The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 608: If Yu is born, why is Liang born?
The doormen of the Prince of Shu's mansion all knew this prince's people, and let Cen Wenben in without even notifying him. Cen Wenben followed the corridor to the backyard, and saw Prince of Shu Li Ke drinking tea and chatting with Quan Wanji at the side of a picturesque waterside pavilion.

"Your Highness doesn't know, but now the people in the market are talking about your highness's reputation in fighting wits with Jie Li. Everyone says that the prince is much better than the one in the east. Our Tang Dynasty has a hero like the prince. We can finally have hope in the future, hehe." A fat official in a crimson robe came up to Li Ke and talked about the situation outside with a beaming face.

Li Ke showed a slightly smug smile on his face. He reached out and patted Quan Wanji on the shoulder, praising him: "Hahaha, Wanji, you did a good job on this matter. Thanks to you."

"Otherwise, this king would not know that the negotiation with the Turks is over, and there are actually so many benefits?"

"That's right. Now, whether in the court or among the people, your highness's reputation has greatly increased. Everyone knows that your highness is wise and brave. How can that prince who sits in the East Palace and relies on flattering the emperor be compared to him?"

The two were talking and laughing when they saw Cen Wenben, who was wearing a purple robe, walking towards them from afar. They immediately stopped laughing and looked serious.

Cen Wenben stepped forward and bowed: "I pay my respects to His Majesty the King of Shu."

"Oh, Lord Cen is here, no need to be polite."

Li Ke was in a good mood and raised his hand: "Master Cen, please get up quickly. It's so late today. How can you still have time to come to my place?"

"I have come here on official business to convey the Emperor's decree."

After Cen Wenben finished speaking, he walked straight to the north, stood facing south, took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, held it in his hand, and said solemnly: "King Shu, accept the edict."

Li Ke quickly stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked to the south with Quan Wanji and knelt respectfully on the ground: "Your son Li Ke accepts your order."

"The river water has risen sharply, the Yongtong Canal has been washed away, and the water level has dropped, making it impossible for grain ships to reach the capital. The transportation of grain and grass for the border troops and the capital has been greatly affected. I order the King of Shu, Li Ke, to transfer 5,000 soldiers from the Left Tunwei and conscript conscripts to repair the canal as soon as possible. I decree this."

"Your son Li Ke, accepts the order and thanks you!" Li Ke kowtowed three times respectfully and stretched out his hand to take the imperial edict.

Then he stood up, a happy smile on his face, and asked: "Thank you, sir. This must be the job you got for me. To be honest, sir, after the trip to Suizhou, I feel like I have endless energy and I always want to make some contributions to the court."

"It's a pity that I never had the chance. These days I've been so idle in the mansion that I've been cooking fish and drinking tea every day. Now, there's a place for me to use my skills. Father, will you let me be responsible for the transportation of food and grass for the border troops?"

Quan Wanji also said flattering words: "Yes, Your Majesty is very capable. The court can't deliberately ignore Your Majesty just because they are afraid that Your Majesty will be too popular, right?"

"Who told the other princes that they are incompetent? The prince is very capable, so who can be blamed? I think if it comes to doing practical things, it still depends on the prince. It's not enough to just talk in front of the emperor and win his favor."

Li Ke was flattered by this silent flattery and was obviously enjoying it. The smile on his face became even wider.

It was obvious that the three of them knew who the so-called other prince was!

Cen Wenben did not agree, nor did he show a smug smile on his face. Instead, he frowned slightly. He felt a little uncomfortable with Quan Wanji's outspokenness and the King of Shu's calm acceptance, as they were too frivolous.

But thinking of Li Ke's identity as the King of Shu, Cen Wenben did not correct him. Instead, he told him what happened in Chengqing Palace just now, and then advised: "It is obvious that the emperor feels that the prince's limelight has overshadowed the prince, so he used this errand to push the prince."

"But I don't know what's wrong with the prince. He actually wants to blame the prince."

"Finally, under the prince's evasion, the emperor let the prince take charge of the overall grain and grass, and the prince was only responsible for the repair project of Yongtong Canal."

"Humph!"

Li Ke's face suddenly darkened, and he said indignantly: "I think he knows himself well and knows that he can't bear such a heavy burden, so he wants to push it away. But father is too partial. Doesn't he know that forcing a cowardly and incompetent prince to take over is irresponsible to the country of the Tang Dynasty?"

"that is!"

"There's nothing wrong with him. This is a manifestation of his incompetence and stupidity. He has always been at this level."

Seeing Li Ke unscrupulously belittling the prince, Quan Wanji also chimed in with his sarcastic remarks: "The emperor is clearly asking the prince to carry the prince's sedan chair, and to do all the hard, tiring and dirty work, while in the end he is the one who reaps the benefits."

"Your Highness, we won't do this thing that will make us suffer in silence. We can either hand over the overall dispatch of grain and grass transportation to you. Otherwise, we can hand over the hard bone of Yongtong Canal to the crown prince. I see that he has made a mess of it in the end, making Yi laugh generously. How can we explain to the emperor?"

Before Li Ke could say anything, Cen Wenben rejected him flatly, "No, Your Highness. A tree that stands out in the forest will be blown away by the wind. Some time ago, due to the negotiations in Suizhou, Your Highness's limelight has overshadowed the Crown Prince. Later, the Crown Prince did not take it as a problem. He not only rejected the three hundred households' grant on behalf of the prince in front of the Emperor."

