Chapter 32 I am nothing more than a pawn in her game.
Night fell in the residence of Prime Minister Cui.
Only two candles were lit inside, casting the light of the candles on and off in the study.
Prime Minister Cui slammed the letter he had just received onto the table.
"Over the years, I have kindly helped him and given him guidance in every way, but he is ungrateful and dares to threaten me."
He stared intently at the few lines of illegible handwriting on the letter; every word was a threat.
They simply wanted him to use his connections to get the person out, otherwise he would have to reveal the whole story about the salt tax revenue distribution.
Seeing this, Minister of Personnel Zheng Chong cautiously advised, "Prime Minister Cui, what should we do? The evidence is now conclusive, and Pei Guyan is doomed. If we don't step in to help, he might become desperate and implicate us all."
Cui Shiliang narrowed his eyes, "Then let's go all the way and go straight..."
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Zheng Chong instantly understood what he meant.
“But…” Zheng Chong frowned, “Pei Guyan is, after all, the head of the Pei family. If something were to happen to him in prison, it would likely arouse suspicion within the Pei family. Moreover, the Eldest Princess is closely monitoring this case and investigating it rigorously. What if she discovers something…”
"So what?" Cui Shiliang said fiercely. "Are we just going to do nothing and wait for him to drag us all down with him to the prison?"
He walked up to Zheng Chong, leaned closer, and said, "Don't forget, you also got a share of the spoils from that salt lake incident."
Zheng Chong shrank back in fright at the fierce look in his eyes and quickly shook his head: "Your Excellency is joking. I just think this matter needs to be considered carefully."
"Let's take it a long time?" Cui Shiliang sneered and sat back down in his armchair.
"The most important thing now is to nip it in the bud. Have someone make arrangements to take action tonight, make it clean, and disguise it as a suicide out of guilt."
Zheng Chong nodded hesitantly, then remembered something else: "What about Pei Huaijin?"
Cui Shiliang picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp. "Since he can produce evidence of his uncle's embezzlement, he might also have something on us. This kid looks weak, but he's cunning. Keeping him around will always be a problem."
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "Just in case, let's take care of it all at once."
Seeing Cui Shiliang's expression, Zheng Chong finally agreed: "This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately."
Cui Shiliang watched his hurried departure, walked to the table, picked up the letter, and brought it close to the candlelight.
The flames licked the edge of the letter, quickly devouring the threatening words, leaving only a small clump of black ash, which he gently rubbed between his fingertips and scattered in the wind.
Li Yuanzhao was in his palace, leaning against a cushioned couch.
Little Bell knelt behind her, her slender fingers gently massaging her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.
Chen Yanqing stood not far away, watching the two of them so close together, and felt an itch in his teeth.
How can this person be indifferent to both men and women?
Just then, Ru Mo pushed open the door and entered.
Hearing the sound, Li Yuanzhao, with his eyes still closed, asked casually, "How is it? Has the letter been delivered?"
Ru Mo lowered her voice, "It's been delivered. As you instructed, I added a few threatening words to Pei Guyan's letter asking for help. Judging from the time, the prison should have already started their operation."
Li Yuanzhao then opened his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Then let's go see what's going on."
As she slowly walked into the prison, she saw that Pei Guyan's cell was wide open, and several corpses of men in black lay diagonally on the ground.
It appeared to have died recently, as blood was still flowing freely, forming a winding stream on the ground.
Pei Guyan was completely terrified and collapsed to the ground.
His right arm appeared to have been slashed by a knife; the wound was gruesome, and blood was gushing out continuously.
Pei Huaijin was also present.
He was also disheveled, with his hair in disarray.
Compared to Pei Guyan, his eyes were much clearer, though a hint of shock still lingered on his face.
Upon seeing Li Yuanzhao, Pei Guyan seemed to grasp at a last straw, crawling on his knees as he tried to grab her leg.
Li Yuanzhao frowned and kicked him in the chest without any mercy, sending him flying.
Pei Huaijin then noticed her. His eyes flickered slightly, his tense body quietly relaxed, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Guyan groaned as he was kicked, but ignoring the pain, he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Highness, save me! Someone is trying to kill me!"
Li Yuanzhao was very patient at this moment. She bent down slightly and asked softly, "Lord Pei, who wants to kill you? How can I save you if you don't explain clearly?"
Pei Guyan hurriedly shouted, "It's that guy surnamed Cui, Cui Shiliang, it's him, he's trying to kill me."
Li Yuanzhao straightened up, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Lord Pei, don't speak carelessly. Prime Minister Cui has no grudge against you, so why would he want to kill you?"
Pei Guyan's face turned red with anxiety. "I just delivered a letter to him today, and there was an assassin tonight. It was definitely him! He's afraid I'll expose him, that bastard! Over the years, I've given him hundreds of thousands of strings of cash in benefits, and he's actually trying to kick me while I'm down!"
Li Yuanzhao chuckled. "Several hundred thousand strings of cash? Lord Pei is quite generous. However, words alone are not enough. You say you gave him benefits, but do you have any proof?"
Pei Guyan was taken aback, then seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Yes! I have evidence! I have an account book that records the time and amount of each time I gave him a bribe, hidden in a secret compartment in my study!"
"Oh?" Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow. "Lord Pei is quite bold, he even has account books?"
Pei Guyan's face flashed with embarrassment and panic: "I... I was thinking of leaving myself a way out, in case... in case something happens, so I'll have something to rely on."
Little did he expect that this backup plan would be used in this way.
Now that he has no choice but to reveal it, and Cui Shiliang is going to kill him anyway, why should he help him cover it up?
If he hands him over to the eldest princess, he might be able to save his own life.
Looking at his appearance, Li Yuanzhao sneered inwardly, thinking, "He really won't shed tears until he sees the coffin."
She glanced at Ru Mo, who immediately understood and quietly slipped away.
“Lord Pei…” Li Yuanzhao’s gaze swept over the corpse on the ground, then fell back on Pei Guyan. “Now, you know what to do to save your life, right?”
Pei Guyan kowtowed repeatedly, "Your subject knows, Your subject will definitely tell you everything clearly. All the details of the collusion with Cui Shiliang, all the people involved, I will confess one by one. I hope Your Highness will plead for me before His Majesty."
Li Yuanzhao stopped looking at him and turned to leave.
Before leaving, she glanced at Pei Huaijin.
Pei Huaijin met her gaze, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
The same tactic they used to deal with his uncle was exactly the same as the one they used to deal with him.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to be grateful that he had stood by her side and thus been spared.
It's still sad that I'm just a pawn in her game, someone who can be used and discarded at any time.
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