stjorthotic Chapter 458 Extra Chapter: Exquisite Dice and Red Beans 2
Chapter 458 Extra Chapter: Exquisite Dice and Red Beans 2
When Li Yuanke received the letter, he read it over and over again. It only discussed the matter at hand and said nothing else. It did not ask how he was doing, nor did it ask if he was having any trouble handling state affairs. It also did not express any of his innermost feelings.
After a long silence, Li Yuanke laughed and cursed, "You dog, I knew you were heartless a long time ago."
Over the years, putting everything else aside, they had fought side by side, and Li Yuanke believed there was always a bond between them. Who knew that she would leave so suddenly, without even saying goodbye.
Li Yuanke still sent the Northern Army to the area and ordered Qin Zhenye to follow Shen Shixi's instructions.
Qin Zhenye went to see Shen Shixi alone. Shen Shixi ordered him to lead his troops to set up camp on a nearby mountain and lie in ambush.
Memorials impeaching Prince Ji flooded the Emperor's desk, and organized groups from the populace also pressured the government to punish him. Initially, it was the farmers whose rice seedlings were trampled this year, but gradually, those who had been harmed in previous years also joined in.
Besides trampling the rice seedlings, Prince Ji also committed many other illegal and disorderly acts. Seeing the large number of people in the group, the others who had been bullied, had their property encroached upon, and even had family members killed by Prince Ji, also stood up.
When the Prince Ji's mansion was surrounded, the guards rushed out to attack the civilians. Some civilians, armed with sticks, spontaneously stepped forward to protect the others. Surprisingly, these civilians were more skilled in combat than the guards.
Qin Zhenye watched from afar. These people were clearly a group that had planned ahead, was organized, and was disciplined. It was self-evident who was the organizer behind them.
King Ji was now also afraid and ordered his advisors to come up with a solution.
This staff member had a fellow villager working under Huang Anguo. The two found a place to drink, and the staff member began to complain. Huang Anguo's subordinate said that there was only one way out, which might be a chance for survival.
When the aide asked what it was, the subordinate dipped his finger in wine and wrote the character "反" (rebel) on the table, and even taught him how to rebel, because Prince Ji's brother-in-law was Zhang Shigui, the commander of the Mighty Army.
The current emperor has just ascended the throne and his position is unstable. As long as he raises the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," he can gain widespread support.
The advisors had even come up with a reason for "purging the emperor's inner circle": there was a wicked monk by the emperor's side, and it was this wicked monk who had advised the emperor in the first place. Otherwise, of Empress Wenzhen's three legitimate sons, it would have been this prince with the bloodline of the previous dynasty who would have succeeded to the throne.
Now, this wicked monk is going to target the late emperor's sons, eliminating them one by one.
When the advisors returned and told Prince Ji about it, Prince Ji was immediately moved. "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" he thought, "What's more, he was originally the son of the late emperor."
"Is there really such a wicked monk?"
The aide said, "It's absolutely true. My fellow townsman works under Huang Anguo. Who is Huang Anguo? He's a student of Grand Tutor Shen. This news must have come from him, so it must be true."
News also came from the capital that the people to capture Prince Ji had set off, and all three departments had sent people to take Prince Ji to the capital.
Once they enter the capital, they will surely die.
The advisors chimed in, each offering their own opinion, but the main points were the death of the deposed crown prince, the mysterious death of Li Yuantai, and how the current emperor couldn't tolerate his brothers.
The people outside were also pressing them hard, and news from the court was being sent out three times a day, with rumors spreading everywhere.
Prince Ji was filled with rage and, after contacting Zhang Shigui, rebelled.
They had barely raised the banner of rebellion and hadn't even had a chance to capture the nearby prefectures when the Northern Imperial Guards descended from the sky and surrounded Prince Ji's residence. Just as they were about to persuade him to surrender, Prince Ji's residence caught fire.
In the end, Prince Ji committed suicide out of fear of punishment, setting himself on fire.
The new ruler will no longer have to bear the infamy of cruelly killing his own brothers.
Having done this much, Shen Shixi was too lazy to bother with it anymore. She had always disliked cleaning up messes. Just as she was about to continue her journey north, Qin Zhenye arrived with a letter from Li Yuanke.
