Read Novel Full Chapter 1607 - 1600 Li Yunshu Panicked (Red Envelope at the End of the Text)
Chapter 1607 -1600 Li Yunshu Panicked (Red Envelope at the End of the Text)
It wasn’t just the deaths of the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess that were at stake; the Duke of Li’s house also had military power and was implicated in the military secrets of the Great Wei Dynasty. He really didn’t dare to speak recklessly.
“Lord Xie, if you won’t speak, do you not even care about the bloodline of the Imperial family of the Great Wei Dynasty? Or are you, like the Duke of Li’s house, full of wild ambition?” Chu Yihan picked up his teacup, gently stirring the tea leaves inside with the lid.
Despite discussing such a serious topic, he appeared as leisurely as if he was savoring his tea.
Lord Xie immediately felt waves of pressure in his heart, “When have I ever disregarded the bloodline of the Imperial family of the Great Wei Dynasty! But you two…”
“I am also of the bloodline of the Imperial family of the Great Wei Dynasty.” Su Yingxue spoke in a solemn voice, “Today, I am not speaking to you as the Empress of the Great Cheng Dynasty, but in the capacity of Princess Zhao Hua, asking you to reveal the truth. As for my husband, he is still the son-in-law to the Imperial family of the Great Wei Dynasty, isn’t he?”
Su Yingxue tugged at her ‘son-in-law’ and raised her eyebrows.
Chu Yihan restrained the cold aura surrounding him and nodded to her with a smile, “Yes, Your Highness, my Princess.”
Whatever his little wife says goes; he might stoop to be her son-in-law, and that wasn’t impossible for him.
The sight of Chu Yihan submitting so meekly before Su Yingxue was mildly shocking to Xie Qingyi, who never dared to imagine an emperor could be so obediently compliant to a woman’s words.
After Su Yingxue finished speaking, the imperial authority permeating from Chu Yihan seemed less weighty, and their breathing became much smoother.
Xie Qingyi whispered a few words to Lord Xie’s ear. After some hesitant struggling, he ultimately compromised, “Alright, I… indeed have gathered some evidence of guilt against the Duke of Li, correspondences between him and Prince Zhao that are of importance have been burned, but there are still several letters of their previous communications in the hands of Princess Zhao, which Haoling found on his person during the search.”
When Lord Xie spoke, his gaze was filled with affection as he looked at his daughter.
Xie Qingyi’s eyes reddened as she raised her hand to press against them, firmly locking away the tears.
Xue Haoling was a meticulous man; when he was by her side, he was always gentle and caring. The battle was chaotic at the time, everyone was after Prince Zhao, but only he was diligently searching for the evidence.
She thought that Xue Haoling’s death was probably intricately linked to the evidence he had taken.
Lord Xie handed the letters to Su Yingxue, who passed them to Chu Yihan’s hand. Chu Yihan scanned them with a cool eye, “The contents of the letters, with the Duke of Li reassuring Prince Zhao and discussing the transfer of military power, although somewhat contrived, do not explicitly express incitement to rebel. He has chosen his words carefully; presented to Qin Muyan, he could argue his case.”
Lord Xie sighed softly, “This is exactly why I have been unsure how to report to the emperor.”
“I’ll give you an opening. If Lord Xie has the courage, you can delve into it,” Chu Yihan returned the letters to Lord Xie.
Lord Xie sought advice humbly, “May I ask from where Lord Son-in-law suggests we start?”
“From the Duke of Li’s troops.”
Chu Yihan stood beside Su Yingxue and spoke in a low voice: “Because of significant contributions in eradicating Prince Zhao, the Duke of Li took over Zhao’s soldiers, but these troops won’t acknowledge a new master so quickly, there are bound to be hard-boned dissenters within the ranks. Start from them to investigate the connections between Prince Zhao and the Duke of Li;
Secondly, send people to penetrate the Li family. I’ve heard that the eldest son of the Li family also died in the war, but Li Bo is incompetent. The Duke of Li has secretly raised a young illegitimate son behind the scenes. Sooner or later, Li Bo will be discarded, and this young illegitimate son is the Duke of Li’s soft spot.”
