Chapter 255 Both Sides Attack
"Zhao Jue is very concerned about his reputation and has a strong sense of self-esteem. He is not someone who is content with mediocrity. Now that he has fallen from grace, I believe he cannot accept the difference and is eager to get out of this predicament and regain power."
Shen Qingtan said softly, "He has always used whatever means necessary to get ahead. In his heart, relying on women is not shameful, but a mutually beneficial relationship."
Zhao Yi instantly understood what Shen Qingtan meant: "Are you going to give him a capable Yue family?"
"Isn't it possible?" Shen Qingtan said coldly, "Whether it's Zhao Jue or Shen Mingzhu, once they gain power, they will continue to provoke us. In order to prevent future troubles, we must take the initiative and dismantle their internal relationships first."
In order to keep Zhao Jue, Shen Mingzhu humbled herself, swallowed her anger, and even gave up her dignity.
If Zhao Jue abandoned her for power.
What will she do?
Shen Qingtan couldn't help but feel anticipation in his heart.
Zhao Yi's heart moved slightly. Shen Qingtan wanted to borrow Shen Mingzhu's knife to kill Zhao Jue.
"Am I really cruel?" Shen Qingtan sat on the stool beside the bed, his elbows resting on the edge, and asked with his chin in his hand, "Are you afraid?"
Zhao Yi looked into her dark and bright eyes, staring at him without blinking, as if expecting his answer, or as if asking casually.
He pondered, "Do you want to hear the truth?"
"The truth is unpleasant to hear, do you want to cover it up with lies?" Shen Qingtan raised his eyebrows: "You can also tell lies."
Zhao Yi raised his hand and touched her head.
His sudden action stunned Shen Qingtan.
"Don't be afraid." Zhao Yi's fingertips slid down and gently pinched her fair cheek. "You have a soft heart. I'll coax you and you won't bother with me."
Shen Qingtan blinked and was actually coaxed by him.
Zhao Yi asked, "Are you not angry anymore?"
Shen Qingtan snorted lightly, trying to deliberately contradict him and pretend to be angry.
But when she met his gaze, she couldn't help but laugh.
"I am a magnanimous man, and I don't share your views." Shen Qingtan held his hand and mentioned Zhao Wan, "Grandmother is choosing a husband for Sister Wan'er. There are several candidates at the moment. One is the son of Marquis Wenxuan, one is the second son of the Tongpan, and one is the son of the Imperial College's chief academic officer."
"Grandmother favored the son of the chief priest, and because the chief priest had received favors from the Ling family, she had reservations."
At this point, Shen Qingtan asked, "Second Master, is there anyone suitable among them?"
"The Marquis Wenxuan's son is upright and courteous, a man who can be trusted. Unfortunately, he has two children. Being a stepmother has always been difficult, and Wan'er is a young girl herself. How can she be a good mother? Her temperament more or less resembles that of her third uncle, and she's a bit sensitive. She's not suited to such a complicated family."
"The Tongpan family has a loose control over their second son and doesn't expect him to bring honor to the family. The Tongpan's wife dotes on him, and he has a simple and kind nature. For now, if Sister Wan'er marries him, she won't be wronged. But if, in the long run, he can't stand up for himself and can't handle things on his own, then he and his wife will have to live under the control of his brother and sister-in-law."
"The Emperor places great importance on the position of Jijiu. No one has ever held this position for two consecutive terms, except for Jijiu Wang, who held it for eight years. Jijiu Wang is a Hanlin scholar, upright, and clear about the distinction between public and private affairs. Even if the Ling family has a favor to him, he cannot be allowed to use his power for personal gain in public affairs."
"Wang Jijiu values morality and etiquette, and his family has very strict traditions. His only son has inherited his father's style. If nothing unexpected happens, he will inherit his father's business in the future. Wang Shenzhi's biological mother has passed away due to illness, and now he only has a stepmother. The stepmother is kind and treats him as her own son."
Zhao Yi said gently, "Wang Shenzhi is a bit rigid, only understanding the concept of reason, but he is not a foolishly filial person. The fact that Mrs. Wang is respected by Wang Jijiu is enough to show that she is extremely wise. How could she not understand the son she raised with her own hands? With her intelligence, she will not make things difficult for her daughter-in-law."
