The Mastermind Behind the Scenes Has Quite the Background

"This was supposed to be a very ordinary visit to my family. I brought many gifts, caught up with my mother and stepmother, met all my sisters, and saw my old room. If I hadn't impulsively decided to admire the flowers in the back garden, and if I hadn't happened to run into Liu Jinli, that would have been the end of it."

"Liu Jinli?" Chu Lu frowned. He didn't see that name on the family tree and assumed she must have married out. He casually summoned someone and ordered them to find the Liu family servants for interrogation. Then, he turned to the Empress and said, "Continue. So, was it this Liu Jinli who was guiding you from behind the scenes?"

"Mm," the Empress nodded. "At first, she just came to greet me, with a rather silly-looking maid behind her. She looked at me with admiration and asked about things in the palace, but then she started saying some earth-shattering things..."

In the filthy imperial prison, the Empress described the scene of their conversation in the garden that afternoon.

Liu Jinli: "Sister, are you happy in the palace?"

Empress: "I have food and clothing, and my status is noble. Of course, I'm happy."

Liu Jinli: "I heard the Emperor has many concubines. Aren't you resentful?"

Empress: "Emperors throughout the ages have had the three palaces and six courtyards. It's always been like this, so what's there to resent?"

Liu Jinli: "But just because it's always been this way, does that make it right?"

Empress: "Hmm?"

Liu Jinli: "Sister, don't blame me for being whimsical, but I've always found it strange since I was little. We're all women, born looking the same. Why can there be distinctions of high and low, noble and base? Why must some people only manage the household and raise children, while others can be out in the world? Why can some people have extensive harems, while others can only be part of one?"

Liu Jinli: "All people are born equal, and there's nothing we can't do. I think that's what's right."

Empress: "Your words are novel and interesting, but just keep them to yourself. Don't say them out loud; you'll easily be laughed at."

Liu Jinli: "Sister, do you really think these words are laughable? Sister, haven't you ever, even for a moment, wondered what the difference is between you and Xu Liniang? Where are you inferior to her? Why is she the Emperor, and you can only be the Empress? This throne... can I really not sit on it?"

Empress: "Silence! You're getting more and more confused! Are these words even for you to say?"

Liu Jinli: "If Sister truly has no such thoughts, then I'll slap myself. But if there's even the slightest bit of unwillingness... perhaps your sister can help you."

Empress: "...Really?"

Liu Jinli: "Absolutely."

Empress: "How will you help?"

Liu Jinli: "First, we need to depose the Emperor. With the Liu family backing us, Empress, you can succeed easily with a little trick."

Liu Jinli then detailed her plan: how to frame Consort Ping using a winnowing basket, lure Xu Liniang into the fray, then use the Imperial Sword to humiliate Xu Liniang, followed by further torment and poisoning to weaken her. Once she was weak, they would seize the opportunity, take control of the government, and install their own people.

Empress: "You, where did you learn all this?"

Liu Jinli: "I was born understanding it."

Empress: "But... even if we succeed, this is no different from rebellion. It will inevitably invite countless opposition."

Liu Jinli: "It doesn't matter. With the Liu family's power, we can suppress most people. The rest are just the imperial relatives. If the vassal kings bring their troops to 'clear the ruler's side,' then Sister, you can trick them into believing it's a rumor, or even accuse them of using the excuse to rebel. They will naturally retreat. As for the rest... leave them to me."

Empress: "You? How will you do that?"

Liu Jinli: "In a little while, I will marry the Prince of Qin's heir."

Empress: "Ah? The Prince of Qin is the late Emperor's own sister, with a noble status. Although our Liu family is also a prominent clan, you are merely born of a concubine. How can you marry him?"

Liu Jinli: "It's simple. Soon, it will be Mother's birthday, and the Prince of Qin's heir will attend. I've already arranged for people to push her into the river. Then I'll jump in and save her. At that time, I'll be seen wet and my reputation ruined, and I'll have saved her life. She'll definitely marry me!"

Empress: "To think of such a method... But the Prince of Qin's heir already has a main wife. You'll only be a concubine if you go."

Liu Jinli: "A small matter. I just need to serve him diligently first, letting him fall into a gentle embrace. At the same time, I'll slip abortifacients into the main wife's food, ensuring I can conceive before her. Once my status rises, I'll seduce a guard, make her willingly sacrifice herself for me, place a belt in the main wife's room, and then find others to accuse the main wife of having an affair with the guard. That way, she can be eliminated!"

Liu Jinli: "Then I'll seize the opportunity, comfort the heir's broken heart, and naturally be promoted to the main wife. After that, I'll deal with that old woman, the Prince's mother. The entire Prince of Qin's manor will be within my grasp!"

Liu Jinli: "Then, my sister and I will work from the inside and outside, and this vast Great Yan Dynasty will be ours!"

Empress: "This, this..."

Liu Jinli: "Sister, I've laid my heart bare to you today. Just tell me, do you agree or not!"

Empress: "...Alright!"

The memory ended, and the Empress's gaze gradually returned. Looking at her surroundings, a hint of bitterness appeared.

"That's how it happened," the Empress said.

Chu Lu's brow furrowed, a strong sense of unease washing over him.

That illegitimate daughter named Liu Jinli, her words and actions gave Chu Lu a familiar feeling, almost as if...

How strange. This Liu Jinli... she's practically like a transmigrator. And not just any transmigrator, but a seasoned one who's read plenty of female-oriented novels and is proficient in all their tropes. Preaching equality, losing her chastity in the water, palace scheming with abortions – aren't these all classic plot points?

Chu Lu stood up and said, "Empress, please rest here."

He then left and said to his subordinate, "Have the Liu family servants been interrogated yet?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, not yet."

"After the interrogation, compile the statements into a document and send it to the study."

"Yes."

Half an hour later, in the study of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chu Lu received the confession that had just been submitted.

After reading it, he found that the Empress had not lied.

There was indeed a shu nu named Liu Jinli, and she was indeed married as a concubine because she saved the Prince of Qin's heir, who had fallen into the water, on his birthday.

This confession dispelled Chu Lu's last shred of hope.

"It seems I must meet this Liu Jinli," Chu Lu said with a serious expression. He summoned Su Muyun and said, "Go and have the Prince of Qin's family come to the palace."