Chapter 730: Scapegoat

essed by the dragon. Even with Li Yinhu and Zhao Xuanji joining forces, they couldn't bring you down!""I only regret that when you were weakest, I didn't strike you down. Now you have grown to this po...Chapter 730: False Accusation

Li Chen fell silent for a long time, then spoke in a soft voice: "The matter of ascending the throne is not something this palace can decide. The emperor is still alive, and this palace cannot usurp the throne."

For Li Chen, this statement could be considered quite heartfelt.

Zhou Ping'an remained composed, unfazed by Li Chen's refusal. He immediately continued, "If that's the case, there is another way."

"Drive Zhao Xuanji to desperation."

Zhou Ping'an said expressionlessly: "Whether it is your Highness's ascension to the throne or other methods, the ultimate goal is to force Zhao Xuanji into a corner where he has nowhere to retreat and cannot bear any more. Only by pushing him to his limits will he act against his conscience and be condemned by the world. At that time, Your Highness can either dismiss him or execute him, both of which would be in accordance with justice."

"The subject rebelled, Your Highness slaying him is only natural justice."

This way, not only could we avoid public criticism but also prevent the possibility of vassal kings using "loyal to the court" as an excuse to raise troops during times of political turmoil.

Zhou Ping'an's last words hit the nail on the head.

Why didn't Li Chen just kill Zhao Xuanji directly

That's because once Zhao Xuanji is killed through illegitimate means, the government will inevitably collapse.

There was an uproar throughout the land, and the princes had a pretext for rebelling under the banner of Prince Qin.

The day before yesterday, Zhao Xuanji could use the excuse of disrupting the court order to confine him in Tahe Hall. Now that Zhao Xuanji is dead, those vassal kings could also use the excuse that the Crown Prince is incompetent and raise their troops to march on the capital under the guise of assisting the King.

And this was precisely the last straw that broke the already crumbling Qin Empire.

"How to provoke" Li Chen asked.

"The Liao Kingdom, Yelü Guzanqi."

Zhou Ping'an's answer hit Li Chen right where it hurt.

"Zhao Xuanji has colluded with the Liao Kingdom for many years, his crimes are too numerous to list. Just taking the Moonlit Gate Massacre as an example, it would be enough to put Zhao Xuanji to death dozens of times. As long as the Liao Kingdom makes these crimes public, Zhao Xuanji will have no choice but to rebel."

Li Chen asked, "The Liao Kingdom is not something this palace can control. How can we ensure they will definitely publicize these things After all, Zhao Xuanji is still there. As a grand secretary of the Qin Dynasty's cabinet, he can create huge value for the Liao Kingdom."

Zhou Ping'an said calmly, "Compared to a Qin Empire that is still relatively stable, which one would be more beneficial to Liao A Qin Empire engulfed in civil war It goes without saying. Liao hopes for nothing more than chaos within the Qin."

To that, Zhou Ping'an's face flashed a sinister expression. He said, "Besides, even if they don't speak up, Your Highness can speak for them, right"

Li Chen stared at Zhou Ping'an for a long time, and said with a smile: "Getting Ping'an alone is worth a thousand troops."

Zhou Ping'an respectfully said, "It is my duty as a minister to alleviate the burden for Your Highness."

After a moment of silence, seeing that Li Chen had nothing more to say, Zhou Ping'an said: "Your humble servant takes his leave..."

As he spoke, Zhou Ping turned his face towards Li Chen and backed away.

Just as Zhou Ping'an was about to reach the entrance of Xizheng Hall and leave, Li Chen suddenly spoke up.

"Zhao Xuanji colluded with the Liao Kingdom for many years. This matter is known to no more than five people in the entire Qin Empire, and you are definitely not one of them. How did you know"

Zhou Ping'an stopped his steps, bowed his head deeply and avoided looking at Li Chen. He spoke softly: "It was just a wild guess made by the minister."

"Moreover, even if Zhao Xuanji is innocent, your Highness said he has it, so he does."

Hundreds of years ago, there was a dynasty called Song. Its famous general Yue Fei was highly respected for his achievements. He strongly advocated for rescuing the two emperors, Jing and Kang. However, he was disliked by the new emperor. One day, twelve imperial edicts were issued to recall Yue Fei. The traitorous official Qin Hui falsely accused him of trumped-up charges and had him killed, leaving behind a thousand-year legacy of infamy.

"If a ruler of the Song Dynasty could kill loyal ministers on false charges, why couldn't Your Highness execute treacherous officials on false charges"s the absolute best choice for maximizing benefits and minimizing harm.Even King Ning was starting to suspect that the Jin army might already be on its way to Jincheng."Using foreign enemies to deal w...