Short Weight

The Crown Prince took a deep breath, suppressing his agitated emotions, and ordered the eunuch beside him, "Tell those two to pack their things and get out of the Eastern Palace."

"Your Highness..." the eunuch called out hesitantly.

The Crown Prince has almost driven away all his advisors lately. Now, with such a major crisis looming, he has no one to offer advice. What should he do?

Xiao Ge could naturally guess what the princes were thinking. These people could use the safety of 100,000 soldiers on the border and the entire Great Jin as bargaining chips in their power struggles, so it wouldn't be surprising if they killed Zhang Changshen on the road.

Since he had sent people out, he couldn't just ignore them.

He summoned Zhang Changshen to the palace, called over four Imperial Guards, and said to Zhang Changshen, "These four will protect you closely, and there are four more secret guards protecting you in secret. This journey will be arduous and dangerous, so please take care, my dear minister."

Zhang Changshen kowtowed in thanks and led four Imperial Guards out of the palace. Xiao Lingpu, Xiao Lingyan, and Fu Yunlang were already waiting for him at the palace gate.

"Lord Zhang, please come to Prince of An's Residence for a chat." Xiao Lingpu bowed to him.

Zhang Changshen had never been close to the princes. But now he had no other choice.

Regarding the border incident, all the princes except the second and Fifth Prince were suspects. He also became a target for those princes with guilty consciences. If he didn't choose to stand with the second and Fifth Prince at this point, he would only face death.

He did not believe that the eight Imperial Guards the emperor had given him could guarantee his safety.

When Xiao Lingpu left the palace to establish his own residence, he was granted the title of Prince of An. The Prince of An's Residence was his residence outside the palace.

The group went to the Prince of An's Residence, exchanged pleasantries, and Fu Yunlang Zhang Changshen, asking him to deliver the grain on time and to find out the truth to clear his father and brother's name.

"Your Highnesses and Young Master Fu Er, please rest assured. I am a subject of the Emperor's bounty and will naturally obey his orders."

Zhang Changshen said, looking at Xiao Lingyan with a half-smile, "I heard that it was the Fifth Prince who recommended me to the Emperor."

Xiao Lingyan quickly apologized, then said, "I suggested this to Father Emperor not only because I know of your integrity and ability, but also because it would ensure your safety."

As he spoke, he made a gesture, and ten men in gray robes entered from outside the door and bowed to Xiao Lingpu and Xiao Lingyan.

"These are assassins who will secretly protect your safety, sir. Your food is also under their supervision," Xiao Lingyan said.

Xiao Lingpu clapped his hands twice, and two more people entered from outside the door. They were clearly martial arts masters.

He said to Zhang Changshen, "These are my bodyguards, who have been by my side for many years. They will be kept in plain sight, working alongside the Imperial Guards sent to you by the Emperor to protect your safety and also to supervise each other."

With the arrival of these two groups of guards and assassins, one openly and one covertly escorting him, Zhang Changshen's uneasy heart finally settled down.

He knew that among the imperial Imperial Guards sent by the emperor, there might be other factions' hidden pawns, but the guards and assassins sent by Xiao Lingpu and Xiao Lingyan were completely without any disloyalty. These were probably all their own carefully cultivated subordinates.

In this world, besides his family, the people who would least want to see him get into trouble are probably the two princes and Young Master Fu Er standing before him.

"I will not refuse without further ado. Thank you both, Your Highnesses," he said, standing up.

Only then did Fu Yunlang say, "Lord Zhang my father and brothers. If our Fu Family doesn't reciprocate, wouldn't we be heartless? However, the Fu Family doesn't have anyone with superior martial arts skills than the two princes who gifted us with these gifts, so we can only offer our meager assistance."

He waved to the outside, and four soldiers came in.

He said to Zhang Changshen, "These four men are very familiar with the terrain of the border region, can speak various local dialects, and are familiar with the customs and habits of the local ethnic groups. If anything happens and you want to hide in a local villager's home, just give them a word, and they will cover your escape from the main force and danger."

Zhang Changshen once again expressed his sincere gratitude.

The guards and soldiers that the two princes and Fu Yunlang gave him were incredibly useful. With these people, he was confident that he would be able to return safely alive.

After leaving the palace, Zhang Changshen was received by Prince of An and taken to Prince of An's Residence. He came out shortly afterward with six guards by his side. Two of them were regulars who served the Second Prince; the other four, judging from their demeanor and attire, seemed to be from Fu Dayong's army, whom he had sent to the capital to protect his family.

This situation was quickly reported to the palace, the other princes, and the ministers in the capital.

Xiao Ge was very pleased to hear that the Second and Fifth Prince Marquis of Pingnan's Residence had both sent guards to Zhang Changshen.

He was also observing Xiao Lingpu and Xiao Lingyan's reactions.

If the two sons hadn't shown any affection towards Zhang Changshen, or if their expressions were merely verbal, he would naturally have been disappointed in them. But things seem alright now.

He ordered the Imperial Guards, "Go and find out how the other princes reacted upon hearing this news."

The Imperial Guards left on orders and returned two hours later to report, "The Third Prince hasn't reacted much; but the Crown Prince, perhaps angered by this, smashed his most beloved tea set."

He paused, then continued, "Upon hearing this news, the Fourth Prince hurriedly left the Prince of Qian's Residence, seemingly intending to enter the palace. However, upon reaching the palace gates, he changed his mind and turned back to the Prince of Qian's Residence."

The Fourth Prince Xiao Linghan, was granted the title of Prince of Qian after leaving the palace and establishing his own residence.

Xiao Ge sighed, "My crown prince is completely useless. The Fourth Prince is utterly incapable of being of any use."

The Imperial Guards and the eunuchs Eunuch Xie and Eunuch Zhang standing nearby dared not utter a word.

The Third Prince wasn't entirely unresponsive; he was currently gathering his subordinates to discuss countermeasures.

"Your Highness, what do we do now?" asked one of the Third Prince's advisors. "Should we proceed according to the original plan?"

Their original plan was to have Guo Jitong create some trouble before departure, so that the provisions could not be collected on time, and they could not set off on time.

But now that the Emperor has sent Zhang Changshen out, it's clear he suspects all the princes. If they continue according to the original plan, their actions will likely be exposed to the Emperor. Although the matter won't involve the Third Prince, it's still painful to lose a pawn that has been hidden for so many years.

The Third Prince looked up at his other advisors. "What do you think?"

"Your Highness, we have been plotting for years, and now is the time to frame the Crown Prince and eliminate the Second and Fifth Prince' powerful allies. I believe that even losing one pawn is worthwhile."

The other staff members all agreed.

The Third Prince nodded. "Alright, then let's do it."

Providing rations for 100,000 soldiers for a month is no small amount. In the past few days, officials from the Ministry of Revenue of Revenue have been busy calculating the required amount of grain and weighing the grain stored in the national treasury before the horses needed for feed; the Ministry of War is responsible for arranging the vehicles and personnel to transport the grain.

Just as the grain was ready to be loaded onto the carts, it was discovered that the weight was short, and eight of the carts sent by the Ministry of War were empty; the quantity of grain was incorrect.