Chapter 97
Chapter 97 – Using the people of the world as a tool to kill the Prince of Northern Hebei’s son!
The Empress’s mouth twitched. Was he this enthusiastic because the money had been paid?
“Mr. Lin, speak your reasons!” she commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan straightened up and loudly proclaimed, “Leaving the Eldest Prince in captivity has more disadvantages than benefits!”
“Firstly, continuing to keep the Eldest Prince under house arrest will only anger the Prince of Northern Hebei and worsen the conflict!”
“The Crown Prince, as the eldest son and heir to the Prince of Northern Hebei, has been doted on and carefully raised with high expectations. Now that he is in our hands, the other party will undoubtedly be anxious!”
“From the previous assassination attempts, it can be seen that those people were not sent to kill the Eldest Prince, but were skilled experts sent by the Prince of Northern Hebei to rescue him! From these actions, it is clear that the other party is becoming more and more impatient!”
“If the Prince of Northern Hebei sees that there is no hope of saving his son and decides to launch a coup in advance, then things will be dire!”
“This is not an impossible scenario. Your Majesty, please consider carefully!”
The Empress’s expression changed slightly as she nodded and said, “You make a good point. Please continue!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan continued loudly, “Secondly, continuing to keep the Crown Prince in captivity will attract countless troubles!”
“Now, we not only need to deal with the Prince of Northern Hebei, but also with other potential enemies! Such as other vassal kings, ambitious figures in the martial arts world, and various countries outside Great Wu. There are too many enemies! They are all waiting for an opportunity to stir up trouble and take advantage of it!”
“And the Eldest Prince is the perfect opportunity they have been waiting for!”
“If they send someone to kill the Eldest Prince, it will worsen the conflict between the court and the Prince of Northern Hebei! Once both sides start fighting, they can sit back and reap the benefits! This is not an impossible scenario, but a very likely one!”
“Anyway, if I were them, I would definitely not miss such a good opportunity!”
The faces of everyone present finally changed.
Lin Beifan continued, “As for the Eldest Prince, we cannot harm, insult or kill him. We must always protect him! Now we can still deal with the Prince of Northern Hebei’s men, but what about later?”
“When other ambitious people react and send skilled experts to assassinate the Eldest Prince, can we still hold him?
“Even if we can, we will have to spend a great deal of manpower and resources, which is astronomical! At the same time, we must bear the risk of unrest in the capital, which is difficult to estimate!”
“The capital is the heart of Great Wu. If there are problems in the heart, it will inevitably affect the operation of Great Wu! Now, with wolves and tigers surrounding us, any problems in the capital will be a big issue! Therefore, Your Majesty, please consider carefully!”
Everyone’s face became heavy.
The Empress’s face was solemn, “Your reasoning is sound, continue!”
“Thirdly, there is no point in keeping the Crown Prince!”
“From his behavior, he can be said to be relatively naive, lacking the necessary caution. Otherwise, we would not have captured him so easily! This shows that he lacks experience and has not been involved in important affairs, so we cannot obtain any useful information from him! Keeping him will only threaten the Prince of Northern Hebei!”
“However, the Prince of Northern Hebei has several sons, each one is a rare talent! The Prince of Northern Hebei is ambitious and has always wanted to enter the Central Plains. The death of one son is not a big deal to him! Even if the Eldey Prince dies, it will provide him with a reason for revolt. This must be prevented!”
“Therefore, I believe that keeping the Eldest Prince is more detrimental than beneficial. It is better to release him as soon as possible!”
After listening to Lin Beifan’s words, the empress’s ideas had already leaned towards him. However, she still wanted to hear more opinions and gather diverse views. “Gentlemen, do any of you have any other opinions?”
“Your majesty!” Gao Tianyao, the minister of personnel, stood up and addressed Lin Beifan.
“Admittedly, Sir Lin has spoken very reasonably. But if we release the eldest prince so easily, won’t everyone mock us for being afraid of the prince of Northern Hebei? Moreover, even if we release the eldest prince, those ambitious individuals will not miss this opportunity to assassinate him and blame us, intensifying the conflict between us and prince of Northern Hebei! Furthermore, the situation is even more precarious now because without our protection, the other side is more unscrupulous! With a lack of protection around the eldest prince, he is almost certain to die, and the situation will not change in the end! Additionally, we do not know what kind of person the eldest prince is, nor do we know much about the prince of Northern Hebei’s affairs. Perhaps he is deliberately trying to deceive us? Prince of Northern Hebei has several sons, so losing one is not a big deal. But the son who he has appointed the crown prince is undoubtedly the most important to him! If the eldest prince is kept, Prince of Northern Hebei will be wary!”
“Therefore, I have always believed that keeping the eldest prince is more advantageous than releasing him!”
The empress nodded, “Sir Gao speaks the truth! Does anyone have a different opinion? Speak up quickly!”
“I think Sir Lin’s words are correct. It’s better to release the crown prince!”
“I believe it’s better to keep him!”
…
The officials began to argue.
At this time, Lin Beifan stood up, interrupting their argument, and smiled, “Your Majesty, I still firmly believe that we should release the eldest prince. However, how we release him is crucial.”
“As long as we handle it properly, our court can not only avoid all risks and losses but also use this opportunity to strike a blow against Prince of Northern Hebei, causing him to suffer huge losses! This is a rare opportunity. I hope your Majesty will not miss it!”
The empress’s eyes brightened, “Sir Lin, quickly tell us your method!”
“Firstly, we will notify Northern Hebei Prince of our intention to protect the eldest prince’s safety and send him to Northen Hebei. If any accidents happen to the eldest prince on the way, it will be Prince of Northern Hebei’s negligence – we can avoid responsibility!”
“Secondly, we will send off the eldest prince in a grand way. This will not only show the magnanimity of the emperor but also let the world know that the eldest prince is in the capital and is going back to Northen Hebei!”
“Why is that?” The empress asked curiously.
“Because there are too many people who want to kill the eldest prince. This is the best time! For example, the eldest prince’s several brothers, each of whom is ambitious, will be happy if he dies because if he does not, they will never have a chance. There are also other feudal lords, ambitious people in the martial arts, and other groups who are eager to see the eldest prince dead, so they can take advantage of the chaos!”
The empress’s eyes lit up, “I understand now. You’re using other people to kill the eldest prince!”
“Your Majesty is wise!” Lin Beifan bowed and smiled. “This way, when the whole world knows that the eldest prince has left the capital, various forces will inevitably send their top experts to assassinate him! And Prince of Northern Hebei will have to send soldiers and experts to protect his son!”
“Prince of Northern Hebei will have to face the hunting of various forces alone, which will undoubtedly result in significant losses! In the end, no matter who wins or loses, it has nothing to do with our court! We can avoid all kinds of losses and sit back and watch the show!”
The empress nodded, “Very well. We will do as you suggested!”