Chapter 216 3/3

Lu Qingxi pondered various matters and eventually fell asleep in a daze.

On the other side, after leaving Lu Qingxi, Li Zhu immediately went to find Duan Jin.

She had never seen the emperor, but Duan Jin had!

The emperor had eaten at Duan Jin’s place more than once!

“Shopkeeper Mu,” Chang Duan greeted Li Zhu with a smile.

Li Qingzhi had contacted Chang Duan once since arriving in the capital.

But he had been so busy lately that he hadn’t mentioned Li Zhu’s situation to Chang Duan.

This didn’t affect what Li Zhu needed to do. She took out the portrait and showed it to Chang Duan: “Shopkeeper Duan, take a look at this portrait. Is this the emperor?”

The portrait differed somewhat from the real person. After being ill for a long time, Qi Jun looked sickly, with a swollen face and cloudy eyes. Without Li Zhu’s prompt, Chang Duan wouldn’t have associated the portrait with the emperor. But after Li Zhu mentioned it…

“This should be a portrait of the emperor when he was young. But he doesn’t look like this now; his face is swollen and sagging,” Chang Duan replied.

“Thank you, Shopkeeper Duan. Please don’t tell anyone you’ve seen this portrait,” Li Zhu said.

Chang Duan agreed immediately.

Li Zhu then thought of something: “You can tell Li Qingzhi… Shopkeeper Duan, can you arrange a room for me? I need to talk to Li Qingzhi.”

Li Zhu suspected that Lu Qingxi intended to find someone to impersonate the emperor’s son!

Since Lu Qingxi asked her to find someone, she could use this opportunity to select a suitable person and present him to Lu Qingxi!

And who would be more suitable than Li Qingzhi?

Her brother originally looked a lot like her, but he had changed his appearance, which now bore a slight resemblance to the portrait.

The emperor was very handsome in his youth, exuding a rugged charm, and her brother had a similar appeal!

The resemblance was minimal, but Li Qingzhi could alter his appearance!

He could gradually adjust his looks to more closely resemble the emperor, and then learn some of the emperor’s mannerisms…

The more Li Zhu thought about it, the more excited she became.

If her brother became emperor, they wouldn’t need to worry about avenging themselves.

Moreover, Li Zhu harbored some resentment towards the current emperor. Knowing that Prince Jin was unreliable, why did the emperor still put him in charge of disaster relief? Prince Jin had made so many mistakes without facing real punishment…

Chang Duan was surprised that Li Zhu knew Li Qingzhi: “Shopkeeper Mu…”

“I know your real name is Chang Duan,” Li Zhu said.

Realizing Li Zhu truly knew Li Qingzhi, Chang Duan thought: Li Qingzhi really has skills. He’s only been in the capital a short time and is already familiar with Lu Qingxi’s trusted associate!

Chang Duan arranged a room for Li Zhu, and her people sent a message to Li Qingzhi.

The distance between Qingyun Pavilion and Qingshi Alley wasn’t far, so within half an hour, Li Qingzhi arrived.

After ensuring there were no outsiders in the room, Li Qingzhi asked, “Sister, you needed something?”

“Yes… Ah Zhi, do you want to be emperor?” Li Zhu asked.

“Yes, why?” Li Qingzhi responded.

He definitely wanted to be emperor. Becoming emperor would allow him to implement reforms and change the country according to his vision.

However, becoming emperor would typically require war, which would be hard on the common people.

Therefore, he planned to proceed gradually, subtly planting seeds to change the mindset of scholars and the general populace.

He also intended to research inventions that would ignite the public’s passion for science…

He aimed to remain in the court as an official, influencing the top rulers of the state…

Li Qingzhi had long mapped out his route, even considering how to expand his influence and promote beneficial things for the people once he became an official.

He just hoped the emperor wouldn’t die early.

If Prince Jin or Prince Yan ascended… given their disregard for disaster victims, he wouldn’t want to serve as an official.

“Ah Zhi, you might have a chance to become emperor,” Li Zhu said.

Li Qingzhi looked at her in confusion.

Li Zhu explained what Lu Qingxi had asked her to do, her own suspicions, and showed him the portrait of the young emperor.

After hearing her out, Li Qingzhi thought her guess was very plausible.

He had interacted with Concubine Liu and knew how much she cared for Qi An.

He also knew Lu Qingxi had visited Concubine Liu this morning.

Both Lu Qingxi and Concubine Liu would prefer not to see Prince Jin or Prince Yan on the throne.

If either of these princes became emperor, Li Qingzhi wouldn’t die. If he wanted, he might even be favored. But Concubine Liu and Lu Qingxi would face a different fate!

Whether it was Prince Jin or Prince Yan, their first action upon ascending the throne would likely be to eliminate Lu Qingxi. Concubine Liu might not be killed, but her fate would be grim.

“Ah Zhi, no one knows you’re Li Zhao’s son. Your assumed identity lacks relatives… Now that Lu Qingxi has asked me to find someone, I can provide him with your information…”

Li Qingzhi was always decisive.

Having come from the apocalypse to this world, he had no reverence for imperial power.

Most importantly, he wanted to live a long life!

In this era where the emperor held supreme power, even officials could be executed on fabricated charges. But being emperor was different!

As long as he didn’t act recklessly, he wouldn’t die.

After thinking for a while, Li Qingzhi said, “Sister, don’t mention me to Eunuch Lu. I’ll speak to Concubine Liu myself.”

If their guess was correct, Concubine Liu likely knew about this plan. In that case, why not directly have her choose him?

Even if they were wrong, it wouldn’t matter. He would simply tell Concubine Liu about his background.