Chapter 80 I Believe in Your Majesty
Rong Yin was stunned, remembering the sad expression on Zong Zhengxiao's face when he talked about this matter before.
Li Chu continued, "The brothers of the Zong Zheng family are all brave and good at fighting. They are all outstanding. Even Zong Zhengxi, who cannot inherit the throne, is still a heroine. In fact, according to the order of seniority, the position of crown prince should belong to the current Prince Ning, but unfortunately he has become a cripple, so we can only choose the next one."
"He is the fourth child, and there are two older brothers who are as famous as him. Even if it is the next turn, it will not be his turn. However, the temptation of the throne is too great. And who can guarantee that after his brothers take the throne, they will not take action against him because he is a threat?"
"At that time, the outside world was saying that the brothers of the Munemasa family had a harmonious relationship, but people like me had to fight to the death with my brothers for the position of the head of the family and my own life. Do you think he, who holds a large number of troops, would rely on the so-called family relationship to save his life?"
"That was the best time to turn the tables. The Zong Zheng family's uprising army was the most powerful, and the only thing left was to enter the capital. But once they entered the capital, the head of the Zong Zheng family took the throne, and the princes' military power was taken back. It would be difficult for them to seize the position of crown prince."
Rong Yin interrupted him: "Are you trying to say that he is the same person as you?"
Killing one's father and brother just for power.
"No, no, no." Li Chu shook his head and said with a smile: "I can't compare to him. My methods can only be used in the inner house, but he is different. After his father died of a serious illness, he not only defeated two brothers by himself, but also gathered the power of his brothers as quickly as possible, ensuring that the army would not be dispersed in the case of internal chaos. In the end, he sat on the throne safely."
"Boss Rong, tell me, if you were an outsider, would you think he was scary like I do?"
Rong Yin was silent. When he first entered the book, he was also afraid of Zong Zheng Xiao, but that fear was more of a wariness towards strangers.
Li Chu and his men were the witnesses of how Zong Zheng Xiao rose from a small general in the rebel army to the throne of emperor. They had fought with Zong Zheng Xiao for several years and knew best how horrible his methods were.
From this perspective, it seems that Li Chu and the others understand Zong Zheng Xiao better than he does.
However...
"I don't think he's scary." Rong Yin's eyes and tone were particularly firm. "Although I haven't known him as long as you, he is my closest person. I know exactly what kind of person he is. What you said about his struggle for power before he ascended the throne is nothing more than hearsay. We were not there, so we have no right to comment on the truth."
If Zong Zhengxiao really killed his father and brother for the throne, then he might feel guilty or proud when talking about what happened, but he would never show such a sad look in his eyes.
Moreover, if Zong Zhengxiao was so suspicious that he suspected his brother would kill him before his brother became the crown prince, he would not have spared the lives of Prince Ning, Prince Jing and the princess, because they could expose his past evil deeds at any time and use them as an excuse to rebel.
Previously, Rong Yin asked Zong Zhengxiao what he would choose if Da Sheng could possess the advanced civilization technology of a thousand years later tomorrow, but the condition was that he could never be the emperor again. Zong Zhengxiao chose the advanced civilization without hesitation.
How could someone who doesn't care about the throne kill his own relatives for it?
This doesn't make logical sense.
"He and I are family. Do you think I trust him or you? Are you going to say next that if I become more powerful than him one day, he will kill me?"
Rong Yin frowned: "Master Li, I remember you came to ask for my forgiveness, but what do you mean by trying to sow discord here?"
Li Chu chuckled: "Oh, you found me."
Rong Yin: "...You are so boring."
Li Chu poured him more tea. "Boss Rong, drink some tea and calm down. I just wanted to see if you were worthy of my support. If your relationship with him was disrupted by a few words from me, it proves that you are as unstable as the noble families. Since you are both equally rotten, why should I spend the effort to switch to you? But now it seems that I was too narrow-minded. I am really sorry."
Li Chu stopped playing tricks at this moment. He said sorry but there was no trace of shame on his face.
