Chapter 578: Chapter 238 My Son is a Treacherous Minister (Part 14)_2
Not to mention there was another An Kang, caught between her uncle and her father and brothers...
An Kang wept, murmuring to herself.
Her lips asked "why," but her heart was well aware of the reason behind her uncle’s actions.
It was nothing more than the fact that since Princess Yongchang had passed away, there seemed to be no strong bond between him and the Guo family.
And the Guo family controlled an army of a hundred thousand soldiers, and Prince Consort Guo had fought with exceptional valor.
"A feat too grand overshadows the master! The military power has fallen into other hands! The Saint is feeling uneasy, that’s all!" Guo Erlang said coldly.
He too was a blood nephew of the Saint, but his surname was Guo, and he had been honing his skills at the border with his father and brothers since the age of ten.
The Guo Family Army, Duke Wei Mansion, and others held a far higher place in his heart than a mere uncle related by blood.
Yet, Guo Erlang understood that the Saint was very special to his sister An Kang.
The grace of upbringing, years of companionship, unparalleled favor and partiality, perhaps, in An Kang’s eyes, this uncle, the Saint, felt closer and more beloved.
Before, Guo Erlang hesitated whether to tell An Kang the truth.
Aside from fearing that An Kang would be heartbroken and begin to question life itself, he was also worried that she might secretly go to inform the Saint.
Of course, the Guo family had no treacherous intentions, nor would they ever harm the Saint.
However, the Saint clearly had his guard up against the Guo family now, and if he found out Deputy General Ma had exposed his tracks, he would surely plot something else.
By then, would the Guo Family Army still be expected to protect and serve Weiguo?
To deal with the plots and trickery at the Imperial court, there would be no time to deal with the devil and his tricks.
What’s worse, if the Saint, in a fit of anger, openly turned against them and forcefully ordered Prince Consort Guo to return to the capital, what should the Guo family do?
Surrender without a fight?
Be slaughtered like fish on a chopping board?
Guo Erlang was definitely not willing.
He believed that neither his father nor his elder brother would agree.
Because giving up the Guo Family Army and handing over military authority would not only affect the Guo family but also affect the hundred thousand soldiers behind them and countless families related to them.
"How could this be?"
An Kang still couldn’t accept it, she cried and murmured unconsciously: "Uncle is being muddled, Daddy and Duke Wei Mansion have always been loyal, they would never do anything as wrong as rebellion!"
Not to mention, between the Royal Family and the Guo family, there were three children.
Especially the second brother, perhaps fitting the saying "like uncle, like nephew," he didn’t look much like his father and brothers, instead, he resembled a younger version of the Saint by sixty or seventy percent.
To those unaware, upon seeing them, they might even think the Saint and Guo Erlang were the true father and son.
"Our Guo family indeed has no intention to rebel, but it can’t withstand the Saint’s suspicion, and in the Imperial court, there are always some civil servants using the Guo family as a stepping stone!"
Civil servants wanting to overpower military generals needed a reason.
And Prince Consort Guo, who had a hundred thousand troops of the Guo Family Army and a resounding reputation with splendid military achievements, became the prime target of that group.
It seemed as if by bringing down Prince Consort Guo and destroying the Guo family, they could prove the unreliability of military generals.
To retract military power, and even send clueless civil servants and eunuchs to the military as supervisory officials, imposing several layers of metaphorical shackles on the necks of military leaders, would put an end to the power struggle between the civil and military officials at the Imperial court.
"I, I—"
Commandery Princess An Kang’s mind was in turmoil as she finally comprehended the entirety of these matters.
Then, her first reaction was to rush into the palace and confront her uncle.
However, when she looked up and saw the complexity in Erlang’s eyes, it was as if someone had suddenly drenched her with a bucket of cold water.
She calmed down completely, she was in pain, she struggled, she, she found herself caught in the middle, torn in both directions.
Finally, she gently wiped away her tears and said firmly, "Erlang, I understand, does Daddy have any orders?"
Indeed, she had a deep affection for her uncle, but her surname was Guo.
When the uncle and the Guo family were at odds, she had to stand with the Guo family’s camp.
In fact, it was the same for her uncle, he did indeed cherish his niece.
But this did not prevent him from scheming against the Guo family.
Emotion aside, interests come first!
The uncle was truly an excellent Superior, and she, An Kang, was truly worthy to be a daughter of the Guo family.
Each loyalty has its own compulsions, each has no alternative.
She understood her uncle, so surely he would sympathize with her, right?
Besides, Commandery Princess An Kang was certain that her father would not harm her uncle, at most he would just look for a way to protect himself.
And the uncle? He truly could be capable of lashing out against the Guo family, against Duke Wei Mansion.
When harm comes from both sides, choose the lesser of two evils; An Kang felt that she had made a choice that was relatively better for both parties.
Hearing An Kang say this, rather than impulsively rushing to question the Emperor or persuading the Guo family to remain loyal to the Emperor, Guo Erlang knew that his sister still remembered her identity.