Chapter 45 Assassination

When the officials heard Chi Kuai ask this, they thought for a long time before naming a few officials, some from noble families and some from humble backgrounds. The key point was that none of them could be identified as to their faction.

But unexpectedly, all of them were rejected by Chi Qi.

As a result, everyone's hearts began to beat fast, and they began to speculate who Chi Qie chose to be the prime minister.

Is she still trying to push her trusted female officials to the top? With just a few women, which one of them could handle such a big responsibility?

Suddenly, the Minister of War spoke up, "Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Zhen is qualified for the position."

Chi Qi glanced at the Minister of War and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Would Empress Dowager Chi think that he and Zhen Ruicai were in collusion?

Just as she was about to explain, Chi Yan had already looked at Zhen Ruicai, "Zhen Ruicai, what do you think?"

Zhen Ruicai immediately stood up, as confident as ever, "I do have the talent to be a prime minister. It all depends on whether Your Majesty dares to use me."

Seeing the arrogance in his eyes, Chi Qi's eyes suddenly darkened. How could this man be more arrogant than that old man Li Mian? He really had no self-awareness at all.

It's a pity that she deposed the prime minister because she didn't want a second prime minister to share her power, but he made a wrong calculation.

Chi Li chuckled. "Envoy Zhen, you've been in charge of important military and political affairs for many years. The twelve imperial guards are under your command. I think you're not only worthy of the position of prime minister, but also the throne!"

Zhen Ruicai's expression suddenly changed. He panicked for a moment, then immediately calmed down and asked, "Your Majesty, are you questioning my loyalty?"

Chi Qi's smile faded. Before she could speak, someone coldly retorted, "If words alone are the true meaning of loyalty, then the former Prime Minister is probably the most loyal minister. Is Lord Zhen trying to be the next Li Mian?"

Turning around, it was indeed Xue Qi.

Zhen Ruicai's face immediately flushed, and he jumped up and said, "Xue Siji, you have no right to speak here!"

Chi Qi raised her eyebrows slightly, wanting to see how Xue Qi would react.

Xue Qi said without hesitation, "The Emperor didn't even say no during the imperial meeting, but Lord Zhen told me to shut up. How could I not know that Lord Zhen has the final say in this court?"

Zhen Ruicai immediately resisted her words, his face turned pale, and he wanted to find someone to support him, but when he turned around, he saw that the male officials all lowered their heads and didn't look at him.

He immediately became angry. It was just Queen Mother Chi. What was there to be afraid of? Why were they all like quails, not daring to speak?

Zhen Ruicai looked at Chi Lu sitting high and mighty on the throne, and for the first time a thought popped up in his mind: why should he listen to the orders of this woman?

But this thought only flashed through his mind. When he thought of Li Mian's fate, he gave up the evil thoughts. He was not stupid enough to repeat Li Mian's mistakes.

Zhen Rui was frustrated, and Chi Li's expression brightened. She looked at Xue Qi and asked, "What do you think about the selection of Prime Minister, Xue Siji?"

"I believe that the position of prime minister is second only to the emperor and above all others. No matter who sits in this position, it is inevitable that they will harbor rebellious thoughts. It is better not to have it. Now that the Sujisi is assisting Your Majesty in handling government affairs, it is sufficient."

What Xue Qi said was exactly what Chi Qi had planned from the beginning. She nodded and agreed, and the position of prime minister remained vacant.

The officials of the Sujisi exchanged glances with each other, with uncontrollable excitement in their eyes. Without the prime minister in charge of the six ministries, their Sujisi would surely prosper.

The other officials looked unhappy. The more power Empress Dowager Chi had, the less power they had. This was not a good thing.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Empress Dowager Chi did not have much control over military power, so Zhen Rui dared to speak frankly.

After the Ministry of Personnel finished discussing the selection of officials, Yu Zhao from the Yiluansi stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, since the Ministry of Personnel wants to fill positions, it's time for us at the Yiluansi to recruit as well. We talked about setting up a team at the beginning of the month, but it hasn't been put on the agenda because of Li Mian's opposition. The same goes for the Jinwu Guard. They're still understaffed, so we should recruit soldiers to fill the gap!"

Chi Li pondered, "Recruiting soldiers? This is absolutely necessary. Mingyue, since you are currently training with the Golden Crow Guard and are familiar with various matters, I will leave this matter to you. I will ask the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to assist you."

Zhao Mingyue, who had been sitting nearby and listening intently, suddenly opened her eyes wide and asked, "I, I'll do it?"

Chi Li narrowed her eyes and said in a slightly cold tone, "Why, you don't want to do it?"

Zhao Mingyue immediately stood up and said solemnly, "No, I obey your orders!"

Chi Li smiled with satisfaction.

Zhao Mingyue let out a light breath and smiled as well, but there was a look of worry between her brows.

Zhen Ruicai, who was watching all this, had a gloomy face and let out a dissatisfied snort from his throat.

————

Leaving the imperial city, not far to the north is the Zhen Mansion. The buildings in the mansion are magnificent and gorgeous, and it is obvious at first glance that it is the home of an extremely powerful official.

In the yard, seven or eight palace soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Left Eagle Guard were holding wooden sticks and surrounding a young man. The man was quite agile, wielding the spear in his hand with such force that it was impervious to wind and rain.

After a while, there were loud popping sounds, and the wooden sticks in the hands of the seven or eight people were knocked down. Their bodies flew out and fell to the ground one after another.

The young man stood in the middle of the field, looking around at everyone with an arrogant look on his face.

If Zhao Mingyue was here and saw his face, she would definitely scream out in surprise. Isn't this the horse slave who was whipped in the Nanyang Palace?

