Prince An stared at him, a hint of ferocity in his eyes, "How many people do you have who can be used?"
"troops?"
"Yes!" Prince An said through his teeth, "At worst, we can rebel!"
Murong Jie hesitated for a moment, "To be honest, second brother, I have thought about what you said, but it is not appropriate now."
Murong Jie took him to the study, took out a troop deployment map from the study, and said, "I made this last night. We reorganized the troops and planned to attack Beimo, so the troops were concentrated. I gave the military token to Xiao Xiao, and Xiao Xiao gave it to the emperor when he returned to the court. Therefore, the originally scattered troops are now concentrated in the hands of the emperor. Of course, with your strength, we can instigate some of them to rebel, but if the news leaks out, we will start a rebellion, and not many people will respond."
Prince An looked at the troop deployment map and said, "According to the past, these soldiers will eventually be dispersed and stationed in various places. The combined number of soldiers in your hands and mine does not exceed 100,000. However, these people have been assigned to the court because of the previous war. Therefore, the only ones we can fully mobilize are your and my palace soldiers. Your palace soldiers are more, 10,000, while mine are only 5,000. We have no chance of winning. As for the 100,000, we may be able to mobilize them, but if we can't, we will fail and the lives of the soldiers will be harmed."
Although he would do anything for Yuan Cuiyu, he is a military general and would not sacrifice the lives of his soldiers when there is no chance of winning.
However, both brothers had this idea, which was something they had never thought of before.
They can't even imagine that one day they will have this thought.
However, the counterattack is not ideal for the time being, unless we contact Old Lady Chen, Marquis Xiao, Marquis Wu'an and others.
But how could the brothers' affairs implicate them? Moreover, neither the old lady nor Lord Xiao would be a traitor. Not to mention the old lady, the Xiao family has been loyal for generations. Even if the emperor puts a big knife on their necks, they will only face death with pride and will never rebel.
"Now, the only way is to let Lao Jiu's people take action. After rescuing the county lord, we retreat to the South." Murong Jie told his plan.
"Well, but there are risks." This thought flashed through Prince An's mind just now, but he quickly denied it.
Because, although Lao Jiu always listened to Lao Qi, he would have to take risks if he wanted to use his sect. Regardless of success or failure, Su Yue Tower and Xie Han Tower would suffer heavy blows from the imperial court.
It may even be a disaster that will wipe out the entire family.
He looked at Murong Jie steadily, "Seventh Brother, you can't deny that Zi'an entering the palace is the only way."
"I won't agree to let her take the risk." Murong Jie refused.
Prince An tapped the table lightly with his fingers, lost in thought.
Later, the guard from Prince An's mansion came and said that the emperor summoned him into the palace.
The two brothers looked at each other.
There are slight changes in facial features.
Murong Jie frowned, "I hope I didn't guess it right."
"Almost exactly!" Prince An sighed heavily.
He turned and left.
Even if the palace is a den of dragons and tigers, he has to enter it.
The person he loved deeply was in the palace, and he couldn't ignore her.
The emperor did not meet Prince An in the Xiwei Palace, but dragged his seriously ill body to the imperial study.
Prince An naturally understood the reason and didn't want him to see A Yu.
The emperor felt somewhat guilty towards Prince An.
Because, Prince An has hardly been involved in state affairs in recent years, but whenever the country is in trouble, he will stand up.
Like this time when the Northern Desert invaded, he led his troops to fight back, and later he pacified the Xianbei, making great contributions to the country.
He forced himself to come see Prince An, but no matter how hard he tried, it was just a spent force. He knew that without proper treatment, he would not live long.
Xia Zian did not enter the palace, which made him very angry.
He knew that Lao Qi did not listen to what he said last night.
What a pity! If he wanted, they brothers could go back to the way they were before.
But can human hearts be forced? If he disagrees, it proves that the Seventh Brother has already harbored a rebellious heart and is no longer the obedient Seventh Brother of the past.
In the past, he would not hesitate even if he was asked to sacrifice his life.
"Your Majesty summoned me into the palace. What's the matter?" Ever since Princess Danqing entered the palace, Prince An's attitude towards the Emperor has become very distant and cold.
Now, even though he looked sick, she was not moved at all.
The emperor looked at him. It was already dark. More than ten candles as thick as babies' arms were lit in the hall, making it as bright as day. However, there was not a single flame in his eyes. They were as silent as death.
The emperor spoke slowly and went straight to the point, "Second brother, I know you have been longing for Princess Danqing for a long time, and I intend to fulfill your wish."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" There was no joy on Prince An's face. Although this opening remark was direct, it was not direct enough.
The emperor beckoned him forward, propped his hands on the imperial desk, held back a surge of fishy sweetness, and said calmly: "I give you two choices. The first is to kill Lao Qi. The second is to kill Xia Zian and then give him a fertility-killing drug."
Prince An looked at his calm face and said, "If I can let Zi'an come to the palace to treat you, is there a third option?"
The emperor shook his head. "If it's not sincere, do you think I will let her enter the palace?"
"Your Majesty, if you really wanted her to come to the palace to treat you, why did you say that to my seventh brother yesterday? You think Zi'an can't cure you, so you would rather cut off their escape route to ensure that you have no worries?"
The emperor's eyes sank. "Although Xia Zian cannot cure me, he can help me survive for one or two years, or even two or three years. Unfortunately, everything I have will be controlled by them. If that's the case, why should I fight for one or two years and risk losing my kingdom?"
"To be honest, if you pass away, this kingdom will be lost anyway."
"At least, I can ensure that it is my son who will succeed me, and not someone else."
"The 'other person' the emperor mentioned is your biological brother, who has been loyal to you for many years and has risked his life for you countless times!" Prince An's voice rose slightly and was somewhat sharp.
The emperor stared at him with a hint of anger in his eyes, and said sternly: "If you were me, you would do the same as me, for the people and things you care about, you would do anything. Didn't you enter the palace today for your sweetheart? Don't make yourself sound so noble. What's the difference between you and me?"
Prince An said disappointedly: "I dare not compare with the emperor, and I can't compare with the emperor."
"Just say one thing, do you agree or not?" The emperor was so angry that the red spots on his face became more and more obvious, making people feel extremely hideous.
Prince An shook his head. "First, I will not kill my own brother. Second, I will not let my own brother have no descendants. If I did such a sinister thing, how would I face my ancestors in the future?"
(End of this chapter)