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

Chapter 660: Yao Jin's Selfishness
Chai Shao nodded silently and continued, "Speaking of which, the prince is also cunning. He set up a Chongwen Hall and recruited a group of young men from various wealthy families. He said it was a tutor, but in fact it was a place where he imitated the Qin Palace to win over power for himself."

"Although they only targeted children from Shandong noble families and poor branches at the beginning, that was just a cover-up. Sooner or later, they would target important officials in the court. As expected, it happened just as the King of Shu expected. They took advantage of the rift between you and the King of Shu to target Huai Bi again."

"This time he recommended Huai Mo again. It seems that the prince has set his sights on you. It is indeed difficult to deal with so many favors after so many times. The most important thing is that you can't refuse openly, otherwise the prince will be angry and even the emperor will blame you for not giving the prince face."

"How can I face Empress Changsun in the future?"

Chai Shao also shook his head with a bitter look on his face, and asked in a rather annoying manner: "Then what are you going to do, Old Cheng?"

"What else can I do? I can't accept it all, but I can't reject it all either, otherwise the hatred will really be formed. Don't forget, I am different from you. The incident in the ninth year of Wude has almost become a demon in my heart!" Cheng Yaojin lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

Chai Shao was startled, and his face suddenly became serious. He looked worried, and his brows were knitted so tightly that it seemed like they could not be melted!

"By the way, Old Cheng, do you think Huailiang's matter will be related to..."

Chai Shao carefully looked around, pointed his finger to the east, and whispered, "Could it be related to him?"

"Absolutely not."

Cheng Yaojin shook his head like a wave drum and said carefully: "Changsun Wuji would not do this, and the prince is young and would never have the courage to do so. Besides, he does not have a shrewd strategist around him. I have already checked. Before Huailiang got into trouble, the Zuotun Guards had no relationship with the prince. They were actually mortal enemies, right?"

"And I've met the prince several times, and he was very open and honest, without any suspicious behavior. I believe that the prince doesn't know about that matter, and the few people who can guess a little bit don't dare to express their suspicion to the prince, and there is no evidence."

"If the emperor really wanted to make a fuss, he would have dealt with me, Old Cheng, on the day Li Chengqian was made the crown prince. But the emperor didn't do that, which means that the emperor is not sure, or he doesn't take it to heart."

After saying this, Cheng Yaojin's eyes contained some deep meaning that made Chai Shao feel guilty, and he smiled vaguely, which made Chai Shao's old face turn red and look embarrassed.

Chai Shao also nodded silently. In fact, he knew in his heart that if it was really the prince who took action and created such a deadly feud, Cheng Yaojin would not be able to return to the capital this time.

If the emperor cannot deal with the prince, he will deal with Cheng Yaojin, otherwise it will be a huge hidden danger.

Saying this was just an attempt to make a far-fetched argument and disrupt the prince's intention to win over Cheng Yaojin and make Cheng Yaojin completely side with the King of Shu, and Cheng Yaojin obviously guessed this.

Chai Shao thought about what Cheng Yaojin had just said and asked, "Then what are you going to do?"

"I declined Huai Mo's commission, but agreed to send Huai Bi to the East Palace as a tutor."

"What? How can this be possible?"

Chai Shao said excitedly: "In this way, even if you, Old Cheng, take sides, even if you, Old Cheng, explain, the King of Shu will not believe it. Instead of this, it is better to give the Zuotunwei to Huai Mo. Anyway, our Zhewei is not in a hurry."

Cheng Yaojin said calmly, "Old Chai, you can't say that. The younger generations can have fun together, that's their business, it doesn't represent our position."

"It was like this before when Huai Liang followed the King of Shu, and it is also like this now when Huai Bi goes to the East Palace to accompany Du. Old Cheng, I have no prejudice against the emperor's sons and grandsons, and I treat them all equally. Please don't classify me into this group or that group. Old Cheng, I don't recognize myself."

"The prince did not have any problem with my Cheng family because Huai Liang followed the King of Shu. Instead, he tried to win him over and showed goodwill several times. If the King of Shu was dissatisfied because Huai Bi followed the prince to blaspheme the book, then he is not as broad-minded as the prince, right?"

"Besides, if Huai Mo returns to serve in the Zuotun Guard, he will be considered to have accepted the Crown Prince's favor and must be close to the Crown Prince. If he stays away from the Crown Prince, he will be considered ungrateful and the Emperor will dislike him. But if he is fickle and continues to mess with the King of Shu, then in the eyes of the whole court, Huai Mo will become a two-faced villain, his reputation will be ruined, and his life will be ruined."

"So I would rather let Huaibi follow the prince than put Huaimo in such an embarrassing situation."

Although Cheng Yaojin was reluctant at first, once he found out that the prince was a rare talent, he wanted to enjoy the honor alone. At the very least, the longer the time dragged on, the more seniority he would have and the greater his contributions would be. If he allowed Chai Shao to join him, his role would be dispersed.

