Chapter 123 Traitors
The next day, news spread throughout the capital that the second son of Minister Lin's family had been attacked by villains on his way home from the banquet hosted by the Third Princess, with both legs broken and left naked in front of the mansion.
The uproar caused by this incident far surpassed that caused by Lin Xuean's dismissal from office.
After all, people had only heard about Lin Xuean's affairs, but Lin Xuezhu was seen clearly by everyone on the street this time.
The men were talking amongst themselves.
The women also gathered around the old woman who had returned from gathering information outside, listening with great interest.
"You really don't even have any pants left?"
The old woman lowered her voice and whispered, "That's right! Everyone on the street has seen his buttocks."
"But I heard it's skinny and white, and it's so cold it's turned purple. There's really nothing to see here."
The women covered their mouths and chuckled, then began to discuss it in hushed tones.
"They must have offended a big shot, right? Otherwise, who would be so ruthless? Not only did they break his leg, they also stripped him of his clothes. They're trying to trample the Lin family's reputation into the ground!"
"Who else could it be but the Cui family? At yesterday's banquet, Young Master Lin and Seventh Master Cui were fighting fiercely and even insulted Prime Minister Cui. Do you think the Cui family can swallow this insult?"
"To dare commit such a violent act right under the emperor's nose, Prime Minister Cui is incredibly audacious!"
To make matters worse for the Lin family, the imperial physician shook his head and sighed after the diagnosis, saying to Lin Xueyan, "Your Excellency, the Second Young Master's leg bone is too broken to be set. Not to mention walking, he will probably never be able to stand up again for the rest of his life."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xueyan couldn't catch his breath and fainted on the spot.
When he woke up, he looked at his son lying on the bed, barely alive, and was so angry that he trembled all over.
This must have been done by the Cui family!
Yesterday at the banquet, Lin Xuezhu fought with Cui Qilang and cursed the Cui family. Cui Shiliang must have been holding a grudge to do such a thing!
In order to ease tensions, he had been humble and accommodating towards the Cui family, but he never expected them to resort to such a vicious act!
How could he tolerate such an insult? He immediately filed a lawsuit against Cui Shiliang and his son before the emperor.
Cui Shiliang felt completely bewildered; what did this matter have to do with him?
Does that mean that if just anyone makes a move and frames the Cui family, they have to take the blame?
However, no one believed that the Cui family was behind it.
First, Cui Shiliang's reputation was ruined when Pei Guyan and Lu Yuandao were killed one after another.
Moreover, the Cui family has been making headlines recently, so it seems perfectly natural for them to suddenly hear that someone has publicly insulted them and then send someone to punish them in a fit of rage.
In addition, before Lin Xuezhu fell into a coma, she personally identified the Cui family as the culprit. During the banquet, everyone also heard Cui Qilang shout that he would teach Lin Xuezhu a lesson.
So, if it's not the Cui family, then who else could it be?
The eldest princess? Still under house arrest? How could that be?
The Emperor's attitude toward the Cui family has always been ambiguous, sometimes warm and sometimes cold.
He was worried that if Li Yuanyou were to ascend the throne in the future, Cui Xiang, as a relative of the emperor, would wield too much power and cause chaos in the court.
However, they were also worried that without the Cui family to check and balance Li Yuanzhao, no one could suppress him, which might lead to unrest.
However, the matter ultimately lacked concrete evidence. In order to appease Lin Xueyan, the Emperor had no choice but to dismiss Cui Qilang, who had clashed with Lin Xuezhu, from his post and ordered a thorough investigation of the case to give the Lin family an explanation.
Incidentally, Li Yuanshu, who hosted the banquet, was also reprimanded.
However, this approach did not quell Lin Xueyan's resentment at all.
The feud between the Cui and Lin families was now irreconcilable.
In order to retaliate against Cui Shiliang, Lin Xueyan has been acting like a mad dog lately, attacking anyone in Cui's faction indiscriminately!
Which official in the court is completely clean and honest?
As a result, quite a few people were caught making mistakes and were dismissed from their posts.
Cui Shiliang originally thought that after Li Yuanzhao was confined to her quarters, he would be able to catch his breath from his struggle with her.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xueyan, this "madman," clung to him like a leech, relentlessly attacking him in court every day with a do-or-die spirit, forcing him to spend a lot of energy dealing with impeachments and smoothing things over.
Dealing with his attacks every day was exhausting and overwhelming, leaving no time or energy for remote disaster relief.
Inside the Princess's residence, after listening to Du Cong's report, Li Yuanzhao gave a light compliment, "Well done."
Just four words were enough to make Du Cong tremble, his eyes instantly welling up with tears, which he barely managed to hold back.
He had made a grave mistake, yet His Highness not only gave him the opportunity to redeem himself through meritorious service, but also entrusted him with important responsibilities and even praised him. How could he not be moved to tears of gratitude?
"This is my duty, Your Highness. I dare not accept your praise." Du Cong lowered his head even further, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement. "It is my honor to be able to share Your Highness's burdens."
Li Yuanzhao remained expressionless and asked, "Will Lin Xuezhu realize that you were the one stirring things up?"
Du Cong steadied himself and replied, "Your Highness, rest assured. Regardless of when he will regain consciousness, even if he does, his resentment will only be directed at the Cui family. I was cautious in my words that day and did not leave any grounds for criticism. Even if he becomes suspicious, the Lin family will not find a reason to attack me."
Li Yuanzhao toyed with a white jade chess piece in his hand, coldly scrutinizing him.
The person before her had gentle features and a slightly hunched figure due to a leg injury, but the ruthlessness in his eyes could not escape her notice.
Throughout history, those who achieve great things need not only loyal and honest ministers, but also treacherous ministers.
A ruthless person like Du Cong was exactly the kind of "treacherous minister" she needed, someone who could do the dirty and tiring work that ordinary people couldn't do and that couldn't be brought to the table.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "How is your leg?"
Upon hearing this, Du Cong's eyes lit up dramatically, and he quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My injuries are no longer serious, and I am perfectly fine."
In truth, every step he takes hurts, but he endures it willingly, simply not wanting to disturb the princess's ears with such trivial matters.
Li Yuanzhao stopped looking at him and gently placed the white jade chess piece on the chessboard with a soft "tap".
"Keep a close eye on the situation in the capital, especially the Cui faction and the Lin family. Report back immediately if anything changes."
"I obey the decree."
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