Yuan Zhao was disappointed in her father's muddle - headedness and cowardice, and worried about the future of the Great Zhou.
At first, in her private heart, she wanted to rescue the Ling family because of Ling Yunchuan. But as time went by, the ambition in her heart could no longer be suppressed.
As a daughter, she was not taken seriously by others. Even her mother - concubine focused all her attention on the Third Imperial Brother.
However, her talent was no less than that of the Third Imperial Brother, and her strategic skills were comparable to any man's. Her father and mother - concubine knew that the Third Imperial Brother had character flaws, but they never bothered to look at her.
To hell with the so - called three obediences and four virtues, and to hell with the female rules and teachings! These were all shackles imposed on women by men.
Who said that women were inferior to men by birth?
Yuan Zhao refused to accept her fate!
Shen Qing handed a handkerchief to Yuan Zhao, gesturing for her to wipe the tears on her face.
Shen Qing knew the bitterness in Yuan Zhao's heart. From the first time she saw Yuan Zhao, she had noticed the hidden ambition beneath Yuan Zhao's seemingly love - struck appearance.
"Everything will get better. I know the world is harsh on women, but if a woman has power and money, why worry about not having loyal followers?"
"Strengthening oneself is the most important thing."
This was also what Shen Qing often told herself.
Yuan Zhao quickly wiped the tears from her face and gave Shen Qing a smile, her eyes full of determination. "Since you've provided the right timing and conditions, I don't need to hold back anymore. Next, just watch me."
Just as she finished speaking, several fast horses galloped out from outside the city. The messengers on the horses were in a hurry and didn't even spare a glance at the chaotic execution platform on the main street.
They shouted as they rushed towards the palace.
"Urgent report! There was an earthquake in Quanzhou. Houses collapsed, the ground cracked severely, and all the fertile fields were destroyed!"
"Urgent report! A sudden locust plague hit Dujiang. The seedlings were destroyed!"
"Urgent report! A drought demon appeared in Chuanzhou. The land was barren for thousands of miles, and all rain - praying efforts were in vain!"
"Urgent report! A demonic creature appeared on the outskirts of the capital. The demonic energy was disturbing, and all the beasts had strange mutations!"
"Urgent report! …"
These pieces of news seemed to be slapping the national teacher in the face.
Shen Qing raised her eyebrows and looked at Yuan Zhao beside her. "I didn't know you had such a wide network. I only arranged for Li Xian and Xue Ling to set up magic arrays around to disrupt people's minds, but you were able to arrange for people to report the news to the capital at the same time."
Yuan Zhao let out a soft laugh, as if she had shed her disguise. Her big eyes blinked. "There's no innocent child in the royal family. I'm just trying to find a way out for myself."
"If the Third Imperial Brother were really capable of holding a high position, I would hide my ambition for a lifetime and be a princess like a mascot in peace. But unfortunately, the Third Imperial Brother is unworthy of his position. He kills living beings wantonly and doesn't value life at all. The Great Zhou doesn't need such a monarch."
As she said this, Yuan Zhao's tone was firm. There was no trace of innocence in her eyes, only endless ambition and strategy.
Shen Qing smiled understandingly. She didn't dislike this kind of Yuan Zhao; instead, she highly appreciated her.
In this world, high positions should be held by the capable. Having ambition and strategy was not a bad thing. As long as one had the people in mind, it didn't matter whether the person in the high position was a man or a woman.
These messages quickly reached the imperial study. Xiao Chengye's face was阴沉. In a fit of rage, he swept all the memorials and letters off the table.
The crisp sound of the teacups shattering and the inkstone hitting the ground made the maids and eunuchs around the imperial study lower their heads.
The Third Prince stood beside him, with the fragments of the teacups under his feet. His eyes were full of malice.
"The prophecy has come true. What are you going to do?"
Xiao Chengye's voice was low. Even though he tried to suppress his anger, the Third Prince could still sense his dissatisfaction.
The Third Prince quickly knelt down and racked his brains to come up with a solution.
Now, the prestige of the holy monk had been rising rapidly among the common people. In the eyes of the people, the national teacher was no match for the suddenly - appeared monk.
He was still thinking about whether he should sacrifice the national teacher to save the situation.
"Father, in the past, these things were always handled by the Ling family. Now that the Ling family has been arrested and imprisoned, it's normal for the county officials not to have a solution for the time being."
"The best thing to do now is for the central government to immediately dispatch officials to the disaster - stricken counties to assist the local officials in dealing with the emergencies and relieve the victims, so as to pacify the people's hearts."
However, when the emperor heard the Third Prince's solution, his eyebrows didn't relax. Instead, he got even angrier. "The Ling family! It's always the Ling family!"
"What? My Great Zhou is a vast country with abundant talents. Just because the Ling family is gone, the world will be in chaos and the people will be in misery? Is the Ling family the master of the Great Zhou, or is it me?!"
As he spoke, the emperor threw the memorial in his hand, hitting the Third Prince hard on the forehead.
The Third Prince's head was knocked to one side. He closed his eyes to hide his angry expression.
"Of course, this world belongs to you, Father. You are the king of the Great Zhou. The Ling family are just traitors. It's right to kill them. Please calm down, Father!"
The Third Prince endured the pain on his forehead and kowtowed heavily on the ground.
The emperor was still angry. He sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face, wishing he could kill all the members of the Ling family immediately.
"Get out! All of you get out!"
"Yes!"
The Third Prince quickly got up from the ground and was about to leave the imperial study. But just as he was about to turn around, the emperor suddenly said, "I'll leave this matter to you. If you handle it properly, the crown prince position will be yours. If not…"
The Third Prince looked up in surprise and saw that half of the emperor's figure was hidden in the shadow. He couldn't see the emperor's expression clearly, so he quickly lowered his head again.
"Yes, Father! Your son will definitely handle this matter perfectly and will never disappoint you!"
After saying that, the Third Prince walked out of the imperial study with his head held high. He looked at the kneeling eunuchs and maids around him. There was a cold light in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled into a presumptuous smile.
The crown prince position was finally going to be his!
Since that was the case, the national teacher's usefulness was over.
He endured the urge to burst out laughing and quickly left the palace. He returned to the Third Prince's Mansion and gathered all his officials and advisors.
In just a few hours, the Third Prince had arranged the personnel to be sent to each town to deal with the events. He sat on the high seat, his eyes full of determination.
The matter in the imperial study wasn't deliberately kept secret. The news that the Third Prince was about to be crowned the crown prince spread throughout the capital.
After Yuan Zhao heard the news, a sneer appeared on her lips.
"Father has finally made up his mind."
Hong Chaoyang put down her teacup and looked around. Seeing that Shen Qing looked calm and Yuan Zhao didn't seem anxious, she was a bit confused.
"Why do you all seem so unhurried? The crown prince position is about to be decided!"
Shen Qing sipped her tea. The fresh and cold taste spread in her mouth. "There's no need to be in a hurry. Even if the Third Prince really becomes the crown prince, so what? If he can rise to a high position, he can also fall."
"Besides, the premise for him to become the crown prince is that he can handle the events that happened in each state well. Don't you trust Xue Ling and Li Xian?"
Hong Chaoyang nodded half - understandingly and then turned to look at Yuan Zhao. "Yuan Zhao, do you think so too?"
There was a confident glint in Yuan Zhao's eyes. "If you suspect someone, don't use them. If you use someone, don't doubt them."
"Since the Third Imperial Brother is so complacent, how can I, as his younger sister, sit back and do nothing? It's time to take a drastic measure."