104: Lin Wan'er was drugged! Li Yunrui is unable to defend himself

Chapter 104: Lin Wan'er Was Drugged! Li Yunrui Is Unable to Defend Herself! (13)

What Chen Pingping and Li Yunrui didn't know was that Emperor Qing himself was a Great Grandmaster.

When Prime Minister Tie severely injured Fan Xian, he saw everything clearly from the shadows.

Although he couldn't discern Ku He's methods, the Sword Intent that Prime Minister Tie pointed with his sword could only have been taught by Si Gu Jian.

Therefore, Emperor Qing boldly guessed that the Junshan Society could contact Si Gu Jian, and this was a bluff to Li Yunrui.

However, Emperor Qing's authority was profound, and Li Yunrui didn't know how much Emperor Qing truly knew, so she was naturally in a panic.

"Junshan Society... Your Imperial Sister requests to report privately!"

Emperor Qing's heart jolted. A killer organization, and she wanted to report privately? This bluff really uncovered something.

Chen Pingping, being tactful, said, "Your Majesty, shall I leave?"

Emperor Qing raised his hand to stop him, saying, "No rush. Let's deal with Guo Youzhi's matter first!"

Chen Pingping stopped his wheelchair and then said, "Your Majesty, the Inner Court must not interfere with government affairs!

The Eldest Princess colluding with Guo Youzhi is a crime of forming a faction for personal gain."

Emperor Qing asked, "Then how should she be dealt with?"

Before Chen Pingping could answer, Li Yunrui spoke first, "Guo Youzhi, as a court official, colluded with the Inner Court; he should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for sentencing!"

Emperor Qing asked, "Are you not even protecting your own people anymore?"

Li Yunrui knew that Guo Youzhi's crime was already confirmed, and she had to cut off her tail to survive.

"Your Majesty, the law is merciless. Guo Youzhi brought this upon himself!"

Emperor Qing snorted coldly, "As expected of a descendant of the imperial family. I tell you, Guo Youzhi has already been imprisoned!"

"How should your collusion with Northern Qi and betrayal of the Supervisory Council's spies be accounted for!"

Li Yunrui knelt ramrod straight and answered with great defiance, "Your Imperial Sister has never done such a thing!"

In the original plot, Li Yunrui wanted to pin this matter on Fan Xian, but it ended up exposing her own people in the Supervisory Council.

However, the current Li Yunrui couldn't pin it on Fan Xian, because Fan Xian wasn't enthusiastic about entering the capital and didn't meet Yan Bingyun, who was heading north.

Emperor Qing said mercilessly, "You resolutely deny things without concrete evidence, and you always handle matters that require silencing cleanly. Truly worthy of Great Qing's Eldest Princess."

In this regard, Li Yunrui's demonstrated ability was far superior to the Crown Prince's.

Li Yunrui only communicated with Zhuang Mo Han privately. Unless Zhuang Mo Han was captured and interrogated, she would never be caught with concrete evidence.

But even if Zhuang Mo Han was captured, he would likely refuse to speak to rescue his younger brother.

Therefore, Li Yunrui was very confident that there was no concrete evidence for the betrayal of Yan Bingyun.

Emperor Qing then asked, "Chen Pingping, can Li Yunrui's act of treason be verified?"

Chen Pingping could only bow his head and reply, "Your humble servant will go and verify it immediately!"

Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair and left the Imperial Study, leaving only Li Yunrui kneeling on the ground.

Emperor Qing could already confirm that the betrayal of Yan Bingyun was done by Li Yunrui.

"You've also planted your people in the Surveillance Bureau, and you're even raising a killer organization like the Junshan Society. Haven't you stretched your hand too far?!"

Li Yunrui knelt on the ground, looking pitifully at Emperor Qing, "Imperial Brother..."

Emperor Qing angrily said, "Don't try that with me!"

"First, tell me, what is the Junshan Society about!"

Li Yunrui planting people in the Supervisory Council was already a major taboo.

