The struggle between imperial power and prime minister power has always lingered in Jinling City.
Although Zhao Purui, the old emperor of Daqian, seemed to be superior and the six ministers submitted to him, in fact, the six ministers were all guided by the Prime Minister Qin Shu.
The fourth and third generation of the Qin family.
Long before Da Qian established his capital in Jinling, the Qin family was already the leader of the noble clan in Jinling City.
And to this day, the Qin family is the leader among noble families in the world.
Among the officials of the six departments, there were many members of aristocratic families, and they all followed the orders of Prime Minister Qin.
Many of the old emperor's decisions were constrained and restricted by the Prime Minister of Qin.
Of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
The Prime Minister of Qin was elegant, smart and capable. Although the old emperor was suspicious by nature and greedy for power, he worked hard to govern.
The relationship between imperial power and prime ministerial power has always been maintained in a delicate balance.
To bring a revival to the common people after the chaotic times...
…
Jinling City was built along the river and the mountains.
The fishery is developed.
After Yan Wulu and his group arrived at Jinling, they did not report to the court or enter the city. Instead, they mingled in the fishermen's restaurants around Jinling City.
From here, Yan Wulu could find out many rumors about Jinling.
The fishermen at the bottom know what is going on among the people.
There are many dignitaries going to Jinling in the expensive restaurant...
No one would notice Yan Wulu and his entourage...the most common young men from aristocratic families in Aurous Hill.
After all, this is Jinling City where even a stone falling from the sky can hit two or three noble families.
…
A few days later.
The team of Zhenbei cavalry guards and Daqian envoys also arrived at Jinling.
In order to show respect for the Prince of Zhenbei, the emperor asked his three most proud princes - Crown Prince Zhao Lingfeng, Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui, and Fourteenth Prince Zhao Lingcheng to lead a team to welcome him.
As a result, the first attempt was in vain.
Among the team that came were only the Zhenbei cavalry guards and Daqian envoys.
Princess Taiping Zhao Lingrui heard this and was extremely dissatisfied.
She holds the title of "Female Overlord of Jinling", but she does not dare to neglect her three royal brothers who are like dragons and phoenixes among men.
As a result, the Prince of Zhenbei...
"...a dandy boy from the North, who relies on his father Yan Dong to gain some status, actually dares to make such a big show?!"
On the tower of Jinling City, a beautiful figure in a bright red riding uniform said this.
Next to her, there was a tall woman who was also dressed in a dark purple luxurious riding outfit. She was as beautiful as the woman in red. She had a pair of narrow eyes that looked quite aggressive.
She listened quietly, but secretly there seemed to be something that had nothing to do with her, and she felt strange...
"What kind of person am I, Zhao Lingrui? I don't know what my father thinks, but I want to marry me to such a waste?"
Zhao Lingrui paced back and forth on the tower, talking to himself, seeming a little angry.
The bright red riding attire made her even more beautiful and charming, like a beautiful and proud red horse.
"There is no man in the world who is worthy of me, Zhao Lingrui."
"I, Zhao Lingrui, want to marry a great hero who will expand the territory and become famous outside the country!"
"...If it were Yan Dong, the king of Zhenbei, if he could be several dozen years younger and never interact with the princess of Zhenbei, he would still be able to meet the basic standards of this princess's consort."
Seeing that Zhao Lingrui's words gradually became irrelevant.
The tall woman in dark purple riding clothes beside him had no choice but to come up to him and said——
"Your Highness Princess, you still have to be careful with your words. King Zhenbei cannot talk casually."
"Sister Qin Jing, you are just too cautious..."
Zhao Lingrui was more indifferent, "...Although Yan Dong is powerful, he is far away in the north. Can he still manage Jinling in the south of the Yangtze River?"
"...Besides, when this princess talks about Yan Dong, she thinks highly of him. He should be happy."
When Qin Jing heard this, she was speechless.
As the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Qin, she had a private friendship with Princess Zhao Lingrui of Taiping.
Qin Jing was confused for a moment, and turned to look down the tower, and began to change the subject: "I heard that the prince of Zhenbei will enter Jinling from the north gate of Linjiang today, does the princess still want to go and see him?
"
"certainly!"
Zhao Lingrui suddenly said, "...Sister Qin Jing, you are the daughter of Prime Minister Qin, from a scholarly family, and you are always so polite when you speak."
"...This time, my princess is not only going to visit him, I also want to replace my seventh brother, ninth brother, and fourteenth brother to give him a blow!"