Rong Yin almost laughed out of anger: "You are a fence-sitter, and you have the nerve to test the stability of our internal relations. We still suspect that you are an undercover sent by the aristocratic family."
Li Chu was not angry even after being scolded. He smiled and said, "Whether he is an undercover agent or not, I will prove it to you and him later."
"Alright, alright, I'm too lazy to talk to you anymore." Rong Yin gradually lost his patience and got straight to the point. "Tell me, what is your surrender gift?"
Li Chu achieved his goal and spoke straightforwardly. He said, "Boss Rong, do you still remember that the He family was confiscated for participating in the rebellion, the elders were beheaded, the young men were exiled, and the women were sent to the Jiaofangsi?"
As soon as he mentioned the He family, Rong Yin remembered what Ning Yue had said to her not long ago. Other families were bullying the girls from the He family, but only the Li family stayed out of it. Even Li Chu tried to help the He family.
He and Zong Zhengxiao both suspected that there was something fishy going on, but now it seemed that they didn't need to investigate, as Li Chu was about to tell the truth himself.
Seeing Rong Yin's expression, Li Chu knew that he had made the right choice in his surrender gift.
Li Chu said: "I am not afraid to tell you, Boss Rong, that several noble families participated in the rebellion to varying degrees, but in the end it was the He family that took the blame."
Rong Yin's face was full of contempt, as if saying: You once wanted to rebel against Zong Zheng Xiao, and now you have the nerve to come and join him?
Li Chu avoided his eyes, coughed slightly, and said: "This is the moment, and we didn't succeed. Well, having said that, the reason other aristocratic families used to force the He family to take the blame was because the He family was deeply involved. In the case of rebellion, the He family will definitely not be able to escape the blame. Even dragging other families into trouble will not save the He family. "
"But the He family was only a participant, not the leader. According to Dasheng law, the He family's young children may be able to survive. If the He family takes all the blame, the other families will help take care of the surviving children. If the He family insists on dragging the other families to death, then the He family's children will not have an easy life."
After hearing this, Rong Yin's eyes became even more contemptuous: "Not only did you force someone to die, but you also broke your promise and humiliated someone's daughter. How shameless."
Li Chu said: "Ning Yue told you about the aristocratic bullying families the daughter of the He family. She often attends those private banquets and should be very clear about these things."
Since Li Chu had guessed it, Rong Yin did not deny it.
Li Chu continued, "Then she should have told you that our Li family has not broken our promise to the He family."
Rong Yin said, "Don't tell me that you are good people who keep your promises, so you didn't bully the remaining He family members."
Li Chu: "Boss Rong guessed half right. The Li family did not go to the He family to add insult to injury. I also helped the He family's daughter. On the one hand, I was indeed keeping my promise. On the other hand, it was also the reason why the other families were holding on to the He family's daughter."
Rong Yin perked up: "What's the reason?"
Li Chu said succinctly: "Those He family girls may have leverage over several other families."
Rong Yin understood immediately: "You families are so closely connected, it is not impossible that you know some of each other's little secrets. The He family is aware of the evil of the family and knows that you will not let the He family's children go easily, so they handed the evidence they collected on you to the surviving children to threaten you."
He looked at Li Chu and said, "The Li family didn't break their promise like the other families did because you knew that the He family didn't have any fatal leverage over you, so you were fearless, right?"
"Smart." Li Chu used a lid to skim off the foam on the tea and said, "Just as Boss Rong said, the noble families understand each other. The other families must have expected that the He family would have a backup plan, so they went to test the He family's daughter."
He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before saying, "They were quite polite at first, approaching the He family girls under the pretext of caring for them, trying to pry some information out of them. But I don't know if the He family girls had no leverage or were just too good at pretending, anyway, they spent a long time and got nothing."
"Later, when they saw that their tender offensive was ineffective, they began to humiliate the He family's daughters, thinking that perhaps they could not bear the humiliation and would speak without thinking and reveal some information that might have something to prove their wrongdoing. But I believe you have seen the result. They pushed two people to death, but still did not find anything useful."