So he deliberately pretended to be impartial and fooled the prince first, so that the prince's mind would be focused on him. If Chai Shao could see the trick, and at this critical moment, as the emperor's brother-in-law, if he stood up to fight for the position of Dingxiang Road's marching commander, then he and Yuchi Laohei would have to step aside.

After the battle of Dingxiang, when the dust settled and I was free from suspicion, I would not be afraid no matter how many people joined the prince. I didn't know when the next war would be. My position in the prince's eyes was unique!

Chai Shao's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Although Cheng Yaojin had not made his attitude clear before, by letting Cheng Huailiang follow Li Ke and accepting the military post of Zuotunwei, he had actually tacitly acknowledged his position.

Although he did not make a clear statement in favor of the prince at this time, his words were clear after all, and he was definitely drawing a clear line between himself and the King of Shu.

This was in the ninth year of Wude. After Cheng Yaojin took his two sons to Yunzhong, the King of Shu had no idea how long it had taken him through Zhewei to achieve this effect. However, with the unexpected departure of Cheng Huailiang, the link in the middle, the relationship was immediately broken, and it was broken so cleanly.

Even Li Ke couldn't say anything. The other person has already given you his entire son as compensation, so do you still have the nerve to keep nagging him?

In addition to his previous ambiguous stance, no one could say anything when Cheng Yaojin betrayed the King of Shu.

Chai Shao saw that the old fox Cheng Yaojin was drunk today, which meant that he must have had a good chat with the prince. Now that the youngest son has entered the East Palace, it is only a matter of time before Cheng Yaojin falls.
When thinking about this, Chai Shao felt a little annoyed: "Old Cheng, if you change your mind, how are we old brothers going to get along with each other in the future?"

"What's the turn? How do we get along?"

Cheng Yaojin pretended to be confused and said, "I can't afford to offend anyone now. I sent Huaibi to the East Palace just to give some face to the emperor and the queen. I will still stay in Yunzhong with Huaimo in the future. I am not like you, who is so close to Chang'an and can come back at any time."

"If the emperor doesn't recruit me, I won't be able to show up for a year or two. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Over time, the prince may forget about me."

Chai Shao immediately said with a stern face: "Don't play dumb. What are you planning? Do you think I don't know?"

"We have been friends for more than ten years. I know that you, Old Cheng, may look rough, but you are actually very careful. If you have any ideas, just tell me. Otherwise, if I step on the wrong board one day and fall down, will I have to hold your legs and make it impossible for you to get rid of me?"

Cheng Yaojin smiled knowingly and said, "Old Chai, you are too impatient. The emperor is only in his thirties this year, and is in the prime of his life. There is still a lot of time! We are much older than the emperor, and maybe one day we will be ahead of him. Why are you thinking so much?"

"Old Cheng, let me say something that I shouldn't say. You are the number one consort of the Tang Dynasty. As a relative of the emperor, you have the protection of Princess Pingyang. No matter who sits on the throne, they have to give you some respect. Why are you so anxious to stand here and there? Why are you cheering for the King of Shu so hard?"

"You're already a Duke, and you still want to be a prince? Don't let it happen that you fail to become a prince, your family is confiscated, and your whole family is exiled to Lingnan to suffer."

Cheng Yaojin's words were like a wake-up call, which shocked Chai Shao's heart. Yes, he had already reached a high position as an important official, so why should he get involved in such troubled water?

If he succeeded, he would not necessarily be better off than he is now. If he failed, the new emperor would be jealous of him, and all his years of hard work would be ruined.

Chai Shao suddenly realized that he was not as clear-sighted as Cheng Yaojin. He was influenced by his son's stance and even took the initiative to help the King of Shu develop his power.

When I thought of this, I was suddenly shocked, cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and a chill surged into my heart.

"So, what should I do now?"

Seeing that Chai Shao was no longer as relaxed as before, but frowned, a little confused, Cheng Yaojin smiled and said, "Treat them equally, don't help either side, stay aloof from the world, let the storm come, I will just sit on the sidelines and watch?"

"But, Zhewei has become the King of Shu's most trusted confidant, and everyone in the court knows it?" Chai Shao looked embarrassed. Old Cheng, your son is gone, and Huai Liang is there to support you, so you can naturally retreat calmly, but I can't do that. You can't let your son die for the country just to get away, right?

"Alas, you are so confused! You are the one who is in charge, and you are not as clear as me, Old Cheng. Didn't Li Ke nominate Zhewei to take over the position vacated by Huai Liang?"

Cheng Yaojin then revealed his purpose: "Although I took advantage of the prince's happiness today to postpone Huai Mo's matter, in addition to Huai Mo, the East Palace also has Chang Sheng, Su Dingfang, and Liang Jianfang, who can all take charge of the Left Guard."

"Last time, the emperor handed the Zuotunwei to Huai Liang under the pretext of Li Ke's negotiations in Suizhou. The emperor has already rejected the prince's request once."

"But Li Ke didn't make any contribution this time. Instead, the crown prince made great contributions in repairing the canal and clearing the Tongguan Pass. If the crown prince really wants to compete for this position, the emperor will give him face no matter what. It is basically impossible for Zhewei to get the Zuotunwei."

(End of this chapter)