Chapter 271 A Person Who Will Serve as a Lesson for Future Emperors
In early 203 of the Great Wei Dynasty, Su Wanying, who was still captivated by the fleeting glimpse she had seen at the wedding banquet, expressed her opinion to her father for the first time.
"Since they're all just pawns anyway, wouldn't it be better to control the Xiao family if I could become Princess Jing?"
When Su Wanying made this suggestion, it really surprised Su Yu.
He wasn't surprised that his daughter would go against his wishes, but rather surprised that her suggestion made a lot of sense.
Su Yu's considerations were a step deeper than Su Wanying's.
He knew that Prince Jing was a brilliant military strategist, and that his reputation alone could deter the Xiongnu and Southern Chu from their ambition to invade Wei.
Such a person, in the future, will at least hold the position of regent in the court and among the people.
If he could get close to Prince Jing, no matter how he looked at it, Su Yu felt it would be a completely worthwhile investment.
But things weren't as simple as they seemed.
Prince Jing appears to be a playboy, with a gentle smile on his face. Unlike other members of the royal family, he doesn't pay much attention to his words and actions, nor does he put those rules of etiquette on the table.
He was just like an ordinary young master from a prominent family, approachable and easy to get along with.
But after Su Wanying tried to get to know him a few times, she vaguely realized that this man, who seemed to flit from flower to flower without ever getting attached to anyone, was unfathomably deep in both mind and strength.
“Several attempts, though the prince didn’t avoid me, only went so far.” She laughed self-deprecatingly, “It’s as if I’m no different from any other girl in the capital.”
Su Wanying shook her head: "I won't accept it."
Her background, her education, and the halo of being the most talented woman in the capital all became an insurmountable obstacle for her the moment Li Jin ignored her.
Unfulfilled desires and lack of attention felt like a heavy hammer blow, shattering her pride and self-esteem.
At that time, she seemed to be possessed, refusing to back down despite difficulties, and instead becoming increasingly ruthless.
“I can’t accept the prince’s disregard for me, and I can’t admit that I have no attraction for the prince.” Su Wanying’s voice trembled slightly. “I can’t accept it, and I won’t allow it.”
“It was precisely at that moment of deepest resentment that Consort Shu found me.” She raised her eyes, coldly looking at Consort Shu on the high platform. “The Consort said that even though I have the title of the most talented woman in the capital, but…”
“But my zither playing is so-so, my chess playing is so-so, my calligraphy is something anyone can do, and my painting has no spirit.” She bit her lip. “The Empress said that I am utterly mediocre. Let alone Prince Jing, even being a concubine of the Second Prince would be a stroke of good luck.”
The main hall was completely silent.
Li Jin raised his eyes and looked at Consort Shu, who was sitting on the high platform, biting her lip and not daring to speak, and then looked at the silent Crown Prince beside her.
He unexpectedly leaned down and patted Su Wanying on the shoulder.
“You’re not the only one who’s been talked about like that,” Li Jin said, her voice softening considerably.
These words were like a pebble falling into Su Wanying's heart.
Tears streamed down her face as she silently gazed at his face, raising her hand to cover half of her eye, and sobbed, "But I believed you!"
Su Wanying believed it.
After her self-esteem was shattered, everything that had once made her proud became worthless and meaningless in just a few months.
She began to doubt whether she was really that bad.
Doubting one's own strength, one feels an insurmountable gap between oneself and those who live in this magnificent palace.
She felt lost and frustrated, as if her entire life before had been a twisted deception.
At that moment, the person who destroyed her confidence and self-esteem "kindly" extended a hand.
"Her Majesty said that as long as I do things for her, she can help me fulfill my wish." Su Wanying choked up. "She said that as long as I bring down Crown Prince Li Mu and support the Second Prince to become the Crown Prince, then she can make me the Princess Consort of Jing!"
"Nonsense!" Consort Shu roared from the high platform, "Who gave you the audacity to frame me like this!"
