Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 390 The Scheme to Depose the Crown Prince
His very first words conveyed the air of a reunion with an old friend.

Xue Sui smiled calmly, his movements distant but his tone respectful.

"This humble woman came to visit my elder sister, but I did not wish to disturb Your Highness, so I will take my leave now."

"It's alright." Li Huan chuckled softly. "Hearing that you were coming, I specially waited for you here."

He took a step forward, suddenly closing the distance.

The oppressive feeling of being in a superior position pressed down heavily.

"It feels like a lifetime has passed since we parted ways. I never imagined that when I saw Ping An again, she had been completely transformed and was even more radiant than before."

Splendor?

Does it refer to her short, gray hair?

"Your Highness flatters me." Xue Sui raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as a deep pool. "We have no deep relationship, there is no need for such warmth."

"Never had a close relationship with her?" Li Huan was amused by her attitude, his tone tinged with self-mockery and bitterness. "Ping An's status is different now. She is of royal blood from the Xiz Kingdom and will be the future Crown Princess. She is naturally more precious than before. I should be more cautious."

Xue Sui didn't even flinch, but his tone became a bit more somber.

"Knowing this, Your Highness, please show some self-respect."

“Ping An, you are a smart man.” Li Huan’s gaze was sharp as he pressed on. “Let me be more explicit. It’s uncertain whether the Crown Prince will return. Even if he does, will he be able to hold onto his position as the Eastern Palace? He punished Xiao Wenyuan and purged the court. All the officials are afraid of him. The more he protects you, the more people will fear him—the Eastern Palace has already become a target of everyone’s ire.”

Xue Sui remained unmoved: "I don't understand what Your Highness is saying."

"I pity you." Li Huan's voice softened further, carrying a hint of seductive ambiguity, like the intimacy of a lover. "What the Crown Prince can give you, I can give you as well, even more. As long as you are willing, I can protect you completely..."

Xue Sui suddenly laughed, a very soft laugh, tinged with sarcasm.

"Your Highness has far too many things to worry about."

"Good medicine tastes bitter." Li Huan's eyes darkened, and instead of retreating, he advanced, his voice clear and cold, "I don't want to see you die with Li Zhao."

"Your Highness should worry more about yourself. The five thousand taels of silver notes from Tongbao Money Exchange haven't been properly laundered yet, have they? If His Majesty wakes up and asks about the Boiling Blood Powder case, how will Your Highness explain yourself? As for me..."

Xue Sui took a half step back, looked at him frankly, and his tone turned cold.

“My mother is Princess Xiz, and the Xiz Royal Court stands behind me. I will walk my own path; I need no one else’s help!”

After saying that, she gave a slight bow and said, "Farewell."

The smile on Li Huan's face froze instantly.

"Xue Ping'an!"

His eyes were cold as he watched the man's resolute back, a look of unwavering certainty in his determination.

"I'd like to see how long you can keep dreaming about becoming the Crown Princess..."

Xue Sui paused, but didn't turn around. He quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor, as if he had never been there.

Looking at that resolute, unwavering back as it turned away, Li Huan felt a surge of anger at being slighted rise to his head...

After a long while, he loosened his clenched fist and let out a cold smile.

Young swallows before a storm think they can live peacefully under the eaves, unaware of the danger.

"Then let's wait and see how the weather in the capital changes..."
-
Ci'an Hall.

The incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, but even the finest sandalwood couldn't mask the smell of medicine.

Empress Dowager Chengqing lay on a soft couch covered with mink fur, while Cui Shanggong massaged her temples.

"That vixen, now she's all pampered and noble?" The Empress Dowager asked, her eyes half-closed, her tone filled with resentment and venom.

"What bloodline of Princess Sis? In my opinion, she's just a fox spirit in disguise, bewitching one after another..."

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Be careful not to harm your health," Lady Choi sighed and whispered her words of comfort.

Empress Dowager Chengqing had just caught her breath when a young eunuch bowed and entered, whispering his report.

"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Duan requests an audience."

"What is he doing here?" The Empress Dowager raised her eyelids, paused for a moment, and then said, "Let him in."

Li Huan strode in, his face bearing just the right amount of seriousness and concern. He entered the hall quietly, lifted his robe, and knelt down.

"My grandson sends his regards to the royal grandmother."

"Get up and speak," the Empress Dowager waved her hand. "You seem to be in a hurry; has something happened?"

Li Huan got up, walked to the bedside, and glanced at the palace servants in the hall.

The Empress Dowager understood, looked around, and waved her hand: "You may all leave."

The palace servants withdrew in response, leaving only the grandmother and grandson in the hall. Li Huan then lowered his voice: "Grandmother, your grandson... your grandson has discovered a shocking secret, concerning the very foundation of our Great Liang Kingdom..."

His hesitant manner was making people anxious.

"Speak quickly. No need to beat around the bush."

“Father…” Li Huan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke each word with great difficulty, “Many years ago, Father wrote the edict to depose the crown prince…”

The Empress Dowager suddenly sat up straight.

"What did you say? Where is the imperial edict?"

"I don't know," Li Huan shook his head, "but I suspect that Father Emperor must have hidden such a crucial artifact concerning the foundation of the nation in a close-fitting place, probably in his bedchamber..."

"It's fate...this is fate..." the Empress Dowager murmured, her voice hoarse from long illness, and she coughed violently. "That wretched Li Zhao has gone too far. I've tolerated him for too long..."