"When they saw this, they began to speculate whether the He family master had left nothing for the He family daughters. Otherwise, if they were bullied like this, why didn't they use evidence to shock them, or directly hand over the evidence to your people?"
"Do you think they would be nice to He Jianu, who is not a threat and wastes their time and energy?"
Rong Yin cursed: "What a bunch of inhumane guys."
Li Chu: "Yes, they are a bunch of beasts. Sooner or later, your majesty will chop off their heads and quarter their bodies."
"..." Rong Yin: "You haven't even managed to join us yet, why are you cursing yourself?"
Li Chu pretended to be surprised: "I have told you all these things, Boss Rong, but you still don't agree to let me join you?"
"Ahem, your gift of surrender is good. I can consider agreeing to your surrender, but the final outcome will still be decided by His Majesty."
"Of course." Li Chu smiled, "Then I will wait for good news from Boss Rong and His Majesty."
After the conversation, Rong Yin stood up and walked out from behind the screen, and Ning Yue's piano playing also stopped at the same time.
Ning Yue looked at him inquiringly: Is it settled?
Rong Yin nodded.
Ning Yue heaved a of relief. Rong Yin stepped forward and deliberately raised his sigh voice and said, "If he dares to bully you, come to me and I will help you vent your anger."
Ning Yue glanced over the screen and said with a smile, "Thank you, Boss Rong."
Almost half an hour had passed since Rong Yin left before Li Chu came out from behind the screen.
He bowed to Ning Yue and said, "Thank you very much today, Miss Ning Yue. If you need any help in the future, please come to me."
Ning Yue bowed: "Master Li, you are too polite."
After the two men finished talking, Li Chu quietly left through the back door under the guidance of a servant.
Even the boss didn't notice that he came to Qingqiu Pavilion today.
In the palace, Rong Yin ignored the part where Li Chu said that Zong Zheng Xiao killed his father and brother, and told Zong Zheng Xiao the rest of the conversation.
"I think we can agree to his surrender." Rong Yin said.
Zong Zhengxiao asked: "He used you before, A Yin, don't you hate him?"
Rong Yin said: "Of course I hate them. They are all a bunch of sinister villains. But I am not a child anymore. I can't just do things based on my own preferences. He will be a good weapon for us to deal with the aristocratic families. If used properly, we will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Zong Zheng Xiao was silent for a while after hearing this, his eyes were deep, as if he was thinking about something, but also as if he was thinking about nothing.
Finally, he touched Rong Yin's head and said with a smile, "A Yin still thinks long-term."
"Hmph, no." Rong Yin thought for a moment and said, "But it will be your turn to meet him later. He is too cunning and cunning. An honest man like me cannot outwit him. Your Majesty, the wise and powerful one, must come and suppress his evil spirit."
Whether out of personal grudges or for the sake of future cooperation between the two parties, Rong Yin didn't want to have any more contact with Li Chu.
"Okay, I don't want you to meet him often either." Zong Zhengxiao's tone was meaningful, but Rong Yin didn't notice.
Rong Yin hummed happily, leaned into Zong Zheng Xiao's arms, and said, "I think old man Li and his concubine will be in trouble soon. Li Chu wants to take over the Li family, so there is no room for them to continue living well."
Zong Zhengxiao said: "Let them fight on their own, it will save us some energy."
A few days later, Zong Zhengxiao found an excuse and went to the Ministry of Rites.
Li Chu was originally the Minister of Rites, but was later demoted because of Li Ao's incident. However, due to his and his mother's management, his reputation in the Ministry of Rites is now even greater than before. Therefore, when the group went to visit Zong Zheng Xiao, he was able to stand behind the Minister of Rites.
After Zong Zhengxiao arrived, he inspected their office and talked to the Minister of Rites all the way. Li Chu followed him obediently, not saying much or interrupting. He was as quiet as the air and had a very low sense of presence.
Zong Zheng Xiao didn't even look at him, as if he didn't notice him at all.
The emperor's majesty was so terrifying that everyone except Li Chu was trembling with fear, fearing that they would offend the emperor and lose their heads if they were not careful.
