Zhao Yunwan hesitated for a moment when she heard Xiao Ding ask to learn his skills. The skills of the Moon Apricot Sect could only be taught to the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom, and Xiao Ding, although her own son, was still her bloodline…
"Ding'er, your mother's skills are just trivial tricks and not worthy of being discussed. You are going to be the emperor in the future, how can you learn those things? But if you really want to learn, one day your mother will teach you a few things so you can play around when you are tired of studying. But you must not let outsiders know about them."
Upon hearing this, a bad thought immediately popped into Xiao Ding's head: his mother didn't intend to teach him those skills.
So be it. Now that I'm emperor and have absolute power, what skills can't I learn?
Zhao Yunwan probably didn't know that this small request created a very, very small rift in the relationship between mother and son.
This sows the seeds for a future power struggle between the mother and son.
At the Li family residence, everyone was still pondering the question raised by Li Xingran.
"Madam, do you think we should take this opportunity to replace all those ministers with new ones?" Li Ting teased Li Xingran while talking to Xu Ningyou.
"Husband, do you mean to use the connections that Great-Grandfather established?"
“Yes. Those people don’t know us, and we’ve never been to those places or had any dealings with them. That won’t arouse suspicion. However, those people come from upright families and have always been honest and upright. They shouldn’t be thinking of colluding with Zhao Yunwan.”
[It turns out the Li family ancestors had made thorough preparations, but why was the Li family so vulnerable in the book? Was it because Mother was bedridden that Father lost his fighting spirit? Alas, deep affection is short-lived, and excessive intelligence is bound to bring harm.]
Xiao Sheng, under the pretext of asking Li Ting a question, also entered the pavilion.
Just then, he overheard Li Xingran say, "Deep affection is short-lived, and extreme intelligence is bound to bring harm." Li Xingran was indeed extraordinary; her words were also quite pleasing. People who are too clever can be hurt, therefore, he had to conceal his talents.
When Li Xingran saw Xiao Sheng come in to ask questions, especially about the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," Xiao Sheng expressed his doubts to Li Ting.
[Idiot, you can't even figure out such a scheme.]
Xiao Sheng's inner thoughts: I'm just using this as an excuse to listen to your true feelings.
"Father, Third Uncle can help those ministers overcome their opium addiction. However, we must thoroughly investigate which ministers haven't yet colluded with Zhao Yunwan, and which are already in cahoots with her."
Furthermore, Zhao Yunwan's supply of opium is dwindling. Her opium plants in the palace have all been destroyed, but she still owns a large garden near the capital where she grows opium. The purpose of those opium plants is to sell them for money to support Zhao Yunwan and Zhao Yunchen's private army!
Upon hearing this, Li Ting angrily punched the stone table in the pavilion, instantly splitting it into several pieces that scattered on the ground.
Fortunately, Xiao Sheng reacted quickly, otherwise he would have been hit.
"Grand Tutor, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Xiao Sheng pretended not to hear Li Xingran's inner thoughts.
"Your Highness, your uncle has been raising a private army in the Northwest." Li Ting's voice was full of anger.
"Grand Tutor, Zhao Yunchen is not Sheng'er's uncle. I don't even remember what he looks like."
Li Ting thought about it and realized that Zhao Yunchen shouldn't take his anger out on the Crown Prince.
Zhao Yunchen, Zhao Yunwan, and Xiao Sheng are now opposing forces.
"Father, don't be angry yet. The book says that the Qinglian Society also sells opium! They made a lot of money from it. Even your cousin Fu Qing's family did this kind of business."
"Ruanruan, which village near the capital?"
Li Xingran instantly understood what her father was asking.
That manor is called Xiaoyaojian. The security is extremely tight; you can't get in without Zhao Yunwan's written permission.
[With the opium in Zhao Yunwan's cold palace destroyed, the estates near the capital will surely be heavily guarded, making it difficult for us to take action.]
[We can discuss this matter slowly, but some senior ministers might not be able to wait. Let's find Uncle San quickly!]
[The source of the opium used by the Qinglian Society also needs to be investigated. The book doesn't specify where the Qinglian Society's opium came from; it only states that Zhao Yunwan purchased a large quantity of opium from the Qinglian Society, using recently collected tax revenue from the south.]
Xiao Sheng was stunned by Li Xingran's words. He realized that people could disregard the lives of ordinary people and the safety of the nation for the sake of power.
"Madam, I'm leaving the Qinglian Society matter to you. I'll handle the rest."
Xu Ningyou nodded heavily.
Li Ting and Xu Ningyou pushed Li Xingran back to the main hall so that Xiao Sheng could return to the training ground to continue training.
"Father, Third Uncle needs to make a name for himself, otherwise those ministers won't know who to ask to help him quit his opium addiction."
Now that Jishantang has closed down, Uncle San can open his own clinic, with a sign that says he specializes in treating all kinds of food and drug addictions, withdrawal symptoms, and various intractable diseases.
[Zhao Yunwan will likely keep the opium for the emperor, but his health is deteriorating and he needs medical treatment. Otherwise, if he passes away, all our efforts will be in vain.]
After listening to Li Xingran's thoughts, Li Ting went to discuss it with Fan Zuan.
Upon hearing this, Fan Zuan exclaimed, "Good heavens! How come the Southern Chen Kingdom is now just like the Qing Dynasty with its queues? Everyone likes to smoke opium, and in the end, the country was destroyed?"
That tragedy must not be allowed to repeat itself. Fan Zu'an felt it was his duty to address the issue of opium addiction.
Li Ting began setting up a clinic, still at the original location of Jishantang. Ouyang Taohua had just left the capital, and Jishantang had just terminated its lease, leaving the landlord worried. But when he saw that General Li had taken over, he was overjoyed.
After three days of preparation, a medical clinic called Jishetang opened in the capital, with Dr. Fan Zu'an, who used to specialize in treating difficult and complicated diseases at Jishantang, as the attending physician.
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