The princess is killing like crazy again

Gongsun Qian originally spoke in a relaxed tone, laughing as he talked to his brother: "This is truly incredible. It turned out that I made the right choice of master back then. The master was a hidden dragon in the abyss, and now he is soaring into the sky."

He smiled complacently: "You and I assisted the master in selecting talents, discovering talented and virtuous scholars and officials, and recommended suitable candidates to the master. In addition, the Mirror and Flower Departments learned about the officials' political achievements, abilities and conduct through various channels, and secretly investigated them. That's how we have the power we have today."

"Of course, the lord's thirst for talent and the ability to appoint the right people to the right positions are also closely related," he added.

"Yeah." Gongsun Zhao forced a smile.

Gongsun Qian was keenly aware of his brother's unusual behavior. Under normal circumstances, Gongsun Zhao would have told him seriously not to talk nonsense.

"What's wrong with you? Have you been feeling uneasy since last night?" Gongsun Qin asked.

Gongsun Zhao lowered his eyes, "Brother, compared to you brothers, the Lord doesn't seem to be that sincere to me. Or maybe under this sincerity, there are too many selfish thoughts. I am also like this, and I am ashamed to be a minister."

"What do you mean?" Gongsun Qin suddenly had a bad premonition. He thought about it in light of recent events and his face suddenly turned ugly.

He stared at Gongsun Zhao, somewhat incredulously, "You wouldn't..."

Looking at Gongsun Zhao's expression, Gongsun Qin's heart gradually grew cold.

"Gongsun Zhao! You are so confused!" Gongsun Qin was furious. "The Fuyang Guards are everywhere. Li Yaozhi knows everything. They must have known what you did!"

He lowered his voice and said, "Come back with me right now and tell me everything! This is a serious matter, I may not be able to protect you!"

Gongsun Qian took his brother and left in a hurry.

"Lord Deng Qi, my master invites you." Yu Shu stood in front of the hurriedly walking Deng Qi, with a smile on his face.

Deng Qi choked on his breath and almost died of anger.

Li Yaozhi pressed him step by step and asked him to catch those old foxes within three days. Now Yu Shu wanted to take him to see Xiao Yurong.

He didn't believe how Xiao Yurong would deal with him.

Li Yaozhi watched this scene from a distance and took it all in.

"You! Rebellious son! Come back with me!" The prime minister rushed straight to Li Yaozhi as soon as he came out of the court and grabbed Li Yaozhi's arm.

What is coming will eventually come. Li Yaozhi was extremely calm, without any resistance or action.

He just said: "Father, calm down. Don't bring disgrace to the Li family in public."

The Prime Minister suppressed his anger and withdrew his hand, "Follow me."

Li Yaozhi followed without changing his expression.

What awaits him is a clan trial.

Many direct descendants had already gathered in front of the hall, and the elders and uncles and brothers had all gathered together.

Those people had different expressions, some were surprised, some were angry, some were calm, some were questioning, some were hateful, some were indifferent, and some were sarcastic.

The human heart is unpredictable and everyone’s face is different.

And he has grown up in such a family.

Aristocratic families may seem to be in great glory, but in fact they are often riddled with holes. Behind the splendor and wealth lies endless helplessness and restraint, which wipes out a person's inside and out, leaving only a beautiful shell.

Li Yaozhi remained calm and knelt in front of the hall naturally.

"Yao Zhi! Do you know you are wrong?" the prime minister asked.

The prime minister sat upright in the main seat, his face as terribly gloomy as those of the elders.

Li Yaozhi's half brothers looked at him with some concern.

Each cousin had his own plans and expressions varied.

The elder of the clan said angrily: "You privately used assassins, forgot about the family for your own selfish desires, and even used the whole clan's strength to support Zhaoyang's rebellion, disregarding the interests of the family! You turned your sword against your old friend, besieged your clan members, and even killed your own clan members! Do you still know your identity?!"

"Yaozhi knows he was wrong." Li Yaozhi's attitude was calm and elegant. "But Yaozhi did this for the long-term future of the family. That's why the elders said that Yaozhi had forgotten about the family and Yaozhi couldn't admit it."

"You mobilized the family's assassins without consulting the family, which put the family in danger!" The elder shouted angrily, "At this point, you still don't feel any regret?"

Li Yaozhi bowed slightly and said calmly: "Yaozhi is doing this for the long-term interests of the family."

