My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 288: The picture shows the dagger
"Li Yuanling, why are you concerned about this?"

"Could it be..."

"The Queen Mother is worried about Your Majesty, so she asked Li Yuanling to speak...?"

Liu Piqiang's response to Kurikara's casual test was flawless.

——Crown heir!
Especially since the case was of an imperial heir who was not born to a concubine in the palace, even if the level of confidentiality was not as high as that of military and national affairs, it was definitely not something that Liu Piqiang, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, could shout about with a loud speaker.

It was a simple logic: if someone learned from Liu Piqiang that a woman who had been favored by Liu Rong might be pregnant;
And as luck would have it, something went wrong with this woman, or something happened to the royal heir who might be in the womb?
Even though he had never experienced such a thing, Liu Piqiang could fully imagine the process of handling the incident.

The first step is for Dali (Tingwei), Neishi, and Yushi Dafu to jointly investigate the matter, thoroughly investigate the cause and effect, and pull out the specific murderer and the mastermind behind the scenes!
To put it roughly, there must be at least one person who has the ability to harm the royal heir, such as a assassin or a lackey, and at least one person who has the motive to harm the royal heir, such as a concubine in the harem, a minister in the outer court, or a noble relative.

Then comes accountability and reckoning.

This part was almost entirely handled by Liu Piqiang, the Minister of the Zongzheng.

——You know that this woman might be pregnant with the emperor's heir, why don't you send someone to protect her?

If Liu Piqiang could still evade this question, then the other key point was undoubtedly his unavoidable Achilles' heel.

How did the murderer know that this woman was pregnant with the royal heir?

Even if Your Majesty has had the favor of this woman, there are more than a hundred women who have been favored by Your Majesty.

How come they happened to find the right person, the one who might be pregnant with the royal heir?

It is impossible for Liu Piqiang to explain this question clearly.

Because every time the emperor visited a woman - no matter if she was a concubine, a maid or even a female official in the palace, or a wild food outside the palace, the Zong Zheng was the only official who had a legitimate reason to know about it and must know about it.

As the only person who knew the 'bloodline movements' of the emperor and was specifically responsible for subsequent follow-up, Liu Piqiang had no way of proving that the whereabouts of this possible heir to the throne were not leaked by him, the only person who knew about it.

As for what you said, he was an official under the Zongzheng Yamen?
Sorry, as a supervisor, it is also one of your responsibilities to restrain your subordinates.

If you fail to do so, you, the top leader, will still be blamed.

Therefore, if Liu Rong favored a woman and then this woman met with an unexpected situation while suspected of being pregnant with the royal heir, the best outcome for Liu Piqiang, as the head of the clan, would be for his subordinates to take the blame.

——It was the news that was leaked by my subordinates. Although I did not directly cause the death of the heir to the throne, I was also at fault for not knowing how to judge people and not being careful when employing them.

I have no face to continue to serve as a minister, so I resign and take my leave, and I also ask to be demoted to thank the world...

From this perspective, anyone who inquired about who Liu Rong had favored or which woman might be pregnant with the royal heir would be enough to arouse Liu Piqiang's strong vigilance, and would even be directly included in Liu Piqiang's list of "suspected traitors"!
But Kurikura was a relative by marriage.

Moreover, he is the nephew of the Queen Mother and the current cousin;
Such a person came to him to ask about the bloodline of the emperor. Liu Piqiang had to consider whether this was Li Cang's own curiosity or a task assigned by the Empress Dowager Li of the Eastern Palace.

If Empress Dowager Li wanted to know, Liu Piqiang should have returned to Chang'an immediately, and then went to Changle Palace to meet Empress Dowager Li, and said a few polite words like "Such an important matter, I actually forgot to report it to the Empress Dowager";
Afterwards, he told the whole truth to Empress Dowager Yu Li and Empress Dowager Dou.

However, if this matter was not instigated by Empress Dowager Li, but was due to Li Cang's own curiosity, then Liu Piqiang would have to think carefully about Li Cang's motives.

Want to place your bets in advance and start flattering the eldest prince/princess since the womb?
Or is there a motive to murder the heir to the throne...

"Although the Queen Mother has never mentioned this matter, she must want to know."

"——As a mother, how could she not care whether her son had an heir?"

"Especially this mother, she is the Queen Mother of my Han family;"

"This son is the county magistrate of my Han family..."

After serving as an official for several years, although he still could not compare with those experienced old foxes in the court, Kurikara had already mastered the basic political knowledge.

However, these ambiguous words were obviously not enough to make Liu Piqiang, a cautious minister by nature, bow to an upstart relative of the emperor who had not yet grown up.

