Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 349 Muddy Waters

"Sleep?"

"She's fast asleep."

After Yuan Cuo coaxed Liu Yuechu to sleep, he sat down at the tea table in the courtyard.

The tea table was surrounded by a screen to block out the cold. In the center of the screen, a stove was burning, and Li Chengyue was brewing tea over the charcoal fire. On the stove lid, there were also a few roasted sweet potatoes and a handful of roasted chestnuts, which smelled very good.

Chen Zhongyao was savoring it slowly.

Huajiao went inside to keep Liu Yuechu company, and the three men warmed themselves and talked privately in the courtyard.

“Today’s events will cause great turmoil. How exactly did you and Father discuss this? I don’t care, but Mother is anxious.” Chen Zhongyao was referring to Princess Chen.

Today, news has spread that Governor-General Chen and Yuan Cuo are smuggling weapons and trapping the Yan-Chu army in a deadly situation, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

Princess Chen was more worried.

She didn't trust the palace and felt that the victory was just a fluke. She thought that if Yan Chu hadn't underestimated Da Qi, the war might not have been won so easily.

"I was initially somewhat pessimistic, but I never expected that this coup might leave Governor-General Chen's position untouchable." Yuan Cuo spoke the truth, without any beating around the bush.

In fact, Emperor Qi Xiao had no idea what he was doing.

The reason they cooperated during the day was simply because they realized they were isolated and helpless, and they wanted to regain some semblance of dignity.

"With military power in hand and having secured and occupied the west, there's naturally no problem. What about you? What are your plans?" Chen Zhongyao asked.

Yuan Cuo has gone all out this time, with no trump cards left to contend with Emperor Qi Xiao.

Hoping for the emperor's favor?

That was a three-year-old child.

"I couldn't have guessed this either. We'll have to see how the subsequent battles unfold and how the Court of State Ceremonies negotiates with the Yan and Chu states." Yuan Cuo ate roasted chestnuts with great contentment, as if all the pressure was fleeting and could not disturb his inner peace.

"You absolutely must secure the negotiation with the Court of State Ceremonial. If you fail, you'll be the one to take the blame!" Li Chengyue had traveled all over Chu and then across the east, west, north, and south of Qi, making his personality even more sharp than before.

"Perhaps, only I can negotiate?" Yuan Cuo thought of the flustered and helpless Emperor Qi Xiao today, but did not reveal his inner grumbling and mockery.

An emperor was forced to abdicate by his own son.

If the battle report had arrived any later, we really wouldn't know what had happened.

The reason why it is said that only he can go is because Wei Tianxuan has not made a clear statement today.

The silence on the matter implies support for the Crown Prince.

Emperor Qi Xiao will definitely not reuse him. Wei Tianxuan made a mistake in this move.

"His Majesty will definitely summon you to the palace tomorrow. Be prepared to be held accountable." Chen Zhongyao made a special trip to the Liu family today, even though it was New Year's Eve, he did not stay at the Princess's residence to keep her company.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. The credit will naturally go to His Majesty. In any case, I'll wait until Yuechu gives birth to the child safely before making any moves..." Yuan Cuo took a sip of tea, feeling warm all over. "Besides, the palace has been in turmoil, and they won't let it go easily. Perhaps after the court is truly rectified, my child will be able to run around freely!"

Chen Zhongyao: "..." Although those words were harsh, they weren't wrong.

After all, Emperor Qi Xiao was truly provoked this time.

"You also need to be careful of the Crown Prince's underhanded tactics; he suffered a major setback this time." Li Chengyue was all too aware of the dirty tricks within the royal family.

Yuan Cuo took the chopsticks from his hand and fiddled with the roasted chestnuts a few more times. "The person we should be most wary of is Prince Chun. I suspect he will be leaving the capital soon."

Prince Chun went to the capital to deliberately cause trouble, since he was the first to discover the Huaizhou mine and secretly transported it to the Chu and Yan states.

The reason why the Crown Prince dared to force the emperor to abdicate was because of the occasional news spread by Prince Chun, which created anxiety in the capital. Otherwise, even if Qin Mushuo was foolish, he would not have forced Emperor Qi Xiao to abdicate now, hoping to stop the war as soon as possible and avoid further losses for the Great Qi.

"Will he go back? What will he have left after he goes back?" Li Chengyue knew, of course, that Yuan Cuo and Governor-General Chen had already emptied out the western region.

There is no silver, and no rice.

Even the iron ore veins accumulated by Prince Chun were moved away.

Prince Chun had intended to deliberately alert the enemy, but unexpectedly, the enemy took over his lair.

"Who knows? But this time, we also need Lord Huang Fan's help, otherwise the Grand Governor and I wouldn't have been able to accomplish it so easily." Yuan Cuo mentioned Huang Wanwan's father.

Chen Zhongyao had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He got up to return to his residence, thinking, "After resting for a few days, I will definitely submit a batch of impeachment memorials on the day the court opens."

He came to ask questions in detail because he wanted to know Emperor Qi Xiao's thoughts and guess who would be more likely to be impeached first.

Li Chengyue is also preparing to go home.

He knew he would soon be leaving the capital for Huaizhou, and could only spend more time with his mother and father. As for Li Shu's ungrateful sister, he didn't even mention her.

After seeing Chen Zhongyao and Li Chengyue off, Yuan Cuo planned to go back to sleep, but when he turned around, he saw Cheng Hai arrive.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and pointed to the still-burning charcoal fire. "There are still some roasted sweet potatoes left. If you don't mind, would you like one?"

"We can't eat this kind of thing at home." Cheng Hai sat in front of the stove, looking at the sweet potatoes with great desire, but could only pour himself a cup of tea.

Sweet potatoes help with digestion.

He spends all his time by Emperor Qi Xiao's side, so naturally he can't just fart casually.

Yuan Cuo, however, did not stand on ceremony and broke off a piece for himself, then devoured it with gusto.

"You've taken too much risk this time. What will you do if His Majesty punishes you?!" Cheng Hai pleaded earnestly from the bottom of his heart.

Yuan Cuo scoffed, "Can you?"

Cheng Hai: "..." I really don't know.

"But it's always good to be prepared for anything."

“He never expected to be betrayed by his own son, and his other son, far away in Huaizhou, defied the imperial decree, treating his imperial orders as nothing. What could possibly go wrong?” Yuan Cuo, who had been so gentle and refined just moments before, suddenly burst into profanity.

Cheng Hai grumbled, "You should watch your words!"

"What are you afraid of? Afraid the guards will hear? You are the commander of the guards. Unless you tell them to complain, no one will gossip." Yuan Cuo had been in charge of the guards before and knew this all too well.

Cheng Hai rolled his eyes. Such a smart person, couldn't he use his brain for something useful?!

"So why did you come to find me? To see me eat roasted sweet potatoes?" Yuan Cuo didn't expect Cheng Hai to show up in person; at most, he would have sent Hou to deliver a message.

Although he later left the secret guard, he was still Cheng Hai's apprentice.

"I just want to ask you one honest question: did you deliberately frame the Crown Prince and the Third Prince?"

Cheng Hai was utterly baffled by the Crown Prince's sudden coup attempt. It was simply not something the Crown Prince would do.

Yuan Cuo hesitated for a moment, "It's not really my business, is it?"

"What exactly did you do?" Cheng Hai asked, feeling uneasy as he received no answer.

Yuan Cuo replied slowly and deliberately, "I only told Consort Fang that she was carrying a girl."

“You must have said something else!” Cheng Hai knew Yuan Cuo very well.

Yuan Cuo sighed, "I even gossiped with my wife about how the Third Prince has several illegitimate children..."