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After the Fourth Prince left, Lu Songli did not leave.
The officials from the Da Li Temple did not come in to rush her either.
She sat in her seat and drank the cup of tea with a bit of warmth to the last drop.
Xie Zhan, oh Xie Zhan, even if you don’t die this time, you will still suffer!
The first thing the new emperor would do to demonstrate his power would be to deal with the Xie and Zhao families! Lu Songli firmly believed in this.
Because dealing with the Xie and Zhao families had many benefits that Song Mo could not refuse. Firstly, it would clear him of any involvement in the death of the Crown Prince. Secondly, it would fill the national treasury with the wealth accumulated by the Xie and Zhao families over generations. Thirdly, it would serve as a warning to others. It could also be said to be the first of the three fires lit by the new official.
During this time, Xie Zhan had been making frequent moves. While there was little activity on her side, did they really think she had been idle during this time?
The relationship between her and Xie Zhan could be likened to that of a hawk and an eagle.
Xie Zhan was very clever, but he was too greedy and made frequent attacks.
Meanwhile, she, the eagle, had been lying in wait. The eagle guarded its nest very carefully and would not easily provoke its enemies.
But if the hawk entered its territory, the eagle would launch an attack. When the hawk and the eagle entered into battle, even if they were perched on the same tree, when the hawk took flight, the eagle would follow, then seize the opportunity to soar into the sky, lock onto the target, and dive down, using its naturally hooked beak to firmly peck at the hawk’s head, leaving it in excruciating pain and helpless.
Later, the bailiffs from the Da Li Temple politely escorted Lu Songli back to the prison.
Qin Sheng and the others were anxiously waiting, and when they saw her return, they breathed a sigh of relief.
“You finally came back,” Old Madam Qin said, holding her chest.
Lu Songli smiled and nodded at them, “Mother, I’m sorry to have worried you.”
Seeing her relaxed expression, the Qin brothers guessed that things should be going well, but Qin Heng still asked, “How did it go?”
“Everything went smoothly. We should be able to leave soon,” Lu Songli believed that after the Fourth Prince successfully ascended the throne, he would need to stabilize the situation and secure his position, keeping him very busy. Moreover, he had stronger opponents, such as his two elder brothers, who would not care about their defeated subordinates.
Shortly after Lu Songli returned to the prison cell, her eldest sister Lu Songyun and brother-in-law Xu Wen came to visit her together, carrying a basket.
The jailers had become numb to the frequent visits from the Qin family members. Because every day, someone would come to visit the Qin family, with the Lu family being the most diligent, coming every day and sometimes even twice a day.
The key was that the visitors were very considerate and would always bring something for them, no matter what. Among them, the Lu family members were the most generous, and with the tacit approval from above, the jailers did not make things difficult for the Qin family visitors. Sometimes, they would even provide some conveniences, such as hot water.
Sometimes they wondered if this was still the terrifying prison that made people tremble at its mention. Usually, when a loved one was imprisoned, most relatives and friends would avoid visiting, right? How come the Lu family and others were not afraid to visit? However, despite their doubts, deep down, having such loyal relatives like the Lu family was truly enviable.
This time, Lu Songyun brought some freshly baked cakes for them to enjoy. These cakes were made by her mother-in-law, using a special method that was quite troublesome. Just before the cakes were fully baked, she would sprinkle some oil residue and crumbs on both sides, making the cakes especially fragrant. She had brought them once before when she visited her parents, and her younger sister had really enjoyed them. Since then, her mother-in-law would make them whenever she had the chance.
Lu Songyun handed the cakes from the basket to her sister one by one, watching as she stacked them neatly on a clean cloth. She couldn’t help but sigh at the unpredictability of life. Who could have expected that her sister, who had just gotten married the day before, would end up in prison with her husband’s family just three days later? She glanced at the relatively clean prison cells and thought to herself that at least they hadn’t suffered too much.
After handing over the cakes, she looked around and said, “My mother-in-law asked me to tell you that she has taken care of everything you asked for.”
Lu Songyun was actually quite curious about what her sister had asked her mother-in-law to do.
Lu Songli nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
This was the second time the Xu family had come to visit her. The last time, it was Old Madam Xu and her eldest sister who had come, bringing half a basket of baked cakes and several pieces of coarse cloth woven by themselves, which were not worth much but could be used as padding for them in prison.
She remembered them all in her heart.
In the Imperial Palace
Lu Desheng took out the second imperial edict.
The officials glared at him angrily. “You liar, didn’t you say you didn’t have the Emperor’s edict? Then what’s that in your hand? Do you even have any shame?”
Lu Desheng was thick-skinned and didn’t care about their mocking gazes. He respectfully said to the Fourth Prince, “Your servant didn’t expect that the second imperial edict would actually be found in my home.”
“Humph, just keep making up stories!” The officials scoffed. “Do you think we’re fools?”