“Every word I have said is true, Your Majesty, please make a wise judgment!” Su Wanying kowtowed to the ground. “Six years ago, everything I said in the palace was taught to me by Consort Shu, who made me memorize it word by word!”
"After the Liu family, including Minister Liu Quan of the Ministry of Works, resigned from their posts, the Empress feared that the smuggling of armor would be exposed, so she had a criminal girl pretend to be a relative of the steward and poison him with arsenic when she visited him!"
"Furthermore! Minister Chen Wen of the Ministry of Justice, in order to eliminate dissidents, the Empress ordered a criminal to secretly murder the second son and youngest daughter of the Chen family, causing Minister Chen's family to be ruined and his family to be destroyed, forcing him to retire to his hometown!"
"Even so! Her Majesty still says that this sinful woman has not done enough, and is not worthy of becoming the Princess Consort of Jing! Her Majesty says! As long as there are still..."
"Shut up! Shut up!" Consort Shu was shocked. Seeing that Su Wanying was about to bring up the matter of her poisoning Consort Xiao, she disregarded Li Yi's previous threats and bared her teeth and claws as she tried to rush down from the high platform.
"Her Majesty said that as long as Consort Xiao is still alive in the palace, she cannot bypass Prince Jing's mother and send me to Prince Jing's residence!"
Consort Shu's expression was ferocious, and she was about to pounce on Su Wanying.
But Li Jin calmly picked up two peanuts from the table beside him, flicked them with his finger, and struck the tendon below Consort Shu's knee.
Consort Shu, who was on the high platform, stumbled and tumbled down from it.
In that instant, Su Wanying took a deep breath and raised her voice eight decibels: "Her Majesty has ordered me to poison Consort Xiao with arsenic! And to poison all the civil and military officials with Gelsemium elegans!"
Upon hearing this, the hall erupted in uproar.
Even seasoned officials who had seen it all showed a look of shock on their faces.
The women had never seen anything like it before. They were all terrified, covering their mouths with their hands, unable to believe what they had seen and heard.
Consort Shu scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain all over her body, and began to attack Su Wanying, yelling, "Why! Why did you hurt me!"
"Who! Who told you to say these things!" She hysterically grabbed Su Wanying's hair. "I've treated your Su family well! I've treated you well! I've given you honor and face! Why did you have to hurt me!"
On his throne, Li Yi remained silent as he watched the utterly undignified scene unfold before him.
He remained silent, enjoying the fine food and wine before him, as if it were all just a performance at a banquet.
A few days ago, when Li Jin found him, she said she would handle the matter of Consort Shu secretly.
With the palace banquet approaching, Li Jin was considering the dignity of the imperial family and Li Yi's reputation.
But he shook his head and said solemnly, "I want you to tear off the fig leaf of the harem struggle and the battle for the throne in front of all the civil and military officials."
Li Yi looked solemnly at Li Jin, who was standing there dumbfounded with a look of astonishment on her face.
The incense in the study wafted gently.
This emperor, who had always been an iron-fisted ruler, powerful and arrogant, now wore a sorrow on his face that weighed a ton.
"Jin'er..." He gazed at Li Jin's face across the desk, "Do you know what the greatest tragedy is to sit in this position?"
Li Jin was stunned for a moment, then quickly knelt on the ground.
"The greatest tragedy is that after all the journey, when you finally reach the summit, you suddenly realize that you are all alone."
He took out the tiger tally that Li Jin had returned years ago from a box beside him and twirled it in his hand a few times.
"Everything my father did was for the Li family, for the Great Wei, and for the world."
He choked up slightly: "Only this time, Father Emperor wants to do it for those who died, for the strict edict, for your mother, for Mu'er and Cen Shi, for those lives that are far more than two hundred..."
"To seek justice for them."
Li Yi raised his hand and pushed the tiger tally toward Li Jin.
"The royal family's reputation has long been riddled with holes." He smiled gently. "In order to prevent history from repeating itself and to prevent future generations from repeating the same mistakes."
"Let Father Emperor serve as an example, nailed to the pillar of shame in history books for all eternity, so that future emperors may take him as a warning."
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