Chapter 56 She already has so many men, why does she still want to steal Pei Huaijin?
Due to the unexpected assassination attempt, the archery competition scheduled for the second day was forced to be suspended.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the Emperor led a large entourage back to his residence.
Li Yuanzhao's merit in protecting the emperor during this assassination attempt is undeniable.
After returning to the palace, everyone clearly felt that the Emperor's favor towards the Eldest Princess had increased even further.
She not only temporarily assumed command of the Imperial Guards, but also took full responsibility for the subsequent investigation of the assassin's remaining followers and the handling of those who had failed in their duties.
But no one expected that Li Yuanzhao would act so swiftly.
Within three days, she punished a large number of officials on the grounds of "failure to rescue the emperor in time," "negligence in defense," and "suspected treason."
Upon closer examination, most of these people were those who disagreed with her politically and openly or covertly opposed her.
Immediately, the imperial court was abuzz with discussion.
The senior officials, led by Prime Minister Cui, could not contain themselves any longer and submitted impeachment memorials for three consecutive days, vehemently accusing the princess of "using personal grudges to suppress others" and "abusing her power, which could disrupt the court."
However, all these memorials were ultimately suppressed by the emperor.
It was only then that Cui Xiang and others belatedly realized that this assassination, which was ultimately characterized as "retaliation by the remnants of the Tibetan Empire," had made Princess Li Yuanzhao the biggest winner.
Not only were their sons and relatives killed, but most of their influence in the imperial court was also wiped out.
They had their suspicions, but no matter how they investigated, all the clues pointed to the "Tibetan assassins" without any discernible connection.
All the evidence had nothing to do with Li Yuanzhao, as if it were all just a coincidence.
In the end, these veteran officials, who had spent half their lives navigating the treacherous waters of the imperial court, could only grit their teeth and swallow this bitter pill.
In the officialdom, so many positions were vacant due to murder and related cases, spanning multiple departments, which was a once-in-a-century opportunity for promotion.
In no time, Li Yuanzhao's desk was piled high with all sorts of "self-recommendation letters".
The stationery varied widely, but the words were all equally earnest.
Some recounted their past political achievements, some expressed their willingness to serve the princess, and some even subtly mentioned their long-standing feud with Prime Minister Cui's faction.
Every word and phrase was a plea for a "promotion" opportunity.
Li Yuanzhao would not be stingy, as the court was undergoing a reshuffle and urgently needed manpower to fill vacancies.
Regardless of whether these people are truly loyal or possess great talent, as long as they can be used by her temporarily and become pawns for her to consolidate her power, that is enough.
Among the mountain of self-recommendation letters, the most special one was that of Wang Li, the top scholar in this imperial examination.
After achieving the top score in the imperial examination, this top scholar was riding high and the center of attention at the Qujiang Banquet.
But he was a man of principle, and he couldn't stand the way those scions of wealthy families bullied others at the banquet. He couldn't contain his anger and wrote a satirical poem.
When the poem reached the imperial court, it immediately provoked a fierce attack from powerful ministers.
When it came time to assign officials, the top scholar, who should have stayed in the capital to serve, was instead exiled to a remote area in the southwest as a minor eighth-rank official, which was tantamount to exile.
In response to the recent turmoil in the court, Wang Li even sent a long letter through a third party.
The letter was sincere, neither complaining about past injustices nor eager to claim credit. It only said, "I am willing to share Your Majesty's worries and serve the Princess. Although I am far away on the frontier, I hope to do my part to stabilize the court." The words revealed a sense of forbearance and resilience.
After reading the letter, Li Yuanzhao held this person in higher regard.
She looked up at Su Qingci and said, "Pass on my message: have Wang Li set off for the capital immediately and temporarily assume the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel."
This was the position left behind by Zhang Cheng, who had died earlier. Although it was only a sixth-rank position, it was in charge of evaluating officials' performance, a coveted post that everyone would kill for.
"Yes." Su Qingci bowed and replied, "I will draft the edict shortly."
She then sighed softly, "However, Wang Li was indeed unlucky. He had the talent of a top scholar but was demoted. Now that His Highness has promoted him, he will at least not be buried in obscurity."
She paused, then added, "It's strange, but this imperial examination was truly fraught with setbacks. The top scholar was suppressed for offending a powerful family, while the second-place scholar fared even worse. He had only just received his title when news of his father's death arrived at his home, requiring him to observe a three-year mourning period according to the law. This three-year gap was enough for many successors to surpass him, and by the time he returned from his mourning period, everything would have changed."
