Even though Ye Zhen's earlier words had been deeply condemnatory—words that would be taboo if spread abroad—Prince Xun Ji Mao's expression did not change in the slightest.
But the moment he heard Ye Zhen say that Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long would extend his life by three hundred years, Prince Xun Ji Mao's expression changed.
The Great Zhou Empire had only so much power to go around. The more the Emperor claimed, the less remained for the Princes of Consultation.
Previously, Prince Li's secession had given Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long the chance to suppress the power of the Princes of Consultation.
For one thing, he had chosen his timing well, leaving the Princes of Consultation no choice but to swallow their losses in silence.
But these Princes of Consultation were no pushovers either. They had long calculated everything clearly.
Because judging by his age, Ji Long did not have much longer to live.
Among Great Zhou's emperors, apart from a rare few enlightened rulers, none had lived beyond a thousand years.
Yet among the Great Zhou Imperial Family, these Princes of Consultation lived longer than the Emperor. Their lifespans generally reached two thousand years.
Thus, when the old Emperor died and the new Emperor ascended the throne, it would be time for these Princes of Consultation to strut their stuff once more.
A new Emperor would need them to secure his throne, would rank below them in seniority, and would certainly not be as adept at political schemes as the old Emperor.
By then, not only could these Princes of Consultation recover all their former power, they could surpass what they had possessed before.
This was Prince Xun Ji Mao's true thinking, and it was also the true thinking of the other suppressed Princes of Consultation.
But if Benevolent Sovereign Ji