A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Your Majesty, I am of limited ability and lack the merit to shoulder this heavy responsibility."

Just as Li Longji was feeling smug, Zong Shen's refusal was like a sharp slap in the face. He had shown such great kindness, yet Zong Shen had refused!

What gives Zongshen the right to do this?

A person who rose from humble beginnings to become a captain through sheer hard work was a dime a dozen in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Now he has promoted Zong Shen to the rank of General of the Guards, the number three figure in the military, and even bestowed upon him the title of Marquis. What an honor this is!

Zongshen actually refused!

Why should I refuse?

How could he dare to refuse?

"General Wei is the third most important person in the military. If you miss this opportunity, you will never be able to reach such a high position again in your life."

"Are you really sure about this?"

Li Longji asked again in disbelief.

"Your Majesty, I have thought it through. I cannot rely on Your Majesty's favor to rise to the top in one step. I should be down-to-earth and make achievements step by step, and rise to the position through military merits."

Zong Shen said solemnly.

"Okay, very good."

Li Longji nodded. "Does the general believe that having these people around him will protect him from suspicion?"

"Many people saw the general and I chatting here. When the news reached Li Heng's ears, do you think he would believe it?"

"Although the general has these men by his side, what does that prove?"

"These must all be the general's confidants, right? Will anyone believe their testimonies?"

"Doesn't Li Heng have any doubts? General, you should think twice before you act."

"On one hand, there is suspicion; on the other hand, there is the prospect of being ennobled and appointed as a general. I believe the general will be able to make the right choice."

This is Li Longji's backup plan. If Zong Shen still refuses to submit to him, then this is the only way to force him.

Regardless, after what happened today, Li Heng will have a knot in his heart, and this is his chance.

A person who is not trusted, a person who has suffered doubt and betrayal, is destined to never achieve a high position.

The human heart is the most vulnerable thing, and in any case, he is destined to win today's confrontation.

Zong Shen's expression changed. Just as Li Longji had said, the reason he insisted on being with his subordinates and not meeting with Li Longji alone was precisely to prevent this situation.

However, he has no choice but to trust Li Heng now, since Li Longji's plan is so shallow.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful, but I am unworthy of it. Please forgive me."

Li Longji glared at the audacious general who had repeatedly rejected his good intentions. "Fine, very well."

"Zong Shen, you must remember, I am the emperor of this empire. One day I will reclaim the rights that belong to me. Aren't you afraid that one day I will exterminate your entire clan?"

When his schemes failed, he resorted to threats. As Li Longji grew older, his patience waned day by day, and his temper worsened.

Seeing this, Zong Shen became even more determined in his choice. Following such a volatile and easily angered emperor would only bring misfortune.

Under Li Heng, even if you were neglected, your life wouldn't be in danger. But under Li Longji, you might lose your life at any time over a trivial matter.

After the imperial decree was issued, Zong Shen immediately went to the Crown Prince's residence and told Li Heng everything that had happened that day.

Li Heng looked at the anxious Zong Shen and smiled slightly.

"You need not be so reserved, I trust you."

Hearing this, Zong Shen breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still a little uneasy.

Li Heng stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and decided to give Zong Shen some tasks so that Zong Shen would understand that he truly didn't care about them at all.

"Since Father Emperor has tried to win you over, it means he will definitely take action soon."

"Keep a close eye on Father Emperor in the palace. Report any unusual activity to him immediately."

Zong Shen nodded repeatedly. As long as he could expose Li Longji's conspiracy, his affair with Li Longji would naturally vanish like bubbles.

After returning to his residence, he summoned all his trusted confidants from the Imperial Guard and placed them in various locations to keep a close watch on places that Li Longji might use as channels to transmit messages.

Li Longji's attempt to win over Zong Shen failed, so he had to give up and instead set his sights on the concubines from aristocratic families.

They wanted to use these concubines to connect with the powerful families behind them and use their influence to turn their lives around.

Zong Shen had just received Li Heng's reminder when he noticed Li Longji's unusual behavior. He immediately reported it to Li Heng and ordered his men to keep a close eye on the concubines who had been summoned by Li Longji.

Within two days, those people's true colors were revealed, and some of the concubines' maids applied to return to their families.

On the surface, Zong Shen released them all.

However, they secretly arrested and interrogated all of these people. These maids were not professional spies, so they naturally spilled everything when interrogated.

After Zong Shen obtained the interrogation records, he immediately reported everything to Li Heng.

"Release them."

After reviewing the intelligence, Li Heng made a decision.

Release them?

Zong Shen looked at the other party in surprise, but dared not refuse.

"As you command."

Li Heng noticed the confusion on Zong Shen's face and explained, "These powerful families are all cunning and shrewd. They have the upper hand now and won't interfere."

"I'd like to involve those confused aristocratic families so that I can take the opportunity to eliminate some of them."

He didn't say the last sentence aloud, but muttered it to himself.

After hearing Li Heng's words, Zong Shen also realized that the court was now completely controlled by Li Heng and Li Bai. Li Longji had already lost and was powerless to reverse the situation. These powerful families were not out of their minds to support Li Longji, who had nothing and was not long for life.

Even a rough man like him knew that when faced with a choice, he should choose Li Heng over Li Longji, let alone those large families that have been passed down for thousands or hundreds of years.

"Your subject understands."

Zong Shen turned and left, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Today's events are enough to prove his loyalty to Li Heng, and he owes all his gratitude to Li Longji for the assistance and credit he received.

This can be considered Li Longji saving him from dire straits, but it was Li Longji who brought about this dire situation.

After these letters were delivered to various families by the maids, the news that they had been arrested and interrogated could not be kept secret, which angered the heads of the families who received the letters, who cursed incessantly.

Their own daughter couldn't even see the situation clearly at this time, causing trouble for their family.

One by one, they hurriedly took letters and valuable gifts to the Crown Prince's residence to express their loyalty, fearing that they would be seen as having sided with Li Longji and would be suppressed by Li Heng.

This is so unfair!

After the news spread, the heads of families whose daughters were concubines in the imperial harem but had not received any letters all showed proud expressions. They thought to themselves, "Look at our daughters, they know how to be pragmatic and know when to advance and retreat. They won't cause trouble for the family."