"He also recommended Cheng Huailiang for the position of General of the Left Guard, the position Your Highness had always dreamed of. How magnanimous the prince is!" "Just now in Chengqing Palace, I saw clearly that the emperor insisted on giving this task to the prince. It was the prince's words 'brothers are of the same mind' that touched the emperor. The emperor was soft-hearted for a moment and put aside his reservations about the prince, insisting that the prince take the responsibility, which shows that he valued the prince's kindness in loving his brothers."

Cen Wenben advised earnestly: "No matter how capable the prince is, you can call him dumb or stupid, but I will not be wrong about his love for Your Highness, and all the civil and military officials in the court have witnessed it."

"Your Highness, take this opportunity to assist the Crown Prince and complete this mission."

Seeing Quan Wanji's face full of disapproval, when he was about to speak again, Cen Wenben continued, "In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the so-called dredging of the canal is mainly about repairing the Yongtong Canal. The prince is doing the easy work, while your highness is doing the hard work."

"Only in this way can Your Highness be more grateful for the Crown Prince's friendship and do this matter well."

"When the time comes, the Crown Prince will be the first to be credited, but Your Highness will be even more credited, as he will have demonstrated his ability to the court and expressed his respect for his brother to the Emperor."

"Your Highness, since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Emperor has placed great emphasis on the unity and friendship among the princes. If the Crown Prince makes all sorts of concessions and protects you wholeheartedly, and you continue to target him and go against him, insisting on squeezing him out, will the Emperor tolerate you?"

"Will the court officials accept a prince who is so sharp and uses his brother's power to bully his brothers?"

"In short, this time, if things are done well, Your Highness should give the credit to the Crown Prince. If there are any problems, Your Highness should take the blame himself and not implicate the Crown Prince, in order to show the respect that the prince has for his elder brother. And squeezing the Crown Prince can only be done in private, and never in public."

"This is so unfair. How can this be justified?"

Quan Wanji immediately said in dissatisfaction: "If it is done well, the credit belongs to the prince, but if something goes wrong, the blame will be placed on the prince?"

But Li Ke was shocked when he heard it. It was obvious that Cen Wenben's last words touched Li Ke. Li Ke was shocked and his indifferent expression suddenly disappeared. He bowed to Cen Wenben with a serious face and said, "Thank you for your reminder, sir. I was lost in the recent success and almost made a big mistake."

"I think my cheap brother is really cunning?"

"He always acts benevolent and righteous in front of the emperor and the court officials. This man is not very capable, but he is quite scheming. I was almost fooled by him. Isn't it just acting? Everyone can do it. My prince can act like a brother and respectful brother, and he can't be worse than him."

"Wanji, we all follow your instructions. When the time comes, the merits and demerits, and who is meritorious and who is demeritorious, the whole court and the emperor will naturally know. Your Excellency is really wise. You have allowed me to achieve merit and win the emperor's favor!"

When Quan Wanji heard this, he smiled knowingly and agreed unconditionally: "Your Highness is right. He cannot beat Your Highness in doing practical things, and he is even less likely to be Your Highness's opponent in playing tricks and acting to win favor. If Yu is born, why is Liang born? It's just that he is unlucky and was born in the same era as Your Highness."

"Hahaha, Wanji, there are some things that you just need to understand in your heart. Don't say them out loud? It will affect unity." Li Ke nodded contentedly, obviously agreeing with Quan Wanji's statement.

Quan Wanji pretended to have spoken out of turn, and said frivolously with a greedy face: "Your Highness is teaching you that Wanji has spoken out of turn. Wanji must take the initiative to protect the dignity of the prince in the future and not let others discover his incompetent side."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Li Ke and Quan Wanji worked together to discredit the prince.

Cen Wenben was stunned, and then a bitter feeling rose in his heart. One was protecting him everywhere, and the other was scheming against him all the time. Is this King of Shu really suitable to be the crown prince?

Cen Wenben was extremely confused, always feeling that the King of Shu was not as broad-minded as the Crown Prince. But things had come to this point, even the Emperor had sided with him. After Feng Deyi passed away, the Emperor had promoted him to the position of a third-rank Minister of the Secretariat, allowing him to participate in state affairs.

Cen Wenben understood that on the one hand, he was indeed talented, but there were not many talented and respected ministers in the court. The reason why he could reach such an important position was because he replaced Feng Deyi and represented the lineage of the King of Shu.

The emperor promoted himself out of the need for a balance of power, and took over Feng Deyi's power in the court, raising the banner of the Shu King's lineage.

There is also the covert and overt care of Concubine Yang in Ningxin Palace. Now Cen Wenben is just praying in his heart that the prince is really as foolish and honest as he appears to be on the surface, and not the other possibility he thinks deep in his heart, that is, he is wise but appears foolish.

Because if it is really the latter, then the prince's scheming is too terrifying. Can I defeat such an opponent?

In Cen Wenben's opinion, although the prince did not have a very good reputation, he had not made any major mistakes, and he was very respectful to his parents and friendly to his brothers.

Although his ability is not obvious, there is no strong call in the court to replace the crown prince. Besides, the crown prince is still young, just like the King of Shu, only twelve or thirteen years old. There is still plenty of opportunity for him to learn and improve, as long as the crown prince acquires some political skills in the future.

Then such a crown prince who values ​​love and friendship will be as stable as a rock.

(End of this chapter)