"Let me tell you, when it comes to apples, the Wang family's are the best …"
Li Yi nibbled on the apple with two bites missing, handed over a letter, and said, "The Zhang family of Pingyang, the Gou family of Tongzhou, the Wei family of Yunzhou … These families have already sent back fast horses. This time, the imperial court has given them enough preferential treatment. I think they should know what to do.
As for the others, there's nothing to worry about. The Zhang Clan and the Wei Clan have a very delicate position among the major clans. Without them, they won't be able to hold their own. If they continue to persist in going about things the wrong way, they won't be able to withstand the public opinion of the people with those clans in the lead. "
Li Mingzhu looked at him. After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "You really don't want to think about entering the palace? Power, wealth, glory, splendor … I can give you whatever you want."
"I won't consider it." Li Yi shook his head firmly.
Power, wealth, glory … He had none of them now. This invitation was not sincere at all, and there was no need to consider it at all.
The Princess took a bite of the apple and said, "I don't know what they will do next …"
"No matter what they will do, just take it." Li Yi threw away half of the apple core, clapped his hands, and said, "It's good that they will do something. If they are all quiet, I don't know where to start."
Whether it was the Yu family's difficulties, the chaos of the aristocratic families, or all the previous events, in most cases, it started with the other party seeking death. If he really wanted to take the initiative to design and target, it would be a waste of time and energy. It would not be as simple and convenient as it was now.
However, after suffering so many losses in a row, the King of Shu was still holed up in Shuzhou, and they had also suffered a lot in the Capital City or other places. Thinking about it, they should be stable for a while. Ruyi was about to give birth, and Li Yi did not want to trouble himself in other places. If they could let him spend the New Year in peace, should he be more lenient in the coming year?
…
The head of the Cui family, Cui Qingze, put down a letter and said, "There's news from the Palace. Her Ladyship said that in the next few months, it's better to stay quiet and not move. We only need to pay more attention to the Eldest Princess."
"Everyone has seen the Eldest Princess's performance in court recently. She is even more cautious than His Majesty when it comes to handling political affairs." Someone frowned and said, "Besides, none of the people she transferred from the various departments are simple people. Isn't waiting for the princess to make a mistake the most inferior method?"
How could Cui Qingze not know that this was the most inferior method?
However, the more they moved, the greater the loss. In less than a month, the Yu Family was gone. The aristocratic families that had united with great difficulty also became distracted and had different thoughts because of a broken book. The Eldest Princess, or County Marquis Li, dealt with every move accurately and ruthlessly. How could they dare to make another move?
Without absolute confidence, he didn't dare to make any rash moves.
After careful calculation, he didn't dare to calculate how much power the King of Shu's faction had lost in the past two years. There was no fight for the throne, and there were no factions attacking each other. How could the situation become like this?
After careful consideration in the past few days, he didn't have full confidence in something for the first time.
"In short, we need to be more stable these days. We also need to restrain the children in the family. Don't let anyone get hold of us …" Cui Qingze stood up and waved his hand in annoyance. "Let's call it a day."
As the head of the Cui family spoke, everyone in the hall stood up and took their leave.
When walking out of the Cui Mansion, Ceng Shichun paused and said, "Brother Chen, are you going to Willow Lane today?"
"Same way." Chen Chong stepped out of the gate of the Cui Mansion and nodded slightly.
Watching the two figures go away, someone finally couldn't help asking in confusion, "When did the Zeng Family and the Chen Family become so close?"
"I've never heard of any other contact between the two families. It's really strange …"
Everyone was puzzled, but they didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, the two families belonged to the King of Shu's faction. Even if there really was some unusual contact, it wasn't something inexplicable.
It was still the teahouse in Willow Lane.
Ceng Shichun took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Chong. "I've organized this. It's a summary of all the major and minor events that have happened in the court in the past two years, as well as the gains and losses of the King of Shu's faction. Brother Chen, why don't you take a look?"
Chen Chong glanced at him before looking at the paper in his hand.
"The Cui Family's decades of planning in the court has been mostly destroyed in the past two years. The King of Shu's current advantage is that he is the eldest son of Imperial Concubine Cui … He only has this identity as the eldest son of the emperor."
Ceng Shichun's gaze wavered. "Unfortunately, everyone, including the Cui Family and Imperial Concubine Cui, has been blinded by this identity. They seem to have forgotten that the one who ultimately decides this matter is His Majesty."
"His Majesty's attitude towards the King of Shu is really not the same as how he treats the eldest son of the emperor. Although His Highness's actions were too muddle-headed, he has already been sent to Shuzhou for a year. His Majesty's body is unwell, and he would rather choose the Eldest Princess than summon His Highness back … I really can't understand."
"Gains and losses …" Chen Chong put down the paper, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I'm afraid there are only losses and no gains?"
…
Li Yi escorted Third Miss Chen out of the courtyard and said, "There's still about a month left. The imperial physician will take her pulse every few days. Yesterday, I invited Master Tan Yin over to take a look. Everything is fine. You don't have to worry."
These days, he rarely came here, but every time he did, he would run into her.
"That's good." Third Miss Chen nodded with a smile. Seeing the figure at the entrance of the alley, she said, "It's getting late. I'm going back."
Seeing Chen Chong leave with her, Li Yi turned his gaze to Ceng Shichun, who was standing to the side.
"The last time I saw Minister Qin, he said that the Ministry of Revenue was very busy, and Her Highness had sent another person away, so he was a bit busy …" Li Yi looked at him and said doubtfully, "Assistant Minister Zeng seems to be in such a good mood every day. It doesn't look like he's very busy."
Ceng Shichun smiled and didn't mind. He said, "This time, I'm specially waiting for County Marquis Li."
"Waiting for me?" Li Yi looked at him in surprise.
Ceng Shichun looked at him and stretched out his hand to the side. He said, "I wonder if County Marquis Li can come to the teahouse for a chat?"
The Zeng family was firmly on the side of the King of Shu. Although they weren't mortal enemies, they were definitely not friends.
If he had to link it to something, it would be because he ate her dumplings without paying.
The dumplings made by the Marquis of Chang 'an couldn't be compared with a cup of tea, right?
Although the price of this cup of tea wasn't low, this teahouse was opened by his family. Although it was expensive, it was only for style. As for the cost … it was not worth mentioning to others.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