Now, this Junshan Society, if it could truly contact a Great Grandmaster, the expenses involved would not be small.

Moreover, a killer organization that could contact a Great Grandmaster, could it be a simple killer organization?

Emperor Qing knew that the Imperial Treasury was running a deficit, and Li Yunrui had siphoned off a lot of money. He thought these funds were used to curry favor with court officials.

But now it seemed Li Yunrui's power was already vast, and the Imperial Treasury's financial power could no longer bleed into her hands.

Her using the Imperial Treasury's wealth to support a massive killer organization was simply too dangerous!

Li Yunrui said tearfully, "Your Majesty, must Your Imperial Sister hand over the Imperial Treasury's financial power?"

Emperor Qing angrily pointed at Li Yunrui, "You should have handed it over long ago!"

"What exactly are you doing with My money?"

"What is the current state of the Imperial Treasury, which was originally a sure-fire profit?"

Li Yunrui sneered, "Your Majesty, even if Your Imperial Sister hands over the Imperial Treasury's financial power, who do you plan to let take over?"

"Fan Xian? Can he do it?

He almost died in an assassination attempt at Prime Minister Lin's mansion, couldn't even protect Si Lili, and almost lost his life in a public martial arts competition!"

"Your Majesty, think about it yourself, if it weren't for the Great Grandmaster by his side, if it weren't for Chen Pingping, if it weren't for you! Could he have become an eighth-rank official?!"

Emperor Qing fell silent. He indeed wasn't at ease entrusting the Imperial Treasury to Fan Xian yet; Fan Xian still needed more tempering.

Li Yunrui continued, "The Crown Prince and Second Prince? Do you dare to give them the Imperial Treasury's financial power now?"

"That is the economic lifeline of Great Qing. After they control the Imperial Treasury, won't they cultivate their own forces?"

"Or Li Chang'an? He has no forces of his own and doesn't associate with court officials."

"However, he is now a Celestial Vein Holder, and rumors are already circulating among the people that Prince Yong is far superior to the Crown Prince and should inherit the Mandate of Heaven!"

When Li Yunrui reached this point, Emperor Qing suddenly rebuked her coldly, "Enough!"

Emperor Qing picked up a memorial from the table and threw it at Li Yunrui's feet again.

"Someone has recommended themselves to Me, to take over the management of the Imperial Treasury for Me!"

Li Yunrui smiled as she picked up the memorial, "Besides the family members just mentioned, Your Imperial Sister wants to see who else has the guts to covet the Imperial Treasury!"

When Li Yunrui finished reading the brief memorial, her gaze fixed on the signature.

"Hehehe! Unbelievable!"

"Your Majesty, Your Imperial Sister truly didn't expect it to be her!"

Li Yunrui indeed hadn't expected that the one who recommended herself to take over the Imperial Treasury was her own daughter, Lin Wan'er.

Princess Yichen Lin Wan'er was Emperor Qing's adopted daughter, seemingly deeply favored.

"Wan'er is a member of the imperial family, doesn't belong to any faction, and doesn't have an excessively high reputation like Li Chang'an."

"However, Your Majesty, Wan'er has been in poor health since childhood... Does she have this ability?"

Emperor Qing said to Eunuch Hou outside the door, "Go and call Wan'er. Tell the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Prince Yong to wait for My decree outside the Imperial Study!"

Then, he continued to say to Li Yunrui, "You spend your days caring about schemes and intrigues, but you don't pay attention to your own daughter."

"As a mother, the number of times you've seen her is less than the number of times I've seen her!"

"Ever since Lin Gong's assassination, Wan'er has started learning to run businesses, and in half a year, she has already shown considerable progress!"

Li Yunrui's heart sank. She had only heard from a Female Official that Lin Wan'er was dabbling in shops, and she hadn't expected her to achieve results in just a few months.

Most importantly, her daughter had been like a fragile vase since childhood; she had never imagined Lin Wan'er could accomplish anything.

