Xiao Liu shook his head, "It's only a matter of time. My eldest and second brothers have lost their chances. My fifth brother is destined to have no chance of getting that position because of his family background. Now my third and fourth brothers are fighting each other. Neither of them can tolerate me. They may even join forces to deal with me first and then fight to the death, just like what the fourth prince and eldest brother did before. The only thing I'm worried about is my grandfather."
Hua Zhi signaled Liu Xiang to make tea for Xiao Liu again. "General Sun has only you as his grandson, and he has never thought of adopting another one for many years. I have confirmed with your grandmother that they will not have this idea in the future. A general who has no successor, the threat of this in-law is far weaker than you think. I only ask you, putting aside these external factors, are you willing to fight for it?"
"I didn't before." Xiao Liu looked at Sister Hua who frowned slightly. He knew that she had misunderstood something, so he was not in a hurry. He said slowly and calmly, "That day, my eldest and fourth brothers plotted against me. When I was hiding in the teahouse, I thought, don't they want to eliminate me as a threat? If I survive, I will really fight for it. Even if I can't win, I will definitely make it difficult for them. Sister Hua, don't think that you are the one who dragged me into this dispute. As a prince, I can't avoid it. Besides, I am not fighting alone now. With you and Brother Yan Xi, the situation is much better than I expected."
"Not reluctantly?"
"Not reluctantly."
Hua Zhi felt relieved when she saw that he didn't seem to be lying. If Xiao Liu had no intention, she would not drag him into it even if she found another way.
She was overthinking it. The prince never had the right to say no. Even if he had no intention of fighting, he would be dragged into it. Who would believe that a prince would have no intention of the throne
After eating a hot meal, Xiao Liu had no time to rest even if he was very sleepy. He had to go to the palace immediately and also visit his maternal grandfather's house to discuss things with his grandmother. Most importantly, he had to ask the Sun family for help, as he had too few people around him.
Hua Zhi did not teach him step by step how to do it, but just explained to him as much as possible what they were going to do. As for how to deal with the emperor, she believed that he knew how to do it.
Now that the most important person has returned, she should get started on the things at hand.
After sending out several business cards, she decided to set the meeting place at the vegetarian restaurant because there were many female members in the Hua family, and only invited three people, Zhu Bowen, Madam Sun, and Duke Anguo Lu Chenyun.
Hua Zhi had not intended to involve the Lu family, but Gu Yanxi took the initiative to mention it. The Duke of Anguo's base camp was in Xuzhou, close to Qingzhou, and the Lu family had far-reaching connections, so perhaps they could get through to Qingzhou, which would make things much easier.
Moreover, the Lu family has been peaceful for many years, and everyone knows that they live a difficult life. Now that they are in charge again, even the emperor would be embarrassed to say no.
After Xiaoliu came back, he still stayed at the Hua family. Hua Zhi treated him as usual. Seeing that he was so tired that he could hardly open his eyes, she resisted asking about Berlin's recent situation and urged him to go to bed quickly. Instead, Xiaoliu took the initiative to talk about something.
"The method to cure the plague was thought up by Berlin. He said he had heard you talk about it. It's hard to imagine the scene without seeing it with your own eyes. So many people were naked, and when they were hungry they drank water. Their bodies were swollen, and there were lumps when you pressed them. They said that not many people died in this disaster, but in fact, many people starved to death afterwards, but probably no one dared to report it."
Xiaoliu had a calm expression, but his eyes could not hide the sadness. They ran around everywhere, trying to get the rich to provide grain for relief, but no one paid any attention. He experienced so deeply what it meant that the rich had wine and meat while the poor froze to death on the streets. He would never forget their powerlessness, their despair, and their eyes that could not close until their death.
"Then you revealed your identity?"
"I have no other choice. No matter what we say, they won't listen. No matter how many doors we knock on, they always pretend that no one is home." Xiao Liu laughed sarcastically, "But once I revealed my identity, they took out the food without me saying anything. They immediately gave orders for things that no one paid attention to even though we shouted at the top of our lungs. How ridiculous."
Hua Zhi shook her head. "It's just that you don't see enough. There are countless such things in the world, but they can't wait for a prince."
"If the officials were honest, why would they wait for the prince to arrive?"
"Being honest does not mean being a good official."
Xiao Liu was puzzled, "Why is being honest not considered a good official? He is not even greedy anymore."
"A clean official who talks a lot but does nothing, or a capable official who has his likes and dislikes but can do practical things for the people, which one do you think is better for the people?"
Xiaoliu bit her lip and said nothing. This was different from what the palace tutor taught her.
"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. However, I think the mentality of officials is absolutely related to the person in power. If the person in power likes pleasure, the officials will think more about pleasure. If the person in power likes martial arts, the status of military generals in the court will be improved. If the person in power is weak, those who have the right to speak in the court are the peace advocates. If the person in power loves the people like his own children, the officials will not dare to look down on him." Hua Zhi smiled, "If the person in power likes a certain font, everyone in the court will learn that font to please him. If the person in power is a broad-minded person, what do you think will happen, Xiaoliu?"
Xiaoliu's eyes were bright, and the fog in his heart seemed to be slowly but firmly cleared away, revealing a bright and vast world within.
"As for Xiangyang, if you had never thought about letting the people live and only cared about your own happiness, you would not have been unable to knock on the doors of the powerful and wealthy. They would have taken the initiative to entertain you and made you think that Xiangyang had never experienced a flood, and that the people had water to drink and were full. Those people would not have benefited from you. Don't think that you are far away from the people. In fact, you are very close and closely related to them. When you have the ability, your words can decide whether their life is good or bad, and they will give you a stronger Daqing in return."
Seeing Xiaoliu's brighter eyes, Hua Zhi lowered her eyes. Her inciting words were not entirely out of good intentions. She wanted to arouse Xiaoliu's desire to compete, rather than letting others passively arrange things for him. She did not want to take control of this initiative, and for the sake of the future, she could not take control of it. She hoped that Xiaoliu would take every step by himself, so that when he thought about it in the future, he would not feel that anyone had dominated his life.
No matter how good the relationship is, it cannot withstand suspicion, and suspicion is a common problem among emperors, and no one is an exception.
The Hua family and Xiaoliu are now tied to the same boat. What she has to do is to leave no room for suspicion from the very beginning. This is to protect the Hua family as well as this relationship which may slowly disappear in the future. She will maintain it well before Xiaoliu abandons herself.
Of course, the premise is that what they plan can be accomplished.