He looked at Li Cang's face for a long time with a burning gaze, but still couldn't see anything unusual. Liu Piqiang still looked calm, and shook his head with a relaxed smile.

"I am getting old and confused..."

"This is about the heir to the throne, and the ancestral temple and the country. You should have thought of the Queen Mother a long time ago and wanted to ask me about this matter."

"Um……"

"—in a few days;"

"Once I'm done with this, I'll go to the East Palace and personally meet the Queen Mother and the Grand Queen Mother to discuss this matter."

After saying that, Liu Piqiang did not forget to bow to Li Cang and thank him solemnly.

"If Li Yuanling hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have thought of such an important mistake."

"This time, I owe Li Yuanling a favor."

"If there is any need for me in the court in the future, Li Yuanling, you don't have to be so polite to me..."

The polite words sound very nice.

But no matter how nice it sounds, it is ultimately just a polite remark.

——Kurikura is a relative by marriage, what can he ask Munemasa for help?

If you or your nephews or nephews get into trouble, do you want to ask Liu Pi to settle the matter?
Liu Piqiang is the Minister of Zongzheng, not Dali!
What's more, Zong Zheng was one of the most invisible people among the Nine Ministers. Even if he used Liu Piqiang's name, no famous figure in the court would give him face.

Especially as a member of the imperial clan, Zongzheng had to avoid suspicion and it was not convenient for him to interfere in specific government affairs;

As for Li Cang, maybe Li has a chance to be promoted and he can find Liu Piqiang to build his relationship with him?

The same thing: Liu Piqiang is just a clan leader.

There was trouble in Li Cang that needed to be settled, and Liu Piqiang could not help at all;
Kurikara is ambitious and wants to "progress", and Liu Piqiang can't help him at all.

That is why Liu Piqiang’s statement can be regarded as a common empty talk in the political arena.

——Even if an official in charge of propaganda accepts your favor, what can he do to help you?
What's more, Liu Piqiang only "accepted" this favor verbally;

Both of them knew exactly what was going on - Liu Piqiang simply rejected Li Cang's inquiry politely, but he didn't want to ruin his relationship with Li Cang, so he helped Li Cang.

If in the future, Kurikara really relied on this fictitious "favor" to go to Liu Piqiang to ask for a favor, it would be a rare amusement in the Chang'an court for decades...

"Hehe, hehe..."

"Elder, your words are too serious..."

He thought that his request was just a trivial one and that Liu Piqiang would definitely show favor to him, but Liu Piqiang easily gave him the cold shoulder. Naturally, Kurikara looked embarrassed.

Kurikara gave an awkward but polite stiff smile, and instinctively said a polite word. He then turned sideways, pretending to continue watching the drills on the training ground, but secretly he was thinking about a backup plan.

——Throughout this day, Kurikura learned a skill that is essential for a politician. No matter how small the matter is, you must prepare a backup plan in advance.

After a long while, Kurikara had a rough idea;
Standing on the edge of the reviewing platform, with one foot on the raised part of the edge, and looking very bored, Kurikara spoke again.

"It is said that the Queen has been staying in the Pepper Chamber for more than a month, but Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs and has no time to stay with her?"

"Even the concubine Teng who came with the Pingyang Marquis's dowry has never been favored by anyone..."

No matter what, Kurikura is still a very immature politician;
Compared with Liu Piqiang, who came from a family with profound knowledge and had been raised in this environment since childhood, it was no exaggeration to say that Li Cang was a babbling child.

At this moment, Li Cang thought that his indirect remarks were subtle and natural enough. However, in the eyes of Liu Piqiang, the hereditary head of the clan, it was almost as if Li Cang had written all his thoughts on his forehead.

"Li..."

"Are you going to bet on the prince?"

"Or..."

After making a rough guess, Liu Piqiang's originally pretended relaxed expression suddenly became unnaturally serious.

After frowning for a long time, Liu Piqiang said seriously: "Your Majesty is just coming of age. Although you are already past the age of marriage, you are still not considered young."

"——The heir to the throne is indeed what the court and the whole world are looking forward to."

"But after all, your majesty has just had his coming-of-age ceremony, and there was a battle at the northern wall at the beginning of the year. There will definitely be another battle in the fall."

"Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs that he has no time to take care of other things. This is human nature, right?"

···
"It is Li Yuanling, as your maternal cousin, rather than worrying about the succession to the throne for your majesty, it would be better to train this Tiger Guard Captain as soon as possible."

"With such a strong and capable army at your disposal, Your Majesty can maintain his high position."

"Li Yuanling must understand why the Queen Mother hasn't summoned me to ask about the heir. After all, they are just the second masters of the Eastern Palace. Even though the Queen Mother is the mother of the country, she is still at the knees of her mother-in-law, which is very inconvenient."

