Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 382 The Princess's Background
The atmosphere inside Chongwen Hall was frozen.

Empress Dowager Chengqing, supported by Consort Cui's hand, stood ramrod straight in the hall, her sharp gaze piercing Li Zhao.

"Since the Crown Prince assumed regency, he has appointed cruel officials and favored seductive women, causing chaos in the court and forcing Xiao Yan to launch a rebellion. The country is in turmoil, and the people are displaced... I have come today to ask you, are you still able to sit securely in the position of Crown Prince?"

Li Zhao tapped lightly on the armrest, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Grandmother, women in the inner palace are not allowed to interfere in politics. The wind is strong outside, and it might even hail. Your health cannot withstand such an ordeal. You should go back and rest as soon as possible..."

Empress Dowager Chengqing said, "The nation is in such dire straits, how can I, as the Empress Dowager of Liang, sit idly by?"

Her sharp gaze swept over the assembled officials, and she raised her voice.

"The Crown Prince is immoral and unfit for the great responsibility. I have decided to request the imperial genealogy from the ancestral temple to summon the ministers and relatives to reconsider the position of heir apparent."

As soon as this statement came out, the officials were in an uproar.

Rumors had been circulating for some time that the Empress Dowager wanted to depose the Crown Prince and install the Prince of Wei in his place.

No one expected that the Empress Dowager would actually bring it to the forefront.

Of course, Li Zhao did not believe that his loving grandmother was acting on impulse or treating state affairs lightly.

On the contrary, she was shrewd, adept at manipulating power, and more decisive than Prince Wei, Li Yan. Her move to strike at the heart of the problem at this critical juncture was precise, ruthless, and struck at the very core…

Li Zhao sat upright with a smile, his posture completely still, and his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Since the Empress Dowager has mentioned reconsidering the heir apparent, she must already have a worthy candidate in mind?"

"When the nation is in peril, we must choose the wise and virtuous to serve." The Empress Dowager avoided Li Zhao's gaze and spoke in a deliberately impartial tone, "All of you ministers are pillars of the state. You should discuss national affairs with me and choose one who can stabilize the country and help us through these difficult times."

As Empress Dowager Chengqing spoke, she glanced at Li Yan.

His ears were flushed red, his eyes darted around, and he was so nervous that he even held his breath. Compared to Li Zhao, who sat calmly in the superior position, he seemed immature and timid, and indeed, he was not someone to be trifled with...

She sighed inwardly, not wanting to mention Li Yan's name directly, but instead looked at the ministers with a hint.

"What do you, my ministers, think?"

Li Zhao raised the corner of his lips and spoke for her.

"So, the person Grandmother favors is my third brother?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing's expression froze for a moment, then she became more serious. "Prince Wei is kind and benevolent, and cares deeply for the people. Although he has no outstanding achievements, he has a pure and innocent heart. If the Crown Prince knows when to advance and retreat, he should follow the will of the people and abdicate in favor of a more worthy successor."

This is not interference in politics...

It was a blatant coup attempt.

However, Li Zhao was not angry at all. Instead, he nodded slightly and looked at Li Yan without changing his expression.

"Grandmother is so kind to you, Third Brother, do you dare to accept?"

An invisible pressure weighed heavily on Li Yan's shoulders.

Li Yan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subject dares not covet the throne; I only wish to share the Emperor's burdens and bring happiness to the people..."

"What a fine example of working for the benefit of the people..."

Li Zhao suddenly laughed, the laughter sounding particularly abrupt and cold in the hall.

"I wonder how Third Brother plans to repel the enemy? Will you take your Dingjiang Sword into battle, or will you open the city gates wide and welcome the rebel army into the capital?"

Li Yan's face almost turned a deep liver color.

"Why did the Crown Prince humiliate his elder brother?" the Empress Dowager rebuked sharply, her protective instincts evident.

Li Zhao turned his head indifferently, not bothering to engage in a verbal battle with them, but instead looked down at the steps below.

"Gentlemen, what is your opinion?"

His tone was calm, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

The officials exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat subtle.

Everyone in the court knows what kind of person Li Yan is.

A useless prince who relies on the Empress Dowager's protection and lives a life of idleness, who only knows how to fight cocks and dogs, is expected to take charge of the overall situation and fight against the ruthless Xiao Yan? It's an absolute joke.

If such a person gains power, the country will likely never have a peaceful day.

Xie Yanzhan, backed by the Prince of Duan's faction, naturally did not want Li Yan to ascend the throne. Zhou Chongli, a protégé of the Crown Prince's tutor Lu Kefu, was even less likely to support Li Yan…

Any other official with a modicum of sense, for the sake of their own future and their descendants, would not dare to place their bets on such an incompetent fool.

For a time, the court officials each had their own plans and their own hidden agendas...

No one agreed with the Empress Dowager's suggestion.

The Chongwen Hall was eerily quiet.

The silence created an awkward atmosphere.

Li Zhao narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "What, are you all mute? The Empress Dowager favors Prince Wei. Gentlemen, do you have anything to say?"

The hall fell into a suffocating silence once again.

The air was stuffy, and it was difficult to even take a breath.

After a moment, Zhou Chongli, the Minister of Revenue, coughed and stepped forward, forcing himself to speak:
"Reconsidering the heir apparent...this concerns the very foundation of the nation and is of paramount importance. Perhaps...it would be more appropriate to wait until His Majesty's health has improved somewhat before making a decision?"

