Chapter 52 To climb to that position, it's impossible to be clean.
By the time Li Yuanzhao had finished dealing with everything, it was almost dawn.
She worked all night, taking stock of the casualties, comforting the officials, and deploying the Imperial Guards for defense, ensuring the assassination was handled flawlessly.
When they returned to the tent, the bed was empty; Lin Xue'an had already left.
After washing up and changing out of her blood-stained clothes, she casually leaned back on the couch and asked directly, "Where did the problem occur?"
Ru Mo immediately knelt down, "This subordinate did not expect that General Shen would risk his life to protect Your Highness, so the opportunity was delayed. It was my poor arrangement, please punish me, Your Highness."
Li Yuanzhao hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
Su Qingci and Chen Yanqing were right; tonight's grand spectacle was indeed arranged by Li Yuanzhao.
Long before she was certain of Chen Yanqing's identity and knew that there would be assassins during the hunt, she had been thinking about how to proceed.
She has never liked to waste any opportunity that can be taken advantage of.
The original assassin was simply too useless.
The group of people planted by the Tibetan forces had been preparing for so long, but their goal was simply to assassinate Shen Churong.
Ironically, their goal wasn't to eliminate the Shen family, a thorn in their side, but rather to use Shen Churong's death to sow discord between the royal family and the Shen family, forcing the Imperial Uncle Shen, who was guarding the border, to betray them.
Even more absurdly, according to the original plan, this assassination attempt would ultimately be thwarted by Chen Yanqing.
He would save Shen Churong, make Shen Churong call him brother and be willing to die for him, and make those Tibetans work for someone else for nothing.
Such a low-level plot, it's amazing they could come up with it.
In that case, why not use this inevitable assassination attempt to achieve her own goals?
She used forged secret letters to confuse all the assassins' targets.
She turned the blade that was originally aimed at Shen Churong towards the obstacle she truly wanted to remove...
Her father, the emperor.
This was a decision she had made long ago after she realized that her father's fear of her was growing and that he was even secretly supporting Li Yuanyou to counterbalance her.
The path to becoming an emperor is inherently fraught with thorns and bloodshed.
Rather than sitting idly by and waiting to die, letting yourself benefit others for nothing, it's better to strike first and carve out a bloody path yourself.
The plan was risky, but too tempting.
That supreme power was worth risking everything for.
If the plan goes smoothly, the Emperor will die on the spot.
She would then lead her personal guards and the Imperial Guards to quickly take control of the situation, using the excuse of "arriving late to rescue the emperor" to join forces with ministers who were dissatisfied with Xiao Duo to seize the power of the Imperial Guards.
Immediately afterwards, she would use the pretext of "colluding with assassins" to kill Prime Minister Cui and Consort Gui on the spot, and place Li Yuanyou under house arrest to quickly stabilize the situation. Then, she would ascend the throne under the pretext that "a country cannot be without a ruler for a day."
Unfortunately, Shen Churong's desperate protection slowed down the pace, delaying the arrival of the Imperial Guards.
She had to lead a team to clean up the mess and resolve all the trouble.
Especially those assassins, they must all be eliminated.
Even if she had arranged everything perfectly, if any survivors were captured alive by the Imperial Guards, and something went wrong in any part of the process, causing someone to reveal something they shouldn't have, then she would be in big trouble.
Unfortunately... it was so close, just a tiny bit short.
Li Yuanzhao leaned back on the couch, his fingertips lightly tapping his knees. A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calmness.
But it's okay, the current situation isn't too bad for her.
Taking advantage of the situation to bring down Xiao Duo and gain the right to lead the Imperial Guards was a prudent move.
Ru Mo was still somewhat worried. "Your Highness, what about Lin Xue'an... Should I go and deal with her?"
After all, in the woods that afternoon, besides Su Qingci and Chen Yanqing, Lin Xuean was also the one who witnessed His Highness ordering the killing of Cui Jiulang and his group.
Lord Su and Chen Yanqing are one thing, since they are still considered His Highness's people.
But Lin Xue'an is nothing but an sycophantic illegitimate son, which makes one really uneasy.
Moreover, she knew that the princess's favor towards him today was merely to give the assassin time to make his appearance and to create an alibi for herself, not out of genuine affection.
Therefore, to prevent future problems, it's better to resolve it sooner rather than later.
After a long while, Li Yuanzhao slowly spoke, "No need, I have other uses for him."
Ru Mo was still somewhat worried, "But Your Highness, if he doesn't keep his mouth shut and leaks the news, wouldn't that ruin Your Highness's important plans?"
Prime Minister Cui has deep roots in the court. If he learns the truth about Cui Jiulang's tragic death, he will definitely retaliate at all costs, and may even implicate the assassin.
Li Yuanzhao smiled. "He wouldn't dare. He knows in his heart that it was because of him that I killed Cui Jiulang and his group on his behalf. Would he dare to speak of this blood debt to outsiders?"
"Furthermore, he should know that if even a single word of what happened today were to leak out, not only would Prime Minister Cui not spare him, but I would be the first to not let him off the hook."
Ru Mo was still somewhat worried.
