do not achieve anything, how will history books condemn them?
As for why they didn't think about these things when they rebelled, firstly, their rebellion wasn't just driven by ambition, but also by the desire to save their lives.
Secondly, when faced with power, people can disregard everything and will not consider the issue of reputation.
But once they have supreme power, they will start to consider it.
The reasoning behind this is not hard to understand. It's like an ordinary person who is starving to death; they won't think about the issue of dignity.
But once people have enough to eat and wear, they will have other pursuits.
With the emperor already possessing the entire empire, what else could they possibly aspire to?
One of them is posthumous fame.
However, such emperors are exceptions, and require a high level of personal ability.
In truth, Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Taizong did not ascend to the throne in a very legitimate way.
Therefore, both of them wanted to make their mark after ascending to the throne.
Emperor Yang of Sui, needless to say, although he was a representative of incompetent rulers, he did a lot of work after ascending the throne.
They were too eager for quick success and instant benefits, and overreacted, ultimately leading to the downfall of their country.
And what about Emperor Taizong?
After ascending the throne, he launched a northern expedition and destroyed the Northern Han.
Then, disregarding advice, he wanted to take advantage of his great victory to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in one fell swoop.
They ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.
Emperor Taizong was terrified by this defeat and never mentioned a northern expedition again.
While restricting the power of military generals, the status of scholars was continuously elevated.
It's hard to say that he did this without intending to bribe the civil officials.
After all, historical records were written by civil officials, which gave scholars the highest status, a position that no other dynasty in history could match.
That way, scholars won't be able to portray him as completely worthless in historical records in the future.
Although Prince Chong was more capable than Prince Yong, in Wang You's view, he was not even as good as emperors like Emperor Taizong and Emperor Yang of Sui.
Even if he succeeds in his rebellion, he will most likely not prove himself through his civil and military achievements, but will instead use some means to cover up the truth.
This can be seen from the fact that after taking control of the palace, he did not have the courage to kill the emperor, but instead forced the emperor to write an abdication edict.
It's not that the emperor shouldn't have been forced to write an abdication edict.
But the government's attitude was clearly firm, and they should have been more decisive at that time.
Just kill the emperor directly, announce to the public that he died suddenly, and pass the throne to him before his death so he can ascend the throne directly.
All the officials are under his control; what difference does it make whether they believe him or not?
When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he did not issue an edict of succession.
Otherwise, the saying "Golden Chest Alliance" wouldn't have circulated.
Even before his rebellion succeeded, he began to care about his reputation.
If he were to actually ascend the throne, he would certainly carry out a large-scale purge.
That would only exacerbate the chaos within the Song Dynasty.
This is also why Wang You was not optimistic about his succession.
Even if the Prince of Yong is petty, he will not attack his subjects without cause, as long as no one has offended him.
Moreover, if Prince Chong succeeds in his rebellion, given the personalities of Hai Wenqing and Ouyang Xiu, they certainly will not recognize him.
Given his relationship with Hai Wenqing, the Wang family might be implicated in the end.
On the other hand, Prince Yong has a good relationship with Zhao Sheng and will only benefit from it.
Therefore, both publicly and privately, he did not want to see Prince Chong succeed to the throne.
Just as Wang You was racking his brains for a solution, Xiao Man walked in.
"Young Master!"
"What is it?"
Wang You came to his senses and asked.
Xiaoman stepped forward, came to Wang You's side, and whispered in his ear, "The Prince of Yong's heir sent someone to deliver a message that he has important business to discuss with you, young master. He wants you to go to the Zhouqiao Wharf to book a painted boat. The heir will arrange the rest."
"Go and order a painted boat right now," Wang You said.
Although he didn't know why Zhao Sheng was in such a hurry to see him, he also wanted to see Zhao Sheng.
"yes!"
Xiaoman bowed in response and hurried away.
In the afternoon, Wang You took a car to Zhouqiao and boarded a painted boat.
He left Shi Tou and Xiao Man in the downstairs cabin and went up to the second floor.
Then they saw Zhao Sheng waiting on the second floor.
"Having seen the world—"
"No need for formalities."
Zhao Sheng stood up, reached out and took Wang You's hand, and pulled him down to sit.
"Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry to see me?" Wang You asked.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth and recounted how Princess Jiacheng had asked him to delay Wang You's marriage, including how she had taken a liking to Wang You.
Upon hearing this, Wang You exclaimed in astonishment, "I'm already engaged, and I've only met the county princess a few times, all many years ago. How could a princess of such high birth take a liking to me?"
"Don't tell me you think it's strange, I think it's strange too."
Zhao Sheng sighed, "But when I asked her, she wouldn't tell me. I also told her you were engaged, but she said she could let you marry that Sheng family girl as a concubine."
"impossible."
Wang shook his head and said, "Even if the county princess agrees, the Prince of Yong would not agree. And in the future—none of the officials in the court would agree."
Zhao Sheng smiled wryly and said, "Given Father's doting on her, if she is truly determined to do this, Father will agree."
"Your Highness, I will never agree to this," Wang You said resolutely.
He didn't like Princess Jiaxie, but if Shanyou and Minglan were to get engaged, he would definitely agree.