Li Huan quickly patted her back to soothe her. He helped her lean back properly and carefully straightened her pillow.

"Your Majesty has suffered an injustice and it is not easy for you to bear it, but it is still important for you to take care of your health..."

He sighed helplessly, his face growing even more worried. "Although the imperial edict is still here, before the Crown Prince left the capital, he had already firmly placed the palace guards under the control of the Eastern Palace. The Zichen Palace is guarded like an iron barrel, impenetrable. Your grandson... your grandson wishes to share the burden for his grandmother, but alas... he has no power and cannot move an inch!"

He deliberately lowered his eyes to conceal the glint in them.

The Empress Dowager stared intently at him, her eyes blazing with an almost scorching light, as if she wanted to see right through him.

"When the emperor was alive, he valued you the most, and even entrusted the Right Wing Guard to you... In this capital, if you ask which prince dares to challenge the Crown Prince, it's only you, Prince Duan..."

Li Huan lowered his head and said, "Grandson is ashamed. Father Emperor's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, yet I failed to protect Father Emperor, resulting in treacherous officials in power and chaos in the court... causing Grandmother such worry, I am truly unfilial."

Empress Dowager Chengqing gave him a deep look and smiled meaningfully.

"Nonsense! I know you are the most filial... It's a pity that fate is cruel. Your grandfather was blind and misjudged people, allowing that wicked and ambitious villain to gain power..."

Li Huan immediately showed a look of mixed feelings of guilt and shame, his voice carrying a perfectly timed sob.

"Grandmother, you flatter me. The Great Liang Dynasty governs the country with filial piety. It is only natural for you to visit His Majesty in the Zichen Palace and take care of his health... In this world, what audacious servant would dare to stop a mother from seeing her son? As long as you see the Emperor, are you afraid of not finding the imperial edict?"

He paused, his tone growing increasingly earnest, "Once the imperial edict is issued and the Crown Prince is deposed, Grandmother can then support my third brother and set things right. At that time, the court and the people will surely be won over, and the empire will be secure forever..."

A glint of light flashed in Empress Dowager Chengqing's eyes.

She seemed surprised by Li Huan's thoughtfulness and felt relieved.

"Of all the emperor's sons, I think you are the most capable of shouldering this great responsibility. Go ahead and do it with confidence. If this succeeds, you will be the greatest contributor to the Great Liang Dynasty, and I will certainly not treat you unfairly..."

"Grandson only asks to share the burdens of his grandmother, to be loyal to his father, and to eliminate treacherous officials for the sake of the Liang Dynasty. He would not hesitate to die ten thousand times!" Li Huan bowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground, his posture extremely respectful and devout.

"There's no time to lose." Empress Dowager Chengqing smiled approvingly and said, "Come to the Zichen Palace at 3:45 PM tomorrow and see how this old woman will set things right and clean up the court."

"Your Majesty is wise." Li Huan looked up at her with utmost respect and determination. "I will go and make the arrangements immediately, and I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust..."

"Good, good boy..." Empress Dowager Chengqing patted Li Huan's hand, her face flushed with excitement.

She could almost see Li Zhao's downfall and her taking control of the power.
-
"Your Majesty, it's late, you should rest." Cui Shanggong, carrying ginseng soup, entered the Buddhist hall and, seeing the Empress Dowager staring blankly at the Buddha statue, cautiously said:

"That matter... is it really worth the risk?"

The Empress Dowager didn't even lift her eyelids. "That brat Li Zhao has a knife to my throat. Do I have any other choice? Am I to spend my whole life scheming only to end up doing all the work for someone else and being slaughtered at their mercy?"

The humiliation suffered at Chongwen Hall is still fresh in our minds.

Li Zhao, taking advantage of Xizi's influence, turned the tables on her. Even more hateful was that Xue Liu, that lowly maid, had suddenly transformed into some princess's daughter…

How could she willingly become someone else's stepping stone...?

"I'm still uneasy..." Consort Cui placed the ginseng soup on the offering table, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered, "But His Majesty is unconscious... The Zichen Palace is full of people from the Eastern Palace... If we force our way in, what if..."

"I am here to protect the Emperor, and it is perfectly legitimate. Who would dare to stop me?" Empress Dowager Chengqing said firmly, giving her a cold glance. "If Li Zhao can use the pretext of regency to imprison the Emperor and his father, why can't I use the pretext of protecting the Emperor to protect my own son? There is no such logic in the world!"

She suddenly turned her head, her eyes full of calculation: "Go, summon the Prince of Wei. Tell him that I am suffering from severe chest pains, and ask him to come to the palace tomorrow to attend to my illness..."

Cui Shanggong's heart skipped a beat: "Grandmother, with His Highness Prince Wei's temperament, I'm afraid..."

"Go when I tell you to," the Empress Dowager interrupted sharply. "If we don't act now, we'll be joining the late Emperor when Li Zhao returns from the Western Frontier. Go now!"

"Yes." Lady Cui dared not say another word, bowed, and withdrew.

The Buddhist hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the Empress Dowager remaining.

She gazed at the compassionate face of the Buddha statue, then suddenly chuckled softly, her laughter tinged with tears, like a night owl weeping at a grave.

"Late Emperor...can you see? Open your eyes and look...look at the crown prince you chose, look at your son who is so easily manipulated. Look at this empire ravaged by evil spirits. I...am about to cleanse your family of this scourge...If you are watching over me from heaven, please bless me and grant me my wish..."

(End of this chapter)