novelaction Chapter 490: Handsome
Chapter 490: Handsome
"Who...who am I?" he asked cautiously, afraid of hearing an unacceptable answer.
The maid replied respectfully: "You are the current Crown Prince, Ling Xiao."
The prince? Ling Xiao? Zhang Ling felt his head buzzing. What on earth was going on? He was clearly Zhang Ling, an ordinary soldier. How could he become the prince after waking up?
"Mirror! I need a mirror!" He was eager to confirm his appearance.
The palace maid quickly fetched a bronze mirror and handed it to him.
Zhang Ling looked at himself in the mirror, a boy of about seven or eight years old, with delicate features, fair skin, and wearing a gorgeous brocade robe, looking like a royal noble.
Is this really me? Zhang Ling couldn't believe his eyes. He reached out and touched his face. The smooth and delicate touch made him feel strange and frightened.
"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" the maid asked with concern.
Zhang Ling took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He realized that he had traveled through time and space to a completely unfamiliar world and became a prince of noble status.
Conquer the world? The man's words echoed in his mind again. Could this be his new mission?
Zhang Ling looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes gradually becoming firm. Since fate had brought him to this world and made him the crown prince, he had to shoulder his responsibilities, no matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead was.
He clenched his fists and vowed secretly: I must conquer this world!
In the next few days, Zhang Ling tried hard to adapt to his new identity and environment. He began to learn court etiquette, understand the history and culture of this world, and try to get along with the people in the palace.
He discovered that the country he was in was called Da Zhou, a vast and powerful empire. And he, Ling Xiao, was the crown prince of Da Zhou and the future emperor.
However, the seemingly glorious position of the crown prince hides endless crises. In the court, there are many factions fighting openly and secretly; in the harem, concubines compete for favor and scheme against each other.
Zhang Ling realized that if he wanted to survive in this world and complete the so-called "conquering the world" mission, he had to become stronger and more cunning.
He began to secretly learn martial arts, practice swordsmanship, and work hard to improve his wisdom and scheming.
One day, Zhang Ling was practicing sword in the imperial garden when he suddenly heard a noise.
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of eunuchs and palace maids accompanying a graceful and elegant woman walking towards him.
The woman was wearing a phoenix robe and a phoenix crown on her head. She had picturesque features and a noble temperament. She was the queen of the Great Zhou and also his mother.
"Mother!" Zhang Ling quickly put away the sword in his hand and stepped forward to salute.
The queen smiled lovingly and reached out to touch his head: "Xiao'er, are you practicing sword again?"
"Yes, mother." Zhang Ling answered respectfully.
The queen looked at him with a trace of worry in her eyes: "Xiao'er, your father has not been in good health recently. As the crown prince, you should care about him more and be more considerate of him."
Zhang Ling's heart moved. Father is not in good health? Could this be an opportunity?
He pretended to be concerned and asked, "What's wrong with Father? Do you want to ask the imperial physician to come and see him?"
The queen sighed: "The imperial physician has examined her and said that she is exhausted and needs to rest."
Exhausted? Zhang Ling sneered in his heart. It seemed that the battle for the throne was more intense than he had imagined.
He looked at the queen, with a hint of ambition in his eyes. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to speed up his pace of conquering the world...
After the queen left, Zhang Ling wandered alone in the imperial garden. His father was seriously ill, which was both a crisis and an opportunity for him.
He must find out the truth about his father's serious illness and the distribution of power among the various parties in the court as soon as possible.
"Conquer the world..." Zhang Ling muttered this goal in a low voice, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
He returned to his bedroom, dismissed his attendants, and began to think about his next plan.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. The first thing he had to do was to understand his enemy.
The court of the Great Zhou was mainly divided into two factions: the Prince's Party and the Third Prince's Party.
The Crown Prince's Party is headed by the Queen's family and supports Zhang Ling in inheriting the throne; while the Third Prince's Party is headed by the Imperial Concubine's family and supports the Third Prince Ling Yun in seizing the Crown Prince's position.
Zhang Ling had no good feelings towards either of the two princes. He hated their hypocritical smiles and the conspiracies behind them.
He prefers to be in control of everything himself rather than being anyone's puppet.
He called his trusted eunuch Xiao Dezi and ordered him, "Go check who the emperor has met recently and what he has eaten."
Xiao Dezi took the order and left, while Zhang Ling continued to think.
He knew that his father's serious illness was a great opportunity for him.
If he can demonstrate his ability and responsibility at this time, he will be able to win the support of court officials and consolidate his position as crown prince.
But at the same time, he must also be careful and guard against the conspiracy of the Third Prince's party.
The next day, Xiao Dezi brought news: "Your Highness, I have found out that the Emperor has been summoning the Third Prince and the Imperial Concubine frequently recently, and..."
Xiao Dezi hesitated when he said this.
"And what?" Zhang Ling asked.
"Moreover, the emperor's recent diet was arranged personally by the imperial concubine." Xiao Dezi said in a low voice.
Zhang Ling's heart sank. It seemed that his guess was correct. His father's illness was probably related to the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince.
"Keep investigating. Make sure you find out what kind of poison Father was poisoned by." Zhang Ling ordered coldly.
