The protagonist chased the villain, and Tiandao screamed in anger

Here, Prince Yu tossed and turned, unable to understand Emperor Chen's intention, and finally changed his route and went to the residence of his grandfather, Marquis Xiao.

His mother was confined to her house and could not be looked after, but fortunately the other party sent back a message. When Prince Yu learned that his mother did not ask the Emperor for You Heng, he became even more suspicious of the Emperor's intentions.

As it was getting dark, Prince Yu entered from the side door of the mansion and went all the way to the main hall.

"Grandfather, Cheng'er has something unclear." He walked quickly and explained his purpose as soon as he saw Lord Xiao.

"…Why are you in such a hurry? You don't act like a prince at all. Even after defeating the crown prince, you are still acting rashly." Marquis Xiao held the tea bowl in his hand, glanced at Prince Yu quietly, and admonished him.

"Grandfather, please stop wasting your breath and help your grandson take a look at the current situation." Prince Yu has been living alone for a long time and is not as afraid of his strict grandfather as before.

"What's new? His Majesty simply feels that you and the Crown Prince are in opposition, and it's easy for a balance to tip over. He just wants to add an extra balancing force to the situation, and You Heng is the perfect choice."

"Cheng'er, although You Heng was raised under the name of your mother, he is not your biological son after all. Remember not to be too credulous. Also, don't forget the desire of a prince to compete for the throne."

Seeing Prince Yu's anxious look, Lord Xiao no longer kept him in suspense and easily told the Emperor what he was thinking.

"Then, grandpa meant that You Heng was the one who interfered in the matter of Xu Sanlang and put the blame on the prince..." It seemed to fit the statement very well.

You Heng was hiding in the dark, watching him fighting with the prince, and he must have been very happy in his heart.

If this is true, then wasn't the other party's previous plan to send secret guards to assassinate the prince a premeditated plan to frame him?

He suspected at the time that his father doubted his motive and that was why he deliberately boosted the prince's power.

While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Unexpectedly, this old man appears behind him!

"It may not be his doing, but You Heng did benefit from it."

"Cheng'er, you have to understand that the prince is suffering from madness. Although the emperor tolerates him, it is mostly because of the favor of shooting an arrow. He may not regard him as the crown prince anymore. Now he still holds the title of prince, but it is nothing more than relying on the deceased queen."

The emperor is in good health and is still far from having to worry about the issue of a crown prince. Naturally, he would not be happy to see that his prince is becoming too powerful.

The prince at that time was a living example.

"My grandson knows about this, but despite what he said, You Mu still holds the title of Crown Prince. How can my grandson swallow this humiliation? And my mother is still causing trouble in the palace."

What Lord Xiao said was a far-sighted view. Even if You Mu could not die, given his current state and tyrannical nature, he had already lost the support of the people. Who would support a monarch who was insane?

But knowing these things is one thing, and envying the position of crown prince is another.

Logically speaking, he was the eldest son, and even if he was not born of a legitimate wife, he should have the right to fight. But at that time, the military achievements of the Zhao family overshadowed those of the Xiao family.

"Don't act on impulse. Let's put the assassination aside for now. The Crown Prince is weak and alone, so there is no need to worry. Instead, you should persuade your mother. The position of Queen has been vacant for a long time. She should consider how to ascend the throne and ensure that you become the crown prince in a legitimate way, instead of competing with the concubines in the harem for favor."

Lord Xiao shook his head, thinking that the woman was short-sighted. She only thought of getting rid of the queen and thought that she would have nothing to worry about as long as she was the most powerful person in the harem. It was really ridiculous.

The incident with Concubine Yu is a good opportunity to teach my daughter a lesson so that she won’t be confused in the future.

"Should I help my mother to get rid of Concubine Yu..." When it comes to matters in the harem, Prince Yu feels that Concubine Yu is a nuisance.

"No need. I, Concubine Yu, have investigated and found that the daughter of the county magistrate is illiterate. This is just a trick used by some women to win favor. Even if this one is gone, there will be other concubines competing with your mother. Why bother? Just ask your mother to find a way to ascend to the throne of empress."

