Munitions Empire-Chapter 1062 - : Detain Crown Prince 984
Chapter 1062: Detain Crown Prince 984
In Zhao Kai’s eyes, Zhao Ji’s act of returning to the capital on his own was almost like cursing him to die sooner. He wasn’t dead yet, but his son was already impatient to return to the capital to inherit the family business!
To stabilize the situation, Zhao Kai even deliberately sent telegrams to Zhao Ji, Zhao Chen, Zhao Jie, and others, telling them he was alright, just slightly injured, and it didn’t hinder his control over everything.
But even having received this telegram, Zhao Ji still returned to the capital! What did this imply? It meant that Zhao Ji didn’t believe what Zhao Kai had said!
Whether he feared someone usurping power or was worried about losing control of the situation, Zhao Ji had hurried back to the Imperial Capital, and had even neglected the crucial Wanliang.
It should be noted that as an important grain-producing base of the Dahua Empire, the security of Wanliang was crucial to the life and death of the Empire!
Moreover, the northern part of Wanliang City, Hezhe, was a major rear area for Zhao Chen’s army, the sole supply route for him. Currently, nearly a million troops were fighting at the front lines in Fengjiang, and if Wanliang were lost and Hezhe fell into crisis, those millions of troops in Fengjiang would be cut off from their retreat.
In such a time, for Zhao Ji to abandon Wanliang and return to the Imperial Capital, neglecting the safety of the Empire, how could this not chill Zhao Kai’s heart?
“How dare he come back? What right does he have to return?” Zhao Kai raged in his sickbed, disregarding the various debris on the floor, and grabbed something beside him, violently throwing it onto the cement floor.
“Smash!” A bottle of expensive imported anti-inflammatory medicine shattered, its liquid spreading across the cement, gradually seeping into the tiny pores.
Doctors and attendants stood by, heads bowed, not daring to step forward to clean up. What if His Majesty The Emperor wanted to throw something else, and it hit their heads?
“Someone come here! Someone!” In his anger, Zhao Kai already started considering changing the heir. He had previously protected Zhao Ji mainly because he dreaded Zhao Yu, and also because he felt Zhao Ji was better suited to be the future emperor of the Dahua Empire. But now, he suddenly felt that Zhao Ji might not be the right choice.
Hearing his shout, attendants outside pushed the door and entered. Upon seeing someone enter, Zhao Kai ordered: “Summon the Chief of Staff and the Prime Minister! Have them come here!”
Seeing Zhao Kai had calmed down, the attendants on standby quickly moved forward to clean up the various shattered objects on the floor, including the bottle of anti-inflammatory medicine imported from the Great Tang Empire that Zhao Kai had smashed.
The Ministry of Rites had already sent a message; the Great Tang Empire promised not to sell long-range strike weapons to Fengjiang, and the security of the Dahua Empire’s Imperial Capital was temporarily restored. Theoretically, Zhao Kai did not need to continue staying in the basement anymore.
But Zhao Kai did not believe this statement, still choosing to recuperate in the underground bunker. In fact, he wasn’t seriously injured, other than a broken leg; other injuries were just superficial.
However, as an emperor, maintaining an image was essential. Zhao Kai’s current image indeed no longer looked like that of an emperor.
Even though he still wore the dignified imperial robe, his head was wrapped in gauze, and his foot was in a cast; such a state had long stripped him of his past prestige.
Soon, the Minister of Personnel, Zhou Qiang, and the Minister of Revenue, Wang Yucái, who had been stationed outside the most, arrived in the room. Since Zhao Kai had been injured, those among the six ministers with the least duties were on standby near the basement.
Prime Minister Chu Muzhou, who was unwell, was recuperating at his residence; Shen Chuan, heading the Ministry of Military Affairs, had to return to his office to fulfill his duties; Jiang Run, Minister of Rites, was particularly busy lately and could only remain seated at the Ministry of Rites.
As these ministers gradually arrived, it was already an hour later. Seeing these familiar ministers, Zhao Kai finally regained some confidence.
“Li Mingshun!” In front of these ministers, Zhao Kai directly called out the name of his close confidant.
“Present!” Li Mingshun, startled, immediately stepped out from the crowd and came before Zhao Kai’s sickbed to bow.
“If that rebellious Zhao Ji returns, you take people and capture him immediately! Detain him… in… Zhao Yu’s former residence, no entry or exit allowed, no contact with anyone!” Zhao Kai gritted his teeth, ultimately deciding not to order Zhao Ji to be detained in the Prince’s Mansion.
This was a very strong signal; the ministers standing behind, hearing Zhao Kai’s orders, their expressions suddenly became vivid.
It seemed that Zhao Ji had finally touched Zhao Kai’s sore spot, arousing the suspicious and tyrannical Zhao Kai’s intention to change the heir.
Chu Muzhou had originally intended to speak out to dissuade him, but the explosion sounds of the Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb had recently frightened him, recently his spirits were down, his appetite poor, and he was unwell and easily distracted; hesitating for a moment, he lost his chance to step forward again.
