AWB Chapter 62 Gu Liuli reveals her plan
Chapter 62 Gu Liuli reveals her plan
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across the emperor's previously calm eyes. He involuntarily straightened up slightly from his languid lean on the dragon throne.
A pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on Gu Liuli's beautiful and refined face, as if drawn by a magnet.
The emperor looked anxious and raised his voice slightly as he asked, "Oh? You actually have such a brilliant plan! Tell me quickly!"
Standing below, Gu Liuli's lips curled into a confident smile. She took a few steps forward before speaking softly, "Father, Prince Duan's actions are utterly audacious and lawless, a blatant provocation against our dynasty's laws. However, if we directly and openly confront him, it might not only fail to make him confess and submit to the law, but could also trigger a major upheaval in the court. You must know that Prince Duan has cultivated his influence in the court for many years; his power is deeply entrenched, and his cronies are spread throughout the court and the country."
Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned, a look of confusion on his face, and asked, "Why is that? Are we just going to stand by and watch him continue to act so recklessly?"
Faced with the emperor's questioning, Gu Liuli remained calm and confident. She nodded slightly and then patiently explained, "Father, please calm down and let me explain. At this moment, Prince Duan must be extremely cautious and wary of our actions. If we act rashly, not only will we fail to wipe him out and all his followers, but we might also alert them and give them time to prepare. Therefore, in my opinion, we should remain still for now and pretend to know nothing about this matter to the outside world."
In this way, the Prince Duan and his cronies can be completely eliminated, and the court can be prevented from falling into chaos due to a large-scale purge.
After listening, the emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into a brief moment of contemplation. Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the entire study was so quiet that only the emperor's soft breathing could be heard. After a long while, the emperor slowly nodded in agreement, saying, "Hmm, what you say is quite right. However, the person secretly monitoring us must indeed be extremely reliable. After all, this matter is of great importance, and if there is even the slightest mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Gu Liuli, standing to the side, first bowed respectfully, then replied in a soft yet firm voice, "Father, please rest assured, I have already chosen a suitable candidate: Li Mingxuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He is known for his integrity and incorruptibility, enjoying a high reputation in the court. Moreover, he is utterly loyal to the court and has no ulterior motives. More importantly, he is always extremely cautious and never acts rashly. If he were to secretly select a group of shrewd, capable, and agile individuals to form a secret surveillance team specifically responsible for this matter, he would surely be able to handle it."
Gu Liuli paused briefly, then added, "Not only that, your daughter-in-law has already contacted merchants who own iron mines and are associated with them. From them, we learned that the Zhou family seems to have a very close relationship with a certain high-ranking official in the imperial court. After careful consideration by your daughter-in-law and Jingchuan, we believe that this official is very likely Chen Qi!"
At this point, Gu Liuli frowned, her expression becoming serious. She took a deep breath and continued to advise the emperor, "Furthermore, in order to better mislead Prince Duan, we can also spread some false information."
For example, the imperial court will focus its efforts on addressing people's livelihood issues in the near future, and will have no time to attend to other matters.
In this way, they might be able to successfully lull Prince Duan into a false sense of security and make him lower his guard.
Meanwhile, in the imperial court, the attitude towards Prince Duan should remain the same as always; one must not show the slightest suspicion, lest one alert him.
In that instant, Xiao Jingchuan suddenly realized that his father's temples had quietly sprouted white hairs. All the misunderstandings he had once held about his father surged into his heart like a tidal wave, guilt and regret churning within him. Fortunately, it wasn't too late.
"Jingchuan, you and Liuli must be careful when you return. The matter of Prince Duan is of great importance, so you must not take it lightly." Xiao Han's eyes were full of concern and admonition.
Xiao Jingchuan nodded solemnly and said, "Father, rest assured, your son and Liuli will act with caution. As for you, you must take good care of your health. You must take the antidote pill on time. Your son hopes that you can recover soon."
Gu Liuli, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward gracefully and bowed, saying, "Father, your daughter-in-law and the prince will certainly not let you down. There are many things to do in the palace. You should also take care to rest while you are handling government affairs."
Xiao Han looked at the couple and smiled with relief: "With you two here, I can rest assured. Go on your journey, and be careful on the road."
After Xiao Jingchuan and Gu Liuli bowed deeply to the emperor, they turned and left. Once their figures disappeared outside the palace gates, Xiao Han said to Eunuch Fu, "Go and secretly summon Li Mingxuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, to the palace!"
Just as Eunuch Fu received his orders and reached the door, a young eunuch rushed over in a panic: "Eunuch Fu, Eunuch De suffered a heart attack and suddenly died!"
Old Master Fu's eyes flickered. "Ah, everyone gets old eventually. Let him rest in peace."
He left after saying that!
Before long, Eunuch Fu arrived in a hurry with Li Mingxuan.
Li Mingxuan knelt and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant Li Mingxuan greets Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Xiao Han waved his hand, signaling him to stand up, and said solemnly, "Minister Li, I have an extremely important and confidential task for you. You must have heard about Prince Duan's private hoarding of iron ore and manufacture of weapons. I order you to secretly select a group of reliable people to closely monitor Prince Duan's every move. This matter is of great importance and must not be leaked in the slightest."
After receiving the order, Li Mingxuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly do my utmost. However, I heard that Eunuch De suddenly died, and there seems to be some unrest in the palace lately. I am worried..."
Xiao Han's eyes sharpened: "I have my own considerations for this matter. You only need to focus on the matter of Prince Duan and make sure to get to the bottom of his crimes."
After Li Mingxuan left, Xiao Han fell into deep thought. Could the death of Eunuch De be related to Prince Duan? If Prince Duan had realized that I suspected him and started to eliminate the spies around him, then the matter would probably be far more troublesome than I imagined.
Meanwhile, in the Duan Prince's mansion, Prince Duan Xiao Jinghong was leisurely sitting in the courtyard enjoying tea. Upon hearing his subordinate's report, a cold smile appeared on his lips: "It's finally time to discard Eunuch De, this pawn."