Chapter 585: Li Tai: My Heart Is Bitter

A day passed, and it was night.

Li Tai returned exhausted; at that moment Chen Yan and the others were still eating, and after the former entered, he held a bowl, buried his head in it and ate silently.

The Wei Wang Consort wanted to speak but held back; she thought of saying something, but in the end she could not open her mouth.

Actually she really wanted to discuss with Li Tai, perhaps to go back to her own home, given what's happening now.

She felt a bit uneasy; playing mahjong with Li Lizhi and the others was no longer as lively as before.

But after thinking it over, she ultimately didn't bring it up.

Could Li Tai perhaps have his own plans?

Chen Yan clicked his tongue, set down his chopsticks, and said, "I told you, you starving ghost, to reincarnate? Eat more slowly; no one is fighting you for the food, there are so many dishes."

……Zi Anxiong, ah, I… I feel bitter inside!

Li Tai felt aggrieved; hearing that, for some reason he began wailing like a ghost, "What do you call this, then?"

I'm damned as a great grievance seed; I'm sitting at home while the pot falls from the sky—where can I go to argue?

Chen Yan, surprised by the words, asked, "What's up? What have you uncovered? Did you summon that group of people from before?"

No......

Li Tai replied weakly.

Even a fool knows this kind of thing must not be spoken.

After a long interval, he gathered all those people again, using every method except execution.

But these people, having never done the deeds themselves, have no clue.

Then what the heck are you saying.

Chen Yan rolled his eyes, "What nonsense you're whining about. If you ask me, the aristocratic families are truly wronged; we used to think it was them who did it."

Fine, I think you're not very reliable either; let Li Daozong and Li Junxian investigate. If you're truly innocent, they'll surely clear your name.

If you have a clear conscience, just eat when you should and drink when you should.

Li Tai pondered, then suddenly felt Chen Yan's attitude toward him had reverted to before, and tentatively asked, "Zi Anxiong...... do you believe me?"

"I believe you." Chen Yan nodded slightly, "because you're a clever person, I thought later that, given your understanding of me, you should know that as long as I live even one more day, you'll never have the chance to ascend the throne."

Poisoning Li Chengqian is worse than poisoning me directly.

At least we spend all day eating and drinking together; slipping a dose of arsenic to me is far too easy—I couldn't even save myself!

Tsk!

Gao Yang was displeased, frowned, and slapped his chopsticks on the table, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

I'll lend him a hundred doses of courage! See if he dares.

Li Tai:......

Chen Yan:......

"Husband, such words must not be spoken carelessly......" Li Lizhi whispered, "Ah Ye is still young, the Crown Prince is still young; you say you're still alive, the Fourth Imperial Brother has no chance of ascending the throne...... that's inappropriate."

"What's inappropriate?" Chen Yan said calmly, "In fact, back then with Empress Changsun's tacit approval, the Crown Prince and I were already bound together; we have too many intertwined interests."

To put it bluntly, I would never watch anyone else take that position, even Qingque.

Not to mention I already hold the position of Minister of Revenue, with considerable sway; even when I was just a County Magistrate, my standing in Ah Ye and Ah Mother's eyes was significant, and they considered my opinions.

Think back to why His Majesty suddenly began eliminating Qingque's influence and vigorously fostering the Crown Prince.

He said, then paused, "Of course, these words are for us at home; we should keep them within the family and not spread them."

When his words fell, everyone's gaze shifted to a small bean-sized figure.

Xiao Sizi looked up blankly, sighing, "I love to talk, but I'm not stupid; I wouldn't tell others about this."

"That's best!" Li Lizhi hummed lightly, growing more headache‑stricken over this younger sister.

Chen Yan's words were blunt; anyone else hearing them would surely think he was bragging.

But who present didn't know Chen Yan's background, nor their standing in those two's eyes?

A few thought it over and found that Chen Yan really might not be exaggerating.

Before marrying Gao Yang, Chen Yan had taken advantage of Li Chengqian's drunkenness to covertly awaken Li Shimin, didn't he?

Back then he had just entered Li Shimin's sight, yet dared to do so.

Let alone now.

Li Tai couldn't stop nodding, "Indeed, indeed, Zi Anxiong's words are reasonable; Zi Anxiong is the Crown Prince's greatest and most steadfast supporter, also his strategist."

Poisoning the Crown Prince is too risky; if it were me, I'd rather poison Zi Anxiong, thereby immediately cutting off the Crown Prince's arm, and later I could slowly contend with him.

Why must one take such a reckless risk to poison the Crown Prince?

Bang!

Gao Yang's face darkened, he slammed the table, "Li Tai, are you planning to go out naked again tomorrow?"

You really want to poison my husband!?

Li Tai choked, stammering, "Metaphor, metaphor, I'm only speaking metaphorically, I have no intention of poisoning Zi Anxiong."

Chen Yan, with a headache, waved his hand, "Enough, enough, let's do it this way: you do whatever you need tomorrow; I think without some harsh measures, those people won't admit anything."

Why not keep refining your Divine Might Cannon, strive to finish it quickly, and atone by earning merit.

Moreover, this matter is a scandal that must never be leaked; your former subordinates—don't even mention those who participated; even those who only knew of it are unlikely to survive.

Li Tai paused after listening, a fierce glint in his eyes, "You make sense; then I won't bother Li Daozong and Li Junxian. Tomorrow I'll personally summon Lord Liu; I want to see how hard these people's mouths are!"

Chen Yan gave no definitive answer, "I think you probably won't get the chance; His Majesty won't grant you that much time, because as Zheng Guanyin's investigation proceeds, it's uncertain whether this will become public."

Giving you a day or two is about as far as His Majesty's bottom line; if you haven't achieved anything, I bet those people have already been summoned for tea tonight...

Li Tai was startled, thought it over, and agreed that Chen Yan was right.

His methods were too soft; Father Emperor would certainly not continue to watch him this way, and might even think he was stalling.

However, Gao Yang suddenly remembered something.

Husband, what do you think will happen to Zheng Guanyin? Will Father Emperor spare her?

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Because of that past incident, Li Shimin already intends to be harsh toward Zheng Guanyin.

Now Zheng Guanyin has also discovered that Li Tai's subordinate poisoned the Crown Prince.

As for the complicated relationship between their older generation, no one knows what Li Shimin is thinking.

Chen Yan's eye twitched, and he said, "I'll go to the palace tomorrow to have a private chat with His Majesty."

"......"