Chapter 649 Persuader Li Sanqi
Fearing that Qiao Qinghe might misunderstand, Li Sanqi quickly said, "Madam, please don't be angry. Please listen to me first."
"Okay, go ahead." Qiao Qinghe looked at Li Sanqi quietly, her tone still carrying displeasure.
Li Sanqi gave a wry smile and quickly said, "I know it's inappropriate for Crown Prince Xia to ask for the hand of Princess Gaoping, but I cannot refuse Crown Prince Xia's request."
Qiao Qinghe's eyes turned cold as she heard Li Sanqi continue, "Crown Prince Xia promised me that if I could facilitate this marriage, he would be willing to sign a twenty-year peace treaty with Dayan."
Qiao Qinghe's pupils suddenly contracted. "Xia Linyuan still hasn't given up on the idea of forcibly occupying Dayan!"
Li Sanqi smiled wryly, "Yes. He said he was willing to give Dayan time to complete the handover between the old and new regimes. He also promised that he would never send troops against Dayan while Dayan was preoccupied with its own power transition."
Qiao Qinghe frowned even more deeply. "You believe what he said?"
Li Sanqi sighed, his smile tinged with helplessness, "What can we do if they don't believe me?"
"The old lady should know my thoughts. At that time, I'm afraid the whole court will be against it. Only when there is no Da'e to worry about can I concentrate on stabilizing the court."
Qiao Qinghe suddenly understood why Li Sanqi did this.
But, "Isn't the princess thinking too far ahead?"
"Is it far?" Li Sanqi shook his head. "Father's health is already failing. It could take three to five years at most, or at least one or two years."
"How is this possible?!" Qiao Qinghe was shocked. The last time she met Emperor Xiaozhao, he seemed to be in good health and there was nothing wrong with him.
I initially thought he was seriously ill, but it turns out he was faking it all.
Zhuxi never mentioned that Emperor Xiaozhao was in poor health!
In an instant, as if realizing something, Qiao Qinghe looked at Li Sanqi in shock, "Could it be..."
Last year, when Emperor Xiaozhao was feigning illness, they discussed sending Mulan into the palace to treat him and, incidentally, to give him some medicine.
The matter was dropped after it was learned that Emperor Xiaozhao was only feigning illness.
But now Li Sanqi says that Emperor Xiaozhao's life is nearing its end.
All she could think of was that Li Sanqi had secretly drugged Emperor Xiaozhao behind her back.
Since the Crown Prince's rebellion, Li Sanqi has been deeply favored by Emperor Xiaozhao and often walks in front of the emperor, giving him many opportunities to make his move.
As expected, Li Sanqi nodded and admitted, "The old lady guessed correctly, I did drug Father Emperor."
"It's been eight months. There's no cure, no cure."
"His life is now in my hands."
"Even if I do nothing now, he will only live for three to five years at most."
"If I wanted to, Father would die silently a year from now. No matter how the imperial physicians examined him, they wouldn't be able to find anything wrong."
Qiao Qinghe took a deep breath. "Did Mu Jin give you the medicine?"
Li Sanqi didn't hide anything, "Yes. I met with her alone. I promised her that if I could successfully rise to power one day, I would grant her husband a title."
Seeing Qiao Qinghe frown, Li Sanqi explained, "I told Doctor Mu that your title of Second Rank Lady cannot be passed down, so I will use this as an excuse to compensate Qiao Jingyao."
"She believed it?"
“She believed it.” Li Sanqi smiled. “Given the relationship between the old lady and me, Doctor Mu had no reason not to believe it, did he?”
"Don't worry, Madam. I am not one to break my word. When that day comes, I will certainly not mistreat the Qiao family."
Qiao Qinghe waved her hand, not wanting to continue the topic.
“I can understand the princess’s desire to use a marriage alliance to temporarily stabilize the situation on the Da’an side.”
"But, has the princess considered whether Princess Gaoping is willing to marry Xia Linyuan?"
"Has the princess considered whether the Marquis of Yongning's household would agree to this marriage?"
Li Sanqi looked at her intently: "Then we'll have to ask the old lady to step in."
"Princess Gaoping always listens to the old lady the most. As long as the old lady asks her to marry Prince Xia, Princess Gaoping will definitely not refuse!"
"As for the Yongning Marquis's residence, as long as the Princess of Gaoping nods in agreement, the Lady of the Yongning Marquis will definitely not object!"
To make up for the suffering her daughter endured during the years she was lost, Lady Yongning doted on Yu Huanzhen to an extreme degree.
As long as Yu Zhen really wanted something, Lady Yongning Hou never objected.
Most importantly, the Lady of Yongning Marquis's Mansion is now in charge!
Since the death of Lady Yu, the Marquis of Yongning and his wife had developed a rift. The Marquis of Yongning had even considered divorcing his wife. Unfortunately, his sons had all grown up, especially his eldest and third sons, who were highly trusted by the Emperor.
And all his sons, whether legitimate or illegitimate, followed their wives' every command.
His wife held the entire Yongning Marquis's mansion firmly in her grasp, and everyone in the mansion was united as one, making him seem like the only outsider in the mansion!
It was precisely because of this that shortly after Qiao Qinghe was driven out of the capital, the Marquis of Yongning volunteered to go to the border and has not returned since.
"You want me to persuade the Princess of Gaoping?" Qiao Qinghe frowned as she looked at Li Sanqi.
Li Sanqi nodded, looking earnestly at Qiao Qinghe, "Please help me, Madam!"
Qiao Qinghe shook her head. "I'm sorry, I cannot comply."
"Madam..."
Qiao Qinghe raised her hand to stop Li Sanqi from speaking, and asked in a calm tone, "Has the princess considered what the Yongning Marquis's mansion would face if Princess Gaoping really married Crown Prince Xia?"
"What makes you think that Princess Gaoping would abandon the entire Yongning Marquis's mansion just because of a single word I said?"
Li Sanqi didn't believe it. "Princess Gaoping is willing to risk her life for the old lady! As long as the old lady is willing to speak up, she will definitely not refuse."
"Madam, please forgive me, it is Huaiyang who is begging you!"
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "Princess, don't you understand? Princess Gaoping is willing to die for me, but she will not betray the Yongning Marquis's Mansion because of a single word from me."
"Human hearts are made of flesh and blood!"
"The protection, affection, and sincerity shown to her by the Yongning Marquis's family over the past few years have all been genuine."
Even if she were a heartless person, she could still sense it.
"My intervention would only put her in a difficult position."
Qiao Qinghe looked at Li Sanqi with a serious expression, "I can guarantee that even if the Princess of Gaoping were to give her life for me, she would never harm the Yongning Marquis's mansion in the slightest."
Li Sanqi still said unwillingly, "I never intended to harm the Yongning Marquis's mansion!"
"Father's suspicion and suppression are only temporary."
"As long as I succeed in taking power, I will restore all the power and status they currently possess. I will also provide the Yongning Marquis's mansion with appropriate compensation."
Seeing Li Sanqi's stubbornness, Qiao Qinghe couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Princess, haven't you realized that you've gone down a wrong path?"
"Misconception?" Li Sanqi looked at Qiao Qinghe in confusion.
Qiao Qinghe shook her head helplessly, "You only think about the promise Xia Linyuan made to you, but have you ever thought about why Xia Linyuan gave you a twenty-year time limit?"
"And why are you so insistent on marrying the Princess of Gaoping County?"
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