Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 167 Cuts Off His Path to Crown Prince!

Unable to ascertain the Third Prince's intentions, the Crown Prince could only probe by speaking.

"Third brother, you know my current situation. The Imperial Noble Consort has only given me seven days to resolve the snow disaster in the capital, and my Eastern Palace has no surplus grain!"

The Third Prince didn't care about any of that; Jiang Yueli had sent him to ask for grain, and he was determined to get it.

What does it matter to him whether the crown prince lives or dies!

He should focus on overcoming the immediate crisis first.

"Your Highness, for so many years I have listened to my mother and served you like a dog. I have done all the dirty and hard work that you are not allowed to do."

"Even in order to highlight Your Highness's glorious image, I am willing to act like a fool and embarrass myself in front of the court officials."

"I have done so much for Your Highness, how can Your Highness still be so petty about a little bit of food?"

The Crown Prince touched his nose, somewhat embarrassed, as he hadn't expected the Third Prince to speak so directly.

Is this a matter of losing all sense of shame in the pursuit of food?

He actually called himself a lackey, a good-for-nothing, and an idiot.

If he continues to refuse, then that would be unreasonable.

"Third brother, you flatter me... Here's what I'll do: I still have some grain and charcoal that I haven't handed over to the Ministry of Revenue yet. If you need them, take them first."

The Crown Prince thought that if he said that, the Third Prince would be extremely grateful.

Unexpectedly, the other party simply frowned and asked, "How much is 'some'? Your Highness, this needs to be clarified. If it's just a little bit, that won't be enough."

The Crown Prince was somewhat speechless: "How much does Third Brother want?"

The third prince pointed to the people following him outside, whose feet were piled with sacks.

"At the very least, you should give me several hundred bags of this kind of grain and charcoal, right?"

The Crown Prince was shocked upon hearing this!

The sack the Third Prince was pointing to was the largest sack commonly used in the market, capable of holding two bushels of grain.

He actually asked for hundreds of bags right off the bat?

Did they really come here to treat their Eastern Palace like a temple to make wishes?

Hundreds of bags of grain would not have made the crown prince blink an eye on ordinary days.

At most, it would be a thousand bushels of grain, but what is the current situation?

The entire capital is short of food. No matter how capable Mei Xingyue is, the Crown Prince cannot squander it like this!

"No, I don't have that many in my Eastern Palace. I can only give you a hundred bags at most, and that's all I have."

The Crown Prince spoke firmly, but the Third Prince was quite displeased.

His eyes caught sight of the eunuch from the Eastern Palace standing to the side. Unable to control his violent temper, he stood up and kicked the eunuch to the ground.

Then he straddled the eunuch and punched him repeatedly, so hard that the eunuch's eye socket ruptured.

The eunuch's wails echoed through the East Palace, sending chills down the spines of those who heard them!

The Crown Prince often heard people say that the Third Prince had a violent temper and often beat and scolded his servants, and it was common for him to beat or injure them.

In the past, the Third Prince, out of consideration for the dignity of the Crown Prince, would never act so madly in front of him.

Now that the Crown Prince was treating him like a beggar, the Third Prince could no longer control the resentment in his heart!

Only after the eunuch who had been beaten fell silent, his face a bloody mess, did the Third Prince stand up, panting heavily.

His fists were covered in wounds from the excessive force, but he seemed to feel no pain at all, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Comfortable!"

The Crown Prince looked at the Third Prince, his heart filled with shock.

The Third Prince who just hit someone doesn't seem like a normal person at all.

He's clearly a beast!

The Crown Prince said angrily, "Third brother, this is the Eastern Palace. You committed violence in front of me. Do you even respect me?"

The Third Prince said nonchalantly, "Your Highness, what you say is true. It was precisely because I respected you that I didn't kill him!"

"If you don't believe me, go ask my elder sister and see how I treated the palace maids and eunuchs in her household before."

"You dare to go to your elder sister's residence and beat up her people?" the Crown Prince asked.

The third prince was somewhat embarrassed. He coughed lightly and silently sat back down.

He used to dare, but now even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare!

But he discovered something even more fun: throwing a tantrum in front of the Crown Prince.

He used to be afraid of Consort Li and the Crown Prince's position, so he always yielded to her.

Now it is suddenly discovered that Consort Li is imprisoned by Jiang Yueli, and the Crown Prince is hampered by the Imperial Noble Consort in the court and can hardly move an inch.

The Crown Prince, despite his stature, doesn't even have the same charisma as Princess Jiang Yueli!

The imperial sister dared to ask the crown prince to return his military power in court, but the crown prince, pressured by the imperial concubine, didn't dare to utter a single word.

What seven-day period? It's nothing but a procrastination!

The Third Prince felt that since the Imperial Noble Consort dared to mention deposing the Crown Prince, she must have a backup plan.

There's bound to be a good show in seven days!

Of course, the most important thing now is to complete the task Jiang Yueli assigned, otherwise his backside will suffer again.

