Li Rоng аrrived at thе mаin hаll tо find Wаng Houmin, Gu Zichun, аnd Zhеng Qiu alreаdy seаtеd insidе with оvеr а dozen оthers.
Li Rong stepped fоrwаrd and smilеd at thе grоuр. "It's аlreаdу sо lаtе, yеt you've аll сomе. Have уou thought оver the mаttеr frоm lаst timе аnd сome tо givе me уоur аnswer?"
Еverуоne stoоd аnd bowеd to Li Rong.
"Your Нighness," the eldеst аmоng them, Gu Ziсhun, spoke first. "Wе undеrstаnd yоur intеntiоns, but wе аrе simplу unсleаr—if we fullу submit to yоur cоmmаnd, whаt if Your Нighnеss..."
Gu Ziсhun did nоt finish, but Li Rong alreаdy understood.
Thеy sought an аlliancе with her bесausе they did not want to openly confront Li Ming themselves.
Li Ming was currently protecting Consort Rou and Prince Su so fiercely. After all, he was the emperor. Without plans for rebellion, whoever stepped forward first risked punishment from Li Ming.
If Li Ming forcefully dealt with the one who stepped forward, it would be fine if the others united in rebellion. But what if they each pursued their own interests and remained silent?
Everyone had their own calculations. The noble families appeared as solid as iron, yet internally, each had their own twists and turns. Thus, they needed someone to step forward and bear this risk for them.
In her previous life, Li Rong had played this role. She understood the minds of these noble families thoroughly, so she also knew that Gu Zichun was now seeking a guarantee from her.
A guarantee that this transaction would not leave them worse off than when Consort Rou was in the Supervisory Department.
"Lord Gu," Li Rong said softly, "I have my own fiefdom."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Li Rong was of royal blood, having her own fiefdom meant that, aside from her royal status, she was no different from any other noble family.
"Rest assured, everyone," Li Rong said gently. "All I want," she lifted her eyes and smiled lightly, "is stability."
Stability and order.
This was also what the noble families desired most.
As long as the Crown Prince remained that virtuous, gentle, and legitimate eldest son from a noble family, Li Chuan, and as long as the noble families retained their privileges, maintaining the status quo was of utmost importance.
"Then, Your Highness, please instruct us," Wang Houmin said respectfully. "What should we do next?"
"In the coming days, you should all jointly submit memorials against Consort Rou, one after another. Any reason will do—just start submitting them."
Li Rong tapped her fan against her palm. "I will handle the rest."
"Besides that, I have one more request," Li Rong looked up at them. "This year's military pay for the northwest—the portion meant for Xiao Su—find a way to withhold part of it and deliver it to Qin Lin instead."
Everyone was taken aback, not expecting Li Rong to make such a request.
Seeing their hesitation, Li Rong laughed. "What? You just said you'd listen to me, and now you can't even manage to stop embezzling military funds and send the money to the front lines? Xiao Su is Consort Rou's brother. If you hand the money over to him and he strengthens his army, are you waiting for him to march back to Huajing and slaughter us all?!"
"Your Highness, it's not that we won't listen to you," said Cui Mingzhi from the Ministry of War, looking troubled. "It's just that the military funds sent to Xiao Su have always been closely monitored by His Majesty."
"If His Majesty is watching closely, does that mean you can't think of a way?"
Li Rong sneered. These people were simply unwilling to stir up trouble. If they were willing, she didn't believe that among so many steps, these noble families couldn't devise a plan.Li Ming can keep an eye on Huajing, but can he even watch over the northwest?
"The problem is, not only is His Majesty watching closely," Cui Mingzhi thought for a moment before speaking up, "the Xie family is also helping Xiao Su keep an eye on things."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, instinctively glancing at Li Rong.
Li Rong had exiled Xie Lanqing, and since Xie Lanqing was the head of the Xie family, this feud had been settled. They would likely oppose Li Rong to the end no matter what.
Li Rong listened without speaking. If a major clan like the Xie family was helping Li Ming monitor Xiao Su's military funds, then secretly manipulating those funds would easily give others a handle against them.
But if things continued like this, Qin Lin would have to rely on the tax revenue from her Qingzhou to support him, and that likely wouldn't last long. Meanwhile, Xiao Su's forces were strong and well-equipped, and in the end, they might have to rely on the aristocratic families gathering their Manor Guards to help Li Chuan.
Moreover, with Su Rongqing in this lifetime, whether they could rally the Manor Guards of the aristocratic families was still a question.
As Li Rong was pondering this, she saw a maid enter with a tray of pastries. On the tray was a small folded note. Li Rong picked it up and glanced at it, seeing three words written on it: "Reduce military funds."
Since Xiao Su's military funds couldn't be cut off entirely, they could at least be reduced. After all, no matter how much Xiao Su received, it wouldn't affect Qin Lin.
He was already getting the least.
Li Rong hesitated for a moment before finally looking up at the group. "Then let's reduce them all."
"Your Highness means..." Li Rong picked up a cup from the side. "Isn't the south repairing the river? That requires funds. Besides, Xiao Su is currently raising troops and horses in the north without doing anything, just wasting the court's military funds, isn't he?"
