vstars Chapter 457 Joy of Life 13
Chapter 457 Joy of Life 13
Even tigers don't eat their cubs. Even if Fan Xian is just his illegitimate son with a less-than-honorable background, he shouldn't just stand by and watch Fan Xian fall into a desperate situation, right?
Moreover, isn't Fan Jian worried that if Fan Xian were to encounter misfortune in the future, he would also be implicated, or even become an innocent bystander?
Seeing Li Chengze lost in thought and silent for a long time, Xie Bi'an finally couldn't help but ask softly, "Your Highness, the Imperial Treasury manages all the royal family's businesses. His Majesty once issued a decree that the Imperial Treasury should be managed by the lineage of the Eldest Princess. The Eldest Princess only has one daughter, Princess Chen. So whoever marries Princess Chen may inherit the Imperial Treasury. This matter is of great importance. Should we take some action?"
In Xie Bi'an's eyes, the reason why Li Chengze allied with Li Yunrui was simply for the control of the internal treasury.
Now that Fan Xian has become Lin Wan'er's husband, once the two get married, control of the Imperial Treasury will inevitably transfer from Li Yunrui to Fan Xian.
Faced with the current situation, Li Chengze seems to have only two paths to choose from:
1. Kill Fan Xian and ruin his marriage to Lin Wan'er;
Second, establish a friendly relationship with Fan Xian in advance to lay the groundwork for future changes in the situation.
Li Chengze paused in his tapping of the table, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head: "The situation is still unclear, and it is not advisable to act rashly at the moment."
As long as Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er remain unmarried, the ownership of the Imperial Treasury will remain uncertain.
The Imperial Treasury was a golden treasure, but after Li Yunrui took control, it became a hot potato. No one knew how much benefit Li Yunrui and the Crown Prince had reaped from it, or how large the deficit was.
Once you take over the internal treasury, you will inevitably have to audit the accounts.
But once the accounts are checked, it's hard to say how many people will get into trouble.
Therefore, there are many people who do not want Fan Xian to take over the Imperial Treasury, so he does not need to rush to make a move.
Moreover, more than that, he really wanted to know what Emperor Qing and Fan Jian were secretly plotting, and why they would involve an unknown person like Fan Xian in it.
Thinking of this, Li Chengze's eyes darkened: "I'm a little tired, I'll rest for a while, don't bother me unless it's important."
After giving his instructions, he got up and returned to his bedroom, lying down on the bed. As the layers of curtains slowly fell, it was as if he was shut out from all the noise of the outside world.
At the same time, an invisible force quietly surged, penetrating through the layers of palaces and silently finding the crown prince.
This was the first time he had used his telekinetic powers since he transmigrated to this world.
After all, with a Grandmaster lurking in the shadows, Li Chengze had to be extremely careful in his actions.
However, given the magnitude of today's events, if Li Yunrui truly supports the Crown Prince, then the two of them will inevitably reveal their true colors now.
Li Chengze closed his eyes, feeling his mental energy spreading through the air, carefully 'observing' the Crown Prince's every move.
The Crown Prince had naturally received the news by this time, but he remained calm, showing no sign of anxiety.
At first glance, it seems that the Crown Prince really has no interest in the Imperial Treasury, and he doesn't care who manages it.
However, the crown prince was still young and his cultivation was not yet advanced enough. Therefore, although it was not obvious on his face, his eyes were already shrouded in shadow.
Clearly, he wasn't as calm as he appeared.
Over the years, he has embezzled an unknown amount of money from the imperial treasury. If the person who takes over is at odds with him, those past debts will likely be exposed to the world very soon.
The Crown Prince's heart sank slightly as he thought of Fan Jian's long-standing friendship with Prince Jing, and the fact that Prince Jing's heir had long ago expressed his support for Li Chengze.
After forcing himself to finish his work, he couldn't wait to return to the Crown Prince's residence and summon his advisors to discuss the matter.
Of course, he would not reveal that he had embezzled funds from the imperial treasury. Even though these people were his confidants, the fewer people who knew about such confidential matters, the safer he would be.
Therefore, the Crown Prince only mentioned the marriage between Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian, and the possibility that the management of the Imperial Treasury might be transferred to Fan Xian after the wedding.
As soon as he finished speaking, the staff below erupted into a frenzy, naturally splitting into two factions.
One faction is worried that Fan Xian will side with Li Chengze in the future, so they want to incite the Crown Prince to strike first and eliminate Fan Xian to prevent future troubles.
Another faction advised the Crown Prince to befriend Fan Xian, arguing that the Fan family was no ordinary family. Old Madam Fan had been Emperor Qing's wet nurse, and given this connection, Emperor Qing would certainly pursue the matter to the end if anything were done against the Fan family.
The two factions stuck to their own arguments and could not reach a consensus, which gave Li Chengqian a headache.
In the end, Li Chengqian couldn't help but go to the palace and found Li Yunrui at Changxin Palace.
Li Yunrui, though her name sounds somewhat masculine, is actually an extremely delicate and beautiful woman.
Although she is now in her thirties, she looks like she is in the prime of her youth, with an indescribable elegance in her eyes that makes people feel tenderness for her.
Her eyebrows and eyes were like those of a meticulously painted portrait, her face exquisitely beautiful.
It makes one feel as if they are in a dream, unable to tell whether it is a spirit in a painting or a fairy in the water.
At this moment, the eldest princess was resting her head on her hand, leaning against the brocade couch, taking a nap with her eyes closed, her graceful figure inadvertently revealed.
Noticing the commotion inside, she remained calm and slowly opened her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water, revealing endless charm.
Upon seeing such a beautiful sight, Li Chengqian was momentarily stunned, before snapping back to reality and blushing.
No one knew that he had harbored inappropriate feelings for Li Yunrui since his youth. However, he understood that Emperor Qing would never allow such incestuous behavior within the royal family, and in order to protect his own position, he could only suppress his feelings.
He forced his gaze away from the beauty before him, cleared his throat awkwardly, and his voice involuntarily softened: "Aunt, have you heard the news that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon Wan'er and Fan Xian, the illegitimate son of the Fan family?"
When it came to business, Li Chengqian finally broke free from the allure of the beauty: "Fan Jian is already the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. If Fan Xian takes over the Imperial Treasury, wouldn't the Fan family hold the power of the entire Qing Kingdom's wealth in their hands?"
Most importantly, the Fan family is on good terms with Prince Jing's uncle, and Prince Jing's heir, Li Hongcheng, is close to my second brother. If the Fan family sides with my second brother, wouldn't we be in deep trouble...?
“I have heard about this matter.” Li Yunrui slowly sat up, gently rubbing her forehead with her slender hand, interrupting him: “Don’t worry, that illegitimate son is born with bad luck. Even if he marries Wan’er, he will not be able to truly control the inner treasury.”
At this point, Li Yunrui's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of coldness was revealed in his lazy tone.
In fact, before Li Chengqian arrived, Li Yunrui had already gone to the Empress Dowager to complain, but the Empress Dowager dismissed her with just a few words and showed no intention of canceling the marriage.