Chapter 488: Chapter 266: It’s Easy to Fall Hard When Climbing High_3
"Big brother, I’ve finally understood what it means to try to steal the chicken only to end up losing the bait." He said, cupping his hands to the Crown Prince, "I must thank you, big brother, for enlightening me."
The Crown Prince cast a cold glance at Prince Dai, "Second brother, I can show you more things."
"Like lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot?" Prince Dai sneered, "I’ve seen that just now too."
"You..."
The Crown Prince was about to speak when Prince Dai interrupted him, "Big brother, you’d better hurry back to the Eastern Palace and have the Imperial Physician look at your foot to see if it’s injured." With that, he laughed heartily and left, leaving the Crown Prince fuming with rage.
Duke Zhen walked beside the Crown Prince, calmly saying, "Return to the Eastern Palace."
"Uncle, look at Prince Dai..."
"Ignore him." Duke Zhen raised his hand and lightly patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder, "Let’s go back."
The Crown Prince obediently nodded, then returned to the Eastern Palace with Duke Zhen.
As soon as they arrived, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but start complaining.
"Uncle, Father must have done it on purpose, right?"
"The Emperor did it deliberately." Duke Zhen had long guessed that the matter of offering sacrifices to Kong Kangda wouldn’t go as they wished. He knew in his heart that the Emperor would see through their true intent in proposing this matter.
"First, it’s Prince Dai, and now the Fourth Brother. Is it that anyone but me is acceptable?" The Crown Prince said exasperatedly, "Fourth Brother has yet to be crowned a prince. First, Father has granted General Lu’s daughter in marriage to him, and now he wants a memorial for Mr. Li. Father is clearly building momentum for the Fourth Brother."
Duke Zhen seemed not the least bit bothered, leisurely sipping his tea.
Seeing Duke Zhen’s calm demeanor, the Crown Prince asked in confusion, "Uncle, why aren’t you angry at all?"
"What’s there to be angry about." Duke Zhen set down his teacup, "I’ve already told you why the Emperor is building momentum for the Fourth Prince. Since you already know, what’s there to be angry about."
The Crown Prince naturally understood the Emperor’s intention in favoring the Fourth Prince, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
"However, by doing this, the position and influence of the Li Family will increase significantly, which is not a good thing for us." They had proposed the matter of honoring Mr. Kong Kangda specifically to elevate the Kong Family’s standing, yet the situation had reversed, turning into a memorial for Mr. Li. "The Li Family is the maternal clan of the Fourth Brother. Raising their status and influence is essentially aiding the Fourth Brother."
Duke Zhen knew full well why the Emperor proposed memorializing Mr. Li, but he couldn’t say so to the Crown Prince.
"It’s you who will be offering respects to Mr. Li, not the Fourth Prince."
"What use is it if I do it? The Li Family won’t support me." The Crown Prince frowned, "Father asking me to pay respects to Mr. Li is no different from slapping the Kong Family’s face and mine too." He lightly tapped his own face.
"The Fourth Prince is just a pawn to balance you and Prince Dai. Why do you care so much about him?" Duke Zhen didn’t regard the Fourth Prince as a threat; for now, neither he nor the Li Family posed any threat to him. "Would you prefer Prince Dai to be the one paying respects to Mr. Li?"
The Crown Prince replied without hesitation, "Of course not."
"The Li Family won’t support you, nor will they support Prince Dai, so there’s no need to worry." Duke Zhen’s tone carried a hint of disdain, "Do you think the Emperor raising the Li Family is a good thing?"
The Crown Prince asked puzzledly, "What do you mean?"
Duke Zhen spoke with a meaningful tone, "When you climb high, the fall is all the harder."
The Crown Prince understood Duke Zhen’s meaning immediately, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Uncle, you are right."
"Let the Emperor continue to elevate the Li Family; the higher, the better—let them be exalted to the heavens."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was inspired and immediately devised a plan.
"Uncle, should we stir up trouble using the memorial for Mr. Li?"
Duke Zhen considered for a moment, then shook his head disapprovingly, "We should do nothing."
"Uncle, didn’t you just say that the higher they climb, the harder they fall?"
"If the Emperor found out we were fomenting, it wouldn’t end well." Duke Zhen smiled knowingly, "Prince Dai and his associates will praise the Li Family to undermine the Kong Family, helping us in the process."
"Indeed, it saves us the trouble," the Crown Prince’s previously bad mood improved instantly with Duke Zhen’s words, "Uncle, as always, you are wise."
Duke Zhen looked at the Crown Prince with a mix of helplessness and fondness, "Your nature is just too rash."
"Fortunately, I have you, Uncle."
Hearing this, Duke Zhen smiled slightly and then said, "You must write a eulogy for Mr. Li that’s sincere, letting all the scholars in the kingdom know of your great respect for Mr. Li, understand?"
"Rest assured, Uncle, I will write it well."
When it came to writing, Duke Zhen wasn’t worried about the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had been talented in writing since young and could craft an excellent piece without needing his guidance.
Next, Duke Zhen instructed the Crown Prince on how to conduct the memorial for Mr. Li.
The Crown Prince listened intently, then assured Duke Zhen that he would carry out the task well.
After finishing his instructions on the memorial, Duke Zhen left the Eastern Palace and returned to the Duke Mansion.
The Princely Heir to the Duke Mansion, upon learning his father had returned, rushed to the study to see him.
"Father, what does the Emperor mean by this?"
"What else could it mean?" Duke Zhen spoke calmly, "Suppressing me."
Upon hearing this, the Princely Heir exhibited a look of surprise, "Father, do you mean the Emperor knows our true purpose in proposing the memorial for Mr. Kong Kangda?"
Duke Zhen nodded slightly.
"So the Emperor used this to propose a memorial for Mr. Li?"
"Exactly." Duke Zhen replied, "It’s not surprising the Emperor knows our goal; it would be odd if he didn’t."
The Princely Heir was amazed, "The Emperor, he..."
"The Emperor is too intelligent; outsmarting him right under his nose is indeed challenging." At this, Duke Zhen sighed helplessly, "Ah, having an overly intelligent emperor is really not beneficial."
"Father, what should we do next?"
"Accede to the Emperor’s wish and elevate the Li Family."
The Princely Heir immediately understood his father’s intention, continuing, "Prince Dai and his allies will intensively elevate the Li Family, sparing us the effort. Once the Li Family is exalted too high, without us needing to act, the Kong Family will naturally strike against them."
Duke Zhen chuckled, "Precisely."
The Princely Heir grinned, "The Emperor’s move is truly a case of being too clever for his own good."
At this time, in the Imperial Study, the Emperor sneezed.
He rubbed his nose and said, "Surely Duke Zhen is talking about me, saying I’m being too clever by raising the Li Family’s status."