Only Li Chu could vaguely guess the purpose of Zong Zhengxiao's visit, most likely because of his defection to the royal camp. He thought that it was right to look for Rong Yin, as even the emperor could not stand the pillow talk of his lover.
Although he didn't understand why Zong Zheng Xiao came to remind him in person with all the fanfare and that he had already agreed to the cooperation, Li Chu was still relatively relaxed knowing that he had succeeded.
But who knew that when he relaxed, something bad would happen.
The situation at that time was that Zong Zheng Xiao was talking to the Shangshu and had no intention of paying attention to anyone else. Li Chu never guessed that Zong Zheng Xiao would pick a fight with him.
So when Zong Zhengxiao and the Shangshu were chatting about a certain topic and suddenly said that he wanted to ask Li Chu's opinion, Li Chu did not react immediately and was half a beat late before stepping forward to salute and answer.
After he finished speaking his thoughts, Zong Zhengxiao, who had been kind at first, suddenly became gloomy and scolded him for being rude and incoherent in his answer, which was really against the style of the Ministry of Etiquette.
So he inexplicably deducted half a year's salary from him and punished him to copy the "Book of Rites". After copying it, he personally sent it to the palace for Zong Zhengxiao to check.
Li Chu knelt on the ground and responded, his eyes twitching and he almost cursed.
He finally understood why Zong Zheng Xiao came here in person.
After Zong Zhengxiao left, the news that he deliberately found trouble to punish Li Chu spread.
Everyone thinks that the Li family is unlucky. Somehow Zong Zheng Xiao is unhappy again. Previously, it was the head of the Li family who was targeted, and now it is his son's turn.
Li Chu's friends all looked at him with pity. Who told him to be born into a family that was against the emperor? No matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to endure it.
Li Chu's face has never been good when he was on duty these days. Half of this anger is real and half is pretended.
He understood what Zong Zhengxiao meant. Only by creating the illusion that they were not in harmony could they prevent others from discovering that they were actually in the same group.
However, Li Chu could also sense that Zong Zheng was hostile when he punished him. He probably wanted to use him but didn't like him. After all, they already knew about his use of Rong Yin before.
Li Chu brought the copied etiquette book to the palace to meet Zong Zhengxiao. Zong Zhengxiao sat behind the table, looking at him coldly, and said, "Whether you are truly loyal or just pretending to be loyal, since I have decided to use you, I will not touch the Li family for the time being."
Li Chu hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. The Li family will follow your Majesty's lead in the future."
Zong Zhengxiao said indifferently, "You will be more convincing when you take the position of the head of the family. Your brother died because of me, and your father probably still regards me as a thorn in his side."
Li Chu bowed even lower: "My father is old, Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not give him the opportunity to disobey you again."
Zong Zheng Xiao did not respond immediately, but just looked at Li Chu quietly. His sharp eyes seemed to see through him, and it was also like a hunter enjoying the fearful struggle of his prey. His eyes were so superior and looked down on everything.
Li Chu's body was stiff, with his head lowered, like a wolf pack member submitting to the leader.
After a long time, Zong Zhengxiao finally spoke.
"You are very smart, but I hope that you use your intelligence to help me, rather than to deal with me and the people around me. If you have any ulterior motives, you'd better hide them. Once I find out, I will make you regret coming to this world."
Li Chu knelt down directly this time. He kowtowed to Zong Zhengxiao and said, "I will remember your Majesty's instructions."
When Rong Yin said that Li Chu was a fence-sitter, Zong Zheng Xiao just smiled and didn't seem to care whether Li Chu would betray him.
But only Li Chu knew that he would never regret it from the moment he turned to Zong Zhengxiao.
Zong Zhengxiao hates betrayal the most. If he dares to think about turning back, his ending will definitely be more miserable than any other family.
The previous case involving King Jing, which was the reason why the mermaid was sent to the capital, was caused by a military general who betrayed Zong Zhengxiao.
Not long after the general defected to the noble family, he was discovered by Zong Zheng Xiao. In the end, the general and his entire family were executed, and many people in the noble family were implicated as well.
Zong Zhengxiao will not let any betrayer go.
