Chapter 199 Taking a Risk
Li Ye was in a state of utter distress, unsure of how to deal with Cui Shiliang.
Even if one was truly deceived, leading troops to surround the palace in public is no different from treason.
According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, the punishment ranged from exile and confiscation of property to execution of the entire family.
But Cui Shiliang was not only a pawn for him to restrain Li Yuanzhao, but also Li Yuanyou's uncle.
Even if Li Yuanyou was completely unaware of his maternal uncle's rebellion, he would inevitably be implicated, which would affect his reputation.
Moreover, looking at Li Yuanzhao beside him, who had a calm expression, he couldn't help but have doubts.
Cui Shiliang may have truly fallen into Li Yuanzhao's trap. If he is punished too harshly, it might just be playing into her hands.
Upon seeing Liu Liniang suddenly step forward, Li Ye assumed she was going to defend Cui Shiliang and beg for mercy, so he hurriedly said, "Speak quickly! If it is truly an injustice, I will investigate it myself."
Liu Liniang stated directly, "My father-in-law's rebellion is...a fact!"
These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.
Liu Liniang, as Cui Shiliang's daughter-in-law, actually admitted in public that her husband's family was plotting treason?!
Cui Shiliang looked at her with an expression of utter disbelief.
Cui Dalang flew into a rage, standing up abruptly and pointing at Liu Liniang, hurling insults. "You vile woman, have you gone mad?! Speaking nonsense before His Majesty now, are you trying to kill us all?!"
Liu Liniang ignored him and continued in a humble yet assertive manner, "My father-in-law is dissatisfied with the growing power of the Eldest Princess, which even forced the Second Prince to become a monk. He has long harbored resentment and thus plotted a rebellion."
“In recent days, he has been frequently having secret talks at home with Feng Deshun, Vice Minister Lu of the Ministry of Rites, and others. They plan to poison His Majesty’s wine at today’s palace banquet, then frame the eldest princess, falsely accusing her of ‘poisoning the emperor’s father and attempting to usurp the throne.’ Afterwards, Feng Deshun will lead the Dragon Guard into the palace to control the officials under the pretext of ‘purging the emperor’s inner circle’ and support the second prince to ascend the throne.”
As she spoke, she took out a stack of neatly folded papers from her sleeve and raised them high with both hands: "In my possession, I have secret letters from my father-in-law's communications with various parties. The letters detail the plans for rebellion, and there is also a handwritten promise to marry the Third Princess to Feng Deshun as proof. I discovered these by chance in the study and have kept them hidden. Today, seeing my father-in-law's wrongdoing, I cannot bear to see the Great Qi Empire fall into the hands of traitors. Therefore, I present the evidence to Your Majesty and humbly request Your Majesty to investigate!"
Eunuch Xu quickly stepped forward, took the secret letter, and presented it to Li Ye.
Li Ye unfolded the letter paper and quickly scanned the letters with his eyes.
The letter not only detailed a plan to "poison His Majesty and frame the princess," but also mentioned the intention to "use the Second Prince's name to control the court," and even contained numerous implicit expressions of dissatisfaction with him.
Every word was like a sharp blade, completely shattering the last trace of hesitation in Li Ye's heart.
How could he possibly show favoritism to someone who constantly wants him dead?
"What...what a loyal protector!" Li Ye trembled with rage, slamming the secret letter down in front of Cui Shiliang. "Cui Shiliang, how dare you scheme against me, against the Great Qi dynasty! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Cui Shiliang looked at the secret letter on the ground.
Some of these letters were genuine, and some were fake, but many of them were indeed sent by Liu Liniang during his imprisonment.
He never imagined that his trust in his daughter-in-law would lead to such a betrayal.
But at this moment, no amount of explanation would be of any use. Once His Majesty determined that he had committed treason, he would have no chance of redemption.
Cui Dalang was dumbfounded. Looking at the secret letters and then at Liu Liniang's calm face, he finally realized that this woman was trying to ruin the Cui family.
He pointed at Liu Liniang, his voice trembling: "What...what exactly are you trying to do? You're also a member of the Cui family, how can you betray the Cui family like this?"
