by <unknown>
Li Jiande took a deep breath and held back his urge to cough. He said, "You know that your crimes are unforgivable, too?"
"Of course I do."
Li Linghai smiled again. "However, I also understand the saying that 'those who steal a hook will be executed, but those who steal a country will be knighted'. Unforgivable crimes equal to zero crimes. None whatsoever.
"Besides, death means the conclusion of everything. Since I will die either way, will there be any difference in whether I commit the unforgivable crimes or not?
"Of course, grandfather, you are totally free to not believe everything I have said but launch an assault at the Divine Rain Sector right now. You can see if you can rescue a few heavy industrial cities that have been worked on for hundreds of years before I destroy the entire Divine Rain Planet.
"However, even if my strategies all fail, in the worst-case scenario, I will still be able to lead the remaining troops to wander and cause trouble in the Li family's heartland as bandits, and I can still deal heavy wounds to the Li family, making the other three families grow covetous of you.
"This is not how your granddaughter envisions the future, but if you are too obstinate to listen to my heartfelt advice, I'm afraid that I will have to make the decision and never look back!"
Looking at Li Linghai's smiling and enchanting eyes, Li Jiande was silent for a long time again. In the end, he heaved a long sigh and said slowly, "Good granddaughter, I agree with your opinion. Your father is a pig. How on earth did he fail to see the potentials in you and decide to send you into the royal palace as the crown princess? What a great waste it was!
"If he had discovered the ambitions and strength hidden deep inside your blood in time and sent you to me for education, perhaps I wouldn't have been caught in the awkward situation where I could not find a worthy heir.
"A pig like your father should die a hundred times and that still won't be enough!
"But it is still not too late, now that I have discovered you in person."
There was not the delight that she was in an advantageous situation on Li Linghai's face. She said casually, "Right now, the family hasn't suffered huge losses, and the reformists haven't declared the four Kurfürst families to be our enemies openly. Our targets are just the scoundrels in the capital. As long as Grandfather is willing to listen to the appeal of me and the fellow Cultivators, the situation will still be under our control, and… yours!"
"The appeal of the reformists?"
Li Jiande didn't give a straight reply. "What do you want?"
"Very simple. We want the Li family, as one of the four pillars of the Imperium, to hear the voices of the soldiers from the frontline and the Immortal Cultivators from the bottom level of the peripheral worlds."
Li Linghai said unhurriedly, "We hope that you can support our righteous action to 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions' and that you can eliminate the villains in the Council of Elders, remove the cancers residing on the flesh of the Imperium, and build a more beautiful and magnificent new Imperium together with us."
Li Jiande's small eyes were rolling fast. "Who are villains? Who are cancers?"
Li Linghai declared loudly, "The Dongfang family, who are bold enough to arrogate the power of the royal family and claim to be 'First Family', is the cancer of the Imperium and even the civilization of mankind!
"The elders of the Dongfang family and their vassal families are the most heinous villains that must be wiped out.
"For the Imperium and for the civilization of mankind, the Dongfang family must be destroyed. The reformists have been gathered exactly for such a purpose. Whatever the price is, we are going to annihilate the national thieves and rescue the Imperium!
"However, the Dongfang family is too deeply-rooted, wealthy, and powerful for the reformists to defeat them on our own. Grandfather, please call for the forces of the entire Li family as well as the vassal families to stand on our side and support us!"
Instead of bothering whether or not the Dongfang family was truly the "villain" and "cancer", Li Jiande simply asked, "Is the strength of the reformists and the Li family combined enough to settle the Dongfang family quickly and neatly, without casting the Imperium into a civil war when the two parties are caught in a predicament?"
Li Linghai replied casually, "The reformists and the Li family combined will be enough to be on par with the Dongfang family, but it is still not sufficient to crush the Dongfang family thunderously.
"However, if the other three Kurfürst families are united, together with the forces of the reformists, it will be enough for us to eradicate the cancer unstoppably!"
Li Jiande cackled like a crow again and beamed with interest. "Good granddaughter, can you convince the other two families to play with the fire?"
"I can't, but I believe you certainly can, grandfather."
Li Linghai said with a smile, "Why else would I come to seek grandfather with such enormous 'sincerity'?"
Li Jiande said, "What if I can't either?"
"Then I will have to die."
Li Linghai said gloomily, "As the queen of the Imperium of True Human Beings, it is not an outrageous demand to ask a few planets to be buried with me, right?"
Li Jiande coughed lightly and calculated without saying anything.
"I absolutely believe that Grandfather is wise and persuasive enough to convince the other two Kurfürsten. The most important thing is that the three Kurfürst families have been dissatisfied with the Dongfang family for a long time. They are just short of a reason to fight the Dongfang family and an opportunity for cooperation."
Li Linghai said comfortably, "Politics is nothing more than a game of balance. The politics of the Imperium of True Human Beings in the first five hundred years was the balance between the royal authority and the four Kurfürst families. In the second five hundred years, when the royal authority declined, it became the balance within the four Kurfürst families.
"The four Kurfürst families are exactly like the four legs of a table. Only if they are of equal height can the longevity and stability of the Imperium be ensured. If any one of the families grows too huge, it will mean that they are knocking over the table for a reshuffle.