Li Yuanzhao said, "At the hunting grounds today, it was clearly Su Qingci who first stepped in to protect him, but he deliberately bypassed Su Qingci and chose to come to me personally to express his gratitude. This shows that he is a person who is very good at weighing the pros and cons."
"From the moment he dared to break into my tent in the dead of night and come to me for help, he should have known what he could say and what he had to keep to himself. How could someone who values his life and is so greedy take the risk of getting burned?"
Ru Mo then realized, "Your Highness is wise; I was overthinking it."
For Li Yuanzhao, having someone like Lin Xuean by her side not only helped her to lull Cui Xiang and his entourage into a false sense of security, but also reduced her father's suspicions.
After all, a person who is obsessed with beauty and has a "blemish" is more likely to make people lower their guard than a perfect person.
Besides... she thought of Lin Xuean's beautiful and gentle face.
That face is indeed quite nice; keeping it for amusement wouldn't hurt.
Just then, Su Qingci requested an audience.
She had too many questions in her mind, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, so she had to come and find His Highness.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" She bowed first, her gaze sweeping over Li Yuanzhao's face, her tone filled with genuine concern.
Last night's battle was so dangerous, I wonder if Your Highness was injured?
"Sit down," Li Yuanzhao said calmly.
Su Qingci sat down. "Your Highness is so busy tonight, and I am truly ashamed that I cannot help you at all."
Li Yuanzhao squinted at her, "You're not the type to say such high-sounding things. What brings you here?"
Su Qingci was startled by her words, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across her face. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time, "Your Highness, have you found out the origins of these assassins tonight?"
Li Yuanzhao picked up his teacup, blew on the tea foam, and replied casually, "It's been investigated. They were just a group of Tibetans who wanted to assassinate someone during the hunt and disrupt the affairs of our Great Qi Dynasty."
Su Qingci exclaimed in disbelief, "Tibetans? How is that possible?"
Based on everything that happened today, she was certain that these assassins were clearly connected to His Highness.
“Why not?” Li Yuanzhao looked up at her. “The Tibetan king is ambitious and has long coveted our dynasty. It is only reasonable for him to take action when the defenses are relaxed during the hunt.”
Su Qingci opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but when she met Li Yuanzhao's unfathomable eyes, the words she was about to say suddenly caught in her throat.
She suddenly realized that His Highness might have already arranged the route for these assassins before the operation, ensuring that whatever was found in the end would not implicate her.
Indeed, with Your Highness's meticulous mind, how could you do something without preparation?
However, when she thought of those who died unjustly, she still couldn't bear it.
Those people may be mediocre or arrogant, but they have become victims of this power struggle for nothing.
Li Yuanzhao knew, of course, that he couldn't hide what had happened from her.
Whether Su Qingci could guess the trap set for her by the so-called "Tibetan assassin" was of no consequence to her.
The only thing that displeased her was the barely concealed pity in Su Qingci's eyes.
"Leaving aside the fact that this assassination was an accident, these people can only be said to be destined for this calamity. But if I'm not mistaken..."
Li Yuanzhao put down his teacup, his voice suddenly turning cold, "Are you pitying those young masters and ladies?"
Su Qingci hadn't expected that His Highness had seen through her thoughts from beginning to end, but she still nodded hesitantly, "They... are ultimately innocent."
"Innocent?" Li Yuanzhao scoffed as if he had heard a joke. "What do those young masters from noble families do all day besides composing poems, cockfighting, and dog racing? They live a life of luxury thanks to the protection of their ancestors, and even bully and prey on the common people. And you say they are innocent?"
She glanced at Su Qingci and said, "To me, it wouldn't be a pity if all the people like that died."
Su Qingci was completely shocked, her mouth agape but unable to utter a word.
Li Yuanzhao sneered inwardly. Regardless of whether she was involved or not, people would die today.
Moreover, which ruler throughout history hasn't had blood on their hands?
If you want to climb to the top by stepping on others, why should you be afraid of getting blood on your shoes?
She suppressed her smile and continued, "As for those innocent palace servants who died unjustly, I will give them a proper burial, treat their families well, and provide them with ample funds to settle them down."
“But you must remember this,” she leaned forward, “that you can’t climb to that position without being clean. To be a benevolent ruler, you must first become a ruler before you are qualified to talk about ‘benevolence’.”
"You've been following me, so you should understand this principle. Don't try this trick on me anymore. Otherwise, you'll get yourself killed sooner or later, and you'll drag me down with you too."
Su Qingci suddenly woke up.
From a young age, she was educated in books about "governing the country with benevolence" and "winning people over with virtue." She read too many books of sages and saints describing the ideal prosperous world, but forgot that those prosperous worlds were often built with blood.
When Emperor Taizu pacified the country, which battle wasn't filled with corpses?
The late empress assisted the emperor in seizing the throne, but wasn't she also treading on the corpses of her political enemies?
She always thought His Highness should show some tenderness, but she forgot that the game of power has never had the word "tenderness".
"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant."
Li Yuanzhao then slowly leaned back on the soft couch. "Go down."
"Yes." Su Qing withdrew.
Inside the tent, Li Yuanzhao watched her retreating figure, his emotions unreadable.
She knew Su Qingci was loyal, but she also had to give him a warning.
The arena of power allows no room for leniency; she herself cannot be lenient, and those around her certainly cannot.
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