He knew that this was a life-and-death struggle, and he had to proceed step by step to win in the end.
In the next few days, Zhang Ling secretly investigated his father's condition while trying hard to demonstrate his abilities in the court.
He actively participated in court affairs, put forward some suggestions beneficial to national development, and won the praise of many court officials.
At the same time, he also began to win over some neutral officials to expand his own power.
One day, Zhang Ling was reading in the study when he suddenly heard a noise coming from outside.
His heart trembled, and he quickly stood up, walked to the window and looked out.
I saw a group of guards escorting the third prince Ling Yun towards them, looking aggressive and murderous.
"Oh no, they are about to take action!" Zhang Ling said in his heart.
He immediately summoned his trusted men and prepared for battle.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince has surrounded the East Palace with his men, saying that he wants to capture the assassin!" A guard ran in hurriedly to report.
"Assassins? Humph, what a good excuse!" Zhang Ling sneered, "It seems they can't wait any longer."
There was a fierce light in his eyes: "Since they want to play, then play with them!"
He quickly arranged his defenses, then rushed out of the study with his confidants.
Outside the East Palace, the third prince Lingyun stood proudly in military uniform, holding a sword.
"Ling Xiao, you colluded with assassins and intended to rebel. Why don't you surrender!" Ling Yun shouted loudly.
Zhang Ling sneered: "If you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext! Ling Yun, do you think you can bring me down with just this little trick?"
"Humph, we'll know if you're plotting a rebellion after searching your bedroom!" Ling Yun snorted coldly and waved his hand, "Search me!"
A group of guards immediately rushed into the East Palace and began searching everywhere.
Zhang Ling sneered in his heart, he knew that Ling Yun couldn't find any assassin at all, this was just an excuse for him to frame him.
He looked at Ling Yun with disdain in his eyes: "Ling Yun, do you think you can win?"
Ling Yun laughed loudly: "Ling Xiao, at this point, you are still being stubborn! Do you think you can still turn things around?"
Just then, a guard ran over in a panic and whispered something in Ling Yun's ear.
Ling Yun's face changed drastically, and he shouted angrily: "Impossible! How could this happen?"
He suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Ling, his eyes full of disbelief.
Zhang Ling showed a sneer on his face. He knew that the fun was about to begin...
After the queen left, Zhang Ling returned to his own palace alone. His father was seriously ill, which was undoubtedly great news for him.
He sat on the dragon chair, tapping the armrests with his fingers, his eyes flickering.
"Conquer the world..." He murmured softly, feeling an inexplicable excitement in his heart.
He knew that if he wanted to conquer the world, he had to control the Great Zhou first. And the first step to control the Great Zhou was to ascend the throne.
His father was seriously ill, which gave him a great opportunity.
He began to think about how to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate all those who stood in his way of ascending the throne.
First, his brothers.
The Great Zhou Emperor had seven sons, of which Zhang Ling was the fifth. Although he was born to the Queen and had a noble status, he had four older brothers, all of whom were eyeing the throne.
He had to find a way to get rid of them.
Secondly, there are the old ministers in the court.
Most of these old ministers were loyal to the emperor and were not very optimistic about him as the crown prince.
He must find a way to win them over, or get rid of them.
"Someone come here!" Zhang Ling suddenly shouted.
A eunuch hurried in and asked, "What do you want, Your Highness?"
"Go, call Eunuch Li."
Eunuch Li is one of the most powerful eunuchs in the Great Zhou Palace and is also Zhang Ling's confidant.
After a while, Eunuch Li came to Zhang Ling's bedroom.
"Your Highness, what do you want from me, this old servant?"
Zhang Ling looked at Eunuch Li, a cold light flashed in his eyes: "Eunuch Li, my father is seriously ill, do you know?"
Eunuch Li nodded quickly: "I know."
"The emperor is seriously ill. The situation in the court is not peaceful." Zhang Ling said meaningfully.
Eunuch Li was a shrewd man, so he naturally understood what Zhang Ling meant.
"Your Highness, what are your plans?"
Zhang Ling smiled, a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes: "I intend to purge the emperor's entourage."
Eunuch Li was shocked and knelt down immediately: "Your Highness, this must not happen! If this matter is exposed, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Zhang Ling sneered: "Eunuch Li, are you scared?"
Eunuch Li quickly shook his head: "I am not afraid, I am just worried about the safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"You don't need to worry about my safety." Zhang Ling stood up, walked in front of Eunuch Li, and looked down at him. "You just need to follow my instructions."
Eunuch Li didn't dare to say anything else, he could only kowtow and accept the order: "I obey your command."
Zhang Ling nodded with satisfaction: "Go down."
After Eunuch Li left, Zhang Ling stood alone in front of the window, looking at the night outside, his heart full of ambition.
He knew that the road ahead was full of dangers, but he was fearless.
Because he knows that only by conquering the world can he prove his worth and fulfill his mission.
In the next few days, Zhang Ling began to act secretly.
He used Eunuch Li to spread rumors, sow discord and create chaos in the palace.
He also secretly won over some court officials to accumulate power for himself.
At the same time, he also began to investigate his brothers, looking for their weaknesses so that he could catch them all in the future.