"...Let the Prince of Zhenbei know that this is Jinling, not Yanbei!"
Qin Jing quietly looked at the increasingly excited Zhao Lingrui...
She found it interesting.
"In this case, it depends on Her Highness the Princess's methods."
"Of course, sister Qin Jing, just watch it."
As he spoke, Zhao Lingrui made slight gestures, and several closely dressed female guards in elegant attire brought Zhao Lingrui a variety of terrifying weapons such as swords, guns, swords, halberds, whips, maces, hooks, and locks.
Zhao Lingrui signaled Qin Jing to come over.
She whispered in Qin Jing's ear——
"When the time comes, when Prince Zhenbei comes, we will do this and this first... and then we will do this and this..."
As Qin Jing listened, her originally emotionless face gradually became surprised.
"Your Royal Highness, Yan Wulu is also the prince of Zhenbei after all, and he is the consort whom your majesty proposes to marry you. Isn't it good for you to do this...?"
"Sister Qin, don't worry. I have my own sense of discretion and won't cause any harm."
Zhao Lingrui vowed to do so.
Qin Jing looked at this "female overlord" who made Jinling City fearful, and felt that the other party's words were very suspicious.
Zhao Lingrui said no more and took Qin Jing down to the tower.
Numerous female guards followed closely behind with terrifying weapons.
Zhao Lingrui turned over and mounted a bright red horse, prancing and whipping her whip.
"The Female Overlord of Jinling" is heading towards the North City Gate at this moment.
…
At the North City Gate.
Although they had been let go once, the next time they heard that Prince Zhenbei was going to Jinling, the three princes still flocked to him.
They all arrived at the North City Gate early and led the team to wait.
…
The hunting emperor's flag is fluttering.
Jinling's guards were lined up on both sides of the avenue.
The court officials, led by the three princes, were waiting outside the North City Gate.
This is a great courtesy to the Prince of Zhenbei.
The three most popular princes personally led the team to welcome him, twice.
actually……
This is not just because of courtesy.
More importantly, the three princes all want to win over the Prince of Zhenbei.
The three major vassal kings with different surnames were all promoted by the old emperor Zhao Purui from military generals.
These "reckless men" have always been looked down upon by the Jinling aristocratic families who followed Prime Minister Qin.
Therefore, the three vassal kings were actually a force used by the old emperor to deal with Xiangquan and the Jinling family... They belonged to the emperor's faction.
The Prince of Zhenbei arrived in Jinling for the first time from the North and was unfamiliar with the place. The first prince to greet him would definitely leave a deep impression.
Winning over the Prince of Zhenbei is equivalent to winning over the King of Zhenbei and his 200,000 Zhenbei Army.
This...is a huge help.
Especially when fighting for the crown prince, this military force can be used, but it cannot be left out.
But at the beginning, in order to compete for the place to lead the team.
The three princes were all quarreling in front of the emperor and their faces turned red...
…
Outside the city gate.
It's been a long time.
However, there is still no sign of the Zhenbei Palace flag.
Among the officials, there was already some faint noise.
In front of all the officials, the three princes still stood proudly.
But suddenly, the fourteenth prince Zhao Lingcheng opened his slightly closed eyes and said coldly——
"Why hasn't Prince Zhenbei arrived yet?"
"...After such a long delay, if we were in the military, we would have to be severely punished."
Zhao Lingcheng said coldly, with almost no expression change on his face.
He was only twenty-four-five years old, tall and dignified.
The fourteenth prince Zhao Lingcheng, Prince Qizhu, was canonized as "Prince of Jin".
The famous cold-faced king had considerable military talent. At the age of sixteen, he led the army alone and launched a pincer offensive with Wei Chizuo, the general of the Dongzhu Kingdom, to plunder the land of Dongyue.
He has the most outstanding military exploits among all the royal family members.
He is also the prince with the highest prestige among the Daqian army.
He was praised as the "King of Generals" by his subordinates in the military.
But... the fourteenth prince Zhao Lingcheng also has a bad thing. He is cold-faced and cruel, and he likes to kill.
"Fourteenth Brother, if you are impatient with waiting..."
"...You can wait."
A somewhat warm voice sounded, it was the Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui.
The Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui, Prince Qizhu, was canonized as the "Prince of Honor".
He is twenty-nine years old, tall and slender, and always smiles. He looks approachable, courteous, and has many customers.
People in the world, literati and even aristocratic families headed by Prime Minister Qin all have a favorable impression of him.
But Zhao Lingrui also has another little-known title - "Venomous Snake".
