Chapter 686 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap
What brings you here?
Having been mistreated by the King of Chu, Wenxi naturally didn't give the King of Chu, her own sister, a friendly look either.
"If you've come here again for the messy affairs of your son-in-law's family, then don't bother speaking."
"With your fifth brother not here, I'm not in the mood to clean up your mess."
Li Sanqi wasn't annoyed. He smiled and stepped forward to take Wenxi's hand. "Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. I didn't come here for the matter of the Prince Consort."
"Then what are you doing here?" Wenxi glanced at Li Sanqi, her expression somewhat impatient.
Li Sanqi hesitated for a moment, then glanced solemnly at the servants serving in the room, signaling Wenxi to send them out.
Wenxi seems to have a particular fondness for pomp and circumstance, though it's unclear what that quirk is.
Before she got married, she liked to invite friends and always had a group of other girls with her.
Now that she's married, she likes to be followed by a large group of servants when she walks around her own household.
Even when staying inside, there are always several servants standing by, ready to serve at any time. And that doesn't even include the few standing at the door.
Wenxi saw Li Sanqi's hint, but showed no intention of dismissing the servants. Instead, she said rather impatiently, "Just say what you have to say."
"If I'm not afraid, what am I not afraid of?"
Hearing her say that, Li Sanqi could no longer insist, but he hesitated for a moment before speaking, and then said, "Does my sister-in-law know why my father has been so reluctant to make my fifth brother the crown prince?"
Upon hearing this, Wenxi's expression immediately changed.
"Get out!"
At his command, the servants in the room quickly withdrew.
Li Sanqi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
Seeing Wenxi looking at her anxiously, she didn't dare to delay and quickly put on a worried look, saying, "I've heard some rumors recently that Father has been talking about deposing the Crown Prince several times these days."
"It seems...it seems that there is an intention to reinstate the deposed crown prince."
"What did you say!?"
Wenxi was so startled that she knocked over the teacup beside her.
Where did you hear this from? Is it true or false? Can you confirm it?
Li Sanqi also looked panicked and said urgently, "These words came from the mouth of the little eunuch who serves Father Emperor."
"The little eunuch once made a small mistake and was punished by being made to kneel in the snow."
“I happened to pass by and saw it. Out of kindness, I pleaded for him and spared him from punishment.”
"Thinking about it, I have done him a favor. I don't think he would lie to me."
Wenxi nodded in deep agreement: "So, this matter is actually true!"
"No wonder so many people have petitioned to appoint a crown prince, yet the emperor remains unmoved. Is he still thinking of deposing the crown prince?"
Wenxi was somewhat bewildered, yet also somewhat incredulous. "But how could this be?"
"Deposing the crown prince is treason!"
"The deposed crown prince has led his private army into the palace and even reached the emperor's doorstep!"
"How could His Majesty still care about the deposed crown prince?"
"How could he possibly still want to reinstate the deposed crown prince?"
Wenxi looked at Li Sanqi with suspicion, hoping to get an answer from him.
Li Sanqi, however, wore a bitter expression and said with great worry, "Sister-in-law, you yourself said that even the deposed crown prince led troops to storm Father Emperor's side, but what was the result?"
"Father Emperor merely deposed Li Chengjun from his position as Crown Prince, reduced him to a commoner, and imprisoned him."
"Father did not kill him, nor did he kill his two sons and the Crown Princess."
"Oh, by the way, after he was imprisoned, the Crown Princess gave birth to a healthy daughter for him."
"I'm afraid my sister-in-law doesn't know, does she?"
"After the treason case occurred, all the court officials who followed the Crown Prince had their homes confiscated, some were exiled, and countless people died.
“At that time, some people advised that since the crown prince had been deposed and reduced to a commoner, he should be expelled from the capital and exiled to the border regions.”
"But Father Emperor stubbornly kept him in the capital."
"Although it was a form of confinement, the person was moved out of the Crown Prince's residence."
"But they are still taken care of, and the whole family is still well-fed and clothed."
"Their lives were millions of times better than those of ordinary people!"
As Wenxi listened to what was said, she became increasingly alarmed and restless.
If she had heard Li Sanqi say that Emperor Xiaozhao still remembered the good things about the deposed crown prince, she would have been somewhat skeptical.
After hearing Li Sanqi's words, she had no more doubts.
Just as Li Sanqi said, despite the heinous crime of treason, he was neither sentenced to death nor exiled. Instead, under the guise of confinement, he was kept close by and treated with the best food and drink.
This clearly shows that Emperor Xiaozhao still had feelings for the deposed crown prince, still cared about the father-son relationship, and couldn't bear to part with the crown prince!
Come to think of it, the deposed crown prince was someone Emperor Xiaozhao had personally raised and mentored, and who had placed great hopes on him!
That's someone who was made crown prince from a young age!
Wenxi became increasingly uneasy as she thought about it.
Does His Majesty really intend to reinstate the deposed Crown Prince?
What about the King of Chu? What about her?
She's destined to be the Crown Princess and the Empress!
Thinking of this, her eyes suddenly sharpened, and boundless courage and malice arose in her heart.
The evil thought that welled up in her heart brought her back to her senses somewhat.
She composed herself, turned her head, and looked at Li Sanqi with a deep gaze. "Why did you tell me all this, Seventh Sister?"
"Whether it's the deposed crown prince or the Prince of Chu, they are both Seventh Sister's brothers from the same mother. Logically speaking, it shouldn't matter to Seventh Sister who ascends to the throne, right?"
"How could there be no difference!?"
Without even thinking, Li Sanqi retorted, "The deposed crown prince forced me to bow down and apologize to the late crown princess's family, and he even publicly belittled me and elevated Li Jingyue!"
"He has never treated me like a sister!"
"In his heart, only Li Jingyue is his sister!"
Li Sanqi became more and more excited as he spoke, and his eyes even reddened at this point.
Wenxi naturally knew about these things, but she always had to test him to find out whether Li Sanqi was truly of one mind with their Chu Prince's Mansion or just wanted to use them.
Seeing how emotional she became when she mentioned her past with the deposed crown prince, most of the doubts in my heart dissipated.
She quickly said apologetically, "Seventh Sister, don't be sad. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have reminded you of those unpleasant experiences."
Li Sanqi shook his head, leaned over and held Wenxi's hand, and said sincerely, "Sister-in-law, you don't know, when the Crown Prince forced me to bow down and apologize to the Wu family, he didn't even give the Empress Dowager any face."
"But at that time, Fifth Brother was able to stand up and say he would go and argue with the deposed crown prince!"
"At that time, I only recognized my fifth brother as my true brother!"
"The fact that my father sent me to marry a foreign ruler was also at the insistence of the deposed crown prince!"
"It was my fifth brother who stood up for me at that time. When his plea failed, he volunteered to escort me all the way to Da'e!"
"I remember every single one of these things!"
With tears in his eyes, Li Sanqi looked at Wenxi and said firmly, "Therefore, the only one who can be the Crown Prince and inherit the throne from Father Emperor is Fifth Brother!"
Upon seeing Li Sanqi's genuine and heartfelt sincerity, Wenxi was deeply moved and overwhelmed with emotion.
She squeezed Li Sanqi's hand back, her heart pounding with emotion, and said, "Good, good, good! Your fifth brother and I were right about you!"
"Don't worry, as long as you are of one mind with us, when your fifth brother ascends the throne, your fifth brother and I will definitely not treat you unfairly!"
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