Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 372: The Mother of the Bomen Raises Her Stepson 39

The second prince tapped the table with his fingertips, and the candlelight made his eyes look deep.

"Even though Imperial Doctor Zhang concealed it very well, even cleaning up the remaining medicine residue," he said slowly, "there are still traces to be found if one is willing to investigate."

My uncle frowned and asked, "What did you find out?"

The Second Prince pulled out a thin piece of paper from his sleeve. On it were densely written notes of several medicinal herbs. "Father's illness this time is different from the past."

He pointed his finger at the name of one of the herbs, "This 'Agarwood' is supposed to calm the nerves, but if it's used together with 'Purple Spirit Grass'..."

My uncle’s pupils suddenly shrank: “What is this?!!!”

The Second Prince was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I'm afraid my father's health won't last much longer."

"Doctor Zhang is using drugs to forcibly keep Father alive, uncle!" The second prince's voice gradually turned cold. "This chess game has to be played."

He pulled out a list from his sleeve: "These are the officials in the court who are willing to support us. As long as my uncle can mobilize the imperial guards..."

The coup took place late at night.

The second prince's uncle, the commander of the imperial guards, Zhao Hanshan, stood on the Xuanwu Gate Tower, the token in his hand glowing coldly in the moonlight.

He had already replaced the guards at the palace gates with his own confidants, and even the night watchmen were his trusted confidants who had been promoted by him.

"Pass the order down. Send three more teams of archers outside Chengqian Palace." He said in a low voice, "Surround the Eastern Palace, Changle Palace, and Weiyang Palace. Don't let anyone out."

The deputy general hesitated: "Commander, the Crown Prince..."

Zhao Hanshan's eyes sternly said, "After tonight, there will be no more crown princes in this palace."

The old emperor was half leaning on the dragon couch, his face pale and his eye sockets sunken, but he still tried to keep his back straight.

He looked at the second prince who rushed in with a sword, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes, and then returned to unfathomable calmness.

Also in the bedroom was the crown prince.

In fact, the old emperor knew his own body better than anyone else.

No one knew that the old emperor had secretly studied medicine when he was young.

At that time, he was still an unfavored prince. To protect himself, he read medical books and even disguised himself to leave the palace to consult folk doctors. After years of accumulation, his understanding of medicinal properties and pulse diagnosis far exceeded that of ordinary people.

So, when the princess and Doctor Zhang carefully concealed his illness, he actually knew it for a long time.

But he didn't expose it.

Because the princess had no ambitions, and Imperial Physician Zhang was merely following orders, they concealed the truth simply to allow him to recover in peace. Since that was the case, he was happy to play dumb.

It is precisely for this reason that the old emperor has begun to take the issue of succession seriously. Whether he is attending court or returning to the palace, he always brings the prince with him, wanting to teach him some more about the art of ruling.

Only in this way can I safely hand over the country to him.

The only thing that made him uneasy was the prince's temper.

How could he possibly hide the fact that he loved to kill his servants from the emperor's eyes and ears?

However, the crown prince is the legitimate son of the empress, and his status is very important.

This is also the reason why the old emperor allowed his other sons and the prince to fight with each other in recent years.

Although the royal family is ruthless, he is unwilling to see his other sons end up in a miserable state after the crown prince ascends the throne.

Originally, he was quite optimistic about the second prince. Apart from being a little arrogant, this child was okay in other aspects.

My mother's family is not weak, and I have good control over the powerful officials.

But today it seems that I am not shrewd enough and too impatient.

"Second brother, second brother..." The old emperor's voice came from the palace, hoarse but cold, "How many times have I taught you? Those who plan great things must first hide their edge."

"You're too impatient!"

The old emperor issued a gag order on what happened that night, and no one knew what exactly happened.

All we know is that the crown prince was seriously injured and the second prince was demoted to a commoner and exiled to the border.

The entire Zhao family was executed, and the powerful official's party was completely liquidated.

From that day on, the old emperor no longer attended court, and the third prince became regent.

For a time, the situation in the capital changed again.

Everyone in the capital was feeling insecure. The court officials who had previously supported other princes closed their doors to visitors and dared not move around freely.

The Wuwei Marquis' Mansion was relatively stable, and Shen Shigen had originally thought about betting on the second prince.

After Madam Minghua married into the mansion, Minister Ming repeatedly hinted that the Second Prince was powerful and if she could attach herself to him, she would be given important positions in the future.

The powerful officials in the court have all taken sides. If they do not express their stance, the Wuwei Earl's Mansion may be marginalized when the new emperor ascends the throne.

But just when he was about to let go, Shen Junyao stopped him.

That night, Shen Junyao stood in the study, the candlelight illuminating his quiet eyes:

"Father, the Second Prince is too aggressive and is definitely not a good leader."

Shen Shigen frowned: "But the Ming family has already formed an alliance with us. If we don't take sides, how will we survive in the future?"

Shen Junyao said calmly: "If you take sides too early, you will die faster."

—He took out a secret report, which contained evidence that the Second Prince had secretly made friends with military generals and forged weapons.

He spread out another list, which contained the names of the court officials who were loyal to the Second Prince, most of whom had been secretly targeted by the old emperor.

After reading it, Shen Shigen broke out in a cold sweat.

It turned out that the old emperor knew everything the second prince did.

Shen Junyao whispered: "Father, we don't have to rush to take sides, we just need to do one thing."

"Just wait and see what happens, and be a lone minister."

The visitor from the Ming family pretended to be cooperative but did not promise anything.

If the Second Prince is tried to win over someone, he will appear respectful but will never participate in the conspiracy.

In this way, no matter which prince ascends the throne in the future, they will not marginalize you because they know that you are only loyal to the one who sits on the throne.

Shen Shigen was silent for a long time and finally nodded.

This son sees further than him.

When the news of the second prince's downfall came, Shen Shigen was drinking tea in the study. His hand shook and the teacup shattered.

If we had listened to Minister Ming at the beginning, the Wuwei Earl's Mansion would probably be implicated by now!

He immediately called Shen Junyao over, his voice trembling slightly: "Yao'er, fortunately..."

Shen Junyao said calmly, "Father, now is not the time to rejoice."

Madam Minghua should be confined to the yard for now. She just gave birth and told others that she is recuperating. Do not let her have any contact with Minister Ming again.

Shen Shigen frowned: "But she is the daughter of the Ming family after all. If the Ming family..."

Shen Junyao interrupted him: "If the Ming family asks for help, we will ignore them."

His tone was cold and hard, leaving no room for doubt: "They have their own way to preserve the incense, they don't need you."

This is to completely sever ties.

Shen Junyao continued, "All letters and keepsakes related to the Second Prince in the mansion must be burned."

Shen Shigen was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

A few days later, news came that the entire Ming family had been executed.

Madam Minghua was found guilty of a not-so-small matter by Shen Shigen and was confined to a side courtyard. No one dared to tell her the truth.

Minghua, who had always been arrogant, could not stand this and started throwing porcelain all over the room.

She didn't know that her father and brothers had all been killed.

Shen Shigen stood outside the yard, listening to the crying of the baby inside, with a complicated expression.

Shen Junyao stood behind him and said calmly, "Father, this is the best outcome. Madam Ming is married to you, so she is a member of our Shen family. You have done your best to live up to your conscience by not divorcing her."

We really can't interfere in matters of rebellion."