Once the Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui stops smiling, his face will become particularly terrifying, slender and sinister, like a poisonous snake.
In addition, Zhao Lingrui is often full of poisonous schemes, so he deserves the word "poisonous snake". All the counselors who have fought against him lamented this.
"Zhao Lingrui, what do you mean!" The fourteenth prince Zhao Lingcheng was filled with anger and turned around to ask directly.
He was already impatient to wait for Yan Wulu, and now that the Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui was so arrogant and violent by nature, he was already extremely patient without drawing his sword directly.
And the Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui had no intention of retreating...
"Of course that's what it sounds like. Brother Fourteen, do you think that even if you come here, it will be useful?"
"...With your bad temper, it would be a good thing if you don't fight with Prince Zhenbei."
Ninth Prince Zhao Lingcheng seemed to be smiling slightly as he spoke.
The fourteenth prince Zhao Lingcheng has almost put his right hand on the sword at his waist, and he has a vague tendency to draw the sword...
"Old Fourteen, if you draw your sword here, are you really not afraid of being impeached by hundreds of officials?"
Standing between them is the prince, Zhao Lingfeng, who is about thirty years old and dressed in a four-clawed python robe. He has a dignified appearance and an upright attitude. He is your majesty's seventh prince today.
Gentle and virtuous, he is the best candidate for prince in everyone's heart.
But, that was once...
The young prince was suddenly attacked by a demonic bear during a royal hunt. Although he survived, one of his legs was disabled and he would remain a cripple for the rest of his life.
For the prince, being lame is a huge demerit.
But apart from his lame leg, the prince could hardly find any shortcomings.
The emperor has no intention of deposing him as the crown prince...
However, the emperor never liked the seventh prince Zhao Lingfeng, whether before he became lame or after he became lame.
In addition, the prince never forms cliques for personal gain, and he does not have any direct power of his own among the six departments in the court and the twelve divisions.
Perhaps, it was because of this and the fact that the prince was still lame.
That's why the other two most noble princes, Prince Qizhu, felt that they had an opportunity to one day kick Zhao Lingfeng out of the crown prince's position!
Then there was this undercurrent of the "battle for the crown prince."
Prince Zhao Lingfeng spoke up to stop the violent and impulsive Zhao Lingcheng.
The Fourteenth Prince Zhao Lingcheng glanced at him, sneered slightly, put down the hilt of his sword, and turned around.
Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui was not too surprised by the prince's move...
He just felt, "Your Highness, your position as Crown Prince is in jeopardy, but you still have time to worry about other people. You are such a compassionate and compassionate person!"
"...It's just a pity that good people don't live long."
Ninth Prince Zhao Lingrui thought to himself that he was not Zhao Lingcheng, so of course he would not be stupid enough to say it directly.
But for a while, my heart was filled with disdain for Prince Zhao Lingfeng.
But suddenly, Prince Zhao Lingfeng calmly said -
"Two worthy brothers, the Prince of Zhenbei is here."
…
The grand horn sounds.
The sergeants beat the drums.
In front of the avenue, the Zhenbei cavalry guards escorted the carriage.
Presumably the Prince of Zhenbei must have changed to a carriage at the riverside ferry.
All officials cheered up.
The three princes also straightened their bodies slightly.
The captain of the cavalry guard came before the princes, dismounted and saluted.
After receiving permission, the captain of the cavalry guard arrived at the side of Prince Zhao Lingfeng and whispered a few words.
The next moment, even the always kind-hearted Crown Prince Zhao Lingfeng opened his eyes slightly for a moment. If he hadn't tried his best to suppress it, he might have cursed out loud.
Taiping Princess Zhao Lingrui, who was late, arrived on horseback with Qin Jing and others.
The terrifying weapons brought by the close female guards have been presented.
Zhao Lingrui picked up a large sword with a ring head from it. She was already determined to give the opponent a showdown here.
result……
But they only saw the three royal brothers returning in silence with complicated expressions.
Zhao Lingrui was a little confused.
It wasn’t until later that she knew——
Prince Yan Wulu of Zhenbei let them go again!
He had already entered Jinling City privately, yet he still made these officials and three princes wait here for so long! And twice!
Zhao Lingrui's carefully prepared show of force was naturally of no use at all.
For a moment, Zhao Lingrui seemed to be furious...
She clenched her teeth, made a small sound, and whispered to herself——
"Well, Yan Wulu, your aunt, I won't be here in Jinling to teach you how to be a good person! I won't call you Zhao Lingrui!"