Chapter 519 - 519 516 Hamstrung_1

Chapter 519: Chapter 516: Hamstrung_1 Chapter 519: Chapter 516: Hamstrung_1 “On this matter, Father, rest assured! Remember… you must ascertain whether this letter is from our Li family!” Li Mao squeezed his son’s hand forcefully, hinting secretly. “This letter concerns the lives of everyone in our Li family, whether they remain on our shoulders or fall to the ground with blood!”

“Father, rest assured, your son knows the gravity of the situation!” Li Mingrui said solemnly.

Under the pretext of visiting King Liang, Li Mingrui brought wine and pastries to his residence and personally watched as King Liang took a letter from a brocade box filled with documents and handed it to him.

After reading it, Li Mingrui recognized his father’s handwriting and was horrified. In the brief moment when King Liang lowered his head to drink tea, he pretended to have difficulty seeing and examined the paper under the sunlight streaming in from the decorative window lattice. Dust floated in the light, highlighting an extremely faint… barely discernible “Li” character that could only be seen under strong light. Li Mingrui’s heart sank.

The letter was indeed from the Li family.

He glanced at the brocade box beside King Liang. To show respect, he got up and placed the letter on King Liang’s table. “I wonder how your Highness obtained these letters? These letters have long been a source of worry for my father, not for anything else… just fearing someone might use them to stir up trouble, leaving you with no one to rely on in the royal court.”

“How I obtained them, I cannot yet tell you, Mingrui. I ask for your understanding,” King Liang said politely, putting the letter back into the brocade box.

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t speak this way!” Li Mingrui’s attitude became even more respectful. “I am merely a humble servant; how could I question my master’s affairs?”

“Mingrui, such words are unnecessary! I have always regarded you as a brother and have never treated you as an outsider!” King Liang paused here, then suddenly took the letter out of the brocade box again, opened it for Li Mingrui to see, and set it on fire.

“Your Highness!” Li Mingrui was quite surprised. His gaze was fixed on the letter being gradually consumed by flames, his throat tightening.

“The Left Prime Minister’s handwriting has been destroyed. In the royal court, the Left Prime Minister can deny this incident!” King Liang placed the nearly burnt letter in a pen wash, patted the brocade box, and said, “Mingrui, to be honest with you… I obtained these letters only last night! Rest assured, as long as they are with me, they will never see the light of day! The Left Prime Minister was once a pillar by the Emperor’s side. I cannot stand by and watch him be threatened by others. I hope he can assist me just as he assisted the Second Prince and work together with me to achieve great things!”

King Liang’s words were clear, yet not entirely straightforward.

Li Mingrui’s eyes fell on the brocade box, his brow twitching. He was uncertain whether King Liang intended to use the letters to coerce his father into obedience or if he had not acquired all of them.

If King Liang had truly read those letters, he would surely see that it was his father who instigated the Second Prince’s rebellion. His father promised to support the Second Prince from outside but abandoned him after realizing he could not succeed, immediately rushing to the Emperor’s aid.

Li Mingrui guessed that the latter possibility was more likely.

After all, back in Yanwo, Li Mingrui had already shown goodwill to King Liang on his father’s orders, pledging loyalty.

But it was merely a guess; he dared not be certain.

After leaving King Liang’s residence and boarding the carriage, Li Mingrui’s gaze darkened, recalling King Liang’s act of burning the letter. Burning it… making it disappear from the world was the safest way.

Now, he couldn’t be sure how many letters King Liang possessed, nor how many Bai Qingyan had.

Their people had investigated the Bai Mansion in Shuoyang. The Hidden Guards guarded the place as tightly as a drum, while the Emperor had just withdrawn the Hidden Guards and Patrol Camp men from King Liang’s residence. The time was ripe to act before King Liang gained more power.

Since Wen Zhenkang’s wife used the letters to threaten his father, there was no end to the matter. The Li family could not be shackled by more people because of these letters!

Li Mingrui was even more decisive than Li Mao. That night, he ordered men to set fire to King Liang’s residence. The Emperor was awakened in the middle of the night and was startled upon hearing the news. He quickly asked how King Liang was and only relaxed upon learning of his safety.

The following morning at the royal court, the Imperial Censor Lord Pei submitted a memorial, accusing the Left Prime Minister Li Mao of colluding with the former rebellious Second Prince, asserting that the Second Prince would have been a wiser ruler than the current Emperor! Lord Pei requested the Emperor to thoroughly investigate whether Li Mao was involved in the rebellion and submitted a letter allegedly written by Li Mao to the Second Prince.

The Left Prime Minister Li Mao was temporarily dismissed and imprisoned. His eldest son, Li Mingrui, upon reading the letter, claimed it was forged and requested the Emperor to summon Master Tan, an expert in calligraphy, and Lord Shoushan to identify it. The two officials seemed to believe it was a forgery and required more time for a careful examination.

Dadu City grew livelier by the day. The residents of the capital had plenty to talk about.

Meanwhile, the Left Prime Minister’s advisor, known as Ziyuan, had arrived in Shuoyang and presented a business card at the Bai Mansion’s gate, requesting to see the Princess of Zhen.

Bai Qingyan received the message while studying the annual timing of the Rong tribe’s raids on Dengzhou. At Nanny Tong’s report, she acknowledged and instructed to have the visitor brought to the main hall, saying she would follow shortly.

The advisor in green from the Left Prime Minister’s residence was anxious as he sat in the main hall. From the moment he stepped into the Bai family’s main gate, he was overwhelmed by the deep foundation of the Bai family. Recalling how he had previously advised Li Mao to capture or fabricate evidence against Bai Qingyan in Shuoyang, he realized how naive he had been.

Before coming to Shuoyang, he believed Bai Qingyan would struggle after her return. Yet, Shuoyang was the Bai family’s true base of power, making it clear why they retreated here for protection.

What unsettled the advisor further was that Bai Qingyan was training troops!

This could be considered a vulnerability of Bai Qingyan’s, but… she had reported this training to the Emperor and the Crown Prince, who even provided funds for it.

The advisor’s heart was greatly shaken. Bai Qingyan was turning civilians into soldiers in Shuoyang. Once trained, she could act as the local ruler, commanding with a single call.

Feeling increasingly agitated, the advisor clenched his fists tightly.

Soon, he saw Bai Qingyan approaching gracefully. The advisor hurriedly knelt and saluted, “This humble servant greets the Princess.”

“You are an advisor from the Left Prime Minister’s residence?” Bai Qingyan cast a sidelong glance at the advisor, walking slowly to the main seat and sitting down.

The advisor turned and knelt before Bai Qingyan. “Yes, Princess! The Left Prime Minister specifically sent this humble one… to apologize to you. I dare not deceive you. Due to the evidence you hold, the Left Prime Minister has been restless day and night. He sent people to Shuoyang hoping to exchange for the evidence, without any other intent. This caused your great wrath. The Left Prime Minister realizes his mistake and has sent me to confess and submit to your judgment, begging for your mercy.”