Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Li Yi’s List, the Reason for the Crown Prince’s Rebellion

At a quarter to eight in the evening, Pei Shaoqing arrived punctually at Shuwei Pavilion for his appointment. Lu Dingchuan had also invited Pei Shaoqing’s former subordinate, Ye Guoyun, to join them so the two could catch up.

After being transferred to the Thousand Households, Ye Guoyun had been given significant responsibilities by Lu Dingchuan. He was grateful to Lu Dingchuan, but he knew full well the reason for this special treatment.

That was why in his heart, even though he no longer served under Pei Shaoqing, he would always see Pei Shaoqing as his superior for life, and he continued to treat him with the utmost respect.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Pei Shaoqing, as the guest, was the first to take his leave. However, he didn’t actually depart from Shuwei Pavilion. Instead, he followed Liu Yuheng, who was waiting outside the private room, and entered another room whose door was ajar.

When Li Yi, who was waiting inside, saw him, his eyes widened in shock. He instinctively cried out, "Lord Pingyang!"

Pei Shaoqing was a famous wastrel in the capital.

Naturally, Li Yi had seen him back when he was an official.

"I have come to see Scholar Li on the Crown Prince’s orders," Pei Shaoqing said, gesturing for him to sit.

Li Yi asked, "Is the Crown Prince well?"

"He is healthy, and his ambition remains," Pei Shaoqing replied, walking over and sitting down, his summary succinct.

"That’s good, that’s good." Li Yi nodded to himself, then asked, "The Crown Prince is imprisoned deep within the palace. How did he contact Lord Pingyang?"

"I have certain special methods to communicate with the Crown Prince." Pei Shaoqing had no desire to elaborate. He then took out the Crown Prince’s reply, presenting it with both hands. "I know Scholar Li still has doubts about me. Please, look at this letter."

Li Yi took the letter, opened it, and began to read.

He recognized at a glance that it was indeed a letter handwritten by the Crown Prince.

Only after finishing it did he completely believe that Pei Shaoqing had come to him on the Crown Prince’s orders. He folded the letter, handed it back, and said slowly, "This old man would naturally not disobey the Crown Prince’s command. But I still have a question, and I hope Lord Pingyang can answer it. May I ask why Lord Pingyang is taking such a risk?"

With Pei Shaoqing’s family background and the favor he currently enjoyed, even with his grudge against the Jiang Family, he could have chosen the King of Qi. Why take the risk of supporting the Crown Prince’s restoration?

’You think I want to do this?’

’It’s because I have no other choice!’

’Who else can I blame but that lecherous original owner of this body? He couldn’t keep it in his pants and slept with the King of Qi’s mistress, only to get caught in the act.’

"Of course, I am doing this for the Great Zhou, for the common people of the world!" Pei Shaoqing declared, his voice filled with righteous conviction. "The Ninth Prince is young. If he were to become Emperor, power would inevitably be usurped by the Jiang Family. The fate of the Great Zhou would be in the hands of the Empress’s relatives, and the nation would cease to be a nation. His Majesty has treated me well and showered me with favor. How can I stand by and watch such a thing happen?"

"There is also the King of Qi," Li Yi said, his tone steady.

"The King of Qi?" Pei Shaoqing didn’t hide his disdain, sneering, "If he became the master of this nation, then the country would surely be doomed! Before the Ninth Prince was born, the King of Qi considered himself the de facto Crown Prince and acted lawlessly, relying on the Emperor’s favor. Only after the Ninth Prince’s birth did he change his ways and adopt a low profile. But how could that be his true nature?"

"He is merely hiding his true self for the sake of the throne. A leopard cannot change its spots. The more fiercely he suppresses himself now, the more violently he will rebound in the future. Once there is no one left to control him, he will inevitably become a disaster for the nation and bring harm to the people!"

Growing agitated, Pei Shaoqing slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "Only the Crown Prince! He deeply understands the suffering of the common folk, possesses a broad mind and world-shaping talent, and, what’s more, his pure, kind, and gentle nature has won him the support of the people and the court officials."

"After His Majesty passes, only his succession to the throne can be a blessing for the Great Zhou and its people! That is why I would rather take this risk to lend the Crown Prince a helping hand!"

