EBE Chapter 435 Prince Wei's Jealousy
Chapter 435 Prince Wei's Jealousy
Wei Ziyuan's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads, instantly sobering the previously excited people of Wei. Indeed, the King of Qin's wrath was not something they could easily withstand. If they angered the King of Qin, Wei might face annihilation.
Upon hearing this, King Wei frowned slightly, his face showing difficulty, and asked, "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"
Wei Ziyuan pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "In my humble opinion, the most urgent task is to develop our own strength; this is of paramount importance. Only by becoming strong can we stand firm in this chaotic world. In addition, I propose that we send the Crown Prince to Qin as a hostage."
However, these words seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest, as an elderly man with gray hair suddenly interjected, "Absolutely not, Your Majesty!"
All eyes were drawn to the old man, who said with a worried expression, "If we send the Crown Prince to Qin as a hostage, what if something happens to him and he cannot return safely? What will become of the future of our Great Wei Kingdom?"
Wei Ziyuan remained calm and cupped his hands, saying, "What you say makes sense, sir, but Qin is currently too powerful for Wei to resist. Sending the crown prince as a hostage can temporarily divert the King of Qin's attention and buy time for Wei's development. Moreover, Qin has always valued its reputation, so the crown prince should be safe in Qin."
The old man was still unwilling to give up, and stamped his foot in frustration, saying, "This is just wishful thinking on your part. The Qin state has wolfish ambitions, who can guarantee the safety of the crown prince?"
A great deal of discussion immediately broke out in the court, with everyone holding their own opinions and arguing endlessly. King Wei, sitting on his dragon throne, listened to the commotion, feeling extremely annoyed. He rubbed his temples and said loudly, "Quiet down! This matter will be discussed later."
After the court session ended, Wei Ziyuan returned to his residence, deep in thought. He paced back and forth in his study, his mind racing, trying to figure out how to persuade everyone to accept his views.
Wei Ziyuan was well aware of the difficulty of this matter, because everyone had different opinions and their own interests. Getting them to reach a consensus was harder than climbing to heaven.
However, after careful consideration, Wei Ziyuan suddenly realized that instead of trying to persuade everyone, it would be better to directly persuade the key figure—Crown Prince Ji. If Crown Prince Ji could agree with his idea, then others would naturally follow the Crown Prince's opinion.
Thinking about this, Wei Ziyuan felt a little relieved. He felt this was a feasible strategy, so he decided without hesitation to go to the Crown Prince's residence immediately.
Wei Ziyuan strode out of the mansion and headed towards the Crown Prince's residence.
Moonlight, like water, spilled over the eaves of the Crown Prince's residence. Crown Prince Ji slammed the bronze wine cup in his hand heavily onto the table. The amber wine splashed onto the snow-white silk, spreading out in hideous spots, just like the turbulent emotions in his heart at that moment.
"Sir, are you really going to send me into a den of wolves and tigers?" The young prince suddenly pulled open the dragon-patterned jade pendant at his waist, the pendant dangling precariously from his fingertips. "Back then, when you taught me to recite 'Sun Tzu's Art of War,' you said that a ruler should be like a fine jade kept in a box. Now you want to personally push me into the fiery pit of Xianyang Palace?"
Wei Ziyuan stared at the fragmented moonlight on the table, his fingers curling slightly beneath his wide sleeves. "Does Your Highness remember the siege of Handan four years ago?" He suddenly reached out and flicked the candle wick, the flickering flame revealing words from a secret report: "General Wang Ben of Qin has already amassed an army of 200,000 at Xiuwu, and the ruts on the grain transport wagons at Hangu Pass are three feet deep."
Crown Prince Ji's pupils suddenly contracted, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the jade pendant turned bluish-white. He certainly remembered that blood-red autumn when the Zhao royal family was chained through the streets of Handan, and the heads of the Qin black-armored guards hanging from their waists were still dripping blood.
"Sending a hostage to Qin can buy us three years of respite. By then, our Great Wei can train a strong army and no longer need to fear Qin." Wei Ziyuan's voice trembled slightly, with a hint of pleading in it.
However, Crown Prince Ji ignored his words and even suddenly laughed. The laughter was initially low, but it quickly grew louder and louder, as if mocking Wei Ziyuan's naivety and childishness.
Finally, Crown Prince Ji grew tired of laughing. He slowly stopped, stared intently at Wei Ziyuan, and asked, word by word, "Can you deceive yourself with such words, sir?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Ziyuan was speechless. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to refute Crown Prince Ji, but found himself unable to respond.
Yes, in three years, could Wei really train a powerful army capable of defeating Qin? Wei Ziyuan himself wasn't sure. He only knew that Wei was now at its wit's end, and had no better options left.
Looking at the seven states now, Qin has become the dominant power, Han and Zhao have been destroyed one after another, and Yan has lost all ability to resist. Now, only Wei, Chu, and Qi remain.
The problem was that these three states were unable to truly unite against Qin. Their independent actions meant that they would eventually be eliminated one by one by Qin.
Faced with such a dire situation, what could Wei Ziyuan do? He couldn't help but feel a sense of despair and helplessness.
He silently prayed that Qin would show mercy and spare Wei. However, Wei Ziyuan knew very well that such prayers would not be of much use. Rather than waiting to be killed, he decided to take some concrete action.
After careful consideration, Wei Ziyuan decided to send the crown prince to Qin as a hostage. While this carried some risk, it was the best option at the moment. With the crown prince as a hostage in Qin, relations between Wei and Qin might improve. After all, Qin also needed to consider the crown prince's safety and wouldn't easily resort to force against Wei.
Moreover, with the crown prince in Qin, Qin's attention to Wei might be relatively reduced. This gives Wei a valuable opportunity for development. During this period, Wei can concentrate on developing its domestic economy, strengthening its military, and enhancing its overall strength.
Wei Ziyuan believed that as long as the State of Wei could seize this opportunity and make full use of this time to develop and grow stronger, it would surely be able to occupy a place in the Warring States period in the future.
Having thought all this through, Wei Ziyuan took a deep breath, composed himself, and then slowly said, "Your Highness, things have come to this point, and I truly have no other choice. For the safety of my Wei Kingdom, and for the well-being of all the people, I implore Your Highness to go to Qin as a hostage!"
Crown Prince Ji looked at Wei Ziyuan quietly, his eyes deep and calm, as if he had expected Wei Ziyuan to make such a request. After a moment of silence, Crown Prince Ji finally spoke, "Alright."
Wei Ziyuan was completely taken aback by Crown Prince Ji's prompt agreement. He stared at the Crown Prince in disbelief. However, before he could react, Crown Prince Ji continued, "Wei Ziyuan, you don't need to thank me. This is my duty as the Crown Prince to the State of Wei."
Wei Ziyuan snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your understanding! With your voluntary request, I believe that the voices in the court that were initially unanimously opposed will gradually turn to support."
As Wei Ziyuan had predicted, once the news of Crown Prince Ji's decision spread throughout the court, the attitudes of those ministers who had previously vehemently opposed the Crown Prince's trip to Qin as a hostage underwent subtle changes. They began to realize that Crown Prince Ji's sacrifice might indeed bring temporary peace to the State of Wei.
And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Prince Ji of Wei resolutely embarked on his journey to Qin as a hostage. His figure appeared somewhat lonely, yet incredibly determined.