met free Chapter 217 Father and Son Both Fall into the Abyss
Chapter 217 Father and Son Both Fall into the Abyss
Thinking it over, Li Mao said, "Your Majesty is a strong person, but sometimes being too strong can make men forget that you are also a weak woman who needs to be loved. Your Highness is rather oblivious in this regard. If Your Majesty needs help, I can assist you."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wei could no longer hold back, and her eyes immediately reddened.
Seemingly suppressed emotions suddenly erupted: "Your Highness Prince Shou, you're right. Originally, I didn't want to reveal this, as it would make me seem incompetent and embarrass Your Highness the Crown Prince. But... I really had no other choice..."
As Ms. Wei spoke, tears streamed down her face.
"The Crown Prince is now obsessed with courtesans and neglects his duties. What's even more frightening is that he's actually trying to bring that filthy vixen into the Eastern Palace! How can he maintain his reputation for innocence and his position as the Crown Prince if things continue like this!"
Lady Wei also knew that Li Mao was a strong competitor of the Crown Prince.
But compared to the Crown Prince, Li Mao is much more reliable.
Although he appeared to run a horse ranch and a music hall, he actually maintained a clean reputation and never had any affairs with any disreputable women. Both of his concubines came from respectable families. Li Mao was far superior to Li Heng!
With this in mind, Lady Wei vented all the grievances she had suffered over the past few days to Li Mao.
Wei was destined to be a victim of the struggle between herself and Li Heng.
Looking at the woman, Li Mao sighed softly: "Sister-in-law, don't be too sad. I've heard about this matter. I will try to persuade my brother to exercise restraint. I just hope that you can remain calm and not worry too much."
Lady Wei looked at Li Mao gratefully and nodded, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. If you can persuade the Crown Prince to repent and reform, I am willing to kowtow to thank you!"
As he spoke, he actually knelt down and kowtowed.
Li Mao quickly stopped her, saying, "Even if it had succeeded, I couldn't accept such a grand gesture from you, sister-in-law. You're making me feel so ashamed!"
Seeing Li Mao's attitude, Lady Wei no longer held back, hoping to resolve her conflict with the Crown Prince through Li Mao.
After bidding farewell to Lady Wei, Li Mao took another stroll around the palace.
This time, he noticed a neglected, overgrown area behind the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden. It was probably so inconspicuous that no dignitaries would usually stroll around there, so it was naturally overlooked by everyone.
Li Mao memorized the exact location of the place and formed a new plan in his mind.
He then turned and left, exiting the palace and heading straight for the residence of Prime Minister Li Linfu.
“Prime Minister Li,” Li Mao said to Li Linfu, getting straight to the point as usual: “From now on, you can deliberately suppress Wei Jian in court. The false accusations you prepared beforehand can now be used.”
Li Linfu's eyes lit up, and he was secretly delighted.
He had been looking for an opportunity to deal with Wei Jian, but Li Mao had been slow to allow it.
Now, finally, there are clear instructions!
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly do as you say," Li Linfu immediately assured him excitedly.
He dealt with Wei Jian not only for Li Mao's sake, but also for his own.
He cannot allow the crown prince to become too powerful, as this would be detrimental to him.
There was nothing more to say to Li Linfu, and Li Mao then explained some details.
For example, how might Wei Jian resist, and how should Li Linfu suppress him?
Li Linfu nodded in agreement with Li Mao's instructions without offering any objection. Although Li Mao was a notorious traitor, a traitor could be a great asset if used correctly.
After thinking it over, Li Mao left Li Linfu's residence and went straight to the music hall.
Inside the music hall, the lights were dim, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.
He looked around and found Li Heng in a private room.
Pushing open the door, one sees Li Heng embracing Yan Ji, his face filled with ecstasy, as if he has forgotten all his troubles.
Upon seeing Li Mao enter, Li Heng was momentarily stunned, feeling awkward for a second.
He then returned to normal and said, "Eighteenth Brother, why did you come in without knocking?"
Li Mao sat down opposite him and said calmly, "I just entered the palace and ran into my sister-in-law. She didn't seem to be in good condition. I've come to this music hall to see my brother and to offer a word of advice. Your brother's indulgence in wine and women is not a long-term solution."
"Now that Father has suffered another stroke and fallen into a coma, he has just woken up. As his descendants, we should go and visit him."
"Eighteenth Brother, there's no point in arguing when we don't see eye to eye. I don't want to hear any more nonsense today." Li Heng took a sip of wine and said coldly, "Isn't Father reaping what he sowed? He was so focused on taking his son's woman that he disregarded even the bond between father and son. Now that he's in this state, why should I care about our father-son relationship? Anyway, it's not my fault that he's become like this!"
Li Mao asked, "What about my sister-in-law? What did she do wrong? Now she has to worry about everything in the Eastern Palace and also about my brother bringing prostitutes into the palace."
Li Heng didn't take it seriously and scoffed, "I know what I'm doing, you don't need to meddle. This Wei woman is just looking for trouble. The throne will be mine sooner or later, and with three thousand beauties in the harem, what will I have to fear? If she keeps talking nonsense, I'll just divorce her."
Lately, under Yan Ji's influence, Li Heng has been drinking all day to numb his senses.
Now, his drinking has led to an abnormally violent temper and depraved morals, yet he remains completely unaware of it.
Li Mao smiled coldly to himself, but on the surface he pretended to be sincere and advised, "Brother, aren't you afraid of being criticized by the world for your current state? Even if you ascend the throne, can an emperor who only knows wine, women, wealth and power govern the country well?"
Upon hearing this, Li Heng's face turned somewhat ugly. Fueled by alcohol, he angrily retorted, "What do you know? You're nothing but a spoiled brat. So what if you've won battles? At most, you're just repairing Ning Garden. What gives you the right to lecture me?! Get out!"
Li Mao shook his head slightly, sighed, and got up to leave the music hall.
But the moment he stepped out of the music hall, a smile returned to Li Mao's face.
He knew that Li Heng had completely lost himself and there was no way to turn the tide.
That night, the hot spring resort at Lishan was brightly lit. Li Mao secretly summoned a group of craftsmen responsible for repairing Ningyuan and brought them there.
He pointed out a route to the foreman and instructed them to build an underground tunnel along that route.
"This road must be hidden; no one can discover it," Li Mao said earnestly. "You must finish it as soon as possible; there will be a generous reward upon completion."
The foreman was a shrewd man; upon hearing this, he didn't ask any further questions and simply agreed with a smile.
Regardless of the purpose of this underground passage, they only care about getting paid and doing their job, and don't care about anything else!
At that time, Li Mao sat in the courtyard of the Prince of Shou's mansion, looking at the sky that was gradually falling into night.