"Third brother, are you trying to intimidate me by doing this?"

"If I don't give you enough food, would you even dare to attack me?"

The Third Prince immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, what are you saying? You are the Crown Prince, how dare I disobey you? It's just that my family is really starving, and the treasury is so poor that rats can run around in it, so I came to the Crown Prince for help."

"What are a few hundred bags of grain to the Crown Prince? I have heard that the Crown Prince's goddess has boasted that she can produce any amount of grain and charcoal she needs."

"Why is the Crown Prince so stingy when it comes to me?"

The Crown Prince was furious and was about to reprimand the Third Prince when Jiang Nianxing and Yuanxing came out.

As soon as Jiang Nianxing arrived, he advised the Crown Prince, "Father, the Third Imperial Uncle is your own brother. In the future, Father will still need to rely on his brother to run errands for you in the court. It's just some grain; you can give it to the Third Imperial Uncle."

The three princes had witnessed the life of the Mei family of four at the Literary Ceremony.

Seeing that these children had already entered the inner chambers and even called the Crown Prince their father, he found it ridiculous!

The Crown Prince dared to accept a bastard of unknown origin?

However, whether these children are of royal blood or bastards is none of his business.

Upon hearing Jiang Nianxing's generosity, the Third Prince immediately backed down.

"My nephew is truly wise, Your Highness. He is indeed very clever. The Great Zhou Dynasty has a worthy successor!"

Jiang Nianxing was in a great mood after being coaxed, and with the Crown Prince's tacit approval, she ordered the palace servants of the Eastern Palace to move grain for the Third Prince.

After everything was loaded onto the cart, the Third Prince smiled and bowed to the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, I thank you for your generous gift. I will not disturb you any longer."

Jiang Nianxing then said, "Third Imperial Uncle, tomorrow Father is going to the generals' deer hunting banquet. I heard it's very interesting. Would you like to come and have some fun with us?"

Upon hearing about the deer hunt feast, the Third Prince frowned slightly.

He heard from Jiang Yueli that the military generals had only invited Princess Jiang Yueli, and had never invited the Crown Prince.

Why would the Crown Prince go?

Out of curiosity, and also because he genuinely wanted to go out and have some fun, the Third Prince agreed.

"Then tomorrow, we will await Third Imperial Uncle at the deer hunting banquet."

After the Third Prince left, the Crown Prince said angrily, "This Jiang Yuelin is becoming more and more outrageous. Ever since the literary ceremony that day, he seems to have become a different person, and has repeatedly been rude to me."

“Nianxing, Jiang Yuelin is reckless. Sending him to the deer hunting banquet might ruin my plans.”

Jiang Nianxing laughed: "Father, have you ever thought about why Third Imperial Uncle dares to be so arrogant?"

"On that day in the court, some ministers had already proposed him as the new crown prince. I'm afraid he was already unwilling to be subordinate to others and had some improper thoughts in his heart."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression turned solemn, and he asked with some surprise and doubt, "Jiang Yuelin is incredibly stupid and dull-witted. Does he even deserve to be the Crown Prince?"

“Father, it doesn’t matter whether he’s stupid or not. The most important thing right now is to cut off his path to becoming the crown prince.”

The Crown Prince looked up and met Jiang Nianxing's gaze, seeing a ruthless expression on the face of this five-year-old child.

"what do you mean……"

“Tomorrow’s deer hunt is a good opportunity,” Jiang Nianxing said meaningfully. “The snow in the mountains is deep and slippery, and there are also extremely hungry wild animals.”

"If something were to happen to the Third Imperial Uncle, it would be quite reasonable, wouldn't it?"

The crown prince was startled and immediately understood Jiang Nianxing's meaning.

He hesitated for a moment. Just as the Third Prince had said, the Third Prince had always supported him over the years and had never had any improper thoughts about the position of Crown Prince.

Even now that he has gone mad, his words and actions have shown no intention of coveting the position of crown prince.

If we were to simply cripple the Third Prince like this, wouldn't that be...?

Seeing the Crown Prince hesitate, Jiang Nianxing advised, "Father, you must not be soft-hearted at this time!"

“Father is concerned about brotherly affection, but others are not. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to the East Palace to pressure Father.”

"Besides, the Third Prince is not some idle prince, unlike the First Prince and the Second Prince who have already been sent to the frontier."

“His birth mother, Consort Li, is favored, and he also has the eldest princess as his elder sister. The eldest princess is the Grand Master of Ceremonies and has the title of Protector of the Nation. If Father does not prepare in advance, there will definitely be great chaos.”

Jiang Nianxing is the smartest of the three children, and in the original story, the Crown Prince even groomed her to be his successor.

Even at such a young age, he has a keen sense of opportunity and has begun to plan for the position of crown prince.

The crown prince pondered for a while and then nodded.

“Nianxing’s words make sense, then I will make the arrangements.”

