Chapter 57: This Boast Seems a Bit Overblown
"Imperial Sister, what brings you here?"
Seeing Xiao Li show up at his door so early in the morning was certainly a surprise.
Xiao Li didn’t look as energetic as she usually did in the palace. A wave of exhaustion had washed over her, leaving her looking a little haggard, but that didn’t stop her from coming to interrogate Xiao Jingyi.
"There’s something I’d like Prince Wei to clear up for me."
Xiao Jingyi: "..."
’And here I thought Xiao Li had let the matter go. But she chased me all the way to my home first thing in the morning. Was it really necessary?’
In the end, Xiao Jingyi still invited her in. He had breakfast served, and they talked while they ate.
Xiao Jingyi’s move against Zhang De was certainly not made on a whim. Otherwise, where would he have gotten so much well-prepared evidence?
His grudge with Zhang De had to be traced back to his maternal grandfather’s family.
Xiao Jingyi’s maternal grandfather was the previous Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. If not for an accident, he would still hold a position in the court today. Because of his upright and incorruptible character, he had offended many people, but he was one of the rare, honest officials praised by the common folk.
But he was stabbed to death by a thug while on the road for a case. Afterward, his home was broken into by thieves, his family’s wealth was plundered, his uncle was killed, and his aunt was violated. His maternal grandmother was so frightened she fell gravely ill and passed away not long after. The young children in the family were so traumatized they were left witless. The entire family was ruined.
And Zhang De was the one who became the next Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Although none of the evidence at the time pointed to him, Zhang De had a clear motive.
Zhang De was a widower known for being cursed to bring misfortune upon his wives. At the time, he had already "lost" two wives in succession and was still without a son.
The third wife he had wanted to marry back then was none other than Xiao Jingyi’s mother. He claimed it was love at first sight on the street and began to pester her relentlessly, forcing Xiao Jingyi’s maternal grandfather to hastily send her into the palace to escape the trouble.
Later, Zhang De married two more wives, and they too died quickly. Most people only remembered to joke about his "curse," and no one recalled that he had once set his sights on Xiao Jingyi’s mother.
Xiao Jingyi hadn’t known about this either, not until four years ago when his birth mother was gravely ill and on her deathbed. Before she died, she told him this secret, hoping that when he grew up, he could avenge his maternal grandfather’s family.
From then on, Xiao Jingyi had kept a close watch on Zhang De. To this day, he still hasn’t found evidence proving Zhang De murdered his maternal grandfather. However, he did have evidence of Zhang De’s other crimes. The man was scum. Judging by his various methods, Xiao Jingyi had every reason to suspect he was the one who had killed his grandfather back then.
That day, it wasn’t that he intentionally used Xiao Li. It just so happened that the person Xiao Li had beaten was Zhang De’s highly favored nephew, and it just so happened that Zhang De had aggressively gone to the Emperor to lodge a complaint.
By accusing Zhang De, he could get Xiao Li out of trouble and hide his true objective at the same time.
The opportunity was right in front of him; he couldn’t let it go.
He couldn’t use his grandfather’s case to convict Zhang De, but as long as he could knock Zhang De off his pedestal, he would eventually find out the truth. In any case, as long as Zhang De ended up dead, it was all roads leading to the same destination.
A rare, deep sorrow appeared on Xiao Jingyi’s youthful face. Perhaps part of it was an act, but most of it was genuine emotion.
Xiao Li recalled that in the so-called "plot," this Prince Wei had always been a good-for-nothing dandy who lived for pleasure and had no ambition.
He hid it extremely well and lived extremely well. When Xiao Jingyun was on the throne, he was an idle Prince. After Prince Chen, Xiao Jingyu, took the throne, he remained an idle Prince who just idled his days away.
However, based on the true nature he was revealing now, even if he never achieved greatness, he would surely fulfill his heart’s desire and avenge his family.
