Chapter 696 It's all a conspiracy
Of course, this is just something I think about.
Qiao Qinghe quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "Xu-ge'er is almost 100 days old, right? Is there a plan for the 100-day celebration?"
Ah Qi covered her mouth and chuckled, "After the young master's third-day celebration and full-moon banquet, Madam thought it was too much trouble, so she didn't want to hold a 100-day banquet this time. That's why she thought of coming to the old lady's place to have some peace and quiet and hide away for a while."
Hearing this, Qiao Qinghe couldn't help but laugh, "You're a mother now, but you're still like a child."
"To host a banquet, just tell your subordinates to do it. What's the trouble?"
Aqi laughed and replied, "That's what my lord said too. But my wife wouldn't agree, so my lord couldn't do anything about it."
The two exchanged a few more words with Su Rongrong before Aqi smiled and took his leave.
Less than a quarter of an hour after Aqi left, the gatekeeper rushed in to report that Princess Huaiyang had arrived.
Li Sanqi didn't exchange many pleasantries after entering the house; he went to see the three children first.
After examining the children, she asked, "Madam, why did Father Emperor entrust the deposed crown prince's children to you?"
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "Perhaps it's because I have Qian-ge'er in my household."
Li Sanqi frowned. Is that really all there is to it?
She felt that something was wrong.
Qiao Qinghe hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Was the poisoning of the deposed crown prince's family the princess's doing?"
Li Sanqi glanced at Qiao Qinghe, "It wasn't my doing."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I was just saying it casually. If someone takes it seriously and actually attacks the deposed crown prince, there's nothing I can do about it."
Qiao Qinghe understood; it was indeed Li Sanqi manipulating things behind the scenes.
No wonder Emperor Xiaozhao was so certain that Li Sanqi was too ruthless.
Qiao Qinghe looked at Li Sanqi with a complicated expression and tentatively asked, "Was this the princess's own idea, or did someone else give it to her?"
Li Sanqi frowned. "Does the old lady think I did something wrong?"
"The Yongchang Marquis's mansion took action to eliminate the deposed crown prince, which implicated the Prince of Chu, killing two birds with one stone."
"The King of Qi has been deposed, the King of Chu has been deposed, and it's my turn now."
"With the support of my uncle, the Marquis of Enping, the Marquis of Yongning, and the Zhong family, the position of Crown Prince is undoubtedly mine."
"The Zhong family!?"
Qiao Qinghe astutely discovered the key point.
"The Zhong family that the princess mentioned, could it be the family of the deposed crown princess?"
Li Sanqi knew he had misspoke, but after only a slight hesitation, he nodded and admitted, "That's right."
"After the deposed crown prince's rebellion, the Zhong family gradually declined."
"In order to ensure the family's continued prosperity, the Zhong family took the initiative to surrender to me."
Alarm bells rang in Qiao Qinghe's mind, "Did the Zhong family take the initiative to surrender to the princess?"
"Exactly."
Li Sanqi smiled and nodded, a hint of pride subtly showing between his brows.
That expression clearly indicated that, besides Qiao Qinghe, there were other people who also thought highly of her!
No, it should be said that the Zhong family had better foresight than Qiao Qinghe!
After all, it was she who took the initiative to ask Qiao Qinghe for help.
However, the Zhong family took the initiative to approach her.
Having confirmed her suspicions, Qiao Qinghe couldn't help but have another thought: Could the current patriarch of the Zhong family be Min Ji?
Once this idea took hold, she couldn't resist the urge to uncover the truth.
So she cautiously inquired, "When did the Zhong family pledge allegiance to the princess?"
Li Sanqi thought for a moment and then replied, "Shortly after the former crown prince was deposed."
At this point, she smiled with a hint of pride, "Back then, the former crown prince had just been deposed, and everyone thought that the King of Qi and the King of Chu had the best chance of taking the throne."
"But the Zhong family came to me."
Therefore, the Zhong family has excellent foresight.
Li Sanqi's words carried a hint of boasting.
It is said that even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even though the old master Zhong, who was the "head of the six ministries and the head of the civil officials," was disliked by his father, he also had the idea of retiring. However, he had painstakingly cultivated his position in the court for decades.
His students and followers are all over the world, and many of the high-ranking officials in the court were promoted by him.
Of course, there are also many capable people in the Zhong family itself.
Therefore, even though Mr. Zhong has retired, the Zhong family's influence remains enormous.
This is also why the deposed crown prince, even at the risk of poisoning his wife, insisted on marrying a woman from the Zhong family.
The strong support from the Zhong family was the source of the Crown Prince's confidence to take a gamble in the end!
Unfortunately, the Zhong family did not have high hopes for the deposed crown prince, which is why they abandoned him at the crucial moment.
Qiao Qinghe naturally had no idea what Li Sanqi was thinking.
What she's thinking now is that the timing is perfect!
The Zhong family was clearly prepared to fight tooth and nail for the Crown Prince, but they changed their minds at the last minute and betrayed him.
No sooner had the crown prince been deposed than the Zhong family turned around and chose Li Sanqi, a woman, to support them.
Then, Li Sanqi started to use his brain. He schemed about the marriage of the Prince of Chu, won over the Yongning Marquis's family, plotted against the Empress Dowager, schemed against the Prince of Qi and his mother, poisoned the deposed Crown Prince, and plotted against the Prince of Chu and the Yongchang Marquis's family...
Today, Li Sanqi's power is firmly established.
If it weren't for her suspicions and her conversation with Emperor Xiaozhao yesterday, she would have gladly supported Li Sanqi's ascension to the throne.
However, man proposes, God disposes.
Min Ji's intention to disrupt the world and destroy Dayan is all too obvious!
They poisoned Emperor Xiaozhao, poisoned the Empress Dowager, and poisoned the deposed Crown Prince...
Every single thing is a weakness of Li Sanqi!
Given that Li Sanqi is a woman who has committed such heinous acts, once she ascends the throne and her past crimes are made public, the world will definitely be in chaos.
Qiao Qinghe's heart pounded, and she finally asked to confirm, "May I ask, Princess, have you been planning and acting with the advice of the Zhong family patriarch behind the scenes these past two years?"
Hearing Qiao Qinghe's almost accusatory tone, Li Sanqi's expression froze, but he still said truthfully, "Lord Zhong has indeed made a great contribution."
Many things were only possible because Grandpa Zhong reminded her, and only then could she figure out what was in her best interest.
Upon hearing Li Sanqi's words, Qiao Qinghe felt a heart attack.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the princess consider that perhaps Old Master Zhong was using you?"
"And what will you do then?"
Li Sanqi was taken aback, and his brows immediately furrowed.
What can he use me for?
Li Sanqi subconsciously retorted, "Are you using me to stabilize the Zhong family's declining situation, or to help the Zhong family regain its position as the number one family?"
"To be honest, I don't think this is exploitation."
“The Zhong family used me to get what they wanted, and I also used the Zhong family to achieve my own goals.”
"At best, this can only be described as a mutually beneficial arrangement where each party gets what they need."
Qiao Qinghe took a deep breath, her expression becoming even more serious.
"What if the Zhong family's goal is not to revitalize the Zhong family, but to lead you astray, and then reveal your past to the public one day after you ascend the throne?"
Li Sanqi's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously denied it, saying, "That's impossible! The Zhong family has no reason to do that!"
This is not good for the Zhong family at all! Why would they do this?
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