bookcurios Chapter 1317 Li Changde's Worry (162 million reward points plus more)
Chapter 1317 Li Changde's Worry (162 million reward points plus more)
The current situation is really too deserted.
Of the four princes, the third prince looked like that, the fifth prince was frail and sickly. The only two who were truly healthy were the fourth and sixth princes.
For a big country like China, it is not considered flourishing.
What if... What if in the future...
Li Changde had served the emperor for many years and knew very well what to ask and what not to ask.
But today, perhaps it was because the hall was too quiet, or perhaps the matter of the pills had been lingering in his mind for too long.
Li Changde, for some unknown reason, bent down even lower, and with extreme respect and caution, asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my presumptuous words..."
"I am a foolish servant. I really don't understand why Your Majesty is doing this..."
He didn't dare to say directly "take medicine to avoid having offspring", and his wording was extremely euphemistic, but the meaning was clear.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Changde immediately lowered his head and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Behind the imperial desk, Nangong Xuanyu slowly opened his eyes.
There was no anger in those deep eyes, but instead a hint of extremely complex emotions flashed across them.
There are ice-cold calculations, fleeting warmth, and even a kind of indifference that overlooks the overall situation.
Perhaps because Li Changde was the emperor's closest and most trusted person, he said nonchalantly, "Baharguli wants to kill my heir after she becomes pregnant. I already knew that."
"It's just that the cancer of the Duke Dingguo Mansion was only recently eradicated. While the court appears calm, who knows how many undercurrents are still surging beneath the surface."
"Plus, the Great Zhou is currently engaged in a fierce war with the Xiongnu. The border is under strain, and the treasury is suffering from enormous expenditures... The imperial court needs stability the most right now, and cannot withstand any major disturbances."
"My good eighth brother is very cunning. But the time to act against him is not right yet. It would be easy to alert the enemy and force him to take desperate measures."
Mentioning Prince Jin and Baharguli, Nangong Xuanyu's lips curled up in a mocking arc. "Since they are so deliberate and want to use underhanded means to make me exterminate my heir, if I don't cooperate, wouldn't I be betraying their 'good intentions'?"
Take advantage of the situation and follow the trend.
Let them think that the conspiracy has succeeded, so that they will be complacent and relax their vigilance, thus revealing more flaws.
It is better for him to control it himself than to be secretly harmed by those insidious poisonous drugs whose details are unknown.
Let King Jin indulge in the illusion of success so that we can catch them all in one fell swoop and eradicate them completely in the future.
After all, he was plotting to murder the emperor and intended to destabilize the nation. This crime alone, when the time was right, would be enough to send the Prince of Jin and all his followers to their doom!
Li Changde felt a chill in his heart when he heard this. He felt that the emperor's mind was as deep as the sea, and he saw every step so far. "Your Majesty is wise!"
But at the same time, Li Changde felt very distressed.
Your Majesty is the supreme ruler, but who knows how much this young emperor has paid to stabilize his regime?
However... this is not the main reason why Nangong Xuanyu did this.
He even hid this secret from Nian Nian.
Perhaps needing an outlet for his emotions, the emperor slowly said, "I have indeed thought before about having another lovely little princess with Nian Nian, to cherish her in my arms."
"But Li Changde, how did I get here?"
"I personally experienced the brutal battle of the Ten Dragons for the throne. It wasn't just brothers killing each other; it dragged the entire court into a vortex! Bones paved the road, blood flowed like a river..."
"Even if the princes themselves have no intention, their maternal families and the court officials who have attached themselves to them will, in order to gain the credit of following the emperor, actively form factions and fight against each other for power and profit."
"What will ultimately be shaken is the Great Zhou's empire!"
He didn't want his successor to walk the same bloody path he had walked before.
After the probation period as the Imperial Noble Consort, Nian Nian will be his queen, and A Xu will become his legitimate son.
He wants to clear all obstacles for Axu and eliminate all potential risks.
The more princes there are, the more attacks and criticisms Ah Xu, as the most prominent legitimate son, will encounter in the future!
He couldn't take the risk.
What he wanted to leave to Ah Xu was a clean and honest court and a stable country, not a mess of brothers fighting and factional struggles.
Li Changde was already stunned by what he heard, and his underwear was soaked with cold sweat.
Although His Majesty did not say it very clearly, he had been serving His Majesty since he was a child, so how could he not hear the hidden meaning behind His Majesty's words?
It turns out that all His Majesty did was for the Imperial Concubine and the Fourth Prince!
Only at this moment did Li Changde truly understand that His Majesty's move was not a momentary impulse, but the result of multiple far-reaching plans.
The ruthlessness, rationality and foresight in this were far beyond the imagination of a eunuch like him.
But Li Changde still had endless worries in his heart.
He knew very well how presumptuous what he was about to say was, and every word could bring down the emperor's wrath!
But looking at the situation of His Majesty's declining offspring and thinking about the future of the country, he couldn't let go of his heart.
Li Changde suddenly knelt down, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He took a deep breath, lowered his body even lower, and said in an uncontrollable tremor in his voice: "Your Majesty, please forgive me your death!"
"I have something to say that is stuck in my throat and I can't get it out until I say it... If my words have been inappropriate and have offended Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Nangong Xuanyu looked at him indifferently: "Speak."
Li Changde paused, as if gathering courage, before continuing cautiously, choosing his words carefully: "Your Majesty is so far-sighted and has prevented fratricide. I deeply admire you."
"It's just...it's just that I dared to speak so recklessly. This royal heir is like the roots of a towering tree..."
He didn't dare to directly say that the emperor had too few heirs, so he could only be extremely tactful: "The number of roots isn't necessarily better, but...but the universe is unpredictable, and who can fully predict what will happen in the future?"
"If we only rely on one or two main veins, what if... what if the main veins encounter setbacks in the future, or if fate doesn't go as planned and they fail to grow into the pillars we expected..."
"Then to whom should we entrust this vast nation, this legacy for generations to come?"
Li Changde's voice was filled with genuine anxiety and sobs. "I'm not questioning the prince's talent. The Fourth Prince is intelligent, benevolent, and filial, a true example of the sun and the moon!"
"But...but Your Majesty, I have seen too many unpredictable things happen in life, but...I am just afraid..."
"I'm afraid that if there's even the slightest mishap, your Majesty's life's work and the legacy of his ancestors will be in jeopardy... won't it..."
He finally trembled and expressed his inner worries, then he slammed his head to the ground, not daring to raise it: "This slave deserves to die! This slave has made irresponsible remarks about the royal family, and he deserves death!"
"But my heart is truly weighed down on your majesty and the great Zhou!"