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Next, Lu Songli recounted how the Lu family strategized against the Fourth Prince’s predicament and the depleted national treasury.
Firstly, they spread rumors about Xie Zhan, driving a wedge between him and the Fourth Prince, turning Xie Zhan into an obstacle for the Fourth Prince. As soon as the Fourth Prince made his move, Xie Zhan would become his stumbling block.
Then, she spoke about how she used her father’s decree to negotiate with the Fourth Prince. During the negotiation, she exposed the wealth of the Xie and Zhao families, then dropped evidence of their core members’ crimes.
She exposed their wealth, then handed them the knife. It was a win-win situation, difficult for the Fourth Prince to refuse.
Qin Heng: “…”
He could say that initially, he just wanted his sixth sister-in-law to try and get the Qin family to the exile location sooner, instead of being stuck in prison. Who knew she would not only solve the Qin family’s problem but also take care of the Xie and Zhao families? This really wasn’t his fault.
Qin Zhao also understood that the negotiation, rather than being about the Qin family, was actually about solving the Fourth Prince’s problems. The Qin family was merely a side result.
Qin Heng and Qin Zhao couldn’t help but praise, “Amazing!”
Qin Sheng looked at her with bright eyes.
Lu Songli smiled, “Not really. It’s like your military campaigns. When you’re outnumbered, you need to take advantage of everything you can, like terrain, weather, and other external factors or leverage.”
“What I used was simply human nature. Human nature is very dark. Even within the same camp, the commander and the deputy commander might have different goals.”
Hearing about war, Qin Sheng’s eyes lit up.
Her words made the three Qin brothers nod. This was indeed true. Even within the same army, the commander and the deputy commander might not always be on the same page. Yes, they learned something new. These were all things they could leverage.
“As long as I know what I want to achieve, I can unite all the forces I can. As long as it helps me achieve my goal. I borrowed the Fourth Prince’s power. I understood his pain points and his core needs, and I provided him with the best solution. I did so much for him. Would he be stingy enough to refuse a ‘win-win’ deal?”
After listening to her, the Qin brothers felt that the Lu father and daughter were similar to the strategists of the Spring and Autumn period…
Qin Zhao nodded, “Indeed, sixth sister-in-law, you solved several problems for the Fourth Prince in one go.” She threw him the two fat sheep, the Xie and Zhao families, and handed him the knife. The Fourth Prince’s attention was diverted, so he naturally wouldn’t care about the Qin family, which was now skinny and only had bones left. Of course, he would be willing to let them off in exchange for Lu Decheng’s decree.
Qin Heng pondered, reflecting on her words, especially the sentence about uniting all the forces you can. Suddenly, he felt his perspective broadened.
Qin Zhao sighed, “Sixth sister-in-law, I finally understand why Xie Zhan was overthrown by you.” Heaven knows how shocked he was when he saw the Xie family fall at the prison gate.
“Is Xie Zhan very powerful? Is it not normal for him to be overthrown by me?” With a feasible plan, efficient execution, and achieving the goal, isn’t that normal?
She always knew her primary goal. Once she set her sights, she would execute the plan without being influenced by external factors or emotions.
Speaking of which, the Fourth Prince was the mastermind behind the killing of the Crown Prince, and indirectly the one who caused the deaths of Qin Yue and Qin Ming. The Qin family wouldn’t have good feelings towards him.
Did Lu Songli like the Fourth Prince? The answer was no. Whether it was hatred for the crow because of the black feathers or other reasons, she didn’t like the Fourth Prince. However, this didn’t stop her from making deals with him to achieve her goals, helping him solve problems. Cough, actually, it was about using him to solve her problems.
The reason she insisted on negotiating herself was to prevent the Qin family from losing their composure and being noticed by the Fourth Prince, which would create problems.
She was able to be cruel to herself, cutting off her own feelings and not being swayed by emotions.
“Sixth sister-in-law, don’t underestimate the Xie family even though they are now scattered. Xie Zhan is very powerful. The Xie family has been developing rapidly in recent years. You should know that Xie Zhan was already involved in the Xie family’s power at the age of fourteen, and after the age of fifteen, he assisted his father in leading the Xie family to great heights. He is not an ordinary person.” Qin Zhao said earnestly. He said this mainly to remind Lu Songli not to underestimate Xie Zhan and the Xie family, as they had not been completely wiped out.
Lu Songli said seriously, “No matter how powerful he is, he’s still just a person. As long as he’s a person, he’ll have weaknesses. And where there are weaknesses, we can exploit them.” They were warriors. She didn’t want them to be afraid and cower. She wanted them to be fearless, to charge forward without hesitation.
As she spoke, she noticed that the second button on Qin Sheng’s clothes was caught by a strand of hair. She couldn’t help but reach out to pull it.
Qin Sheng grabbed her mischievous hand and glared at her quietly. He had to listen carefully too! He had to work hard! Her words just now had sparked a few brilliant ideas in his mind.
Qin Zhao: “According to you, others can do the same to us. We’re also people, and we have weaknesses.”
“Where did Xie Zhan lose this time? He took too big a step.” He messed up.
He jumped in, boarded the Fourth Prince’s ship, and even replaced Xue Huaimin, who had been in the driver’s seat. He parachuted in, surrounded by enemies. Did he have any allies? No, only enemies. His allies hadn’t caught up yet.
Lu Songli briefly explained this to them and then concluded, “So, we need to make lots of friends and keep our enemies to a minimum. Support each other, stand guard for each other.”
Lu Songli didn’t know what kind of strategists and military leaders she had taught, but in future battles, they would give their enemies a headache.
Meanwhile, in Chang’an, inside the prison, Xie Zhan, who had been tortured, was unconscious, lying on a bed of clean straw.
By his side were Xie Qian, Xie Yuan, and other elders, as well as Xie Nan, Xie Bai, and other core members of the younger generation. They all looked at him with worry.
Zhao Yutan was weeping silently in the next cell.
The rest of the Xie family members huddled together, not daring to speak. They had just been scolded by the elders. They called them fools, believing the slander of outsiders.
After entering prison, they faced Wu Chunyu’s brutal interrogation. The head of the family, Xie Zhan, took all the blame. He didn’t back down in the face of torture. Of course, there were others among the family who were tortured as well. The parents of those being tortured, seeing their children beaten bloody, couldn’t help but beg the head of the family to submit to Wu Chunyu and save their children.
The head of the family endured the pain and apologized to them, saying that all the Xie family’s wealth had been confiscated and that they truly had no other hidden assets.
No matter how many people begged him, no matter how many times he was tortured, whipped, and even doused with salt water, he insisted that the Xie family had not hidden any wealth.
This was the third time he had been tortured. He couldn’t take it anymore and passed out.
Most of the family members believed that their head of the family truly had nothing left.
The elders collected the money from the family members and spent a sum to get hot water, congee, and herbal medicine.
Under their careful care, Xie Zhan woke up in the middle of the night.
Xie Zhan drank the now-cold medicine and asked a few questions in a low voice. When he learned that his arrangements were proceeding smoothly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The new emperor must be busy controlling his four regent ministers at this moment. He had given him an idea to help him change the current situation. Coupled with his self-sacrificing act, before his death, he, this former meritorious minister, was still thinking about his master, racking his brains to find a solution. This should soften the new emperor’s heart and allow the Xie and Zhao families to be released from prison and exiled.