"Killed them?" Zu An's expression changed, somewhat incredulous. "The Duke of Cheng and the Duke of Wei were highly respected for their virtue and loyalty to the emperor and their country. Why kill them?"
Biqi hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Azu, because of Linglong, you're not an outsider. Today, I'll teach you some things."
"Their path to their doom is precisely because of their high moral standing and prestige. In the past, the emperor could keep them in check, but now that the crown prince has ascended the throne, he is finding it difficult to command respect in terms of both prestige and power. Who will be able to control them then?"
Zuan explained, "Although the two of them were close to the Prince of Qi before, they were not the kind of people who would rebel against the court for the sake of the Prince of Qi. They still put the court and the country first. After the Crown Prince ascends the throne, I think the two dukes will still be loyal to him."
Bi Qi shook his head repeatedly: "That's why the Qin family is considered naive. They should have either wholeheartedly joined Prince Qi's camp from the beginning and sent troops to help him ascend the throne, or they should have completely severed ties with Prince Qi and taken the lead in siding with the Emperor."
"In the end, they did neither. They supported the King of Qi but couldn't let go of their loyalty to the monarch and their country. They were just like prostitutes who wanted to build a memorial archway."
Zu An nodded secretly upon hearing this. Indeed, as he said, Qin Zheng was too upright. He supported the King of Qi but was unwilling to lead troops to support him. As a result, he ended up losing out on both sides.
“And you just said that the Qin family will continue to be loyal to the emperor and love their country,” Bi Qi sneered, “but who can guarantee such a thing, and who dares to believe it?”
"The Duke of Cheng's character over the years has been evident to all, hasn't it?" Although Zu An understood this, he couldn't help but defend Qin Zheng.
Bi Qi shook his head: "In the court, no one will believe in a person's character or some vague promises. The Qin family is in the Qi King's camp and is destined to be purged. Moreover, their prestige is too high and they threaten the new emperor. It is a good opportunity to strip them of their military power. This is also the opinion of all parties in the court."
Zu An remained silent, pondering how he could save the Qin family members, and wondering how Chu Youzhao, who was staying with the Qin family, was doing now.
At this moment, Bi Qi said with a hint of sarcasm, "If the Qin family really dares to raise an army in rebellion, just like the Prince of Qi, then everyone might be hesitant to act against them. Right now, they are just lambs to the slaughter."
Zuan couldn't help but sigh that Qin Zheng was an upright person who was devoted to serving the country, but in the eyes of the old foxes in the political arena, he seemed to be a fool. It was truly an ironic thing.
"What happened to the Prince of Qi's heir?"
Bi Qi replied, "It must have been arranged by the King of Qi before he launched the uprising. He had his confidants take him back to his fiefdom in Qi. After learning of the failure here, he directly amassed his own army and became powerful. For a time, the court did not dare to arrest him, for fear of causing chaos throughout the country."
With the emperor's fate uncertain and a new ruler yet to be established, no one dares to make the decision to send troops to punish him.
Fortunately, the Qin family cooperated and did not join forces with the Prince of Qi.
"By the way, besides the Qin family, the Murong family is also finished." Bi Qi seemed to be gloating when she said this.
Zu An was startled and hurriedly asked what was going on. In his mind, Murong Tong's dark face, which seemed to impress everyone, appeared, along with Murong Qinghe's slender and tall figure.
"What else could it be? First, the Murong family was close to Prince Qi back then. Second, as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, he was originally responsible for protecting the Emperor's safety. Since such a major incident happened to the Emperor, he naturally had to be held accountable." Bi Qi laughed. Back then, Murong Tong's temper was like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard—and he had angered her several times. Now, he had finally gotten his comeuppance.
"Murong Tong has been thrown into the imperial prison, and he will at least be sentenced to death with reprieve."
Zuan was shocked by the casual tone of his words, which implied the destruction of several top families. Compared to these ruthless political old foxes, he realized he was too sentimental.
"Where is Lord Linhai?" Zu An asked hurriedly.
Pei Mianman's grandfather, Pei Zheng, the Duke of Linhai, held the important position of Attendant-in-Ordinary and was a key figure in the Qi King's camp. This time, he will probably not escape unscathed either.
“Pei Zheng will naturally fall from power, but the final decision on how to deal with him is still undecided.” Bi Qi sneered. They were old rivals, having fought each other for so many years, and their rivalry had long since reached a point of intense conflict.
Zuan: "..."
For a moment, he felt a sense of absurdity: why were all the families of his confidantes falling from power?
How exactly did they become enemies with the King of Qi in the first place?
"What about the Yu family and the Jiang family?" Zu An asked again.
“The Yu family had already been dealt with by the Emperor before. Although Yu Xuanchong was removed from office, the Yu family actually escaped a calamity because of this,” Bi Qi replied. “As for the Jiang family, they are related to the Pei family by marriage, so they will most likely be implicated.”
"However, that old fox Jiang Boyang has had marriage ties with various families over the years, so he should be able to secure their protection in the end. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Zuan breathed a sigh of relief, finally hearing some good news.
At this moment, Bi Qi patted Zu An on the shoulder: "Ah Zu, the reason I'm telling you so much is that I want to work together with you. Now the Liu family and the Meng family are joining forces to seize power in the court and place their own people in the vacancy left by the fall of the Qi King's faction. Although I sent Zi Ang back to the capital to help his sister, they can't hold on alone. I estimate that the Liu family will still be in charge of the capital in the future."
Zuan pictured the empress's alluring appearance in his mind, and felt a headache coming on. He thought to himself, "They're both my children, and now you're finally experiencing the pain of being so fickle."
He replied, "Don't worry, Lord Bi. The Crown Princess has been very kind to me and has entrusted me with the most precious things in the Eastern Palace. I will remember that."
Bi Qi felt that his words sounded strange, but he just took it as Bi Linglong valuing him and promoting him to the most favored person in the Eastern Palace, so he laughed and said: "Grandfather, it's good that you have this intention. When you assist Linglong, I will be an asset in the court. Even if the Liu family has the power to control everything, we don't need to be afraid of them."
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