Li Xingran's full moon celebration brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
Back in the palace, Xiao Ding felt deeply aggrieved and was eager to confide in his mother. However, the palace servants told him that the Empress was in the Emperor's Qianqing Palace and had ordered that he not be disturbed.
Six-year-old Xiao Ding sat on the steps of Kunning Palace, gazing at the sky.
Ever since he could remember, everyone in the palace had praised him, comparing him to Xiao Sheng. His mother also said he was a hundred times more capable and outstanding than Xiao Sheng, and should have been the crown prince. He had always strived for that position, but today, after Yu Shiyun said those words, he actually felt ashamed.
It seems that I shouldn't even be aspiring to the position of crown prince.
When Zhao Yunwan returned happily from the Qianqing Palace, she saw her son with tears in his eyes, the little boy curled up on the steps. She quickly ran over and hugged Xiao Ding in her arms.
"Ding'er, why are you sitting here?" Zhao Yunwan asked with concern. It must be said that Zhao Yunwan is a qualified mother. Under her guidance, Xiao Ding has always been well-mannered, diligent, and humble.
"Mother, Mother, today, today Ding'er was ridiculed in public at Grand Tutor Li's house." Xiao Ding cried as he was held in Zhao Yunwan's arms, choking back tears as he recounted the grievances he had suffered that day.
Upon hearing that her beloved daughter had been bullied in the Li family, Zhao Yunwan immediately ordered someone to investigate.
Then he comforted Xiao Ding.
“My Ding’er is the most outstanding. Who doesn’t praise you when they see you now? If anyone bullies you, your mother will make them pay.”
Before long, the chief eunuch of Kunning Palace found out what had happened at the Li family's house that day.
Xiao Ding cried himself to sleep. The head eunuch's real name was Yuan Qibao, but after entering the palace, everyone just called him Eunuch Yuan.
Eunuch Yuan cautiously replied to Zhao Yunwan: "Your Majesty, today at the residence of Grand Tutor Li, the youngest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said in front of everyone, 'If His Highness the Second Prince weren't born into such a poor family, he would definitely be the Crown Prince.' The Second Prince had never seen anything like it and panicked, leaving the Li family without even saying goodbye."
Zhao Yunwan clutched the silk handkerchief in her hand and said angrily, "What a disgraceful Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices! How could he raise such an unbridled daughter? I'll tear her mouth apart!"
“Your Majesty, there is one more thing. The youngest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has caught the eye of Her Highness the Princess, who has chosen her as her study companion. What do you think…” Yuan Qibao glanced quickly at the Empress, then lowered his head again timidly.
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhao Yunwan pondered to herself. This Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is a good-for-nothing; he can't even handle his own family affairs, and the Censorate has already piled up a lot of memorials impeaching him.
He made quite a few mistakes during his tenure, and if it weren't for Zhao Yunwan cleaning up his messes, he would have been kicked off his seat as Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices long ago.
Now it seems that Yu Chengzhu is occupying the position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but he is not getting any benefit from it at all. It would be better to replace him with a more obedient dog.
Zhao Yunwan asked Yuan Qibao to look after Xiao Ding, while she got up and went to a side room in the Kunning Palace.
"Your subordinate pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress." As soon as Zhao Yunwan entered the room, several men in black knelt down and said in unison.
"I want the life of Yu Chengzhu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but not now. Set a trap, lure him in, get him dismissed first, and then when I say it's time to act, kill him." Zhao Yunwan's voice was no longer gentle and charming, but decisive, ruthless, and merciless.
"Yes, sir!"
"Furthermore, investigate which of the ministers who have already submitted to us likes to gossip with their families, saying that the Second Prince's background is not good, otherwise he could have become the Crown Prince legitimately, instead of having to swallow his pride and scheme for the position of Crown Prince." Zhao Yun pondered. Since such rumors have spread about the family of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, then other families will too.
The road isn't paved yet; we absolutely cannot let anyone else discover it. We must quickly win over Liang Qianfan, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and have him act as our vanguard to persuade Emperor Hui to change the ancestral system.
"Your Majesty, if we find any minister gossiping at home, what should we do?" the leader of the men in black asked upon hearing this.
“Let them suffer a bit, cut off their opium supply, and in less than ten days they’ll know how to shut up.”
At the Li family, Yu Shiyun's words caused the Second Prince to leave in a hurry. The incompetent Crown Prince is now Li Ting's protégé. The officials in the capital felt that the banquet was going to turn sour as they ate. If they stayed any longer, they would have trouble explaining to the Empress, so they all made excuses to leave.
This is outrageous! The officials are so afraid of the Second Prince's displeasure. Are they really this afraid of Zhao Yunwan, who is still relatively powerless?
[Could it be that the Empress was already using opium extensively to control officials in the capital at this time? Tsk tsk tsk, this method is truly ruthless.]
No wonder that after Xiao Ding ascended the throne, the officialdom in the capital underwent a major reshuffle, with many people mysteriously disappearing from the world.
Looking at the once lively banquet now in disarray, Xiao Sheng felt once again that the days he spent loafing around in the palace had been a slap in the face.
If he were more sensible, like Xiao Ding, no one would say he was an incompetent crown prince who only got the position because of his higher birth, right?
Li Ting didn't care; now he could see the situation in the capital more clearly.
Of course, there were still a few high-ranking officials who hadn't left. The Prime Minister, the Minister of Personnel, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were still sitting comfortably at their seats, leisurely drinking their wine.
"Lord Li, today is the full moon celebration for your daughter. Don't let those ungrateful scoundrels spoil the mood. Come, let me toast you and congratulate you on finally getting what you've been waiting for all these years!" The Prime Minister stood up, raised his wine cup, and downed it in one gulp, even from two tables away.
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