Jiuxi

Chapter 832 [An Accidental Strike]

Inside the flower hall, Lu Tong paced slowly back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Through Lu Chen's narration, he already understood the cause of Gui Qiuliang's death and the root cause of the various disturbances in the capital in the past few months.

"wrong……"

Lu Tong stopped, looked at Lu Chen and said, "The current emperor is indeed far inferior to the previous emperor, but he has no reason to do such a thing. It's not surprising that he killed the eldest prince. After all, Li Zongjian was a fool who took the initiative to get close to the Jiangnan family. The previous emperor would never hand over the foundation to him. Only the eldest prince could threaten Li Zongben's position as the crown prince. But the eldest prince is dead, and Li Zongben's position as the crown prince is extremely stable. Why did he kill the emperor and his father?"

After a few days of settling down, Lu Chen has been able to control the anger in his heart.

On the surface, he remained calm and stayed in the Duke's Mansion to reflect on himself, but secretly he kept issuing orders and making preparations, while also calming down and thinking about the matter seriously.

Hearing his father's doubts, Lu Chen said calmly, "Gui Qiuliang's records clearly pointed out that changing the medicine should not be the first time. This is his judgment based on the changes in the late emperor's condition. In other words, although the medicine was changed after the death of the eldest prince, it does not mean that similar things did not happen before the death of the eldest prince. Father, Li Zongben was appointed as the crown prince after the rebellion in the capital. Previously, only Li Zongjian was stripped of his title and imprisoned. The late emperor did not specify who would be the crown prince, so the eldest prince still had hope of competing."

Lu Tong pondered and said, "You mean to say that in order to let the late emperor decide on the successor as soon as possible, Li Zongben tampered with the medicine taken by the late emperor, causing the late emperor's condition to worsen. He also killed the eldest prince for this purpose."

"That's right. As for the fact that he continued to do similar things after the death of the eldest prince, perhaps because he was worried that the late emperor would find out and thus fail. However, he did not dare to use such a strong poison, so he continued to use this method to accelerate the death of the late emperor while preventing outsiders from noticing anything unusual."

"It makes some sense, but it still doesn't stand up to scrutiny."

Lu Tong sat back, picked up the teacup and said, "Before becoming the crown prince, was Li Zongben really able to control the palace? To replace the late emperor's medicine without anyone noticing, this is not something that can be done by bribing one or two people. He did have the ability later, but that was because the late emperor was seriously ill, the eldest prince was dead, Li Zongjian was imprisoned, and he was the regent crown prince who legitimately held power inside and outside the country. The problem is that he didn't have the ability before, and he didn't have the need to do it later. Isn't it still contradictory?"

“This is indeed the biggest doubt.”

Lu Chen did not insist on his own opinion, and said slowly: "But Gui Qiuliang has been a royal doctor for more than ten years. Even the old doctor Xue admits that Gui Qiuliang's medical skills are better than his. How can such a person make rash judgments? Especially on such an important matter."

Lu Tong couldn't help but frown.

He was certainly not trying to excuse Li Zongben, but this matter was too important. It was related to Lu Chen's next decision and even the fate of the entire Lu family, so it had to be treated with caution.

Lu Chen took a sip of tea and said softly, "Father, I didn't understand this matter at first. I was just angry. A few days ago, when I calmed down, I suddenly thought of someone."

"Who?"

"Han Zhongjie."

Lu Chen put down the teacup and continued, "Li Zongben had colluded with Han Zhongjie a long time ago. The latter helped him to extend his hand into the Beijing army, instigated Guo Congyi and others to rebel, and used this opportunity to kill the eldest prince. Han Zhongjie does not have the strength to interfere with the palace ban, but I changed my mind, is it possible that Li Zongben only has Han Zhongjie as his helper?"

Lu Tong was slightly startled and his expression became more solemn.

"Li Shizhi."

Lu Chen finally gave the result of his thinking. He said seriously: "Five years ago, Li Zongben was an idle prince with great ambitions but no support from the court officials. Han Zhongjie was a meritorious official in the capital who was forced to stay at home. Li Shizhi was an ordinary civil official who was overshadowed by the old prime minister. These three people have one thing in common. They are not satisfied with the status quo and need a stage to display their ambitions. They also believe that their abilities are far better than others, so they gradually come together."