"Excellent! Well said!" Li Yi’s heart, which had been dormant for years, began to stir. He moistened his dry lips and said, "With a hero like Lord Pingyang, why should the Crown Prince worry that his great cause will not succeed? Allow this old man, on behalf of the Crown Prince and the people of the Great Zhou, to thank Lord Pingyang for his arduous efforts."

As he spoke, he rose and made to bow.

He believed at least seventy percent of what Pei Shaoqing said, because if it were merely for selfish gain, there would be no need to take such a risk.

Therefore, it must be true that he was acting out of public-spiritedness.

"Scholar Li, please, you honor me too much." Pei Shaoqing quickly helped him up, his face a mask of sincerity. "The Crown Prince is trapped in the palace, and Scholar Li, despite your advanced age, is willing to fight for the Great Zhou, putting life and death aside. What are my small efforts in comparison? I only seek to have a clear conscience, to be able to face the people of this world without shame."

"A clear conscience... an excellent ’clear conscience.’" Li Yi praised him repeatedly, then let out a breath and said, "When the Crown Prince’s palace coup failed, many officials were demoted and sent out of the Capital City. As it happens, there are a few of the Crown Prince’s former followers here in Shu State. Though I am old, I am willing to go in Lord Pingyang’s stead to contact them for the Crown Prince."

"No!" Pei Shaoqing refused flatly. Meeting Li Yi’s confused gaze, he said, "Scholar Li, you are, after all, getting on in years. Even the Crown Prince would not bear to have you running back and forth. Moreover, as a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, you contacting the Old Faction of the Crown Prince would easily attract attention. If word reached His Majesty’s ears, it would be detrimental to the Crown Prince."

"Therefore, this is a task I must handle myself. I am deeply favored by His Majesty and, on the surface, have no connection to the Crown Prince’s faction. Even if I am discovered, they won’t find any real leverage against me. I will only trouble Scholar Li to provide a detailed list of the Crown Prince’s old supporters in Shu State."

’He just wanted to use the Crown Prince’s name to recruit his old followers for his own use. Of course he had to handle this matter personally.’

’If Li Yi were to contact these people, then they would truly become the Crown Prince’s men once again.’

"Lord Pingyang is indeed the more thoughtful one. This old man is getting on in years, after all. This mind of mine isn’t what it used to be!" Li Yi said, patting his forehead.

Pei Shaoqing smiled and consoled him, "It is only that Scholar Li was being hasty and overlooked a few details for a moment."

Then, he turned to Liu Yuheng and said, "Aunt Liu, could I trouble you to borrow a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone from the Shopkeeper?"

"Yes." Liu Yuheng turned and left the room.

"There is one more thing this old man forgot to ask," Li Yi said in a low voice. "Is Marquis Weiyuan aware of this?"

Pei Shaoqing replied with a calm expression, "My father knows nothing about this. But since I have already made my choice, does Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion have any other option?"

Li Yi nodded slowly. If Marquis Weiyuan didn’t want to be implicated by Pei Shaoqing in case of failure, he would have no choice but to support the Crown Prince.

Xie Qingwu quickly returned with a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

Li Yi sat down, picked up the brush, and began to write. A moment later, he handed the paper to Pei Shaoqing. "The Crown Prince’s old supporters are scattered everywhere. In the past five years, few have been promoted. These are the only ones in Shu State. But times have changed, and there’s no guarantee they are still loyal to the Crown Prince. Lord Pingyang should approach them with caution."

Even those in the Crown Prince Faction who were not dismissed from their posts were effectively shackled, with no hope of promotion.

"I will heed the Scholar’s advice." Pei Shaoqing took the paper with both hands and began to read it. There were six names in total.

Mao Wen, Vice Households Commander of the Jing’an Guard in Shu State.

Liu Xianliang, Vice Prefect of Shu State.

Zhou Tao, County Magistrate of Sui State.

Zhao Ze, County Magistrate of Yazhou.

Zhao Jun and Chen En, Households Commanders of the Shuzhou Guard.

What surprised Pei Shaoqing the most was that there were even members of the Old Faction of the Crown Prince in the Shuzhou Guard. In the Great Zhou, apart from border armies like the Pingxi Army and the Wei Yuan Army, every State Mansion had a standing garrison, a "Guard," stationed there, with each Guard numbering around ten thousand men.

