Chapter 75 Princess Cheng is pregnant
Seeing that the Li family member was still hesitant, Feng Qiuli's voice became colder: "Could it be that Uncle Li still has illusions about the Lu family?"
"Let's not even mention that since Lu Chongyuan has just spoken, I'm afraid he has already noticed our situation. Even if we turn back now, he may not let us go. Moreover, if we want to achieve great things, how can there be no risks? And is Uncle Li really willing to accept this?"
He stared intently at the head of the Li family in front of him. "We are all from aristocratic families, and the Li family was once a powerful clan. Why can we only assist the Lu family's bloodline to ascend to power? Why can we only rely on the Lu family for survival? Lu Chongyuan keeps saying that our families are of the same blood, but has the Lu family really lived up to that?"
"No matter what our families do, Lu Chongyuan is always our boss. The Lu family always takes the lion's share of any benefits, leaving us with only a few small profits. Lu Chongyuan holds the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat, and the Lu family is already superior to us, but he's still not satisfied. Once the Fourth Prince ascends the throne, where will our family have a foothold in the capital?"
Feng Qiuli's words were full of temptation, constantly shaking the heart of the head of the Li family.
"Imperial power and aristocratic families can never coexist. Just like Emperor An, who borrowed the power of the aristocratic families before ascending the throne, turned against them immediately after he secured the throne. He would rather promote a eunuch than eliminate the aristocratic families and seize imperial power. The Fourth Prince will be no exception in the future."
"The Lu family has blood relatives to protect them, so they are naturally not afraid, but what about us?"
"The so-called ties of kinship are just a pretext used by the Lu family to win us over to assist the Fourth Prince. But once the Fourth Prince ascends the throne and he despises the aristocratic families as an eyesore, Uncle Li, do you think the Lu family will turn against the new emperor on our behalf, or will they directly help him eliminate us in order to curry favor with him and monopolize power?"
Every word Feng Qiuli said was like thunder exploding in the ears of the head of the Li family, making his face turn even paler, and his originally wavering heart was instantly pulled back.
He didn't want to put the Li family in that situation, but... "Prince Cheng's side..."
"King Cheng doesn't dare to involve us."
Feng Qiuli said firmly, "Your Majesty already despises aristocratic families, and he particularly dislikes the closeness between members of the royal family and the prince. Prince Cheng has been confined because of the Song family's affairs. If he were to bring up the fact that he was the matchmaker between us and the Second Prince, Your Majesty would never forgive him."
"Besides, Prince Cheng is on good terms with the Lu family on the surface. He and Lu Chongyuan jointly punished the Crown Prince Li. The rest of us are just adding fuel to the fire."
"Prince Cheng should know that if he keeps silent, Lu Chongyuan will help him out even if it's just to protect himself. But if Lu Chongyuan finds out that he's secretly acting as a liaison between the noble families and the Second Prince, given Lu Chongyuan's personality, he might even push Xiao Yan to completely kill Prince Cheng."
A royal prince is not a very important figure to the Lu family.
Even the Crown Prince Li...
What is King Cheng?
Cui Lin looked at the young head of the Feng family with admiration.
Aristocratic families always prioritize legitimate sons and never allow illegitimate sons to bully legitimate sons, but the Feng family is an exception.
The previous head of the Feng family had only one son, but he died in an accident when he was just an adult. The head of the Feng family was devastated by the death of his beloved son and became seriously ill and was on the verge of death. However, the Feng family could not be without a leader, so the head of the Feng family could only adopt a son with the same surname from a branch of the family.
At that time, the Feng family had nearly twenty legitimate sons from the side branches who were of the right age and capable. There were also many outstanding young men among the young men sent by other branches. But no one expected that in the end, a bastard son who was only twenty years old and whose parents had died early would reap the fruits.
Feng Qiuli stood out from everyone and caught the eye of the head of the Feng family.
At the beginning, everyone thought that the head of the Feng family was crazy and that the Feng family might decline. Feng Qiuli did not show off. After entering the Feng family for a full six months, she stayed low-key by the head of the Feng family and took care of him on his sickbed. She did not have any ambition at all and did not look like anyone could bully her.
But half a year later, when the old head of the Feng family gave him power and let him gradually take over the Feng family, those who originally thought he was a docile lamb discovered that he was actually a hungry wolf. It took Feng Qiuli less than a month to suppress those who were dissatisfied with him in the clan with thunder-like means, and dealt with the other families who attempted to seize power.
After the old patriarch of the Feng family passed away, it only took him a few days to smoothly stabilize the turmoil caused by the change of patriarch in the family. He also put the entire Feng family in order and made them obey Feng Qiuli's orders.
This ability is the reason why Cui Lin chose the Feng family.