Currently, the Dahua Empire is plagued by internal strife and external threats, and it is not the time to destabilize the foundation of the Crown Prince. However, Chu Muzhou wouldn’t say this now, and no one else would willingly bring up such a topic.
The already precarious Dahua Empire, after the missile attack on the Imperial Capital, is showing more signs of decline. Everyone is busy with their own concerns, paying little attention to the future of the nation.
Consider this: the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the national treasury, has not checked the accounts for days as he stays by the Emperor’s sickbed. How could the economy of such a country be in good shape?
As the Minister of Revenue, Wang Yucái has actually stopped dealing with governmental affairs: he has long known the financial disaster the country is in, so he simply delegated his duties to others.
Successive wars have led the country into a financial deficit, and the Empire’s finances only improved for less than a year with help from Zhao Yu, but those revenues were invested in military development. How much could be left?
After half a year of civil wars, regional tax collection has collapsed, and import and export trade has completely ceased. Under these circumstances, the financial department of the Dahua Empire is now no different from the Beggars’ Sect’s accounting room.
Not to mention Zhou Qiang from the Ministry of Personnel. He was originally Prince Zhao Yu’s man, and after Zhao Yu’s rebellion, he was sidelined. It is only because Zhao Kai has not yet found a replacement for Zhou Qiang that he has remained in his position for so long.
Speaking of which, Zhou Qiang’s continued role as the Minister of Personnel also relates to support from the intelligence department of the Great Tang Empire. If it were not for covert manipulations, Zhao Kai would have found a replacement for Zhou Qiang by now.
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An Empire where half of the Chief of Staffs have no work or are negligent in their duties and the other half are merely going through the motions—surviving this long is indeed a miracle.
There was even a moment when Chu Muzhou worried for Zhao Ji: inheriting such a dilapidated Empire, do you truly long to be a monarch of a fallen nation?
“Your servant obeys!” Li Mingshun bowed and accepted Zhao Kai’s command. As Zhao Kai’s most trusted general, he would unquestionably fulfill his duties without any reservation.
This isn’t like asking Li Mingshun to intercept missiles from the Great Tang Empire—there is no technical difficulty. It’s just a matter of capturing Zhao Ji. If he can’t handle that, then Li Mingshun is finished.
Dragging his sick body, Chu Muzhou looked towards Shen Chuan. At this moment, he felt that only Shen Chuan was still able to think from the perspective of the nation.
But seeing Chu Muzhou’s glance, Shen Chuan subtly shook his head, indicating that he too would no longer speak up on the issue of the successor.
Chu Muzhou inwardly sighed. He heard Zhao Kai instructing servants to draft the decree for Li Mingshun—waiting for Zhao Ji’s return to the Imperial Capital, to capture him and imprison him in the former residence of Zhao Yu.
That’s certainly not a good place. Thinking of Zhao Yu’s current status as a traitor, Zhao Ji will surely be terrified.
The Minister of Justice remained silent; though he was one of Zhao Ji’s men, he could see Zhao Kai’s uncontrollable anger and did not dare to countermand Zhao Kai’s orders at such a time.
“My loyal ministers, what do you think of this matter?” After making his stance clear, Zhao Kai deliberately dragged out his words, asking other Chief of Staffs and ministers present.
Everyone inwardly smiled wryly: You’ve already issued the order yourself, what use is our opinion now! After all, the Dahua Empire belongs to the Zhao Family; you do whatever you fancy, and we just watch the spectacle, right?
“We have no objections.” Everyone spoke out together, representing even those who remained silent. For a moment, the room where Zhao Kai lay was even filled with a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.
In fact, a few years ago, abandoning the army and returning to the Imperial Capital on his own, as Zhao Ji did, would indeed be considered a serious crime.
But back then, the Empire wasn’t as weak as it is now. Disposing of a Prince, even a Crown Prince, wasn’t such a big deal. It would have caused a stir, but wouldn’t damage the core strength.
But now, the Empire is in such a state that it can’t afford any disturbances. Even a slight turmoil could lead to a major upheaval.
Chu Muzhou wanted to advise Zhao Kai again, but just as he was about to speak, he saw Zhao Kai looking coldly at him. Chu Muzhou opened his mouth but eventually didn’t utter a word.
It wasn’t until Zhao Kai looked away that Chu Muzhou managed to speak. But when he finally did, he addressed a topic that shocked everyone: “Your servant, Chu Muzhou, suffers from illness and can no longer serve his duties. I hope Your Majesty would kindly grant this old minister leave to retire… and return home.”
His words suddenly stirred the room into a bustle; everyone wanted to speak out to dissuade him. On one side, the Emperor plans to detain the Crown Prince, and on the other, the Prime Minister resigns—how can we go on like this?
Unexpectedly, while everyone tried to stop Chu Muzhou from resigning, Emperor Zhao Kai, with the coldest of words, approved Chu Muzhou’s resignation: “Granted! You may retire, but there’s no need to return home. You can still reside in the Prime Minister’s mansion to prevent others from saying that I am insensitive to my former ministers…”