"In a family, if someone takes a steady path, someone else must take a risk. Some are neutral, some are loyal to the emperor, and some are conservative. There must be someone on each path to protect the family."

"Yao Zhi chose ***'s path, this wise leader, to ensure that the family will move to a higher level in the future."

"You are just being eloquent and self-serving! You are only doing this for your own selfish reasons! The family will fall into chaos because of your willfulness." The elder was full of disappointment, "It's ok to kill so many people, but you don't even respect the gods and Buddhas!"

He didn't know what to say to Li Yaozhi: "Who is more foolish than you in burning Xiangguo Temple?"

Li Yaozhi is gentle and resolute, and has a sense of responsibility and mission for his family. Most importantly, he can adapt well to power struggles, and can deal with various situations skillfully and with extraordinary strategies.

Besides, he is a legitimate son and the son of the current head of the family. In terms of both identity and ability, Li Yaozhi is undoubtedly the best choice.

But Li Yaozhi has made such a big mistake now...

Fortunately, Li has many descendants, including Li Rongzhao.

The clan elders set their sights on Li Rongzhao, who was Li Yaozhi's cousin and much older than Li Yaozhi.

When Li Yaozhi was still young and had not yet grown up, the leader they had chosen was Li Rongzhao.

Li Rongzhao is the eldest son of his branch. He is steady, clear-headed, and manages the family in a unique and effective way.

At a young age, he was able to come up with comprehensive and reasonable solutions to various problems, helping the family resolve potential crises and promote relatively risky reforms.

Previously, Li Yaozhi was too gentle and polite, and too young. Before Li Yaozhi showed his potential, Li Rongzhao was their best choice.

But Li Rongzhao was a lovesick man and refused to get married even when he reached the marriageable age.

The elders simply didn't understand. The girl from aristocratic family that they found for him was first-rate in terms of family background, talent, appearance and moral character. Why would Li Rongzhao be dissatisfied?

It’s actually very easy to find out the reason.

The small clans affiliated with the Li family would occasionally send out a few outstanding children to serve as playmates for the Li family's children, and these children would become the Li family's right-hand men in the future.

The girl that Li Rongzhao liked was one of his playmates.

He knew that they couldn't possibly be together due to the disparity in their status, so all he wanted was to remain single and devote his life to his family.

Of course the elders would not allow this, and the poor girl was beaten to death.

Li Rongzhao knelt on the ground and kowtowed and begged, his face covered in blood, but he failed to stop them.

"Xiao Wen and I grew up together. Even though we are not a perfect match, she is the daughter of the Li family after all. Wouldn't it be discouraging to treat her like this? If we act like this, how will the outside world spread about our Li family?" He used all his eloquence and brains to explain.

The answer is of course no.

Li Rongzhao became hysterical: "Why do you want to kill her? I like her, I like her! What did she do wrong to make you treat her like this! Just because she is not noble enough? Just because she can't bring any benefit to the Li family?"

"I think you have really lost your mind! For a woman, you speak without thinking and have no respect for your elders! Where do you put propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame? Where do you put your family?" The elders scolded.

Li Rongzhao was like a madman: "Propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame? What propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame should we still talk about! Li family! This huge Li family is a man-eating devil's den! It has destroyed me and my children, and it will also eat my soul and bones together!"

"If you want to kill her, why not kill me first!" He laughed, "Why should I live? Don't I live for you?"

He lived under the strict hierarchical family system for ten years, unable to laugh or cry.

Each of them is strictly divided into a specific class, and rigid rules restrict their words and deeds. They know when to laugh and when to cry, and they must not bring shame to the family.

He couldn't even like someone, he didn't even think about being with that person, even though such affection killed the person he loved.

Li Rongzhao was locked up in the ancestral hall for half a year. After he came out, he was in a trance and made many mistakes, but he eventually returned to his original state.

He married a noble lady from aristocratic family as arranged by his elders, and she was a good child of that family. He seemed to have accepted his fate.

The elders of the clan began to waver because Li Yaozhi showed extraordinary talent.

In dealing with his ministers and old friends, he could use both kindness and force. He could respect and reward loyal and righteous people, making them work more wholeheartedly. He could suppress those with evil intentions without making a sound, and maintain stability.

A sober, perfect, never-mistaken successor who grew up exactly as they had hoped.

At the same time, Li Rongzhao made serious mistakes in his foreign relations, still because of his dead beloved.

