Chapter 133 The Way to Break the Stalemate
Inside the palace, the Imperial Concubine watched her daughter's disappearing figure, and finally broke down in tears.
She hated her daughter's cold-heartedness, which showed no familial affection whatsoever.
She hated her son's weakness and incompetence even more, hated that he couldn't live up to the expectations of the Cui family, hated that he had messed up such a big event as disaster relief, and now he was trapped in Weizhou with his life hanging in the balance, dragging the entire Cui family into a desperate situation.
She thought of her brother, who was imprisoned in the mansion; she thought of the Cui family's old house, which had been completely slaughtered; and she thought of the menacing gazes in the imperial court.
The Cui family can't afford to lose anymore.
If Li Yuanyou were to really get into trouble, or if Li Yuanzhao were to achieve great merit and gain even greater prestige and ascend the throne, then the mother and son would probably have nowhere to go.
In despair, a crazy idea suddenly popped into my head.
Is it really going to come to that?
She stepped forward and confessed to the Emperor that she had exchanged a lowly baby girl for the real prince, and that the current Li Yuanzhao was not of royal blood at all.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she began to tremble all over.
If she were to reveal this, she would surely be executed by the enraged emperor, and it might even implicate the Cui family.
But if she didn't say anything... if that imposter Li Yuanzhao really ascended the throne, then the Cui family, her life, and her son's life would ultimately be in danger.
She sat up abruptly, a hint of almost insane determination flashing in her eyes.
If it can be proven that Li Yuanzhao is a "fake princess," then all her previous achievements and prestige will vanish.
At that time, the emperor will have no choice but to select Li Yuanyou, the only prince, to inherit the throne, so that the foundation of the Cui family can be preserved.
What does sacrificing herself matter if it's to secure her son's throne?
She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face and beckoned to her attendant, "Go and find someone for me quietly..."
After leaving Jinxiu Palace, Li Yuanshu was still angry, but he understood that in the current situation, being stubborn was useless.
Although all the people in the old Cui family mansion have died, the Cui family has many branches, and many of them hold official positions in various places. As long as they work together, they will surely be able to grow strong again one day.
The most important thing now is that Li Yuanyou, the uncle of the prime minister and head of the Cui family, has been dismissed from his post, and his fate is unknown. Moreover, the Cui family has caused public resentment in this matter. If they do not make amends as soon as possible, they will face utter ruin.
Upon returning to her residence, she immediately summoned her advisors to discuss the matter.
Normally, these people live off her wealth and always say they are "sharing the burdens of the Lord," but now, faced with the mess in Hebei Province, they look at each other blankly and offer all sorts of nonsensical suggestions.
Some people suggested sending someone to Hebei Province to spread rumors and undermine the morale of Emperor Yi Won-jo.
Some suggested that he should secretly contact local powerful figures to cause trouble for Li Yuanzhao.
Some even suggested that the Imperial Concubine plead with the Emperor to spare the Cui family.
"Enough!" Li Yuanshu slammed his hand on the table, his eyes filled with impatience. "It's all useless nonsense! With refugees besieging the city and my brother trapped, what's the use of all this?"
Her staff were intimidated by her anger and fell silent.
Just then, Cao Dongyang, who had been silent all along, stepped forward.
"Princess, please calm down. In my opinion, the most important thing right now is not to try every means to disrupt the Princess's disaster relief efforts, but to lower your stance, show goodwill to the disaster victims, and win back the hearts of the people. After all, once the hearts of the people are lost, there is no way to recover."
Li Yuanshu's eyes flickered: "Explain in detail."
Cao Dongyang slowly said, "First, His Highness the Second Prince should take off his brocade robe, put on plain clothes, and personally go to the top of Weizhou City to kneel down and apologize to the refugees outside the city, admitting his failure in disaster relief. As a prince, if he can bend and stretch to this extent, it will surely dispel the resistance of most of the disaster victims and let them see the sincerity of the court."
"Kneel down and apologize?" Li Yuanshu frowned. "No matter how cowardly Li Yuanyou is, he is still a prince. How can he kneel down and admit his mistakes to a commoner?"
“If His Highness the Second Prince wants to live and retain the hearts of the people, he has no choice but to agree,” Cao Dongyang said firmly. “Secondly, the Cui family must issue a public statement that they will not pursue the return of the previously stolen grain, property, or the lawsuits involving the deaths, and that they will provide an equal amount of grain for disaster relief. This will show the disaster victims the Cui family’s remorse and also silence the gossips of the people.”
"Okay, we'll do it your way!"
Li Yuanshu acted decisively and immediately sent a message to his uncle.
Cui Shiliang was dismissed from his post as prime minister and imprisoned in his residence, where he was in a state of utter distress.
When he received Li Yuanshu's letter, he initially didn't take it seriously. However, when he saw the plan in the letter, he realized that it was indeed the only way to break the deadlock at the moment.
The massacre at the old residence in Qinghe destroyed the foundation of the Cui family, leaving them severely weakened. Now, by offering an amount of grain equal to the amount stolen, they are practically emptying the Cui family's coffers in the capital.
But for the future throne, and for the Cui family to rise again, this piece of flesh must be sacrificed!
He immediately summoned his trusted confidants and sent them on horseback to Weizhou overnight.
As night fell, the hustle and bustle outside Weizhou City gradually subsided.
After settling the disaster victims gathered at the city gate, the young men who led the riot wiped the dust off their faces and quickly walked around to the quiet official road in the west of the city.
On the quiet official road, there stood a man and a horse.
The black horse lowered its head and grazed on the withered grass on the ground. The rider was dressed in an ordinary blue cloth outfit, with the hood pulled down very low, revealing only a section of his cold and hard jawline.
The young man quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"General, I failed in my duty. I intended to take advantage of the chaos to eliminate the Second Prince on the spot, but his guards reacted quickly and managed to escape into the city with him, thus failing to complete your orders."
The man immediately looked up, and it was Ru Mo.
She already knew what had happened.
The original plan was to exploit the grievances of the disaster victims against the Cui family and the second prince, incite public resentment in front of the city gate, create chaos, and seize the opportunity to assassinate the second prince, causing him to die "accidentally" in the riot.
In this way, when the court investigates afterward, it will only blame the out-of-control disaster victims, and no trace of "human intervention" will be found.
But now that Li Yuanyou has fled to Weizhou City, it will be much more difficult to take action against him.
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