Smack. Xue Liulan slammed the memorial onto the floor, his chest heaving with rage.
Li Yan picked it up silently, placed it back on the desk, and bowed. "Your Majesty, please decide."
Since Murong Jin woke, Xue Liulan had barely left her side, leaving most court affairs to Li Yan. Some trivial matters went to Guo Shangzhong, but this… this was beyond Li Yan's authority.
"Minister Li, what do you think?" Xue Liulan asked, calming himself.
Li Yan hesitated, then steeled his resolve. "Since the ministers have petitioned to punish General Murong, why not go with the flow? We can remove the Murong family legitimately, without the people accusing Your Majesty of killing a loyal subject."
"You mean execute Murong Yan's entire clan, as the memorial suggests?" Xue Liulan frowned.
"Yes."
Xue Liulan stared at the paper.
Murong Yan had drawn a sword on the Emperor in the inner palace. News had spread. Thirty high-ranking officials had signed this petition, demanding the execution of the Murong clan for high treason.
"No." Xue Liulan slammed his fist on the table. "Reject it. Find an excuse."
"Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Li Yan knew why he hesitated, but he had to say it. Murong Yan was in Jindu, alone. The evidence was irrefutable.
"I know." Xue Liulan said slowly. "But Murong Jin has just lost her son. The Murong family is everything to her. If I destroy them now, she won't survive it."
Li Yan fell silent. After that day in Zhaoyang Palace, he knew Xue Liulan would rather die than sacrifice Murong Jin.
"Let me think." Xue Liulan rubbed his temples.
Time ticked by. The study was silent as a tomb. Xue Liulan leaned back, eyes closed, lips pressed into a thin line.
"Li Yan."
"Your Majesty."
Xue Liulan stood and walked to him. "Since there is no other way, we must remove Guo Shangzhong."
"Ah?" Li Yan blinked. He knew Xue Liulan wanted to destroy the eunuch, but he had always been cautious.
"Is it too soon?" Li Yan asked tentatively.
"The time isn't ripe, but this memorial… Guo Shangzhong is forcing my hand."
Li Yan nodded.
Xue Liulan picked up the memorial, crumpling it in his fist. "Thirty officials. The pillars of the court. All connected to Guo Shangzhong. Do you know what this means?"
"The eunuch faction is far stronger than the imperial in-laws."
"Exactly." Xue Liulan laughed coldly. "While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. But the fisherman's roots have grown too deep."
"But with our current strength, uprooting such a tree is impossible," Li Yan said.
"Impossible or not, we must do it." Xue Liulan's voice was firm. "He killed my son. He drove my wife mad. Now he wants to destroy her family. If the Murong family falls, Guo Shangzhong will be unchecked."
"He will kill the Emperor and install a puppet."
"Yes. So we must strike first."
Li Yan agreed. The balance of power was the only thing keeping Xue Liulan safe. If it tipped, he was next.
"But how? The Fifteen are gone. The Vermilion Bird Camp is away. The armies of Yuling and Wuchuan are thousands of miles away."
"Gongzi Suyi."
"The Prince of Yin?" Li Yan was shocked. He hadn't known of their alliance.
"Yes. His power is enough to prune Guo Shangzhong's branches." Xue Liulan tapped the memorial. "We just need proof of Guo Shangzhong's treason."
Li Yan was still confused. "Why would he help us? A weak imperial family benefits Yin."
"Anyone else would think so. But Suyi is different." Xue Liulan smiled confidently.
"The four great vassal states—Yin, Yan, Jin, and Zhao—are equal in power," he explained, pacing by the window. "They balance each other. If one attacks Jindu, the others will crush him in the name of protecting the Emperor."
Li Yan nodded. "So they keep the Emperor on the throne to prevent any single state from dominating."
"Exactly. And Yin isn't ready yet. Keeping the dynasty alive buys them time."
"But if one state becomes strong enough to defeat the others…"
"Then we are doomed." Xue Liulan turned to him. "But that is not easy. The Founding Emperor ensured the four states were evenly matched in wealth, population, and resources. Unless three generations of rulers are incompetent, the balance will hold."
And the current Four Princes were all brilliant. The balance was secure.
Xue Liulan wrote a letter. It contained no flowery language, just the situation and his plan. He handed it to Li Yan.
He knew Suyi would help. Not just for politics, but because they were brothers.
In Yin, Gongzi Suyi read the letter. The Fifteen stood nearby.
"The situation has changed. You should return to Jindu," Suyi said calmly. He turned to Liu Yi. "Arrange it."
"Yes." Liu Yi paused. "Should we tell Miss Xu? She is managing Windless now."
Suyi smiled gently at the mention of Xu Wan'er. "No need. She is busy. This is a small matter. Don't disturb her."
Small matter? Liu Yi rolled his eyes. To you, only Miss Xu's affairs are big matters.