“This edict was found in a brocade box in my home. At the time, my daughter was getting married, and the Emperor only said that the contents of the brocade box were a gift for me. He didn’t say that there was a secret edict inside,” he said. “So you can’t blame me, right?”
The officials said, “Didn’t you open it to take a look?” We don’t believe you!
“I didn’t! How could I open it?” Lu Desheng widened his eyes, vehemently denying that he had secretly opened it. “At the time, the Emperor’s health was already very bad. I was worried sick, and there was no way I would have paid attention to such a small thing.” Yes, he was such a pure and honest loyal subject.
Listening to him speak, the officials were about to vomit.
Many of them carefully scrutinized Lu Desheng’s old face. If they weren’t absolutely certain that Emperor Shizong can’t possibly have children on the age of eight, they would have suspected that Lu Desheng was his eldest son.
The Empress Dowager was so angry that she almost vomited blood. Really, was this even an emperor she could accept? He was better to an outsider than to her, his own mother!
At the Fourth Prince’s signal, Lu Desheng handed the edict to the clan members. After they confirmed the edict’s authenticity, they read out its contents, once again confirming Emperor Shizong’s decree to establish the Fourth Prince, Song Mo, as the next emperor.
Now, all that was left was the third edict. With the backing of two edicts, Song Mo’s ascension to the throne was essentially confirmed.
In the Imperial Study
Xie Zhan bowed deeply. If he had been wearing light-colored clothing, one could see that his back was drenched in sweat.
In front of him lay the evidence of crimes committed by the main members of the Xie and Zhao families’ factions.
He trembled all over. Xie Zhan knew that the documents in front of him were definitely just a fraction of the whole. Since they could investigate so deeply, they could dig up even more hidden secrets of the Xie family, such as their stockpiles of grain and the vast wealth they had accumulated over generations, hidden in the shadows.
It could be said that Xie Zhan was dizzy with fear when he realized that these secrets were about to be exposed.
He realized that he had fallen into a huge trap.
He should have been more vigilant!
He should have thought that Lu Desheng’s willingness to produce the second edict must have been the result of some kind of deal with the Fourth Prince. After the second edict appeared, the evidence of crimes committed by the main members of the Xie and Zhao families’ factions was thrown in his face by the new emperor, a clear indication that he was targeting the Xie and Zhao families.
No, it should have started even earlier. The Lu family had been plotting, or rather, Lu Songli had been plotting.
First, rumors were spread to tarnish his reputation, accusing him of being the mastermind behind the plot to kill the Crown Prince and attributing the success of the Fourth Prince to him. This exposed his relationship with the Fourth Prince to the public, making the Fourth Prince hesitant to continue using him. Even if he had countless talents for revenge, he could not be utilized by the new emperor, equivalent to being a discarded chess piece.
Then, Lu Songli presented the evidence of his crimes at this moment, as well as proof of the hidden wealth of the Xie and Zhao families. This was like handing a sharp knife to the new emperor.
He was aware of the empty state treasury. Now, the new emperor could easily obtain the wealth of the two families, how could he not be tempted?
For those in power, when they see something valuable, they can’t help but want to claim it as their own, especially when there are legitimate reasons to do so.
Truly like a praying mantis catching cicadas, with the oriole behind. Did he just lose again?
“Xie Zhan, do you have anything to say?”
Xie Zhan knew that the new emperor was about to take action against the Xie and Zhao families, and he could not show any hint of reluctance, otherwise, it would bring disaster to the Xie family!
He now deeply understood the cruelty of politics. When Xue Huaimin was abandoned by the Fourth Prince before, he had been proud of his own strategic abilities and admired the charm of politics. Now, he had become the one abandoned, facing the same fate as Xue Huaimin.
“I know I have disappointed Your Majesty, please punish me.” Xie Zhan bowed deeply, his voice filled with bitterness.
One careless move, and he lost everything.
How similar were Lu Songli’s methods to his own in the past?
Back then, he had advised the Fourth Prince to throw Xue Huaimin out to vent the late Emperor’s anger and protect the Fourth Prince from disaster. Now, the Xie and Zhao families were also being used by Lu Songli, or rather thrown out by her, to shield the Qin family from remaining troubles.
Xie Zhan’s posture was extremely humble, not pleading or begging, not mentioning his past contributions, nor defending himself. He knew that these accusations were just a pretext for the new emperor to deal with the Xie and Zhao families.
His actions made the new emperor hesitate.
It could be said that his ascension to the throne was inseparable from the contributions of Xue Huaimin and Xie Zhan. Now that Xue Huaimin was dead and his family was destroyed, if he punished the Xie and Zhao families too severely, would the people think he was ungrateful and ruthless?
After much deliberation, he finally said, “Capital punishment can be forgiven, but escaping punishment is difficult.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhan breathed a sigh of relief. He had made the right bet!
Just as he returned to the Xie family, the imperial decree for the punishment of the Xie and Zhao families was issued. The same fate as the Qin family, confiscation of property and exile! This was the result of the new emperor considering his past contributions and showing leniency.