Chapter 586 Zhao Da
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At this moment, Zhao Da slowly spoke, steer the conversation back to the more pressing internal crisis: "General, the matter of Li Shiyue can be discussed later."
The most urgent matter is the position of heir apparent.
Liu Xiaona…”
Mentioning Liu Xiao, Liu Tan's face instantly turned so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
A few days ago, in the village of Sanshan County, the trial of Liu Xiao, presided over by Liu Tan, was a thunderous affair.
Liu Tan took out the piece of silk cloth that Li Shiyue had asked Sun Xiaoliu to send, which the jailer Niu Sangeng had found in the sole of Huang Wanchang's shoe.
Although the name "Liu Xiao" was not explicitly mentioned on the silk cloth, Liu Tan said that the person codenamed "Shan" was Liu Xiao!
Liu Xiao had no way to defend himself!
Liu Tan not only directly pointed out that Liu Xiao was in cahoots with Huang Wanchang, the former governor of Jian'an who was beheaded by Li Shiyue, to sell good people to Japanese pirates and profit from it;
He even secretly had Zhao Da find one of Liu Xiao's personal guards!
This bodyguard's confession became the most fatal blow that brought down Liu Xiao.
With witnesses and physical evidence present, Liu Xiao has no way to refute the claims.
Liu Xiao never imagined that Liu Tan would obtain such secret evidence.
He never imagined that Huang Wanchang, who was already dead, would leave behind such important evidence. Perhaps Huang Wanchang had always been wary of him.
Liu Tan didn't even give Liu Xiao much of a chance to defend himself. He was punished for multiple crimes, including "colluding with Japanese pirates, murdering innocent people, embezzling military funds, and undermining discipline." He was immediately dismissed from all his posts, thrown into the Jinzhou prison, and placed under strict guard.
Liu Xiao's cronies were subsequently purged one by one. The generals and officers under the old Zhenbei King (Liu Cong) who had been gathered by Liu Xiao had long since scattered like birds and beasts.
Liu Tan's series of actions were as fast as lightning. Not to mention Jiang Huijun, who was nominally Liu Tan's queen, even the generals in the army were caught off guard.
Li Chunli, who had been sought out by Liu Xiao, realized after learning that Liu Xiao had been imprisoned that her support and her hope for future wealth and honor—her son Fu Ge'er—had no chance of becoming the heir.
Now, she can only stay in her own yard, keeping her cat and Fu Ge'er obediently, and dare not have any other thoughts.
Li Chunli, who was living among the women in the courtyard behind the Prince's Mansion, once again felt lost and in pain.
However, Jiang Feiyan (Liu Tan's biological mother) did not change her attitude towards Li Chunli. In other words, Jiang Feiyan, the Dowager Consort, never took Li Chunli, the former heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, Liu Shu, seriously.
However, Jiang Huijun, the current Princess Consort of Zhenbei, does not have the same indifferent attitude towards Li Chunli as Jiang Feiyan.
Someone wanted to take the position of heir apparent from her son. How could Jiang Huijun possibly swallow this insult?
However, in order to avoid being accused of mistreating the deceased prince's concubines, she couldn't openly do anything to Li Chunli.
However, Jiang Huijun didn't actually need to do much; she only needed to say a few words.
That was enough to make Li Chunli, who lived behind the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and among the old Zhenbei Prince's concubines, suffer.
Those servants and maids were the ones who knew best how to treat people differently, cutting back on their expenses and making sarcastic remarks, which made Li Chunli's life increasingly difficult.
Winter is just around the corner. If they cut back on the charcoal in Li Chunli's yard, the three of them might not even survive the winter!
All we can say is that this was Li Chunli's own choice.
She has only herself to blame.
At this moment, Liu Tan looked up at Zhao Da and asked, "What is it? Has the Princess summoned you for questioning again?"
Zhao Da quickly bowed and replied, "General, the Princess Consort asked about the petition to appoint the Heir Apparent. When will you send it to the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Tan immediately pursed his lips and remained silent.
