Chapter 115 Planning for the Future This is our shared plan, Qiqi. ...
The bright moonlight poured down through the carved window lattice, covering the ground with white light.
Unlike the surrounding darkness, a small courtyard in the east of the city was brightly lit. In the quiet corner of the courtyard, the occasional chirping of insects could be heard, quickly fading away in the cool night breeze.
Yu Nie and Lang Xi sat facing each other at a round table, with a newly drafted impeachment memorial lying open in the middle, concerning the lives and deaths of countless people.
About an hour and a half ago, she returned from Jiheng Mansion and told Langxi everything about her conversations with Yu Huanxun over the past few days, word for word.
Not only that, she also openly told Langxi about her conversation with Emperor Zhao Yunfu at the Dongguan Pavilion a few days ago.
Yu Nie felt guilty about letting Lang Xi take the lead and be at the forefront.
But Langxi knew in her heart that since she had been chosen as the eyes and ears of the one on the dragon throne in the palace, her current status was sensitive. If she were to openly interfere in court affairs, it would be something that a suspicious emperor would not want to see.
Given the enmity between her and the Li family, Huan Xun's concern that the emperor might suspect her of "taking revenge for personal reasons" was not without merit.
Therefore, Princess Yu Nie could not openly get involved in this matter.
Langxi's gaze fell on the completed memorial: "The rebellion of refugees in Dingzhou, Xiazhou, and Liangzhou was caused by the treachery and treachery of officials at all levels in Jincheng County during the disaster. I hope this memorial... can bring justice to those disaster victims who were forced to become outlaws."
"At this point, the Southern Yin is stirring up trouble, and the war in the Northern Frontier has not yet been resolved. If internal turmoil breaks out, this will be the most troublesome thing for Zhao Yunfu."
Yu Nie looked at the densely packed words: "We will request the court to suppress the bandits in the name of 'turmoil' instead of directly accusing Li Xing and asking Zhao Yunfu to investigate. We will give Li Xing a diversion and make him temporarily lower his guard. This will also prevent others from thinking that we are targeting Li Xing."
Instead of directly naming Li Xing, they said that bandits were disturbing the people, causing significant damage to farmland and making life unbearable for the local population. This roundabout approach was simply to reduce the risk of targeted retaliation and avoid being seen as a thorn in Li Xing's side from the outset.
At present, the court's primary task is to maintain overall stability. If it wants to move things forward, it should first address the root causes that threaten stability. The method of accusing "corruption" ultimately fails to reach the heart of an emperor like Zhao Yunfu, who is well-versed in the art of checks and balances. If Li Xing is directly accused, the investigation period may be extremely long, with some people stirring up trouble, and it may be shelved due to bureaucratic shirking.
They had to prevent such a thing from happening. They needed this memorial to make Zhao Yunfu restless and unable to eat or sleep. They needed to resolve the matter quickly.
As the saying goes, there are three ways to say something, and the best way is to say it cleverly. Rather than stating the cause of a problem directly, it is better to put the consequences out in the open. This kind of direct impact is far more moving than explaining the cause.
Closing the memorial on the table, Langxi said, "These parasites should be eliminated. Only in this way can we avenge Ahui, Jingyang, and those who suffered the same fate as him, and avenge the victims who died unjustly."
Langxi emphasized, "A foolish ruler like Zhao Yunfu cannot be allowed to remain in power for long."
Xu Jingyang died because Zhao Yunfu did not want his shameful deeds to be exposed in history books.
In Langxi's eyes, even if he were the emperor, he would surely die.
But killing an emperor is incredibly difficult, and they also have to ensure that his death doesn't plunge the world into chaos and leave the common people in dire straits.
Yu Nie also thought of this point. Listening to Lang Xi's words, she pondered, "Overthrowing a dynasty that is about to die is easy because the people's hearts have already been lost. It is difficult because we cannot cause the people to suffer in order to achieve our goal."
Her gaze was calm: "The people of Beiye, apart from the Jian'an area which is relatively peaceful, have long been filled with resentment in the surrounding areas. Once the war breaks out, people will inevitably die. We cannot exacerbate the suffering of the people by starting an uprising later. Although there is no battle without bloodshed, I think we must minimize the cost no matter what."
She and Langxi had already clearly understood each other's true thoughts.
In the past, whenever Yu Nie, as the junior sister, had any adventurous thoughts, Lang Xi, as the senior sister, would always try to dissuade her. But this time, she remained silent.
Because Yu Nie had already explained to her in detail the reasons for his decision.
Before the future Jian'an, when they were in Huaiyuan, they naively believed that by guarding their own little world, they could survive in this world.
At that time, they had witnessed much suffering in the world and had helped many people. It was only when misfortune struck them unexpectedly that they realized that no matter how much an individual tries to avoid it, they can never escape the crushing power of the world, and tragedy is still inevitable.
Yu Nie used to think that as long as she was cautious enough and didn't compete with the world, she could live a peaceful life. But after stepping into the "cannibalistic" Jian'an, she finally understood that hiding and retreating were useless. The festering sore must be completely removed and the lesion must be eradicated at the root before the world could usher in true clarity.
Fate has thrust her into the torrent; only by striving to be the first to act, by taking the lead, can she avoid becoming a victim of power.
Langxi: "What do you want to do?"
