latelenovela Chapter 203 Conspiracy
Chapter 203 Conspiracy
Chapter 203 203 Conspiracy
Shi Zhenghan's gaze lingered on Ye Yingrou's face, which had suddenly become smooth as before, for a long time. He sighed in complete admiration:
"This young lady is not only skilled in poisoning, but also in disguise. She is truly remarkable."
Ye Yingrou did not explain her sudden change, but instead bowed and smiled, "You flatter me, Prime Minister."
Chunyu Jing said to Shi Zhenghan, "Prime Minister, do you now believe that Rou'er is one of our own?"
Shi Zhenghan hummed in agreement and asked meaningfully, "Does Your Highness mean that you don't intend to close the Jin Ding Mo He case now?"
Chunyu Jing chuckled and said, "Does the Prime Minister have any good ideas?"
Shi Zhenghan said solemnly, "It is Heaven's will to deliver Ronghua Tower into Your Highness's hands. As long as Your Highness can seize this opportunity, it will be equivalent to seizing the world."
“That is exactly what I meant,” Chunyu Jing said. “However, we still need to give an explanation to the Emperor. Moreover, the faster this matter is handled, the more advantageous it will be for us.”
"What the prince means is..."
Chunyu Jing looked at Ye Yingrou and said, "Rou'er, I'm afraid we'll need your help with this matter."
"Your Highness, please speak freely. Rou'er will do her best to fulfill your orders," Ye Yingrou said.
“When Third Brother was in charge of this case, his promise to Father was always to behead the ‘Lord of Ronghua Tower’ and deliver his head to him before the case would be considered closed. Even if Father has now handed this matter over to me, the outcome will not change,” Chunyu Jing said. “Of course, I will not allow anyone to harm you, but you will need to find someone to bear the consequences in your place.”
Chunyu Jing paused, then continued, "However, you must also know that once this person's head is delivered to the Emperor, Ronghua Tower will cease to exist, and you will all become my people. Can you accept such an outcome?"
Ye Yingrou said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? Rou'er has long been Your Highness's woman."
"Hahaha, good, very good!" Chunyu Jing laughed loudly, his gaze towards Ye Yingrou becoming even gentler. "So, do you have a clear idea of who will replace you?"
Hearing the system notification that her favorability rating had increased again, Ye Yingrou raised her head, her eyes slightly narrowed, and smiled sweetly: "Rou'er knows what she's doing, Your Highness, just wait."
Chunyu Jing nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Shi Zhenghan, finally remembering his purpose, and asked, "By the way, why did the Prime Minister come tonight?"
Shi Zhenghan's expression hardened, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Your Highness, guess who I saw today?"
"Who exactly is it that makes the Prime Minister so alarmed?" Chunyu Jing asked with a light laugh.
Shi Zhenghan said, "It is Prince Yue."
Chunyu Jing raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Seventh Uncle has arrived in the capital so quickly? Shouldn't he have just set off from Chenzhou? The Prime Minister has quite the influence. The first person Seventh Uncle sees after arriving in the capital is actually you."
Shi Zhenghan knew that Chunyu Jing had become suspicious, so he quickly said, "I have no way of knowing whether the first person he met was me, but I came here immediately after he left. Your Highness, Prince Yue is disguised and deliberately conceals his identity, which shows that he must have some ulterior motive."
Disguised and concealing their identity?
Chunyu Jing's smile slowly faded, and he asked in a deep voice, "What did you and Seventh Uncle talk about today?"
Shi Zhenghan dared not conceal anything and relayed to Chunyu Jing everything that Prince Yue had said to him when he intercepted him on the way earlier that day. Of course, he did not mention that Prince Yue had used the secret he possessed to threaten him.
"Ha, nowadays all sorts of scoundrels dare to covet the throne. My seventh uncle is just a vassal king in Chenzhou, and he's already acting all superior. Does he think he has the ability to rule the world just because he governs a wretched place?" Chunyu Jing said with a sneer after listening to this. After speaking, he gave Ye Yingrou a meaningful look. "However, judging from this matter, Father's health must be nearing its limit."
Ye Yingrou noticed his gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Now that we know he's taking action, shouldn't we prepare in advance?"
"Prepare what? To bring this matter to Father Emperor's attention?" Chunyu Jing shook his head and said, "Rou'er, this matter cannot be handled like that. If we do, Father Emperor will definitely ask me how I learned the news. If I tell the truth that it was Prime Minister Shi who told me, then Father Emperor will know that I have been in close contact with Prime Minister Shi in private, and he will be wary of me."
Ye Yingrou lowered her head: "It was Rou'er's oversight."
Chunyu Jing toyed with the small wine cup on the table in the secret room and said, "However, Seventh Uncle has come up with a good idea. The autumn hunt is indeed a good opportunity. Perhaps we can take advantage of it and play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, so as to save ourselves from continuing to compete with that fool, the Crown Prince."
"Your Highness," Shi Zhenghan said very seriously, "Your Highness must not have such thoughts."
Chunyu Jing raised an eyebrow and looked at Shi Zhenghan, who said:
"The throne obtained through treason is ultimately illegitimate and lacks legitimacy. What you need to do most now is to solidify your position in His Majesty's heart. Prince Yue can rebel, but you cannot. If you kill His Majesty to ascend the throne, not only will the court officials not submit to you, but the people of the world will not submit to you either."
"Why is the Prime Minister so nervous? I was just saying it," Chunyu Jing said with a smile.
Shi Zhenghan glanced at Chunyu Jing, paused for a moment, and sighed, "Even if we're going to do it, we have to do it discreetly. Does Your Highness understand what I mean?"
"I will heed the Prime Minister's instructions." Chunyu Jing smiled. "And what about the Seventh Prince's side? What are the Prime Minister's plans?"
"Your Highness, rest assured, no matter what conditions Prince Yue offers, I will not cooperate with him," Shi Zhenghan said once again. "My heart will always be with Your Highness."
"Why not?" Ye Yingrou suddenly spoke up. "What Your Highness said earlier is right. This is indeed a good opportunity, but this good opportunity does not refer to the mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, but rather to using the scheme to our advantage and taking advantage of Prince Yue's hand to eliminate those enemies that should be eliminated."
Shi Zhenghan paused, his expression becoming thoughtful.
"Oh? What brilliant idea does Rou'er have?" Chunyu Jing propped his head up and looked at Ye Yingrou with great interest.
Ye Yingrou said, "Regardless of whether Prince Yue truly intends to take action in Xingzhou, he has already harbored thoughts of rebellion. If the Prime Minister agrees to cooperate with him, and the rebellion fails, His Majesty will be furious, and everyone in the Prime Minister's household will be doomed, right?"
Shi Zhenghan nodded and said, "That's right."
Ye Yingrou laughed: "What if the person cooperating with Prince Yue were someone else? For example, His Highness the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, or... the Left Prime Minister, Gongsun Zhan?"