When Shen Qingtan heard this, he understood what Zhao Yi was thinking. He liked Wang Shenzhi.
Wang Shenzhi is stubborn but not foolishly filial. Mrs. Wang knows this very well. Not only does she not make things difficult for her daughter-in-law, but on the contrary she is polite to her.
Shen Qingtan asked, "Sister Wan'er is discussing marriage with Prince Wang?"
"Yeah." Zhao Yi said, "The Wang family has simple relationships, which is suitable for Sister Wan'er."
Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "That's right, there's no need to deal with the relationship between sisters-in-law."
Another point is that since the Duke's Mansion is related by marriage to Wang Jijiu, it will not help Prince Yu to deal with the Duke's Mansion.
Zhao Yi gently tapped her eyelids with his fingers: "You haven't had a good rest these days, get some sleep first."
Shen Qingtan was in a state of excitement and had no desire to sleep at all: "I need to get things done first, otherwise I will feel uneasy and unable to sleep well."
As soon as she finished speaking, she left the inner room and told Jiang Mu, who was waiting at the door, to leave Zhao Jue's matter to him.
-
Yuwangfu.
Prince Yu offered a stick of incense to the Buddha.
The Chancellor stood behind him and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid Zhao Yi's illness is about to be cured."
Prince Yu gazed at the compassionate face of the Buddha, his eyes revealing an unclear emotion.
After Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi moved into the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, he felt something was not right.
Sure enough, two days later, news came from his intelligence network.
Gu Changsheng is Zhong Yuan's apprentice.
After Zhao Yi moved into the Zhenbei Palace, Gu Changsheng stayed there with Zhao Yi.
Without having to think about it, you will know that Gu Changsheng is treating Zhao Yi.
Prince Yu paced around the room with his hands behind his back and a sullen expression on his face.
Once Zhao Yi's illness is cured, it will pose a great threat to him.
The Chancellor added, "Prince Rui is secretly showing goodwill to Master Zhao."
Prince Yu's red lips curled up. His younger brother wanted to pull the Duke's Mansion into his camp.
The princess of Northern Qi came to marry, intending to choose one of the two princes as her marriage partner.
Once this news spread, Prince Rui lost his patience.
The Imperial Household Secretary offered a suggestion: "Your Highness, would you like to take the initiative to propose a marriage to the Emperor? We can retreat in order to advance, and perhaps we can gain a favorable impression with the Emperor."
"Because of the Qingzhou incident, this prince has a serious offense in the heart of the emperor. If I take the initiative to propose a marriage, the emperor will not refuse it, but will go along with it."
Prince Yu stopped and looked out the window at the bright sunny sky, his eyes dark. "Is Zhao Jue still waiting for me?"
"I'm still waiting for you at the house," the secretary replied, "I've been waiting since yesterday evening. I'm afraid I've been pushed to the limit."
It’s better to be forced into a corner. What Prince Yu wants is for the second branch of the Zhao family to be forced into a corner.
He waved his hand, motioning for Zhan Shi to come closer, said a few words, took out a thick booklet from the drawer, and handed it to Zhan Shi.
Zhan Shi didn't dare to ask Prince Yu any more questions. He immediately left the palace with the book in his arms and went to the mansion to pass on the message to Zhao Jue.
-
Zhao Jue came out of the house with the booklet in his hand. The scorching sun shone on his body, which should have made his skin hot and painful.
He thought of what Zhan Shi had said, and a chill ran down his spine.
Prince Yu said that his mother had been using the power of the Duke's Mansion to accept bribes and seek personal gain for more than 20 years.
The money that was moved to Xiyuan that night was not the silver left by the Duke of the previous dynasty, but the silver that his mother had embezzled.
The Duke and the Old Lady had already heard the news, so they were so heartless towards him and didn't want to see him again.
They are even investigating his mother and collecting evidence.
Zhao Jue was shocked by his mother's audacity. She dared to embezzle and pervert the law, and kept him and his father in the dark.
Prince Yu cleared up the evidence of his mother's crime and forged a piece of evidence to drag his uncle into the crime and get rid of his mother.
Zhao Jue looked at the booklet in his hand and walked out of the narrow alley with a serious expression.
"Get out of the way, people in front, get out of the way quickly——"
Zhao Jue heard the shouting and looked up, only to see a luxurious carriage rushing towards him out of control.
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