Soon, Lin Wan'er, dressed in white and looking delicate, arrived at the Imperial Study.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"

What surprised Li Yunrui was that Lin Wan'er didn't greet her, and the look in her eyes seemed to hold a trace of hatred.

They had met rarely before, but Lin Wan'er had been quite respectful to her... but that was two or three years ago.

Emperor Qing's expression softened considerably upon seeing Lin Wan'er.

"Wan'er, tell Me, why do you want to take over the Imperial Treasury for your mother?"

Lin Wan'er respectfully said, "Your Majesty, Your humble servant has been frail and sickly since childhood, and originally thought I wouldn't live long."

"Later, thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, after Your Majesty recognized Wan'er as an adopted daughter, Your humble servant's illness miraculously recovered."

"Since Your humble servant's illness recovered a year ago, Your humble servant has always thought that as a woman of the imperial family, I should share Your Majesty's burdens!"

"Your humble servant wishes to take over the Imperial Treasury because Li Yunrui's mismanagement of the Imperial Treasury has caused Your Majesty worry!"

At these words, Li Yunrui instantly bristled.

If it were anyone else saying this, she would have calmly smiled and refuted it.

But this was her daughter, and this daughter had completely lost the obedient and delicate demeanor of her childhood.

Li Yunrui was very surprised; something in Lin Wan'er's eyes was very similar to her own!

"Wan'er, what are you saying? What do you understand? How have I mismanaged the Imperial Treasury?"

Lin Wan'er replied with a cool expression, "If you managed it well, why would Your Majesty seek someone else to take over the Imperial Treasury!"

"Your Majesty said four years ago that whoever marries me can take over the Imperial Treasury from your hands!"

"You are still in your prime, full of energy. For Your Majesty to make such a promise, there must be a problem with the Imperial Treasury you manage!"

Li Yunrui sneered, looking at her aggressive daughter and the silent Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing asked again, "Wan'er, if you want to manage the Imperial Treasury, do you understand it?"

Lin Wan'er replied, "Your Majesty said that Your humble servant's husband would take over the Imperial Treasury, so Your humble servant naturally has some understanding."

For the next half an hour, Lin Wan'er eloquently recounted all the publicly available information about the Imperial Treasury.

From production, product share, marketing methods, she even specifically mentioned the risks of smuggling.

After listening to Lin Wan'er's words, Li Yunrui angrily said, "Who taught you all this?"

Li Yunrui was shocked, because Lin Wan'er's knowledge base far exceeded her imagination.

Lin Wan'er's eyes welled up with tears as she angrily said, "When my second brother was alive, whatever I wanted to learn, he would always find it for me!"

"And you? As a mother, visiting me once was like an expensive act of charity! What have you ever taught me?"

"Not only did you not teach me, but you also tried to harm me!"

Li Yunrui looked bewildered. Although she wasn't attentive to her daughter, how could she be accused of harming her?

Just then, Eunuch Hou cautiously said, "Your Majesty, the two princes and His Highness Prince Yong have arrived."

Emperor Qing said without raising his head, "Let them in."

After Li Chang'an and his two nephews entered, they all stood to the side, inexplicably watching the two mother and daughter in a heated confrontation.

Li Yunrui almost shrieked, "When did I ever try to harm my own daughter!"

Lin Wan'er just had tearful eyes, lowered her head, and no longer answered.

Li Chang'an secretly nodded. Wan'er's acting was truly good, no worse than the Crown Prince's.

Emperor Qing suddenly said, "Wan'er can't say it, so I'll say it."

Then he said to Li Chang'an and the two others, "You all listen too, listen to the methods of Her Highness The Eldest Princess!"

Under normal circumstances, Li Yunrui was confident in facing any situation.

But today was an exception.

First, Emperor Qing inexplicably had information about the Junshan Society, and then Lin Wan'er's inexplicable accusations.

She couldn't help but doubt herself, had she done so many bad things that she had forgotten?