Cong Jing could marry anyone, but Princess Jiaxie was of high status and would become a princess when Prince Yong ascended the throne.
Marrying her would bring him power and status.
But he had already developed feelings for Minglan. Even though Princess Jiaxie said that Shijing would allow him to marry Gao's wife, Zhao Sheng also said that she could persuade Prince Yong to agree.
But Wang You wouldn't be so naive as to believe that.
Prince Yong couldn't go against his daughter's wishes, but he had plenty of ways to deal with her and the Sheng family.
It is said that in the Song Dynasty, foreigners could take concubines as long as the princess agreed, but the mountain people were unwilling for their daughter's youngest son-in-law to have a blind wife.
If the woman's social status is significantly lower than the man's, it's normal for her to agree to the relationship due to other factors.
But when Prince Yong ascends the throne, he becomes the Son of Heaven, the most honorable person in the world.
How could anyone possibly agree to such a thing?
Even if Princess Jiaxie went to beg him, Prince Yong might send someone to kidnap Minglan, ruining her reputation.
Thinking of this, Wang You felt very angry with Zhao Sheng.
He didn't believe Zhao Sheng couldn't have thought of these things, but he still agreed.
Zhao Sheng smiled wryly and said, "Ziqian, you don't understand my sister. She's been spoiled by my father and the others. She has to be there for whatever she wants."
But she keeps her word and never breaks her promises.
I agreed to her request because I was forced to, but it was also for your sake.
Even if I don't agree, when my father ascends the throne, she will still use other means to get to you.
I've always considered you a close friend, and I truly don't want to see this happen.
"So, Your Highness is so certain that His Highness Prince Yong will definitely win?" Wang You sneered.
"Ziqian, calm down and think it over carefully," Zhao Sheng advised.
Wang You asked, "What if I don't consider it?"
If pushed too far, he might as well go through Gu Tingye's approval process.
Although he possessed Gu Tingye's martial arts skills, Shi Tou's martial arts skills were not inferior.
Judging from the current situation, it is highly likely that Prince Chong will still rebel.
Even if Prince Yong does not interfere with Rong Feiyan, Prince Chong might still frame Prince Yong.
Even if he doesn't do it himself, he can simply arrange for someone else to do it.
Then I'll bring Zhao Zongquan to the capital and get things back on track.
"If you really don't want to, then hurry up and marry the Sheng family girl. I'll keep an eye on my sister and make sure she doesn't do anything reckless," Zhao Sheng said firmly.
When he came to Wangyou City, he had already made up his mind.
If Wang You agrees, that would be best, then Wang You will be his brother-in-law in the future.
But if Wang You doesn't agree, he won't force Wang You.
It would be best if Wang Youxie's sister could give up on him after his marriage.
If all else fails, I'll have someone keep an eye on her from now on to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
Looking into Zhao Sheng's determined eyes, Wang You's anger subsided considerably.
He remained silent for a long time before asking, "If what the young master says is true, then why are there rumors circulating that the county princess and Miss Rong Jia'er have both taken a liking to Lord Pu Ning?"
"This matter is related to my father and mother."
Zhao Sheng explained, "When Father and Mother were discussing my sister's marriage, they felt that your eldest son was good in every way, and they intended to let my sister marry him."
Since your family is arranging a marriage for you, but they are afraid that your family will already agree to the marriage, they sent someone to your family to give you a hint.
The Rong family's daughter had also reached marriageable age and had taken a liking to Heng.
"Rumors don't originate from unrecorded events; they just spread and eventually became like this."
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, Wang You was now certain that his previous guess was wrong.
This matter involves several powerful families in Bianjing, and Prince Yong is a top candidate for crown prince.
Your Duke's Mansion is located on Gonghou Street, and the mansions on both sides of the street belong to dukes and marquises.
Ordinary people go to Genben Mountain.
In other words, even if someone saw it, it was someone from a noble or high-ranking family.
Unless someone with ulterior motives spreads this kind of information about mountains, what benefit would it bring to others?
Once discovered, I will face retaliation from your family.
A mountain man would be foolish enough to do such a thing.
Moreover, the fact that this matter spread so quickly suggests that someone was likely stirring things up.
Besides Chong Wang, who else would make this well?
"Can Your Highness truly guarantee that you can stop the county princess from doing anything she wants?" Wang You asked after a long silence.
"If Father Zhengneng is chosen as the Crown Prince, I will arrange for you to be far away from Bianjing after Father ascends the throne."
"No matter how much my sister is favored, she's still just a princess. We can't do much about her because she's too far away," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You nodded upon hearing this; that was indeed true.
No matter how favored the princess was, her status was limited to the Left Palace Attendant of Bianjing.
Moreover, after she gets married, she might not keep a close eye on him.
"In that case, I'll leave this matter to Your Highness," Wang You said, bowing.
"Don't worry, since I promised you, I will definitely do it," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You nodded and asked, "How does Your Highness Prince Yong plan to deal with the rumors circulating outside?"
"My father has entered the palace and humbly requests His Majesty to grant a marriage between Puheng and the Rong family's daughter."
Zhao Sheng said, "Once this news gets out, the rumors will naturally fall apart on their own."
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