"The late emperor, Lord Han, and Prime Minister Li are all heroes who rebuilt the Great Qi. Most of their energy was spent on official business, and they did not have much time to take care of their children. As a result, Li Zongben and others began to feel unwilling, ambitious, and greedy. They colluded with each other to seize power, and finally plotted to poison the late emperor."

"Han Zhongjie's influence is limited to the inner circle of the Beijing Army, but Li Shizhi is obviously more resourceful than him, and the Jinlin Li family's foundation is definitely not comparable to the Han family. With the assistance of Li Shizhi, Li Zongben was finally able to reach into the palace and tamper with the medicine taken by the late emperor, causing the late emperor's physical condition to continue to deteriorate, so he had to determine the successor as soon as possible."

"At the same time, Han Zhongjie began to make arrangements within the Beijing Army, using Guo Congyi and others to kill the eldest prince, thus completely clearing the way for Li Zongben. This incident further aggravated the illness of the late emperor. Li Zongben was finally able to achieve his wish, and no one could shake his position as the crown prince."

At this point, a look of deep contempt appeared on Lu Chen's face.

Lu Tong thought for a moment and nodded, "Although these are just your inferences, they are indeed the most likely truth."

"Their recent actions also confirm this."

Lu Chen smiled indifferently, and then said: "Why is Li Zongben so obsessed with reinstating Han Zhongjie? He even issued an edict of guilt and admitted his mistakes in front of all the people of Da Qi, just to help Han Zhongjie take the blame and reduce the resistance to reinstating Han Zhongjie. Why did Li Shizhi give up the position of right prime minister? He let Ding Hui replace Xu Zuo. In addition to Ding Hui's willingness to keep an eye on me, more importantly, he wanted to gain Xue Nanting's support through this matter so that Han Zhongjie could take over as the Minister of War and stand in the court again."

Lu Tong said slowly: "Because they are grasshoppers on the same rope."

"Yes."

Lu Chen's eyes were slightly cold, and he said, "These three people have a common secret. They participated in the murder of the previous emperor and stole the throne. Each of them was responsible for a part. Han Zhongjie and Li Shizhi must have secretly left some evidence to protect themselves. Under this premise, they dare not abandon their accomplices and must share the wealth. Otherwise, Han Zhongjie will reveal what they have done, and Li Zongben and Li Shizhi will definitely not be able to protect themselves."

Lu Tong stared into his eyes and asked with concern: "Who else knows about this?"

"Except for my father, I didn't tell anyone, including Uncle Xiao and Uncle Li."

Lu Chen looked calm, and then explained: "This matter is too dangerous, I don't want them to be involved. Once the two Lis find out, they will do everything they can to kill those who know about it."

Lu Tong nodded in agreement, then asked hesitantly, "So what are you going to do?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet." Lu Chen told him frankly, and said slowly: "Although Uncle Xiao and I have kept Han Zhongjie at home, he still has a deep influence on the Beijing Army. Whether it is Chen Lanyu's Jinwu Camp or Yuan Xingqin's Xiongyong Camp, many core generals respect the Han family very much. Li Shizhi is now the leader of the Jiangnan clan, and he has his confidants in various departments of the court. Even though he suffered a lot in the Beijing inspection incident, he was not seriously injured. As for Li Zongben..."

"Imperial Guards."

Lu Tong pointed out the key points succinctly.

Lu Chen replied: "The commander of the Imperial Army, Shen Yulai, and I are not of the same mind, and I suspect that he does not have full control over the Imperial Army. When the previous emperor was alive, the Imperial Army had only 10,000 soldiers. At that time, Shen Yulai should have been able to fully control it. Later, the Imperial Army expanded to four armies with 50,000 soldiers. I think Li Zongben, Han Zhongjie, and Li Shizhi have placed many confidants in it, and they will not miss this opportunity. Even if Xue Nanting maintains a fair position, these three people still have absolute power to overwhelm me in the capital."

"The point is you don't have hard evidence."

Lu Tong sighed softly and said carefully: "It is impossible to accuse the emperor of regicide and patricide based on the specious clue left by Gui Qiuliang. If you open the lid, Li Zongben and others will kill you at all costs, even if it will cause a shock to the border troops."

