sbdcsierra Chapter 311 Lord of the World
Chapter 311 Lord of the World
The Third Prince was visibly taken aback when he heard the Crown Prince's words.
Although he knew that the Crown Prince treated Lu Yangyang differently, in the Third Prince's mind, someone like the Crown Prince could never choose Lu Yangyang.
But now, the Crown Prince has not only accepted Lu Yangyang as his Crown Princess, but he doesn't even try to hide it from her at all.
This made him even more curious about Lu Yangyang.
Most of the things he had heard about Lu Yangyang before were that she was ugly, grew up in the countryside, didn't know the rules, and was unruly. But the few times he had witnessed her, he found her to be intelligent, decisive, and a rather special woman.
As for what makes it special, he hasn't had the chance to find out yet.
It's a bit of a pity.
Perhaps because the Third Prince's gaze lingered on Lu Yangyang for too long, the Crown Prince's gaze gradually turned cold: "If there's anything you can't say, you may leave."
The Third Prince suddenly came to his senses and coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, please don't be offended, but I don't know how to start the conversation for the moment."
"If you don't know how to start, then don't. I'm not feeling well and I'm afraid I can't keep you company. Cao Cheng, see the guest out," the Crown Prince said calmly.
The Third Prince chuckled: "Your Majesty is as direct as ever. To be honest, I'd like to make a deal with you."
"You want military power in the Northwest?" the Crown Prince asked.
The Third Prince's heart skipped a beat, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
From childhood to adulthood, every time I faced my elder brother, the Crown Prince, I felt immense pressure, as if all my thoughts were laid bare before him, which inexplicably irritated me.
Before the Third Prince could say anything more, the Crown Prince interrupted him directly: "There's no need to promise what you can do in the matter of deposing the Crown Prince. I am now just a crippled body, and I have no value in exchange. After the Crown Prince is deposed, whoever has the most bargaining chips will become the target of everyone's attacks. I think you should understand what I mean."
"see a visitor out."
Cao Cheng immediately stepped forward and respectfully said to the Third Prince, "Third Prince, please."
The Third Prince's face stiffened slightly. He tried hard to maintain his usual gentle demeanor, but he couldn't calm down.
He even subconsciously glanced at Lu Yangyang to see her reaction, only to find Lu Yangyang staring at the Crown Prince with eyes full of admiration, her face practically radiating adoration.
His Royal Highness: "..."
"Third Prince," Cao Cheng reminded him again.
The Third Prince had no choice but to bow and take his leave.
Lu Yangyang belatedly asked, "He wouldn't be trying to tell you that if Your Highness is willing to relinquish military power in the Northwest, he can devise a plan for Your Highness when the Crown Prince is deposed, would he?"
The crown prince chuckled softly: "Is there a problem?"
Lu Yangyang blinked: "I just think this idea is too naive."
"It's not that he's naive, but he believes that I wouldn't refuse something mutually beneficial. There are no eternal enemies in this world. Father Emperor seems to favor him the most among the princes now, but the more he does, the less likely he is to ascend to the throne immediately. So instead of racking his brains to please Father Emperor, he'd rather find ways to gain more leverage. When I'm still here, he can gain Father Emperor's approval by acting in accordance with his wishes. But if I'm gone, he'll be on pins and needles, fearing that his power won't be able to protect the position he desires." The Crown Prince chuckled sarcastically, "It might sound ridiculous, but right now, the person who least wants to depose the Crown Prince is probably him."
Lu Yangyang's eyes widened.
Anyone with eyes can see that the Third Prince is currently the most popular among the princes.
Even in her dream, the ultimate victor was the Third Prince.
No, wait.
Lu Yangyang suddenly remembered that in that dream, due to the limited perspective of "her", all she could know were some one-sided things that everyone knew. "She" only knew that Sheng Yunzhu successfully married the Third Prince after coming of age, and then after the Crown Prince was deposed, the Third Prince became the victor.
But now that I think about it, could this victory simply be based on the fact that, after the deposed crown prince, the Third Prince has temporarily lost his rival among the princes?
Previously, knowing little, she naturally assumed that the Third Prince had become the Crown Prince. But His Majesty was still alive; could the Third Prince truly hold onto his position? Moreover, there was no explicit decree stating that the Third Prince had ultimately become the Crown Prince. In other words, was it possible that things had taken another turn, one that "she" was simply unaware of?
Lu Yangyang excitedly grabbed the Crown Prince's arm, "Your Highness, I have a question for you. Suppose, suppose the Crown Prince is deposed, who do you think would ultimately win the position?"
The crown prince paused slightly, glanced at the doorway, and asked, "Are you asking me if it's possible that I'm the third prince?"
Lu Yangyang nodded hurriedly.
"There's a 50% chance," the crown prince replied after thinking for a moment.
Lu Yangyang's eyes widened.
The Crown Prince chuckled and explained to her, "Father is not yet forty-five years old. Unless a major upheaval occurs, he could live another ten or twenty years. In that case, do you think the Third Prince, with his temperament, can endure for a few more years? That's one point. Secondly, Northern Yan is eyeing us covetously. The so-called peace is just a temporary measure. The peace talks back then were actually just an excuse for the other side to recuperate. Now, more than twenty years have passed. Do you think Northern Yan can endure for a few more years? The marriage alliance with Li Duan is less of a marriage alliance and more of a test, a test of the Great Zhao's bottom line."
"Sending the princess to marry a foreign ruler was partly due to the emperor's personal motives and partly a political maneuver. If he had actually chosen the princess for the marriage, it would have been a blatant compromise, telling Northern Yan that the current Zhao Dynasty was no different from the one that was defeated in the war, still weak and easily bullied. But by marrying a princess to a foreign ruler in name only, just like Northern Yan did, he created a delicate balance, preventing Northern Yan from making any rash moves in the short term. However, this balance is not stable and could be broken at any time."
“Once the two sides go to war, the situation will be completely different. If the third prince wants to take this opportunity to consolidate his position, he can only start with military power, specifically military power in the north. The places where he can make contact with Northern Yan are the northwest, the north, and the northeast. The northwest is under A Yao's control. The north is nominally under General Cheng's control, but in reality, Father has also placed his own people there. The fourth brother is also in the north, so the situation in the north is the most complicated. As for the entire east, it is all Father's confidants, and the third prince cannot get his hands on it.”
"So now, what do you think his chances of winning are? The situation in the court is sometimes very important, but sometimes it may not determine everything."
Lu Yangyang's eyes lit up as she listened; she even had a bold idea.
"Your Highness, if one day, whoever destroys Northern Yan, will be able to become the ruler of this world?"