These were just casual remarks during a chat, but after hearing them, Li Yuanzhao's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
She was too busy with important matters to pay attention to such trivial things, but after Su Qingci reminded her, she felt that this series of "accidents" was too coincidental.
She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her gaze darkening. "The top scholar was demoted, the second-place scholar was in mourning, and Du Cong happened to be the one who benefited the most..."
Upon hearing this, Su Qingci's heart skipped a beat, and she tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness feel... there's something fishy about this?"
Li Yuanzhao did not reply directly, but instead looked at Ru Mo, who was standing to the side, and said, "Go and investigate."
Ru Mo immediately understood, "I'll take care of it right away."
After Ru Mo left, Li Yuanzhao said calmly, "Whether there's anything suspicious or not, we'll find out by investigating, won't we?"
If it's just a coincidence, then so be it; but if Du Cong is behind it all, then we must be wary of his intentions and methods.
Since returning from the hunting grounds, Li Yuanshu has been living an exceptionally unpleasant life.
First, the death of Cui Jiulang disturbed his mother, who sighed all day long, and his uncle, Prime Minister Cui, lost his appetite and even had a few strands of white hair at his temples.
Although the case was officially settled as an assassination attempt by Tibetan assassins, they did not quite believe that Cui Jiulang died at the hands of an assassin. They secretly sent many people to investigate, searched through the vegetation around the hunting grounds, and interrogated all the servants who were present that day, but in the end they found nothing and had to accept the result with a guilty conscience.
As a result, things have gotten so bad that even their father, the emperor, has become less friendly towards them lately.
In her opinion, there's really nothing to investigate about this.
She secretly went to see Cui Jiulang's body. The wound was clean and neat, a single cut to the throat. There was not much fear on his face, and there was not even the slightest trace of struggle on his body.
Although his cousin was a reckless fellow, he had trained with a martial arts master for several years, and ordinary two or three strong men couldn't get close to him.
How could someone encounter an assassin and not even try to escape, but just obediently let themselves be slaughtered?
Therefore, it is highly likely that this was done by someone known to the person.
Although many people dislike Cui Jiulang, who else but his own elder sister would dare to make a move in the hunting grounds?
But when she told her mother and uncle about this guess, neither of them believed her.
The uncle went even further, saying, "We asked Lin Xue'an, and he said that the princess was with him the whole time that day and never left his side."
Li Yuanshu curled his lip in disapproval, cursing inwardly: What a bunch of idiots.
If it were her, she would simply send someone to kidnap Lin Xue'an, coerce and bribe him, and she would surely pry something out of him.
Unfortunately, she was a nobody, and no one was willing to listen to her even if she spoke.
Secondly, what angered her the most was the message relayed back by the maid she had secretly sent to keep an eye on Pei Huaijin.
Pei Huaijin actually visited Li Yuanzhao's Xihe Palace, and more than once.
This news was like a poisonous thorn, pricking her heart with both numbness and pain.
During this period, everyone in the capital knew that Li Yuanzhao doted on Lin Xue'an, the illegitimate son of Minister Lin.
Gold and silver treasures were sent to the Lin family mansion as if they were free, and he was even arranged to enter the Court of State Ceremonial, taking over Cui Jiulang's position.
The two were inseparable, either strolling side by side in the Imperial Garden or entering and leaving Xihe Palace together. Their high-profile behavior made it seem as if they wanted the whole world to know how "lustful" she was.
Even so, Li Yuanzhao still didn't let Pei Huaijin go! He even tried to seduce him!
On the day of the hunt, she saw with her own eyes that Pei Huaijin's gaze towards her was clearly different from how he looked at her.
From childhood to adulthood, Pei Huaijin was the only person in her heart.
In order to get closer to him, she begged her uncle to befriend the Pei family, secretly learned the poems he liked, and even went to any banquet where he was present, just to have a few words with him.
But all this time, he had never looked at him with that kind of gaze.
What made her even more furious was that, because of Li Yuanzhao's investigation, the Pei family and the Cui family had been forced into irreconcilable enemies.
Her mother had initially agreed to let her marry into the Pei family.
But now, they never mention it again.
Li Yuanzhao, what makes her so special?
She already has so many men, why does she still want to steal Pei Huaijin?
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