Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 512: Chapter 275 Prince Jing is an Extremely Selfish Person_2

He Lianfang gestured for Zhao Yao to continue.

"Fifth: Seventh Brother is a very selfish person, he only considers himself and won’t think of others, not even the Xie family," Zhao Yao tossed a chess piece into the air, then reached out and caught it. "To him, the Xie family is only a tool for gaining power, and the Xie family must put him first in everything, respect him, and consider him, while he would never do anything for the Xie family."

"Sixth: Seventh Brother is neither a benevolent person nor a grateful one. Once he ascends, he might do things that repay kindness with enmity towards Duke Zhen, and even the entire Xie family."

Hearing this, He Lianfang looked surprised: "Could Prince Jing really be such a person?" Among the various princes, the ones currently most reputable and famous are the Crown Prince, Prince Dai, and Prince Chu. As for the other princes, they don’t have much presence, and the common people don’t know much about them.

"That’s the kind of person Seventh Brother is. Although he hasn’t done anything as morally outrageous as Third Brother so far, Seventh Brother..." Zhao Yao paused here, thought for a moment, and said, "Seventh Brother is someone without empathy."

"Empathy?"

"Simply put, it means he can’t put himself in others’ shoes," Zhao Yao said, "You could understand it as Seventh Brother being someone who regards himself as supreme."

He Lianfang nodded knowingly, "And what else?"

"Supporting someone like Seventh Brother to ascend will not only bring no benefits but will also harm oneself," Zhao Yao said, frowning slightly. "If Seventh Brother really takes that position, then Great Zhou will repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty."

He Lianfang looked shocked: "Is it that serious?"

"Yes, it is that serious, because Seventh Brother only cares about himself, not others," Zhao Yao said. "He looks down on even us brothers, how could he possibly care about the lives and deaths of the common people? He won’t care about the people’s lives."

"Duke Zhen wants the Xie family to remain prosperous forever, but he doesn’t want to be a historical criminal, nor does he want to ruin the Xie family, so he will definitely not support Seventh Brother." Duke Zhen is a shrewd person; he won’t support Seventh Brother just because he is his legitimate nephew with the entire Xie family.

"I didn’t expect Prince Jing to be such a person." Since Prince Jing isn’t very famous, He Lianfang really didn’t pay attention to him. "It seems like the Xie family is going to have internal strife."

"Internal strife?" Zhao Yao laughed disdainfully, like he had heard a greatly amusing joke, "Uncle, do you think the Xie family can have internal strife?"

"You think the Xie family can’t have internal strife?"

"Uncle, you’re underestimating Duke Zhen, Duke Zhen won’t let the Empress and Seventh Brother tear the Xie family apart," Zhao Yao said, supporting his face with his left hand. "Even combined, the Empress and Seventh Brother are no match for Duke Zhen."

"So you’re saying, your father’s attempt to sow discord will fail?" He Lianfang actually delighted in seeing the Emperor stumble.

"Not quite fail, though the Empress and Seventh Brother are no match for Duke Zhen, but they certainly won’t give up willingly, and they’ll definitely seek revenge in the future." Zhao Yao tapped his face with the fingers of his left hand. "Given the petty nature of the Empress and Seventh Brother, and their insidious and ruthless means, they will seize the opportunity to bite Duke Zhen and Crown Prince hard when they get a chance."

"You said they aren’t as clever as Duke Zhen, what could they possibly do?"

"Uncle, don’t underestimate women, especially women like the Empress. When she takes revenge, it can be very cruel," Zhao Yao thought of a saying: "Better to shatter jade than be an intact tile. Because the Empress holds a grudge against Duke Zhen for not helping them, she might not only destroy Duke Zhen but may also demolish the entire Xie family in the future."

"According to what you say, the Duke Mansion might be destroyed at the hands of the Empress in the future."

"It can’t be said like that, but the Empress will definitely do His Majesty a favor." Zhao Yao suddenly smiled maliciously, "With father’s malevolent nature, he’ll make the Empress and Seventh Brother hate Duke Zhen even more."

He Lianfang suddenly asked: "If you were Duke Zhen, what would you do?"

This question stumped Zhao Yao for a moment; he pondered seriously before saying, "Actually, the best way is to destroy the Empress and Seventh Brother, preventing them from causing trouble in the future. However, Duke Zhen should find it hard to be ruthlessly vicious to them."

He Lianfang stared directly at Zhao Yao: "And you, would you decisively get rid of them?"

Zhao Yao shook his head honestly, "I wouldn’t heartlessly eliminate them."

Hearing Zhao Yao say this, an inexplicable light flickered in He Lianfang’s eyes.

"But." Hearing Zhao Yao say "but" again, a look of surprise flicked in He Lianfang’s eyes as he looked up at Zhao Yao, listening to him continue, "I would ensure they pose no threat to me."

This answer made a faint smile flicker in He Lianfang’s eyes, and he asked, "How would you do that, depose the Empress and Prince Jing?"

"Can’t depose the Empress, otherwise there will be a new Empress, which wouldn’t be a good thing for the Xie family," Zhao Yao considered from Duke Zhen’s perspective, "The Empress must be someone from the Xie family, not anyone else. I would make the Empress and Prince Jing obediently listen to me and not dare to defy me."

He Lianfang asked curiously, "How do you ensure the Empress and Prince Jing obey you and dare not oppose you?"

"Uncle, the key is to strike at their vital points, directly using the matter of the late Empress to pin down the Empress, isn’t it?" Zhao Yao said with a mischievous grin, "I would place my people around the Empress and Prince Jing, and once there’s any sign of trouble, I’d know immediately. If, after this, the Empress and Prince Jing still don’t behave, then depose them, and then I’ll support Noble Princess Consort Ying to become the Empress."

"Indeed, not a bad idea." He Lianfang seemed quite satisfied with Zhao Yao’s response.

"Actually, with Duke Zhen’s means, it wouldn’t be difficult to depose the Empress and Seventh Brother. However, the Empress is his biological sister, her only sister, and he can’t bear to destroy the Empress," Zhao Yao declared with certainty, "Just wait and see, in the future, when the Duke Mansion gets into trouble, the Empress and Seventh Brother will have contributed a significant effort to help His Majesty."