Chapter 208 Strategizing (Part 2)
Li Sanqi thought about it seriously and realized that he didn't have any brothers he particularly disliked.
She used to be the center of everyone's affections and preferred to stay in the Empress Dowager's palace, so she didn't have much contact with her other brothers and sisters.
So, it seems that none of her brothers have ever really caused her any trouble since she was a child.
Seeing that Li Sanqi couldn't answer, Qiao Yuanyao thought for a moment and then changed her answer.
"Then, Seventh Princess, think about it: among your brothers, besides the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince, which prince do you respect the most?"
Li Sanqi looked through his half-brothers and realized that none of them were particularly outstanding. In the end, he chose the third prince, Li Chengrui, from among the less outstanding ones.
"The Third Prince, Li Chengrui, is the son of Consort Hui. His maternal grandfather once served as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and after his father ascended the throne, he was promoted to Grand Tutor, a first-rank official. However, his maternal grandfather had long since retired to his hometown and no longer concerned himself with state affairs."
"But the Emperor, mindful of his great contributions, granted his request to return to his hometown to retire, while retaining his title of Grand Tutor."
"Currently, the eldest maternal uncle of the Third Prince's family is in charge, and he is the current Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. This is because the old Grand Tutor retired to his hometown and left smoothly. That's why Father Emperor promoted his son to this position."
"However, over the years, my third brother's maternal family has kept a low profile. As for my third brother, I don't have much contact with him. I've only heard that he has a bad temper and often argues with his brothers."
Qiao Yuanyao nodded. "That's him."
Li Sanqi looked at Qiao Yuanyao in confusion, "What do you mean, it's him?"
Qiao Yuanyao said seriously, "Seventh Princess, do you think the Third Prince would be tempted if given a chance to ascend to the throne?"
"You want me to help my third brother take the throne?"
Li Sanqi frowned slightly, "If anyone should be supported, it should be my fifth brother."
The Fifth Prince is her biological brother, born of the same mother, and her favorite brother right now is her Fifth Brother!
Qiao Yuanyao knows this too, doesn't she?
Why would she be allowed to support her third brother?
Qiao Yuanyao smiled and said, "Seventh Princess, you can't judge things by appearances."
Li Sanqi looked at Qiao Yuanyao with a puzzled expression.
Qiao Yuanyao didn't keep him in suspense, "As the saying goes, when two tigers fight, one dies and the other is injured. The Fifth Prince only needs to wait and reap the benefits."
Upon hearing this, Li Sanqi's eyes widened in surprise. "You're right!"
“If my fifth brother had jumped out to compete for power with the eldest brother, the Crown Prince, from the beginning, the eldest brother would definitely not have let my fifth brother go.”
"Let my third brother stand up and fight against my eldest brother."
At this point, Li Sanqi was troubled again, "But, will my third brother stand up and compete with the Crown Prince?"
“My eldest brother was designated as the crown prince when he was young, and his position has remained stable for many years. None of my brothers have any thoughts of vying for the throne.”
Qiao Yuanyao smiled and said, "Believe me, the other princes aren't without ambition, but they know they have no chance of winning, so they've hidden their ambitions very well."
"If the Seventh Princess gave them a chance to see success, do you think they would be tempted?"
Li Sanqi thought about it seriously, then nodded honestly, "I think so."
"Then what can I do to give my third brother a chance to rise in rank?"
Qiao Yuanyao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'm afraid this will require the Empress's cooperation."
Then Qiao Yuanyao explained her plan to Li Sanqi in detail.
The more Li Sanqi listened, the brighter his eyes became.
Upon hearing the last part, she excitedly stood up and grabbed Qiao Yuanyao's hand, "Miss Qiao, no, Sister Qiao, would you be willing to come to the palace and become my personal lady-in-waiting?"
"I feel that with you by my side, all my wishes will come true!"
Qiao Yuanyao smiled and curtsied: "Could I go back and discuss this with my family?"
"Of course," Li Sanqi readily agreed.
When Qiao Yuanyao left, Li Sanqi sent someone to personally escort her to the palace gate.