“General,” Zhao Da said in a low voice, “although Liu Xiao deserves his punishment, he has cultivated his influence in the army for many years, and his cronies may not have been completely eliminated.”
Now that he is imprisoned, some people may be desperate and resentful, and try to sabotage him in secret.
This is one of the internal problems.
After saying this, Zhao Da swallowed hard, not daring to look at Liu Tan. He lowered his head, but still continued speaking to Liu Tan.
Secondly, Li Shiyue's power in Jian'an is growing stronger;
Although she sent her personal guards with a considerable amount of gold, silver, and sea salt as a gesture of goodwill, ... her intentions were difficult to fathom.
At this point, Zhao Da finally raised his head and looked at Liu Tan.
"General, Li Shiyue now commands a strong army and has made great contributions in killing bandits in Jian'an. If... if she harbors any ill intentions... she may become a threat from outside."
Hearing Zhao Da say this, Ma San felt a little strange.
"Thirdly, the situation in Kyoto remains unclear."
Although our Andong is far from Kyoto, at this critical moment, it's best if we don't attract Kyoto's attention.
Therefore, I believe that sending this memorial requesting the title of Crown Prince will at least make both sides in the capital less wary of our Andong and of the General…”
Zhao Da meticulously analyzed the crisis that Jinzhou, no, Liu Tan, was about to face.
As Liu Tan listened, his expression grew increasingly solemn.
He knew that the power struggle in Golden State had never stopped, but had simply entered a more complex and dangerous phase.
Only now did he realize more deeply that Li Shiyue's blood-stained victory report was both a boost to the already precarious Jinzhou and a heavy burden of pressure and...threat.
Li Shiyue, though far away in Jian'an, seemed like a huge shadow looming over Jinzhou.
Her attitude and her choices will directly influence and even determine which way the power balance within Golden State will tilt.
Although he knew in his heart that Li Shiyue would only choose his side, Liu Tan couldn't help but worry—what if Li Shiyue put aside past grievances and chose Jiang Huijun?
Liu Tan took a deep breath and immediately felt exhausted, but he still spoke and made a decision.
"Pass down the order,"
His voice was cold and hard. "Send more people to keep a close watch on the prison. We must not allow anything to happen to Liu Xiao, and we must not allow anyone to contact him."
Those of his former subordinates who are willing to pledge allegiance can be given a chance;
As for the stubborn ones, you know what to do.
After Liu Tan finished speaking to Zhao Da, he looked at Ma San and said, "Ma San, write a letter to Li Shiyue in my name."
The tone should be friendly, praising her achievements highly, saying that this general is honored to share in her glory.
Tell her... Jinzhou will always be her strongest support.
Liu Tan knew that he needed to keep Li Shiyue in check. At least for now, Li Shiyue was still a useful tool that outwardly obeyed him, and he absolutely could not push her to the opposite side.
Ma San's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed in agreement.
Liu Tan stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the gloomy sky.
Upon seeing this, Ma San and Zhao Da quickly bowed and left the study one after the other.
When only the two of them were left, Ma San's expression changed, and he stared at Zhao Da without blinking.
Zhao Da appeared oblivious, but after spending over a decade together, Ma San could easily see that Zhao Da's right hand, hidden behind his back, had long been clenched into a fist!
What are you doing?!
In the end, Zhao Da still shouted something at Ma San.
Ma San stepped forward and approached Zhao Da, the two of them only half a step apart.
“Brother Zhao, we’ve been together for at least fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen years, if not twenty.”
Zhao Da didn't respond, but he nodded.
“...What I said today..."
Zhao Da raised his head and looked at Ma San. Ma San paused for a moment, then finally whispered, "Why?"
"......"
Zhao Da didn't say anything, he just stared at Ma San.
Ma San stopped talking and looked back at Zhao Da. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long while.
In the end, Zhao Da lowered his head.
He looked at the ground and sighed.
"When my mother fell ill, it was the princess who hired the royal physician for her."
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