After the Crown Prince left, Jiang Nianxing turned to Yuanxing and said, "Little brother, tomorrow Father will take you and me to the deer hunting banquet. You must find an opportunity to cripple the Third Prince then."

"Only if Father keeps his position as Crown Prince can our family maintain its wealth and honor."

Although Jiang Nianyue, played by Yuan Xing, is no longer mentally challenged, he doesn't appear particularly intelligent in his daily life.

Hearing Jiang Nianxing's arrangement, he obediently nodded in bewilderment: "Okay, I'll listen to my older brother."

"Brother, I still need to meditate. Master told me that I must not be lazy in my daily practice."

Watching Yuanxing's retreating figure, Jiang Nianxing's smile gradually faded, and a layer of ruthlessness appeared in her eyes.

Yuanxing returned to his room and, recalling Jiang Nianxing's instructions, couldn't help but sneer.

No matter how smart Jiang Nianxing is, she is only a five-year-old child. How can she compare to a meticulous adult like Yuan Xing?

Jiang Nianxing thought he had hidden it well, but Yuanxing had already seen through his intentions.

This is clearly a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!

Jiang Nianxing planned to cripple both him and the Third Prince at once.

It seems that wealth and luxury truly are dazzling!

In just a few days, Jiang Nianxing couldn't resist turning against his own brother.

This is why Yuanxing has now taken over Jiang Nianyue's body and can see through him.

If it were still the old Jiang Nianyue, he would probably have been ripped off by this older brother and left with nothing!

Yuanxing couldn't help but sigh, the four members of the Mei family were all eccentric, simply the best of the best!

Even Jiang Nianmei, who was frozen in the pond, was a vicious wretch.

If he hadn't gone missing now, he probably would have caused trouble at tomorrow's deer hunt feast.

…………

When Jiang Yueli brought Zhou Wei back to the mansion, she saw a large group of people unloading goods in front of the Princess's mansion.

The third prince stood to the side, hands tucked into his pockets, cursing incessantly.

"Damn it, are you blind? Don't you know how to be careful?"

"This is all charcoal and grain. If it gets wet in the mud, how can we eat or use it? If you're not careful while working, I'll beat you to death!"

The eldest princess frowned as she looked at the arrogant and domineering third prince.

"Yue Lin, tell them to stop moving."

Upon hearing the eldest princess's voice, the third prince immediately scurried over.

"Royal sister, I've borrowed all the grain you asked me to. You can't let Zhou Wei beat people up again this time, can you?"

The Third Prince spoke without looking away, not daring to meet Zhou Wei's gaze at all.

Zhou Wei chuckled and said, "Third Prince, aren't you afraid of me? Why don't you dare look at me?"

The Third Prince retorted, "I was only doing that for my elder sister's sake, Zhou Wei, don't be so smug!"

"I know that the people of the capital are suffering from disaster, which is why I am willing to help my elder sister raise funds. Don't really think that I am afraid of you."

whoosh-

Zhou Wei raised her hand, and the Third Prince, like a spring, quickly took two steps back.

"Third Prince, why are you hiding? I was just brushing the snow off my head, I wasn't going to hit you, are you that scared?"

The third prince's face flushed red; he was losing face.

But he didn't dare to actually yell at Zhou Wei!

After all, that lowly maid's kicks hurt terribly!

Seeing this, the eldest princess stepped in to smooth things over, saying that although the third prince was unreliable, he had indeed managed to procure the food and charcoal.

"Alright, you two, stop fighting the moment you meet."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince almost burst into tears; his elder sister had finally spoken up for him.

Just as he was about to puff out his chest and show off, he heard the eldest princess say again: "Especially you, Yue Lin, how old is Zhou Wei? She's just a little girl. Why are you arguing with her? Where is your princely demeanor?"

The third prince slipped and almost thought he had misheard.

Who is the little girl?

Zhou Wei?

That fierce woman who can kick someone into the sky, you call this a little girl?

"Elder sister, you really should get your eyes checked."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wei reached up to pick at her ear and stretched her wrists and ankles, looking as if she was about to make a move.

The third prince was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly: "Royal sister, royal sister, I've brought the things here. You mustn't let Zhou Wei hit anyone again."

The eldest princess glanced at Zhou Wei and said with a smile, "How could that be? Weiwei is the most well-behaved and sensible; she never hits people without permission."

The third prince hid behind his attendant, and the two of them looked at Zhou Wei, trembling together.

"Yue Lin, tell them not to move anything to my residence. Send all the grain and charcoal to the soup kitchen in Ninghe, west of the city."

The third prince, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, immediately ordered his men to leave.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind the eldest princess: "Elder sister, I went to the East Palace to borrow grain today. The Crown Prince said he will also be attending the deer hunting banquet tomorrow."

"Judging from his appearance, he'll definitely try to steal the spotlight tomorrow, so I'll have to join in the fun."

Jiang Yueli and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance and understood the Crown Prince's intention.

This is an attempt to win over military generals!