Chapter 303: Zhao State Wind and Clouds

Not long after this chat between Su Xuan and Ying Zheng ended.

In Handan, State of Zhao, the Zhao Wang, who was already critically ill and dying, directly breathed his last because of the failure of the war with the Qin Guo.

After the Zhao Wang died, the Crown Prince Zhao Qian, as the new King, although not formally succeeded to the throne, had already handled state affairs in the capacity of King like the Crown Prince of the State of Han back then.

It was also at this time that rumors flew everywhere within the State of Zhao.

When the Zhao Wang married Chang Ji back then, the words Li Mu said were not known to have been turned over by whom and were spreading everywhere among the populace. Apart from these words, some even claimed that this time the Zhao Wang's death from illness also had to do with Li Mu.

The late King did not care about the words Li Mu said back then and even relied heavily on Li Mu. As a result, Li Mu disregarded the King's grace. This time, not only did he fail to defeat the Qin army and take back the cities plundered by the Qin Guo, but even the Qin Guo's retreat had nothing to do with Li Mu.

The late King was actually angered to death by Li Mu's incompetence!

This sentence was somewhat malicious.

People with clear eyes could see that this was someone spreading rumors, alienating Li Mu and the new King.

But for the new Zhao Wang Qian, he happened to eat this set.

After the rumors spread, Zhao Qian was called into the palace by his mother—now, it should be called the Empress Dowager.

"Your mother, I, no longer have the face to live!"

After seeing Zhao Qian, Chang Ji said such a sentence.

Zhao Qian's complexion changed drastically. "Mother, why do you say this?"

Chang Ji's appearance was charming. Even though she was already middle-aged, she still had a unique charm. This was the reason why the Zhao Wang would disregard the dissuasion of the ministers and insist on marrying her back then.

If she were just a Chang woman, that would be fine. Back then, Li Mu would not have been unable to accommodate a Chang woman and say such words. The key was that before this, she had also married someone, married into the Zhao Wang's clan. Unfortunately, not long after marrying into the Zhao Wang's clan, her husband died. Afterward, she lived as a widow alone and was taken a fancy to by the Zhao Wang. The Zhao Wang, because of her beauty, insisted on marrying her.

One woman marrying twice was nothing, but one woman marrying into the same clan one after another was a big problem.

Especially, the one she married was also a person of the royal clan. The Zhao Wang marrying such a woman was a great loss to the face of the State of Zhao.

To a certain extent, Li Mu was also considering the State of Zhao.

But for the person involved, Chang Ji, Li Mu's words deeply hurt her.

It was fine for Li Mu to say so before. Right now, after the Zhao Wang died, she had been promoted to Empress Dowager, and her son was also about to become the new King of the State of Zhao. The rumors spread again among the populace about what Li Mu said back then. Where did this put her?

"Is it Li Mu?"

Zhao Qian looked at his mother's face and immediately remembered the rumors among the populace in recent times.

After hearing the name "Li Mu," Chang Ji's complexion changed slightly.

Zhao Qian immediately had the answer. "Mother, rest assured, for this matter, I will give you an explanation!"

His father could tolerate some of Li Mu's improper remarks because of Li Mu's talent and rely heavily on him, but this did not mean that he could tolerate Li Mu. Li Mu criticized his mother, and he must make Li Mu give him an explanation.

Moreover, Li Mu did not seem to be as formidable as imagined.

His defeating the Xiongnu in Yanmen Commandery looked like it was just good luck.

This time he failed to defeat the Qin Guo's army, and even his father's death was because of Li Mu's incompetence. If Li Mu had defeated the Qin army, how could his father have died of illness?

The next day, in the court.

Zhao Qian was not polite at all, directly reprimanding Li Mu and asking about the rumors among the populace.

If Li Mu had softened his attitude a bit, that would be fine.

But Li Mu did not think he had done anything wrong back then. He had a fierce personality, which was beyond everyone's imagination. Facing Zhao Qian's reprimand, he instead stood tit-for-tat with Zhao Qian.

Finally, he even said that the Qin Guo had retreated, the border trouble had not been eliminated, and he intended to return to the Yanmen region to guard against the Xiongnu's attack.

Regarding Li Mu's resignation and leaving the court, Zhao Qian did not take it to heart.

After the court was dismissed, he directly found Guo Kai.

Guo Kai was his father's favorite minister and also a friend of his father during his youth. His father was able to marry his mother, and Guo Kai rendered great service in it. Zhao Daoxiang King therefore favored Guo Kai extremely. And Guo Kai was also well-versed in the way of flattering superiors, knowing that Zhao Daoxiang King favored Chang Ji and Zhao Qian. When Zhao Daoxiang King was there, he frequently associated with these two, and was even appointed by Zhao Daoxiang King as Zhao Qian's Grand Tutor. After Zhao Daoxiang King passed away, he leaped to become Zhao Qian's confidant.

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"Grand Tutor, this Li Mu is truly hateful. He criticized my mother, and not only that, he actually dared to talk back to me in public in the court!"

"King, do not be angry. Li Mu is just a crude martial man who does not understand etiquette. It is not surprising. Why does the King have to be angry with this crude man?" Although Zhao Qian had not formally ascended the throne, he would ascend the throne sooner or later. Guo Kai was also a wonderful person, directly calling Zhao Qian King.

Zhao Qian said, "Today, Li Mu resigned to me, preparing to return to Yanmen to guard the border. You say should I agree to his request? Seeing him in this court every day, I only feel extremely annoyed!"

Guo Kai heard this and quickly said urgently, "Absolutely not!"

"Oh?" Zhao Qian looked at Guo Kai puzzled.

Guo Kai explained, "Li Mu has great prestige in the army, especially since he once broke the 100,000-strong Xiongnu army in Yanmen Commandery. As far as I know, the border army in the Yanmen region only knows Li Mu and does not know the King. If Li Mu is allowed to return to Yanmen, is it not equivalent to letting a tiger return to the mountain?"

"Li Mu has always been dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager, and therefore is angry at the King. If one day he gives birth to a different heart and raises his arms, then the border army can be used by him entirely. By the time that happens, it will be too late..."

Zhao Qian's complexion changed drastically.

The things Guo Kai said, in his ears, were not alarmist talk, but facts that were extremely likely to happen.

Li Mu had always looked at their mother and son with displeasure. Back then, he had been very close to the deposed Crown Prince Zhao Jia. Letting him return to the border was equivalent to raising a tiger that would cause trouble.

"Then in the Grand Tutor's opinion, how should Li Mu be dealt with?" Zhao Qian asked Guo Kai again quickly.

Guo Kai said in a deep voice, "If Li Mu really had talent, that would be fine. He could be arrogant because of his talent. But this war with the Qin Guo has already proven that he is just a mediocre person. Although he was not defeated by the Qin army, it was only because the Qin Guo took the initiative to withdraw. Such a mediocre person, and yet he is unwilling to be used by the King!"

"Keeping him will have many hidden dangers. My suggestion is to directly get rid of him!"

"Keeping him will still lead to numerous hidden dangers; my suggestion is to eliminate him directly!"