Lin Qingya put down the memorial in her hand. It was getting dark outside the window. The palace lights were on, illuminating every corner of the imperial study. She was keenly aware of an undercurrent. Li Chengqian's resistance was far more intense than she expected. "It seems that he is ready to go all out." She whispered, her fingertips gently stroking the fine handwriting on the memorial, and a gleam of light flashed in her eyes.
As expected, Li Chengqian secretly gathered more power and tried to launch a coup. With the help of the secret lines he had run for many years, he pulled in some officials and generals who were dissatisfied with Lin Qingya or had been suppressed by her. In order to gain more support, he made tempting promises and spread rumors that Lin Qingya was authoritarian and misleading the country. These news spread quickly in every corner of the capital like a virus. Li Chengqian even secretly contacted the border army generals in the northwest and tried to mobilize troops to enter Beijing. Li Chengqian in the study room, with a sinister look in his eyes, suddenly threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, "Lin Qingya, I will let you succeed again this time!" He growled, his voice full of resentment.
Lin Qingya had long expected that Li Chengqian would do something desperate, so she took advantage of the situation and deliberately exposed some of her strength to lure Li Chengqian into further action. She secretly mobilized some troops and took a serious stand, but deliberately left some loopholes so that Li Chengqian would mistakenly think that there was an opportunity. At the same time, she secretly contacted forces that were opposed to Li Chengqian, including some upright courtiers of Li Rui. When she met with Li Rui late at night, her tone was low and hurried, "Li Chengqian's actions have threatened the imperial power, and we must work together to completely eliminate him. This time, I need your strength." She stared into Li Rui's eyes, her eyes were firm, without a trace of hesitation. Li Rui just nodded slightly, his eyes full of determination. Li Rui shook Lin Qingya's hand, silently giving her his trust. In the night, the two of them discussed the response strategy in a low voice, and the candlelight in the study flickered, illuminating their tightly furrowed brows.
"Your Majesty, I have discovered that Li Chengqian secretly formed a border army with the intention of rebellion!" Lin Qingya presented the carefully fabricated intelligence to Li Heng, her tone calm but loud. She observed Li Heng's reaction with a keen eye, and saw that Li Heng was furious, and the teacup on the imperial desk was shaken slightly. "Where is the evidence?" Li Heng's voice was low and majestic. Lin Qingya hurriedly presented the evidence that she had prepared long ago. That piece of evidence was carefully planned by her and let Li Chengqian "deliver it to the door" himself. After reading the evidence, Li Heng's face turned pale, and he ordered a thorough investigation of the matter and mobilized the imperial army to prevent suspicion. Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Chengqian's action was nearing its end, and he was preparing to launch a coup. However, what was waiting for him was a carefully planned ambush, and the imperial guards surrounded his rebels. In the hall, the soldiers were waiting in a serious battle formation, and the air was filled with the flash of swords and the shadow of swords, and the murderous aura was full. Li Chengqian's coup ended in failure. In this carefully planned "accident", Li Chengqian's conspiracy was completely shattered.
Li Heng announced Li Chengqian's crime at the morning court and punished him. Lin Qingya watched Li Chengqian being escorted away in the court, without any expression on her face. Li Rui stood silently behind her, his eyes full of tenderness and admiration. Li Heng looked at Lin Qingya, his eyes full of admiration and trust for her, and nodded slightly. Lin Qingya just bowed slightly to show her respect.
Li Chengqian's failure was not the end, but a new beginning. Although he was imprisoned, the remnants of his forces were still operating in secret. Soon, slanderous rumors about Lin Qingya spread in the capital. Those rumors spread like a plague, describing her as arrogant, abusing her power, and even having an affair with Li Chengqian. These rumors seemed to be unintentional, but every word was hurtful and pointed directly at Lin Qingya's reputation.
"Qingya, this..." After receiving the news, Li Rui immediately rushed to the Lin residence, looking anxious and worried. He held a newspaper full of obscene words in his hand, and his hands were shaking slightly. Lin Qingya took the newspaper, scanned it quickly, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth. She calmly put the newspaper down and said softly: "Your Highness, don't worry, this is just the dying struggle of a clown." Her eyes were sharp, as if she saw through everything.
Her slender fingers gently stroked the teacup, and her calm expression formed a sharp contrast with the noisy rumors outside the study. Outside the window, the autumn wind was rustling, and the fallen leaves were drifting, which further highlighted the coldness of this conspiracy. Lin Qingya ordered the housekeeper: "Go and find out where these rumors come from." The housekeeper bowed and accepted the order, and quickly withdrew.
Lin Qingya uses her mind-reading skills to quickly identify the source of the rumors - several petty officials who were bribed by Li Chengqian. They originally just wanted to fish in troubled waters and take advantage of the chaos, but they turned out to be Li Chengqian's pawns. Lin Qingya collected evidence calmly, exposing the corruption of these petty officials one by one, and followed the clues to dig out more officials who were secretly in collusion with Li Chengqian.
In the next few days, Lin Qingya took advantage of this information and reversed her actions, pointing the finger at the supporters behind Li Chengqian. She made the evidence of corruption of these officials public through carefully written notices, and secretly manipulated public opinion to direct public grievances towards these "real sinners". For a time, there was an uproar inside and outside the court, and the forces that originally supported Li Chengqian turned against him one after another, fearing that innocent people would be affected.
In the court, Li Rui watched those officials who were once arrogant and arrogant confess their crimes one by one, and he felt a sense of admiration for Lin Qingya. He looked at Lin Qingya with eyes full of admiration and respect. She just smiled lightly and gave him a meaningful look in return.
Li Chengqian learned all this in prison, and his already desperate heart collapsed. He knew that he had completely failed, and everything became a chess game carefully laid out by Lin Qingya. Looking at the meaningless military token in his hand, he revealed a trace of bitterness at the corner of his mouth and closed his eyes in despair. Lin Qingya, the woman who made him hate her to the bone, finally pushed him to the brink of despair.
Li Heng was in the imperial study, looking at the memorial submitted by Lin Qingya, which recorded the list of all officials involved in the matter. He nodded in praise: "Lin Qing, you did a good job." His tone was calm but firm, and he was not dissatisfied at all because of Lin Qingya's outstanding performance.
After Lin Qingya presented the memorial, she stood quietly aside, looking at the ink marks on the memorial in Li Heng's hand.