"Even the Queen Mother is like this. Li Yuanling, at such a young age, should not waste his limited energy on such meaningless things..."

Although he seemed calm, he actually said something very heartfelt. Liu Piqiang did not forget to turn around and face Li Cang, bowing straightly.

Although I didn't say much, I have already made it clear: This is all I can say about my admonitions and suggestions to Li Yuanling - or to the Li family's relatives...

It must be said that Liu Piqiang, as an "outsider", has done his utmost to provide such guidance to Li Cang and the Li family.

If Kurikara had been more sensible, he would have backed down at this point, thanked Liu Piqiang again and again for his guidance, and stopped there without bringing up the previous topic.

Kurikara obviously understood this as well.

——Liu Piqiang bowed, and Li Cang instinctively returned the greeting and made an "extremely grateful" gesture at the right time.

But after thinking it over again and again, Kurikura finally decided: try again.

As for why...

"The elders may know something or not."

"——Although the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Palace is in charge of the affairs of the Li family, as early as the time of Emperor Xiaojing, Your Majesty had told others: With a mother like this, I dare not complain openly in front of others;"

"I only showed my filial piety with the utmost respect, but when no one was around, I was alone and shed tears..."

···
"Your Majesty has no suspicion of the Empress Dowager and her son, so it is natural that Your Majesty is pure and filial. The Empress Dowager has cultivated herself for many years and has restrained herself a lot."

"But it may also be because there are two masters in the Eastern Palace. The Queen Mother is unable to manage the affairs of Changle, so she has no time to compete with Your Majesty..."

"——I don't have a close relationship with the elders, so I shouldn't have said such taboo words in front of them."

"But the Queen Mother is in the East Palace, and there will be changes at any time;"

"But my father has always been stubborn and won't listen to anyone's advice..."

He stopped talking at the right time and acted as if he was helpless but had to think of a way out of the situation.

Look at his furrowed brows and tense face, he is just like the Young Master Rong of seven years ago!

Liu Rong's face resembled his mother more;
Although he doesn't look very much like his cousin Kurikura, he does have some similarities in spirit.

At this moment, Li Cang acted as if he was tortured by ignorant elders, but had to face it bravely, which made Liu Piqiang a little dazed for a moment!

For a moment, Liu Piqiang even thought: Li Cang, the magistrate of Shanglinyuan, might be the eldest son of Xiantian Ziqi who had never been revealed, and the biological brother of the current Liu Rong from the same mother!
After coming to his senses, he smiled at his ridiculous thoughts. Then he saw Liu Piqiang take a deep breath and finally look the young man in front of him.

——You are young and energetic, full of vitality, and have a bright future!
But just as the young man said: beneath the prosperous appearance, there are countless serious hidden dangers of the Li family's in-laws.

As a man of great stature, Kurikara naturally has ambitions.

The Kurikawa family's in-laws behind Kurikawa not only provided Kurikawa with a much higher-than-usual starting point and political resources that others could not even envy, but they also posed many threats to Kurikawa.

Just like back then, because of his origin in the Dou family, his career was prosperous, but because of his origin in the Dou family, he could not gain the absolute trust of the late Emperor Xiaojing...

Kurikara didn't want to become another Lu Chan, Lu Lu, or the first Bo Zhao.

Don’t even want to be the next Dou Ying!
In order to achieve such an ambitious goal, the first thing Kurakura has to do is to do his best to eliminate the hidden dangers that may arise in the future from the Kurakura relatives behind him.

In Kurikura's view, Liu Piqiang, the chief minister of the imperial court, was the most suitable and appropriate person for him to befriend, and he also had the best chance of making friends with him...

"Li Yuanling, it's not easy either~"

"Everyone says that when a foreign relative gains power, everyone in the family will prosper;"

"But they didn't know that after the Lu family, all the Han relatives were trembling with fear, unable to sleep or eat, fearing that they would follow the footsteps of Bulu and Bo."

"As for the Queen Mother, she is certainly not as bad as Yuan Ling said, but she was already famous throughout the world as early as the reign of Emperor Xiaojing..."

"Ugh……"

Liu Piqiang was thinking.

After figuring out Kurikara's motives, the measures that might be taken, and the help he could provide to Kurikara, Liu Piqiang was a little unsure.

——Is this Kurikara someone I shouldn’t get involved with or make friends with?
Or is it someone I shouldn't offend and should make friends with?
Or...

"Since Liu Wu, our lineage of King Chu Yuan has been in decline."

"Kurikura wants to save himself, and so does my lineage of King Chu Yuan..."

(End of this chapter)