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 families bullying 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 sigh of relief. Rong Yin stepped forward and deliberately raised his voice and said, "If he dares to bully you, come to me and I will help you vent your anger."
寧月看了屏風那邊一眼，忍着笑意道：“多謝戎老板。”
等戎音離開了快有小半個時辰，李楚才從屏風後面出來。
他對寧月拱手：“今天多謝寧月姑娘了，以後若有需要幫助的地方，盡管來尋李某。”
寧月福身：“李少爺客氣。”
兩人說完話，李楚便在下人的帶領下悄悄從後門離開了。
今天他來清秋閣的事，連老板都沒發現。
宮裏，戎音隐去李楚說宗政逍弑父殺兄那段，将剩餘的談話內容都告訴了宗政逍。
“我覺得可以同意他的投靠。”戎音道。
宗政逍問：“他之前利用過阿音你，不讨厭他嗎？”
戎音道：“當然讨厭，他們世家的都是一群陰險小人，不過我又不是小孩子了，不能只憑喜好做事，他會是咱們對付世家的一把好刀，用得妥當的話，定能達到事半功倍的效果。”
宗政逍聞言沉默了一會兒，眸色深沉，像是想了什麽，又像是什麽都沒想。
最後他摸摸戎音的頭，笑道：“還是阿音考慮得長遠。”
“哼，那可不。”戎音想了想又道：“不過後面還是換你去跟他接觸吧，他那人實在太詭計多端了，我這種老實人玩不過他，還是得讓英明神武的陛下來，壓一壓他的邪氣。”
無論是出于私人恩怨還是為了以後雙方的合作考慮，戎音都不想再多跟李楚接觸。
“好，我也不希望你常跟他見面。”宗政逍語氣意味深長，只是戎音沒注意到。
戎音開心地嗯了一聲，靠進宗政逍懷裏，道：“我看李老頭和他那個妾室，估計馬上就要倒黴了，李楚想接管李家，哪裏容得他們繼續好好活着。”
宗政逍道：“讓他們自己鬥吧，也省了我們的力氣。”
幾天後，宗政逍找了個由頭，去禮部轉了一圈。
李楚原先是禮部侍郎，後來因着李傲的事被降了職，不過因為自己和母親的運營，如今他在禮部的名聲更盛從前，所以一行人拜見宗政逍時，他能站在禮部尚書後頭。
宗政逍來了以後就去他們辦公的地方巡視了一遍，一路上都在跟禮部尚書說話，李楚就老老實實跟在旁邊，不多話不插嘴，安靜得像是空氣，存在感極低。
宗政逍也沒有看他一眼，像是根本沒有注意到他一樣。
帝王威嚴何其恐怖，除了李楚外所有人都戰戰兢兢，生怕一個不小心就得罪皇帝掉了腦袋。
只有李楚隐隐能猜到宗政逍前來的目的，大概率是為了他轉投皇室陣營的事，他心道找戎音果然沒錯，貴為聖上也受不了愛人的枕邊風。
雖然不明白宗政逍為何大張旗鼓親自過來提醒自己，他已經同意了合作，但心知自己成功了的李楚還是比較放松的。
可誰知他這一放松就放松出了事。
當時的情況是，宗政逍跟尚書說着話，完全沒有要理會其他人的意思，李楚根本沒猜到宗政逍會找自己茬。
是以當宗政逍和尚書聊着某個話題，忽然說想問問李楚的意見時，李楚沒有第一時間反應過來，慢了半拍才上前行禮作答。
等他說完自己的想法，原本态度還算和善的宗政逍臉色驟然陰沉下來，呵斥他禦前失儀，回答的內容也不知所謂，實在是有失禮部風範。
于是莫名扣了他半年俸祿，還要罰他抄寫《禮記》，抄完後親自送去宮裏給宗政逍檢查。
李楚跪在地上應是，眼角抽搐，差點罵出聲。
他總算知道宗政逍為什麽會親自過來了。
宗政逍走後，他故意找事懲罰李楚的消息就被傳了出去。
大家都覺得是李家倒黴，不知哪裏又惹宗政逍不高興了，之前是李家主被針對，如今又換成了他兒子。
李楚的好友都用憐憫的目光看着他，誰叫他生在跟皇帝作對的世家呢，心裏有再多不滿也只能忍着。
李楚那些天上職時臉色就沒好過，這份怒意一半是真的，一半是裝的。
他懂宗政逍的意思，只有制造他們不和的假象，才不會讓別人發現他們其實已經是一夥的了。
