Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 867

Chapter 867: Chapter 864: Grasshoppers After Autumn

"Originally, I persuaded you to give you a way to protect the entire Li family, but... you and Left Prime Minister Li Mao not only want to protect the entire Li family in this chaos, but you each stand on opposite sides. No matter who wins and who loses, in the end, it will only be the death of one of you two. The entire Li family will not only be preserved because of the merits of the other, but they will also rise to prominence because of that person’s success." Bai Jinxiu looked at Li Mingrui with clear eyes, "Isn’t that so?"

Li Mingrui did not expect Bai Jinxiu to see through his thoughts, but since she had, he candidly admitted: "We are merely trying to find a way for the survival of the entire Li family, and a good way at that! Just like when the men of the Bai family died on the battlefield, both His Majesty and King Xin wanted the entire Bai family dead. The Princess of Zhen tried to find a way to save the Bai family, all of us are merely doing what we must."

Bai Jinxiu, with her hands behind her back, calmly looked at Li Mingrui: "It’s different..."

Both were seeking a way to survive, but how could Li Mingrui compare with her elder sister?

A man like Li Mingrui could never understand the Bai family, much less her elder sister.

Li Mingrui looked up at Bai Jinxiu, not quite understanding what she meant by it being different, but seeing that Bai Jinxiu had no intention of continuing, Li Mingrui only looked at her and did not press for an answer.

Bai Jinxiu smiled and said, "Minister Li is more suited to be a civil official and strategist, not to lead troops in battle."

"Indeed..." Li Mingrui frankly admitted, "Therefore, when the King of Zhen was still alive, he ordered the descendants of the Bai family to study military tactics from a young age, train in the army at the age of ten, and fight on the battlefield. It made sense."

Following Li Mingrui’s suggestion, Bai Jinxiu managed to quietly deliver the message about contacting Pingyang’s army to the Imperial Palace, and King Liang did not disappoint them. He soon took action.

On May 11, the 18th year of Xuanjia, the Emperor of Jin issued an edict, appointing King Liang as the Crown Prince, deposing the previous Crown Prince to the status of a commoner, and sentencing him to death by slicing for plotting rebellion, the date to be chosen.

On May 14, the 18th year of Xuanjia, the deposed Crown Prince attempted to assassinate the Emperor of Jin during an audience, and the imperial physicians were unable to save him. The Emperor died.

On the same day, Li Mao and others knelt and requested King Liang to ascend the throne and take charge. Due to the urgent situation, the enthronement ceremony would be simplified and scheduled for May 16.

Before he had even ascended the throne, King Liang, upon setting the date for the enthronement, issued an edict as the Emperor, stating that he had thoroughly investigated the matter of Consort Tong, and both the testimonies and evidence proved that Consort Tong and her family were wronged. Imperial Censor Jian Congwen was guilty of a capital crime, and the accusation of the Second Prince’s treason was baseless, all fabricated by the late Duke of Zhen, Bai Weiting. Therefore, Consort Tong was posthumously named Empress Dowager Rende, and the Second Prince was posthumously named Prince of Bade.

Prime Minister Lu and a group of senior officials were brought to the hall to hear the edict, but the officials refused to recognize King Liang as the Emperor of Jin, much less accept Consort Tong as the Empress Dowager. Prime Minister Lu, furious, listed the Second Prince’s eight crimes, questioning how he could be called Prince of Bade, and loudly accused Emperor Xuande of being a treacherous murderer and a shameless person who framed his elder brother.

Li Mao and others advised King Liang that upon ascending the throne, he should first determine the posthumous title for the late Emperor and not prioritize posthumously naming Consort Tong and the Second Prince.

The senior officials all opposed, but King Liang declared that whoever opposed would be sent to accompany their late father. Li Mao and the others dared not say anything further, while Prime Minister Lu, Minister of War Shen Jingzhong, Minister of Judicial Review Lu Jin, and Chief of the Honglu Temple Dong Qingping refused to comply even at the cost of their lives.

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