“An illegitimate son?” Lord Xie’s eyes widened, “This old minister has never heard of such a thing.”
“There is. Lord Xie, please look into it. Leave the rest to us.”
Chu Yihan’s voice was calm, not sensing any grandiloquence in his own words. Yet, the two sentences he casually uttered had left the Duke of the State of Xie utterly stunned, at a loss for words.
In the Great Wei Dynasty, where martial prowess was prized over scholarly achievement, and unparalleled strategists were rare, Qin Muyan could already be considered a very enlightened ruler.
But this man before him…
From the bottom of his heart, the Duke of Xie wanted to pledge his allegiance.
After speaking, Chu Yihan took Su Yingxue to rest.
Xie Qingyi thoughtfully arranged a wing room for them.
Lying in bed, Su Yingxue asked Chu Yihan, “It seemed like you didn’t finish what you were saying just now. Are you going to sleep like this?”
“Didn’t you remind me to go to bed early and rise early to take care of my health? And you won’t even let me use my martial arts,” Chu Yihan said as he ruffled her hair until it was a complete mess.
“Ah! I was so concerned about Rong Yun’s matter that I forgot! You’re recuperating after your surgery, you need to take good care of yourself for this whole year, take your medicine and rest, and you’re not allowed to practice martial arts,” Su Yingxue realized, pinching Chu Yihan’s waist.
“Yes, my princess,” Chu Yihan laughed softly, his arm wrapping around her waist as he closed his eyes to rest immediately.
Leaning in his embrace, Su Yingxue couldn’t be more content. Compared to Rong Yun, she was indeed very lucky; Chu Yihan was there to guard and accompany her all the time. What Su Yingxue didn’t think of, Chu Yihan could; what she couldn’t do, Chu Yihan could do it for her.
Returning to her maternal home, the Great Wei Dynasty, he was content to be just a consort, even discarding self-referential terms like ‘I’.
He couldn’t be more considerate!
Ah… How fortunate she was!
After rejuvenating her spirit, Su Yingxue didn’t forget to ask Chu Yihan, “The illegitimate son you mentioned yesterday, were you planning to use him to threaten Duke Li to confess the truth?”
“He won’t speak,” Chu Yihan drank the medicine that Su Yingxue had simmered, and spoke unhurriedly, “Duke Li, such a crafty and scheming person, the illegitimate son is but one of his exit strategies, merely to extend his lineage. What he wants is Qin Muyan’s empire; the life of this illegitimate son is for threatening Li Yunshu.”
“Li Yunshu?” Su Yingxue propped up her chin, staring curiously at Chu Yihan.
Chu Yihan slowly explained to her, “Li Yunshu can no longer bear children. Since Duke Li can’t prop up her child for the throne, it’s necessary for him to have his own bloodline. He undoubtedly has more than one illegitimate son or daughter, but Li Yunshu doesn’t know it. Just by informing Li Yunshu of this news, we can first disrupt her composure; in her panic, she’s bound to reveal her flaws.”
After understanding, Su Yingxue nodded earnestly.
Chu Yihan’s arrangements were very clear. The Duke of Xie, having a strong foundation in the Great Wei Dynasty, quickly located the whereabouts of the illegitimate son. Chu Yihan instructed him to let the information leak into the palace, ensuring that Li Yunshu would find out.
This task was undertaken by Xie Qingyi.
Her tactics not only made Li Yunshu aware but also successfully stirred doubt in Li Yunshu against the Li family. That very afternoon, she hurriedly summoned Lady Li, the second wife, into the palace.
Inside Fengqi Palace, Li Yunshu sat upright on the Phoenix Seat, knitting her brows deeply, “Mother, what on earth is this about! How could grandfather have an illegitimate son? And that son is actually the same age as me. Grandfather has been secretly nurturing him, instructing him in both literary and military skills, and making significant use of him at his side. Is he not taking father and me seriously at all?”