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After finishing speaking, Lu Songli began to examine the princes under Emperor Kang Cheng’s knee, analyzing their characters and influence. Combining this with scattered information from the original text, she wanted to see which prince might have the ambition to usurp the throne by murdering his brothers and father.
Currently, Emperor Kang Cheng has several grown princes. Apart from the crown prince, there are two other princes who are adults, one underage prince, and three princesses—two of whom are married, and one who remains unmarried.
Thus, it is evident that Emperor Kang Cheng has a large number of offspring.
“Dad, the emperor has quite a few sons and daughters,” Lu Songli remarked, noting that they are all grown.
Lu Desheng: Many? The emperor’s harem is so large and has so many concubines, and he only raised seven children. I have one wife and four children. How proud!
Lu Songli: How can that be compared?
In the late period of most dynasties, many emperors, no matter how hard they try, have no heirs or only a single successor, who might not even qualify for consideration.
Thinking of this, Lu Songli couldn’t help but recall the last emperors of various dynasties.
“Dad, actually, our emperor is quite a good one,” she said. Despite his indulgences and distractions, he hasn’t harmed others. Although his military abilities are lacking, causing frequent conflicts at the border of the Da Li Dynasty, he hasn’t misused the people’s resources or engaged in extravagant projects.
The key is that her father does well in the presence of Emperor Kang Cheng, which is beneficial. It’s a pity that such a good emperor doesn’t live a bit longer and perform better.
Lu Desheng empathized deeply, feeling this sentiment strongly.
Returning to the matter at hand, Lu Songli placed the papers on the table. “Dad, let’s see which of the second, third, and fourth princes seems to have the ambition of a great leader.”
They need to select the new ruler who is likely to commit heinous acts from among these three princes—an amount of work not too great.
Lu Songli needed to review the information, while Lu Desheng didn’t even need to look, having served in court for many years and having a general understanding of Emperor Kang Cheng’s princes and princesses.
“First, eliminate the third prince,” Lu Desheng said, marking through the third prince’s name with a light stroke.
Lu Songli nodded, agreeing, “I also think he’s unlikely.” The third prince, being the son of the current emperor and the current crown prince being his elder brother, is quite complacent. It’s almost impossible for him to be a schemer. Even if he were pretending, he would need the intelligence for that, which he clearly lacks.
The empress and the emperor are cousins. Everyone knows the risks of close-relative marriages. It’s fortunate that the empress’s two sons are even normal. Expecting him to be exceptionally clever is unrealistic.
Lu Desheng used a pen and ink to cross out the third prince’s name.
“What about the second prince?”
The second prince is martial and has been stationed in the southern fief for a long time. If he were the mastermind, it would require immense control to execute the plan smoothly from such a distance. Furthermore, he should be on the battlefield in Chang’an by now, or at least on his way there, but he is still in his fief.
After crossing out the third prince, only the fourth prince remains.
The father and daughter focused on the name of the fourth prince, deep in thought.
The fourth prince, Song Mo, with the name meaning “blackened and insignificant,” was not favored. He was born of a palace maid from a remote area whose family held a low official position. She was selected to the palace and was favored by the drunk Emperor Kang Cheng, giving birth to a son but dying from complications.
After the Fourth Prince was born, he had very little presence in the palace, and Emperor Kang Cheng did not favor him either. Although the Fourth Prince’s maternal family had been promoted due to the merits of his birth mother, this minor power was inconsequential in Chang’an.
Lu Desheng wondered, “Could it really be him?”
Lu Desheng looked at the name, examining it from all angles, but couldn’t see any ambition in him.
How could such a powerless, insignificant figure with a weak maternal family be someone who would commit fratricide and patricide? Even those living in the inner palace rarely remember the existence of the Fourth Prince.
“It must be him,” Lu Songli said. “The dog that barks doesn’t bite, but the dog that bites doesn’t bark.”
Lu Desheng glanced at his daughter. Her words were more cutting than his own; comparing the Fourth Prince, who was a dragon son and phoenix grandson, to a dog was quite a stretch. He admitted he was a bit timid.
Lu Songli reviewed the available information about the Fourth Prince and found that, aside from the servants still by his side, all others had met unfortunate ends. Although these fates seemed unrelated to him directly.
Lu Songli pointed this out.
Lu Desheng agreed there must be some involvement of the Fourth Prince. The nickname was not wrong; the Fourth Prince was indeed cruel and ruthless.
“And father, I suspect that Minister of the Central Secretariat Xue Huaimin is his person.” Lu Songli’s finger traced the words “Xue Huaimin,” leaving a scratch.
Xue Huaimin’s ancestral home was in the same place as the Fourth Prince’s maternal family. On the surface, the Fourth Prince had no connection with his maternal family. However, Lu Songli found that recent major decisions made by Xue Huaimin as the Minister of the Central Secretariat were intricately linked to the Fourth Prince.
“The Fourth Prince is powerless,” Lu Songli said, “but Xue Huaimin, as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, holds great power. Why would he act this way?”
Lu Songli calmly noted, “The Fourth Prince is powerless, but he has the status of a prince.” The Minister of the Central Secretariat is a high official, akin to a Prime Minister in later times.
From Xue Huaimin’s perspective, “Of course, it’s for the credit of serving the dragon.” Xue Huaimin’s actions showed he was extremely power-hungry. Rising from humble beginnings to his current position was difficult, but given Emperor Kang Cheng’s short lifespan, how could he be satisfied? Moreover, the Crown Prince’s entourage was crowded, leaving him no room. Choosing the Fourth Prince might be because he seemed more manageable.
Lu Desheng stroked his small beard and agreed, “Daughter, with your analysis, I also think the Fourth Prince is the most likely.”
Having served in the court for many years, Lu Desheng and Xue Huaimin had kept their distance. Xue Huaimin generally ignored him, and he was wise enough to avoid provoking Xue Huaimin, knowing he was a difficult and cunning opponent.