Wei Yunjia came over to persuade Jiang Lin, "Sister-in-law, don't be angry. The eldest prince is a military general, just like big brother, I think he is quite good. Moreover, it's just an arranged marriage, not an immediate wedding. No one knows if something unexpected will happen in the meantime, and maybe this marriage won't even happen."
Some unexpected changes were bound to occur. Jiang Lin wasn't worried about the marriage itself. His main concern was that this imperial edict had pushed the Wei family to the forefront of danger.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's for checks and balances, for power struggles, and also forcing the crown prince to make up his mind to get rid of us." After a long while, Wei Yunzhao spoke with a cold tone.
He looked at Jiang Lin and the others. "The eldest prince is at the border and doesn't care about the affairs of the court. The second prince is dead. The fourth prince's whereabouts are unknown. The fifth prince stays hidden as an idle prince, and the sixth prince is invisible in the palace. The other princes are not yet grown up. Currently the crown prince is the only one in power in the court, which is a challenge for Emperor Changde's authority. As an emperor, especially an old emperor with declining health, his greatest fear is someone taking away his supreme power. The crown prince covets his throne and keeps trying to win over his court officials. This makes him very unhappy."
"But the situation is like this now. Only he and the crown prince are competing. The crown prince is young, and those shrewd ministers in the court naturally want to think about their own future and that of their descendants, so they inevitably prioritize the crown prince over Emperor Changde. Emperor Changde himself can foresee what the consequences will be if this situation continues, so he wants to train another prince who can compete with the crown prince. He remains in control, he wants everyone to know that thunder, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. He is the Emperor who truly holds the power, and his power is absolute."
As long as Emperor Changde was alive, it was hard to say who would win between the crown prince and the other princes. The crown prince's greatest weakness was the lack of support from military generals, and even the Yin family he favored was a civil official. On the contrary, the eldest prince, whom Emperor Changde wanted to promote to compete with the crown prince, was a military general himself and had just won a battle.
The Wei family, which was the target of the marriage, had military generals for generations. Wei Yunzhao was still in the Ministry of War. In terms of military power, the eldest prince suppressed the crown prince completely.
If the Crown Prince wanted to deal with the eldest prince, he wouldn't make a direct move against him. The Wei family, which was hated by Emperor Changde, was the perfect target. Getting rid of the Wei family would not only make Emperor Changde happy, but also cut off an arm of the eldest prince, killing two birds with one stone.
Moreover, Wei Yunzhao believed that the eldest prince would definitely return to the capital earlier than expected, rather than waiting until Wei Yunjia reached the age of 15.
"So, is this what it means to be an emperor?" Jiang Lin asked after listening to Wei Yunzhao's analysis.
"Every random move contains many calculations, playing with human lives at the palm of your hand."
Wei Yunzhao nodded, "That's why the more he enjoys the power to control everyone's life and death, the more he is unwilling to let go."
Throughout history, there were many cases of wise rulers in their youth becoming tyrannical rulers in their old age, all due to their own greed.
"No one can guarantee that they can remain clear-headed after enjoying supreme power and will not act foolishly when they get old. I'm no exception." Wei Yunzhao stated calmly.
Jiang Lin, "So, is this the reason you're unwilling to become the emperor?"
"This is one of the reasons," Wei Yunzhao replied. " But more importantly, I don't think I can be a good emperor."
Jiang Lin scoffed, "Then you are very clear-headed."
Wei Yunzhao thought it was good to be clear-headed, he preferred to stay clear-headed forever.
He called Wei Yunjia and reassured the little girl, "Don't worry, they won't really let you marry the eldest prince. You are still young. After the engagement is cancelled, we will help you find another suitable husband."
Wei Yunzhao thought of something and added, "Of course, it will be better if you can find your ideal person yourself."
Wei Yunjia: "…"
She was somewhat moved by the first part, but when she heard the second part, she felt that her elder brother thought it was too troublesome to find a husband for her, so he let her find one herself.
However, considering that they were siblings, Wei Yunjia kept her suspicion to herself and maintained the superficial brother-sister relationship.
After letting Wei Yunjia go back to rest with the imperial edict, Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao thought about how to deal with the crown prince. They could guess what Emperor Changde's intentions, and with so many people backing the crown prince, it was unlikely they wouldn't grasp the emperor's meaning.
The crown prince's side not only understood Emperor Changde's intentions, the Empress was also eager to take action immediately.
She grabbed Qiu Xi's hand excitedly, "This time it's the emperor's will. My brother can no longer stop me from attacking the Wei family. Qiu Xi, this time I will finally get rid of that family who doesn't know how to appreciate others. I will make sure no one left in the Wei family."
"Let's start with that stubborn old woman."
Qiu Xi smiled and congratulated the Empress, "Your majesty will finally get your wish."
The Empress let go of Qiu Xi's hand, sat back on the soft couch and savored her tea, "I have waited many years for this day."
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