NOVEL WEB Chapter 23 - Confessing His Intent to Participate in the Struggle for the Throne!
Chapter 23: Secretly Forming an Alliance with the Crown Prince? Confessing His Intent to Participate in the Struggle for the Throne!
With the assistance of Eunuch Hou, the prince’s mansion became orderly at once.
Each servant and maid received proper tasks, and they began preparing for the banquet methodically.
There was nothing more for Li Chengyuan to worry about in the mansion.
He took the invitations written by Sang Wen and Qingniao, and, accompanied by Qingniao and Old Huang, left the mansion together.
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Li Chengyuan first went to the Crown Prince’s residence. Upon hearing that Li Chengyuan had arrived, the Crown Prince was delighted and personally came out to greet him.
“Hahaha, Third Brother, you’ve finally come!”
“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
Li Chengyuan bowed and saluted.
Li Chengyuan rarely showed such formal respect to the Crown Prince, but this time, he was serious.
The Crown Prince was momentarily taken aback and then hurriedly helped him up, complaining, “Third Brother, what are you doing? We are truly family; there’s no need to be so formal with me!”
Li Chengyuan sighed and said, “I have no choice, Eldest Brother. From now on, I must attend court sessions, so I need to start learning the rules.”
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince’s expression instantly became serious.
After glancing around, he pulled Li Chengyuan into his study. Then, the Crown Prince dismissed all the attendants, leaving just the two of them sitting face to face.
“Third Brother, from your words, it seems you’ve already made up your mind?”
Li Chengyuan feigned helplessness and said, “I didn’t want to, but there’s no choice. His Majesty has already made my reputation known; I can no longer stay hidden!”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince grabbed Li Chengyuan’s hand and laughed heartily, saying, “Third Brother, you’re just too playful. If you ask me, you should’ve come out to assist me long ago. You don’t even know how much pressure your elder brother is under right now. Without you, I’m not certain I can hold my own against the Second Brother. But as long as you are willing to help me, with our combined strength, the Second Brother is no match for us!”
Li Chengyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and then shook his head, saying, “Eldest Brother, I can’t help you openly.”
The Crown Prince paused, furrowing his brows. “What do you mean? Do you want to help the Second Brother? Third Brother, you must think this through. We are brothers born of the same mother!”
Li Chengyuan laughed and said, “Eldest Brother, you’re overthinking it. Rest assured, no matter what, I will never help Second Brother! What I mean is that we cannot ally openly.
After all, you understand His Majesty’s intentions better than I do. He wants me to be your whetstone.
If I support you openly, it would be tantamount to openly opposing His Majesty.
Therefore, I’m thinking of not supporting anyone on the surface, while secretly, we can ally.
If you need help, you can tell me. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to ask you. What do you think, Eldest Brother?”
After thinking it over for a moment, the Crown Prince nodded in sudden realization.
“Third Brother, you’re always so thorough in your considerations. Fine, let’s do it your way. Don’t worry; in public, we will behave as usual. Our agreement will remain private.”
“Thank you for understanding, Eldest Brother. Don’t worry, with me here, the Second Brother won’t be able to cause trouble!”
“Hahaha, naturally! With us brothers working together, who could stand against us?”
The Crown Prince seemed quite happy, and he chatted with Li Chengyuan for quite a while.
Only when Li Chengyuan mentioned the poetry banquet did the Crown Prince promised that he would personally attend to support him.
Then, Li Chengyuan took his leave, and the Crown Prince, without trying to keep him, personally saw him off.
After Li Chengyuan left, the smile on the Crown Prince’s face disappeared immediately.
Watching as Li Chengyuan’s carriage drove away, the Crown Prince’s eyes became deep and contemplative, his thoughts unreadable.
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After leaving the Crown Prince’s residence, Li Chengyuan headed to the Qin Prince’s mansion.
Like the Crown Prince, Li Chengze also came out personally to greet him with great enthusiasm.
They chatted casually for a while, with Li Chengze even teasing Li Chengyuan, saying that he must now understand the feeling of being powerless.
Li Chengyuan expressed a sense of shared fate and empathized with him.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Chengze directly proposed an alliance with Li Chengyuan.
However, Li Chengyuan explained that his foundation was still weak and that he couldn’t afford to be dragged into the fray just yet.
He wanted to develop slowly for a while before considering an alliance.
Li Chengze understood and didn’t push further. Instead, he enthusiastically assured Li Chengyuan that he could seek his help at any time. Li Chengyuan agreed without hesitation.
Afterward, Li Chengyuan mentioned the poetry banquet and asked for Li Hongcheng’s assistance. Li Chengze agreed without a second thought, promising to send Li Hongcheng to the prince’s mansion that evening. Li Chengyuan expressed his thanks and then took his leave. Like the Crown Prince, Li Chengze warmly escorted him out of the residence.
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After leaving the Qin Prince’s mansion, Li Chengyuan, along with Old Huang and Qingniao, returned to the Miaoyin Pavilion.
Seeing that Li Chengyuan had returned, everyone at Miaoyin Pavilion thought something had gone wrong and hurriedly led him to the best private room.
Soon, Gong Yu and Mr. Thirteen were summoned.
After they arrived, Li Chengyuan dismissed everyone, even having Old Huang ensure that no one was eavesdropping outside. Only then did he call them to his side.
Looking at Old Huang, Qingniao, Mr. Thirteen, and Go guy, Li Chengyuan felt a surge of confidence.
“Let me introduce you to each other first. You all know Old Huang. This is Qingniao, my maid. She can be completely trusted. Qingniao, these two are the managers of Miaoyin Pavilion. This is Mr. Thirteen, and this is Going Yu. They are my right-hand people and can also be completely trusted.”
Upon hearing this, Qingniao nodded to Mr. Thirteen and Gong Yu in greeting.
The two smiled warmly in return. After everyone had been introduced, Li Chengyuan continued, “The reason I returned today is that I suddenly felt it’s time to tell you something.”
Everyone immediately tensed up, listening intently.
Looking at the four of them, Li Chengyuan paused for a moment and then solemnly declared, “After careful consideration, I have decided that starting today, I will formally participate in the struggle for the throne and seek the position of Crown Prince!”
Hiss~!
As soon as these words left his mouth, all four of them were filled with shock and delight.
Although they were all attendants gifted by the system, they were still living, breathing people.
Each of them had a full life experience in this world. So, aside from their unwavering loyalty and guarantee never to betray Li Chengyuan, they were no different from normal people.
Like Old Huang’s love for alcohol and women or Gong Yu’s infatuation with him.
As normal people, they naturally wished for Li Chengyuan to rise higher, especially in the struggle for the throne.
If Li Chengyuan were to ascend to the throne one day, they would all share in his glory!
Therefore, after Li Chengyuan announced this, they felt no fear. Instead, their eyes were filled with excitement and passion.
It seemed as though they had been waiting for this day all along!
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