Chapter 401 Undercurrents, New Court Clothes
After getting Yang Zhengshan's consent, Yang Mingwu and the other two were overjoyed, and Zhao Yuan was also envious.

"Hey, I also want to follow Brother Yang!"

"Haha, if General Zhou heard what you said, he would definitely be sad!" Yang Zhengshan joked.

"No, General Zhou also thinks the Imperial Guards are too boring!" Zhao Yuan said.

The Imperial Guards are the elite among the elite, as can be seen in the battle between Chongshan Town’s western route and the Wuliang army.

However, the duty of the Imperial Guards was to defend Kyoto, and they had almost nothing to do except garrisoning and training in Kyoto on a daily basis.

Previously, in order to mobilize the imperial guards to support Liaoxi, there was no telling how much commotion was caused in the court.

It was normal for Zhou Lan to feel bored in the Imperial Guards.

However, Yang Zhengshan did not give any response to Zhao Yuan's idea.

Zhao Yuan is different from Yang Mingwu and others.

As for the children of the Yang family, Yang Zhengshan can interfere in their prospects and future as long as they are willing.

But for Zhao Yuan, Yang Zhengshan had no reason to intervene.

Zhao Yuan was born in the Suiyang Marquis' Mansion. He is not just one person; he represents the interests of the Suiyang Marquis' Mansion.

Moreover, Zhao Yuan is Zhou Lan's man. Even if Yang Zhengshan is close to Zhou Lan, he cannot interfere in Zhou Lan's affairs at will.

A few people chatted for a while, and at noon Yang Zhengshan entertained everyone in the mansion. The lively atmosphere lasted until the evening, and then everyone dispersed.

In the following days, Yang Zhengshan visited the Duke of Ningguo, the Marquis of Changping, the Minister of War Wang Lu, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Guan Wenshuo and others in succession.

There is no need to say much about visiting Duke Ningguo and Marquis Changping. He has always been labeled as a member of the Duke Ningguo Mansion, and now Duke Ningguo is his immediate superior.

Now that I have arrived in Kyoto, I naturally have to pay a visit to Duke Ningguo.

As for Wang Lu and Guan Wenshuo, the Ministry of War is in charge of the selection of military officers, military registration, weapons, military orders, etc. As military generals, they naturally have to have a good relationship with the Ministry of War.

Although this was Yang Zhengshan's first time dealing with the Ministry of War, Wang Lu was still very polite to Yang Zhengshan. After receiving Yang Zhengshan's visiting card, Wang Lu waited for Yang Zhengshan to visit him at home. When Yang Zhengshan came, he personally went out to greet him, giving Yang Zhengshan enough face.

Guan Wenshuo, on the other hand, had favor with Liu Yuanfu and was polite to Yang Zhengshan.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan just paid a simple visit and did not talk about official business and state affairs. Instead, he chatted about a lot of family matters.

Before he knew it, it was already October 15th. Yang Zhengshan ended his schedule of visits and began to follow the arrangements of the Ministry of Rites and prepare for the ceremony of conferring nobility.

The ceremony of conferring nobility title will be held in the Fengtian Hall in the imperial city, presided over by the crown prince himself, and attended by civil and military officials.

There are many things that Yang Zhengshan needs to do, but there are not many things that he needs to worry about.

Yang Zhengshan only needs to follow the arrangements of the Ministry of Rites. He doesn't need to take care of anything else personally. Even if he is asked to do it, he won't be able to do it.

This Yang Zhengshan's enthronement ceremony was a grand event for the court. After all, Darong had not been enthroned as a marquis for more than 30 years. This was the first time he was enthroned as a marquis since Emperor Chengping ascended the throne, so the ceremony was naturally extra grand.

However, as the day of the investiture ceremony drew closer, the undercurrents in the court became more turbulent.

Although Yang Zhengshan's title of nobility had become an irreversible fact, there were still many questioning voices in the court.

These questioning voices are mainly directed at the prince.

October 16, in the study of the Eastern Palace.

The prince stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the falling leaves outside.

Sun Yuanrui, the eldest grandson of the Duke of Changguo, stood behind the prince with a solemn expression.

"Your Highness, we have confirmed that it is Prince Gong who is in collusion with Shanhe Tower! It was Prince Gong who offered a reward of Jade Dew and Spirit Peaches to Yang Zhengshan!" Sun Yuanrui said in a deep voice.

Sun Yuanrui is twenty-seven years old this year. He has a handsome face, elegant temperament, and a pair of clear eyes that make people feel his sincerity and honesty at first glance.

However, Sun Yuanrui is not a simple person. Since the 29th year of Chengping, he has represented the Changguo Mansion to join the prince. Over the years, he has been following the prince and giving him advice.

The title of marquis to Yang Zhengshan this time was the result of his planning.

He had planned to use the opportunity of conferring the title of nobility on Yang Zhengshan to win over the generals in the border towns, to incite Prince Cheng and Prince Gong to target Yang Zhengshan, and to search for evidence of Prince Cheng and Prince Gong's conspiracy to murder the generals in the court.

Now his plan has been mostly completed. Yang Zhengshan is about to be granted a title of nobility, and the generals in the border towns have begun to move closer to the prince. Although Yang Zhengshan is not dead, this does not affect his plan.

In his plan, Yang Zhengshan’s life or death was not important. What was important was that Prince Cheng and Prince Gong took action against Yang Zhengshan.

that's enough!
"Where is Prince Cheng?" asked the prince.

Sun Yuanrui shook his head and said, "Prince Cheng did not interfere in this matter. This matter should be handled by Prince Gong alone!"

The prince turned around, frowning slightly, "Doesn't that mean we can't solve the problem of Prince Cheng this time?"