Even Xie Yanzhan nodded in agreement, glancing furtively at the Empress Dowager's expression, and cautiously said, "Minister Zhou's words are quite right. His Majesty is still alive, and it is too early to discuss the matter of deposing and establishing a new emperor. Moreover... His Highness Prince Wei has always been fond of literature and art, and enjoys the beauty of nature. He has never participated in important military and political affairs. Suddenly assuming such a heavy responsibility may not be convincing to the people..."

He spoke very tactfully, neither directly opposing the Empress Dowager nor supporting Li Zhao, but only subtly pointing out that with the Emperor still alive, the Empress Dowager's actions were illegitimate and lacked legitimacy.

Seeing this, Li Zhao chuckled. "Does Grandmother truly believe that my third brother is more capable than I of shouldering this heavy responsibility for the nation?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing's face turned ashen.

"It's better than letting that vixen wreak havoc on the court and ruin our ancestral legacy... Crown Prince, it's not that I don't want to give you face, but that you are stubborn and cut yourself off from the world—if you don't deal with that vixen, the army's morale will collapse and reinforcements won't arrive. What will you use to stop Xiao Yan? Without a large army to protect you, you are just a figurehead as the crown prince."

"Grandmother," Li Zhao's voice suddenly turned cold, "Is the fate of my Great Liang dynasty so fragile that it must be decided by the fate of a woman? Are my million-strong army, loyal ministers and generals, all of them Xiao Yan's lackeys, so easily turning against us?"

The crown prince's question was firm and resounding.

Empress Dowager Chengqing was so embarrassed and angry by the question that she was speechless for a moment.
-
"drive!"

A horse, raising dust, galloped out of the Donghua Gate and arrived at the Chongwen Hall without any hindrance.

Several palace gate guards, seeing the travel-worn messenger, asked him questions with suspicion.

"What brings you here?"

"Urgent report, urgent report..." The messenger rushed forward, panting heavily, and presented the document with both hands, shouting loudly:

"Lord Alhassan, the chief envoy of the Siz, urgently requests an audience with His Highness the Crown Prince."

The guards exchanged a glance and looked at him with troubled expressions.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is currently holding a meeting in the palace... You know His Highness's rules..."

The messenger said cautiously, "Please inform them that the envoy is waiting outside... He said... if this important matter is delayed, the sky will probably fall."

After saying that, he smiled and slipped a piece of silver into the guard's hand.

"You've gone to all this trouble, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Take it and have some drinks."

The guard dared not accept the silver and exchanged a glance with his companion.

"Waiting..."

"Yes, yes, thank you for your trouble."
-
"Report..."

A hurried announcement broke the tense standoff in the Chongwen Hall.

The guard on duty strode in and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, urgent news from the palace gates—the chief envoy of the Xiz delegation, Lord Alhassan, requests an audience, saying he has something extremely urgent to discuss..."

Li Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, a glint of dark light flashing within them.

coming!

He originally did not want to come to this point.

Using Xue Sui's background to break the deadlock goes against the original intention...

But right now, there is no more efficient way.

"Xuan!"

"Announcement—the chief envoy of the Siz mission, Al-Hasan, is hereby granted an audience."

The chanting echoed through the main hall.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in exotic clothing stepped into the main hall.

Behind him followed several elite warriors. Perhaps because they were so tall, they resembled wolves that had broken into a flock of sheep, exuding an undisguised murderous aura. Their presence in the hall intimidated the entire audience.

"Envoy Al-Hasan of Xiz greets His Highness the Crown Prince of Daliang—may His Highness enjoy good health and longevity, and may the friendship between our two nations last forever!"

Hassan gripped the wolf-headed staff, a symbol of the royal envoys of the Siz, tightly in his left hand, and placed his right hand on his left chest, near his heart, offering a solemn and respectful greeting.

Li Zhao nodded: "Your Excellency need not stand on ceremony. May I ask what brings you here in such a hurry?"

Hassan raised his head, his gaze sweeping intently over everyone in the hall, and bowed deeply once more.

"Your Highness, I have come by order of my King to welcome the pearl of my Xiz Kingdom who has fallen into Daliang, the only legitimate daughter of the late King Gutulu and his Grand Consort Guli—Princess Ayinur."

Grand Princess?

Stranded in Daliang?

The legitimate daughter of the late King Siz?
Hassen's voice was loud and excited, and his Dalian dialect, though not fluent, was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, even more shocking than the previous coup attempt to discuss the heir apparent.

Officials, regardless of faction or stance, were all dumbfounded.

The Empress Dowager's face froze, filled with astonishment.

Xie Yanzhan, Tian Huaitong, and the others stared in disbelief, their mouths slightly agape.

Li Yan exclaimed in surprise, "How come the Grand Princess of Xiz is in my Daliang?"

The room immediately erupted in discussion.

Li Zhao sighed, and his voice rang out at the opportune moment.

"Your words are rather absurd, sir. How could your Grand Princess, of such noble birth, end up in the territory of my Great Liang?"

Hassan proclaimed, “Your Highness, when the princess accompanied the envoy to the capital, she was attacked and separated from her in your country. She wandered the streets and her whereabouts remained unknown… By the grace of Heaven, our Xiz Kingdom has traveled thousands of miles and searched for over twenty years. Finally, we have fulfilled the late king's expectations and found the priceless treasure that our Xiz royal court had lost in Daliang…”

Li Zhao gave a soft "oh" and squinted his eyes thoughtfully.

"Where is your country's Grand Princess now?"

Hassan announced loudly, "It is Lady Xue Ji, who was rescued by His Highness the Crown Prince and is recuperating in the Eastern Palace..."

(End of this chapter)