Being in the previous dynasty, Lord Xiao did not care about the struggles in the harem. He also took a close look at Concubine Yu's background and thought that the Emperor was just in a momentary mood and his favor for her would fade after a while.

The concubines in the palace are like flowing water, and each one is favored for a period of time. Concubine Xiao is someone who has defeated all the concubines. If she can't even fight for a small concubine position now, then she is really useless.

Hearing this, Prince Yu no longer insisted. After all, he was now in the former dynasty, and it was indeed not easy for him to interfere in the affairs of the harem.

"But I am really worried about the matter of Jiang and Xiang right now. Does Grandfather have any advice?"

"Since it is a matter of concern to you, His Majesty will only be more worried." Jiang Xiangzhi is doomed to die, but it is difficult for Jiang Xie to deal with it.

It's the end of the year and the Emperor's birthday banquet is approaching. Money is spent everywhere. If we rashly investigate and punish Jiang Xie and involve more things, I'm afraid we won't have a peaceful year.

"So what grandfather meant was..." After listening to Marquis Xiao's words, Prince Yu figured out something.

"Please hold off. I think the emperor will postpone dealing with these things until after the festival." This will give those who are involved behind the scenes a chance to prepare, fill in the gaps that need to be filled, and cut off those that need to be cut off.

It would not result in too many people being executed in an instant, disrupting the order of the court, and it would be acceptable in all aspects.

"In that case, I know what to do."

"By the way, His Majesty's birthday is coming soon, so we should prepare some generous gifts this year. Although the Crown Prince doesn't have much savings, I think he has done his best to prepare them."

"My grandson knows."

After a conversation, Prince Yu felt much better. He took the carriage back to the palace, thinking of the birthday gift from Emperor Chen, and he called the princess to check the accounts and available silver in the palace.

The more he looked through the documents, the angrier he became. He checked and found that in just a few months, the palace's expenses had been gushing out, and the inventory had been reduced by half.

"Where has all the money in this mansion gone?" Prince Yu angrily threw away his sleeves, threw away the accounts and yelled at the princess.

The scolded princess almost cried, but she suppressed her temper and explained softly: "Your Highness, there are many guests in the palace, and the ministers and their families who were on good terms with us in the past must have spent money on each other, and then..." The princess lowered her voice and continued: "Lord Jiang was investigated, and the palace has not received any money yet."

Prince Yu naturally knew this. In the past, Jiang Xie had sought favors under him and would send some return gifts to the palace every month as usual. He would also occasionally act as a go-between for those seeking official positions. The palace had many ways to make money.

But now that Jiang Xie's line is broken, it's like cutting off the roots of the palace!

There were many places where the palace spent money, and some of them could not be saved. In addition, he had to prepare a big gift for his father's birthday banquet, which was another huge expense.

Prince Yu tapped the table with his fingertips, thought for a while, stopped, stood up and walked to the study, and ordered his subordinates to pass on the message.

"Your Highness, this batch of official silver is from the salt tax. If it is discovered..." The subordinate was quite worried as he held the letter.

Not to mention the silver, we have been hunting down the Qinghe believers for such a long time, but no one has been caught yet. If we secretly accept the surrender of the Qinghe believers, how will we explain it to His Majesty?

If you are really implicated, it would be a serious crime of treason!

"My Lord, please think twice. You must not get involved with these rebels..."

Listening to his subordinates' nagging, Prince Yu became annoyed and waved his hand, saying, "Just pull a few traitors out of prison. Right now, we need money for important matters. Father also knows where the money went, so why would he investigate further?"

"As for the Qinghe Sect's surrender, they still have value. When I have used them enough, I will capture them and behead them in public."

Anyway, it's up to him to decide on this matter, and how he expresses it is up to him.

He must win first place at this birthday banquet!

“…Yes.” Seeing that persuasion was of no use, the subordinate had no choice but to bow and do as he was told.