There were three carriages in total, filled with clothes and food.
"I rode a horse to travel faster, and I didn't dare to delay the young lady's business. These things arrived late, and I didn't dare to expose them, so I only brought them to the young lady now."
Shen Shixi took the letter and smiled, "Please pass on a message to the Emperor for me, saying thank you."
For Li Yuanke, eliminating Prince Ji and Zhang Shigui was a great success, enough to intimidate the court officials. Prince Ji's mansion was burned down, Prince Ji was burned to death, and several of his sons also perished. In the end, only his youngest son survived, who was only nine years old.
Naturally, there were those nice old men in the court who wanted the emperor to grant him a pardon, saying that he was a descendant of the late emperor, that Prince Ji was guilty, and that the punishment should not extend to his wife and children, so the emperor could appoint this nine-year-old child to inherit the throne.
If the father plots a rebellion, the son can still inherit the throne. Li Yuanke almost couldn't resist the urge to drag all these people away and execute them.
He was extremely frustrated with being emperor.
Grand Tutor Shen submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that the emperor punish the offender severely.
When the Emperor first ascended the throne, many treacherous individuals harbored ulterior motives and intended to disrupt the court. The Emperor must distinguish right from wrong. Since ancient times, unclear rewards and punishments have chilled the hearts of meritorious officials and easily led to chaos. He wrote several thousand words in a long and rambling manner, which was nothing more than urging the Emperor to severely punish the lineage of Prince Ji.
Just then, the youngest son of the Prince of Ji witnessed a great fire and was so frightened that those who were clamoring for the child to inherit the title shut up.
A rebellion was quelled with lightning speed, shocking the court and the public, who were also very wary of the new emperor's methods.
But the new emperor wasn't particularly happy. He had been eagerly awaiting news of Qin Zhenye's return, but Qin Zhenye only brought back two words: "Thank you." Li Yuanke was stunned for a moment, then muttered, "You bastard, heartless!"
Qin Zhenye didn't hear what the Emperor said, and praised, "Second Miss is really amazing. This time, we owe a lot to Second Miss. She planned and executed the strategy from afar and won the battle from a thousand miles away. Second Miss is exceptionally wise."
Li Yuanke was even happier than if he had been praised. "Over the years, I have benefited greatly from her!"
He held the letter Shen Shixi had written to him last time, but in his heart he wondered, "Now she won't even write him a single word?"
Grand Tutor Shen followed Shen Shixi on his north-south migrations for two years, during which he would kill several noble princes and nobles each year. On Prime Minister Pei's side, several military governors were lost. Everyone cursed Grand Tutor Shen, saying that he was so old, why wasn't he dead yet?
Perhaps due to the numerous curses, Grand Tutor Shen caught a cold. He wanted to go to the south again, but Shen Shixi refused. So the grandfather and grandson stayed at a hot spring villa at the foot of Nanshan Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing.
The emperor sent a royal physician, and Li Gui came in person, firstly to visit the sick on behalf of the emperor, and secondly to deliver gifts to the second young lady, preparing plenty of food, drink, and entertainment.
Shen Shixi naturally accepted them all and also inquired about the Emperor's health.
Li Gui said, "His Majesty is in good health, but he is busy with state affairs every day and always has to read commemorative documents until very late at night. He also caught a cold a few days ago and coughed for quite a while before he recovered."
Shen Shixi was silent for a while. "Things outside have finally calmed down now. I suppose no one will dare to make any rash moves. As for matters of state, let the Emperor handle the important ones and issue orders for the less important ones. If he does everything himself, even the strongest body can't withstand it."
Li Gui bowed and smiled, "What you say, Second Miss, makes perfect sense. Please forgive my ignorance; I'm afraid I might have brought the wrong item. Could you please write it down? I'll make sure it's brought back safely. If anything goes wrong, may my entire family be cursed!"
Shen Shixi smiled, but before he could say anything, Li Gui quickly brought out the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
The little eunuch who used to follow Li Yuanke around like a shadow and occasionally give him advice has now grown into such a shrewd and capable man that he even tries to please his master.