HCB Chapter 602 Father-in-law
Chapter 602 Father-in-law
Originally, food, medicine and military supplies had been prepared, and Prince Yi should have set off for northern Vietnam immediately.
But Zhou Chang kept delaying, and by December 25th he had not left Jindu yet.
The main purpose was to wait for the people sent by Zhong Yu and Gao Yuan, hoping that they could bring back evidence that King Xian "privately made weapons and intended to rebel", so he kept delaying with the court on the pretext that the last batch of medicinal materials was missing.
To this end, Zhou Chang first ordered the troops of the East Guard Camp to set out via the land route, and promised that the last batch of medicinal materials would be gathered before the end of December at the latest, and she would also set out before the New Year.
Although soldiers from the East Guard Camp were escorting the military supplies by land, Zhou Chang was still worried just in case, so he asked Gao Yuan to dispatch a few people to accompany and escort them.
Gao Yuan was also short of manpower, so he could only reluctantly send Chen Yuan and Gao Yun and a few others to go ahead and set off with the East Guard Camp.
Zhou Chang felt guilty about this for not being able to let Gao Yuan and his brother be together. Even if they couldn't spend the New Year in Jindu, at least they could be together.
Gao Yuan, on the other hand, didn't care much about it. Moreover, his younger brother Gao Yun would hardly make any progress if he followed him. It would be better for him to have this opportunity to follow the army and learn some of the army's marching methods.
Zhou Chang secretly admired this statement.
Gao Yuan's meticulous care for Gao Yun is not reflected in his food, clothing, housing and transportation, but it can be considered far-sighted.
While Zhou Chang was secretly waiting for evidence, he openly took the two tokens of "Wartime Order" and "Commander of Jin Cao", and gathered twenty or thirty people from Jin Cao Division, preparing to take them with him.
After all, this time we are not going only to Beiji, but also to the further north, so it is better to bring as many familiar people as possible with us.
Next, Gao Yuan brought his men back from Hanping, and the investigation had made significant progress. The information they obtained basically confirmed what Sun Xiang said.
This means that there are both witnesses and evidence. After all, the place where the weapons were privately manufactured is there, and there is no way to escape.
Then, Zhou Chang had to accept Zhong Yu's suggestion in the study that day.
Half a month ago, after Zhou Chang interrogated Sun Xiang, he had already thought of this step.
At that time, Zhou Chang thought that as Prince Yi, it was not appropriate for him to personally expose Prince Xian even if he had evidence.
"The prince is indeed not suitable..." Zhong Yu also pondered at that time.
"The Dali Temple Minister Chu Liang is a man who only wants to 'lay down' and do nothing. He is unreliable." Zhou Chang thought of Chu Liang at that time, but immediately denied it.
Zhong Yu also shook his head.
Zhou Chang rejected Chu Liang, and then stroked his chin and went through all the court officials he could think of in his mind: "Minister of Justice Zhou Tang, seemingly neutral, is actually a fence-sitter, a man who is indecisive. The matter of Ma Feihu's replacement has not been determined yet, and it is possible that he is secretly standing on one side or the other."
Zhou Tang is actually quite capable, but he lacks fairness and is not worthy of being employed no matter how capable he is.
Zhong Yu used half of his head to listen and the other half to think, so he automatically ignored some of the modern words used by Zhou Chang.
As for Gao Yuan, it was not his turn to think, so he just sat there and waited.
Zhou Chang continued to talk to himself: "Apart from these two people, I can't think of anyone else in the court who can be used. There are Fang She and Li Zhi in the inner palace. Fang She has shown signs of goodwill recently, but... he is too greedy for money and will definitely forget his principles at the critical moment. I always feel that he is unreliable. As for Li Zhi, he is trustworthy, but because of Aunt Jing, this matter has certain risks. It is not good to involve him..."
Before Zhou Chang finished speaking, Zhong Yu suddenly looked up and said, "Your Majesty, you forgot someone."
"Who?" Zhou Chang had racked his brains just now, could he have missed someone?
"Grandmaster Yuan Chuan." Zhong Yu didn't want to keep it a secret.
"Yeah..." Zhou Chang slapped his forehead and was about to agree, but then hesitated, "But he..."
In Prince Yi's mind, he never considered this person as one of his own people.
Besides, Yuan Chuan can be considered as Prince Yi's father-in-law.
At the last Spring Banquet, although they said they would no longer take sides, it was clear from Yuan Yun’s attitude that the Yuan family’s ambitions had always been there.
But precisely because of this ambition, Zhou Chang didn't want Yuan Chuan to get involved.
Zhong Yuze gave his reasons: "Lord Yuan was originally a member of Prince Duan's party, but he was not deeply involved, so he was able to escape unscathed. Besides, the Yuan family is also a veteran of three dynasties and has its own foundation in the court. In addition, he is your father-in-law. If the prince wants to find a reliable and stable person now, then this person is the best. The key is that as long as the prince can get along with the princess and her husband, it is his duty to help you."
Zhou Chang was troubled by the three words "should", and Prince Yi was also extremely resistant.
At best, Yuan Chuan is only Prince Yi's nominal father-in-law, and in Prince Yi's heart, he is no closer than a stranger.
From a public perspective, is Yuan Chuan a trustworthy person? Once he is involved in this matter, his relationship with the Yuan family will probably be unbreakable in the future?
Personally speaking, Prince Yi has never considered Yuan Yun as his wife. Why should he ask Yuan Chuan to help him now? Moreover, this matter obviously involves the fight for the throne.
Zhong Yusi also guessed Zhou Chang's thoughts and took another step back: "Your Highness, don't be embarrassed. I am just suggesting. Of course, you can also regard this as an ordinary transaction. Try to test whether Lord Yuan is willing to come forward. If he does, it will definitely be beneficial to him in the future. If he is not willing... Don't force him. It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. Then, if there is no better candidate, we really have to choose between Eunuch Fang and Eunuch Li."
"Eunuch Fang" and "Eunuch Li"?
When Zhou Chang heard this name, he suddenly felt a headache.
No matter from which angle you choose, Yuan Chuan is obviously a better candidate than cooperating with the inner palace.
As for this "future benefit", we can talk about the future later.
At that time, Zhou Chang did not make a decision immediately, but he actually already had the answer in his mind.
Now that Gao Yuan has brought back confirmed news, she must take this step.
Isn’t it said that father-in-law is compared to Mount Tai?
Then it shouldn't be too much for Prince Yi to lean a little closer this time.
They were about to set off soon, and although the information they had obtained was still limited, they could not afford to worry about so much. After all, they still had to arrange everything before leaving, and Sun Xiang could not stay in Prince Yi's Mansion for long.
To this end, Zhou Chang made some preparations with Yuan Yun in advance, and then picked an evening to take Yuan Yun to Yuan's mansion.
Yuan Yun was more surprised than delighted.
Zhou Chang did not think of explaining the reason to Yuan Yun. He just said that Yuan Chuan would be visiting soon and said goodbye to him.