The original owner of this body had also lost her birth mother and her maternal family’s support. But the original owner never thought of avenging her mother, nor did she ever think of doing anything for herself. Instead, she was a love-struck fool with eyes only for Lu Yanzhi. In the end, she had no sense of self, and a single whim from Lu Yanzhi was enough to destroy her.
"So, have you gotten the truth you wanted?"
Xiao Jingyi shook his head. "No. Zhang De is currently locked up in the Heavenly Prison, and his crimes are still under review. I can’t just enter the Heavenly Prison as I please, let alone interrogate him."
Xiao Li casually placed the golden order on the table. "Can this get you in ’as you please’?"
The moment Xiao Jingyi saw the token, his eyes went wide. But Xiao Li pressed her hand down on it, looking at him with a mischievous smile. "Prince Wei, if you want this Princess to help you, you’ll have to do a small favor for me first."
Prince Wei was shocked, stunned, and then burst out laughing...
"Imperial Sister, please speak. Your little brother will tell you anything and everything he knows." His words were sincere and from the bottom of his heart.
Xiao Li didn’t actually care about the matter between Prince Wei and Zhang De. She had asked only to test Xiao Jingyi as a person—or rather, to test his capabilities. Now, she knew.
To deal with the Lu family, Xiao Li first needed to understand them. But as an outsider, and with the "plot" offering few details about the Lu family, she was completely in the dark. She needed someone who could clearly explain the Lu family’s network of interests and, preferably, someone who knew their weaknesses.
She didn’t know anyone else, which made Prince Wei the best candidate.
Talking to a smart person was effortless. The moment Xiao Li brought up the Lu family, Xiao Jingyi told her everything he knew.
The current court was filled with aristocratic families, with over a hundred that were prominent enough to be named. But even among these noble houses, seen as the highest echelon by the people of the world, there were different ranks.
Third-tier families were simply large aristocratic clans with many members and great wealth. The only thing that distinguished them from rich merchants was that one of their ancestors had been an official or a noble, and they considered themselves scholars.
Second-tier families were mostly those developed from imperial relatives and relatives by marriage. They had a somewhat special status, their descendants were reasonably successful, and they held a certain degree of influence in the court.
First-tier families were the likes of the Lu family. Many of their clan’s scions served as officials. They had accumulated wealth, power, and prestige, holding a pivotal position in the court that could even pose a direct threat to Imperial Power.
The first-tier families dominated the court, the second-tier families maneuvered to climb higher, and the third-tier families attached themselves to the first-tier ones.
Thus, the Lu family’s immensity was not just the Lu family itself; it also included its vassal families connected by marriage.
The Gao, Liu, Pang, Meng, Li, and Liu Families.
For instance, Old Madam Lu came from the Pang Family, Madam Lu came from the Liu Family, and Lu Chengzhi’s wife, Gao Lan, came from the Gao Family.
The Lu family was the great tree, and the other families were not insignificant either. They became its thick branches, forming a colossal and unshakable behemoth that reached for the heavens.
What the Emperor had managed to scrape off the Lu family because of Xiao Li’s troublemaking was nothing but a drizzle; it hadn’t even scratched the surface.
Wanting to topple the Lu family was practically a tall tale.
Xiao Li was a little shaken after hearing all this, but not completely. This was how great families had always been, throughout history—dying and reviving, in an endless cycle.
’But toppling a behemoth like the Lu family in just two months... it seems I might have bitten off more than I can chew.’
’So, why did the Emperor agree to give me the golden order?’
’Did I manage to fool him that badly, or is he just that dim-witted?’
’Then again, he was overjoyed just from gaining a tiny advantage when suppressing the Lu family before. It’s clear he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.’
’If he hadn’t been born to the Empress Dowager, and if the late Emperor hadn’t left an edict passing the throne to him, it would be another question entirely whether he could even sit securely on that throne.’
’Of course, that wasn’t important right now. What was important was that she had to succeed.’