Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 564

Princess Xi said, "That is to say... if I told him today that the Kou family wanted to rebel, he would be furious and then denounce the Kou family as having wolfish ambitions."

"But...the next day, he would still summon Kou Xuan, assign him tasks, and encourage him to be a pillar of the shelter."

Qiu Tu tentatively inquired, "Is it possible that Prince Kang has not lost his memory?"

"But because the Kou family was powerful and he was unwell, he wasn't confident he could completely eradicate them. So he feigned compliance to appease them temporarily?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's analysis, Princess Xi shook her head without hesitation, "Impossible."

“You don’t understand King Kang’s prestige in the Sixth Sanctuary.”

"Although there are always rumors that the Kou family shares the world with Prince Kang, Prince Kang is an iron-blooded emperor who built his empire from scratch."

"Everyone in the Sixth Shelter follows him. Even the rise of the Kou family was deliberately orchestrated by him, because he trusts the Kou family."

"So... if he really wanted to deal with the Kou family, there's no way he couldn't handle them."

At this point, Princess Xi paused for a moment, then added, "There is another important reason."

"If he really was just trying to lower the Kou family's guard, then there was no need for him to convene a meeting of ministers while he was sober and then delegate all the big and small matters of the sanctuary to Kou Xuan, right?"

Qiu Tu was genuinely stunned upon hearing Princess Xi's words.

He couldn't help but ask, "When King Kang was sober, did he summon his ministers and then entrust all sorts of affairs to Kou Xuan?"

Princess Xi nodded slightly, her expressionless face.

Perhaps because she found this unacceptable, her fair, exotic face was filled with anger.

Qiu Tu frowned slightly.

He was just about to say something.

Princess Xi added, "The Kou family is clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"They were quite cautious and uneasy from the beginning after they learned that King Kang had fallen ill."

“During those days, I kept hearing news that the Kou family was secretly mobilizing troops.”

"Later, after discovering that King Kang was awake for half an hour every day and still trusted them, even entrusting them with the power of the sanctuary, they were completely relieved."

"After that, after testing the waters for a while, they began to gradually change the guards of the inner and outer palaces and gradually took control of Prince Kang."

Princess Xi may have been suppressing her feelings for too long, and it was rare for her to meet someone she could confide in, so she poured out all her grievances.

Qiu Tu nodded slightly upon hearing this.

The Kou family's reaction was not reasonable—too many ruthless emperors maintained harmonious relations with their ministers when they were in good health, but once they fell ill, they would ruthlessly kill powerful ministers in order to pave the way for their descendants.

It's estimated that the Kou family was also worried that Prince Kang would end up like this.

However, as events unfolded, they discovered that the current King Kang not only wouldn't ruthlessly kill powerful ministers, but would even help them consolidate their power.

This led to a series of subsequent changes.

It was only after learning about the current situation at Shelter No. 6 that Qiu Tu finally understood the series of doubts that had arisen before.

For example... what right did a minister have to attack and kill the princess's personal guards and then place the princess under house arrest?

For example... why is the Kou family so unscrupulous?

Ultimately, it's because... they not only wielded immense power in the Sixth Sanctuary, but they also held the emperor hostage to command the local authorities.

In a sense, Prince Kang is now on the side of the Kou family, not on the side of Princess Xi.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu said, half-seriously and half-jokingly, "Your Highness, Prince Kang is now supporting the Kou family. They've even taken control of the inner and outer palaces."

What are you still struggling with?

"There's almost no hope of turning things around."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Princess Xi's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed coldly as she glared at Qiu Tu, saying, "Prince Kang has only been misled, not truly confused."

"I believe that if he wakes up, he will not let the Kou family continue to be so arrogant."

Qiu Tu rested his chin on his hand and asked curiously, "What if he decides to continue supporting the Kou family after he wakes up?"

Princess Xi's expression froze, and she fell silent.

Upon seeing this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but smile...

He had almost figured out the "character model" of Princess Xi in his mind.

That's right. All of Qiu Tu's interactions with Princess Xi, including tonight's series of actions with her, were actually intentional.

Because, as early as their previous encounters, Qiu Tu had already noticed something was amiss.

Princess Xi seems to care about Prince Kang and is trying to find ways to help him, but... her motives don't seem to be so "pure".

For example, she would always mention how despicable the Kou family was, how powerful they were, and how disloyal they were. (Chapter 492)

For example, whether she was facing Ellie or Qiu Tu, her first words were always about accusing the Kou family, not about the safety of Prince Kang. (Chapter 499)

Actually... this doesn't align with the mindset of a normal woman.

When a woman who truly loves her husband is seriously ill, would she be most concerned about "neighbors" and "relatives" trying to seize her family's assets?

No. They are more concerned about their husbands' safety.

After putting things on hold, the first priority is definitely to deal with my husband's illness.

Some decisive women will even sell part of their family property to win back their husbands.

Therefore... during their previous encounters, Qiu Tu had already developed "suspicions" about Princess Xi.

So, when Princess Xi threatened him last time, Qiu Tu turned the tables and threatened to expose the matter, to see how Princess Xi would behave in the 6th Shelter. (Chapter 500)

As it turned out... Princess Xi actually endured it.

At this moment, Qiu Tu had some guesses about the "identity" of Princess Xi.

This woman is definitely a "political creature".

For her, the serious illness of the Prince of Kang was not "her husband is sick," but a huge "political crisis."

More accurately, it was a "political crisis" that could wipe out all the wealth and status she and her children had enjoyed.

