A slow and leisurely voice said, "Elder Brother, you are mistaken!"
Following the voice, Prince Li unhurriedly strolled out, stopping half an inch behind the Crown Prince, and bowed to the Emperor. His positioning was interesting; if not observed closely, it would seem as though he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Crown Prince.
But if soone were to find fault, he indeed stood half an inch behind; half an inch is still a distance!
Besides, everyone was now focused on how the Emperor would decide. The previous court disputes suddenly beca a clash of differing opinions between the Crown Prince and Prince Li. Who would care about such a minor difference in positioning?
It was unfortunate for those officials with low ranks, standing far in the back; they couldn’t hear what was being said up front nor clearly see the situation, yet they had to remain there, waiting the entire ti.
Even for a Seventh Rank official, soone esteed in the governnt office and accustod to ease at ho, standing there for several hours was too much; so had begun to tremble from standing so long.
Yet no one dared to relax in the slightest.
Prince Li noticed no one was paying attention to the positioning, and felt a small sense of superiority and satisfaction. He looked at the Crown Prince, then turned his head upwards, saying, "Father, while the Crown Prince is benevolent, I have a different opinion!"
Seeing it was Prince Li, coming to challenge him, the Crown Prince felt secretly resentful. This fool always wanted to bring down Prince Liang, but he had outmaneuvered him and ended up the victor. It seed Prince Li was still not satisfied and was stirring up trouble!
However, if he could crush Prince Li once, he could do it a second ti.
He looked coldly at Prince Li, saying, "Ninth Brother, let ask you, if Shang Jingwang reported to the Northern County Magistrate, wouldn’t the Magistrate also report to the Capital City? Eventually, the ssage would still be sent to the capital, and Father would dispatch the imperial envoy and the Imperial Physician. Shang Jingwang reporting directly to the Court and requesting help from the Capital City was to avoid the delay of layer-by-layer reporting. The epidemic area is like a battlefield, ever-changing. Leaders on the ground should judge the situation and respond accordingly. What is your differing opinion?"
Prince Li glanced at the aggressive Crown Prince, yet appeared more calm and indifferent. He gestured courteously to the Crown Prince and replied politely, "Your Highness, are you implying that an epidemic area, like a battlefield, can disregard orders from above? However, as everyone knows, a war is of significant importance, affecting national destiny. Indeed, battlefields change rapidly, and generals must assess and adapt. But can an epidemic be compared to a battlefield? Can the lives of the people in a re town compare to the whole of Nanxia? While a battlefield might justify disregarding orders, can the sa be said for a minor epidemic? Where does that place the state system? The responsibilities of officials at each level? As the Crown Prince, how can you claim that orders from above can be ignored in such instances? I ask the Crown Prince to choose your words carefully!"
The Crown Prince’s expression turned very unpleasant in an instant.
Indeed, as the Crown Prince, while others could make such statents, he could not.
Prince Li was clearly opposing him.
Fine, since you’re debating the whole nation, the national destiny, the hierarchies with , do you think I fear you? Everyone can use sound reasoning to leave the other speechless and without rebuttal!
He coldly replied, "Ninth Brother, do you consider an epidemic a trivial matter? Do the lives of the people in one town an nothing?"
Prince Li responded, "Of course not..."
In his heart, they did matter little, only the path to the supre position was significant; nothing else was as important. But before half of Nanxia’s courtiers, he couldn’t say that.
The Crown Prince’s expression was somber, his tone even more aggressive, "If it’s not, do you realize that by the ti Shang Jingwang sends the ssage to the Northern County Magistrate and then forwarded to the Capital City, no, it should first go to the Jiazhou Governor! The Governor would then report to the Capital, and Father would dispatch the imperial envoy. How much ti would that delay? Does anyone here not know what an epidemic is, even if they haven’t seen it, they’ve heard of it. How many more would have died after all these days?"
A fierce expression flickered in Prince Li’s eyes, but he bit his lip and said nothing.
He didn’t care how many more died, but could he say that now?
The Crown Prince was using the lives of the people to make his point.
As the honorable Crown Prince, he must present himself as considerate of the people. If he debated on this point, he would already lose ground.
Prince Li furrowed his brow, wondering why he seed to be fighting alone. Where was that person?
The Marquis Anning wanted to support his grandson, having grievances against Shang Jingwang. He didn’t want to cause discord, but since the Crown Prince wanted to push down the Marquis, he must protect the Marquis.
But they had clearly ford an alliance, yet now he stood here alone. Was he being used as a pawn?
Prince Liang watched the two argue with a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
When he was Crown Prince, Prince Li always opposed him.
Now that the third brother was Crown Prince, Prince Li still opposed.
But why did he feel so happy?
However, he hadn’t had the satisfaction for long before a figure beside him stepped out steadily.
A voice slowly said, "Grandfather, may I say a few words?"
The Crown Prince heard the voice, glanced to the side, and saw the person stepping out had a jade-like face, stood tall and straight, charismatic and elite, making his expression darker.
Nonetheless, after glancing at Prince Liang, he felt even more disdain.
Was there room for him to speak now? Even if he shone brightly, Prince Liang, the discarded Crown Prince, was downed already. Did a re Imperial Grandson want to rise?
Indeed, the person stepping out was Huangfu Yuxuan.
The Emperor coldly looked across the court, observing the turbulent undercurrents. Though he aged, he grew wiser with age. He saw clearly and remained inscrutable. No one knew his thoughts.
With the Emperor’s heart inscrutable, their disputes were half about choosing the most advantageous stance, and half about showcasing their insight to the Emperor.
The Emperor plainly said, "Hmm, speak!"
He approved Huangfu Yuxuan to speak.
Huangfu Yuxuan glanced lightly, exchanging a casual look with Marquis Anning.
Yes, it was now Marquis Anning. The reason he didn’t respond to the Crown Prince’s overtures was that he had already secretly aligned with Huangfu Yuxuan.
In the current situation, Marquis Anning should support the Crown Prince, rather than a grandson whose father already lost the Crown Prince position.
But Huangfu Yuxuan had his thods.
Huangfu Yuxuan, full of montum, spoke eloquently, "Mr. Jiang, how many days does it take for Shang Jingwang’s report from Huainan Prefecture to reach the Capital?"
Jiang Yuhuo had no idea. He didn’t understand the aning behind Huangfu Yuxuan’s seemingly random questions.
However, soone nearby, who knew the answer, replied, "It was sent by express horse and took seven days!"
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