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Nie explained his plan, which he had been pondering for days: "After the power of the aristocratic clans is eliminated, all the land they have seized must be distributed to the people to appease them. Only in this way can we stabilize the situation and prevent the foundation from being shaken."
It's not hard to guess why she wanted to consolidate her power. If Nan Yin were to launch a northern expedition, the resulting war on two fronts, coupled with internal strife, would inevitably lead to widespread suffering and deep-seated calamities.
Beset by internal and external troubles, the situation will be difficult to control. Therefore, stabilizing the foundation is a must.
"At the same time, we must establish a new emperor before Zhao Yunfu dies, but it must not be the crown prince," she continued.
Langxi knew perfectly well why she didn't choose the crown prince.
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Everything they are doing now will one day be recorded in history. If the Crown Prince learns the truth, he will inevitably harbor resentment and may seek revenge in the future.
Not only the crown prince, but all princes of the direct lineage are ineligible to be established as heirs.
The person they want to put in power must be a reliable person, someone who will never purge them in the future.
This is no longer a question of whether they are willing to relinquish power after the matter is settled, but rather that once they sit in that position, they have no choice but to be vigilant and eliminate potential threats.
Moreover, they represent more than just themselves.
Now that Yu Nie has partnered with Huan Xun, his military power is a force they must rely on. Without the support of military power, everything they plan will be like a rootless duckweed, easily destroyed.
They are one.
Moreover, this matter involves a wide range of people and concerns the safety of many. Therefore, the selection of a new ruler must be approached with utmost care.
As for who should be chosen as heir, Langxi found it difficult to answer immediately. She was not familiar with the situation in the palace, only knowing that Zhao Yunfu had few children, and even fewer princes.
This also explains why they lacked informants in the palace. If they had a trustworthy person who could relay Zhao Yunfu's movements, their plans might have been much more successful.
Yu Nie: "Regarding the selection, regardless of whether the matter succeeds or not, we should start looking now."
She couldn't help but think of Zhao Kang, who had already been excluded from her list of candidates.
Langxi agreed to her suggestion and then asked a crucial question.
Lang Xi said, "Is Bei Ye really going to fight Nan Yin? If they do, what will happen to that Prince Guangning, Xiao Chengyan? Isn't he a prince of Nan Yin?"
From an emperor's perspective, if Zhao Yunfu had known that Emperor Xiao Daozun of Nan Yin was about to launch a northern expedition, he would not have been so wise as to have any intention of killing Xiao Chengyan. Turning this prince into a pawn would have been the wise thing to do.
The safest approach would be to support Xiao Chengyan as the new ruler of Nan Yin, while he himself would act as the "protector," calling on those in Nan Yin who were unwilling to launch a northern expedition to resist Xiao Daozun's decision. This would trigger internal strife in Nan Yin, causing the Xiao family to lose interest in launching a northern expedition or to postpone it.
However, this move has two unstable factors: first, whether there are people in Nan Yin who are unwilling to launch a northern expedition, and what percentage of them are these people; second, what does Xiao Chengyan himself think?
Although he grew up in Beiye, he never stopped writing letters to Xiao Daozun. He used to return to Nanyin for a short stay every year, and the two brothers had a good relationship. Many people don't know this.
In most people's eyes, the relationship between the Xiao brothers was not particularly deep. Xiao Chengyan should theoretically be closer to the people of Beiye, and besides, he usually had no interest in politics and only cared about having fun, so he was not a qualified politician.
“Peace talks,” Yu Nie said. “If Nan Yin really wants to launch a northern expedition, if we succeed, we should first make peace talks. A major war means millions of corpses and rivers of blood, so it’s best not to use force. I think Xiao Chengyan thinks so too.”
But she also had a second plan: "If they insist on starting a war, then there is no other way but to fight."
As she spoke, she looked solemnly at Langxi: "Whether war will come or not, neither my junior sister nor I can predict it, but in order to win a quick battle and reduce unnecessary casualties, I will redistribute the gunpowder."
She said, "This time, I'm not doing it for myself; I want to save more people."
To stop war is true martial prowess; to stop punishment is to stop violence.
The moonlight was as clear as if it had been washed, and the flowers under the trellis in the corner were blooming quietly.
Langxi nodded: "To avoid bringing more disaster to the people, we must act quickly to eliminate these aristocratic families."
She stroked the memorial on the table: "Tomorrow, let's face all of this properly."
Once you start, there's no turning back.
With a heart full of worry, Yu Nie grasped her hand and whispered, "Junior Sister..."
She understood what Yu Nie hadn't said aloud, gently squeezed his hand back, her tone firm and her expression tender: "This is our joint plan, Qiqi."
"Your presence behind the scenes is not a sign of retreat, but rather the wisest way to hand the knife to someone who can truly wield it. Your battlefield is not the open war of words, but the silent decisive battles. We need someone to strategize from the shadows. If everyone stands in the open, wouldn't that give our opponents a handle against us?"
Yu Nie: "I understand, Junior Sister."
Langxi sighed softly: "So there's no need to feel guilty. We each have our own duties and support each other from afar. Remember, your junior sister has always stood shoulder to shoulder with you, just on different battlefields."
Having said all he wanted to say, Yu Nie nodded vigorously.
There was no need for further words; she knew that all she had to do now was to use every means possible to win.
Only by winning can we make the risks and sacrifices made by everyone worthwhile.
They...must be the winners.
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