The palace soldiers hurriedly climbed to their feet, clasping their fists and saying, "Thank you, brother! We are impressed! You are truly worthy of being Master Zhen's nephew. You have inherited Master Zhen's legacy and possess exceptional martial arts skills!"

Xie Qinjian smiled and was about to speak when a voice came from the gate, "Master Zhen, return home."

After a while, a servant came over and said, "Master Xie, Master Zhen wants you to go to the study to discuss matters."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Xie Qinjian raised his hand, turned around and walked quickly towards the study. Behind him, the spear flew steadily into the weapon rack.

Xie Qinjian came to the study and saw Zhen Ruicai sitting on a chair with an angry look on his face. He rolled his eyes, walked over, and asked with concern, "Uncle, are you worried about the court again?"

Zhen Rui slammed the table hard, "It's still that Queen Mother Chi! She actually wants to recruit soldiers for the Golden Crow Guards. I think she'll reach out to me sooner or later!"

Xie Qinjian laughed and said, "Uncle, are you talking about the all-female Golden Crow Guard? They're just a bunch of women, what's there to be afraid of?"

Zhen Rui glanced at him and said, "Women? The Queen Mother Chi who is in power now is a woman. I advise you not to look down on them."

Xie Qinjian sneered and said nothing.

Zhen Ruicai looked at him carefully and began to murmur in his heart. His nephew was good in every way except that he was a little too arrogant.

It was also strange that his half-sister had lost contact after she followed her husband to the south to take up his post. They all speculated that she had encountered robbers on the road and met with disaster.

Unexpectedly, more than ten years later, her child suddenly appeared. He was not only handsome, but also had outstanding martial arts skills. He might be a talented general and make great contributions in the future.

So he put the person into the Left Eagle Guard to train him.

Sure enough, not long after, he was appreciated by General Qiu Ling, the leader of the Left Eagle Guard, and was promoted to the captain of the guard.

Who knows, in a few years, if he makes military achievements, this man will be a great help to him in the court.

Thinking of this, Zhen Rui's eyes lit up. Isn't there a difficult problem that needs to be solved right now?

He waved at Xie Qinjian, who approached with confusion, "What's wrong?"

Zhen Ruicai leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Since you are so confident, I will give you a difficult task - Princess Zhaoqing."

As he said this, he made a snapping gesture on his neck.

Xie Qinjian was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flickered and a sly smile appeared on his face. "Uncle, don't worry. I will definitely get rid of her quietly."

————

Late at night, Princess Zhaoqing's mansion was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects in the grass.

Wang Zhen and the servants in the mansion had all gone to bed, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves of various houses had been extinguished. The night completely enveloped the mansion.

Xie Qinjian was dressed in black, with his face covered, leaving only his eyes exposed. He jumped over the courtyard wall and quickly moved towards the courtyard where Zhao Yuzhang lived.

When he arrived at the gate, he looked around carefully and heard nothing unusual. Then he bent down, pulled out a dagger from his boot, inserted it into the crack of the door and pried it open. With a light click, the bolt was lifted up and the gate opened.

He caught the fallen bolt, carefully placed it beside the door, ran straight into the yard, pushed open the door, and quietly walked towards the bedroom.

When he arrived in front of the bed, the white gauze curtain was hanging quietly. He held the dagger tightly and gently pushed aside the gauze curtain. Suddenly, a cold light flashed, startling him and making him pause.

Turning his head, he saw that the dark clouds that had covered the moon had moved away, and the moonlight, like water, suddenly shone into the room. The cold blade on the hilt of the knife in his hand reflected the cold light, which flashed his eyes.

Xie Qinjian took a deep breath and directly lifted the gauze curtain, only to see that the quilt on the bed was arched high and Zhao Yuzhang was sleeping soundly.

A sinister smile appeared on his face. "Go to hell!"

He raised the dagger high, with the tip pointing downward, and stabbed at Zhao Yuzhang.

A cold light flashed, and with a slight "swish" sound, the dagger pierced in unhindered, but the expression on Xie Qinjian's face changed instantly.

He reached out and pulled back the quilt, only to see the quilt still inside, with no one there at all.

Xie Qinjian felt his heart tighten, and a chill rose from his heels to the top of his head. "Not good!" He turned around and was about to leave, but it was too late.

There was a sound of breaking air, and the back of the heart was suddenly pressed by a long sword. A pain came, and the tip of the sword had penetrated half an inch.

Zhao Yuzhang's cold voice sounded behind him, "Who sent you?"

Xie Qinjian gritted his teeth, raised his knife, turned around and slashed at Zhao Yuzhang, but Zhao Yuzhang had anticipated this and stabbed his wrist with a swing of his sword, causing the short knife to fall to the ground instantly.

Then he was stabbed in the chest again, his heart was injured, and he immediately fell to his knees.

Zhao Yuzhang looked at him coldly, his sword pressed against his neck. "Tell me, who is it! Is it Zhen Ruicai?"

Xie Qinjian only felt a sharp pain in his back, chest and wrists. His expression was distorted and he felt extremely regretful.

He was careless. He shouldn't have tried to assassinate Princess Zhaoqing without any preparation. This woman was more powerful than he imagined.

But next time, he won't miss.

Xie Qinjian suddenly raised his hand, and the hidden weapon in his sleeve flew towards Zhao Yuzhang. Zhao Yuzhang slightly turned sideways, and the long sword moved away. Xie Qinjian took advantage of this opportunity, jumped out of the window like lightning, and disappeared into the night.

Zhao Yuzhang was not in a hurry to chase after him, but instead looked down at the sword in his hand, where blood was slowly dripping from the blade.

She let out a soft laugh from her throat, "Looks like someone is too anxious to sit still."