Emperor Qing said to Lin Wan'er, "Where is your maid Xiaoying?"

Lin Wan'er answered bitterly, "Since the night before last, there has been no trace of her. She might have been silenced."

Li Yunrui said blankly, "You girl, your maid is missing, why do you hate your mother?"

Emperor Qing said coldly, "Who said it was related to you? Why are you so eager to admit it?"

Li Yunrui had an innocent expression, "I don't even know what happened, admit to what?"

She looked up at the expressions of the Crown Prince, Second Prince, and Li Chang'an, and her heart immediately sank.

The three of them had expressions that seemed to say, "It was you, and you're faking it well."

There was no helping it; that was how she usually looked when she feigned innocence.

The problem was, she was truly innocent now!

Emperor Qing continued, "The evening before last, Wan'er met the Second Young Master of Liangguo Duke's family at the separate residence."

Li Yunrui suddenly felt that someone had set her up, and murmured, "I arranged it."

"Fan Xian is no good, so I introduced other talented young men to Wan'er. What's wrong with that?"

"But what does this have to do with Wan'er's maid?"

"Wan'er has met three children of Meritorious Nobles in the past month. Is there anything wrong with that?"

These children of Meritorious Nobles were, of course, Li Yunrui's own people. She also wanted to maintain control of the Imperial Treasury's financial power through a son-in-law.

Emperor Qing said, "There's nothing wrong, but an accident happened the evening before last."

"When the son of Liangguo Duke's family was about to leave, Wan'er suddenly felt unwell."

At this moment, Lin Wan'er suddenly said, "Mother, you might not know, but every time I met someone you arranged, I would have Ling'er and the guards hide in the shadows!"

"I didn't expect you would actually drug your own daughter!

If Ling'er and the others hadn't been there that day, who knows what would have happened!"

In fact, Li Chang'an was in the shadows the entire time, and what Lin Wan'er ate was merely a drug to speed up her metabolism.

Li Yunrui's eyes widened, "Drugging my own daughter? Am I that insane?!"

She looked at Emperor Qing, who snorted coldly!

His tone seemed to say, 'Are you insane? Don't you know yourself?'

She then looked at the Crown Prince, who was meek and dared not speak.

Li Chengze kept grinning, as if saying, 'Auntie, you're really ruthless.'

Li Chang'an simply rolled his eyes, "Hard to say."

Emperor Qing continued, "Later, Ye Ling'er secretly took Wan'er's food to the Hall of Returning Spring for testing, and it actually contained an aphrodisiac!"

"But by the time Ye Ling'er returned, the maid Xiaoying had already disappeared."

Lin Wan'er had not reported the entire incident; it was all witnessed by Emperor Qing's Inner Court secret guards.

Li Yunrui laughed in anger, "This is too ridiculous. Since the maid has disappeared, how can Your Majesty conclude that I did it?"

After she spoke, she immediately felt something was off.

During the previous palace maid's carriage-crushing case, she had said the same thing after successfully silencing the witness.

Sure enough, Li Chang'an and the other two once again showed their 'so that's it' expressions.

Li Yunrui now knew what it meant to be unable to cry from grief. Having done too many bad deeds, it was truly impossible to be a good person again; no one believed her!

Emperor Qing also showed no mercy, "You are always timely and clean when silencing witnesses."

"Wan'er, out of consideration for their mother-daughter relationship, even told Ye Ling'er not to speak of it to outsiders."

Li Yunrui slumped onto the ground, wondering who had set such a trap for her.

There wasn't much concrete evidence, because if there were, with His Majesty's shrewdness, he would definitely be suspicious.

It was precisely this lack of concrete evidence, allowing His Majesty's people to witness it themselves, that made it impossible for her to clear her name.

Whose scheme was this, with such cunning?

Was it Chen Pingping? Or Lin Wan'er herself? Or His Majesty himself?

Emperor Qing said disappointedly, "Even a tiger won't eat its cubs... Li Yunrui, you truly disappoint Me!"

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