Two days later, the opera in the Pear Garden was performed with great liveliness.
A Censor named Wang, filled with righteous indignation, severely impeached Lu Nianfu during the morning court.
The Crown Prince found himself in a difficult position. He did not handle the matter during the morning court, but instead presented the memorial to Emperor Changwu: "Father, Seventh Brother is devoted to the people, and Seventh Sister-in-law was temporarily muddled and committed an offense. It is truly difficult for me, as an elder brother, to deal with this. What do you think, Your Majesty..."
Emperor Changwu leaned against his headboard, his eyes half-closed: "Leave it for now, I will deal with it later."
"Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance."
"Mmm, once I have recovered, I will deal with your Seventh Sister-in-law."
Recovered? When would that be? Father clearly favors him. The Crown Prince stiffened, and the jealousy in his eyes receded as he lowered his gaze: "It is best for Your Majesty to handle it, but rumors are already spreading outside..."
Emperor Changwu waved his hand wearily, interrupting him, "I understand. You may withdraw. I am feeling quite tired today and need to sleep a bit more."
What else could the Crown Prince do?
Despite his reluctance, he could only take his leave.
Father, since you are so biased, do not blame your son for being ruthless.
The Crown Prince kept over a dozen advisors at his villa outside the palace. He had previously disliked them as they were found by Fu Lingyun and had kept them idle for a long time. After returning from the temporary palace, he had sought out a few new ones, but they were not as effective as he had hoped; their reputations preceded them, but they were not a good fit. He spent an entire morning at his villa, yet no one could offer a sound plan.
A shortage of talent, he realized he should have known this long ago; those with true ability would have already become officials, how capable could advisors be?
The Crown Prince finally understood where he had lost. Look at Situ Yan's circle, among the civil officials there was Meng Changdong, and among the military, there was Mao Pengyi. Not to mention the minor generals, these two alone had brought him so much glory.
And him?
The people he kept, when engaged in lofty discussions, could all dictate the fate of the nation. But when it came to practical matters, not a single one was useful.
The Crown Prince finally went to the Duke Cao's mansion under the cover of night. The uncle and nephew talked until late into the night, and they decided to first ruin the reputation of Princess Rui.
Husband and wife are one. If Lu Nianfu was accused of misappropriating donations, Situ Yan's reputation would naturally suffer greatly.
In the study, the lamplight was dim. Fu Lingyun sighed, "If the Minister of War were still one of ours, we would not be so restricted. Your Highness, you should find a way to control military power. Perhaps you could cooperate with Prince Yong."
The Crown Prince felt annoyed whenever he thought of the Ministry of War. The people he had spent so much effort cultivating had been removed before they could be of use.
He said irritably, "Uncle, have you forgotten how he got that scar on his face? It's a blessing that he isn't cooperating with Situ Yan."
"There are only eternal interests, never eternal enemies. How can you know without trying?"
"Does this even need trying?" The Crown Prince scoffed. Even during his fiercest conflicts with Situ Jue, he had considered recruiting Situ Sheng, but the man simply did not give him face. He did not want to go through that unpleasantness again.
Fu Lingyun sighed and did not try to persuade him further. He was not a novice. He saw and remembered the Crown Prince's attitude. If it were not for the greater good, humph.
Although there was some unpleasantness at the end, the earlier plan had been decided upon.
The Crown Prince quickly gave orders for his subordinates to intensify the spread of rumors, ensuring that Lu Nianfu would be universally hated and remembered for infamy.
Unexpectedly, the next day, news arrived from Zhanxian City.
The wealthy merchants of Jiangnan and the mine owners of Shanxi generously contributed a large sum of money and medicinal supplies, which were then openly sent to Zhanxian City.