Chapter 692: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 692: Expanding Speculations (1)
At the end of September, the weather had taken on the chill of early winter. The leaves on the fruit trees had turned yellow, with only a few green tips remaining, unable to withstand the cold frost of the night.
The warm sunlight bathed Mo Yan, but despite her warm clothing, she felt cold all over.
No wonder the high-yield rice was such an achievement; the Emperor had not only bestowed the title of County Princess upon her but also intended to use her as a shield against the Lin family. It was truly a poisoned “pie.” What was even more laughable was that this “pie” was given by her own contributions. Now she was forced to accept it, with no strength left to resist.
Royal favors were indeed not to be touched lightly!
Mo Yan looked up at Xiao Ruiyuan, whose eyes were filled with concern. After a long moment of searching for her voice, she finally spoke, “As a ruler of a nation, he can’t handle his own subjects, so he’s using me as bait to draw the Lin family’s fire. Does he really think I alone can deal with the Lin family?”
Xiao Ruiyuan, unsure how to comfort her, took her somewhat cold hand into his own and said with firm determination, “Yan’er, no matter what his plans are, I, Xiao Ruiyuan, will protect you!”
The warmth of his hand seemed to reach Mo Yan’s heart. She gently nodded and after a moment’s thought said, “If he is so wary of the Lin family but hasn’t acted against them, it must mean they have something on him. We need to find out what this leverage is. If we can remove it, the Lin family will no longer be a threat!”
Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes showed admiration as he considered her insight. He shared his own unconfirmed suspicion, “The late Emperor had nine sons. Since the current Emperor was neither the legitimate nor the eldest son, born of a lower-ranking consort, had the Crown Prince not died young, the other princes might have contended for power and lost favor with the late Emperor. He might not have been recognized as a legitimate heir, let alone inherit the throne. It’s possible that Lin Taishi, as the mentor of three successive emperors and trusted by the late Emperor, might have some incriminating evidence.”
When the current Emperor ascended, Xiao Ruiyuan was not yet born. This was information he had recently uncovered, but he had not found any valuable leads.
Yet, his intuition told him that the Emperor’s rise to the throne as a non-legitimate son was not as simple as it seemed, otherwise, the princes who had contested for the throne would not have all met untimely ends within a year of his accession.
These matters were not secret, but neither were they widely known. This was the first time Mo Yan had heard of it and found Xiao Ruiyuan’s guess likely correct.
She took a deep breath and murmured, “If your guess is right and the Lin family holds such leverage, it’s hard to say whether it’s a blessing or a curse.”
Without this leverage, the Emperor would not have been wary of the Lin family, and Lin Guifei would not have been favored and poisoned Empress Chunyi, leaving Chu Heng to live in misery for over twenty years.
The Emperor’s fear of the Lin family forcing him to act might have led him to avoid avenging Empress Chunyi or dealing with the Lin family. Ultimately, the most innocent were Empress Chunyi and Chu Heng, who became the victims in the power struggle between the Emperor and the Lin family.
Xiao Ruiyuan coldly smiled, “The second and third generations of the Lin family are insignificant. Without Lin Taishi’s support, the Lin family would have long been reduced to nothing. If not for the burden of the family, Lin Taishi would not have been pushed out of the court, becoming a thorn in the Emperor’s side!”
Thus, even if descendants of a once-powerful family fail to establish themselves, their significance fades away in the course of history.
Mo Yan agreed deeply. Since the day Lin Guifei entered the palace, someone in the Lin family must have had improper thoughts. Whether Lin Taishi was involved or not, a single bad apple can spoil the whole pot. Even if Lin Taishi wanted to keep himself untainted, it would be impossible.
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