The Wife Is First / 妻为上 (You Own My All)

Chapter 104: Imperial Edict

It was rare that Jing Chen didn't scold Jing Shao for his reckless words, and just remained silent for a long time.

If the imperial edict was not issued by Emperor Hong Zheng, then the fourth prince had usurped the throne, and they (as the excluded princes), would be "cleaned up" as traitors if they return to the capital; If the imperial edict is real, and Emperor Hong Zheng truly suspected him this time, then returning to the capital alone would also be a death sentence.

Mu Hanzhang looked at Jing Shao and sighed, "Things have come to this point. We can only put our all into this fight, in order to find a chance of survival."

With the qualifications Jing Chen had as Rui Wang, he was naturally the only reasonable candidate for crown prince. Originally, they thought that as long as they acted carefully, concealing their strength and biding their time, after Emperor Hong Zheng's lifetime, he would be able to smoothly ascend the throne, but he didn't expect such a disaster. However, since ancient times, it has been rare for a new ruler to ascend in peace. Wasn't that why they had made all those preparations?

Jing Shao understood the look in his eyes. He grasped his wife's slender hand, and then looked at his brother, who was as steady as a mountain.
This time, he held military power in his hands and would be able to protect the two people.

"Let's return," Jing Chen finally spoke, his voice was calm and reassuring, "Death is preferable to dishonor!"

With no time to lose, Jing Shao left 30,000 soldiers and horses in Jiangnan, and the remaining 50,000 plus his 5,000 personal soldiers would be coming to personally escort his brother back to the capital. Gu Huaiqing also wanted to follow, but was unanimously vetoed by the other three. Now, Emperor Hong Zheng is very suspicious. If he sees the King of Huainan, Jing Chen would have to force the emperor to abdicate in order to win the throne.

The Huainan fief was in an unusual location. First of all, it had a direct path to the capital. If an army wanted to go capture the capital, there were basically no natural barriers.

Jing Shao never understood why the great ancestor handed over such a dangerous fief to the Huainan king's ancestor, but no matter his reasoning, now the "flaw in judgement" left by the great ancestor was greatly convenient for him.

As they expected, there were constantly people intercepting and trying to kill them all along the way, but that small group of soldiers stood no chance in front of such an army. Eight hundred li across a wide expanse of flat land, Chen Wang cut through like a hot knife through butter. The news traveled to the capital and the eldest prince led his troops to stop Cheng Wang's army.

"How strong is the eldest prince's army?" Jing Chen sat in the carriage and asked Mu Hanzhang who had just squeezed in.

"Less than 30,000 men." Mu Hanzhang, who was used to Jing Shao battling, didn't worry much.

Jing Chen put down his book, pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"Brother, what did you realize?" Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but ask when he saw him pondering.

"If the army was dispatched by imperial father, it could be at least 80,000." Seeing Mu Hanzhang's eyes flash in understanding, Jing Chen showed some satisfaction in his eyes and then said a few more words about Dachen's force distribution and dispatch.

In recent days, Mu Hanzhang spent most of his time in a carriage with Jing Chen. Both of them were people who didn't talk much, but their occasional conversation benefited each other a lot. In particular, Mu Hanzhang had a deeper understanding of a monarch's intentions and realized that everything Jing Chen had learned since childhood was all for a future as a ruler.