Lu was silent.

Seeing his stern expression, Lu Tong hesitated for a moment, but finally said bluntly: "Chen'er, I know that the late emperor treated you with great kindness. The late emperor's support and trust were the most critical factors for you to rise to the top in just a few years. But he is gone. Even if you want to repay the late emperor's kindness, you must take care of yourself."

The implication is that the risk of breaking with Li Zongben is too great, and directly killing the king is the stupidest option.

"I don't deny that I want to help the late emperor to avenge his death, but my current dilemma is not entirely due to the late emperor's kindness."

Lu Chen opened his heart and said frankly: "Father, can't you tell what kind of person Li Zongben is from this incident?"

Lu Tong was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized.

Lu Chen continued, "For the throne, he dared to join forces with Han Zhongjie and Li Shizhi to poison the late emperor. This is enough to show that he is extremely cold-blooded, selfish and crazy. Han Zhongjie and Li Shizhi are also treacherous and selfish. These three people value the chairs under their buttocks the most, and they will never show mercy for this. I used to think that their attitude towards me was to suppress me and try to create a balanced situation, but now I think, are they willing to stop here? If they don't kill me, how can they continue to hold power and enjoy wealth and glory?"

Lu Tong said in a deep voice: "Yes, this is a dead end."

"So I have been preparing these days, just because I don't want to die inexplicably in their hands. These three people dared to poison even the late emperor, let alone a military hero like me? As for the stability of the border, in their view, the worst outcome is to defend the Hengjiang natural moat to the death, and live a life of luxury in the south of the Yangtze River. What's wrong with that?"

Lu Chen took a deep breath and said sternly: "I am not only seeking revenge for the late emperor, but also for my own protection. Maybe my own life is not that important, but my father, my wife and children, and the soldiers of Jiangbei, so many people have placed their hopes on me. How dare I ignore this matter?"

Just as Lu Tong was about to speak, footsteps were heard outside the house, followed by Qin Zilong's voice: "Duke, I have something to report."

Lu Chen said: "Come in."

Qin Zilong stepped in, walked around the screen and came close to the two of them. He saluted Lu Tong first, then said to Lu Chen: "Duke, Tan Zheng just reported that two hours ago, Lord Xu Zuo entered the palace and accepted the position of Right Prime Minister, and at the same time resigned from his previous concurrent position as Imperial Censor. Lord Xu then spoke to the emperor and bluntly said that Li Shizhi should not be in charge of both the Ministry of Personnel and the Hanlin Academy. Li Shizhi then resigned from the position of Hanlin Bachelor and remained as the Minister of Personnel."

The father and son looked at each other, and Lu Chen immediately asked, "Who are the new Imperial Censor and Imperial Academy Scholar?"

Qin Zilong replied: "The new Imperial Censor is Yao Chong, the former governor of Huaizhou, and the new Imperial Academy Scholar is Chen Chun, the former governor of Dingzhou."

Hearing these two familiar names, Lu Chen's mind raced and he quickly figured out the positions of these two successors.

He suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart and praised calmly: "This Lord Xu is indeed extraordinary. Zilong, you go down first."

"Yes."

Qin Zilong took the order and withdrew, continuing to stand guard outside, not allowing anyone to approach the flower hall.

"I'm afraid Xue Nanting is sighing that his doctrine is not alone. Xu Zuo used this show of power well. To deal with a veteran like Li Shizhi, we have to go straight to the point."

Lu Tong sighed with a smile, and then asked the previous question again: "What are you going to do next?"

"Before the wedding, I won't make any big moves. I'll just focus on the layout."

Lu Chen's thoughts were clearly opened up, and he smiled and said, "Xu Zuo's move has made me suddenly enlightened. After all, Li Zongben is the emperor of the Great Qi, and Han Zhongjie is unemployed at home. In addition, he has a deep influence on the Beijing army, so it is difficult to target him in a short period of time. The biggest advantage of the Minister of Personnel is that he hides behind the scenes. Now he is gradually exposed. How can I ignore his existence?"

Lu Tong looked at his confident expression and said with satisfaction, "Very wise."

"Li Shizhi..."

Lu Chen picked up the teacup and said word by word: "I want to see how powerful he is."

……

……

(Today's three updates are completed.)
(End of this chapter)