The conditions she set—such as a "superior" official position and a large opening of the national treasury, allowing her to choose freely from the 8th shelter—were not for her husband's medical expenses, but rather a "political exchange."

Once this concept is clarified, the whole thing becomes completely different.

With Prince Kang seriously ill and the 6th Sanctuary almost entirely under the control of the Kou family, Princess Xi is now essentially "getting something for nothing."

She's like Qiu Tu before, trading things that don't belong to her.

So after figuring out the essence of the whole matter, Qiu Tu began to stall Princess Xi—he was using this method to further reduce Princess Xi's room for maneuver and increase his own bargaining power.

During their meeting tonight, Qiu Tu's two rash actions were also a test of Princess Xi's bottom line.

After confirming that Princess Xi and Prince Kang were more like allies than husband and wife, Qiu Tu needed to figure out exactly where Princess Xi's bottom line was.

This is also why he just talked with Princess Xi about the topic of "Kang Wang waking up and continuing to support the Kou family".

And now... he knows.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu crossed his hands on the table and continued tentatively, "Your Highness, actually... I really want to help you too."

"But... as you can see, the situation has deteriorated to the point of no return."

"Don't even mention that we might not be able to save Prince Kang. Even if we could, can you really control what he's thinking?"

"If he continues to trust the Kou family, if he intends to abandon the 'dual monarchy,' or even retire on his own, will you handle it yourself?"

Princess Xi did not easily reveal her emotions; she sat there silently.

But silence is the best answer.

Having once again ascertained Princess Xi's thoughts, Qiu Tu finally began to try to cross her bottom line. He pretended to hesitate for a moment, and then said, "This matter is not without a chance of being resolved."

As expected, Princess Xi looked at Qiu Tu with a dignified expression.

Qiu Tu didn't directly state his judgment. Instead, he inquired, "How many loyal followers does the Princess have in the Sixth Sanctuary?"

Qiu Tu guessed that Princess Xi was not alone. Besides the fact that she was a political figure, it was also because... Princess Xi's one-year-old child was not with her.

If Princess Xi has no loyal followers in the 6th Sanctuary, she will inevitably bring her child with her.

Moreover, the fact that she was able to survive safely amidst such a strong encirclement by the Kou family must mean she had some kind of powerful backing.

Moreover, this force is likely quite significant. This is why the Kou family is hesitant to act decisively, daring only to control the situation but not to deal with Princess Xi.

Sure enough, after hearing Qiu Tu's words, Princess Xi remained silent for two seconds before saying, "In the past few years... while I was by Prince Kang's side, I actually cultivated some confidants."

"In particular, some of the talented individuals I recommended to King Kang are leading troops, while others are stationed in local areas."

"After that, when the Prince of Kang fell seriously ill and the Kou family became powerful, some of the people who supported the Prince of Kang and the Crown Prince also turned to me."

"However, most of these people are mid- to high-ranking civil officials in the central government. They don't have much real power."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu stroked his chin, deep in thought.

The woman in front of me is clearly not a simple person; she has been planning ahead and cultivating her own power for a long time.

What we're saying now is probably not the whole story.

Considering the woman's and her child's identities, it's no wonder the Kou family was hesitant to act rashly.

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu made a simple assessment of the strength of both sides and slowly said, "Your Highness, this force is actually not weak."

"To some extent, it can already influence the political situation of the entire shelter under special circumstances."

“So…” Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then said, “Have you ever considered learning from the Kou family?”

"Learn from the Kou family?" Princess Xi's face clearly showed a look of surprise.

Qiu Tu said calmly, "Yes."

"Since King Kang is uncontrollable, why not learn from the Kou family and use him to command the local areas?"

"If the Kou family can do it, why can't you?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Princess Xi's face turned ashen.

She pointed at Qiu Tu and angrily cursed, "You wolf in sheep's clothing! You traitorous villain!"

"I thought I had found a helper, but I didn't expect to attract a hungry wolf!"

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Qiu Tu was not much surprised by Princess Xi's strong reaction.

He even reached out and grasped the hand that Princess Xi was pointing at, then gently patted it, saying, "Princess, please calm down."

"My suggestion is all for your own good."

"And... don't put it so harshly."

"What wolfish ambitions, what traitorous traitors?"

“You must understand, I am not one of your Sixth Sanctuary, nor am I a subject of King Kang. To me, he is just a stranger.”

"Therefore, I have no loyalty to him."

"Moreover..." Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then continued, "It is precisely because of this identity that even if I help you obtain supreme power in the Sixth Sanctuary, I will not be able to pose a threat to you."

"Because I don't even have the legitimacy of a regime."

Princess Xi's expression remained agitated, but judging from the fact that she didn't pull her hand away, Qiu Tu knew that she had taken his words to heart.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu pressed his advantage. He glanced at Princess Xi's excited expression and then said,

"As for my purpose, Your Highness... have you heard the story of 'Da Yu'er' and 'Royal Uncle'?"

"By now, Your Highness should be aware of my reputation. As for me... I only care about people, not the throne."

"After all, in my heart, a beautiful woman is far more important than an empire."

Princess Xi's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu knew that he had provided enough stimulation for the night.

So, he smiled and released Princess Xi's soft hand, then said, "Princess, since you are not interested in this suggestion, then consider it presumptuous of me."

"I will deliver your message to Mr. Tang as planned."

"But whether he agrees or not, and how the Kou family responds, is not something I can decide."

"Take care of yourself."