Seeing Feng Qiuli calming down the Li family's head, Cui Lin said, "Lu Chongyuan won't give Prince Cheng a chance to bite him, and neither will I. Even if Prince Cheng is truly convicted, he won't dare reveal anything about us and the Second Prince."
When the head of the Li family heard Cui Lin's affirmative words and saw that Feng Qiuli showed no signs of regret, his originally anxious heart finally calmed down.
"That's good."
As if feeling that there was something wrong with what he said, and that his panicked appearance just now was too embarrassing, the Li family patriarch changed the subject and said, "Actually, I'm not afraid of Lu Chongyuan. No matter how powerful he is, can he really attack us? I just don't want to break off relations with them so early and give that eunuch Xiao Yan an advantage for nothing."
Cui Lin and Feng Qiuli pretended not to hear his attempt to save face.
The head of the Li family did not stay any longer after feeling relieved. Lu Chongyuan's words still made him feel a little uneasy. He just said hello to Cui Lin and the others and went back to clean up his mess.
Cui Lin frowned as he watched the people hurriedly leaving below through the window lattice. "This Li Changwen is really as cowardly as a mouse. If you hadn't insisted on dragging him along, I really wouldn't want the Li family to go with us. He gets so restless at the slightest sign of trouble. If Lu Chongyuan doesn't suspect him, who else can he suspect?"
Feng Qiuli said softly, "He's timid, but his strength lies in his caution. Being timid makes him easier to control. As long as we tie him down to our side, he won't dare to turn against us and defect to the Lu family."
He reached out to pour tea and said:
"Lu Chongyuan has already accumulated great prestige. The other families are either too deeply tied to the Lu family to be won over, or they are fence-sitters who can't be trusted. We want to assist the Second Prince in his fight against the Fourth Prince, but relying on the power of the two families alone is a bit of a stretch. Bringing in the Li family will provide more security, and they can also act as a barrier if something goes wrong in the future."
"We can't rely on just our two families to confront the Lu family. Li Changwen is the best choice right now. Lord Cui, please be patient for now."
Feng Qiuli handed the teacup over as he spoke. Seeing Cui Lin's anger subside after he took it and drank the tea, he continued, "But how did Lu Chongyuan know about our relationship with the Second Prince? Did someone leak the news?"
"Probably not."
Cui Lin said coldly, "Lu Chongyuan is not a broad-minded person. Moreover, the Fourth Prince is the bottom line of the Lu family. He can tolerate other things, but betraying the Fourth Prince and choosing another master. Once Lu Chongyuan knows about it, he will definitely not just give a few warnings."
"I think he probably only knows about our private dealings with King Cheng. Everything else is just speculation."
Feng Qiuli breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this: "That's good."
Cui Lin raised his head and glared at him: "Why, are you scared?"
Feng Qiuli shook her head: "It's not that I'm afraid, I just think it's a pity."
"What a pity?" Cui Lin frowned and looked at him.
Feng Qiuli smiled bitterly and said, "I think that the incident with Crown Prince Li was handled by Lu Chongyuan and Prince Cheng. Even though our families were involved, we only added fuel to the fire."
"Your Majesty only gained the throne after the death of Crown Prince Li. His methods were not clean. He would never allow anyone to touch Crown Prince Li's old case. This means that even if he thoroughly investigates the Xu girl and makes the Song family's affairs a big deal, it is only to take advantage of the opportunity to deal with Lu Chongyuan. It is unlikely to affect our family. Otherwise, if someone finds out, your Majesty's throne will be shaken."
As he spoke, regret filled his face. "I had thought that since the Lu family is so powerful, if we could take advantage of this opportunity to suppress them, we could also free up our hands to find a job for the Second Prince. Unfortunately, the person handling this matter is Xiao Yan, who has a grudge against us. Otherwise, we could have used him to make the Lu family suffer a little, and save that Lu Chongyuan from being so condescending all day and even speaking so rudely to Lord Cui."
When Cui Lin heard this, he immediately remembered the time when Lu Chongyuan got angry at the Lu family. He almost subconsciously avoided that person. He felt a little angry in his heart: "Who said I can't?"
Feng Qiuli was stunned: "Mr. Cui?"
Cui Lin snorted coldly: "That eunuch Xiao Yan is indeed abominable, but if used properly, he might be as good as a knife in our hands."
Just as Feng Qiuli said, Emperor An would not allow Crown Prince Li to overturn the verdict, which means that the Song family's affairs would only come to an end at this point. Now that Xiao Yan was allowed to investigate, it was very likely that it was directed at Lu Chongyuan and the Lu family, and had little to do with their other families.
What Lu Chongyuan said about bringing up the old case would threaten the family's survival was just to scare them and make them behave themselves.