不過李楚也能感受到，宗政逍罰他時是帶着敵意的，估計是想用他又不喜他，畢竟之前自己利用戎音的事兒他們早就知道了。
李楚送自己抄好的禮記進宮面見宗政逍，宗政逍坐在桌後，冷冽的眸子淡淡地看着他，道：“無論你是真心歸順，還是假意投誠，朕既然決定用你，就暫時不會再動李家。”
李楚趕忙行禮：“臣謝陛下，李家以後定唯陛下馬首是瞻。”
宗政逍語氣淡漠：“等你坐上家主的位置後再說這句話更有信服力，你弟弟因朕而死，你父親恐怕還視朕為眼中釘肉中刺呢。”
李楚腰躬得更低：“父親老了，陛下放心，臣不會再讓他有違逆您的機會。”
宗政逍沒有及時回應，只是靜靜地看着李楚，如炬的目光像是要把他看穿，又像是捕獵者在欣賞獵物恐懼的掙紮，眼神是那樣的高高在上睥睨一切。
李楚身體僵硬，腦袋垂得很低，像是對頭狼表示臣服的狼群成員。
許久後，宗政逍終于開口。
“你很聰明，只是朕希望，你這份聰明是用到幫朕做事上，而不是用來對付朕和朕的身邊人，如果你有異心，最好藏好了，一旦叫朕發現，朕定會讓你後悔自己來這世上走了一遭。”
李楚這次直接跪下了，他對着宗政逍磕了一個頭，道：“臣謹記陛下教誨。”
在戎音說李楚是牆頭草時，宗政逍只是笑笑，似乎并不在意李楚是否會背叛他。
可只有李楚清楚，他從轉投宗政逍那一刻起就再沒後悔藥可吃。
宗政逍最厭惡背叛，但凡他敢起回頭的心思，他的結局絕對要比任何一個世家都慘。
之前那個牽連出景王的案子，也就是鲛人被送來京城的契機，就是因一個背叛宗政逍的武将而起。
那個武将投靠世家沒多久就被宗政逍發現了，最後那武将落了個滿門抄斬的結局，還帶累了世家不少人。
宗政逍不會放過任何一個背叛者。
禦書房中，宗政逍最後道：“你最好一直像今天一樣識時務。”
為了掩人耳目，李楚離開前，宗政逍又将他臭罵了一頓。
李楚低着腦袋挨訓，總覺得宗政逍罵得真情實感。
他忍不住嘆氣，他們這位陛下，看來是真的很在乎戎音呢。
離開禦書房時，李楚後背都已經汗濕了，那天他不是在跟戎音玩笑，他是真的害怕宗政逍。
再多的陰謀詭計，在絕對強權面前都是白扯。
李楚進宮挨罵的事情自然又被傳了出去，李父也聽見了消息，抽空從女人堆裏爬出來，把他叫過去安慰了一番。
“怪為父從前行事張揚了些，将宗政逍得罪得太死，如今你在朝堂上更活躍，他才會看不慣你，找你麻煩。”
李楚搖頭，一副我委屈但我不說的表情：“不怪父親，是兒子自己不謹慎，才讓皇上抓到了把柄。”
李家主蒼老的臉上泛着不正常的潮/紅，嘆氣道：“傲兒的仇爹是一定要報的，無論是宗政逍還是崔陳兩家，為父必會讓他們付出代價，以慰傲兒在天之靈。”
他說着看向李楚，繼續道：“現下我們家式微，唯有養精蓄銳方是上策，不能正面很他們對抗，所以之後很長一段時間，都得委屈你隐忍退讓了。”
李楚垂眸，掩去眼底冷意：“爹放心，只要能為小傲複仇，兒子什麽委屈都能忍。”
他就說李家主怎麽突然想起來要見他，沒想到還是為了李傲。
李家主眼裏流露出寬慰之色，“你是爹的好兒子，傲兒的好哥哥，爹沒有看錯你。”
李楚忍着惡心，陪李家主扮演完父慈子孝，直到回到母親院裏，他才長長舒了口氣。
李母清楚李家主把兒子叫過去是為了什麽，她疼惜地看着李楚，道：“我的兒，辛苦了。”
李楚搖頭，在母親對面坐下：“母親無需憂心，他很快就煩不着我們了。”
李母明白他的意思，表情也舒緩了些。
屋裏的下人都被李母指使出去了，母子倆是一條船上的人，說話也沒什麽顧忌。
李母道：“見過皇上了？他是什麽态度？”
李楚準備投靠皇室的事，李母是知道也是贊同的。
她雖在深宅之中，但也看得清當今局勢，皇上在民間聲望大振，世家對皇上的威懾力在逐步減弱，但世家之前行事過于狂妄，難保皇上不會秋後算賬。
如今世家之中，就屬李家最為弱勢，與其到時候被崔陳等幾家推出來做擋箭牌，不如提前轉投宗政逍陣營，為自己求得一線生機。
李楚道：“陛下用我，但還不信我。”
李母道：“雖說這世上沒有永遠的敵人，只有永遠的利益，可之前你到底是站在皇上的對立面的，他對你有所懷疑也是正常。”
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.