Protect Our Clan Leader

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However, as much as this was said, in reality the An Commandery Prince also contributed a great deal of advice and strategy to those plans. In those years, they would even frequently argue over differing opinions.

"Hao elder brother? Hao Commandery Prince?"

Wang Shouzhe furrowed his brows slightly; this was a name he had not heard before.

Even though the Great Qian Land had quite a number of Commandery Princes, some of whom were reclusive, Wang Shouzhe had looked into the Imperial Household's situation before. While his investigation wasn't too in-depth, he knew the existing Commandery Princes and their basic information. Yet, this was the first time he had heard of the Hao Commandery Prince.

"Ming Yuan, watch your words," Wu Dianshan by his side frowned and admonished, "His Majesty has already issued an order, forbidding any mention of His Highness Hao."

"Yes, Uncle Grandfather, Ming Yuan spoke out of turn," the An Commandery Prince also realized his faux pas and hastened to apologize with a bow.

Seeing this, Wang Shouzhe felt suspicious in his heart.

However, seeing the reactions of Wu Dianshan and the An Commandery Prince, he restrained the urge to inquire further.

With his current intelligence network, it should not be difficult to clear up the matter of the Hao Commandery Prince; there was no need to grill them about it right then and there.

At this time.

Wang Shouzhe's overall impression of the An Commandery Prince was still quite satisfactory.

In fact, as soon as Wang Shouzhe felt the threat of the fight for the Emperor's son, he had already started secretly collecting all intelligence related to the Quasi Emperor's Sons.

Whether it was the Kang Commandery Prince or the An Commandery Prince, the intelligence about them had piled up into half a room at Wang Shouzhe's place.

It could be said that Wang Shouzhe had spent decades studying these two Quasi Emperor's Sons and naturally had a detailed understanding of their pasts, personalities, and some aspects of their private lives.

It couldn't be helped.

The contest for the Emperor's son was a matter of great importance and could not allow Wang Shouzhe and the entire Wang family to be anything but cautious.

Once the Wang family got involved in the struggle for the Emperor's son, they would surely need to take a position. And if their positioning failed, it's not to say the Wang family would definitely be wiped out, but they would certainly suffer long-term suppression.

With a Great Emperor reigning for over three thousand years, the Wang family might be suppressed for that long if they weren't careful, and not even a mighty family could withstand that~

And Wang Shouzhe's view of these two Quasi Emperor's Sons was also somewhat different from that of most people.

Kang Commandery Prince.

On the surface, the Kang Commandery Prince seemed like a perfect candidate for Emperor's son, diligent in governance and loving towards the citizens, amassing military achievements and a renowned reputation. He even placed great importance on his own small family, raising children who each had their own charm, and several had already become mainstays of talent.

In addition, the unwavering support of the Big Heavenly Pride Gong Yangce from the Sacred Land was also a significant plus for the Kang Commandery Prince.

The government and the Imperial Household, as well as the various provinces, mostly looked favorably on the Kang Commandery Prince for the role of Emperor's son, providing various kinds of support.

Long Wuji of the Jiaolong Gang was one such powerful supporter of the Kang Commandery Prince.

In stark contrast, the An Commandery Prince was low-key and restrained, seldom engaging in social events, focusing solely on building protective forests and infrastructure in the north of An.

Had it not been for the title of Quasi Emperor's Son above his head, many people might have forgotten about the existence of such a Commandery Prince...

As one might expect, the An Commandery Prince had very few supporters, his influence not even amounting to a third of the Kang Commandery Prince's.

If another Noble Family Head were in his shoes, they would likely opt to join the side of the Kang Commandery Prince, as it seems to have a greater chance of success.

However, after several encounters with those people, Wang Shouzhe clearly felt that choosing the Kang Commandery Prince might not be a wise decision.

Whether it was the initial struggle for the Direct Line of the Qian Family, the immense pressure from Long Wuji's army, or the subsequent commercial squeeze, all these incidents showed the decision-makers on the Kang Commandery Prince's side to be too eager for quick success, or in other words, somewhat unscrupulous in their methods.

Perhaps, the Kang Commandery Prince could push the responsibility onto Cao Youqing and Gong Yang Ce.

But, as the saying goes, "As above, so below."

If it weren't for the Kang Commandery Prince himself not intervening, or even allowing or frankly being inclined to such a way of doing things, would his subordinates act in such a manner?

In Wang Shouzhe's view, the Kang Commandery Prince's style of conduct and behavioral logic were very clear: everything was aimed at the position of Emperor's son, for which he would stop at no means.

He accumulated military exploits for the position of the Emperor's son, achieved political merits for the position of the Emperor's son, and manipulated power for the position of the Emperor's son.

Among these, many political achievements were merely surface efforts that looked good and sounded pleasing but actually had little real significance for the people of the Great Qian Land.

In a phrase from Wang Shouzhe's previous life, it could be summed up as "unseemly greed."

Furthermore, another important point was at play.

Under the current circumstances, the Kang Commandery Prince already had a myriad of talented individuals and a multitude of followers under his command. Even if the Wang family were willing to join the Kang Commandery Prince's camp, it was uncertain how much attention they would receive.

And if that were all, it would still be fine; after all, Wang Shouzhe only sought to live through the changes of times in peace, not minding whether they were in the limelight or not.

What he feared most was that given this person's nature, he might potentially discard his chess pieces in hand for greater benefits. Perhaps one day, the Wang family could become a sacrificial piece.

The risk was simply too great.

Therefore, Wang Shouzhe had been plotting and calculating, weighing and comparing between the two Commandery Princes.

In fact, even now, Wang Shouzhe was still observing. However, deep down, he was gradually leaning towards... the An Commandery Prince.

Various plans and arrangements related to this were also quietly fermenting.

Until the unexpected incident involving Wang Anye and Wu Yiluo occurred.

…

Afterward, Wang Shouzhe resumed his casual conversation with the An Commandery Prince, while Liu Ruolan also accompanied Gongye Qingrui in talking about anything and everything, from beauty and hair care to educating children, and then to techniques of cultivation, and so on.

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