"It was a tacit understanding among everyone and a tradition that we all abided by in the past hundreds of years, but in the recent two centuries, the Dongfang family played dumb and expanded crazily in violation of the tradition, until it is almost twice as strong as any of the other families right now.
"I'm very eager to find out what the Dongfang family's purpose is in expanding their forces so drastically, and when their expansion will stop. Are they really going to replace the Wuying family, overthrow the Imperium of True Human Beings, and become the well-deserved dominator of the universe and the 'First Family'?
"When that day comes, what should the Li family and the other two Kurfürst families do? Should we pledge loyalty to the new superpower again and kneel before the Dongfang family? Even if we are willing to do so, will the Dongfang family be bold enough to accept our allegiance?"
Li Jiande seemed to have fallen asleep. Even his eyes had been half-closed.
Li Linghai, however, knew clearly that her old and cunning grandfather was listening, analyzing, and considering carefully.
"Grandfather, don't think that I'm just fretting. 'The strong stay strong' is a truth that is never proved false in the cruel competitions of the Immortal Cultivators. For the smaller worlds at the edge of the Imperium, the four Kurfürst families are the strong ones that have stayed strong, but among the four Kurfürst families, isn't the Dongfang family the strong that have stayed strong too? The Dongfang family is expanding faster after each other. If we do not stop them now, we will never stop them and can only watch them swallow us one bite after another!"
Li Linghai raised her voice and gnashed her teeth, as if she were angry. "For the Li family, there is another hidden problem that is even more critical. The Li family is not necessarily the weakest of the four Kurf�
�rst families, but it is now in an awkward phase where it lacks talents in the next generation. Now that grandfather is still alive, we can still manage to deal with the Dongfang family. But if we do not seize the opportunity to launch a critical attack, when grandfather can't hold on any longer one day in future, who can represent the interests of the Li family and resist Dongfang Wang, the leader of the Dongfang family and the Prime Minister of the Imperium who is in his prime years?"
Chapter 2258: Treacherous Deal |
Li Jiande smiled. The more kindly he smiled, the more aggressive the brutality in his eyes became. "So, my beloved granddaughter, do you think that the alliance of the four Kurfürst families is so unreliable that you can turn them against each other with a few fancy words? If so, the four families would've started fighting each other hundreds of years ago. How on earth could we have worked together to maintain the balance of the Imperium to this day?"
"I am turning nobody against anybody but just speaking the truth that other people do not dare nor want to talk about."
Li Linghai said calmly, "The most direct evidence is right before us—the incident of the Blood Oath Alliance. Assassinating an elder of the Dongfang family in such a simple and straightforward way without caring about the consequences is certainly not my style and brings zero benefits to the reformists. It was really not done by us. If I may be so bold to ask, did the four Kurfürst families plan it, and was the Li family involved?"
After a brief silence, Li Jiande shook his head and said, "I swear by the name of 'Silver Fox' that the Li family definitely did not plan or participate in it. We did not know anything beforehand."
"I didn't do it, and the Li family didn't do it. So, it was the Dongfang family who did it on their own?"
Li Linghai grinned, baring her sharp teeth. "After the demise of one elder, they became the greatest victim. Then, they established the special investigation committee as quickly as lightning, eliminating the dissidents, framing up the decent officials, and extending their influences to multiple battle areas to earn tremendous benefits for themselves.
"As a result, the Dongfang family gets the biggest slice of the cake, whereas the blame is taken by the four Kurfürst families together. Dongfang Wang has indeed made thorough plans. If I may ask, does such a sordid and shameless action signify their loyalty to the alliance of the four families?"
The wrinkles below Li Jiande's eyes constricted, as if they were pinching a nonexistent mosquito hard, but he did not refute Li Linghai.
Encouraged, Li Linghai grew even more excited and raised her voice again. "Grandfather, this is the most corrupt and the darkest age of the Imperium, but this is also a great age to embrace world-shifting changes! The Imperium's counterattack in the past decade has drained the national treasury. The enormous expedition army needs to be subsidized, the disabled and retired soldiers need to be compensated, the newly-recovered areas need to be reconstructed with tremendous capitals, and countless remote worlds whose economy is on the verge of collapse need rest and appeasement.
"Everything requires money and resources. Astronomical money and resources!
"Yes. The four Kurfürst families, with the wealth and the powerful troops, may turn a blind eye to the miscellaneous troops and the Immortal Cultivators from the remote worlds. But they are certainly not going to wait to die if you do not give them a chance to live.
"Today, I am asking for the support of the Li family as the leader of the reformists, but even without me, even if I am completely erased by the family, the strength that struggles for survival and seeks changes will not be gone. Instead, it will completely go out of control and become a raging flood that will destroy everything on its way!
"How can we harness the crazy strength? Where can we find the astronomical money and resources for the subsistence and reconstruction? Very simple. Any of the four fat and huge behemoths, once collapsed, will be enough for other people to feast on for decades and live through the most difficult years of the reconstruction of the newly-recovered territory!