In that case, why not take this opportunity to make the Lu family suffer a little loss.
Feng Qiuli understood Cui Lin's intention and hurriedly said, "Master Cui, this cannot happen. Xiao Yan is a lunatic. Although he is a sharp blade, he can hurt others and himself if he is not careful."
"Then just hold the hilt of the knife carefully and point the blade towards the other person."
"Mr. Cui..."
"Okay."
Feng Qiuli wanted to persuade him further, but Cui Lin just waved his hand to interrupt him.
"I don't want to join forces with Xiao Yan. Although Lu Chongyuan is hateful, Xiao Yan is equally annoying. I won't help that eunuch to deal with the aristocratic family. I just want someone to give Lu Chongyuan a push on the Song family's affairs so that he can teach Lu Chongyuan a lesson."
In recent years, Lu Chongyuan has relied on the position of the Queen and her son and the Minister of the Central Secretariat to suppress the Cui family and make them unable to raise their heads. If we can take the opportunity to make him suffer a little, even if he can't suffer any serious injuries, it will at least make him feel uncomfortable.
Seeing Feng Qiuli's worried look, Cui Lin said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Can……"
"You don't believe me, or do you think I'm not as good as Lu Chongyuan?"
Cui Lin had said so much, Feng Qiuli dared not continue to speak, she could only purse her lips and sigh softly: "Of course I believe Cui Gong."
Feng Qiuli couldn't persuade Cui Lin, and was still worried when he left. But when he returned to his carriage with a frown, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and there was no trace of hesitation or worry on his face that he had shown in front of Cui Lin before. Thinking of Cui Lin's appearance just now, he sneered.
It turns out that the people from this aristocratic family have been in a high and mighty position for too long, and each one is more arrogant and easier to fool than the other.
It was because Lu Chongyuan was so cunning that he could protect the interests of the aristocratic family and compete with the imperial power. It was a pity that Lu Chongyuan was alone, and no matter how powerful he was, he could not lead a group of brainless people who were dragging their feet.
The carriage started moving, and the attendant beside him asked, "Master, are you going back to the mansion or to the government office?"
"Go back home."
Feng Qiuli reached out and lifted the curtain. She glanced at Cui Lin, who was leading his servants out from a distance. She curled her lips in a mocking manner and said to the attendant beside her, "Send someone to tell Xiao Yan that the Cui family's matter is settled."
After the attendant murmured his agreement, he hesitantly said, "Master, you previously joined forces with Xiao Yan so that he could help you become the head of the Feng family. But now that you have taken over the Feng family, why do you still want to join forces with Xiao Yan?"
"This man is scheming and has ill intentions towards the aristocratic families. What if he deals with the Lu family and then turns against us? Then why would you, the Feng family, risk your life by courting a tiger?"
Feng Qiuli was silent for a moment before she said calmly, "He's not interested in aristocratic families."
He paused, then continued:
"I'm not interested in the Feng family either."
"Patriarch..."
The attendant looked at Feng Qiuli in astonishment, as if he didn't understand the meaning of his words. Unfortunately, Feng Qiuli stopped talking after he finished speaking, as if he had lost interest in talking, and just relaxed and leaned against the wall of the car.
"Let's go back home."
…
Xiao Yan was in Tang Mansion when he received the message from the Feng family.
Canglang whispered something in his ear, and he just nodded and said, "I understand."
Xiao Yan walked over to Song Tangning, who was not far away. He glanced at Gu Helian, whose face was ashen outside the door, and asked, "What's wrong with him? Who owes him money?"
Tang Ning pursed her lips and said, "Brother, my aunt is pregnant."
Xiao Yan was stunned when he heard this, and turned around to see the little girl who had been celebrating with him excitedly yesterday, full of joy at being able to leave the Song family, now with her eyes drooping and a listless look on her face, as if it had been hit by frost and was full of frustration.
Xiao Yan said, "So what if she's pregnant? Are you acting like this because you think you shouldn't expose the Song family's affairs and let your aunt know Prince Cheng's true face?"
"No." Song Tangning shook his head.
She has no regrets about what happened to the Song family. Even if it happens again, she will still try her best to expose it. She will never flatter them and force herself to look at those disgusting faces.
"If it's not, then what are you worried about?"
Xiao Yan looked at Gu Helian over there and took several deep breaths to suppress the lividity on his face. He subconsciously moved more lightly as he entered the room. He said, "Your aunt is not a three-year-old child. It's not up to you to decide what she wants or doesn't want."
"You are certainly the reason she left Prince Cheng's Mansion, but the fact that she and Prince Cheng have come this far is not entirely because of you. Your aunt sees things more clearly than you do and is more determined. If you blame yourself for this, you will only underestimate her."
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