The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 515: never fail
Chapter 515: Invincible
After what happened to Princess Gaoyi last time, they finally understood that the people in the Bai Mansion were the Achilles’ heel of Princess Zhenguo.
Seeing that Li Mao’s facial features were flickering in the light of the swaying candle, the two counselors looked at him, waiting for his decision.
Li Mao pondered for a long time, stroking the corner of his clothes with his fingers. After a while, he made up his mind and looked up at the blue-shirted counselor: “Please trouble Ziyuan to go to Shuoyang in person! Leave immediately without delay! When we get to Shuoyang, we will act according to the circumstances. If it is the Princess Zhenguo… just send back the heads of these people and then do nothing else, then Ziyuan will act accordingly.”
Li Mao’s meaning was very clear. If Bai Qingyan just sent the head back as a warning, he would let this blue-shirted strategist called Ziyuan consider contacting the people of the Bai family clan in Shuoyang. No matter how, it would be best to get hold of Bai Qingyan’s handle.
The blue-shirted strategist Cai Ziyuan also knew that the reason why Li Mao asked him to go was because he was the one who came up with the idea!
Letting him go meant asking him to plead guilty for Li Mao, and also meant letting him accept the punishment from Princess Zhenguo.
After a moment of surprise, the blue-robed strategist Cai Ziyuan nodded. It was he who came up with the idea, so it was only natural for him to clean up the mess.
Then, he bowed to Li Mao and said, “I will live up to the trust of the Left Prime Minister!”
After saying that, Cai Ziyuan immediately turned around and left the study, and asked someone to prepare the horse… He didn’t even have time to pack his luggage, and rode on horseback with two guards straight to Shuoyang City.
Zuo Xiang was still in shock and his eyelids were twitching.
The white-robed counselor consoled him, “Your Majesty, don’t worry too much. After all, we haven’t had time to do anything yet. The Princess Zhenguo sent the head back to Dadu as a deterrent. It should just be a warning. If Ziyuan admits his mistake, I think everything will be fine.”
Li Mao raised his hand to press his twitching eyelids, picked up the teacup and took a sip: “You sit down too…”
“Prime Minister, I am going to say something I shouldn’t! This time, the Prime Minister and Ziyuan’s plan… to join forces with the expelled members of the Bai family has made some mistakes!” The white-clothed strategist sat down and said slowly, “I know that the Prime Minister is restless because the Princess Zhenguo holds the Prime Minister’s handle! But… think about it in another way! Now… Prince Liang thinks that the Prime Minister once followed the Second Prince and is secretly his man! If Prince Liang ascends the throne in the future… the Prime Minister will naturally be second only to the emperor!”
Li Mao looked towards the strategist in white and pretended to listen quietly.
“And the Prime Minister has the leverage over the Princess Zhenguo. As long as he doesn’t touch the Princess Zhenguo’s reverse scale, or even…openly assists the Princess Zhenguo, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, the Left Prime Minister will be considered as the Crown Prince’s party no matter what, and he won’t be demoted! As the Princess Zhenguo, she is a woman who stays away from the court. There is a courtier like you who is in a high position and has the leverage over her. Can she not try every means to make the Crown Prince use you after he ascends the throne, so as to achieve her goal of controlling you?”
Li Mao narrowed his eyes, it seemed to be the truth.
This is probably the reason why Bai Qingyan never handed in those letters.
She thought that by holding those letters, she could control him, an important official in the court. Rather than handing over those letters and asking for his life, Yu Baiqing said it would be more advantageous for her not to hand them over.
If he were Bai Qingyan, he would also make the same choice when he could not get in touch with the court.
“Besides, we haven’t caused any substantial harm to the Bai family this time. Princess Zhenguo may not really want to deal with you, my Lord. And given Princess Zhenguo’s temperament, she will definitely…if she doesn’t take action, it will be fine. If she does, it will definitely shake the world. How can she just hand over a head so easily!”
Li Mao felt a little relieved: “Sir, what you said makes sense, then… we will show our goodwill to the Princess Zhenguo!”
“That’s exactly what I meant. In this way… Your Excellency the Prime Minister is between King Liang and the Crown Prince, having the best of both worlds and being invincible.” The strategist in white laughed.
Li Mao nodded, feeling more relieved: “I hope Ziyuan can get this matter done when he goes to Shuoyang this time.”
At this time, Li Mao did not know that Bai Jinxiu had ordered people to copy the letter between the Left Prime Minister Li Mao and the Second Prince hundreds of times, and then copied another one, and then sent the original copy of the letter to King Liang.
Bai Jinxiu ordered people to deliver hundreds of copied letters to the fireworks venues where singing and dancing were still going on, as well as to the busiest places such as taverns and restaurants.
That night, the noble young men who were drinking and drinking in the brothel saw the letter. When they saw that the letter was signed by Li Mao, the Left Prime Minister, they began to talk about it. Almost everyone got a copy and read it carefully.
This is a letter Li Mao wrote to the second prince who was executed for treason. In the letter, Li Mao used the most flattering words and even said that he would be loyal from now on to reassure the second prince.
This letter was carefully selected by Bai Jinxiu. It did not involve any political affairs, but it was enough to make people see that Li Mao was once a member of the Second Prince’s party.
Bai Qingyan sent someone to tell Bai Jinxiu to pick a letter. Bai Jinxiu then knew that her elder sister had no intention of killing Li Mao. Perhaps she still had some use for Li Mao, and this move was just to intimidate Li Mao and keep him in line.
That night, Li Mao had just settled down with the help of his concubine when he heard the housekeeper calling him hurriedly outside the door.
Li Mao had something on his mind and was already sleeping unsteadily. He stood up, opened the curtain and asked towards the door, “What’s the matter?”
“Something big has happened, Prime Minister!” said the butler.
Li Mao’s heart skipped a beat, he stood up, put on his clothes and left. His beautiful concubine lifted the bed curtain with her bare hands and called out, “Prime Minister!”
Li Mao ignored his concubine’s call and hurried out in his outer clothes, looking at the housekeeper with a heavy look in his eyes: “What happened?”
“Somehow, the letters between you and the Second Prince have spread throughout the capital!” The butler handed the letter to Li Mao, “Prime Minister, please read it!”
Li Mao snatched the letter, unfolded it and read it while walking towards the study, then ordered the butler to invite the eldest son Li Mingrui and the white-robed strategist.
Li Mao then understood that no matter whether he had done any substantial harm to the Bai family or not, as long as he dared to have such thoughts, Bai Qingyan would not let him go easily.
Sending back the head is a warning, and this letter is also a warning.
After all, Bai Qingyan has the leverage over him, so he is truly fearless and can act recklessly.
This time, Li Mao was indeed rash. He shouldn’t have tried every possible means to gain control of or even create something to hold Bai Qingyan accountable in order to restrain each other.
He was already at a disadvantage when fighting with Bai Qingyan and could only passively accept his coercion.
But, as his adviser said, Bai Qingyan had control over his weaknesses and leverage, which was a perfect opportunity for him to have the best of both worlds.
The white-robed counselor of the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion was called up, put on a coat and went to the study.
Li Mao had read the letter several times. It was indeed a letter he wrote to the second prince, but it was not in his handwriting. Someone must have copied it.
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