"After the newly-recovered territory that was greatly sabotaged by the Covenant Alliance is reconstructed by us and yields all kinds of resources incessantly, and when the local people get rid of the Covenant Alliance's brainwashing, it will be the turning point for the rise of the Imperium!
"All in all, the renaissance of the Imperium requires the sacrifice of a behemoth. If you do not wish to see the Dongfang family fall down, it will only be the Li family who does. There is not a third option!
"You have seen and heard the torrent of changes congregated by the wrath and hunger of the millions of Immortal Cultivators from the remote worlds, a torrent that has crushed your face overwhelmingly. Instead of resisting it stubbornly, you might as well control the strength in your hands tightly!
"I am willing to lead all the reformists and the soldiers of the coalition fleet to be the sharpest saber in the hands of grandfather and the Li family while we fight on the frontline to deal with the Dongfang family. All we need is a boost from the Li family in the back. One boost will be enough!"
Li Linghai spoke so passionately and enthusiastically that even her fair skin was emitting redness.
Li Jiande, however, remained untouched. He said coldly, "However, according to the rumors I have heard, the purpose of the reformists is more than that. You are not just dealing with the Dongfang family; you are going to destroy all the four Kurfürst families!"
"Yes, I've said that on a lot of occasions."
Li Linghai did not deny it at all but said nonchalantly, "That is the thing about ideals. How could I have attracted so many hotblooded fellows of honor and integrity to me, and how can I make them cooperate with the Li family as willingly as the saber in Grandfather's hands?
"As to exactly whether or not the saber will run out of control and even swallow the holder, it will depend on how you wave the saber. Are you not confident in manipulating the reformists, grandfather?"
"Then—"
Li Jiande asked with a smile, "What can you personally get from all this? Just save the bulls*it that you are just doing this for the revival of the Imperium and the future of the family."
Li Linghai smiled and licked her lips. "If I say that I want to be the leader of the Li family while I am also the queen of the Imperium, would you consider it too outrageous, grandfather?"
Li Jiande said calmly, "There has never been an example of that in the Imperium."
"Examples are always created by people."
Li Linghai said without giving in, "The Imperium has never witnessed such a great era of changes in history either!"
After staring at Li Linghai for a long time, Li Jiande gave in first and changed the topic, "How exactly do you want the Li family to support the reformists?"
Without any hesitation, Li Linghai proposed her demands quickly, "First of all, I want the Divine Rain Fleet and all the armed forces deployed on the Divine Rain Planet to surrender to us. No. 'Surrender' seems to be too harsh. Please ask them to completely transfer their commandership to us. From this moment on, the Divine Rain Sector will be a temporary base for the reformists. As long as it is not armed, we will not interfere with the normal operations of the Divine Rain Planet. Of course, we will also have to ask grandfather to continue shipping resources to us for the daily consumption of our fleet. I'll send the detailed list of assets over after discussing it with General Lei."
The wrinkles on Li Jiande's face were very steady. He asked peacefully, "What about the battle? How are we going to explain it to the family and to the public?"
Putting on a malicious smile, Li Linghai said softly, "A drill accident."
Surrounded by enormous silence, Li Jiande failed to come up with anything until half a minute later. "Go on."
"Secondly, I want the elders of the Li family and the vassal families to propose a motion in the Council of Elders tomorrow to express your concerns about the investigation of the Blood Oath Alliance, ask for the reorganization of the special investigation
committee by reducing the members of the Dongfang family, and terminate the trend where the investigation is expanded randomly."
Li Linghai said quickly, "Of course, the suspects of the Blood Oath Alliance who have been arrested randomly must be released too. Considering the complexity of the issue, half of them can be released first.
"Thirdly, the other motion is about General Lei Chenghu's military rank. I know that the Council of Elders has been discussing it since a long time ago and there's no objection in principle, except that the Council of Elders hoped to let General Lei work in the capital after he's accoladed with the title of Supreme Commander. However, we feel that the frontline is still in dire need of the supervision of an influential general considering the instability of the area. Therefore, it will be most appropriate if General Lei is also nominated as the commander of the new expedition army and be fully responsible for the regrouping of the expedition army.
"Fourthly, the Li family will coordinate and ensure the security and smoothness of all the media and network of the reformists. I want every voice that the reformists make to be heard by everyone in the Imperium, or at least the Immortal Cultivators. I have collected countless shocking scandals and crimes of the Dongfang family in the past decades, and I'm waiting for this moment to turn them into cannonballs!
"Fifthly, and the last strike, grandfather will impeach Prime Minister Dongfang Wang in person and make sure that his cabinet collapses!
"As long as Dongfang Wang's cabinet collapses, a chain reaction will inevitably be raised. All the forces in the entire Imperium will stand on the opposite side of the Dongfang family, hoping to bite a few pieces of meat from the shaking behemoth. By then, the Li family will certainly be able to replace it, or at least get the largest share and the fattest meat, right?"
Li Jiande was amused. "If I were two hundred years younger, I might've been convinced by you. But would it be really so simple when it is put in practice? You are asking the Li family to completely stand on the opposite side of the Dongfang family. We will be sworn enemies forever!"