Liu Liniang finally turned her head to look at Cui Dalang, her face still gentle. "Husband, although I am a wife of the Cui family, I am also a citizen of the Great Qi. The Cui family's treason is intolerable and deserves its punishment! I cannot disregard the fate of the nation for my own selfish reasons."
Cui Dalang stared intently at her.
She was clearly smiling, and her words were still gentle and tender, but he felt as if he had seen a vengeful ghost, and his hair stood on end in terror.
Li Yuanshu then realized that what Liu Liniang meant when she said to her that day, "There is no divorce, only the loss of a husband," was actually this.
It turns out she wanted Cui Dalang to die, and not only that, she wanted the entire Cui family to be buried with him.
But she is the daughter-in-law of the Cui family, so why does she harbor such deep hatred for the Cui family?
When did she quietly side with Li Yuanzhao, just waiting to betray the Cui family today?
"Well said!" Lin Xueyan immediately echoed, a gloating smile on his face. "Madam Cui is very righteous, and the Cui family deserves what they got! They used to be so arrogant and domineering, but today they've finally fallen. It's truly gratifying!"
Li Yuanzhao stood on the throne and gave Lin Xueyan a cold look.
This guy is really fearless.
Cui Shiliang knelt on the ground watching all this, and suddenly realized that whether Li Yuanzhao was plotting a rebellion or not was no longer important at this moment.
They've already fallen into their trap, but they might still have a chance to turn things around.
At this moment, their men surrounded the entire Linde Hall.
There's no turning back now that the arrow has been released; it would be better to rebel now, kill Li Yuanzhao and Li Ye, and there might still be a glimmer of hope.
The previous panic and despair gradually faded away, replaced by a ruthless determination to burn one's bridges.
He suddenly stood up, grabbed the sword that Feng Deshun had placed on the ground, drew the blade, took a few steps forward, and thrust it straight into Lin Xueyan's chest.
Lin Xueyan never imagined that Cui Shiliang would commit violence in front of His Majesty, and for a moment he was unable to dodge.
Until Cui Shiliang pulled out the sword, scalding blood gushed from his chest.
Lin Xueyan looked down in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest, and finally collapsed to the ground with incredulous eyes.
"ah--!"
Screams erupted one after another, and the surrounding officials were terrified, scrambling to dodge in a chaotic mess.
Cui Shiliang raised his blood-dripping longsword again and aimed it at Li Yuanzhao and Li Ye behind her.
He shouted, "General Feng! Now that the evidence is irrefutable, do you think His Majesty will still let us go?!"
Feng Deshun was startled and subconsciously looked up at Cui Shiliang.
Cui Shiliang turned to look at him, “You privately mobilized the Longwu Army and surrounded the Linde Palace, making you an undeniable accomplice to treason! How could His Majesty forgive a commander who led a rebellion like you! What do you think your surrender will mean? Confiscating your property and exile are the least of your worries. According to the laws of the Great Qi, treasoners should have their entire family executed! Your parents and relatives will all lose their heads along with you!”
"But if we take a gamble now, we might not be without a way out! Right now, there are still your three hundred Dragon Martial Army soldiers outside the Linde Hall. As long as the general gives the order... we can take down His Majesty and Li Yuanzhao, force the officials to support the Second Prince to ascend the throne, and then you and I will be the heroes who made the decision. This world will be under our control!"
Feng Deshun's face turned deathly pale instantly, and a strong will to survive suddenly seized him.
Yes, we're going to die either way, so why not take a gamble?
If you can gamble away an enormous fortune, then you've made a profit!
He suddenly stood up, turned around, and shouted to the Dragon Martial Army behind him, "Brothers! Today we are in a hopeless situation, and death is inevitable! Why don't you all come with me and charge in! After the Second Prince ascends the throne, wealth, honor, and promotion will be just around the corner!"
The immense temptation instantly shattered the last shred of moral principles held by the Dragon Warriors.
The soldiers, who were initially terrified, suddenly developed a greedy glint in their eyes and began picking up the longswords from the ground.
In the face of life and death versus wealth and status, loyalty has long become the cheapest thing.
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