Why Not Abdicate in Favor of Little Five?

As Xiao Ge was going through all the questions in his mind, he heard Eunuch Zhang say softly, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince requests an audience."

Xiao Ge opened his eyes.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Announce."

Not to mention that Xiao Ge is currently exhausted and mentally drained, the border affairs involve all the princes, and he doesn't want to see any of his sons right now. Normally, he wouldn't see Xiao Lingyan.

For the past year or so, Xiao Lingyan has come to see him once a month, giving him his share of the auction house's profits. Sometimes, he would even exchange the profits for things that Xiao Lingyan really liked, such as paintings or shops. His words and actions were very much to Xiao Ge's liking.

Compared to the other princes who were constantly scheming and vying for his position, Xiao Lingyan, with his excellent appearance, obedient demeanor, lack of ambition for the throne, and single-minded love for making money, seemed extremely pleasing to the eye.

In addition, the Fourth Prince got married and left the palace to establish his own residence a month ago. Now, apart from the young sixth prince, only Xiao Lingyan lives in the princes' quarters. This made Xiao Ge, the old father, feel a sense of emptiness. He cherished the time he spent with his son even more.

Therefore, Xiao Ge still intended to meet with Xiao Lingyan.

"Father." Xiao Lingyan entered and bowed to Xiao Ge.

Seeing Xiao Ge's exhausted face, he said, "Your Majesty, I have learned massage techniques very well. I have almost cured Mother's insomnia. Would you like to try my skills?"

Xiao Ge glanced at Xiao Lingyan, then noticed the Imperial Guards and eunuchs standing all around. He thought that if Xiao Lingyan were to plot against him, it wouldn't do Xiao Lingyan any good.

He nodded and said, "Okay, then give it a try."

Xiao Lingyan helped Xiao Ge lie down on the soft couch, then sat at one end of the couch and began massaging his head.

Eunuch Zhang and the others stared nervously at Xiao Lingyan.

The reason why Xiao Ge was so exhausted but refused to let the eunuchs massage him was not because these eunuchs were unambitious, but because the Emperor would not allow anyone to tamper with his body. If someone had malicious intentions, a single forceful press would be enough to kill the Emperor.

Only now, with his own sons present and watching over him, did the Emperor feel comfortable letting the Fifth Prince give him a massage.

When Xiao Lingyan was in modern times, his mother often suffered from headaches, so he learned massage skills. After transmigrating to ancient times, Noble Consort Cen, who was very kind to him, also suffered from headaches and insomnia. Thinking of his mother in modern times, his heart softened, and he would massage Noble Consort Cen from time to time. So his skills did not suffer.

At this moment, Xiao Ge felt extremely comfortable from his massage, all her fatigue vanished, and she fell asleep without realizing it.

Seeing this, Xiao Lingyan quietly stopped what he was doing, made a shushing gesture to Eunuch Zhang and the others, and had someone bring a blanket to cover Xiao Ge.

Xiao Ge slept very soundly. When he opened his eyes again, it was already time for court the next day. The fatigue of the past few days was swept away, and his mind was clearer than ever before.

"Hey, this kid's got some skills." He said to Eunuch Xie, who had just changed shifts.

"His Highness the Fifth Highness is kind-hearted and devoted to the Emperor," Eunuch Xie chimed in.

"Alas, of all my sons, he is probably the only one who doesn't covet the position I hold," Xiao Ge said.

He had been a prince for many years and an emperor for many years, so his ability to judge people was beyond doubt. He knew that one could not judge a person by appearances.

For example, his fourth son, due to his mother's status, had a very low profile and seemed to have no ambition to seize the throne. But Xiao Ge knew that he was just hiding his ambitions.

He was the weakest, so he dared not reveal himself, lest his elder brothers discover him and eliminate him first.

He utterly despises those cunning cowards who secretly desire something but are utterly timid, hiding their true feelings and waiting for the right moment to pounce and bite.

Therefore, his least favorite son was his fourth son.

His fondness for his third son, while partly due to Consort Jin, stemmed largely from the fact that the boy had likely never experienced much repression, so his emotions were readily apparent. His ambition for the throne was openly and unequivocally displayed; he openly and legitimately sought to compete for it.

As for the Crown Prince, needless to say, he had a winning hand but played it terribly. Xiao Ge was very disappointed in this son whom he had once placed high hopes on and carefully nurtured.

Ever since the death of the Crown Prince's mother, the Crown Prince has been suspicious and no longer trusts his father, the Emperor. He always feels that the Emperor is being manipulated by Consort Jin to harm him, and he is extremely wary of him.

Lacking virtue, incompetent, unable to effectively utilize his subordinates, and unable to distinguish right from wrong—this perfectly describes the Crown Prince.

The second son, Xiao Lingpu, was extremely calm, brave, and resourceful, making him the most suitable among his sons to become emperor. However, with the Cen Family behind him, even if he had no ambition, he would still be pushed forward by the Cen Family.

The Great Jin Dynasty has been established for a long time, with numerous powerful and deeply entrenched families that have come to the point of restricting the imperial family.

Xiao Ge would absolutely not allow the Cen Family to become the imperial family. At that time, he wouldn't know whether the world would be ruled by the Xiao family or the Cen family.

Therefore, of all the princes, he favored the Third Prince the most.

He didn't object to the princes vying for the throne. A prince who lacked even a desire for power was unfit to be emperor. He couldn't bear the long, arduous years of work required of an emperor, nor could he shoulder the heavy responsibilities. He would slack off and run away, because he felt this wasn't what he wanted.

So he turned a blind eye to the princes' open and covert struggles.

However, if the princes use the lives of 100,000 soldiers on the border as a pretext and the peace of the Great Jin as a weapon, then they have completely crossed Xiao Ge's bottom line.

Once it's confirmed that these princes did indeed bribe border generals and manipulate the situation, Xiao Ge believes they can be removed from the game. And if the Second Prince, Xiao Lingpu, handles the matter improperly, he will also remove him.

The Fifth Prince had no ambition, simply because he had an elder brother and because he was kind-hearted.

Xiao Ge thought that if there was no other choice, abdicating the throne to the Fifth Prince wouldn't be bad. As for the Cen Family, for the sake of his son and the Xiao Family's empire, he could be a tyrant and a foolish ruler, killing the Cen Family head and several powerful figures before he died. In that case, the Cen Family would no longer be a threat to his Little Five.

After finishing his thoughts, Xiao Ge breathed a sigh of relief. He washed up, had some snacks, and then went to court.

After court, instead of summoning his ministers as usual, he summoned Xiao Lingyan and asked him, "Why did you request an audience so late last night?"

After spending some time with Xiao Ge, Xiao Lingyan figured out his temperament.

Xiao Ge likes people who are decisive and capable, and dislikes those who are secretive and timid.

He stated frankly, "I have witnessed the ministers arguing endlessly in court, each faction vying to send their own people to the border to deliver provisions. Your Majesty is surely well aware of their intentions, and I need not elaborate. I have no selfish motives; I only wish for the provisions to be safely delivered to the border, and I also wish for a thorough investigation into the affairs at the border. Therefore, I dare to recommend someone to Your Majesty to go to the border."

"Oh? Whom do you recommend?" Xiao Ge asked with interest.

"Zhang Changshen, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."