After the incident with Princess Gaoyi, they had come to understand that the people of the Bai mansion were the Princess Zhenguo’s reverse scale.
Seeing Li Mao’s features, alternately illuminated and shadowed by the flickering candlelight, tense with strain, both strategists looked at him, waiting for his decision.
Li Mao pondered for a long while, his fingers rubbing the corner of his robe. After a considerable time, he finally made up his mind and looked up at the blue-robed strategist: “I’ll trouble Ziyuan to personally make a trip to Shuoyang! Depart immediately without delay! Once in Shuoyang, act according to circumstances. If the Princess Zhenguo… only sent back these few heads and makes no other moves, then Ziyuan should act with discretion.”
Li Mao’s meaning was clear: if Bai Qingyan only sent back the heads as a warning, then he wanted this blue-robed strategist called Ziyuan to discreetly contact the Bai clan members in Shuoyang. No matter what, it would be best if they could catch Bai Qingyan’s weakness.
The blue-robed strategist Cai Ziyuan also understood clearly that Li Mao was sending him because this scheme had been his idea!
Sending him meant having him apologize to Li Mao, and also meant letting him go to be punished by the Princess Zhenguo as she saw fit.
After a moment of surprise, blue-robed strategist Cai Ziyuan nodded. Since the plan was his idea, it was only right that he clean up the mess.
Immediately, he performed a deep bow to Li Mao: “I will not fail the Left Chancellor’s trust!”
After speaking, Cai Ziyuan immediately turned and left the study, having someone prepare a horse… not even having time to pack, he mounted his horse with two guards and rode straight for Shuoyang City.
The Left Chancellor felt lingering fear, his eyelid twitching constantly.
The white-robed strategist consoled him: “Your Excellency need not worry too much. After all, we haven’t had time to do anything yet. The Princess Zhenguo sending the heads back to the capital has a deterrent meaning—it should just be a warning. Once Ziyuan goes to admits fault, presumably everything will be fine.”
Li Mao pressed his constantly twitching eyelid and picked up his teacup for a sip: “You sit as well…”
“Your Excellency, allow me to say something I shouldn’t say! This time, Your Excellency and Ziyuan’s plan… to join hands with the expelled Bai clan members was somewhat mistaken!” After sitting down, the white-robed strategist said slowly, “I know Your Excellency has been restless because the Princess Zhenguo holds leverage over you! But… thinking from a different angle! Now… Prince Liang believes Your Excellency once followed the Second Prince and is secretly his person! If Prince Liang ascends the throne in the future… Your Excellency would naturally be second only to one above ten thousand!”
Li Mao looked toward the white-robed strategist, adopting a posture of quiet listening.
“And Your Excellency has leverage held by the Princess Zhenguo. As long as you don’t touch the Princess Zhenguo’s reverse scale, or even… openly assist the Princess Zhenguo, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, regardless of anything else, the Left Chancellor would openly be considered part of the Crown Prince’s faction and wouldn’t face demotion! As the Princess Zhenguo, she is a woman far from the court. Having such a high-ranking, powerful court official whose leverage she holds, wouldn’t she try every means to have the ascended Crown Prince rely on you heavily, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling you?”
Li Mao narrowed his eyes slightly—it seemed to make sense.
This was probably why Bai Qingyan had never submitted those letters.
She thought that by holding those letters, she could control him, this important court minister. This was more beneficial to Bai Qingyan than submitting the letters to take his life.
If he were Bai Qingyan, when unable to reach the court, he would make the same choice.
“Moreover, this time we haven’t caused any substantial harm to the Bai family. The Princess Zhenguo may not truly intend to deal with Your Excellency. Given the Princess Zhenguo’s nature, she definitely… either doesn’t act at all, but when she does act, it’s earth-shattering. How could she handle this so lightly by just sending heads?”
Li Mao’s heart relaxed slightly: “Sir speaks reasonably. Then… we should simply show goodwill to the Princess Zhenguo!”
“That’s exactly what I mean. This way… Your Excellency can navigate between Prince Liang and the Crown Prince, benefiting from both sides, standing in an invincible position.” The white-robed strategist smiled.
Li Mao nodded, his heart easing further: “I hope Ziyuan’s trip to Shuoyang this time can handle this matter properly.”
At this time, Li Mao didn’t know that Bai Jinxiu had already ordered people to copy several hundred copies of the correspondence between Left Chancellor Li Mao and the Second Prince from years past, forge another copy, and send the original letter to Prince Liang.
The hundreds of copied letters, Bai Jinxiu had people deliver to pleasure houses still full of song and dance, wine shops, taverns, and other lively places.
That night, the noble young masters drinking and enjoying themselves in the flower houses saw the letter. Seeing the signature was Left Chancellor Li Mao, they discussed it extensively, with almost everyone having a copy, all studying it carefully.
This was a letter Li Mao wrote to the Second Prince, who was executed for treason. In the letter, Li Mao used extremely flattering and fawning language, even swearing lifelong loyalty and telling the Second Prince to rest assured.
This letter was carefully selected by Bai Jinxiu—it didn’t involve any political affairs, but was sufficient to show that Li Mao had once been part of the Second Prince’s faction.
When Bai Qingyan sent someone to instruct Bai Jinxiu to select a letter, Bai Jinxiu knew her elder sister didn’t intend to kill Li Mao. Perhaps she was keeping Li Mao for some use. This move was just to intimidate Li Mao and make him behave.
That night, Li Mao had just been settled by his concubine when he heard the steward urgently calling him outside the door.
Li Mao already had things on his mind and wasn’t sleeping soundly. He got up, lifted the bed curtain, and asked toward the door: “What’s the matter?”
“Something terrible has happened, Your Excellency!” the steward said.
Li Mao’s heart sank. He got up, put on his clothes, and walked out. His beautiful concubine lifted the bed curtain with her delicate hand and called: “Your Excellency!”
Li Mao couldn’t spare attention for his concubine’s call. Wrapped in his outer robe, he hurried out, looking at the steward with dark eyes: “What happened?”
“Your correspondence with the Second Prince from years ago, somehow… has spread throughout the capital!” The steward handed Li Mao the letter he’d been keeping in his chest: “Your Excellency, look!”
Li Mao snatched the letter, unfolded it while walking toward his study, and instructed the steward to invite the eldest son, Li Mingrui, and the white-robed strategist.
Only now did Li Mao understand that, regardless of whether he had caused any substantial harm to the Bai family, as long as he dared harbor such thoughts, Bai Qingyan would not let him off lightly.
Sending the heads back was a warning, and so was this letter.
After all, Bai Qingyan held his leverage and was truly fearless, naturally able to act without restraint.
This time, Li Mao had indeed been rash. He shouldn’t have tried every means to grasp or even create leverage against Bai Qingyan to mutually constrain each other.
In his dealings with Bai Qingyan, he was already at a disadvantage, only able to be passively coerced by her.
But, as his strategist said, having his leverage and weakness controlled by Bai Qingyan was precisely the opportunity for him to benefit from all sides.
The white-robed strategist of the Left Chancellor’s mansion was called up, threw on an outer robe, and went to the study.
Li Mao had already read this letter several times. It was indeed a letter he wrote to the Second Prince, but it wasn’t in his handwriting—someone had copied it.