After this incident, the family's focus gradually shifted towards Li Yaozhi.

But now Li Yaozhi has caused such a thing again, which is much more serious than what happened to Li Rongzhao back then.

As if he had sensed the thoughts of the elders, Li Yaozhi smiled slightly: "Elders, why don't you listen to me?"

He apologized to the elders in his family one by one with a sincere and humble attitude.

This made many people in the hall look much better, but it also made the expressions of several cousins ​​look ugly.

Li Yaozhi humbly admitted that his action was reckless and apologized for the trouble he had brought to the family, but he also firmly reiterated that it was for the long-term benefit of the family.

"The Li family has power." Li Yaozhi smiled. "We have real power in our hands. We are a noble family. We cannot be traitors. We must do things properly and let others know that the Yujing Li family is the most abiding by the Five Constant Virtues."

"If Your Highness does not abandon me, then the Li family will reach the pinnacle," he said.

Everyone's eyes were on him, and he smiled: "If Your Highness abandons me, I will be a loyal subject. Since there must be a loyal subject to be sacrificed, I will sacrifice myself."

Li Yaozhi calmly analyzed the current political situation, pointing out that although his move to eliminate the rebels in the court last night was risky, it was a long-term strategy to catch a big fish, which could win more political resources and development space for the family.

If Xiao Yurong had not abandoned him, Li would have been a powerful official with great power and prestige. If Xiao Yurong had abandoned him, Li would have been a loyal official with great reputation and prestige.

"Yao stopped talking..." An elder murmured, "It does make sense."

From a long-term perspective, although Li Yaozhi's move was extremely risky, they did not lose out anyway.

They always get power and fame.

If something really goes wrong, with so many young men in the family, each setting up camp in different places, the family can always ensure its prosperity.

Li Rongzhao sneered: "After all, isn't it just for the position of the head of the family? Such a big game, almost everyone is included, just you? What qualifications do you have?"

"Rong Zhao!" The clan elder frowned and scolded in a low voice.

Such words are so inappropriate.

Li Rongzhao didn't care about being reprimanded and just stared at Li Yaozhi.

This is how it is in the family. The younger generation must be absolutely respectful and obedient to the elders. If they are not careful, they will be severely reprimanded and punished.

Because this is what is called propriety and righteousness.

"Brother." Li Yaozhi looked at Li Rongzhao with an unchanging smile, "The future of the family lies in the hands of the new generation. It is also the responsibility of you and me. We should work together."

This was a generous and appropriate statement, and the elders nodded in satisfaction after hearing it.

Only Li Rongzhao stopped smiling and looked gloomy.

"Of course, if you are unwilling to cooperate, I have other ways. I never use any means to achieve a set goal." Li Yaozhi smiled with his eyes curved.

This smile was chilling and quite rude.

No one present could forget the scene of last night.

The night was as dark as ink, and the streets and alleys were silent. However, the Li Mansion, built on this beautiful road where every inch of land is valuable, was not peaceful either.

Li Yaozhi, with a sword at his waist, stood on the rooftop of a towering building in the mansion.

Xiao Yurong visited the Star-Picking Tower on the day it was completed and personally inscribed the words: "The tower is a hundred feet high, and you can pluck the stars with your hands."

Xiao Yurong also said with a smile: "If you build the Star-Picking Tower of your Li family any higher, it will surpass the Heavenly Tower in the palace."

"As a subject, how can I surpass the king?" Li Yaozhi smiled and shook his head.

At this moment, he was standing on the Zhaixing Tower, overlooking Yujing, this prosperous yet turbulent city, the symbol of concentration of power.

The family's assassins dressed in black, with their faces covered and their heads lowered, waited for orders like ghosts.

"It's time to go." Li Yaozhi walked towards the gate of the mansion step by step.

All the alarmed tribesmen were stopped inside the door by the death squad.

"Li Shaoyan! What do you want to do!"

"Who gave you permission to use the assassins?"

"Did the elders give him the token? How can he command the assassins?"

"What do you mean? Are you putting our people under house arrest?"

In the dim light, candles were lit on both sides of the road leading to the gate of the mansion, flickering faintly in the wind.

The flickering light and shadows fell on Li Yaozhi's handsome face like ghost lights.

"Li Yaozhi! Say something!" Someone rushed up angrily, trying to strangle Li Yaozhi by bypassing the assassins.

His arms stretched over the unsheathed swords of the assassins and were about to reach Li Yaozhi.