Sun Yuanrui thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, as long as we get rid of Prince Gong, Prince Cheng will be unable to stand alone and will no longer be able to threaten Your Highness!"

His plan was carried out smoothly, but there was an unexpected event with Prince Cheng. Prince Cheng seemed to have seen through their plan long ago and deliberately avoided contact with Shanhe Tower.

At this point, Sun Yuanrui could no longer drag Prince Cheng into the water.

Moreover, in his opinion, it didn't matter much whether Prince Cheng was dragged into the water or not. As long as Prince Gong could be eliminated, it didn't matter if only Prince Cheng was left.

With the power the Crown Prince holds in the court today, Prince Cheng has no chance of turning the tables.

But the prince didn't think so. He hated Prince Cheng and Prince Gong to the core and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. Now he was told that he could only get rid of Prince Gong and couldn't do anything about Prince Cheng, how could he be willing?
"No, Prince Cheng and Prince Gong must die!" the prince said coldly.

Sun Yuanrui frowned slightly. He knew the prince's character very well and knew that the prince was always stubborn. Whatever the prince wanted to do, he had to do it, otherwise the prince would bear a grudge.

If Prince Cheng and Prince Gong cannot be eliminated now, the Crown Prince will be more eager to eliminate these two people in the future, and who knows what kind of trouble will be caused by then!
"If Your Highness needs, we can also determine that Prince Cheng and Prince Gong are in collusion in this matter!" Sun Yuanrui pondered for a moment and said in a compromising manner.

"Do you have any evidence?" the prince asked. Sun Yuanrui said, "No evidence is needed!"

The prince looked up at Sun Yuanrui and nodded slightly.

To conclude that Prince Cheng and Prince Gong were accomplices without any evidence is a false accusation.

But now that things have come to this, it is just a false accusation, and it is not necessarily a false accusation.

Now everyone knows that Prince Cheng and Prince Gong have joined forces to deal with the Crown Prince. If someone says that Prince Cheng knew nothing about what Prince Gong did, probably no one would believe it.

"Then according to your plan, at the enthronement ceremony, Prince Cheng and Prince Gong will be punished for the crime of murdering Yang Zhengshan, the general of Chongshan Town!" said the prince.

"Yes!" Sun Yuanrui responded with a slight bow.

It was reasonable to seek "justice" for Yang Zhengshan at the conferring ceremony.

As for whether Yang Zhengshan needs this "justice", that is not something they care about.

……

Late at night, Prince Gong’s Mansion.

Prince Gong sat in a rocking chair under the eaves, swaying as he looked at the bright moon in the night sky with a deep gaze.

"Your Majesty!"

An old eunuch wearing a three-peaked hat came up to him and bowed to greet him.

"Well, how's the matter going?" asked Prince Gong.

"Everything has been done!" replied the old eunuch.

Prince Gong slightly closed his eyes, "Prince Cheng has started to act?"

"Well, I just received news that Prince Cheng has decided to use Miss Yueru!" replied the old eunuch.

"Haha~~"

Prince Gong chuckled, "My fifth brother has always been ruthless and likes to play some insidious tricks. I don't know if he can succeed this time!"

The old eunuch lowered his eyes, "Prince Cheng is doomed to fail!"

"Oh! Why?" asked Prince Gong.

"Even we know that Miss Yueru is Prince Cheng's woman, there is no way the prince doesn't know about it!" said the old eunuch.

"Haha~ You're right!"

Prince Gong chuckled and said, "But there are still some things that the prince doesn't understand!"

The Crown Prince, Prince Gong, and Prince Cheng have all been in the court for many years.

Although they did not dare to go too far because of the pressure from Emperor Chengping, they still won over a lot of people in the court.

Many people, whether they were civil officials or military heroes, either openly or secretly joined them.

The old eunuch bowed slightly and asked, "Your Majesty, should we cooperate with Prince Cheng next?"

"Of course I have to cooperate!" Prince Gong said with a half-smile, "Without my cooperation, how could this ceremony be in chaos?"

"Then~~"

"Haha, three days later it will be Marquis Wuxin who will be guarding the Xuanping Gate!" Prince Gong said.

"I understand now!" The old eunuch showed a look of enlightenment.

As the night deepens, the city of Kyoto becomes quieter and quieter, but beneath this silence there are countless undercurrents.

In the blink of an eye, it is October 19th, and tomorrow is the ceremony of conferring nobility.

Yang Mansion, Yang Zhengshan has already obtained the court dress for the dukes, marquises, and prince consorts, a bright red Qilin dress.

The Qilin pattern is a dragon head with two horns on its head, scales on its body, a serrated back, cow-hoof-shaped feet, and a body much shorter than a dragon.

As a marquis, Yang Zhengshan could wear a Qilin costume, a seven-beam crown on his head, a gold-inlaid green-white jade belt around his waist, and white socks and black shoes on his feet.

Buddha relies on gold clothing, and people rely on clothing.

After changing into a new set of clothes, Yang Zhengshan's temperament immediately changed.

In the past, Yang Zhengshan was powerful but not noble enough. He had always been casual about his clothing and appearance, as long as he was comfortable in what he wore, so all his power came from himself. There was nothing special about his clothing and decorations, and he seldom even wore the regular clothes of a military general.

But now, wearing this Qilin costume, Yang Zhengshan instantly became more noble and gorgeous.

In addition to being noble, the majesty is even greater.

Yang Yunxue, who was helping Yang Zhengshan change his clothes, saw this and her eyes were full of stars.

"Daddy is even more powerful!"

Liang Jinyan, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but look jealous when he heard this.

These days his wife always looked at his father-in-law with eyes full of admiration, which already made him jealous. But now his wife actually looked at her father-in-law with stars in her eyes, which made him even more jealous.

My wife has never looked at me like this!

He thought so in his heart.

(End of this chapter)