novelAbuy Chapter 61 Fire! fire! fire!
Chapter 61 Fire! fire! fire!
But no matter what the Eighth Prince thought, Yin'e was more worried about something else.
Can this current incident really bring down the Crown Prince?
He leaned against the sedan chair wall, closed his eyes, and mentally rehearsed the entire game of chess from beginning to end.
Once Gao Mengyuan's activities of borrowing money, lending it out, and running gambling dens are exposed, everyone will know that the Crown Prince is the mastermind behind it all.
But is there any evidence?
No.
The 500,000 taels borrowed by Huang Tiren and Xiao Guoxing came from the national treasury, and the IOU was in their names. It had nothing to do with the Crown Prince.
Even if the money was traced to Juxianju, the accounts still listed Sun Yongfu's name. It was like peeling an onion, layer upon layer, and in the end, you still couldn't see the Crown Prince's shadow.
Even if we arrest Gao Mengyuan and torture him severely, he will stubbornly refuse to reveal the Crown Prince's identity. What can we do then?
Moreover, the Crown Prince doesn't need to appear in person at all. He only needs to frown in court and say "misjudgment in personnel selection" to absolve himself of all responsibility.
With their memorials alleging that "national treasury funds are flowing into gambling dens," who could those censors impeach?
Impeach Huang Tiren, impeach Xiao Guoxing, impeach Gao Mengyuan, impeach Tian Wenjing for failing to collect debts effectively, and impeach Lao Si for incompetence in handling affairs.
But they couldn't impeach the crown prince.
In the end, the crown prince was unharmed, but the unfortunate ones were the servants who shielded him from the arrows.
Lao Ba should have seen through this as well.
He knew better than anyone that Juxianju alone could not shake the Crown Prince's foundation.
So what he meant wasn't "overthrow the crown prince," but "create trouble."
Huang Tiren and Xiao Guoxing were the Crown Prince's two most powerful figures in the court. To bring them down would be tantamount to removing the Crown Prince's left and right arms.
Gao Mengyuan was the Crown Prince's moneybag; removing him would be tantamount to cutting off one of the Crown Prince's sources of income.
Juxianju was the Crown Prince's spies and intelligence hub in the capital. Closing it down was tantamount to cutting off one of the Crown Prince's eyes.
In this game, Lao Ba didn't move the general, but rather the chariot, horse, and cannon.
He didn't intend to kill the crown prince in one fell swoop, but rather to gradually erode the crown prince's power.
Once the crown prince's wings have been clipped, then strike decisively and kill him.
The problem is, if I were to take the lead and actually get things done, what would be the consequences?
He became the enemy of the entire Eastern Palace.
The princelings would hate him to the bone, watching him day and night, finding fault with him, digging up his old grievances, and wishing they could kick him out of the court.
How can I live with a pack of mad dogs watching and biting me every day?
What's even more terrifying is what happened on Kangxi's side.
If this matter blows up, Kangxi's attention will fall on him.
A good-for-nothing prince suddenly accomplished such a great feat.
What would Emperor Kangxi think? Would he think his son was capable, or would he think his son was ambitious?
What Emperor Kangxi feared most was that his princes would form cliques, pursue personal gain, and covet the throne.
He had sat on the dragon throne for over forty years, witnessing countless instances of brothers fighting and fathers and sons distrusting each other. He remained extremely wary of any prince who "stood out" of power.
He, the tenth prince, was a member of the Eighth Prince's faction, which was the mortal enemy of the Crown Prince's faction. Who in the entire court didn't know that?
At this time and juncture, when the tenth prince accomplished such a thing, in Kangxi's eyes, it was not "eliminating traitors for the country," but "factional strife."
At that time, the image of the tenth prince in Kangxi's mind would no longer be that of a "chivalrous knight-errant," but rather one of a "clique-monger."
Emperor Kangxi would not praise him for his capable work; he would only think that this son was restless, had grown too big for his britches, and was starting to cause trouble.
Previously, he was known as a "good-for-nothing," but Emperor Kangxi turned a blind eye to him because he posed no threat.
Now that he's starting to stand out, will Emperor Kangxi keep an eye on him? Will he think that he's also a restless prince who will compete for the throne in the future?
The more Yin'e thought about it, the more a chill ran down his spine.
This is a task that's difficult to handle, and it's also difficult not to do it.
If things are done well, it will offend the Crown Prince and arouse the suspicion of Emperor Kangxi, pleasing neither side.
He messed it up, which disappointed the Eighth Prince. He couldn't hold his head up in the Eighth Prince's party and was treated as a useless person from then on.
Caught in a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place.
He leaned against the sedan chair wall, exhaled a long breath, and felt the tangled mess in his chest getting tighter and tighter, making it hard for him to breathe.
The sedan chair moved slowly down the street, its wheels making a rumbling sound as they rolled over the bluestone pavement.
Suddenly, the two started arguing on the street, their voices growing louder and louder, as if they were fighting over something important.
"Say that again, you fucking idiot!" a gruff voice roared.
"What's wrong with you? You heartless bastard, let me tell you, don't think you can bully me!"
Another voice was equally assertive.
"If you keep pushing your luck, I'll burn your stall down!" The rough voice rose several octaves, as if declaring war.
"You dare? You burned down my stall, and you won't get away with it! The people in the government aren't pushovers!" The sharp voice retorted defiantly, each word a sharp retort.
"Bullshit! I'll burn your whole family down first!"
Yin'e was already in a bad mood and didn't pay attention to the noise of the marketplace.
But the two men were hurling insults at each other in the street, and their voices grew louder and louder, attracting more and more onlookers.
Some people were trying to break up the fight, some were stirring it up, and some were cheering. It was a complete mess, and the noise was giving him a headache.
Just as he was about to lower the sedan curtain and tell the sedan bearers to hurry up and get away from the group of people, the rough voice suddenly shouted again.
"If you push me any further, I'll set fire to your shop! I'll burn it down to ashes!"
set fire!
These two words struck Yin'e's mind like a bolt of lightning.
He froze completely.
His fingers gripped the sedan curtain.
set fire.
Yes! Set it on fire!
He sat up abruptly, his movement so sudden that the sedan chair swayed and he almost lost his balance.
"Tenth Master? What's wrong?" Fuquan's voice came from outside the sedan window. "Are you alright?"
"It's alright! It's alright!" Yin'e's voice was low, but he couldn't suppress his excitement. "Keep going, don't stop!"
Fuquan dared not ask any more questions and told the sedan chair bearers to continue walking forward.
Yin'e leaned against the sedan chair wall, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up, revealing the first genuine smile since leaving the Eighth Prince's residence.
Setting fire to the place is a really good idea!
The sedan chair came to a steady stop in front of the Tenth Prince's mansion.
Yin'e lifted the curtain and got out of the sedan chair, glancing up at the plaque above the door.
He turned around and said to Fuquan, who was following behind him, "Go and call Batu here."
Enter through the side door, so no one can see you.
Fu Quan responded and ran off in a flash.
Yin'e strode across the front courtyard, around the screen wall, and headed straight for his wife's courtyard.
Ulan was sitting by the window doing needlework when she saw him come in. She put down her work and got up to greet him.
"Tenth Prince, what's wrong? You look so pale." She reached out and straightened Yin'e's collar, which had been ruffled by the wind.
Yin'e took her hand, sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Ulan, I'm going to have your brother do something dangerous, but I promise you I'll do everything I can to keep him safe."