Normally, they were only responsible for defending the territory and suppressing internal rebellions, and were occasionally mobilized as needed. Although their combat strength was inferior to the Border Army, they were still formally organized military units.

If he could win over Zhao Jun and Chen En, Pei Shaoqing would have two thousand soldiers at his command. While not a huge number, it would be a real army that followed his orders.

’But he wasn’t in a hurry to contact these people. First, he needed to find the spies the Emperor had planted around him.’

’Looking at this list, Pei Shaoqing suddenly thought of something. If the Old Faction of the Crown Prince controlled a certain amount of civil and military power in various places like this...’

’...then when the Emperor died, as long as the Crown Prince could escape the Capital City, he could easily launch another Jingnan Campaign.’

’It wasn’t that these people were particularly loyal to the Crown Prince.’

’Rather, it was just as Li Yi had said: since their demotion, these members of the Old Faction of the Crown Prince had never been promoted. One could imagine that after a new emperor ascended the throne, he would certainly not use them. Perhaps they wouldn’t even be able to keep their current positions, as the new emperor would need to make room for his own people.’

’So, for the sake of their own futures, as long as the Crown Prince escaped and raised his banner, most of them would definitely follow him in a new Jingnan Campaign.’

’The deposed Crown Prince, who no longer had the right to contend for the throne, was actually the one with the most power to inherit that position.’

’One Jingnan Campaign had already plunged the people of the Great Zhou into the chaos of war. To prevent another, Pei Shaoqing felt he had to ruthlessly poach the Crown Prince’s supporters. While the prince was trapped, he would win over his men and make them his own.’

He put away the list and looked at Li Yi, asking a question that had puzzled him for a long time. "There is something I would like to ask Scholar Li. Why exactly did the Crown Prince launch the palace coup?"

"This matter goes from my mouth to your ears, and must not be known by a third person," Li Yi said, his voice heavy.

Pei Shaoqing answered solemnly, "Absolutely."

Li Yi looked at Xie Qingwu.

Pei Shaoqing waved a hand, gesturing for her to leave first.

After Xie Qingwu had gone, Li Yi finally sighed and said hauntingly, "It was because His Majesty intended to depose the Crown Prince."

"What?" Pei Shaoqing’s face was a picture of astonishment.

He had never heard this explanation before.

Li Yi said gravely, "His Majesty is a man of deep thoughts and never revealed this intention to the outside world. But the Crown Prince has always been exceptionally perceptive. He once told this old man that he had sensed it from the subtle changes in His Majesty’s attitude toward him."

"The Crown Prince speculated that his own prestige at court and among the people had grown too high, his power so great that no one could control him. Yet His Majesty was reluctant to relinquish power. He felt that the Crown Prince had become a threat to him, and so the idea of deposing him was born."

After hearing this, Pei Shaoqing found it plausible. After all, Emperor Jingtai was indeed a man with an extremely strong grip on power.

At that time, the Crown Prince had indeed become a threat to him.

"The Crown Prince understands His Majesty too well. He knew that once His Majesty has an idea, it is only after long and careful consideration. So, he didn’t hope to change His Majesty’s mind. Instead, he decided to launch a sudden palace coup while His Majesty was unprepared, to force him to abdicate."

Li Yi gave a bitter smile. "But while the Crown Prince understood His Majesty well enough, he underestimated the breadth of His Majesty’s eyes and ears. When he led his personal troops into the palace, he was met by the encirclement of the Imperial Guard. His Majesty was already prepared."

"And so, in less than four hours, the palace coup was suppressed. The Crown Prince was placed under house arrest, a few of his followers were executed, and the majority were demoted or dismissed. As for who leaked the secret back then, it remains unknown to this day."

"I see," Pei Shaoqing murmured, finally understanding.

’That old fox Emperor Jingtai was far too cunning.’

’He even suspected that Emperor Jingtai, knowing that the Crown Prince understood him, had deliberately leaked his wariness of the Crown Prince to lure him into rebellion. That way, he could depose and imprison him, achieving his goal without ruining his own reputation.’

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.