"But the front lines..."
"If you're worried," Li Rong's gaze swept over to the speaker, "why not quietly send some to the front lines? How much of the military funds actually reach the front lines," her tone turned slightly cold, "do the esteemed officials not understand?"
Seeing Li Rong's tone turn angry, everyone fell silent. Li Rong set down her teacup and seemed to remember something. "Oh, speaking of which, I plan to build a residence in Qingzhou."
Hearing this, everyone immediately understood. "How much silver does Your Highness require? We will prepare it at once."
Li Rong thought for a moment before slowly saying, "For that residence, I want gold bricks for the floors and jade for the pillars. Although it won't be large, I estimate... five hundred gold pieces should be enough, right?"
Everyone's expressions turned troubled. Li Rong smiled. "Or do you all think it would be better to discuss Consort Rou's matter with His Majesty yourselves?"
"Your Highness's affairs are our affairs."
Gu Zichun was the first to speak up, slowly saying, "We will need some time to prepare."
"Fine," Li Rong nodded. "Once the money arrives, I'll go inquire about Consort Rou's matter."
Wang Houmin quickly spoke up upon hearing this. "Your Highness, rest assured. Within ten days, we will surely gather the five hundred gold pieces."
Wang Houwen was still in prison, and once the execution is carried out after October, he won't be coming back.
Li Rong smiled and stood up, nodding to everyone. "Then I'll trouble you all."
After seeing everyone off, Li Rong returned to the rear courtyard and saw Pei Wenxuan leaning against the courtyard gatepost.
"Did you hear everything just now?"
Li Rong knew from the note that Pei Wenxuan had been listening to their conversation from the shadows.
Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and rested it on Li Rong's shoulder, saying softly, "Your Highness even asked for an extra five hundred gold pieces. Quite shrewd."
"Otherwise, who will support Qin Lin?"
Li Rong rolled her eyes. "Will you support him?"
"I dare not," Pei Wenxuan laughed. "I still rely on Your Highness to support me.""Aren't you inheriting the family business?" Li Rong poked him. "Still thinking about living off me?"
"Everything I have belongs to Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan replied as they entered the room together. He closed the door behind them. "In the end, I'm still eating Your Highness's food."
"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong turned to look at him. Hearing her call his name, Pei Wenxuan turned back in confusion, only to see Li Rong rise on her toes to give him a kiss. She smiled brightly. "Such a sweet talker!"
For some reason, Pei Wenxuan actually felt a bit embarrassed.
After September, the weather turned cold quickly.
This year's harvest in Qingzhou was good. After reviewing the tax revenues from Qingzhou and having them tallied, Li Rong had Tuoba Yan circulate the grain through the granaries before quietly sending it to the northwest. Xun Chuan received the provisions and sent a reply to Li Rong.
Xun Chuan, now serving under Qin Lin in the army, had already achieved some merits. Together with Cui Qinghe, they had become Qin Lin's left and right deputy generals.
At the same time, Li Rong also received five hundred gold. She had the money sent to the southwest to purchase weapons, which were then delivered to Lin Feibai.
By mid-September, memorials impeaching Consort Rou had piled up like a mountain, while debates over tax reform raged endlessly in the court.
Li Ming was determined to protect Consort Rou. Faced with the officials' accusations against her, not only did he not punish Consort Rou, but he also had several officials who had impeached her beaten with rods.
Consort Rou's actions regarding the imperial examinations and tax reform became widely praised among the people. Voices calling for the deposing of the Crown Prince and the establishment of Prince Su also began to gain traction.
Compared to Consort Rou's spreading reputation, the scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, under Pei Wenxuan's guidance, gradually began to adapt to their positions.
Pei Wenxuan spent every day guiding these scholars, helping them make connections. In their hearts, Pei Wenxuan increasingly became a figure like a benefactor and teacher.
By the end of September, tax reform remained undecided, and Consort Rou was again impeached by the Wang family. This time, she was accused of overstepping ritual protocols by using patterns reserved for the Empress. No matter how much Li Ming wanted to protect her, he had to put on a show of punishment, so he docked her salary for one month.
Consort Rou, who had not suffered such humiliation in a long time, ordered Cui Yulang that very day to prepare a memorial. She planned to confirm Wang Houwen's execution time during the next day's Morning Court Assembly to warn the Wang family.
Upon receiving Consort Rou's order, Cui Yulang immediately passed the information to Li Rong.
Reading the message from Cui Yulang, Li Rong thought for a moment and smiled. "Good."
With that, she turned to Jing Lan. "Go inform the Imperial Son-in-Law. Tonight, I will have Chen Hozhao return to the city to file a complaint at the Ministry of Justice. Tell him to instruct Pei Liming to handle the matter and ensure no one is intercepted by Su Rongqing. Prepare all the previous testimonies where Consort Rou threatened students into withdrawing their complaints and bring them to me tonight."
"Yes."
"Also instruct Miss Shangguan to organize all the previous evidence for me."
"Understood."
"Prepare a beautiful dress." Li Rong walked to the mirror, tucking the hair beside her cheeks behind her ears. She examined herself in the mirror from side to side, looking quite pleased. "This princess will attend court beautifully tomorrow!"
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