In Yu's study, Zong Zhengxiao finally said, "You'd better always be as aware of current affairs as you were today."
In order to cover up his tracks, Zong Zhengxiao scolded Li Chu again before he left.
Li Chu lowered his head and accepted the scolding, always feeling that Zong Zhengxiao's scolding was sincere.
He couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that their Majesty really cared about Rong Yin.
When leaving Yu's study, Li Chu's back was already wet with sweat. He was not joking with Rong Yin that day, he was really afraid of Zong Zhengxiao.
No matter how many conspiracies and tricks one has, they are all useless in the face of absolute power.
Naturally, the news of Li Chu being scolded for entering the palace spread out again. Li's father also heard the news. He took some time to crawl out from the crowd of women, called him over and comforted him.
"It's my fault that I was too flamboyant in the past and offended Zong Zhengxiao too much. Now that you are more active in the court, he can't stand you and is looking for trouble with you."
Li Chu shook his head, with an expression that said, "I am wronged but I won't say anything." "Don't blame father. It was my own carelessness that allowed the emperor to catch me."
The old face of the head of the Li family was flushed abnormally, and he sighed: "Ao'er's father must avenge his father. Whether it is Zong Zhengxiao or the Cui Chen family, I will make them pay the price to comfort Ao'er's spirit in heaven."
He looked at Li Chu and continued, "Now that our family is in decline, the best strategy is to conserve our energy and build up our strength. We cannot confront them head-on, so for a long time to come, you will have to endure and give in."
Li Chu lowered his eyes, hiding the coldness in his eyes: "Don't worry, Dad. As long as I can avenge Xiao Ao, I can endure any grievance."
He asked why the head of the Li family suddenly wanted to see him, but he didn't expect it was for Li Ao.
Patriarch Li showed relief in his eyes, "You are my good son, Ao'er's good brother, I was not wrong about you."
Li Chu suppressed his disgust and accompanied the head of the Li family to play the role of loving father and filial son. Only when he returned to his mother's courtyard did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Mother Li knew why the head of the Li family called her son over. She looked at Li Chu lovingly and said, "My son, you have worked hard."
Li Chu shook his head and sat down opposite his mother: "Don't worry, mother. He won't be bothering us soon."
Mother Li understood what he meant and her expression relaxed a little.
All the servants in the house were sent out by Li's mother. The mother and son were in the same boat, so they spoke without reservation.
Li's mother asked, "Have you met the emperor? What was his attitude?"
Li Chu's mother knew and agreed with the fact that Li Chu was planning to join the royal family.
Although she was in a deep house, she could see the current situation clearly. The emperor's reputation among the people was greatly boosted, and the intimidation of the aristocratic families on the emperor was gradually weakening. However, the aristocratic families had acted too arrogantly before, and there was no guarantee that the emperor would not settle accounts with them later.
Among the aristocratic families today, the Li family is the weakest. Rather than being pushed out as a shield by the Cui Chen and other families, it is better for them to switch to the Zong Zheng Xiaozhen camp in advance and seek a glimmer of hope for themselves.
Li Chu said: "Your Majesty uses me, but he still doesn't trust me."
Li's mother said: "Although it is said that there are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests, but you were on the opposite side of the emperor before, so it is normal for him to doubt you."
Li Chu nodded, looking serious, "I will show Your Majesty my sincerity."
Mother Li looked out the window with a worried look on her face, and said, "No matter how poor the Li family is, it is still a century-old family. Even if the emperor wins in the end, we are still in his camp, but the emperor will never allow the Li family to continue to be powerful. Only by cutting off our arms and surviving at the right time can the Li family be preserved."
This world belongs to His Majesty. Any existence that threatens His Majesty will be eliminated.
Li Chu said: "Son understands."
From the moment he had the idea of ​​surrendering to Zong Zhengxiao, he knew clearly that the decline of the aristocratic family was inevitable.
He did not expect the Li family to maintain its current glory, but only hoped that the Li family would not end up like the He family.
As for him, whether he can live out the rest of his life depends on the opinions of Zong Zheng Xiao and Rong Yin.
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