After leaving the palace and boarding the carriage of the Marquis of Xuanping, Li Sanqi wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead, his face slightly flushed with excitement.
To be honest, she came to see the Seventh Princess today on Wei Jia's orders.
Aside from the fact that she actually painted the painting, all the words and ideas that remained were actually taught to her by Wei Jia.
God knows, she doesn't even have that kind of brain!
Well, she's not actually stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept a record of every single expense as a means of self-preservation when she was living in seclusion at Qiushui Nunnery.
However, she knew she didn't have the ability to instigate the Seventh Princess to murder the Crown Princess or plot to replace the Crown Prince.
She was startled when she first heard what Wei Jia said.
But after calming down, she quickly obeyed Wei Jia's instructions and decided to resolutely carry out Wei Jia's plan.
There was no way around it; ever since Wei Jia caught her secretly selling paintings outside the mansion for the first time after she came to the capital, she had become entangled with Wei Jia.
Hmm, that doesn't seem quite right.
When Wei Jia first discovered that she was secretly selling paintings, she was very anxious and worried.
A young lady from a noble family, shamelessly selling paintings in private. And each painting only fetches twenty or thirty taels of silver. If word gets out, it will only bring disgrace to the Marquis of Xuanping's family and her aunt.
Moreover, ever since she came to the capital, the things she heard most from Songhetang and the maids in their courtyard were how amazing Weijia was, how much her aunt valued her, how she suppressed Granny Fang and Steward Yang An, and how she became the number one person in her aunt's eyes.
Therefore, subconsciously she felt that Wei Jia was a formidable person who was difficult to deal with!
But to everyone's surprise, Wei Jia not only didn't complain about her, but also didn't stop her from selling her paintings. Instead, she praised her paintings, saying they were very inspired and that she had sold them too cheaply.
Finally, she was even persuaded to hand over her paintings to her so that she could help her sell them.
God knows, when she learned that Wei Jia had sold her paintings for exorbitant prices through various dubious tactics and inexplicable means, her jaw dropped.
It turns out that all the money she's secretly earned from selling paintings over the years is less than what Wei Jia earns from helping sell just one painting!
From that moment on, Wei Jia became her god!
Even if she was surprised or found it unbelievable, she subconsciously believed what she said.
Even when Wei Jia asked her to come to the Seventh Princess and say those treasonous words today, she came without hesitation.
Even now, her admiration for Wei Jia is even greater, reaching the pinnacle of respect.
Before coming, Wei Jia had perfectly predicted the Seventh Princess's reaction to these words. She even anticipated that the Seventh Princess might want to summon her to the palace and keep her by her side!
Of course, Wei Jia also told her not to easily agree to the Seventh Princess's request.
What is obtained too easily will never be cherished.
Qiao Yuanyao left the palace with excitement.
As soon as she left the palace, the Empress received the entire content of her conversation with Li Sanqi.
There was no other way; the personal female official by Li Sanqi's side was someone arranged by the Empress.
The Empress was furious when she first heard Qiao Yuanyao's words.
Instigating the Seventh Princess, plotting against the Crown Princess, scheming for the Crown Prince's position... each of these is a capital offense!
She almost instinctively wanted to arrest and punish the person.
But after she calmed down and carefully considered Qiao Yuanyao's words, the Empress suddenly felt that they were quite feasible.
Just as the Empress was seriously pondering Qiao Yuanyao's words, Li Sanqi arrived.
Before she could speak, the Empress said that she already knew about her conversation with Qiao Yuanyao.
Just as Li Sanqi was feeling uneasy, the Empress said with a warm smile, "It's time to have a heart-to-heart talk with Consort Liu Hui."
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Li Sanqi understood that her mother had decided to act according to Qiao Yuanyao's plan.
Well, the first step in supporting the third prince is to get the Empress Dowager on good terms with Consort Liu and elevate her status. If possible, it would be best to find a way to get her father to bestow upon Consort Liu the title of Noble Consort Hui.
As for the second step, it would naturally be to find a noble princess for her third brother!
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